# Off Topic > The Water Cooler >  >  Succuri will block this post...

## Glenn Kennedy

Has anyone accessing this site experienced a hijacking problem in the last hour.  I have tried to get to this site from 3 PCs, using Mozilla and Chrome and have wound up on www.t i t t ygrams.com.  (Spaces included to fox succuri).

A website for sending messages written on a woman's ....

As you can see, I'm getting through now - but wondered if I was alone in being targeted by this site!!.

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## Pete_UK

It happened to me yesterday, but clear so far today.

Pete

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## Tony Valko

Yes, I started experiencing this last night.

When I tried to login to the site I got redirected to:

"http://2jsfreshmarket.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-firewall/1/tds.php?link=domain"

It seemed to be OK first thing this morning but as of this posting it's doing it again.

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## AliGW

I've had the Sucurri page a few times over the past 48 hours, but I haven't been redirected. McAfee warnings have appeared at the top of the page saying that content has been blocked occasionally, which i have never seen before now.

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## Tony Valko

> When I tried to login to the site I got redirected to:
> 
> "http://2jsfreshmarket.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-firewall/1/tds.php?link=domain"



Which opened to an empty window.

I did a Google search on the domain name and it's a legit grocery business!

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## Glenn Kennedy

I daresay that tittygramming is a legitimate business too, but I sure as hell didn't expect to be confronted by a hyperinflated pair when I logged in here!!! :Smilie:

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## JBeaucaire

There was an attack on our site yesterday, which is purported to be resolved.   We have been given no specifics from the Tech Team other than that.

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## Tony Valko

I just logged into the site and was redirected to:

"http://2jsfreshmarket.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-firewall/1/tds.php?link=domain"

This place can't catch a break!

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## FDibbins

IO was told it was fixed too, but seems either it wasnt, or they got us again  :Frown: 

Seems OK now though

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## Pepe Le Mokko

Not to worry everybody, the Tech Team is working on it.......

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## Doc.AElstein

Thanks for the link Glenn

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## Glenn Kennedy

> Thanks for the link Glenn



LoL. 

It seems that the message has to be >10 characters.  What can I say... Maybe  I'll just ramble on for a moment or two.

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## Tony Valko

I just logged into the site and was redirected to:

"http://2jsfreshmarket.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-firewall/1/tds.php?link=domain"

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## Tony Valko

I just logged into the site, no problem!

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## Doc.AElstein

> I just logged into the site, no problem!



I got the Sucurri page a few times - Normal service has been resumed
 :Smilie: 

:_.Sucuri CloudProxy - Backend Server timeout
What is going on?
I am sorry, but we are unable to connect to the page you requested. It seems that the hosting server (where this site is located) is down and we do not have a cached copy to give to you. Please try again in a few minutes.etc.. etc _ 
Oh , BTW, Management and Tech Team do not speak English. That is why 
pseudo code:
.responseText = vbNullString
 :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 

*Edit* this as well occaisioanlly, but not too often:
EFDontFunktion.JPG

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## newdoverman

I got all manner of messages last night, in the right time frame, including the one that Tony Valko received. 
I did get in by clicking on the link in a message that I received concerning a thread that I contributed to. This bypassed the home page. All the colours were different in the headers of the pages and a few other things were messed up. I got out and immediately ran scans on my own computer for malware and virus infections. Nothing found.

My first attempt at logging in this morning resulted in Succuri blocking me. It seems ok now.

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## Tony Valko

Why do we keep coming here with all the "obstacles" that we have to put up with?  :Confused:

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## newdoverman

I think that we are like compulsive gamblers...just have to get an Excel "fix".

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## AliGW

> Why do we keep coming here with all the "obstacles" that we have to put up with?



Because it's the busiest Excel forum and we love helping people and agitating our brains.

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## newdoverman

I thought that it was my dandruff that was causing the itching of the scalp and here it is an "agitated brain" :EEK!:

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## xladept

I was down for the better part of an hour, so I gave up and read a book :Cool: 


BTW - How come there's no k in Sucuri?

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## Glenn Kennedy

> Why do we keep coming here with all the "obstacles" that we have to put up with?



It was one of the reasons I took a long holiday from here.  However, Excel is more addictive than crack cocaine so I guess I'll hang around for a while!!

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## Tony Valko

> Because it's the busiest Excel forum



That may have been true at one time but I don't think it is anymore.

When I first joined this site you could hardly keep up.

The number of people posting questions has dropped off significantly since I first joined.

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## Glenn Kennedy

Yes.  And it seems to have dropped off even more in the last 6 months.

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## Pete_UK

> ...The number of people posting questions has dropped off significantly since I first joined...







> ...it seems to have dropped off even more in the last 6 months...



Maybe that's because they have been given such good answers that they don't need to come back <bg>

Pete

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## JBeaucaire

Pete, I love a good optimist. (highfive)

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## Doc.AElstein

*How does this sound?*

_  Moderating and monitoring OPs so as to politely encourage well titled clear questions, and correct Forum etikett.
_  Sharing of the vast  wealth of experience from many very knowledgeable members including generosity and patience in explain as well as giving solutions.
_ Willingness to respond to reasonable follow up questions  that further a discussion in a positive way ( not hijacking  :Wink:  ) 

_ Sub forums allowing members to make valuable contributions furthering the expertise not necessarily directly in response to a question

_ A Management that cannot speak or understand  the language of English let alone VBA or any Forum Software issues. 

_ All these go to make for a Forum that is not for insane traffic of short, mostly repeated questions, that a Google or bit of self thinking could answerer. Quality rather than quantity will inevitably give sometimes the false impression of unpopularity. 

_ And All these factors and maybe some more I forgot all make this a place where a core of individuals pull together as a team making this indeed a Great Forum.

( *Just asking how that sounds* ?)
 :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 

Alan 
 :Smilie:

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## JBeaucaire

Doc, see post #26.  :Wink:

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## Pete_UK

Doc,

I agree with Tony and Glenn - my _impression_ is that the posting rate has decreased over time, though I don't have access to any stats that might prove or disprove this (I think Mods and/or Admins do have access to some stats that the rest of us don't see, and I'm sure the management/owners would use management information reports on usage that none of us get to see).

But, if it is the case that postings are down, then there could be thousands of reasons why. One that you have not mentioned is that the versions of Excel have changed over time, and maybe they have become easier to use (I use 2007, so I don't know what the later versions are like). There may be increased (or better) teaching in schools/colleges or in the workplace, so that there are fewer people who do not need to use this forum so much. More people have smart phones these days, so maybe they use other forums that are more suitable (less wordy). More people have their own websites or produce blogs, and there are far more available now on Excel then when I first started posting over 10 years ago.

When I come to this site I look at UserCP to see if there have been any responses to threads to which I am subscribed, and if not I look at New Posts, and scan for those with zero responses - if there aren't any, then I might look at a few other posts, but if there is nothing that I can contribute then I just log off and do something else - it's not the end of the world !!

Pete

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## xladept

Hi Pete,

What's that <bg> tag - did you mean <bs>? :Wink:

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## JBeaucaire

Pete, you may find the UNANSWERED THREADS link up above to be a quicker way to get that zero-replies list.

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## Pete_UK

Jerry,

I know, but sometimes in the past it has taken a long time for that to load (or I get the "please wait 15 seconds and try again" message) that I've given up using it, except on those occasions when I want to look for something that I had read on an earlier visit and has now moved off the New Posts list.

Pete

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## Tony Valko

> it has taken a long time for that to load (or I get the "please wait 15 seconds and try again" message) that I've given up using it



Yet another "obstacle".  :Wink:

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## newdoverman

The inoperative ribbon buttons for uploading files has been a real pain for some especially for new people. the formatting buttons are rather difficult to see, at least on my computers unless I turn the screen brightness way down.

The hacking of this forum has, I think, done real damage to the reputation of the forum. It didn't help when anti virus programs identified ExcelForum as one to be avoided.

Then there is the issue of the site being dreadfully slow at times. When one is looking for help, slow sites can be very discouraging.

Some Excel functions have been combined and thus made easier to use (SUMIF(S), AVERAGEIF(S) ) just to name a couple.

Outside of that, business programs have come a long way. Problems that we used to see on a regular basis are handled by readily available software that is affordable for the smallest of businesses. Even in the small town where I live, cash registers are connected to computers with inventory control software...even to warehouses in remote locations. Every sale is recorded and subtracted from inventory and every delivery is just scanned into the system, priced, and is ready to be put on the shelves. Personnel issues are handled by companies specializing in Human Resource matters like pay and benefits at prices low enough that it doesn't pay to to the work themselves. Virtually every conceivable business problem has an off the shelf affordable solution. All employees have to do now is to key in the raw data and the computer does the rest.

In my opinion, it is little wonder that the numbers of visitors is down.

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## ratcat

Again this site as disappointed me again and I've only been back lurking on and off for a week. I couldn't even get the OP succuri just the freshmarket direct.  :Wink:  :P






> ........
> 
> Outside of that, business programs have come a long way. .....



I agreed with you there newdoverman, there is a lot of BI software making excel less used or even redundant.

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## Doc.AElstein

Hi Pete.. 




> ..... More people have smart phones these days, so maybe they use other forums that are more suitable (less wordy). ...



Along those lines I certainly notice, even with some experienced users, an increased reluctance to scroll back past the last Post. ( I think we discussed that somewhere.. http://www.excelforum.com/the-water-...ml#post4399017   _....)

Frequently I have to  give a URL Link to a Post a few Posts back in a Thread, or by PM I point someone back a bit. Increasingly a good solution is missed if it does not come quick or is not the last Posted response. ( I guess that may have been the reasoning to an App attempt by the management, not sure what happened there , other than it probably failed. )
 Other than a quick formula, I cannot see that short less wordy quick questions and answers suit Excel too well, -  although I frequently battle to get OPs to give more detail, especially first time posters.. I suppose they just try their Luck...... -  I was pleased to see that some experienced users that also post elsewhere often catch and inform the OP about cross posting, to help avoid us wasting time.

This short, quick,  less wordy asking of questions also encourages  the Please see attached File Mentality which most of are not too keen on
http://www.excelforum.com/the-water-...ched-file.html

But like you say, Pete.. certainly other things to do
 :Smilie: 
Alan

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## oeldere

@xladapt





> I was down for the better part of an hour, so I gave up and read a book
> 
>  BTW - How come there's no k in Sucuri?



That's a great statement  :Smilie:   (tumb)

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## xladept

Hi oeldere,

Thank you :Smilie:

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## Pepe Le Mokko

> -  I was pleased to see that some experienced users that also post elsewhere often catch and inform the OP about cross posting, to help avoid us wasting time.
> Alan



As I moderate other forums I try to inform all interested parties about cross-posts ( has become a plague lately) when they are reported or found.
That is and will stay my only contribution to this forum.
(Maybe the Cooler once in a while)  :Smilie:

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## JamieMcCrimmon

> There was an attack on our site yesterday, which is purported to be resolved.   We have been given no specifics from the Tech Team other than that.



I'm a member of a forum site which has been subjected to (what looks like) the very same attack today - including the redirect to http://2jsfreshmarket.com/wp-content...wall/1/tds.php - and this in turn tried to pull in some kind of content from a domain - a very dodgy looking domain - called zcontentlockerws6tm3 DOT xyz.

The site admins have fixed the redirect but don't know how we got hacked (i.e. what the vulnerability was that was used to hack the site in the first place.) Could someone from your Tech Team possibly get in touch with someone from rpgmp3.com and supply them with that information so they can patch the hole? If so, I can supply a contact email address for the site's owner on request.

Thanks,

Amy "Jamie McCrimmon" McLaughlin.

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## newdoverman

That 2j2... redirect was one of the things that I encountered here on the evening of the 29 th of July.

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## Doc.AElstein

Hi JamieMcCrimmon




> I'm a member of a forum site which has been subjected ......



Thanks for making contact here...
Not sure if you have any Feedback  from our people here yet.. ??

Contact is usually difficult, even our Admins do not always manage to make contact too soon.

Maybe a PM ( Private Message ) on User Name   EFmanagement  might help:

http://www.excelforum.com/private.php?do=newpm&u=847188


( If you can speak in Urdu or some other Indian language it might help also Lol...: )

*Good Luck

Alan*

 :Smilie:

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## AliGW

Regarding traffic: I am a member of four Excel forums (this one, MrExcel, OzGrid and XGuru). On a wet day during a school holiday, I can wile away an entire day pottering about here and there, and I can state quite categorically that this is the busiest of the four by far. I think MrExcel would be as busy if they allowed attachments (a major drawback there in my opinion, but not a policy that is going to change), but there's still quite a bit of traffic there. OzGrid and XGuru are much, much quieter, in fact the latter can go without new posts for pretty much the whole day. Although I am also technically a member of the MS Office Forums, I rarely go there, as I don't like the forum layout at all.  :Smilie:

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## Doc.AElstein

Hi 




> Regarding traffic: ......



Strange, ...I thought MrExcel had the most insane  traffic, at least at peak times. , but I have not been there for a while..

Attachments is a never ending Theme there – it can really set a few Moderators blood boiling when you bring it up.

I like attachments as a possibility. But I do like to encourage  and prefer as much detail in the Thread as possible also. I like the Screen Shot Tools ( Those which give a table copy able to a Spreadsheet ) But just a personal preference.

Comes up occaisionally here, the attachments Theme, but recently mostly when it was not working, Lol ... like many things....
http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...t=#post4445746
http://www.excelforum.com/suggestion...tachments.html




But nice to think despite all the problems it is still happy and popular here  ( at least you think so - think I do too, mostly : there are some great helpers here. ( Like you ) )

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## AliGW

> Attachments is a never ending Theme there – it can really set a few Moderators blood boiling when you bring it up.



Thanks for this. I find them very defensive indeed over there. Had an instance of it only just this morning over not being able to mark threads as solved!!! I'm glad it's not just me who thinks they are edgy about policies being questioned.  :Smilie: 

Yes, there should be great detail within the thread, too: one newish member here took great offence the other day at being asked to do this, and even had a go at me via PM for daring to say so, but the best threads really are those with a full solution in the post AND a suitable attachment.

Thanks for the kind words: I come here primarily because I like helping people. And it's nice when there is a little bit of banter, too.  :Smilie:

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## TMS

Being realistic, I don't bother with most other forums (fora  :Smilie: ) specifically because of the "missing features" like attachments, thread status and reputation.

It's great to be able to solve a problem based on the thread content alone, and I often build a test workbook/worksheet/whatever in order to test a solution.  But it makes life a lot easier if you have something like the "real thing" with formulae, data and code all in place.

Despite it's faults, technical and otherwise, I do think it's a good place to come (to help and be helped).  And there are a lot of nice and friendly people here  :Wink: 

I have to say I haven't experienced any Succuri problems recently ... perhaps I shouldn't have said that  :Smilie:

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## Doc.AElstein

> .....
> I have to say I haven't experienced any Succuri problems recently ... perhaps I shouldn't have said that



Your next post will be:
I knew i should not have said that, Lol...

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## TMS

:Smilie:   :Smilie:   :Smilie:   :Wink:

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## Tony Valko

> I find them very defensive indeed over there (MrExcel). Had an instance of it only just this morning over not being able to mark threads as solved!!! I'm glad it's not just me who thinks they are edgy about policies being questioned.



I used to be a MrExcel MVP until I had a run-in with one of the a-hole mods there. Emphasis on a-hole!  :Wink:

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## TMS

> ... one of the a-hole mods there ...



Anyone we might know ?   :Wink:

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## Tony Valko

They do not participate (bother people) here. At least, not using the same member name that they use at MrExcel.

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## TMS

> They do not participate (bother people) here.



Ah, that's good to know.

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## Tony Valko

Regarding traffic...

According to this website:

http://www.trafficestimate.com





> Mrexcel.com has received an estimated 2,390,600 visits over the last 30 days.
> 
> Excelforum.com has received an estimated 905,200 visits over the last 30 days.



Of course, "visits" is not the same as the actual number of threads started.

I'm going to keep track of the actual number of threads for a weeks' time period.

Stay tuned...

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## Pete_UK

Tony,

another _impression_ I get is that the number of posts in the VBA forum compared with the Formulas forum has increased over the years, so it would be good to have a breakdown by forum, if that's possible.

Pete

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## Glenn Kennedy

> Tony,
> 
> another _impression_ I get is that the number of posts in the VBA forum compared with the Formulas forum has increased over the years, so it would be good to have a breakdown by forum, if that's possible.
> 
> Pete



That's my impression, too.

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## Tony Valko

MrExcel doesn't have sub-forums for just VBA questions or just formula questions.

They're all combined into a single forum called Excel Questions.

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## xladept

I have had Suckuri problems recently and I believe that we're getting a lot less traffic now :EEK!: 

@ Biff - What a jerk to lose you!

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## FDibbins

> I'm a member of a forum site which has been subjected to (what looks like) the very same attack today - including the redirect to http://2jsfreshmarket.com/wp-content...wall/1/tds.php - and this in turn tried to pull in some kind of content from a domain - a very dodgy looking domain - called zcontentlockerws6tm3 DOT xyz.
> 
> The site admins have fixed the redirect but don't know how we got hacked (i.e. what the vulnerability was that was used to hack the site in the first place.) Could someone from your Tech Team possibly get in touch with someone from rpgmp3.com and supply them with that information so they can patch the hole? If so, I can supply a contact email address for the site's owner on request.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Amy "Jamie McCrimmon" McLaughlin.



Just make sure (Not sure if Jerry pushed this upwards, I will copy to out tech team

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## FDibbins

> Regarding traffic...
> 
> According to this website:
> 
> http://www.trafficestimate.com
> 
> 
> 
> Of course, "visits" is not the same as the actual number of threads started.
> ...



Thats because I cannot post here from work any more  :Frown:   So instead of 6-8 hours from work and 2-3 from home, I am now down to 2-3 from home
 :Wink:

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## Tony Valko

Regarding traffic...

In the 24 hour period from 8/2/2016 8:00 AM to 8/3/2016 8:00 AM:

New Threads:

MrExcel = 229
ExcelForum = 149

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## AlKey

Well, the systemic problems that this forum experienced did a lot of damage to the quality and reputation of this forum and it doesn't get any better. If you try to google to find a solution, the ExcelForum is no longer listed there. So much for the *Rule #1* :Frown: .  But I remember when this forum was the first on the list. Sad story :Mad:

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## AliGW

> Regarding traffic...
> 
> In the 24 hour period from 8/2/2016 8:00 AM to 8/3/2016 8:00 AM:
> 
> New Threads:
> 
> MrExcel = 229
> ExcelForum = 149



I'm surprised - doesn't feel like it!

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## xladept

It feels like it to me and AlKey's post explains it :Frown:

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## Pete_UK

I don't know if MrExcel also has forums for Word/Access etc. (it's been years since I last visited there), but we do get some threads here on those topics, so the 149 is an overestimate for Excel-only threads.

Pete

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## FDibbins

Seeing as where I work has blocked this site (since that big hack we had a while back), I now spend more time on MrE than here  :Frown:   But I still prefer the way this site operates

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## shg

http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/excelforum.com

http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/mrexcel.com

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## AlKey

> Seeing as where I work has blocked this site (since that big hack we had a while back), I now spend more time on MrE than here   But I still prefer the way this site operates



There are at least two (those that I am aware of), major banks blocked from reaching this site. Those are hundreds of thousands of people that use Excel every day!

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## Doc.AElstein

Hello,
*ExcelForum v MrExcel and the such*

_1) regarding traffic:
_1a) Different Sub Forums:
*Excel:*
A While back I spent a few days at different times split between MrExcel and ExcelForum at peak times my impression was that traffic was much more at MrExcel.**** 
But I was only comparing the *VBA* Forum here and the *Excel Question* at MrExcel ( which covers about 4 - 5 here I think: “*Basics*”, “*General*”, “*VBA*”, “*Formulas/Functions*”, “*Charts/Pivots*”). 
*Word:*
Word is covered at MrExcel in a “*General Excel & Other Questions*” Sub Forum. We have a Sub Forum “*Word Formatting & General*” for that. A prominent member, Paul ( macropod ) , often picks up a lot of those questions at both Forums ( and many others ). 
*Tips / Tutorials /* “Blogs” / : 
At MrExcel “*General Excel & Other Questions*” is also used for the Tip, Tutorial, Blog type Posts( but not often *) . Here the Sub Forum(s) “*Tips and Tutorials*” ( + Sub forum “*Tips*” ?? ) is covers that area . That  sort of posting is less publicised and a bit  discouraged ( and sometimes not tolerated ) at MrExcel. ( Qoute a Mod to me something like" .._there is not a lot of place for this in an infomation exchange forum._...". I cannot link the actual Post - it was deleted!!_...............................

_1b)(i) Statistics “*multi visits verses unique visits*”
At the end of the day it seem the statistics for a comparison are very difficult: Compare those from shg




> http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/excelforum.com
> http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/mrexcel.com



   with those from Biff:
http://www.trafficestimate.com/mrexcel.com
http://www.trafficestimate.com/excelforum.com
_.. At first glance  they contradict?? – but then maybe they do not:....
_..– Maybe an important fact  here is that shg’s reference says  “_Unique Visitors_”.. 
_. Biff’s referenced links says “...  *The number of visits differs from visitors (or unique visitors). Visits here includes multiple visits from the same individual (repeat visits)*. ...”
_.I had some great help at Mr Excel but I got the answer often spread out over a lot of snippets and hint at the answer over several posts. Not complaining – any help should be gratefully received IMO, - but the extra posts effects the stats.

_1b)(ii)A Spam visitors continuous
_. Also, often --banned--spammers-- still show up as logged in a lot at MrExcel.
SpammerStrikeOut.JPG
 I have hardly ever noticed that here. That could be just one of many factors effecting “view count”.  This could I guess, mess up the statistics. There could be many more spammers of course, logged in, visiting, with their internal settings set to “*invisible mode On*”, - so un real people could be “visiting”, thereby  effecting the stats, but not “seen” or “Felt”****
_1b)(ii)B Spam visitors occasional
_ . You get a lot of these at MrExcel, but I only occaisionally see them at ExcelForum ( This link might have been deleted by the time you read this, as I write it is there
http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/lounge-...ry-phones.html
it looks like this:
BlackberryPhones.JPG
I used to report a lot of these. I got the feeling that nerved the Mods. Understandable, - they are voluntary with enough to so without having to delete Spammers. One Mod told me he went through a period of having to delete about 60 a Day!!!


_...............
But the factors effecting Stats are probably a lot more:....

You have to be logged in here to access some Sub Forums or get at attachments / codes – all effects traffic.. the factors effecting traffic seem too complicated to make any meaningful comparison 


At the end of the day, As far as traffic is concerned…



> I'm surprised - doesn't feel like it!



maybe the “feel” here is the best indication – all things that are to consider go in the Human brain which weighs them up in a way no computer program can.... yet  ! 
(****@Ali – you probably have a better feel than I ( did have ) – You post in more Sub Forums here than I )
_.........................................
_................................................................

_2 ) Regarding Blog Sites...
Pete_UK’s point about lots of Blog sites as alternative:.... I lurk and have learnt a lot from those, ( all credit to the people that take the time to write those. ).
I   have noticed that they are getting increasingly swamped with questions and the owners cannot keep up , and have increasingly referred people to the Excel Forums.
One note on Pepe Le Mokko’s point about cross-posts becoming a plague lately _-... –I often help in answering a question at a swamped Blog Site – Feedback I get is about 1 in 100 ! So maybe there is a tendency to just “try your luck” , multiple posts, multiple registrations etc. There will not be a lot of checking for cross posting at different Blog Sites....
Maybe that swamping of Blog sites will wear off, and maybe there will be some tendency to come back to the main Forums therefore.
_.............................

_3) Regarding Moderators/ Moderation characteristics.
It seems this is strongly influenced by the group of Moderators active over a certain period.
There are, I think?, quite a lot of moderators, ...much more than the number typically seen active might indicate. The recent Moderation/ Moderators at MrExcel seemed quite strict / occasionally draconianal.  That does not currently seem to be the case here. Who knows?, - maybe some of the more strict moderators were some that recently went over there? ( Not talking about Ford here, - he ‘aint draconial and would probably be back more here as soon as he could get access at work – sadly might be unlikely )

_.....

*Bottom lines IMVHO:* I think if the Access problem were sorted and some of the Prominent Members lost recently could be won back, then this Forum could really take off




*Alan*

P.s.
@ Glenn
_  maybe the Thread Title should be changed to....
*Excel Forum Access Traffic Problems Moderation Comparison* 
_.. but Water Colors banter don’t seem to matter too much, we routinely go off at a tangent here, - The “Titty gram” was a bit of harmless relief, - at Mr Excel a Mod these day comes in with a draconian comment or deletes any harmless fun! ( and bans the user sometimes that attempted a bit of light hearted fun !! )

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## Tony Valko

Traffic update...

Data Range 

*A*
*B*
*C*
*D*

*1*


New Threads


*2*
From
To
MrExcel
ExcelForum

*3*
8/2 8:00 AM
8/3 8:00 AM
229
149

*4*
8/3 8:00 AM
8/4 8:00 AM
227
144

*5*





*6*





*7*





*8*





*9*

----------


## AB33

I have registered with many excel forums. Part of the attraction of this site to me is attachment. I do not have the time and inclination to read a page written in text and trying to figure out what the poster is looking for. I know many people can  understand and easily work with text explanation and good for them.
I also understand it is becoming increasingly part of internet life that a web site will be attacked or hacked. Even the most secure and sophisticated sites could be hacked, Pentagon, CIA and President Obama and so on.
A couple of years ago, I seemed to remember Excel Ozgrid was no go area. My anti-Virus software warned me not to visit that site.
The issue I have with this site is- Its draconian rules. Do that, do not do that! These silly and unnecessary rules are driving me crazy and I am now on my last leg. These rules are also applied more strictly to senior members.

----------


## Tony Valko

> The issue I have with this site is- Its draconian rules. Do that, do not do that! These *silly and unnecessary rules* are driving me crazy and I am now on my last leg. These rules are also applied more strictly to senior members.



I totally agree!  :Cool: 

The thing that keeps me coming back here is (was) the high volume of questions being asked.

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## Doc.AElstein

> .......
> The issue I have with this site is- Its draconian rules. Do that, do not do that! These silly and unnecessary rules are driving me crazy and I am now on my last leg. These rules are also applied more strictly to senior members.



Hi AB33
Are there some specific rules that bother you? I have done things here I would have been banned 10 times over  in most other Forums. 
I think some attempt has been made by a lot of people to make the canned replies a lot more friendly or at least less draconian, or the people applying them try to tone them down a bit. I always do, on the few occasions I use them. I try to be informative as much as possible.
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-prog...ml#post4448485
http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...17#post4427948
Of course that takes time. People like you answering so many Threads do not always have that time. It would be nice if the canned Replies could be all moderated. But we are looking then again for more work on the voluntary Admins.. I doubt if any EF Management would ever learn enough English to be able to do that..

Alan

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## TMS

I think things have changed a lot since I first started posting here. In the first few days/weeks/months, I got half a dozen infractions from what I still consider heavy handed moderation. And that was before I was even aware there were any rules, let alone read them and, as a result, was able to (try to) comply with them. I even got negative rep from one moderator because she considered that I was "begging for rep". I'll never forget that and, of course, I have a permanent reminder of all my non-compliance.

Still, I think moderation here is a lot gentler now, and rightly so, IMO. I think the moderators are genuinely helpful, considerate and supportive ... but maybe we don't have as many naughty members for them to chastise?  :Wink:   Whatever, all credit to them for doing, in some senses, an unrewarding task. Good on you!

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## Doc.AElstein

> ..I think moderation here is a lot gentler now, ..



One of the things I mentioned in post #68 was the point about the current Active Mods. In my shorter time here I guess I have not experienced so much of the draconian rules, or rather such strict enforcement thereof. Seems others longer here have

I just remembered something.......
_.....first impressions / early encounter with the “rules” or enforcement thereof is important I suppose...... I only just remembered.. 
_...............I registered  here and at MrExcel at Excel Forum at the same time. Like most I had no idea and messed up – cross posted and did not use Code Tags.!!! 
 I got  a very helpful response to my question at Mr Excel from a nice guy, Andrew Poulsom. There was no mention of Code Tags which I eventually decided myself were a good idea. ( I know it is clearly in the rules and have busted a gut myself like many trying to get others to use them as well as all the other stuff- I would be interested if anyone Knew about them when using a Forum for the very first time??). 

 I had a fairly busy 9 months then on at off at MrExcel. I Totally forgot about ExcelForum until a Moderator from here, Leith Ross gave me great help over at MrExcel. ( I think Jerry was coincidentally in the Thread as well – St the time I had no idea they they anything to with Excel Forum). 
So I became “aware” again of Excel Forum and got active a month or so later.  
Some time a month or two earlier by googling I stumbled coincidentally on my original post at Excel Forum. I saw  that I had the “Code Tag warning” in my original post from way back then and it had been moved.. But the warning was inside the first post!!!, so I had no reply or notification. Just like not initially being up on the rules, I also as new people do I think, expect they would be notified.

 The point I am making is just if the handling initially had been different , me as a totally green no idea about Forum person may have been here more than twice as much as I have been. 
The first impression as always is the one that often sticks initially in the Human mind.
http://www.excelforum.com/non-englis...ndows-oop.html

Alan
P.s




> ....  Whatever, all credit to them for doing, in some senses, an unrewarding task. Good on you!



IMVHO that cannot be said enough. Bearing in Mind it is all voluntary, one must also accept that they have a right a bit I guess to interpret the rules and enforce them when how they chose, to a certain extent.
 :Wink:  
but maybe we don't have as many naughty members for them to chastise? ; ) 
:rolley eyes :
 :Wink:  Very last plea as always, why not: Please EF management sort the access problems out if you can, or get help – there are members here that are willing to help I think. Encourage the lost people back.

----------


## TMS

Actually had problems last night ... Succuri reporting the host down.

----------


## Tony Valko

Traffic update...

Data Range 

*A*
*B*
*C*
*D*

*1*


New Threads


*2*
From
To
MrExcel
ExcelForum

*3*
8/2 8:00 AM
8/3 8:00 AM
229
149

*4*
8/3 8:00 AM
8/4 8:00 AM
227
144

*5*
8/4 8:00 AM
8/5 8:00 AM
239
148

*6*





*7*





*8*





*9*

----------


## Tony Valko

It'll be interesting to see how much the "traffic" drops off during the weekend.

----------


## AliGW

I honestly don't know where all these extra posts on Mr Excel are - I don't seem to be seeing them!!!

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## Doc.AElstein

I wonder if the posts from Spammers that  get tanked after posting still show up in the stats for started posts?. There were times with at least 60 such posts a Day, so that would affect the stats. Those orange spammers are almost always seen there as logged in
http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...t=#post4448112
A Spammer that is tanked, like this guy from a screenshot in that above Link, is still allowed to log-in
SpammerWilliams.JPG

That must all effect the stats..._..

_.....and pop by at any time and you will usually find a spam post: just now at random


SpamSaturday.JPG
SpamSat2.JPG





_....and you usually see that half the people logged in have ridiculous names like asuvtivrkbg – often recently joined, I guess partly Bot generated..

_.. I find it very strange that you very rarely see these spam post or made up names logged in at ExcelForum. I thought the recent problems suggested ExcelForum was more vulnerable. (  It seemed to upset some people at MrExcel when I brought these things up occasionally. )

----------


## Glenn Kennedy

The traffic is lower than previously, but is remarkable consistent (at least over 3 days).

----------


## oeldere

And I get the same message twice (again) in the mail box, which is annoying.  :Mad:

----------


## AliGW

What message?  :Confused:

----------


## Doc.AElstein

Quite common I think to get more than one Email Notification of a Reply to a Thread. You will get a few more if the person replying Edits as well I Think. Sometimes that is handy to see what they said first  :Smilie: 
I prefer a couple too many than the thing breaking down again.
http://www.excelforum.com/suggestion...-not-noti.html

----------


## AliGW

Oh, I see - I don't subscribe to threads. I just access them via the new posts and my posts links.  :Smilie:

----------


## AliGW

There are a lot of SPAM posts over on MrExcel - there have been two or three in the last hour, which probably accounts for 20-25% of new posts in that time.

----------


## Doc.AElstein

> Oh, I see - I don't subscribe to threads. I just access them via the new posts and my posts links.



That seems to be the most reliable way, through the User Control Panel. Most very active Members use that And have Email Notifications turned as they would otherwise be swamped
Important though that it works or else a new OP will possibly not notice a reply, which sadly happened a lot when it was not working.
It has been OK for a while. Possibly part of the fix causes a few extra Notifications

----------


## TMS

> ... or else a new OP will possibly not notice a reply ...



I've seen this comment before. However, I can't help thinking that, if an OP has asked a question, they want/need an answer. And, therefore, I would expect them to check back every so often to see if they have got one. That's what I used to do.  Otherwise, it's a very lazy way of getting other people to solve their problems. Just throw the question out there, possibly on several forums, user groups, whatever, and sit back and wait for the solutions to roll in? I don't think so.

----------


## AliGW

> I've seen this comment before. However, I can't help thinking that, if an OP has asked a question, they want/need an answer. And, therefore, I would expect them to check back every so often to see if they have got one. That's what I used to do.  Otherwise, it's a very lazy way of getting other people to solve their problems. Just throw the question out there, possibly on several forums, user groups, whatever, and sit back and wait for the solutions to roll in? I don't think so.



I agree, it's lazy and disrespectful to those offering help, but it's happening more and more, it seems. It's amazing how many threads are abandoned the minute the solution is reached, without even an acknowledgement that the OP is happy/satisfied with the result.

----------


## Doc.AElstein

Hi Trevor,
I have heard your comments as well before on this one




> ... Just throw the question out there, possibly on several forums, user groups, whatever, and sit back and wait for the solutions to roll in?...



I think sadly there is a tendency for that to happen increasingly, certainly in some other places i have helped, the feedback is increasingly rare
Would be nice if there was a way to encourage an OP to at least say if a solution worked
Alan

----------


## TMS

> ... without even an acknowledgement that the OP is happy/satisfied with the result.



Yes, that really pi$$e$ me off. Not done it recently but every so often I have followed up on posts that I have answered and had no feedback on, especially if they have been marked solved.

----------


## TMS

> Would be nice if there was a way to encourage an OP to at least say if a solution worked



Easy: a) don't answer the next question you see from them and b) add a comment explaining why you, and perhaps others, won't be offering a solution. That is, you don't say please and thank you, you get to sit on the naughty step until you say sorry (and change your behaviour).

----------


## AliGW

> Yes, that really pi$$e$ me off. Not done it recently but every so often I have followed up on posts that I have answered and had no feedback on, especially if they have been marked solved.



I did yesterday on another forum. I had provided a formula and was then asked to explain how the formula worked: as I was in the process of replying, I received a PM from the OP demanding an explanation of the formula, to which I replied after I'd posted my explanation in the thread, only to discover that the OP's inbox was full. When I returned to the thread in question, the OP was already offline and did not return to acknowledge the explanation they had demanded. I could not help commenting on this, and pointed out that it was rude.

----------


## Doc.AElstein

Occasionally also an OP that does not get an answer if he solves it himself will reply with 
“Did it myself”, does not respond to a request to share his solution or even mark the Thread as solved.
Many helpers do not have the tiime to check previous post from OPs.
I have often seen very impolite, ungrateful OPs go on to get further great Help.


You cannot really do anything about it I suppose, if you try to make any rule about politely replying, then they will just go off re registering and get possibly a bit more sympathy with “Newbie, first post please help” 
Learning by answering of course can never the less be a good incentive. 

All this is often discussed.. A mod will come in with the usual something like “..._The beauty of the forum is that each of us can choose which questions we answer_, …“

I guess they are right. But it would be great if some feedback could be encouraged. 
Helps when cross posters are brought to our attention etc.

----------


## Doc.AElstein

> .... When I returned to the thread in question, the OP was already offline and did not return to acknowledge the explanation they had demanded.... I could not help commenting on this, and pointed out that it was rude.



This sort of thing happened to me elsewhere a lot. Loads of please, please, polite or impolite, then after a great final solution.. Nothing!!   . Occasionally I  commented to the OP he was rude. And got a warning from a Mod!! 

_........................

I think it is possible to check validity of a poster / check for multiple registrations etc. Etc.. So that could help encourage feedback and politeness....But  for the subtle reasons of the Forum statistics, the powers that be can be a bit selective there!! – it is a very touchy area and you can get your fingers burnt.

_.......................



The thing I like the most is when someone who helps a lot also gets help. A problem I find is that often the People that help me are so knowledgeable and more experienced that I am unable to help them in return. Trying then to give help to less experienced people can often lead to the no response / no reply scenario we are discussing and the help goes unnoticed..

----------


## Tony Valko

Traffic update...

Data Range 

*A*
*B*
*C*
*D*

*1*


New Threads


*2*
From
To
MrExcel
ExcelForum

*3*
8/2 8:00 AM
8/3 8:00 AM
229
149

*4*
8/3 8:00 AM
8/4 8:00 AM
227
144

*5*
8/4 8:00 AM
8/5 8:00 AM
239
148

*6*
8/5 8:00 AM
8/6 8:00 AM
136
95

*7*





*8*





*9*

----------


## Tony Valko

Traffic update...

Data Range 

*A*
*B*
*C*
*D*

*1*


New Threads


*2*
From
To
MrExcel
ExcelForum

*3*
8/2 8:00 AM
8/3 8:00 AM
229
149

*4*
8/3 8:00 AM
8/4 8:00 AM
227
144

*5*
8/4 8:00 AM
8/5 8:00 AM
239
148

*6*
8/5 8:00 AM
8/6 8:00 AM
136
95

*7*
8/6 8:00 AM
8/7 8:00 AM
74
55

*8*





*9*

----------


## Doc.AElstein

Everyone sleeps out on Sunday!  :Smilie:

----------


## Tony Valko

Traffic update...

Data Range 

*A*
*B*
*C*
*D*

*1*


New Threads


*2*
From
To
MrExcel
ExcelForum

*3*
8/2 8:00 AM
8/3 8:00 AM
229
149

*4*
8/3 8:00 AM
8/4 8:00 AM
227
144

*5*
8/4 8:00 AM
8/5 8:00 AM
239
148

*6*
8/5 8:00 AM
8/6 8:00 AM
136
95

*7*
8/6 8:00 AM
8/7 8:00 AM
74
55

*8*
8/7 8:00 AM
8/8 8:00 AM
107
101

*9*

----------


## AlKey

Great job Tony on Traffic Updates! :Smilie:

----------


## Tony Valko

:Cool: 



---------

----------


## AliGW

How are you gathering the stats, Tony?

----------


## Tony Valko

On the bottom left hand side of the site home page are the posting stats.

Just subtracting today's number from yesterday's.

----------


## AB33

The site was down all day yesterday, but I see there are some posts from yesterday.

----------


## Doc.AElstein

Hi AB33




> The site was down all day yesterday, but I see there are some posts from yesterday.



I was here on and off all day yesterday. I had no access problems. I have noticed in the past when many commented that they could not get access, there were never the less lots of posts.
Seems the access problem can be a bit selective sometimes
Alan

----------


## AB33

Hi Alan,
Interesting! 
I tried using different browsers, but all returned failed. Mind you, I tried not only a couple of times, but every half hour.

----------


## Doc.AElstein

> ...
> Interesting! 
> I tried using different browsers, but all returned failed. Mind you, I tried not only a couple of times, but every half hour.



The mysteries of the ExcelForum Software problems go on..........
Alan

----------


## oeldere

I had no acces problems yesterday.

I notice the upload of file is very / very slow today.

----------


## Glenn Kennedy

No significant problems yesterday....

----------


## snb

> The site was down all day yesterday, but I see there are some posts from yesterday.



Not surprising considering your location: TBA.  :Wink:

----------


## Tony Valko

Traffic update...

Data Range 

*A*
*B*
*C*
*D*

*1*


New Threads


*2*
From
To
MrExcel
ExcelForum

*3*
8/2 8:00 AM
8/3 8:00 AM
229
149

*4*
8/3 8:00 AM
8/4 8:00 AM
227
144

*5*
8/4 8:00 AM
8/5 8:00 AM
239
148

*6*
8/5 8:00 AM
8/6 8:00 AM
136
95

*7*
8/6 8:00 AM
8/7 8:00 AM
74
55

*8*
8/7 8:00 AM
8/8 8:00 AM
107
101

*9*
8/8 8:00 AM
8/9 8:00 AM
189
178

*10*





*11*

Weeks Total
1201
870

----------


## AB33

> Not surprising considering your location: TBA.



Spot on! :Smilie: 
The management of this site probably knows my dissenting view and blocked my IPS address. Big brother is watching me out.

----------


## xladept

No problem for me in SOCAL.

----------

