Boars Head Tavern Information

Michael — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:01:21 +0000

It’s 10 a.m. EST on Thanksgiving Day. The BHT is off line. Anyone know what is going on?

BHT Back On Line

Michael — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:56:49 +0000

The BHT is back on line at its old address.

This blog is closed.

BHT Information 6 + BHT Christmas

Michael — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:53:48 +0000

Discussions among the bartenders have now gone into some minor template changes. Tests have confirmed the super cache plug-in is working, so our problem with Bluehost should- should- be over.

Only minor changes to the template are in order.

The word “post-Thanksgiving” was used. But no contracts were signed.

I’ll address the “contributions” issue when we get back into the BHT.

I will post BHT CHRISTMAS post in this space later this evening or tomorrow.

BHT Information 5: Getting Closer

Michael — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 16:20:35 +0000

Posting at the “new” BHT has now been enabled for all BHT fellows. The address is www.boarsheadtavern.com/bht.

The bartenders are running lots of tests to make sure we have solved all the problems associated with the previous site. So continue to be patient. Our bartenders do good work, but they all have real lives. I know it’s hard to believe.

BHT Information 4 + BHT Christmas

Michael — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 23:25:40 +0000

Testing on the BHT is going on at boarsheadtavern.com/bht. We’re still a ways from going live.

When the site goes live, it will almost certainly be minus archives, template, etc. Testing will continue to make sure we do not repeat any of the previous problems.

When the site goes live, I will be reviewing the fellows list and may make some changes at that time.

Also, the ideas regarding support will be considered as well.

Thanks to everyone who has offered help and support. My thanks to Kurt, Amanda, Phillip and Sonia for working on this situation. Special thanks to Amanda for staying on Bluehost till we got some human treatment.

I will make decisions about where to post BHT Christmas information over the weekend. If we are still not live at the home site, we’ll do it here. We do have an BHT Santa, btw.

Current Update from Kurt: Progress

Michael — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:42:49 +0000

Kurt gives the latest update, which definitely moves things closer to some kind of resolution.

Okay, I don’t know how Amanda did it, but when I came home, she let me talk to our Bluehost rep again, and this time he was at least willing to listen.

Apparently the MySQL server is doing like 10k queries each time the front page is loaded, so that is not so good. I think this made someone see red, and that’s when the plug got yanked.

I said we were more than happy to stripdown/reconfigure the site to get it down within guidelines, and he went and spoke with another admin and apparently they said they could bring us back online.

What I’m going to do is move the BHT WordPress install offline and put up a “be back soon” plain html note in its place. Once I do this, our guy said he’d be able to throw the switch again.

After that, we can see about getting the site redone in a non-killing-the-server fashion.

Stay tuned. We’ll see if this actually goes down like I was told.

Suggestion: Every Fellow Pays?

Michael — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:30:59 +0000

My wife says that all BHT fellows should pay a small amount toward upkeep. $10 a year perhaps.

I like the idea except it would make it really difficult to moderate obnoxious fellows not abiding by the rules.

What do you think? Dues? Annual appeal?

BHT Information 3 (Including BHT Christmas)

Michael — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:36:00 +0000

We have received the official cancellation notice with the detailed explanation. We’re too big for shared hosting. Odd that Bluehost isn’t trying to sell me a dedicated server.

I can’t and we can’t (as a blog) afford a dedicated server. I want the bartenders to proceed on the understanding that we will make whatever changes are necessary to remain on shared hosting. It’s simply not a reasonable use of money to even talk about dedicated server prices.

I also want the bartenders to proceed with the understanding that we can use a SIMPLE template or any other SIMPLIFIED means to eliminate any questions about the sources of web site problems. I don’t want us to proceed under any “need” to restore the previous template or any aspects of the previous site other than posting.

Because of the problem with the plug-in, I want to repeat something I’ve said before. I am NOT interested in maintaining previous BHT archives if it creates a level of problems that keeps us from finding a simple, effective solution. I don’t really care about BHT links in the blogosphere. I care about the ongoing conversation for about a month. After that, I don’t see that it’s our responsibility to maintain a decade long archive of previous posts.

So I want to support the bartenders in getting to a simple solution, a simple template and a solid solution to ongoing issues.

As to BHT Christmas, I will post a BHT Christmas post here with the BHT Santa’s email.

Two Odd Things…

Michael — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:22:01 +0000

1) I heard all this from the abuse department at Bluehost. Why not the technical department if we were causing technical problems?

2) When I attempted to call the abuse department on the phone, the number on the web site is out of service.

UPDATE: This post indicates the likely scenario. “Enjoy our great unlimited hosting….till you actually get some traffic. Then Kaboom!”

BHT Information 2

Michael — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:30:40 +0000

We now have access to the data. Bluehost says they will delete on December 3rd.

The front page at the BHT is showing a different message. It now indicates that the account could be restored, but correspondence from Bluehost indicates that isn’t the case. Perhaps some internal squabbling?

I’ve been an ideal Bluehost customer. Twice they have recommended upgrades, which I have done without complaint and at my expense. All bills are paid by debit card draft, so there is no late issue. I’ve been a customer for several years.

Suggestions of future ISPs are great, but we need recommendations from people running sites like the BHT, not just the average personal page.

More as we learn more….