sorry, I was replying to this message
But I didn't realize that we were on the second page...
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SJ,
Just signed up for a year. wish I had more to give right now but that's not the case.
hope this bit helps- thank you for this community!
Just signed up for a year. wish I had more to give right now but that's not the case.
hope this bit helps- thank you for this community!
Is it your storage or your bandwidth that's costing? did you check out your site statistics, and page visits to compare? I mean this site pretty much trumps any other ecig sites in any search engine, and the US is getting its hefty tax increase in a matter of a few days. I am gonna guess the bandwidth bill is in a big part due to increasing popularity/controversy. In which case, while limiting avatars & sigs may help a bit, it's really gonna be up to us to foot the bill. will subscribe as soon as my paypal acct links to my checking.
SJ maybe you should stickie this post like the petition, it might make members realise just how important it is to support this site
Just put a nice big banner of my company logo somewhere, that way I'll write it off as Advertising!
But seriously, you're welcome. This board is a haven for most of the e-cig community and without the collected / valuable information- many people would still be smoking analogs.
This is a bump too for members to check their sigs. SJ says make sure they are under 5ks (or around 5000 bytes). See OP for details.
I'm seeing a lot around that are well over that. Please check yours and change it if necessary so SJ won't get slammed again.
Thank you!
Lu
I'm seeing a lot around that are well over that. Please check yours and change it if necessary so SJ won't get slammed again.
Thank you!
Lu
Maybe you could sell more advertising, if it doesn't violate your agreement with Google.
Does higher traffic from individual members increase or decrease contributions from advertising relative to server costs provided that the bandwidth served is optimized? I'm sure that many members who don't feel they are able to provide direct financial contribution because of the economy would gladly modify their behavior in respect of their use of the forum if it would be of any benefit. I expect the traffic is going to continue climbing sharply for a few months because of the recent exposure and word of mouth.
Does higher traffic from individual members increase or decrease contributions from advertising relative to server costs provided that the bandwidth served is optimized? I'm sure that many members who don't feel they are able to provide direct financial contribution because of the economy would gladly modify their behavior in respect of their use of the forum if it would be of any benefit. I expect the traffic is going to continue climbing sharply for a few months because of the recent exposure and word of mouth.
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Why not just implore members here to host their sigs and images in posts off site?
Some great places for hosting images are:
Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket
TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting
ImageShack® - Image Hosting
bayimg - free uncensored image hosting
Some great places for hosting images are:
Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket
TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting
ImageShack® - Image Hosting
bayimg - free uncensored image hosting
Thanks for the awesome forum Smokey ... became a supporter last night. To much good info on this forum and not fair to you if became a burden with so many members.
Please read, don't be an unwitting pawn in a sneaky supplier scheme.
Functions disabled in this real specimen (from Calaban's post elsewhere), but not in his or yours!!!!! Click on them and see!!!!!
Here's another example of the same trick by another supplier:
Functions disabled in this real specimen (from Catanonia's post above), but not in his or yours!!!!! Click on them and see!!!!! Catanonia removed his now: Bravo!
This one has "email optional" and looks innocuous but strikingly (scarily?) similar to the other landing site. It may use the same source code - but it also runs a server side PHP script that can be programmed to do anything at anytime.
His script is on
www.sparkletags.com/home/jdiaz/domains/sparkletags.com/public_html/SmokeFree/index.php
Do you want to be associated with that site? They might be OK, some MLM affiliate type get rich quick stuff there and tons of religious stuff. But that could change at any minute and your linking to who knows what or why.
PLEASE: Know what you are doing and who you are dealing with.
These look innocent and cool, right? Wrong! They're a sneaky trick and if you get suckered to use them you're an unwitting part of it... over 37000 of us and growing like an epidemic by the minute.
Read on:
SJ Posted about signatures being under 5K. To save bandwidth.
Note that the "smoke free" signature that was originally from "haqur.com" was recently "acquired" by the "trademarked" SmokeFree on 3-23 or so. (Look carefully at the words "smoke free" on the earlier version - supposedly a labor of love - and compare to the "SmokeFreeTM" on the version since 3-23, a version which is now an MLM marketer's stealth tool that each of you is hosting, as unwitting as it may be).
Couldn't find a TM assigned to "Health e-Choice" either (as claimed) who is SmokeFree. Nada TMs.
So you are providing a free link to Health e-Choice, a supplier selling the "SmokeFree" which looks to me like the Cixi (e-cig) E9. (like current S51, EAZE Magnum, Red Dragon, Bloog, eSmoke, etc.).
They have an aggressive and deep channel (Pyramid) "MLM" has your email address and is using this to collect more. Anyone who started using this meter since 3-23 or so, now has a direct link to them in their signature or wherever else they paste the code.
Now I don't think it will save much bandwidth (about 6K), it would help, depending on how many members use it - the jpg or png is hosted elsewhere but...
How do you feel about putting a link up to a supplier in your sig? How do you feel about never knowing it?
The same goes for the vape version which links to another, I beleive, non-sponsoring supplier.
When you use these thingies you are not only helping them you are running a script on their server - which can be programmed by them to do anything at anytime. I deleted even the pre SmokeFree one because of this. Haqur rhymes with......
I think suppliers should support the forum but not advertise. (Is that possible?).
Members should be aware that they are inadvertently linking to un-supporting suppliers who are mining email addresses by using what otherwise were once just cute, informative meters.
I suppose you can beat it somewhat by using a phony email (you might set someone else up by doing so) to get the cute banner, but it is programmed and linked anyways and that's out of your control. UPDATE: e-mail may not be required anymore, It now works with no email entered - still links.
So far, they've got 37,000+ "advertisers" and email addys. Nice trick, right under your nose.
I'm working on a safe ECF version that will be hosted right here when approved and totally controlled by SJ. Will let you know when done. Accepting ideas for it now (logos, what to meter, etc.).
In the meantime I would get rid of those now and hope you don't get spammed when they decide to blast-off.
Functions disabled in this real specimen (from Calaban's post elsewhere), but not in his or yours!!!!! Click on them and see!!!!!
Here's another example of the same trick by another supplier:
Functions disabled in this real specimen (from Catanonia's post above), but not in his or yours!!!!! Click on them and see!!!!! Catanonia removed his now: Bravo!
This one has "email optional" and looks innocuous but strikingly (scarily?) similar to the other landing site. It may use the same source code - but it also runs a server side PHP script that can be programmed to do anything at anytime.
His script is on
www.sparkletags.com/home/jdiaz/domains/sparkletags.com/public_html/SmokeFree/index.php
Do you want to be associated with that site? They might be OK, some MLM affiliate type get rich quick stuff there and tons of religious stuff. But that could change at any minute and your linking to who knows what or why.
PLEASE: Know what you are doing and who you are dealing with.
These look innocent and cool, right? Wrong! They're a sneaky trick and if you get suckered to use them you're an unwitting part of it... over 37000 of us and growing like an epidemic by the minute.
Read on:
SJ Posted about signatures being under 5K. To save bandwidth.
Note that the "smoke free" signature that was originally from "haqur.com" was recently "acquired" by the "trademarked" SmokeFree on 3-23 or so. (Look carefully at the words "smoke free" on the earlier version - supposedly a labor of love - and compare to the "SmokeFreeTM" on the version since 3-23, a version which is now an MLM marketer's stealth tool that each of you is hosting, as unwitting as it may be).
Couldn't find a TM assigned to "Health e-Choice" either (as claimed) who is SmokeFree. Nada TMs.
So you are providing a free link to Health e-Choice, a supplier selling the "SmokeFree" which looks to me like the Cixi (e-cig) E9. (like current S51, EAZE Magnum, Red Dragon, Bloog, eSmoke, etc.).
They have an aggressive and deep channel (Pyramid) "MLM" has your email address and is using this to collect more. Anyone who started using this meter since 3-23 or so, now has a direct link to them in their signature or wherever else they paste the code.
Now I don't think it will save much bandwidth (about 6K), it would help, depending on how many members use it - the jpg or png is hosted elsewhere but...
How do you feel about putting a link up to a supplier in your sig? How do you feel about never knowing it?
The same goes for the vape version which links to another, I beleive, non-sponsoring supplier.
When you use these thingies you are not only helping them you are running a script on their server - which can be programmed by them to do anything at anytime. I deleted even the pre SmokeFree one because of this. Haqur rhymes with......
I think suppliers should support the forum but not advertise. (Is that possible?).
Members should be aware that they are inadvertently linking to un-supporting suppliers who are mining email addresses by using what otherwise were once just cute, informative meters.
I suppose you can beat it somewhat by using a phony email (you might set someone else up by doing so) to get the cute banner, but it is programmed and linked anyways and that's out of your control. UPDATE: e-mail may not be required anymore, It now works with no email entered - still links.
So far, they've got 37,000+ "advertisers" and email addys. Nice trick, right under your nose.
I'm working on a safe ECF version that will be hosted right here when approved and totally controlled by SJ. Will let you know when done. Accepting ideas for it now (logos, what to meter, etc.).
In the meantime I would get rid of those now and hope you don't get spammed when they decide to blast-off.
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Bump for esmok-e's comments about the banners.
Give it some thought before you choose to add one or even to keep the one you have.
Thanks!
GEP
Give it some thought before you choose to add one or even to keep the one you have.
Thanks!
GEP
Thanks for the heads up. Banner sig has been removed, and I'll look to shrink my avatar until I can pony up some cash for the forum.
SJ, this might sound goofy to ask, but not knowing UK law or even US law as to how it would apply... Would a subscribing member be potentially "on the hook" if the forum were ever sued?
In your "Kate ban explained" post you related concern for posting and for yourself being on the hook. I wondered then, about Moderators and about subscribing members... but, it did not really apply to the topic so I didn't post then.
Now, I'm posting because most of us would want to contribute financially, but I for one, having had a job where in I was "on the hook" for all subordinates actions at all times... and having been sued multiple times because of that. It makes me far more cautious in everything. And, thus the Question: Would a Supporting Member be part of any type of lawsuit... not necessarily libel, ...but negligence... like a DIY thread gone terribly wrong.
If you could check with your solicitor/lawyer to ensure giving us the correct answer, it would be most appreciated.
In your "Kate ban explained" post you related concern for posting and for yourself being on the hook. I wondered then, about Moderators and about subscribing members... but, it did not really apply to the topic so I didn't post then.
Now, I'm posting because most of us would want to contribute financially, but I for one, having had a job where in I was "on the hook" for all subordinates actions at all times... and having been sued multiple times because of that. It makes me far more cautious in everything. And, thus the Question: Would a Supporting Member be part of any type of lawsuit... not necessarily libel, ...but negligence... like a DIY thread gone terribly wrong.
If you could check with your solicitor/lawyer to ensure giving us the correct answer, it would be most appreciated.
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SJ,
Just paid for a year's subscription. Heck, 20 bucks is a bargain for all the entertainment and information I get from this place.
I am no expert, but I had 2 ideas:
1. Are you able to run a query against your db and check the size of signatures and avitars and then send an email to the users asking them to reduce them?
Some may not be aware of the problem, but I am almost sure, no one would mind. We all need this place up and running.
or
2. Could you put up a message box explaining the problem - just after the user logs in?
They would then click to indicate they have read the message.
Just my 2cents.
Just paid for a year's subscription. Heck, 20 bucks is a bargain for all the entertainment and information I get from this place.
I am no expert, but I had 2 ideas:
1. Are you able to run a query against your db and check the size of signatures and avitars and then send an email to the users asking them to reduce them?
Some may not be aware of the problem, but I am almost sure, no one would mind. We all need this place up and running.
or
2. Could you put up a message box explaining the problem - just after the user logs in?
They would then click to indicate they have read the message.
Just my 2cents.
- Status
