1237cfa29eb9
c_echo



Hello Bob - 

>> I suggest you make it consistent with all lower case
>> filenames, and continue concentrating on content. You can
>> always enhance the UI at a later date. 

BS> Sounds reasonable - will do... 

BS> One thing few folks realize is that one reason SNIPPETS was
BS> neglected for so long is simply because it could be. In the
BS> beginning (i.e. pre-1980), code, bug reports, and
BS> enhancements came in at a pretty brisk pace. By 1997 when I
BS> made the last ZIP archive update, the volume had slowed.
BS> Since then, I may have gotten a dozen SNIPPETS-related
BS> messages in a busy year, most of the just telling me that
BS> HASH.C had a flaw. I knew the site was still useful because
BS> I was still seeing hit rates over 10,000/month, 

Search engine placement can generate page accesses but the
numbers of page accesses don't relate what percentage didn't
like/use what they found when they got there. A certain number
would just 'click away' and not use the website. :-\ 

BS> but there was no feedback! 

I can relate to that. WWW users don't interact if they can
avoid it. Even simple user-poling that is anonymous requiring
only check marking 'bullets' will be ignored by 90% of those
who see the page. FIDO isn't the only medium where the lurkers
outnumber the participants. 

BS> Likewise this past weekend. I can see from the hit counter
BS> that folks are checking out the new pages, but no one's
BS> saying anything. Criticism, kudos, they're all the same -
BS> any feedback is useful. 

If your server software has the capability webmasters assume
that any user who leaves the website within 20 seconds
considered the website an accidental access that they did not
want (from search engine pages usually). 

BS> With no feedback it's up to me to decide whether the site
BS> remains relevant enough to be worth my effort. As I said,
BS> after getting the C++ site pretty much all the way up
BS> yesterday, I simply lacked any incentive to continue that
BS> much work at such a frantic pace if no one really cared. 

I had similar problems and wanted to focus my energy on the
pages and links users really wanted to use. I installed
'hidden' page counters (CGI) on each page and CGI that records
clicks on links. Since CGI is server-side it does not interfere
with early or text-only browsers but I can see what is being
used and what is being ignored. :-) 

I have retained some of the lesser-used information because it
supports the more often used information but I stopped wasting
my time expanding the amount of information that users do not
want. 

BS> Hopefully, the new conferences will revive the sense of an
BS> active contributing community to regain some of the old
BS> momentum. 

There are so many 'forums' scattered around the WWW that very
few are 'busy' when I've been checking on them. I have a
'forum' at my website that is mainly used by me to notify users
of changes, additions, and fixing of broken links periodically. 

btw: On the "http://www.snippets.org/SNIPPETS/_DOS/browser.php"
page I got an error message:

Warning: filemtime(): Stat failed for code/COMBIN.C
(errno=2 - No such file or directory) in /var/www
/docs-snippets.org/SNIPPETS/_DOS/browser.php on line 75

>
>        ,                          ,
>      o/      Charles.Angelich      \o       ,
>       __o/
>     / >          USA, MI           < \   __\__
 

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