Yes, I’m aware that certain aspects of SDA, in particular the loading of comments, have been slow to load in recent weeks.
The server has been under heavy pressure due to waves of spam attacks – it’s the price I pay for having an open comments policy. I’ll be looking at a blog platform upgrade soon, which may alleviate the problem.
Until then, I’ll remind readers here that this is not a chat forum and that your comments should be relevant to the topic. Every comment you post requires a page rebuild, which consumes server resources, which slows loading of the site for others. So, if your comment is a one liner, a retort to a troll, or something equally pointless, please keep it to yourself.
But one liners are what make the comments worth reading.
At least we get the opportunity to make comments. Compared to some sites, yours is a model of efficiency. Personally I’d just like to thank you again for bringing to our attention things that matter, and some that just supply a great chuckle on a crappy morning. Thanks again, slow comment loading is a small price to pay.
Personally I’d just like to thank you again for bringing to our attention things that matter, and some that just supply a great chuckle on a crappy morning. Thanks again, slow comment loading is a small price to pay.
I second that. Having seen the NDP in action for many years, I’ve known for a long time what was behind all the Obama buzz-words, e.g. “middle class” = “ordinary working people.” You and a few others such as Mark Steyn are at least helping me to laugh and stay somewhat sane in the midst of my post-election depression and I thank you.
Just out of curiosity, I always wonder why sites like this one don’t use any of the established massively scalable, hacker-proof services such as Blogspot. Is there some traffic limit, or other limiting factor that makes this choice unattractive?
Running your own servers in this day and age seems a bit anachronistic…
@Steve: because then SDA would be at the mercy of the airheaded soft lefties that run those services.
I wince every time I load SDA because the site design is so archaic, but it ain’t my server and I don’t pay for the hosting costs. I can’t help but think that a WordPress install with the various spam-smasher plugins would be a better choice, but again, I’m not exactly voting with my wallet.
Blogspot can, for example, censor blogs by taking them down. And running your own server is only as anachronistic as.. say, having a ham radio, or owning guns, or chopping your own firewood, or having a garden, or hunting, or not taking public transit. But that being said, SDA does indeed look in need of an upgrade.
Perhaps under Readers tips in Bold letters a simple “This is reserved for tips only and is not a chat column” would go a long way to keep traffic down. Also , by headlining a music video or other benign topic you are inviting reply to a unimportant subject with one liners. Little things can mean a lot.
Archaic? In need of an upgrade? Anachronistic? Perhaps, but handsome is as handsome does.
SDA posts forwarded to others usually knocks their socks off. They often want to know ‘where did I get that??!! – the post was so revealing, got me thinking, induced me to start asking questions’.
The only negative I consistently hear? – the name.
but again, I’m not exactly voting with my wallet.
Most of us would be guilty of the same.
Please find a long overdue donation in your tip jar.
Most of us would be guilty of the same.
Please find a long overdue donation in your tip jar.
Coincidentally I did the same thing just after my earlier posting above.
Consider signing up with Cloudflare as a frontend for the site.
It’s free, and they filter out a lot of the spammers and the like, as well as providing huge capacity for any sudden traffic loads.
Kate, change nothing!
Twenty-nine million hits and counting must be a pretty solid web blog model as it currently exists!
I really like Kate’s take down “zingers” too!
and I’ma guilty of being cheap also, so a cheque it the mail is in order, as I would hate to loose this site!!!!!
and a tip to slow loadings, I hit the refresh button and that does help:-))))
thanx Kate for the chance to |”see” some truth on the net….and luv your subtle way of hitting us over the about “costs”:-))))))
My hosting company has offered advice on an upgrade, and when the site slows down over Christmas, I’ll set a couple of days aside to work at it.
Thanks to everyone who has donated in recent weeks. I know the economy has made things tight for some of you, and so your support is very much appreciated.
I have recently become a convert of Dr William Davis and his book Wheat Belly. Because of my diagnosis of type 2 diabetes I started searching food and diets to enable a reduction in blood sugar and came across Wheat Belly. It is a devestating expose of modern wheat and its effects on humans. My weight has dropped about 20 lbs in the past 3 months and currently is continuing to drop at a lb a week. Kate this subject merits its own topic IMHO.
No real costs involved unless I give up and hire someone to do it for me. It really is just a post explaining the slow loading.
Is the site design “archaic”? I like it. I don’t see what’s wrong with it. I prefer it to the alternatives, actually.
Lately it’s been loading a little slowly for me, but nothing too traumatizing.
… It really is just a post explaining the slow loading.
LOL. Yeah that’s what I thought to and then came back to find all the constant comment!
I thought the SDA slowness might be due to my new ISP, but then found the same issues when connected elsewhere so thanks to Kate for the heads up.
Trying to get away from google so I’ve been using netvibes as my web base online rss reader and netvibes has been having a terrible time updating the SDA rss feed in a timely manner, too. Not sure there is a connection?
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I’ve noticed the slow down too, and didn’t want to say anything, but I agree that it may be time for a platform update. Newer systems (wordpress, etc) are probably able to manage bandwidth and server resources much more efficiently. I realize that you don’t want the comments to be a chat forum, but since people attempt to carry on conversation to some extent in here regardless, it might be nice to have inline replies and threads. Even rankings would be cool. User engagement helps to maintain and acquire traffic. You could even have signups so that commenters would be forced to register, a deterrent for drive by trolls. Just some thoughts. Thanks for all your efforts, Kate.
@ Doowleb 12:43 & Drained Brain 12:48
Ditto
Slow loading is a small price to pay to access and comment on one of the best blogs evaaa!
Oops! A one liner. Sorry.
Sorry for the one liner here, but “One liners” seem to be as bad as trolls and spam?, so be it, its your blog.
@Kate:
What?? No one-liners? Whatever am I to do?
I may as well just shut the fu*k up then.
The “one-liners” often say more than the drivel that comes from the incessant barfing of O-OK-or whatever the troll calls itself next.
Thanks Kate for your site, a breath of fresh air in the smog of the left-leaning-group-think MSM.
Nice to see Lord Monckton trying to clear the air too!
http://www.climatedepot.com/a/18726/Fmr-Thatcher-advisor-Lord-Monckton-evicted-from-UN-climate-summit-after-challenging-global-warming–Escorted-from-the-hall-and-security-officers-stripped-him-of-his-UN-credentials
Ironic how they flock to Qatar for a “conference” but protest any opposing view to their preconceived notions. No debate allowed. The science is settled and the earth is flat. The only question remaining is how to redistribute the wealth from rich to poor and put the UN in charge of the new world order. Lord Monckton is like a proud heterosexual in the gay pride parade. He should have known he was wasting his time. He can watch in amazement but never let on that he thinks they are all nuts. Anything except applauding from the sideline will not be tolerated.
The page reload isn’t that long and doesn’t bother me atall.
SDA is on my bookmark toolbar and the downloading time hasn’t changed.
No download issues here and it’s my homepage and i probably head back to it after browsing at least a couple times.
Comments are by far the best around, the page and site way ahead of others, obviously I like it, my view Kates got it right, change nowt lass. Take a bow and smile. Thank You for your hard work.
Yes, it loads a little slow. But, I like this blog, I use it. Therefore I go by the prescription “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
It ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The page refresh cycle time is just fine, I’m not in a screaming hurry to see my words posted. I wonder about the patience level of those people who post their missive two or three times waiting for their words to appear.
Don’t change the format. The clean uncluttered text blocks are perfect. It doesn’t need window dressing. The important people post and read here for the content. Those who want more fluff on their messages to cyberspace can use farcebook, or twit-er.
You don’t need to wait for it. I sent a post last
night and as soon as I sent it, I turned my computer off (low battery) and it still ended up here. Or you can go somewhere else while it loads.
First off- thank you Kate for your wonderful blog and your great sense of humour. The need for speed in our digital world is overrated. I do not find it slow and if it is, it is always well worth the wait.