As we work through bugs associated with CTH 2.0 launch, consider this a thread to provide information, report user issues, ideas and concerns. Please read the information provided below as it might answer many questions in advance.
Today, December 2nd, was our official eviction date as established by WordPress/Automattic two weeks ago. Considering the scale of moving 11 years worth of data (56,000 articles, massive media file, 7.2 million comment library), the tech team did a great job.
That said, we anticipated some issues, are encountering others, and we are carefully working through a checklist.
First, we wanted to migrate the data and site in the least disruptive way to the CTH community that provided continuity and familiarity.
Despite the tech issues with the disconnect from WP/Automattic servers to our own proprietary server system, that overarching goal was achieved. Now we are getting into the weeds.
First, some background so everyone can understand the big picture issues. Obviously WordPress/Automattic wanted us gone; however, in hindsight the unspoken purpose and motive behind our eviction is now making a lot more sense.
Based on insider information, there were two distinct issues that merged; sunlight upon them is against the interests of massive multi-billion dollar organizations, but at CTH the truth has no agenda, so here’s the inside explanation as it appears.
♦ Ideology – As they said in their notification to deplatform, the “content” of CTH was against the terms of WordPress/Automattic. This is not really a surprise as Big Tech looks for any obtuse or obscure reason to silence voices that are not in political alignment with their goals. The decision by WP/Automattic is not surprising even if they would never publicly admit it. Quite simply, this battle has been going on for years and now it is at an inflection point. Alternates to the grip of Big Tech are starting to emerge, slowly.
♦ Business – In addition to the ideological nature of the motive, there is another element which has gained significant clarity in the past few weeks. Our CTH community did something WP/Automattic never expected… we were too successful.
The scale of the CTH reader and commenting community literally was/is a rebel alliance reeking havoc inside a host network that didn’t like our voice. Simultaneously, we were chewing up massive amounts of their server space and capacity. This is very interesting.
According to insiders who have reached out and shared their opinion, what CTH evolved into is far more than a simple blogging community. Essentially the metaphor provided is this: “you took a blog platform and built a mini FaceBook social media enterprise within it.” The CTH community, our extended global family of ragtag misfits, was/is using CTH as a network of like-minded friends to share and discuss information.
You might say well, isn’t that what a blogging community is all about… and the answer eleven years ago was a simple: yes. However, our assembly became much, much, much larger than a simple community.
The scale of having up to 25,000 simultaneous users is way beyond a simple blogging platform. CTH became a social media enterprise. Discussions, information sharing, networking and contact with each-other is what social media was all about.
The FaceBook social media model is essentially operating in our site. That’s an awesome outcome, but one WP/Automattic did not expect. In essence CTH hijacked the platform to create a social network.
All of that engagement costs the host (WP/Automattic) server space and massive amounts of bandwidth. Despite my paying for their hosting services (business plan), we were essentially living cheap, almost rent free, inside their platform. Once we realized this was also an element of concern, some prior work by WP/Automattic to control CTH made sense.
There is an interesting conversation happening in the coffee shops of Big Tech about this issue… WordPress/Automattic can never admit the unique financial problem that CTH created for them.
The business model for WP/Automattic is to sell the potential outcome of exactly what we achieved. WP/Automattic pitches their business plan by saying you can build a blogging community and share your voice.
Well, we took them up on that offer ten years ago and we built the biggest community within their system; a massive community. We did exactly what the marketing people at WP/Automattic say is possible… except we did it bigger than they ever imagined. Our success at achieving the scale of community created a problem they can never admit.
If WordPress/Automattic were to be honest now about the financial impact of users -like CTH- achieving success, they would be undercutting the entire marketing/advertising plan of their hosting platform.
The honest sales approach from WP/Automattic would be to say: we can provide you a platform, up until you achieve significant success; and then, it is in our financial interests, for you to leave. Obviously WP/Automattic would never sell their product if they were honest… so they look for reasons, any reasons, to control or eliminate the community. THAT appears to have been a big part of what drove their decision.
It was not a surprise that WP/Automattic kicked-us out immediately after they went into the market to get more money to expand operations. CTH was costing them money, perhaps a lot of money. As a consequence not only were they hosting a voice against their ideological interests, that voice was so big it was costing them money. Combine both factors and you get the insufferable excuse “your content” is against our interests.
Believe me, this financial ‘cost to host‘ issue is a big topic in the background of conversations in the tech industry. The hypocrisy of selling a product they do not really want to see succeed is a very interesting conversation. Sunlight upon this motive in the world of tech is kinda funny. The Automattic members can never allow this to be widely known; but the people within the machinery know exactly what the issues are.
♦ So, what does that mean to CTH 2.0? Well, we have a big server network hosting us right now – and it ain’t cheap (by a long shot). To give you an idea of how unique this situation is, they cannot even calculate the cost until they see the results over the next month or so.
This is uncharted territory. Our commenting community, specifically the number of simultaneous users, is essentially like a mini Facebook inside their server network. No-one has any idea how to manage this outside of pre-existing social media platforms that generate millions/billions in upfront revenue and construct proprietary and dedicated server farms.
It’s a good problem.. so everyone says.
It’s a good problem from the perspective of those who would love to monetize our network/community. However, that is not the purpose of our assembly.
To the extent our community will need money to securely exist and thrive safely, publicly and with privacy protections on an independent platform, that is ok. However, the true value in our community is our fellowship and the search for the truth.
♦ To the DETAILS:
The comment restoration function was a significant hurdle for a variety of reasons previously explained. One of the issues moving forward is the type of software that drives the comment function. We are trying to use the most private system possible that also provides security. The WordPress/Automattic system used a combination of proprietary creation and a system called JetPack.
Jetpack has some functional issues and is inherently connected to the comment function. When JetPack was uninstalled, it impacted the comment platform; that is why “likes” and the familiar embed Wavy avatars were lost. We are looking for alternate options that we can add to the site to restore those features and also add an edit button (if possible) to the comments. In the interim if you register a gravatar with your email address your custom avatar will follow you.
There is a comment system that most platforms are using called Disqus. If you let Disqus run ads in the comment space they provide the comment software free. However, Disqus does track users and I am not too happy with the privacy aspect. That would be a last resort, and only if they will set-up a custom privacy component.
If you are having issues with the comment feature or site access, feel free to provide feedback below and we will attempt to compile and/or assist as we move forward.
Love to all,
~ Sundance
Grateful for those who tackled this monumental task.
The site is working very well for posting comments. I know GIFs are not well liked on some sites so I won’t try to post those. How about pics?
I read every comment made by A2. He is a stalwart of CTH. Thousands read without ever commenting. I haven’t posted a comment until yesterday after perhaps three years. I read every day, several times a day. Many people do.
I wish I could get infected with your “bug” Dano66. I have to stifle my urges to post, they happen so often.
Test
So basically what happened is that like Trump on Election Day 2020, we got too big for our britches and scared the hell out them to the point of panic and stupidity.
Put another way, we were “victims” of our own success. Cool.
Early morning Dec. 3, nothing past about midnight showing up on CTH; no new daily posts. But at least I got to see/read President Trump’s speech from yesterday as it seems most/all of the content from Dec 2 posted. Will check back often to see when Dec. 3 posts start showing up.
I’m not getting it either. Then all day yesterday the Pres story showed 464 comments all day, then around 7:00pm all the new stories loaded. Don’t know if its me or the bugs in the system. Ugh
Go to politipage to open dec 3 post
What is politipage?
What is politipage?
(I posted this question once before but it never appeared.)
What is politipage?
(This is the third time I tried posting this question. It did not appear the previous attempts, although I was able to post comments yesterday. Hopefully it will appear now.)
What is politipage?
(This is the4th time I tried posting this question. It did not appear the previous attempts, although I was able to post comments yesterday. Hopefully it will appear now.)
What is politipage?
(This is the fifth time I tried posting this question, four times yesterday (Dec 3) and first time today. It did not appear the previous attempts, although I was able to post comments on Dec 2. Hopefully it will appear now.)
test 11/3/2020 xx:43
This is a test. I was never able to comment in WP, hoping this new format works?? *fingers crossed*
test
Testing…
I am not seeing anything posted on December 3. Was so thrilled to come to this site yesterday, December 2, and finally feel as if I’d arrived. Was so down the previous two days when I couldn’t read TCTH — the only site I trust!
I am hopeful this is just a “glitch” — haha, I know bad word to use — and that I will again be able to read Sundance and the many intelligent commenters. Thank you, all of you, for helping me keep sane!
Issue report:
I have made posts that appear briefly or do not appear at all. After making the post, the posts that were visible before are not. It’s as if the clock went backwards and a lot of posts by others were not made.
Hope y’all can fix the issues. I can’t imagine the headaches.
To clarify — I am seeing posts from December 3 in the Status Update log, but I did not see the normal daily threads. Top of my page started with the President’s speech yesterday, December 2.
If you bookmarked the site and try to open the site with the book mark, the bookmark may be set to the wrong time frame.
Right click on the bookmark or go into ‘settings’ to edit it.
If the URL is a long string like this:
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/12/02/cth-2-0-site-status-update-information-user-issue-reporting-thread/comment-page-8/#comments
shorten it to:
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/
No Presidential update for Dec 3?
Good day. Check and advise…test only.
Still trying to do a test post
Presidents on my computer plus a story before Rudy. Both not on my phone. LeD story about speech on Both.
I don’t post but read daily for hours for years (ie addicted). I love this place.
Today I came to the site and thought all was well with the transition, Great job by all!
I went to look for the daily thread and couldn’t see it. I cannot get
Get past presidents speech, it has something like 493 comments. I’ve had to go to Sundance’s twitter feed to get today’s posts and then only 38 comments appear. Pressing the home button takes me back to the president’s speech. I’ve cleared cache, bookmarks, history multiple times and even deleted WordPress account (which I only signed up for the pancake recipe).
I know you guys will get it all straightened out soon, I’ll sit here fidgeting until you do.
PS: not a fan of discus I’ve tried to read comment sections on other sites and left because
Of the nasty stuff.
Anyway thank you for this site and the truth, cmd
Still wonky. As others have noted, site opens and new posts/comments are current then click a page, and it’s gone.
Refreshed page, cleared cache and cookies, gone through different means to access, Control/F5 buttons, clicked latest comments, re-started and updated computer, etc.
Appreciate all of the time/work/care you all are putting into this, wanted to post what I have been experiencing so you know.
Herculean task I’m sure, thanks for all that you do.
Long time lurker. Never commented. I was away from the internet for the most of three days. Never would have noticed the change except for the threads. Keep up the great work.
test
I am not seeing the Daily threads this morning so I am posting to get them to show up.
I have to go to politipage to open dec 3 link.
Even after deleting all of my website data and restarting my IPad.
Also when opening the new treehouse site I noticed that data from WordPress was listed on my website data list.
Not complaining just informing.
Definitely getting better each day.
Still no way to select newer comments on screen requiring use of the browser back button. So far this morning, it is now possible to move back and forth between comment pages without comments disappearing.
Newer Comments now showing on laptop but not android phone or tablet even with refreshing screens and deleting history, etc.
First post on new, first see if it goes.
Are you using old account info….
Do not see login method…
Are you still working on email notifications…
Yes! Email notifications!
I haven’t received any email notifications of new CTH articles since nov. 30.
Is there something I need to do on my end to make that happen?
testing
I can only get to the most current home page through a link from Last Refuge tweets. When I go to Presidential Thread there are no comments. If I make a comment I can see other comments that have been made.
There is a several hour delay between when a new article is posted and when the CTH website is updated on my screen. I have to go to the twitter account to check for new articles. The new articles eventually show up when I go to the CTH webpage, but usually 7-8 hours after they are posted.
I have cleared caches, browser history, etc several times to try and correct this issue but to no avail.
Good morning everyone!
Just checking in this morning. Yawn, stretch, scratch, some iced tea (yes, I am weird like that).
Seeing what is new with the site today. What about those Michigan fireworks last night? Whoo Hooo.
Welp, I better get to work.
Thanks again for all that you CTH worker cats do for all of us!
Test
testing my gravatar
YO PAULY!
Will I continue to receive CTH in my daily email?
Not yet – we’re hoping to get that restored soon!
I know I don’t comment frequently but Sundance, I would highly recommend NOT using Disqus for the commenting platform. Main reason is like you outlined, they are far from secure.
Disqus used to have ‘channels’ within their own system where a user could create their own channel (that’s actually where I found out about you, in one of the channels I followed) but they deleted all channels I think a year ago (if not 2).
As you know by having CTH, you become friends with people online. So to stay in touch with friends made within the channels, I started up a small blog on Blogger and set it up using the Disqus commenting platform and the commenting system has done nothing but denigrate as time has gone on.
There seems to be issues at least once a month of having to log in every time you want to comment, comments not posting or not being able to log in at all due to the system being down. They also have a ‘like’ feature (as well as dislike) and there are sooooo many trolls that do nothing but find platforms using Disqus to wreak havoc on. There is actually a site where trolls congregate and find sites using the Disqus platform so that they can target it and overwhelm them with nasty images, nasty messages and anything else they can think of to hopefully have the site shut down (and I’m talking images of sexual ‘kink’ kind of nature).
The ‘like’ and ‘dislike’ function have a big role in users being able to comment. If someone’s “rep” is too low, they automatically go into pending/moderation and have to be pulled from the bin. The only thing you can do is ‘whitelist’ commenters that keep getting stuck in moderation. There is also a ‘bot’ that attaches to peoples accounts that slowly removes ‘likes’ and in return lowers a persons rep. At the closing of the channels, there were accounts with around -2 million ‘likes’, to our knowledge, they’ve never fixed this. While I didn’t end up in the negatives like so many others, I did have to go in and whitelist myself on my own blog because the bot had removed all of my likes.
Things got so bad with Disqus for a while that we thought they were going to go belly up so I set up a secondary blog using the commenting platform Intense Debate. While I don’t know how secure they are, for those of us that have WP accounts, you can log in using your WP account or you can simply create a new Intense Debate account. I just can’t stress enough, avoid Disqus!
everything seems to work for me, except I can’t get into the Prayer requests…..Has that been reopened yet?
Finally able to comment, great job ?
Using Firefox and Duck Duck Go
Hello Treepers…… test
Can’t get 12/3 to show up unless thru calendar, then no comments.
I have “lurked” on this site for years. Am retired on a fixed income, but I just made my first donation to the Treehouse because I appreciate the work Sundance has done. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND GOD BLESS YOU!
The Presidential thread and Open Thread are on Sundance’s twitter account, but not here on the website.
They are here.
Sundance has always had the option of sticking a post to the top of the site, so that it has prominence for a period of hours. Today he has stuck the post about the POTUS’ speech at the top.
If you scroll down the home page, you will find the Presidential thread and the Open Thread.
The Trump admin day for today (3rd) is not visible until I press CTRL+F5
I can follow twitter links back to CTH for articles that don’t show up when i open CTH in my browser.
For example the Garcetti piece from twitter links back to CTH but i can’t find the same article when i go straight to CTH.
When I logged on, first time in SEVERAL days, I clicked on my old Book mark for The last Refuge, and got right on and was able to Comment, no problem. a thousand thanks to Sundance and Crew!!!!
By the way, I notice people having trouble are using phone or other devices. My only device is a Mac mini computer.
Posting test.
I’ve cleared cookies, etc. on both Windows laptop and iPad. However, on any given day since the re-platforming I never know which version of the site will come up: current or a previous day’s articles. It’s like being in a Groundhog Day time machine. For example, early this morning (on iPad) I saw December 3 articles. Now (on laptop) I’m back to yesterday.
I’m sure it will all work itself out.
The Free software Foundation license for products like WordPress is very specific…if anyone uses the software and makes improvements to it, they are required to provide those improvements ‘back to the Foundation’ for others to use. To not do that is theft and that appears what WordPress (the original CTH Hosting environment) is doing. That may explain why the version being used now has bugs the original platform did not…
ICYMI
Twitter Sends Me a Notice: They Investigate a German’s Complaint About My Post Yesterday
2 Dec 2020
by Ann Corcoran
https://fraudscrookscriminals.com/2020/12/02/twitter-sends-me-a-notice-they-investigate-a-germans-complaint-about-my-post-yesterday
Ann was also mistreated badly by WordPress. They actually deleted her 10+ years of work on Refugee Resettlement Watch with ZERO NOTICE.
There still an unspoken battle or storm coming that is still not being addressed here nor by any of the Government folks clutching their censorship worry beeds. It is a topic, which the EU has had the foresight to attack, control of the infrastructure, which is the actual heart of ALL the EU anti-trust action over the past 10+ years vs US Big Tech. There is an old saying among Hardware and Software Systems Engineers, “he who owns the interfaces owns the system and controls ALL content.”
The advantage Big Tech will always have until their Government lackeys decide to bite the hands feeding them is that the top tier infrastructure owners (i.e. the likes of Micro-Soft, Apple, IBM and AT&T) can shut down whom ever they please via direct action or access blackmail. The next tier of major owners are the Social Media Platforms (Google, Amazon, Micro-Soft, Apple, Facebook, et al), who have the same shut options as the Infrastructure Owners.
I am very happy CTH has found another haven but until the US Government takes the same actions as EU in trying to control the Infrastructure Owner, be prepared to migrate again if CTH becomes too big an information and educational threat. (Remember the other age old saying, “information is power”.)
Curious!
Why do you keep the comments?
Read the whole article by Sundance.
Besides being a major networked community, this is also a major junction for crowd sourced developed intelligence and information. Most of those “comments”, if you actually read them, are packed with knowledge that either enhance or correct one’s understanding of issues and events. That is the essence and main purpose of CTH.
Note to all others: This guy obviously didn’t read Sundance’s post…
We have received many emails from people who ask questions that are answered in SD’s posts. Maybe they get to the posts to read them for some reason?
Read the question. This person wants to know why OUR comments are kept and has zero to do with saving SD’s articles.
This person is obviously NOT a regular if a follower at all.
Also, as Sundance has shared, the prayer requests and subsequent comments are ver special. Sacred, even.
Very
Michael Hennessy, a great help is to read the guidelines for comments, it not only explains the mechanics or expectations for those who comment, the necessity to actually read an article before posting a comment on a topic, the guidelines go a long way to showing the mystery of just how CTH, through its commenting community, managed to successfully outgrow its host server. Just a thought, it helped me to realize the special place comments have here on our various branches of this unique Treehouse in the woods.
I do not see daily post for President Trump today. First thing I see when web site opens is President Trumps speech. Am I at the correct site?
They are here.
Sundance has always had the option of sticking a post to the top of the site, so that it has prominence for a period of hours. Today he has stuck the post about the POTUS’ speech at the top.
If you scroll down the home page, you will find the Presidential thread and the Open Thread.
Yes and I would keep his speech at the top until the outcome is determined by the SCOTUS. It is a refreshing video of what our POTUS has been fighting for several years and a call to arms for his followrs.
No…You can’t get there from here…***
***(hee-hee-hee…)
My IPad and iPhone are not updating.
On my computer, I can see the Dec 3 presidential politics post but not on either of my devices. Tried clearing browser cache again but still does not work.
testing….haven’t been able to get today’s threads.