your social network and dating script provider

Hi Dan;

Question about the db backup scripts and optimization scripts.

Since I'll have about 5 separate databases for various programs integrated into the site, I already have a script in place that auto backs up all databases on regularly scheduled basis. Since I already know the reasons why it's important to occasionally optimize databases, the script I have in place is also setup to automatically optimize the databases before creating the backups.

So my question is this, is there any special reason why I would need to also optimize the databases with the script you'll be implementing, or is it ok to just ignore it and just rely on my own script?

The script I have in place uses Perl for running cron jobs so I'm not faced with the normal php time out issues often associated with doing large backups, such as in phpmyadmin.

The optimization feature you're implementing is a nice added feature for those that never think of doing it or don't know how, as the average person normally doesn't.

I'm sure there may be some that will wonder what optimizing is for and why should I care? So while I'm here I thought I'd offer a brief explanation.

Optimizing a database is the same as defragmentation for a hard disk. Deleted records are not physically deleted at once but only marked as deleted. This means that they still take up space. When optimizing a database these deleted records are then actually deleted which reduces the size of your databases, thus making your database faster, in fact your backup processes will also be faster.

How come when I click on "My Comments" you want $30 from me to upgrade my account?  

Checked the Online & Offline icons ... seems to be working fine in both IE6 and Firefox.

Just wondering is there anywhere on the site to search by screen name? or am not looking properly? or is that not on here, if it isn't, is that do-able?

Good point johnboy, I also think this is rather important. Here's one case scenario  why ... I can't tell you how many times a buddy has called me up on the phone to check out and discuss some profiles and it's much easier to just say the person's screen name rather than continually emailing profile links back and forth while talking on the phone.

Fortunately the sites had a special search box for searching by username.

Last edited by maverick on 2007-06-28 04:22:16 GMT

It's in DSB, so I doubt Dan was planning to leave it out ultimately or that it would be hard to implement.  Let's say you saw someone really appealing while browsing, but didn't put her/him in your favorites and now you're having trouble finding the person again through normal searching for some reason.  But you remember the nice name, "Lovely Cyber Lady of Love" - only now you're thinking how you wish you could search by that name.  Yes, the lengths we'll go to for love...

Last edited by traderjoe on 2007-06-28 05:14:22 GMT

@maverick - sorry I wasn't too specific. The "defragmentation" is already implemented in a weekly cron job and you can remove it if you want.

But I was referring to table indexes. In order to keep database searches fast you need indexes on the searched fields. The static tables are already indexed by us but the member profiles table need to be indexed after you add your fields.

Regarding the name search - that was an omission but that's what a beta is for - to find every possible issue before release. We'll add this during beta.

Last edited by dragon on 2007-06-28 08:53:32 GMT

good call, re the need to be able to find a person by searching for their handle/name.  I intended t omention thata day or two ago - it came into myhead while on holiday.

Also - and this is reinforcing Sally's problem from the other blog. But Dan were you doing anything in the background yesterday morning (Wednesday morning)?  I was in the easy everything internet cafe - which i used 3 or 4 times in the past few days.  Anyways, yesterday morning, tho i logged in to the datemill demo site, as normal,  Ihad a problem.  I could click any of the tabs, HOME, SEARCH, PHOTOS, BLOGS, etc, and no issue - i was still logged in.

BUT, if I clicked on the Etano to go to the frontpage, I was immediately shown as logged out, and I was a mere guest again.  I tried this numerous times, all with the same result.  It meant that i could not post to your blog yesterday.  

I guessed that you were probably tweaking some of datemill's files and that was the issue.  Were you?

Note - as far as  I know, all of the 50 or so terminals, across three floors, used the same OS and browser (IE).

BTW - with not being able t opost on your blog (re the difficult to read font colour). I ended up posting on myown blog (fluffy).

Thhis highlighted another issue -  ifind it difficult/impossible t osee my own blogs as others see them.

for example, when I click to go to MY Blogs - http://www.datemill.com/friendy/my_blogs.php

That page does not show me my blog the way  iwant to see it.  There is a small link in the top right to @View Blog', but  i think this should be more prominent, or be the default page that you are sent to re one's blog.  Just my opinion.

ALSO (har har, ain't it good to see me back posting as normal), would it be feasable to add an icon (above this text input box) that allows users to post a youtube video?

Youtube videos could add so much more to our datemill sites.

note - i am not referring to a mere url link to a youtube video, but actually an embedded link, that shows up as a youtube video box.

The my_blogs and my_blog_posts pages are backend pages which are aimed at making the management of blogs and blog posts easier. This will have to stay like it is in the default package but we can change it for your site if you want. Same for the 'View Blog' link - you can enhance it in your design (you're supposed to change the default look, right?)

As we discussed a while ago in some comments of one of the blog posts, there will be an youtube addon, just not in the default package. I don't want to incline the balance in the default package too much neither towards a SNS site nor towards a classic dating site.

sorry dan, I'd forgotten about that youtube chat we had a while back.
 
Youtube came into my head this week, when  i saw stories on all the latest trends towards folks having videos on their sites.  And I suspect that that is also the future of dating sites too - i.e. people uploading a video of themselves chatting to camera.  It gives a far better feel for the person in question.

But I was referring to table indexes. In order to keep database searches fast you need indexes on the searched fields. The static tables are already indexed by us but the member profiles table need to be indexed after you add your fields.

We fixed the js bug affecting IE users when using the bbcode tags. It seems that there's still a problem with IE6&the smilies button but that will have to wait the beta.

i'm only seeing the smilies right now.......never could see them while on vacation with explorer

i do notice that the smilies box won't go away until you choose one.

...or click again on the smilies icon

For some reason I can't get the similies window to popup with IE6, works fine in Firefox.

Thought it was working yesterday in IE6, but I switch back forth between browsers so much to test things out that maybe I only thought it did.

yeah, we discovered that too (see my post about smilies problems in IE6). We'll fix it during beta, right now I just want to finish the remaining features.

ah yes, clicking again on the smilies icon is the business.............i'd be dangerous if i had brains.

Major Problem - after seeing Maverick's comment re not being able to see smilies popup in IE, I recalled having the same issue......so right now, I loaded up explorer.  But I can't even get to that smilies box issue.

Instead, like when I was browsing last week from browsers in Holland, I am logged out now when I try to go to the frontpage, or post on Dan's blog.  This obviously is a major issue.  Firefox is fine, but IE is most definitely not.  

I am using Vista here (tho the error was the same when in Holland using windows 2000).  Vista is a pain in the arse, and I can't even figure how to find my version of IE here.......assuming it is the latest version.  

I hate IE.  

Grrrrr, I am Fluffy, hear my roar!

OK, I have narrowed the problem down.

unlike when in Holland, I was logged out when i clicked on the index page (front page of site).......that is not a problem now.

I have successfully stayed logged in now on that index page.  But for some reason when I click on Dan's current blog http://www.datemill.com/friendy/blog_post_view.php?pid=24
THEN I get logged/thrown out.  And it is thus impossible to post to that blog from IE.

But i have now tried the other blogs on that index page - and the error does not occur on them.....i.e. i am still logged in and able to post on those blogs.

Bizarre.

Last edited by strawberries on 2007-06-29 11:55:37 GMT

We're playing with some browser caching parameters so no need to worry. If we can't find a reasonable behaviour we'll disable this and everything will get back to normal but I'd like to be able to "convince" IE to work as expected. Right now the experiment is active on the blog_post_view page and on the index page.
For some reason it seems to be ok on the index page now but not on the blog. The problem is not that your logged out, the problem is that IE doesn't refresh the page to show you that you're logged in. Or viceversa.
Whenever you have this problem simply append a &asd (or other unique random string) to the url and it will think it is a new page and display it correctly. (Should be &asd if there's already a '?' in the url or ?asd if the url ends in php).

Or even easier: refresh the page (hit F5).

The problem is not that your logged out, the problem is that IE doesn't refresh the page to show you that you're logged in

Hopefully the problem is solved. Let me know if it works for you now. You might have to refresh the page the first time to get rid of the previous caching headers but after that it should work ok (so a refresh on the index page, a refresh on the blog_post_view page).

seems to be working now in IE........definitely still logged in....and i am posting this from IE

yeeee-haaaaaaaa

in the INBOX, i have no success when i try to MOVE SELECTED messages.

The destinations box that pops up is skinny and contains nothing (it should contain possibe destinations, e.g. spambox, trash, etc)

The 'move to' feature is for inbox + user folders only. That drop down field is populated with your personal folders. To delete messages or mark them as spam you have the 'delete'/'spam' buttons.
Maybe the move button and the drop down box should not be displayed if you don't have folders.

ah, i see the prob.......working fine now.

You must have cleaned up the site, because i used to have a personal folder - that i made ages ago.

when i looked there now, it was in fact gone.  I created two new folders, and now the MOVE TO popup box is indeed populated......and all works fine.  

scooby scooby doooooooooooo!

Reminds me, is there a way for one of our users to temporarily 'turn off' their profile?

e.g. on one major dating site, i saw this today:

Jane8688's profile is turned off

Many of our users may temporarily turn off their profiles due to a successful match, a great number of replies to evaluate, or are taking a break from being contacted while using the site. We encourage you to continue to view other profiles.

Not by default, but I don't think it would be too difficult to implement such a feature if you need it.

I think I'll need it.  On the various dating sites I follow, across the years, it is common to see some people turn off their profile on a temporary basis.  

For females, who receive many messages each day, it would be a real chore/turn-off if they had to return to the website and delete a whole pile of stuff (i.e. messages) that had built up in their absense.

This also reminds me.  We talked a while back about the possibility of having a feature that cleans up the system - e.g. deletes all messages across the site that are X number of months old.  Did you think anymore about that aspect, Dan? Easy for me to impliment?  I will definitely need it.

The mailbox purges has already been implemented. Check the admin panel - Site Options and Features.

i haven't been able to get into the admin panel for weeks, Dan.

It asks for a username and password.

I don't know them.

got in.....tried a few old faves.....and am now in admin panel.

as we have touched upon before, what a superb control panel.

There is so much detail and level of control.

We've mentioned above at purging of emails/messages.

But is there any way of purging the blogs section?  (e.g. deleting blogs that are over at a certain age, and unused)

Last edited by strawberries on 2007-07-02 11:42 GMT

Now why would you do such a thing?
Blogs means content which means search engines will love you. Why would you break search engine's hearts and remove the only thing they love about you?

that's true I guess

Tho I hope my database could cope with zillions of 10 year old blogs that no-one ever accesses (apart from search engines).

Yes, blogs aren't much different than forums, it's searchable content that some people still might find interesting to read. Besides the way it's setup the blogs are the user's own personal info which is technically part of their profile and if you start deleting their blogs on the assumption they are old and unused (or unread) you may get some members complaining. Depending on what people use their blogs for, it can often revel more about their personality.

Look at it as an extension of their profile where they talk more about themselves, such as their personal likes and dislikes on various subjects.

Just curious, I'm assuming when a member's profile is deleted their blogs go with it?? Which would be fine if they do as there wouldn't be much point in having a member's personal blogs still appearing and active if they are no longer a member.

This would also address any issues about having zillions of 10 year old blogs as you're unlikely to have a lot of people that will remain members for that long. It's a revolving door. And there will only be a small portion of your members that will be big bloggers anyway, some people won't even bother writing blogs at all.

These blogs are good example, there's only half dozen or so of us that participate on a regular basis, and if any blog should be busy, it's this one, as it's where we test the new software and contribute by commenting on bugs and sharing our thoughts and ideas about improvements.

Last edited by maverick on 2007-07-02 12:42 GMT

That's a good point.  re there not being too many folks hanging around for 10 or so years.

Will their blogs disappear when their profile is deleted, Dan?

And on another issue, I am in here at present looking through the admin panel.  I can't for the life of me see where the values are stored.  

I am looking in the fields, and I can see where to add a new value.....but I cannae see existing values.

BTW the newsletter box is gonna have to be widened a tad.  

hmmmmmm, above says: Last edited by maverick on 2007-07-02 12:42 GMT

But when I click Who's Online, I don't see you (or anyone).

Have the yankee based folks developed stealth technology.

Try clicking the "pencil", this will allow you to see the existing values and edit them.

I don't see you either when I click the Who's Online tab, however your icon next to your name shows you online, at least we know that's working.

the pencil is where i always click

but no values are shown on the page

all i see, down near the bottom is a line that says:

Accepted Values: Add new value (at the end of the list)

The 'add new value' part is clickable.

I don't see you either when I click the Who's Online tab, however your icon next to your name shows you online, at least we know that's working.

no scrub my last comment

there is indeed a very slight differentiation in colour......but it is nearly impossible to see..........dark purple, versus medium purple.

i think a bigger icon needed, and a different colour set - eg green for online, and dark colour for offline (maybe navy)

I'm guessing for the demo Dan has it setup so the values don't show up so people can't mess with them. Anyone has access to the admin, I'm sure some kids or competitors would love to mess things all up if they could.

Last edited by maverick on 2007-07-02 13:22 GMT

that was my thinking too.

still confused tho as to why we are now shown in the Who's Online tab.

I do see you, me and johnboy presently on the site (when i look in the admin 'live activity' tab)

Ya, I dunno about the who's online tab, seems to be a hit and miss thing, JohnBoy showed up in there but you didn't.

Yeah, don't worry about the who's online, it's on our 'to check' list during the beta. For some reason it's not showing everyone online - until beta don't count on it too much. The on/offline icon next to user names is reliable. I was thinking of changing the 'is online' state of the icon to something different to be distinguishable but had no time to think of something different yet. Green doesn't really work with the current design.

All info associated with the user is deleted when the user is deleted.
Ummm...except the messages he/she sent and are already in other member's inboxes.
If you want to remove them too you need to use the 'Delete sent mail' link in the profile menu (in admin).

However, future updates will add a checkbox to ask if you want to also remove the user content or not.

Man, this post is going straight for #1 in the top most discussed posts.
Strawberries:
Can you make me a screenshot of this page (after login, of course) and send it to me?

'after login'  

Have faith in me, Dan!  

sending screenshot now in PM

A last minute feature request

How about a "most recent login" date displayed on profiles, so that people can  tell if the person they are trying to contact is still active on the website.

Thoughts/comments?

Thanks and regards
Clive

good call, Clive.  I meant to mention that feature too.

after all, there is little point in people writing to someone who has not used the site in years.

the other aspect is being able to see when a person signed up for the site.

Yes. we've discussed this feature here on the blogs before and it's a rather important feature as nobody wants to waste time email messaging people who haven't even logged for months. By the day and hour would be nice but even if it's more general and just by the day, such as ... "today" or "1 day" ago, etc. etc.

I joined a site a week ago that had tons of members, but I had no idea which members were actually active on the site or which ones were premium or free members. These have a big bearing on deciding which ones I would waste my time contacting.

I know we've discussed both these features in the past, but thought I'd take this opportunity to mention them again.

Last edited by maverick on 2007-07-02 18:37 GMT

By the day and hour would be nice but even if it's more general and just by the day, such as ... "today" or "1 day" ago, etc. etc.

Anything happening with Stawberries' old idea about self-policing links and mechanisms from the DM forum?

Hmm, Dan either you changed the font or my monitor changed - this font is better - more contrast and easier to read.

Btw, " Strawberries' " or " Strawberries's "?  Hmmm, I wonder...

Last edited by traderjoe on 2007-07-02 23:48 GMT

I think a good idea for these blog pages, which can get rather long, is a "top of page" link at the end of each blog. It would save the long scroll back to the top of the page to navigate somewhere else in the site.

There's already somewhat of a self policing mechanism as the owner of the photos and blogs can remove any comment made on his or her's photo or blog.

Although in theory this sounds like a good idea, however as Dan mentioned before in the forums, allowing site members to police the site on a broader level could have repercussions by members ganging up on a member and burying their comments, etc.

Also, if someone breaks the rules such as adding spam links or using inappropriate language or being rude, they shouldn't delete it, but instead contact admin so we can take action against the perpetrator. If they delete it then try reporting the person to admin after the fact, the evidence needed to take any action is gone.

The only way something like this could work is if you could assign site moderators like you do in forums.

I think a good idea for these blog pages, which can get rather long, is a "top of page" link at the end of each blog. It would save the long scroll back to the top of the page to navigate somewhere else in the site.

My test blog just went into limbo somewhere.  Does it need to be screened and approved first or something?

Yeah, I definitely agree with that concern about the policing, Maverick.  I guess I was mainly thinking of a "Report this post" button or something, or wondering if Strawberries has another related idea.  But if someone is really concerned about something I suppose they can just write in.

Last edited by traderjoe on 2007-07-03 03:42 GMT

Ah - just found the blog here:  http://www.datemill.com/friendy/blogs.php

Most of the things you all say is completely over my head so sorry if I sound like a loon.

I wouldn't like to see you tube as part of the basic site, I imagine it would be difficult to take out, a nightmare to monitor and some of us old fuddy duddies want an old fashioned site - I know I am just sooooo boring.

I would also like to see a report this post button, will save me some reading.

Can I ask people about banned words. I have started a list and am worried that I may be being too hitlerish but do want a degree of cencorship on the site. How far would you suggest this list should go on a strictly Grated site and what happens if a person types in a banned word - does their whole post simply not show or do they get a message saying "naughty word, now use your brain"?

Hey Sally:

Banned words is going to be a personal preference and will depend a lot on your target audience. If your site is a religious based site, then maybe you'd want to be more strict.

I'd recommend that most sites just maybe ban the most severe profane words. Your best bet is to just have a strong TOS and enforce it. Since your members are adults and you're providing a paid service, they know they could get banned for breaking the rules so you'd be surprised how well they will behave.

Here's an example taken from my TOS.

You will not post on the site, or transmit to other members or employees, any defamatory, abusive, obscene, profane, offensive, sexually oriented, threatening, harassing, racially offensive, religiously offensive, or illegal material, or any material that infringes or violates another party's rights.

Please notify us of any material contained in the site that you believe infringes these rules.

Thanks Maverick, as always your advise is sound and welcome.

This whole thing is a bit of a minefield to begin with but am getting there, albeit slowly.