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Strange tales from the AppleNova log file
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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2007-05-12, 11:03

I periodically dig through the server logs and some things keep surprising me, especially how people get to AppleNova by way of Google searches.

For instance, almost three years after murbot's query What the HELL is a bad public movie atom? in the Genius Bar, visitors are still routinely finding their way here by searches for "bad public movie atom". It's a shame that the thread never got a straightforward answer, either, and that's why I just brought it back to life.

Also surprising but in a depressing way is that a number of folks regularly get to the Top 10 sad songs to listen to when you're sad with searches for "top 10 sad songs". Admittedly, that thread is probably more useful than the one about movie atoms.

Some poor souls got to AppleNova recently using the search strings "dumbest metaphor contest", "busted ear drum", "worst tattoo mistakes", and "yankee doodle fart sounds".

Only half of our visitors enter AppleNova from external links and most of them don't do much once they've arrived. The "board" link on ThinkSecret still drives about half of those. Most of the rest are from Google.

It's not much to discuss, but I thought these tidbits where interesting enough to warrant sharing.

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2007-05-12, 12:25

I think that is interesting. It shows some neat things...like TS is still worth keeping around even though that had been questioned in the past.

I've found AN a few times via Google searches too.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
  quote
Windowsrookie
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Minnesota
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2007-05-12, 13:37

Sad thing is when you search for "Apple Forum" AI is the second result, and AN isn't even on the first page...
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dmegatool
Custom User Title
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: At home
 
2007-05-12, 15:54

Quote:
Originally Posted by Windowsrookie View Post
Sad thing is when you search for "Apple Forum" AI is the second result, and AN isn't even on the first page...
Yeah that sucks.

I don't remember how I found the place. I just remember that I founded the look very clean (compared to others forums) and people seemed nice (funny and not rude like some others forums I used).

Thx for posting thoses Brad. It's interresting... or funny... I don't know.

Dave Mustaine :"God created whammy bars for people who don't know how to solo."
  quote
crazychester
Dick in the Abstentia, The
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2007-05-12, 16:24

You know those Rough Guide dudes who write the travel books etc.

Well, they've got a Rough Guide to the Internet. The topics covered include:

Quote:
• Top surfing – an essential directory of the best websites.
I reckon Brad should rewrite that post into guide format and submit it as the description for an AppleNova entry.

It simply says it all.

Of course, alc will have to kick the shit out of the hamster to ensure the servers can handle the slamming they're in for when all those people looking for info about "yankee doodle fart sounds" hit 'em.

It'll make Macworld '07 look like a quiet dinner party with a few friends.

Last edited by crazychester : 2007-05-12 at 16:24. Reason: Posts merged
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thegeriatric
geri to my friends
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Heaven
 
2007-05-12, 18:17

Quote:
Originally Posted by dmegatool View Post
Yeah that sucks.

I don't remember how I found the place. I just remember that I founded the look very clean (compared to others forums) and people seemed nice (funny and not rude like some others forums I used).

Thx for posting thoses Brad. It's interresting... or funny... I don't know.
Funny I don't remember how I found this place either. But I'm glad I did, and I fully agree with your other comments.
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jdcfsu
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Florida
 
2007-05-12, 18:37

Quote:
Originally Posted by Windowsrookie View Post
Sad thing is when you search for "Apple Forum" AI is the second result, and AN isn't even on the first page...
That's funny because when I first found this place I'm sure I searched something very similar and this must have been on the first page as I rarely go to page two.

90% of statistics can be made to say anything 50% of the time.
Website | Twitter
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Chinney
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Ottawa, ON
 
2007-05-12, 18:48

Well I found AI first, of course, long before AN existed. I really can't recall how I originally found AI - a Google search, I think, when built-in Help failed. (As for AN, g sent me a message about it a couple of days after it started, but that is another matter.)

I remember lurking for a long time on AI before I first posted. Maybe 8-9 months or so. We have a lot of lurkers here. (Many even, I suspect, on the non-technical stuff. Most of my lurking on AI was on AppleOutsider.) Look how many registered members we have that have no posts or very few posts. Sometimes I wish a few more of them would speak up. We have a nice small community here, but it would be nice to hear from a few more as well.

It is interesting to know about the wild types of google searches that bring people here. Funny to think of all of our clean and dirty laundry being indexed for all to see on Google.

When there's an eel in the lake that's as long as a snake that's a moray.
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curiousuburb
Antimatter Man
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
 
2007-05-12, 18:50

So what are our top 10 searched for results?

Are people here for boring old rumours and their eleventyeigth WWDC OMG!! or something uniquely 'Nova?

Is it murbot's Hard Drive repair tips? the Robotic Laser Ape film reviews? the Red Blazer fashion advice? the antipodean legal dramas? the SMS relationship breakup hints? Drew'splops? Carol's puppies? the latest geek trends in sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll?

If we were a broadcaster, what would our schedule contain as rated by our audiences?

Would we be pay-per-view?

All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand.
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Banana
is the next Chiquita
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2007-05-12, 18:53

Quote:
Originally Posted by jdcfsu View Post
That's funny because when I first found this place I'm sure I searched something very similar and this must have been on the first page as I rarely go to page two.
Ditto. I think it may be because ThinkSecret back then was scooping rumors left and right, and there were threads on AN discussing such scoops, and that was what moved AN up on the ranks.
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crazychester
Dick in the Abstentia, The
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2007-05-12, 19:16

I found it because I walked in on the birth. Or maybe the Storming of The Bastille might be a better analogy. Fuck there were a brief but crazy few hours that day. I think someone posted the address (momentarily) on AI before Kasper went on his Crush! Kill! Delete! Resistance is futile rampage. Of course, you wouldn't have found it as AppleNova then anyway.
  quote
Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2007-05-12, 20:02

Quote:
Originally Posted by curiousuburb View Post
So what are our top 10 searched for results?
Getting the top requested pages from a search is difficult, but I can show the top 10 requested threads in general. Note that these are for last month.

The top 10 search strings:
  • bad public movie atom
  • applenova
  • santa rosa macbook
  • macfuse tools
  • top 10 sad songs
  • a bad public movie atom
  • visio viewer mac
  • uninstall x11
  • prince symbol
  • santa rosa macbook pro

Quote:
Originally Posted by curiousuburb View Post
Are people here for boring old rumours and their eleventyeigth WWDC OMG!! or something uniquely 'Nova?
Seems like a mix of the former with some weird random junk.

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2007-05-12, 21:11

Oh, also, it looks like Camino usage is on the rise.
Attached Images
File Type: png browsum.png (2.5 KB, 76 views)
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709
¡Damned!
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Purgatory
 
2007-05-12, 21:58

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad View Post
  • prince symbol
wtf?
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jdcfsu
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Florida
 
2007-05-12, 22:16

Quote:
Originally Posted by 709 View Post
wtf?
I was thinking the same thing. I googled prince symbol and didn't find the AN hit in the first 5 pages of results. So I used this search and found the culprit, a thread from 2004 suggesting new domain names. Why so many people look so deep into "prince symbol" results is completely beyond me...

90% of statistics can be made to say anything 50% of the time.
Website | Twitter
  quote
rasmits
rams it
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Seattle
 
2007-05-12, 22:31

Quote:
Originally Posted by jdcfsu View Post
I was thinking the same thing. I googled prince symbol and didn't find the AN hit in the first 5 pages of results. So I used this search and found the culprit, a thread from 2004 suggesting new domain names. Why so many people look so deep into "prince symbol" results is completely beyond me...
Ah, I was wondering where the name "nova" came from.
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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2007-05-12, 22:49

The "prince symbol" comes from several Yahoo! image search addresses, it seems.

edit: Wow! First hit:

http://images.search.yahoo.com/searc...-8&fr2=tab-web

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
  quote
Schnauzer
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Arizona
 
2007-05-13, 14:53

Thats cool that AN gets alot of traffic, even its not mac related :P
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curiousuburb
Antimatter Man
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
 
2007-07-24, 17:01

Without wanting to start a new thread... Presto Tangento!

So I'm poking around the CP today and notice this...
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleNova User CP Profile

Your date of birth and age are displayed in several places on the forum. Only the administrator will have access to your date of birth should you choose to hide it via the privacy option below.

Please contact the Administrator if your date of birth has changed.
WTF ??!!¡1!

Do we have a lot of change of birthdate here?
Is it only user-editable after 1k1 posts like member title? (or is there a 'birthdate title change' thread too)?
Does it usually change forwards or backwards?

Or is this just another touch of Jack's humour.

All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand.
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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2007-07-24, 18:08

You'd better take a close look at the MALE/FEMALE checkmark boxes too....
  quote
julesstoop
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Leiden, the Netherlands
 
2007-07-24, 18:41

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad View Post
Some poor souls got to AppleNova recently using the search string [...] "yankee doodle fart sounds".
Is there another way to get to Applenova? I didn't know, tell me please!
  quote
Windowsrookie
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Minnesota
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2007-07-24, 19:14

Quote:
Originally Posted by julesstoop View Post
Is there another way to get to Applenova? I didn't know, tell me please!
google.

appleinsider.org

applenova.net

applenova.org

supersecretapplerumors.com
  quote
turbulentfurball
Right Honourable Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Québec
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2007-07-24, 20:46

Quote:
Originally Posted by Windowsrookie View Post
google.

appleinsider.org

applenova.net

applenova.org

supersecretapplerumors.com
thinksecret.com/board

Which is how I found AN.
  quote
kieran
@kk@pennytucker.social
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2007-07-24, 20:47

Same for me.
  quote
jdcfsu
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Florida
 
2007-07-24, 20:50

Quote:
Originally Posted by Windowsrookie View Post
google.

appleinsider.org

applenova.net

applenova.org

supersecretapplerumors.com
Interesting, I didn't realize AN has a covert AI address, or the crazy SuperSecretAppleRumors domain.
  quote
Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2007-07-24, 20:53

Quote:
Originally Posted by jdcfsu View Post
Interesting, I didn't realize AN has a covert AI address
AppleNova actually started originally as appleinsider.org.

As noted elsewhere, appleinsider.net is our test server.
  quote
Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2007-07-24, 20:58

Quote:
Originally Posted by curiousuburb View Post
Do we have a lot of change of birthdate here?
Is it only user-editable after 1k1 posts like member title? (or is there a 'birthdate title change' thread too)?
No to all.

Quote:
Originally Posted by curiousuburb View Post
Or is this just another touch of Jack's humour.
I'd like to give Jack credit, but this is actually a standard piece of text provided by vBulletin.
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