TheSwamp
CAD Forums => CAD General => Topic started by: Mark on August 18, 2008, 07:14:45 AM
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Part 2. This will happen if we allow Google Ads here at theswamp.
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Bots just put us on the map......more people will know we exist. At the moment ...just do a search for "Swamp" and see what you come up with.......nothing. I know...I have tried it. Do a search for "cad forums"...and still TheSwamp does not register.
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It depends. If I remember correctly, RR @ the Vault never let them into the forums where registration was required, purely I think, to stop the google searchers just pinching code (copy/paste) from searches.
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That is true Alan, but have you noticed how friendly it is, how people slide in to fit the groups dynamics. When loads of people find the place all at once there is a chance that we can lose the community atmosphere this place has grown to love. There is more of a chance that there will be more "members" that will enrol purely to bait the other members and cause problems for the members and make it more difficult to moderate effectively
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It depends. If I remember correctly, RR @ the Vault never let them into the forums where registration was required, purely I think, to stop the google searchers just pinching code (copy/paste) from searches.
the bots can not get into the areas where membership is required, thus they won't get indexed.
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So, are you saying that the proposed indexing is just for...CAD General say...and not the programming forums? Or are you going to allow Google bots to scrape the whole site?
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So, are you saying that the proposed indexing is just for...CAD General say...and not the programming forums? Or are you going to allow Google bots to scrape the whole site?
Any of the public forums will/can be indexed as it stands. We can change that (to a degree) if we want to.
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That is true Alan, but have you noticed how friendly it is, how people slide in to fit the groups dynamics. When loads of people find the place all at once there is a chance that we can lose the community atmosphere this place has grown to love. There is more of a chance that there will be more "members" that will enrol purely to bait the other members and cause problems for the members and make it more difficult to moderate effectively
Tracy talks very true here. Having been there and seen this happen before......and something we have to watch very closely.
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True, Tracey......but remember what you told me the second time I came back here.......
"Alan, just keep your mouth shut and say nothing......if 'they' step out of line, the members here will deal with them very quickly".
And that was exactly what happened. So....I can't really see a problem......
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There is a significant amount of information on the web pointing to theswamp as a resource for AutoCAD users and it is evidenced by the number of members we currently have. In a few short years we have gained many insightful and well rounded people ... and a few whack jobs too ... the point is, the kind of people we want here will continue to come here and this will provide sustainable membership.
Indexing theswamp will do more harm than good due to the number of people who will do a search, find the resource, grab it without any regard to the community we have created here.
I have already found code that I posted here (and only here) on indexed sites in China, Russia, Brazil, France, Italy and others. Not that I don't want others to be able to use the code ... if that were the case, I would not have posted it. Indexing theswamp will increase the number of people who come here, grab content, and then go post it on their "home" forum thus while increasing membership it will likely lower the overall quality of the membership.
If you want to index theswamp, then index only a landing page, just to put theswamp into the system. People will find it and those with enough interest will register and likely will become a valuable member.
Oh, have I ever mentioned that while communism is a wonderful ideology, it will never work in large numbers due to differing opinions. Benevolent dictatorship is probably a better form of governance.
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It is my understanding that the primary goal of the swamp is to aid and educate CAD users/programmers, not just "our sort" of CAD users/programmers. If someone is having a problem and the solution was here, it would sure be nice if they had a way to find it.
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yes, it would.
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It is my understanding that the primary goal of the swamp is to aid and educate CAD users/programmers, not just "our sort" of CAD users/programmers. If someone is having a problem and the solution was here, it would sure be nice if they had a way to find it.
I agree
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It is my understanding that the primary goal of the swamp is to aid and educate CAD users/programmers, not just "our sort" of CAD users/programmers. If someone is having a problem and the solution was here, it would sure be nice if they had a way to find it.
My understanding of the existence of The Swamp is or was to provide an alternate to the corprate controlled and censored site.
They can claim to be independent all they want however the truth is they are not or the ground rules a member must agree to when joining would not prohibit anyone one from expressing an opinion that is negative towards their corporate master, that in the end controls and decides their fate, even after the intruction of the marking tool known as solidvapor to the mix.
I think we can remain strong and grow even stronger without needing to be enslaved by some form of corporate servitude and the conditions and constraints imposed by taking that route.
Perhaps any of this discussion would be best added to the terms of membership, make it clear that the site is user supported and maintained and provide very easy links to donate. From experience I was here quite a while before I knew I could donate, and even if I would. Then I discovered how good the site is, and felt compelled to donate to keep it free of those influences.
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It is my understanding that the primary goal of the swamp is to aid and educate CAD users/programmers, not just "our sort" of CAD users/programmers. If someone is having a problem and the solution was here, it would sure be nice if they had a way to find it.
My understanding of the existence of The Swamp is or was to provide an alternate to the corprate controlled and censored site.
I think that may just be a symptom or byproduct... I've -never- been under the impression that this was a 'goal'.
One thing that I wonder about... is it still "bandwidth" that people end up paying for? Isn't that what the cost is?
If so, if you try out ads... seems to me that there'd be no going back... if indexing/ads brings many new members via search engine... and bandwidth usage shoots up, you won't be able to go back to 'the way it was' because the membership would be beyond what it is now... so it's a one way decision it seems, lest you introduce a paid "ad free" service or something complicated like that.
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Josh, that is an interesting thought ... indexing the site will by its very nature increase bandwidth usage, even without additional membership. Adding advertising will also increase bandwidth usage, although it will be a minor amount.
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Well I wasn't really trying to figure the cost of those, because you can eliminate that cost by going backwards... it's the increase in membership (that most seem to think would happen) that would be irreversible increases to bandwidth.
HOWEVER... this is a very decently put together forum, no added fluff or bloat... the only images are basic things that appear once, and then, if cache'd will incur no other loads... it's not a graphical site very much, and it's only an occasional forum that requires a screenshot of the application, and that's viewed minimally I would think.
There's ways to hinder bloating up forum posts, like eliminating image tags within the post, file capping the 'additional attachments' and encouraging the use of imageshack and such services, or lily pad to some
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My understanding of the existence of The Swamp is or was to provide an alternate to the corprate controlled and censored site.
They can claim to be independent all they want however the truth is they are not or the ground rules a member must agree to when joining would not prohibit anyone one from expressing an opinion that is negative towards their corporate master, that in the end controls and decides their fate, even after the intruction of the marking tool known as solidvapor to the mix.
I think we can remain strong and grow even stronger without needing to be enslaved by some form of corporate servitude and the conditions and constraints imposed by taking that route.
Perhaps any of this discussion would be best added to the terms of membership, make it clear that the site is user supported and maintained and provide very easy links to donate. From experience I was here quite a while before I knew I could donate, and even if I would. Then I discovered how good the site is, and felt compelled to donate to keep it free of those influences.
I know that you are still very sensitive about it and that the scab will likely never heal, but seriously, indexing by google = enslavement into corporate servitude?
Some day I'll have to introduce you to this thing I know about called the internet.
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Some day I'll have to introduce you to this thing I know about called the internet.
Shall I call you Al? :wink:
I am aware of this thing call the 'internet', however feel free to reintroduce me to it, perhaps I have met an impostor?
What I am saying, or at least attempting to say is that I think this place can be self sustaining. And that part of why many are here is the lack of overt corporate influences; at least that is the attraction to me.
I also believe that if some users; such as myself and some others (You know who your are) whom actually benefit in a business sense from their participation here, can and should donate to keep this place viable. And not just troll for customers here without giving back to the place that brought you those clients. To be sure in the next few days there will be donations from both myself (mjfarrell) and Prime Services (the business) to beliefs into action.
I have also been considering selling my training DVD "PIRATE 3D" through The Swamp store and giving The Swamp a cut of every sale; even before this thread emerged.
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It is my understanding that the primary goal of the swamp is to aid and educate CAD users/programmers, not just "our sort" of CAD users/programmers. If someone is having a problem and the solution was here, it would sure be nice if they had a way to find it.
My understanding of the existence of The Swamp is or was to provide an alternate to the corprate controlled and censored site.
I think that may just be a symptom or byproduct... I've -never- been under the impression that this was a 'goal'.
Maybe not a 'goal' but certainly a major factor. :-)