First things first… Again, my most sincere appreciation to all those voices who have called, written and contacted us expressing support. The level of support during this effort to silence our voice is overwhelming and very much appreciated.
The people at WordPress open source software are apologetic, and they point to the people at WordPress.com/Automattic (the business) as the issue; two different groups.
On the technical side of the equation, there is a team of independent website engineers, platform designers and exceptionally skilled technology folks working to assist us. They are working brilliantly on this process, and our CTH community would be lost without their diligent efforts.
We are blessed to have brilliant people on task, focused and executing. To say this is a considerable task would be an understatement. It is very time consuming.
At first blush, the migration seems a simple process of exporting and importing the current CTH data…. until you realize the sheer scale of data involved. There are approximately 35,000 research articles and more than 7,200,000 comments in our decade-long archives each with an independent url to handle. The first step to secure the research library resulted in an export base of 60 files, each file holding massive amounts of data for transfer.
Ten years of graphics, pdf’s, charts, images, videos and millions of internal citations within that library equates to a lot of data. Combine that with a customary 10,000 to 20,000 word daily output of analysis, and then thousands of daily unique comments, and the server space needed for file transfer (as well as the import time) was a seriously unknown variable.
So, the team built a temporary site to see how long the transfer would take. After initial efforts, the engineering realized they could not auto-run the import. Simply the issue was overloading server capacity and few systems could handle the load.
The result is the 60 files can only be loaded in batches of five at a time. Each file takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes to import. The test run took place over two+ days, and we identified a total import time of 30 to 60 hours.
By taking this painstaking approach, we are ensuring that all internal links do not result in a “404” dead link notification. Meaning the library will remain intact, and all external links that lead to the CTH library will be able to find them. Additionally, and/all citations within the CTH library will be retained, and people will be able to use all the embed links; and also importantly, all prior links to your previous comments are retained.
After we knew the architecture and data import would take approximately two days; and adding the anticipated scale of bandwidth to foresee; we have signed up for host data services with an organization that should be able to handle the volume. We are soon to transfer the data from the temporary site into the permanent site on permanent servers.
NOTE: During the transition and data transfer we will need to shut down commenting function for CTH (WordPress) until CTH 2.0 launches. The mirroring of the site during this process will take (based on the test run) approximately 40 hours +/-. As a result, it is highly likely comments will be closed for around two days. Unfortunately, there is no other way to pull this off; it is simply a matter of volume and scale.
We will continue to post new articles and you will be able to see them, you just might not be able to comment on them until the full data transfer to Treehouse 2.0 is complete. Likely, I will have to cross-post to both websites during this transitional phase.
[Remember, the articles from CTH/CTH 2.0 cross-post onto Twitter, and you can also comment there. Or use the Twitter link to return to the CTH 2.0 article when live]
On the good news side… the functionality of the new site should be similar to what you are currently experiencing. There will likely be quirks after the launch that will need to be worked out, but the user experience will hopefully remain (essentially) as it is now, albeit you will not need a WordPress account for functionality. We are using the WordPress open-source software, so most of the current site functions should transfer.
There are some proprietary WordPress.Com features that will not transfer; however, we will immediately begin a priority process of building-in those features via plug-ins where possible…. there are a variety of add-ons that can enhance the new site and even make it better. We will use those features when feasible, and when possible in our budget.
♦ Some exceptionally kind people have requested a subscription platform; however, it has always been my mission to provide the raw and cited details, with an opinion toward what it means, totally free for everyone to use as they choose.
I do not consider my finished products proprietary, because they can always be made better by smart researchers who can find even more details for a bigger story, and make it even better. The site openness and accessibility is as important to me now as it was when The Last Refuge of misfits first assembled 10 years ago. CTH will never charge for access to the truth as we can discover it.
Just as many generous people had excellent suggestions for website hosting; however, many of those were disqualified simply because they cannot handle the volume of CTH traffic without major upgrades and CTH would be paying for those upgrades. The results of the test site disqualified a lot of hosting options. We simply have a ton of data and a great deal of bandwidth use on a daily basis. Our selected host has the capacity (fingers crossed) to handle the scale we need.
♦ The domain name will remain the same: “TheConservativeTreehouse.com”, and should be seamless in transition to the new website. However, after CTH 2.0 launch you may need to clear your browser “cookies” and “cache” so that your search or bookmark reaches the new servers accurately.
How you can tell – If you find yourself only finding older articles when you visit CTH this will be the problem. Clear your “cache and cookies”, search or use your bookmarks for CTH again, and your browser should redirect you to the correct website.
We are up against a deadline of December 2nd – As a result, the graphic design of CTH 2.0 should not look much different. The site will (should) appear the same to users until we go through a process of modifying the design but retaining the theme. Our website theme is over a decade old; we are keeping it but will be refreshing some of the aspects (like the blogroll etc). On an independent site we will have options to add enhancements and make the site carry more features. That part should be fun.
When the comments go live again, please be patient if you get hung up in a moderation cue. One of our challenges will be the absence of Askimet spam filtering. It may take time to release some comments if they are hung up in moderation. The site admins do a great job with comment moderation and release so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue; and quite frankly, there are likely to be benefits from not having the WordPress software filtering through the comments as they post. Spam removal will be a priority.
Please bear with us as we work through some of the challenges of comment moderation in our new platform. It should be seamless, but just in case… well, patience is appreciated. Be assured we will work diligently during this go live phase to deal with any comment issues as rapidly as possible.
♦ Random Stuff – You may not notice, but your user experience is a top priority to us. One of the ways we do this is through opening links in a new window on your browser. As you click on any citation in a CTH article that action opens a new window in your browser; and when you “x” out of that window you return to your original place in the article. This was always a standard convenience approach a decade+ ago on websites.
However, as people started monetizing their sites they realized if they forced the person to exit and come back they could inflate their clicks or impressions. 80 percent or more of websites today push you out of the article when you click a citation and force you to return to finish reading. CTH never subscribed to this inconvenient approach, and we don’t intend to do it now. Each link will open a new page in your browser. We will not inflate our statistics by forcing you to go back and forth just to read citations or more info.
Everything is essentially ready to begin the site changeover. As soon as I know when that process will initiate, I will let you know. Once activated the ability to comment will be closed for approximately one-to-two days (30-50 hrs), though we hope to make it as quick as possible. As soon as the changeover is complete, the commenting function will return to normal…. and you will be on CTH 2.0
Any questions feel free to ask below.
Again, thank you all for your support, this is your community. All of the Treehouse admins are stewards for this place, this Last Refuge, where you are what matters.
The key to Treehouse 2.0 is recognizing we are building something within a system that wants to see us removed. Being proactive will hopefully make us better stewards for our conversation. Remember, YOU are the important part.
Without you CTH doesn’t really have a purpose. I could stand outside shouting at trees with no impact; but together, sitting on the figurative porch, the conversation is rich with unique skill-sets, subject matter experts, and life-long experiences that make discussion so much more valuable. Myself and the CTH admin team cherish the value you represent.
Love to all,
~ Sundance
…Never fight until you have to. But when it’s time to fight, you fight like you’re the third monkey on the ramp to Noah’s Ark… and brother, it’s startin’ to rain.
Mr. Sundance and all the Moderators, you are Leaders in Our Great Paradigm Shift of taking back control of Information distribution in our Modern World.
With the Modern Tools you employ, along with every other Smartphone and Computer user, Americans can share the Blessings of Liberty and insure it’s does not wither and disappear in the Dark Shadows of Media Censorship.
The Great Paradigm Shift to Liberation of Information will dawn a New Age of Enlightenment.
I am thankful beyond words.
God Bless the US Constitution
God Bless America
Thank you Sundance!
Great Info & looking forward to the Transition of CTH…
I’d suggest not porting over all the old comments to the new site, since it seems that that is taking a great deal of time/space. And (with all due respect to my fellow commenters) those old comments are probably of very limited value. Many web sites don’t even retain user comments past a year or so.
That might help a lot, if the comments are retained for only the past year or two.
Concur!
Or perhaps, you can save the Old Comments on a separate smaller storage site Labeled: Oldie But Goodies…
Re: “The site openness and accessibility is as important to me now as it was when The Last Refuge of misfits first assembled 10 years ago. CTH will never charge for access to the truth as we can discover it.”
Sundance et al, thank you for the above statement regarding openness, accessibility, and never charging for access to the truth, and for sharing what you discover with all of us who would otherwise be left in the darkness of media’s lies and censorship. I truly believe God appointed your group of misfits for such a time as this. Num 6:24-26
This is the one place I trust. Thank you more than I can express. Peter Rabbit
A heroic effort all round. Very disappointing to see any continuing reliance on an enemy platform by anyone on “our side.” I shall continue to pray and hope that more patriots will realize the need to sever all use (and thus support) of (anti)social media owned and used by our mortal enemies to both generally propagandize and also to damage patriots morally and intellectually.
We are with you!!!
I love that expression, especially…”You Fight Like You’re the Third Monkey on the Ramp to Noah’s Ark….” CLEVER AND PRICELESS
Someone dropped that comment on the site the other day, but I don’t remember who it was.
ADD: I looked it up. It was “listingstarboard” yesterday on the deplatforming post.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/11/23/regarding-deplatforming/comment-page-2/#comment-9220084
Thank you Sundance and company for everything. Not sure what I will do without the comments for 2 days, lol. I am constantly refreshing to read fresh input.
Here’s hoping I am able to find you guys after the move, but in case I am lost in the process I want to add my kudos to Sundance and to say how grateful I am to have had 5 years here. The intelligence and compassion of the men and women here give me hope for mankind if not this poor country that is about to enter Hell if the president can’t pull this out.
Lol ,Sundance, it’s very simple.
Where you, Menagerie, Stella and Admen we follow.
Not complicated at all.
Thank you team TreeHouse I’m here and will remain in the treehouse come hell or high water.. Sundance you are the rock.. Stay Safe see at 2.0..
amen to that
Sundance and Moderators, you are the best! You’ve kept me sane for years now. Thank you.
Thank you Sundance for keeping the format with the wonderful comment sections ongoing. I come here to learn and it has been a my haven for going on six years. You guys are brilliant! I don’t know what I would do without this site. I can always find the truth here and insightful analysis. I do not comment much but am I here everyday. Thank You! Love to all!
Faye from Australia:
Can I just say how grateful I am that I found Sundance and The Conservative Treehouse. Otherwise, I would not know anything about how the “system” works and where it is headed and who are the good guys and bad guys. It has been a true awakening. Yesterday, I was surprised that my medical practitioner knew hardly anything about the American election steal. He thought it was the usual old mistakes of counting. I soon gave him some facts. He is a mathematician (and a climate change skeptic) – I said he could get his teeth into what graphs and information have been produced so far and maybe find another mathematical impossibility. Told him about Dominion and Smartmatic, Sidney Powell, no scrutineers, mail-in ballots fraud, and heaps more. Anyhow, I gave him something to think about and gave him Sundance’s address.
Love from Faye (I wish I was over in America talking to people and being part of it.)
PS My husband and certain friends join me in my praise. Notice I don’t mention “family”. They only ever watch the ABC and commercial channels and read the fake media, ending up brainwashed. Sadly I will be cancelling my subscription to the “use to be balanced” The Australian newspaper, the Murdochs have turned left big time.
Faye from Australia, Thank You for that!! Hearing from an individual in a far off land in support of our beloved country and our magnificent, very stable genius, President Trump, just brightened my day.
It’s been a very tough year for everyone, worldwide, and here in America, the attempt to steal the election from all of us who voted for our President just has greatly added to the weight of it all.
Thank you for your kind words. Please continue to share the info found here at the CTH. And share the site itself, too!! God bless you, Faye! ??
Sundance, Thank You doesn’t adequately say what’s in my heart for your allowing all of we, the people, the opportunity to cut through the bull crappola and see, read, hear for ourselves from your posts and our fellow Refuge followers’ comments what’s the real poop. God bless you and all your behind the scenes helpers. Thank you. ♥️
Dear New Nonna, Again!!! Congratulations Nonna. Thank you for your kind thoughts. Although I am far away, I feel at home at The Conservative Treehouse and enjoy all the different characters. I’m on the rollercoaster with you all. May President Trump triumph!
Sincerely Faye
Faye, thank YOU and you’re WELCOME!
Some days I feel so secure and confident and other says I’m hesitant and nervous… for my grand babies’ futures and those of all young ones growing up in the world in this time in history. Not just mine, but for the babies and children world wide. I’m so thankful for our incredible President Trump. Your supportive, kind words bring me to consider you a friend from the other side of the world since you’re obviously Deplorable like me and so many of my fellow countrymen and friends.
Bless you, Faye.
WWG1WGA ?????
Dear Sundance —
Thanks so much for all you do — and for the Admin and other Treepers. I have been following this blog since shortly after Donald Trump rode down the gold escalator, and it has been an absolute lifeline for keeping my sanity and staying truly informed. I really appreciate all your efforts in finding us a new place to perch our Treehouse, as well as all the groundwork in migrating us over.
What a blessing this community has been! I enjoy the fellowship, wit, and info exchange that happens here every day. God bless you for your leadership and all you have done to shine a light and give hope to so many. Blessings and love back at you from NE Ohio — Linda
Best of luck on the migration. My work lately has involved moving large data around to new systems. The log in for commenting will be interesting to navigate. I chose wordpress cause no way did I want to have a FB or Twitter account. We’ll see how it goes. We all appreciate how much work this involves.
God will continue to bless you
Our Sunday Sermon was about the loaves and fishes miracle of our Lord
What struck me this time was how much was left over!
Our gifts are multiplied
The young boy who gave
The multitude Fed
And we believers
Congratulations! Sounds like you have the situation well in hand. Someone once said that “Misfortune is really adventure, wrongly construed.” I expect WP.com’s kicking you out will redound to your benefit, and not to theirs. Indeed, I expect that like the flight from Fox News and Facebook, word of your experience will stimulate an exodus from the paid WordPress.
One feature I’d like to see: Formatting commands (bold, italic, strike-through, blockquote, etc.). I use WP so I know to use the HTML formatting, but most users probably don’t. And, of course, as others mention, an Edit option would be terrific.
Damn! Not a techie at all and reading this makes me dizzy. Thank you SD and all techies helping to keep our treehouse intact. This place is so important to me…..more than I could ever convey. I hope the tech people know that they’re doing much more than a job. Thank you!
O dear, I sure hope that tree i planted when I first arrived doesnt get pulled up by the roots, just in case tho…I’m going to find another one 😛
Thank you for your Herculean efforts.
“we have signed up for host data services with an organization that should be able to handle the volume”
Yes, but will they be able to handle the dissident opinions and unapproved content.
I sincerely hope that whatever platform hosts the new site isn’t just another tentacle of the Tech Overlords.
Is there a designated place to share and monitor hot links and breaking news while the comment section is disabled?
Maybe an existing or temporary WP site?
Thank You for everything Sundance! I’ve always had a problem with showing my appreciation & some people have gotten PO’D at me in the past for this, BUT this is my go-to site EVERYDAY & you have opened my eyes to a lot of different things that I thought I was “an expert on”.
Thanxs Again & I will be at your new location, when it is available!
I’d seriously consider getting the cross posts off Twitter as well…
They are not your friend (or OURS)
I’d try MeWe, Gab, or if you have to… Parler before they do you in at Twitter as well.
My 2 cents///
Thank you Sundance for providing invaluable insight and a great place to hangout with like-minded freedom-loving people, not just here, but truly a community that stretches around the World.
The Covid lockdowns and social distancing have done just that and in a sense, it is as if we are galaxies in an expanding Universe, getting farther and farther away from each other. Democrat governors have spread a malaise over their fiefdoms. It’s pretty hard to find intelligent discussion and comradeship lately, and we thank you Sundance for providing an Ark as much as a Treehouse.
Why not gab.com instead of twitter. I find being on twitter conditions me to censor MYSELF (they’re thrilled, of course, LOL). When I spend time on gab.com it takes a little while, but then my attitude opens up as I remember I won’t be censored for including covid 19 or cures for viruses, lol. It’s a trip. TWITTER IS EVIL
YOU are complicit in luring your users to forfeit THEIR own metadata to the globalists. It really is THAT simple. Parler doesn’t let you share links or any url unless you have a BADGE, lol.
So gab is the place to support – but in any case, NOT twitter!
Thanks for your great article on the rationale behind Sidney Powell’s technicality-only departure from the Trump Legal Team. Yes; I exhaled, lol! 🙂
Thank you Sundance et al. ~ you are so important to the sanity of the sane. I pray for all of you as well as those that post ~ Ephesians 6:10-18
Thank you. Thank you for choosing a platform that won’t be under some ignorant twenty-something’s jackboot. Viva la independence! And, thank you for 10 year’s of search for the truth and insight like few others.
Sundance, Adrems, tech support and anyone else who has helped the site exist for 10 years…..
all I can say is ” Carry On!”
We The Deplorables are with you til the end…..which means a new beginning and THIS is it!
This site has given me more knowledge of our government’s nuances…spit….than any other and it has backed them up with legitimate documentation that few other sites offer.
I’ve been accessing this site for over four years on my little ole Airbook running Firefox and DuckDuckGo with ne’er a problem. I don’t need to like or dislike a comment. I can always comment if I want to respond to another post.
People need to get over this BS like/dislike stuff (go to Twatter of Fbook) and just concentrate on how we can keep our Republic safe.
God Speed SD and may this be the beginning of a new era where the FIRST AMENDMENT will not only be saved but will flourish in the restored REPUBLIC after President Trump is inaugurated in January 2021!
PS- President Trump won this election in a landslide and We the People, who he represents, will
either praise the courts when he is confirmed President or WE will make them see the errors of their
evil and unconstitutional ways,
Terrible this was done to this group. Have read here since the events of the young girl Jessica chambers and was grateful for your investigation and research ability on this digital media info that was so alien to me. I wish I could help
Thank you for all you do from this tiny corner on the south-left coast of Canada.
I cannot express in words the appreciation I have for Sundance and his crew. So, God speed.
Thank you for all you do, Sundance! Hope to find you on the other side and that it is seamless!
May God bless you and all you do for Truth!
Sundance, thank you for weathering and hopefully toppling this dictatorial mandate.
God bless you, your family and all who make this such a beautiful place!
looking forward to stringing my hammock on a new small branch somewhere in the sun.
?
Thank you Sundance, and I am the Happy Cat Retreat monthly contributor.
Thank you for this update!
I’m eager to say goodbye to WordPress. Half the time I cannot log in, I haven’t been able to “like” any comments for a very long time, half the time when I do post, WordPress double posts my comment, etc. The effort has caused me hardly ever comment anymore and to appear to have “dropped off”, which was maybe by design!! But I have followed this site DAILY for 5-6 yrs! God bless, Sundance!
Congratulations to you Sundance for overcoming this very frustrating obstacle.
Serious tech kudos to the team helping you out. Forced IT transitions running on a short schedule are always complex and require heroic efforts by the tech folks. They’ve made it look easy which is the mark of skilled professionals.
As for WordPress, there are no words adequate to describe the heartless scolds running that business. Karma awaits them.
We all pray that President Trump prevails in his fight, because if he does… IF HE DOES… karma will come knocking on their door. If not, we’ll just give it to God, and he’ll take scare of in His way.
God bless you and your team.
Glad to hear the Treehouse will continue on… in another tree.
#WordpressSucks
Antispam Bee is, in my experience, as good as Akismet.
Sundance and crew words cannot express my thanks for what you do and how you do it. I will be rocking on my branch during the move and praying that the move will be as seamless as possible. I am thankful that you are keeping the comments because I use them to gather historical facts while increasing my education at Sundance University. Blessings and love to you all and Happy Thanksgiving!
I’ve been here since Trayvon. It’s been quite an awakening for me, these last 10 years. Don’t know what I’d do without this place. Looking forward to 2.0.
Thank you for keep us abreast. It’s why I’ve read all of the articles on a daily basis for the past 4 years. Looking forward to resuming those reads and most importantly views regarding the topic. I look forward to your transistion to Parlor as well sooner or later.
7 million comments! Wow!
Thanks for the update.
Thank you very much, Sundance and all the Treehouse staff. God Bless you more and keep you safe. (We are already abundantly blessed, hence the more)
This is my “about me” from my profile I wrote quite a while ago. It seems appropriate right about now.
I felt it strongly then and I’m certain I’ll feel it even stronger in our future.
************************************
Treeper since 2015 and I’ve surmised that Sundance is a man. A brilliant, wise and compassionate man with courage even more massive than his conviction.
It’s an honor to be a recipient of my fellow treepers’ intellect, integrity and inspiration in what I consider to be one of the last bastions of hope and truth.
Not to mention virtually every thread is loaded with wit and humor. You are some of the smartest funniest most clever people I’ve ever “met.”
*************************************
Cheers, blessings, strength and honor to you, Sundance, and to all our Treeper family as we travel this uncertain road together….
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
~>for all of your giving ❣
Hear hear, and thanks from New Zealand, with best wishes to Sundance and CTH.
Thank you Sundance and all. I found you on election night 2016 and have not missed a day since. I was raised in a very patriotic family and without the truth I find here I would be so lost. The knowledge I have gained from you and all the wonderful comments keep me going. I continue to pray our country, my wonderful President and all the treehouse.
True dat, Pamel. John Solomon is a good writer, as well, but his focus is much smaller.
Without your explanations on our economy & China, I would never understand why our economic security is so important to our national security, nor would I understand why Republican politicians are wrecking our country.
Sundance, you always ROCK. Thank you to you AND your staff & those who monitor us.
Happy Thanksgiving to all Treepers, staff & Sundance. 2.0 is going to be grrat, I just know it!!