For some reason, the The Really Unpleasant Computer Problem article (https://plugintolinux.ca/forum/index.php/topic,1476.msg9412.html) has been getting visits at an accelerated rate. Suspect a link to a busier site. Presently 300 or more a day. The next of my stories listed will get a grand total of about 10 during the same day.
However, if you check Forum Stats, you will see that this story has broken into the top 10 of our 1,701 topics, most of those views occurring in the last month or two. And that means it is ahead of 1,691 other topics.
So a 'story' on a tech site turns out to be one of the most heavily viewed. Never thought I'd see the day. Sort of humourous.
Fame is fleeting. How soon they forget. The story had 400 views yesterday, and has under 10 so far today. But undaunted it struggles on. and maybe will get to position 9 on the view hit parade. Only...
News flash. The story has moved up to position 9! Still hundreds behind topic 8.
The Really Unpleasant Computer Problem must be linked to some busy sites somewhere.
Started gathering views in February after sitting for two years as the least visited computer story. Then it started moving up until it it reached number 10 on the most viewed topics on our site of about 1,700 topics. Yesterday, I think, it reached number 9, and today it reached number 8.
Quite a mystery, but maybe readers are enjoying it. It had, by the way, some of the best and funniest comments by our club readers between the chapters.
Why this particular story should become so popular suddenly is still somewhat of a mystery. It's the fastest climbing topic in terms of views on our site and has moved from moderate interest to over 27,000 views. I may have found the reason.
If you type 'unpleasant computer problem' into Google, you can scroll til your finger aches, but you'll find no reference to the story on our website.
If you type the same words into Bing, the story shows up after quite a short page one, at the top of page two.
Not very flattering, but maybe some of the people who click onto the story hang around to read it.
We have never had a topic on our website reach 50,000 views. However The Really Unpleasant Computer Problem will very probably reach that milestone late this evening or overnight. The success of this repair adventure may be just a quirk of the Internet, but it may also be a result of some help I had along the way, which I have never admitted to.
I use to read each chapter as I wrote it to Oscar the Cyclops. He would flash his white eye once for a yes, and twice for a no. He was a good editor.
Bertha Bedthrasher also made suggestions, especially when it seemed I was ignoring the women readers. We so often think of computer people as male. And Bertha Softbottom provided comfort and reassurance, and that can be so important when the writing is not going well.
So in under five months this story went from getting an ordinary reception to something kind of special. At least for me.
************
I wish some others would start adding computer stories. I'm done. Stories are so much more interesting than 'first I did this, and then I did this...'
And if the story is bad or poorly done, the worst that can happen is that we'll throw rocks at you.
But I don't want rocks thrown at me! Fruit or vegetables, fine, but rocks could jog my amnesia and I'd remember who I am. Nobody wants that, least of all, me.
Btw, something people forget when using search engines is that they use your search history and what you click on to alter your search results. If you're using Google, it's also informed by ads you might click on or subjects you've mentioned in your email. Logging out doesn't change things as cookies can identify you, too.
Remember the huge tsunami in Japan years ago? I saw a video that showed two Google search side by side when someone looked up "Japan". Someone with a "clean" search unsurprisingly saw information about the aftermath. Someone who liked to travel saw information about visiting Japan and the tsunami devastation wasn't in any of the search results on the first page. Someone who doesn't read any news (yes, there are such people) planning a trip will see great deals on hotels in Japan and jump at the chance. Ouch.
The popularity of this story is still a mystery. It went from ordinary reception to tops in views for the whole site in less than a year. It's well in the lead with over 63,000 views. Overnight was huge, garnering 138 views in 10 hours, which averages to faster than one view every 5 minutes.
I read a few parts and it is funnier than I remembered. But...
My pseudo-daughter in law doesn't care about the story, but being a sports fan, is totally engrossed in the numbers. She might text, "How'd we do over the weekend?"
Be thankful for small mercies, as my mother always said. But it would be nicer if she actually read it.
I'm pretty sure she can read, but she does live in the country that elected Trump.
You are off to a good start for the New Year, Buster. :-)
So my psuedo-daughter-in-law found and read The Really Unpleasant Computer Story. She did a search in Bing and there it was. She enjoyed it very much and added, "I can see why it's so popular."
But she also added something I should have noted.
She said that the additions to the story with comments by other members pushed it over the top, and on a re-read I can see that this is true. So I'd like to thank these people for making this thread better and the most viewed on our site with over 67,000 visits.
Jason
Mike (fox)
gmiller 1977
Bill (ssfc72)
and William
Thanks for the update, Harry.
I categorically refuse to accept blame for this. :)
But now she knows what a great writer her father-in-law is. I keep telling you that you should do an ebook compilation. "Adventures in Computing: Stories From a Senior PC User". Or something less complicated. I'm not an editor.
This will be read only by those who check the latest posts in our apparently moribund site, but it's important to me as I drift towards eternal nothingness.
In only a few days this story will reach an unbelievable number of views.
75,000
I intend to get the Champagne into the frig.
I hope those who found the story liked it. That is the most important thing.
I keep refreshing hoping to be number 75k.
As I write this, it's now 298 views to go. I don't think there are many readers in the USA because Mr Bully put a tariff on computer repair stories crossing the border. Many of the big number jumps occur in the wee hours, so maybe those readers are on the other side of the world.
Buster, international geriatric writer
Quote from: Scott on March 21, 2025, 08:36:55 PMI keep refreshing hoping to be number 75k.
Hopefully, that doesn't work. I tried it just now and it didn't change when I did it (logged in). I think it sets a cookie so it can identify you. It changed, but that was before I refreshed a view. It went up by 3. Was that you, Bill?
I remember you once mentioned that you clear cookies after exiting the browser. So it could be fouling up our stats. ;D
Quote from: buster on March 21, 2025, 02:20:02 PMIn only a few days this story will reach an unbelievable number of views.
75,000
I intend to get the Champagne into the frig.
I hope those who found the story liked it. That is the most important thing.
Well done! You went from number #8 a year ago to #1. 243 to go as I write this. Every few minutes, it jumps by 1 or 2 and it's not me, I swear!
I use the Brave browser and it is set to clear all cookies and data when the browser is closed down.
On the rare occasion that I go to my Facebook page, I manually clear all the browser cookies before I bring up Facebook and after exiting Facebook I again clear all the browser cookies and data.
Into the final hours. I predict tomorrow morning. 98 views to go.
I feel sometimes a bit pathetic waiting for something that is only a number. But I guess I should embrace it because it's my number and my story. But it isn't War and Peace by Tolstoy. But then the story had no editor or AI I suppose. It is totally my story with funny interjections by club members.
The future of writing is problematic to me. AI, I think, will prove to be the enemy in the future of a society which judges success with dollar signs. Individual uniqueness and quality will come second to sales.
Weird things going on!
Just over a week ago I (We?) were waiting for 75,000. Probably overnight Friday into Saturday the story will reach 80,000 views. The acceleration has been startling.
But there is another unexpected development. One other thread has been in second place and was gradually being left behind by the story until just a very short while ago when it was over 6,000 views behind. It has put on a new pair of running shoes and is quickly catching up. It has moved up to within fewer than 3,000 views behind and will relatively quickly become our new leader.
Fame is fleeting.
As far as I can tell not all threads are being it equally. But any interest in a site hardly posting new entries is counter-intuitive.
This is getting ridiculous!!!
The view count has reached 80,241.
The only reasonable explanation I can come up with is that the Blarnots from the planet Trinougthe have returned in their huge space cities and are circling the planet, though why we can't detect them is beyond me.
And they continue to be nosy neighbours and read and listen to humans whenever they show up.
I know what you mean about numbers ticking over that is pathetically exciting. I only just reached 1K followers on Bluesky and was thrilled.
Reached 85,000 overnight. That's a lot of people.
When your posting reaches 100,000 views, you can buy us a coffee. :-)
"When your posting reaches 100,000 views, you can buy us a coffee. :-)"
But let's first clarify what 'us' means. It sounds reasonable if it doesn't mean something like, say, 'anyone who lives in Peterborough'.
Well, just the regular posters, to the Forums. :-)
The Unpleasant Computer story is no longer in first place for views for all our topics. That honorable position has been taken over by
https://plugintolinux.ca/forum/index.php/topic,1071.0.html
which was started by a person with the unlikely forum name of BusterE back in 2020.
Bill wrote concerning the free coffee when 100,000 views is reached: "Well, just the regular posters to the Forums. :-)"
So that will be Jason, Bill, Mike and Harry (sort of) will get a free coffee and a sweet. I'd also like to treat anyone on the list that included those who contributed to the story and helped to make it better.
I think it should be, for the sake of proper ceremony, at our usual Tim Horton's. Others of course would be welcome - but no freebies. But we would like to see you.
I almost forgot. I've invited Ms Tao, and she's trying to get out of some previous commitments in Ottawa with the new government. We'll have to wait and see. And, forgive me, but I cannot ask her to wear her red silk skirt.
Presently the views is at over 91,600 and gaining over 1,000 every few days. But it really fluctuates.
The story hit 92,000 views today, which is an impossible rate, but I'll pretend they are all readers. Over the last week the total has moved up 4,000. I realize the story and the comments added were superb, astonishingly good even, award winning probably, beyond any stories written in the last century, but the rate of viewer growth seems a touch unrealistic.
Anyway, towards the end of this month, Bill, we should arrange the first meeting of the club at Tim's. We should plan for at least two of us, with room for more.
100,000 views is within reach.
Yes, near the end of the month I will suggest an afternoon time and date, to meet up for a coffee get together. :-)
94,135
That's the number of views for the unpleasant computer story, which is a totally unrealistic number. That's almost a thousand a day.
And it's only in second place behind a forum started by BusterE, "The Fallout from Covid 19", which is rocketing ahead for some reason. I read the Covid thread this morning, and it is a good look back at the start of the whole thing. It ran for about a month with quite a few ideas, and Jason added a new post in March I believe.
Still, the popularity of both is unexpected.
Maybe reality has no part to play in the virtual world. I still suspect aliens.
This is an insert into this thread because of an unusual event taking place as I type.
The 100,000 views barrier is going to be broken this evening by a dark horse breaking into the lead.
The "Fallout from Covid 19" has surged from behind out of nowhere, well ahead of "The Really Unpleasant Computer Problem", which should reach the magic number about next midweek.
Strange things happening on the Peterborough Linux site.
'The Really Unpleasant Computer Problem' reached 6 digit numbers in its views overnight.
Nice going! NetFlix will probably make a movie series, based on it. :-)
Quote from: ssfc72 on May 15, 2025, 08:26:23 AMNice going! NetFlix will probably make a movie series, based on it. :-)
Or Buster will. :)
Quote from: buster on May 01, 2025, 05:09:52 PMSo that will be Jason, Bill, Mike and Harry (sort of) will get a free coffee and a sweet. I'd also like to treat anyone on the list that included those who contributed to the story and helped to make it better.
While we post the most, more members do post nowadays. Credit where credit is due.
Quote from: buster on May 08, 2025, 05:20:50 PMThe "Fallout from Covid 19" has surged from behind out of nowhere, well ahead of "The Really Unpleasant Computer Problem", which should reach the magic number about next midweek.
I expect the COVID thread surged because I put a new post there recently. Google (and other search engines) put a lot of value on the "freshness" of pages.
Quote from: buster on May 05, 2025, 12:02:31 PMThat's the number of views for the unpleasant computer story, which is a totally unrealistic number. That's almost a thousand a day.
Why is that unrealistic? I've seen the stats for some other websites, and the PLUG Forum gets a lot of traffic. I'm not saying they're all readers. And keep in mind those views are for the entire topic, which spans several pages. It's by page views, not topic views. The more pages in a topic, the more page views it will generate because every page is a new view.