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Site Move to Scoop This Weekend

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 04:32:02 PM EST
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Ok, it's taken 5 weeks to build a Scoop site for TalkLeft. In case you missed my previous post, here's why in a nutshell: TalkLeft has become too big and cumbersome for Movable Type to process, and the continual rebuilding that goes on in the background has made the site way too slow. I chose Scoop over Wordpress and other systems because I wanted the site to have growing room and to allow more people to post (not just comment). I want the site to load quickly and commenting should be a breeze.

I'm also moving TalkLeft to a new hosting company which specializes in Scoop sites and it will be on it's own dedicated server. If you want to see some other Scoop sites, see Daily Kos or click on those at that link.

The site will look almost exactly like it does now. That's why it took 5 weeks and a few thousand dollars or more (I haven't gotten the final bill yet) to build. It's a modified Scoop site. My hosting costs are going to increase by more than $200 a month. I'm looking at the cost as a long-term investment in the site.

I hope you all like it and find it easier to use.

The front page diarists will be me, TChris, and Big Tent Democrat. I haven't decided yet how to do diary and comment ratings. I suspect I will ask for volunteers from the group of regular readers and I will choose those whom I think will be fair and rate according to quality of the comment (not whether it agrees with TalkLeft). If this sounds like you, and is something you are interested in, please e-mail me.

If you're a regular TalkLeft reader and share TalkLeft's point of view on most issues and would like to be able to post your own "diaries," e-mail me and I'll consider setting your permissions to be able to do so. Initially, some, like those by Last Night in Little Rock, will appear on the front page. Shortly thereafter, others will be added.

I doubt you will notice much difference, other than ease of use and increased speed.

You will have to register with TalkLeft to post comments or diaries...once, and it won't be through Typekey.

We will begin the move Friday night, and a public live beta site should be up Sunday night. After that, we'll do the final move. When that point comes, I'll be closing comments for the few hours it takes to finish the migration.

Questions, anyone?

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    Site Move to Scoop This Weekend | 22 comments (22 topical)
    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 05:55:52 PM EST
    I wanted the site to have growing room and to allow more people to post (not just comment)... Questions, anyone? When does Talkleft 'officially' become 'mainstream media'? I mean, In terms of numbers of people with similar political leanings you probably already are. ;-) Compliment intended, btw. You will have to register with TalkLeft to post comments or diaries...once, and it won't be through Typekey. Will everyone be using the same pseudonyms they use now? In other words, will you be importing any commenter sign in data from Typekey or Moveable Type? Or will everyone sign in on the honor system? ---edger

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#2)
    by roy on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 05:57:00 PM EST
    Is there a prize for the poster of the first "Troll"-rated comment?

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#3)
    by Gabriel Malor on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 08:14:10 PM EST
    Wow edger, that's a sneaky thought. No offense, but you live in a very dark place.

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 08:14:10 PM EST
    Is there a prize for the poster of the first "Troll"-rated comment?
    Yes, the first two trolls get to spend a month on a desert island with narius and ppj, in a new Survivor from Talkleft contest. We'll all chip in for a Wilson ball to keep you company.

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#5)
    by dutchfox on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 08:14:10 PM EST
    lol y'all. Good goin' Jeralyn. Hope it works fine. Thanks for all the work you put into making TL better and easier. Cheers.

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#6)
    by roy on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 08:30:28 PM EST
    Yes, the first two trolls get to spend a month on a desert island with narius and ppj, in a new Survivor from Talkleft contest. We'll all chip in for a Wilson ball to keep you company.
    Make it a cannonball and I'm in.

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 09:02:19 PM EST
    Gabriel, my question was an honest one. "Sneaky", I think, is in the eye (mind) of the beholder. ---edger

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#8)
    by Che's Lounge on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 09:04:02 PM EST
    Don't take this wrong, and I really appreciate the privilege of commenting here, but the comments server has been a bit of a b***h lately.

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#9)
    by Che's Lounge on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 09:20:34 PM EST
    I suspect I will ask for volunteers from the group of regular readers and I will choose those whom I think will be fair and rate according to quality of the comment Well shoot that leaves ME out! LOL You want objectivity? Send readers to the library. Don't set me loose on those poor son's of bi**hes!

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#10)
    by Gabriel Malor on Fri Oct 13, 2006 at 12:13:27 AM EST
    Oh, I wasn't questioning the honesty of the question. I was just so taken by surprise at the thought that someone would try and steal another's moniker.

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Oct 13, 2006 at 05:39:16 AM EST
    Edgar and Gabriel make valid points regarding comment and userid ownership. To avoid the issue of userid/comment theft or mis-attribution all comments will effectively be migrated such that they're migrated and posted with anonymous authors. Since on the MT site anyone can enter any user name at the time they post a comment, there is no way to verify imported userids based on comments and not all have email addresses associated with them so it becomes impossible to assure existing userids are associated with their rightful owners. That said, it is relatively easier to assure that any comment where an email address was entered is assigned to a user who registers an account using the same email address, so this is the method that will be used for the import. When the new Scoop site is brought online, please create your account using the same email address you included in your comment posts on the MT site. At some point after the initial migration, we'll then retroactively allow MT comments to be 'claimed' by users registered with matching email addresses. This is not a perfect solution (in that MT comments posted without email addresses will remain unclaimable and anonymous) but it avoids the 'sneaky' behavior Edgar described. In the case where you posted MT comments using multiple email addresses, register your Scoop account using your primary email address. A mechanism will be made available to add and validate other email addresses such that you'll be able to claim MT comments posted with other than your primary email address, in the future. Best Regards, Colin Hill Scoophost.com

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#13)
    by jimakaPPJ on Fri Oct 13, 2006 at 05:55:13 AM EST
    cymro - What's "survivor?"

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Oct 13, 2006 at 08:48:48 AM EST
    Huh? Gabriel, that is something I never thought of. You really are freom the dark side. ;-) ---edger

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Oct 13, 2006 at 08:48:48 AM EST
    Thanks, Colin. Lateley I've been posting technically 'anonymously', but signing my comments, due to the problems with the MT site. I sometimes link in comments I make to previous comments I have made. These 'anonymous' comments have no email address associated with them, but they do have comment id's and (currently) URL's in the MT site. If I copy and store some of them myself as .htm's will there be a way to upload them (i.e. claim them) without 'posting' them? ---edger

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#17)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Oct 13, 2006 at 11:16:58 AM EST
    My recommendation Edger would be to use your name in the spot allotted for it. As Colin said, they are working on a way to claim old comments, but that may or may not happen. Comments on TalkLeft don't stay up in perpetuity anyway. At the end of the year I delete those more than two years old.

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#15)
    by Bill Arnett on Fri Oct 13, 2006 at 11:18:13 AM EST
    I sure hope this works. I have avoided the site as much as possible due to not being able to make comments and have them actually appear until a l-o-o-o-o-n-n-n-g time later. Way too much later to maintain a good discussion and debate. I have to admit I've missed the engaging repartee with all of you and look forward to the new system so we can get back into the fray. In the meantime, you guys have fun. (Hey edger, Che, soccerdad, too many others to list, and you, too, PPJ, looking forward to more fun.) Bill Arnett PS- If there is a contest for the first "troll-rated" comment, the smart money will be on PPJ! ;>))

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#16)
    by Patrick on Fri Oct 13, 2006 at 11:18:13 AM EST
    Good luck! I look forward to seeing the new site when I return from fishing the California coast this weekend. Fish beware!

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#18)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri Oct 13, 2006 at 11:26:47 AM EST
    My only request is that the Bare Necessities ad doesn't disappear. Good luck with the move!

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#19)
    by Gabriel Malor on Fri Oct 13, 2006 at 11:41:00 AM EST
    You really are freom the dark side. ;-)
    Heh. (As my Rovian brainwasher says.)

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#20)
    by Edger on Fri Oct 13, 2006 at 04:31:49 PM EST
    Gabriel, I guess Rove would know, if anyone would. Right? ;-) Karl Rove Proposes Minor Change in Bush Campaign Strategy

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#21)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Oct 14, 2006 at 09:36:58 AM EST
    At the end of the year I delete those more than two years old. What? I just checked one 2004 entry and even though google says it should have a comment from me, it has no comments. While I'm aware of many people closing comments on old entries, I've never heard of anyone deleting old comments. What exactly is the rationale for that? What of those people who find a TL page through a search result, but what they searched for was only in a comment and not in the post? And, eventually search engines are going to realize - if they haven't already in many cases - that a page has changed and parts of it are no longer there. That will result in them reindexing that page with fewer keywords, resulting in lower search engine traffic. Also, please get rid of the nofollow tags which are, for intance, used in the comments above. None of my sites use that tag because a) I realized immediately that it was an anti-blog measure, b) I take steps to make sure that what little spam gets through is deleted immediately, and c) if someone is going to create content for me (thus bringing in more visitors) it's only fair to give a slight amount of link juice in return.

    Re: Site Move to Scoop This Weekend (none / 0) (#22)
    by Jen M on Sat Oct 14, 2006 at 09:36:58 AM EST
    are we there yet?

    Site Move to Scoop This Weekend | 22 comments (22 topical)