Kerry Lauerman

Kerry Lauerman
Location
New York, New York, USA
Birthday
July 19
Bio
I founded Open Salon -- blame me! But not here -- find me on Facebook or Twitter, where I spend more time these days.

MY RECENT POSTS

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011 10:29AM

UPDATED: Better, faster, stronger

Rate: 56 Flag

Hey folks,

About a month ago, I posted somewhat cryptically here that a major improvement lurked on the horizon -- and it has (mostly) arrived. We've migrated Salon proper onto a new platform (WordPress), giving Open Salon vastly more database space to roam. It should make Open a vastly faster site. 

I don't expect huge thanks or kudos -- I desperately wanted to improve the site eons ago (or at least a year ago). But we're a small company with a small tech staff and big ambitions -- and it simply took more time than expected. Your patience through a really rough period is both appreciated and admired. 

I'm also thrilled that Gail Williams has come aboard to help manage and improve Open, freeing up Emily to focus on her editor duties. They are an awesome team.

Eventually, we'll roll Open into WordPress as well, but for now, the pure usability of the site should make a serious leap forward. As for Salon proper -- I hope it will be as swift and easy to navigate as Open in the very near future, after the migration pains have subsided. 

UPDATE: No sooner did I post this than we reverted Salon proper back to the database. So slowness will be intermittent until the transition occurs. 

UPDATE 2: (Saturday, 6:43 a.m.): Just woke up to find the transition finally made, and the site supremely faster. Here's hoping it stays that way. 

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open salon, salon

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Kerry, I just logged on a minute ago and noticed the fast page load time--many thanks for pulling off whatever technical work was needed (i.e. WordPress servers)!
Pray to Nature for `
Gail Williams. Yes`
You answer question?
Kerry? Please respond.
Who delete me from:
`
Salon.
bebop-o
GoodCelery!
clownsense
`
It goes back to:
September 2009
It was about the 9th.
You surely can recall.
I request your honesty.
I saved all deletes too.
I can recall and email.
Why did you delete?
But what about those streaming sports things that clog up the place?
Eh. After the awesomeness of Emily recently, this does not thrill me the way it should.
On "streaming sports things": Gail is coming on to help with the spammers. But with a faster site, eliminating them quickly should also be a lot faster.
Pretty fast right now!! Hurray!!

**pinches Kerry's cheeks** You're a good boy, I don't care what those mean old kids down the street say about ya!!

~wanders off into the thorn bushes, kicks dfklgdfklgdjg out~ Here, could you take care of these, they're all over the place!! That's a good boy!!!!

~Keeps wandering~ Could you also take that rule out of the Book about no EPs or Covers for Tink. I apologized YEARS ago about piddling in your rose bushes and dumping your tea over!! GET OVER IT!!

~disappears into the thorn bushes~
Who deleted Pedinska?

She comment @ Salon.

Pedinska was deleted.

She commented @ `
Art James blog & @`
`
Arthur James's blog.
She is so pleasant too.
Why? Poor Pedinska.
`
Can Pedinska be told?
I'm slightly shocked at the speed of a page turn this morning...
you almost lost me this weekend, me, the ultimate putter-upper -with- annoying-things lady (well, except for unnecessary animal murders).

I feel like I'm stumbling out of the dark cave I've been lost in for months and this new world of sunshine is...so...strange.
But no complaints, I'll take sunshine!
Glad all the behind the scenes work is coming along...
fgfghjk hghjghygyu joined Open Salon. Welcome! 11:09am
Your site is working like a charm today Kerry if this is any indication of the future you deserve a huge thanks or kudos!
Way ta go, Kerry.

I was gonna give it another two years to improve...but not a minute longer.

But it seems like things am nicely now. Tanx.
The future is so bright we should all be wearing shades! Thank you.
Wow! Good news, Kerry. This is the first time in months that I've been able to get into Open Salon easily. Usually, I click on it, go make a sandwich, take a nap, walk the dog, and then *maybe* the page will be loaded when I return.
Myriad: Didn't promise an immediate fix to everything. If you can point out where I did, would love to read that.

Frank: Glad we got in under the wire!
But other people have provided suggestions for PDF fixing those spambots signing up.
Easy come, easy go, altho right now OS is flying along like the wind!
Lisa: That's good to hear. Hopeful it will keep getting faster.

Myriad: That doesn't mean we have the resources to do it. We have a few strategies to rid the spam. Gail coming on board is part of the plan to get them done. But anyone making useful suggestions without having an intimate knowledge of our platform is just making useful suggestions -- doesn't mean they can be implemented easily or will even work.
Have you considered hiring Catherine Forsythe? Thanks for all your efforts.
Thanks for your continuing support and effort!
Kerry, can I be serious for a moment, an easy fix, I've suggested a few times is make the damn email part of the sign up VERIFIED!!!

Right now, I can create an account called MARY, Kerry's long lost sister and put in A for the email.

IT TAKES IT!!!!!! That's not good, that means a spammerbot can do the same thing and create 1000s of accounts in minutes using AutoBlog software.

Seriously, it's really easy and yes, your SpamKilling Folks can kill em almost as fast as they can create them, but still...GIVE THEM SOME ROADBLOCKS!!!!!!

No, I don't know your platform from this side of the fence, but, I do have some friends in the biz and even worked in the IT field for quite a few years(yeah, I'm out of work, why do you think I got so much time to run up to your window and moon you!!?? GOD!!!) I know enough that if you don't know how to fix it, find someone who can!!!

25 bucks, and this Russian dude I know, will program you a bot from Hell.

No wait, that wasn't right? :D

But seriously, if some low rung of the mill(aka they feature Tink's crap 80 percent of the time) blog provider can write up a email verification(createe gets an email that says click here to verify the addy. No it doesn't stop the people/bots from creating accounts and emails, but it does force them to login to a thousand accounts and click on stuff, road blocks, Spammers hate them, cuts into their profit margin. We both know the profit margin is the deal!!!!)

Anyways, just my nickel worth. Thanks for speeding up the site. You, Emily and now Gail and the rest do a fine job(if I didn't like this site so much, do you think I would have stuck it out for going on 3 years! December...I know....who'd thunk it? :D) We attack ya cause you're not around very much, just ask Emily, she gets attack by us all the time, it's cause we loves you.

Not a lot mind you!! ;D
PS.

Don't make Myriad, she knows stuff, could turn ya into a frog, and well, there aren't too many princes or princesses to turn ya back with a kiss...so.....

:D
well, we're still all here :) we must like something. Thanks for keeping us in the loop.
Thank you. Just thank you.
Once you agree to give Tinker a few EP's how about me and a few others?
Wonderful news! OS is a great site for writers and readers, and it's FREE. Blows my mind.
Kerry,

"UPDATE: No sooner did I post this than we reverted Salon proper back to the database. So slowness will be intermittent until the transition occurs."

I understand. There you all were with your come hither looks. And then you said, "Stop right there." That will do. That will do. :)


Seriously. This is wonderful news. Thank you all for everything you do.

XOXOXO

V
Glad to hear of -- and see -- the changes. Keep slugging, and we'll keep reading.

Now ... what happened to the most recent posts feed on the cover? I know I can still get them from the tab at the top, but it was convenient.
SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Patience is our virtue...sometimes. I can wait!
Salon is such a great web site, it blows my mind when ever I read a great story I want to pinch myself because I know the writer is real. It is just a great place, Thank-You Kerry Laureman for knowing how to make it even better.
No biggie if Salon is slow, there are a lot of other sites just like it we can go to if it goes wonky. It's Open Salon that's unique and fascinating, though slow is good for getting rid of the OS addiction I once had.
Will OS be visible to Wordpress users or will there be an announcement over there?
as of 3:23 am ET (insomnia) it's still difficult to get on... even now when sometimes this hour was easier for some reason.
the pages were not opening and my server was bounced off. I have a very quick Mac and have no problems with any other site but OS.
Also, in the time in took to open OS, I read an article on Big Salon in a new tab, so they have it figured out as we all know. Hope things improve.
Thank you so much. Keep fighting the good fight, Kerry. In spite of some general natural grumpiness, I think we all appreciate it!
Thanks for making working on this! My one complaint now is not getting individual responses to my messages sent to staff, though i know that everyone is busy. Meanwhile, OS participation has been extremely helpful to me as a writer and the interaction w/fellow writers is awesome. As far as making the front page just one time, I think, I keep saying that I am not writing for theditors, per se, and notas an ego thing: I am writing because doing so improves my writing and to communicate with my fellow writers...Patrick
Thanks for making working on this! My one complaint now is not getting individual responses to my messages sent to staff, though i know that everyone is busy. Meanwhile, OS participation has been extremely helpful to me as a writer and the interaction w/fellow writers is awesome. As far as making the front page just one time, I think, I keep saying that I am not writing for theditors, per se, and notas an ego thing: I am writing because doing so improves my writing and to communicate with my fellow writers...Patrick
Thanks for making working on this! My one complaint now is not getting individual responses to my messages sent to staff, though i know that everyone is busy. Meanwhile, OS participation has been extremely helpful to me as a writer and the interaction w/fellow writers is awesome. As far as making the front page just one time, I think, I keep saying that I am not writing for theditors, per se, and notas an ego thing: I am writing because doing so improves my writing and to communicate with my fellow writers...Patrick
Thanks for making working on this! My one complaint now is not getting individual responses to my messages sent to staff, though i know that everyone is busy. Meanwhile, OS participation has been extremely helpful to me as a writer and the interaction w/fellow writers is awesome. As far as making the front page just one time, I think, I keep saying that I am not writing for theditors, per se, and notas an ego thing: I am writing because doing so improves my writing and to communicate with my fellow writers...Patrick
Thanks for making working on this! My one complaint now is not getting individual responses to my messages sent to staff, though i know that everyone is busy. Meanwhile, OS participation has been extremely helpful to me as a writer and the interaction w/fellow writers is awesome. As far as making the front page just one time, I think, I keep saying that I am not writing for theditors, per se, and notas an ego thing: I am writing because doing so improves my writing and to communicate with my fellow writers...Patrick
Here are the suggestions I passed onto Gail. They may not be in her or your baliwick, if so, please pass them on:

(1) Add ability to send a PM by right-clicking on a commenter's avatar/nom de blog
(2) Remove the archaic "tips" function which no one uses
(3) Duplicate rating and "like" functions after post -- post-post you might say
(4) Add function to permit bloggers to block specific commenters from commenting on blogger's post
(5) End annoying and resource-clogging audio and video ads that no one watches anyway

Thanks for your time
Thanks for all the hard work during the transition. Keep OS alive!
I just logged on after trying yesterday as well and each click on my keyboard required a long wait to process......please we need help faster.
Kerry...

What Tink said!!!

Seriously, just put in an email verification to prevent the spambots from having their way with your site.

You could probably hire Tink even though he is a walking sexual harassment suit.

It's not like you need perfect security. Just slightly more than the next worse site.
Yes, sorry folks. I was a bit premature here. Some replies:

Tink: Even the easiest-sounding suggestion takes more engineering than you'd imagine. We chose for Open a platform that's not really around anymore (I know. Boy, do I know.), but it makes even little switcheroos time-consuming. And since we plan to move Open onto a better platform soon, investing time into added developments is tough to justify. We have a few short-term fixes we hope -- HOPE! -- will help a lot.

(And to reveal more than I should, the rollout of Salon proper will largely overhaul our Comments section in ways that will probably influence how we run Open registration in the future -- which will make it tough for the 'bots.)

Patrick: Feedback from staff -- hey, I need to get on IM to get my editors' attention sometimes! But we do our best, I promise.

Boanerges: That's my fault. I suggested to Emily that we drop it, because, during heavy spam times, spammers are the only ones listed. In the old days, we only had Most Read/Most Popular -- not sure exactly when that changed. If people really, really miss the Most Recent box, we can revisit. But really, I don't think it's a great advert for the site, or for the great work going on here.


Tom: All good ideas. I can promise you each one is on a larger list for the next Open overhaul. Some of them (2 and 3, specifically) I requested last year, thinking they'd take a programmer 15 minutes -- which is how an editor thinks. But alas, it all will take more time. Those two I hope we can knock off before too long, and before a much more ambitious revamp.

On getting EPs: That, I'm happy to say, has not been my job for quite a while -- blame Emily! I must say, though, that it's a tough job, and Emily has shown consistently great judgement and taste, not only on Open, but in her expanded role helping pick partner content for Salon. It's a tough job, she's reading all day making fast calls, and her batting average is pretty stunning.

Hope to report back with good news soon.
"Tink: Even the easiest-sounding suggestion takes more engineering than you'd imagine. "

Oh I can imagine more than that!!!! :D You ever been threatened by the head of the Teamsters?

I have!! :D

Hopefully the new platform you're going to use will make it easier for changes(the one I used at my previous company as 'Unofficial Webmaster' of their Intranet site made it pretty easy to implement such things as 'verify email----course, I didn't use it, as the CMS system we used was more built for Internet function and I didn't enable sign in requirements to view the different departments' sections of the site.) to be implemented quicker. (Will the new system allow tasering mean letter trolls over at Salon?? I mean, some of them can get quite nasty...make me look sweet!!! :D)

Another question?

When there's these "engineering nightmares", do you wear a wig so you can pull your hair out???? :D
"When there's these 'engineering nightmares', do you wear a wig so you can pull your hair out???? :D"

Have you seen my picture, pal?

The email verification makes such perfect sense -- and yes, would hope we could do it, or something very much like it, under a new system.
I've been checking in two days now and I have to acknowledge that I am impressed by two things: one being load-time, the other, the feed is clean of spam.
I haven't seen that in months.
Thank you.

(oh, and what Tom Cordle recommended, too)
Kerry,

I have always believed that OS provided me with every bit of what I am paying for it.

Truthfully, I am grateful for this place, even though I am one of a few lonely voice crying in the wilderness here. My writing skills have improved and I am learning a lot . . . . albeit not from the posters themselves.

Conservatives are practically homeless here. Have you ever thought of providing them just a little, special, corner of their very own?

j/k

Love you too . . . .

Rated with HUGS!
"Have you seen my picture, pal?"

Yes I have and I'll go with that as a "Yes Tink, I do!! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE, THERE'S BILLS TO PAY, AND A SERVER THAT NEEDS KICKING!!"

;D

(I never ever pulled my hair out, just hit breaking points where I went on the casino floor and kicked random people in the shins!!! I guess you could do that, but well, some of the folks you got working with ya look like they kick back --- Emily kicks back doesn't she? ;D)
Love what your doing .Keep up the good work.
Kerry, thanks for your reply. I suspect, tho, you aren't quite as supportive of my suggestion # 5 -- End annoying and resource-clogging audio and video ads that no one watches anyway.

Speaking of annoying, resource-clogging ads -- and I confess I'm almost afraid to ask -- WHAT is going on with this sudden fascination with BREASTMILK?
I'm so glad to have this news! I was about to give up posting here. Things seem to be working better today -- hope that's a sign of things to come!
"Better, faster, stronger"
- Kerry Lauerman

"Dewey Beats Truman"
- Chicago Tribune
Thanks for the updates & good 'pressing.
Good news, Kerry. It's been a long road, I know. Gee, just read a comment about removing the tip feature. Wouldn't that be classic if I had several thousand dollars waiting there for me? Ah, a girl can dream.
As you are painfully aware, the uber slowness of this beloved site has discourage so many who have moved on and away to other writer's sites. I do hope you successfully manage to fix the issues and concerns of the many loyal writers hanging in during the transition. Thanks.
Very glad to see this. Pages do indeed load faster. I've been away for a long time because of the slowness problem, but I look forward to posting and reading more and more.
thanks, this place is one of a kind, and a living miracle
I am at WordPress. It's been kind of lonely over there.

It will be fine to come back and read me old friends and favorites.

Here's an attempt at K..(Os.. and T.*A...KS.

Sorry, gratitude is intermittent right now.
There's been a familiar pattern for far too long now: Kerry comes out and announces great things and then goes away. Nothing happens. Time passes. Kerry comes back and says now it's REALLY gonna happen. Nothing happens. Time passes. Kerry comes back...

Yawn.
Faster is fabulous, thank you! But alas, why are all those crap spam sports posts jamming up the "Activity Feed" in the lefthand sidebar. That flaw, so I've heard (as a relative newbie to OS), has been there forever and seems to have been a major drag. . . and seems to still be that. Tis a shame.
I just flew into a few posts and what a pleasure, it will be fun to tell friends to come here and read some of my favorite bloggers.

You got it fixed, you deserve the thanks. Thank you!
KAll We Can Say Is, Give OS a Chance! ( Kerry, we know you worked hard to get this right) Thanks~
Speedy, huh? Hope it makes a big difference for everyone.
I think Salon is getting you too involved with tech. They need to let you know when the problem is solved. The end.
Fantastic. I've been wanting to participate here but it took too long to upload images. For the first time here today, I was able to crank out a post with images in a flash. This is a terrific step forward for your site.
I do wish you folks could moderate the spammers somehow. The "Activity Feed" sidebar has become worthless, it makes the site look like a spam virus has taken over. There's got to be some way to fix that so actual humans writing articles show up.
Isn't it ironic? Things were going fairly smooth---until I decided to check out your post! It took approximately 39 seconds for this to load. No it's not my browser. I use Firefox on a very fast IP connection. Now the true test. Whether this comment posts right away! Thanks for trying, anything is better I guess. Take a note from Tink, there are probably a lot of people around here, who could help if you bothered to ask.
Hubba hubba! Today was like the old days. I put up a post, was able to read and rate a little, and found me old homestead with little trouble.

The mail is a tad slow, but everything else went fine.
Th*k@ and (udxsnorxx!
People make me giggle. I did speak with a fine Gentleman earlier today about fish.
He used the word`
`
Lovely. Fresh fish.
Then he shared this:
His Grandson died.
He was killed in Halifax.
It was a head-on- accident.

His Grandson was twenty-one.
He was from Here. Dead at 21.
I spoke and came to the library.
Local jobs are scarce if you no
Fish.
Many youth seek jobs in Halifax.
Sigh.
Wendell Berry writes ref Global.
`
Read `As If Economics Mattered.
`
I was rereading Berry's book today.
That's why this Corporate Globals?
It's a false "economy' and Proxy `
As in modern colonialism. Sad.
CO's kill by proxy Greed/Kill.
No beast would pollute/Kill.
We create Fiascos. We Kill.
We/Some Folk Proxy Kill.
`
on/on/off. I was @ Salon.
Iread Kerry Lauderman.
I still wonder Why You`
`
Deleted my Gold Stars?

bebop-o
GoodCelery!
clownsense

Beware Salon be Greedy.
Corporate Greed do Kill.
I sure have more to say.
Banter or humor? huh.
Borges mentions arts.
He insist it has humor,
honesty, and Speaks.
Words must be Real.
Void of Spirit -Dead.
Word has Animation.
`
Tom Cordle reminds:
`
Tobacco is a filthy weed,
That from the devil doth proceed;
That drains your purse, that burns
your clothes, that makes a chimney
of your nose.
`
That's a folklore song for children.
When Sir Walter Raleigh smoked?
`
Children carried pipes in 1700.
In school satchels they had weed.
Tobacco.
Mothers filled the pipe pre-school.
Often they smoked before breakfast.
The school master smoked with them.
He taught how to draw on the tobacco.
Ebolition . . . . It was a forcible ejection.
Smoke was blown from the mouth rapidly.
People went to bed with their pipes. Honest.
`
While Kerry L. is here @ Salon? You answer?
Why were all my avatars deleted? I saved them.
I learned to save as soon as I posted my comment.
Honest.
I saves them all.
Why you do that?
You were` Klytus?
You knew`agitators?
You deleted`Pedinska.
She is Not a Spammer.
I plan to No comment.
I sure No comment @
Salon.
You give refunds too?
Gold Star membership?
I coughed up a bundle.
`
I hope this goes. Oh my.
I pause. Go read emails.
Check Wi-Fi @ Library.

Then cross finger or toe.
`
Yeah...I am finally getting my email notifications! Good Luck!
Kerry,

Thanks and kudos!

Andrea Higbie
I've been noticing faster page loads, fewer errors, fewer failures of comments to post, etc. I'm also noticing that spam is getting zapped faster. Thank you for these changes.
Not to be too picky, but this has been on the front page for a couple of days now :

Where with the geek girls when I was 15?

It's a heading to a piece by Ashley Holt called ( cleverly, I think ) :

Get Out of My Dreams and Into My Mylar
I was just deleted (or had to RELAUNCH).
I report many. Nothing stops Kerry. Nasty.
I anticipate this will be deleted. I'll Relaunch.
Why respect these sorta ill/ilk? You tell me?
Possibly the headline editor was trying to spell "were," instead of "with," but it's hard to tell, anymore.
Art : deep breaths, mate. Deep breaths.
Thank You Kim. I followed You.
I never wish to be malicious. No.
I've been tested. I agree`Breathe.

I we don't inhale we drop dead. Ay.
Some folk act like a barn menagerie.
Why be dang devilish. It comes back.

Reap what we sow. We are imperfect.
But,
Why intend harm. Lie. Steal. Defame?
That's serious assassination of character.
It's very serious in literature. We ruin Self.

Maybe my worst bad habit is I go on and on?
I mean that as a compliment to the poster tho.
I may take up break-dancing. I hop like kangaroo?
Kim G. You have my respect. You etc., got sagacity.
A horse's behind stinks. No hit folk with goon sticks.
Stay away from those polished black cop horses. Pew.
Pew means Sit. Sit somwhere and ponder Life's Brief.
I gonna go Listen to loons cooing. Ducks go hurrah too.
I gather feathers for a Plume Australian hat. You nice.
You no Hottentot. You are not a Devil from Manchuria.
`
It's time to Refocus. I am enjoying breathing salt air.
Maybe I'll bank a Tambourine. I enter Loon Asylum.
They coo. I wish I was a kangaroo. They never cusses.
You can teach us @ Open Salon to hop like Hottentot.
Ducks seem to nao in the calm sea. Maybe they snore.
Gads.
I behave
I no axe to grind
I go bum halibut
Fish is free here
I may go to sea
I get invites to
I'll miss folks
hey may say`
Fisherman`
say`
Heave-hoe!
I be lost @ sea.
It's health here.
I best get off ...
I'll offend`gin?
`
Read email
turn WI-Fi on
then send with
Love always,
Thank You.
cool...now, could you see about removing the strange isolation this site has from google searches? It makes no sense, but unless you take additional measures, no one outside of here will find you, and it's an inbred yokel party on the inside, so I would like easier access to them city folk on google.
Kerry,
It's been a week or 10 days now & it seems to be running tickety-boo, so congratulations fingers crossed !
& thank you. I do love this place.
Also, co-incidentally or not the FP error was corrected soon after it was mentioned here ... :-)
Whooops !
... Slightly premature there ...
Response time is certainly impressive :o)
Huzzah: A new definition for the word "cryptic"! ;-) _Thank_ _you_, Kerry and everyone else for the -- finally -- seemingly successful ... and grandly successful (so far) work you've done to help us all reach you at Open Salon and anyone/everyone among post-ers we've been trying to keep in touch with. This post of yours was posted September 27 and as it was (title of an almost forgotten song) "only yesterday" that my personal experience suggests (for an unfortunate phrase) "Mission Accomplished". So that's what I mean by a new definition of "cryptic". Now I know that the meaning of the word "new" (as in "platform") means "long" and that the double word "WordPress" means _time_. Sure do appreciate all the wotd clarifications ?! ;-), "but/and" meanwhile, heartfelt thanks for a job so successfully accomplished!!
P.S.: Suggestion to Kerry: 9o comments here now; how's about a New Update Called Betterer, Fasterer, Strongerer? Did want to clarify that my previous comment resulted on from the past two (or was it three?) days. Thanks, Mike Wright and hyblean Julie for encouraging me this post was still ... um ... "sentient"?. Cheers, all!
firbolg,
keeping it alive.
it makes sense, until it makes you crazy, isn't it.
Thank you so much Kerry!!

After trying, and trying, and trying and trying - and failing and failing and failing to open a single post tonight, how could I doubt the improvements!!

I really was a cranky newbie was't I (even though I've been here 3 years).
Kerry,

I hadn't realized you deleted my earlier comments. Too bad you can't take the heat or leave your responses up.

For anyone interested, shortly after Kerry posted the original message, I made some comments which he chose to answer with an ad hominem attack rather than actually addressing the issues I raised - he tried to brush me off as a "cranky newbie". I will admit that my comments weren't diplomatic.
I spent hours last night trying to connect to OS to post a new entry with no luck. Finally gave up. I came back this morning and it's working fine now, but how many casual readers, any Web site's life and blood, would just give up after a minute or two of frustration. I really hope Salon realizes the potential for Open Salon and invests in making some permanent fixes before even diehards give up and spend their valuable time elsewhere.
Nick: Hearing now how rough the past 24 hours have been. Tech team is looking at it; very sorry we don't have a quick fix. I notice the site is still sluggish. Hope to have more soon.
Thanks, Kerry. I'm one of OS's biggest supporters, contributing every day. I would hate to see it go. The heart of it isn't just the bloggers (who all have amazing things to say on a bunch of topics) but the COMMENTARY. I would hate to see the discussions and participation die down because it's difficult to access the site. There has to be a solution.
Simple thanks, Kerry, for keeping this thread alive and accessible. I am less active here than many bloggers (and older than all but about five [at most ?! ;-)] other OS-ers) but no one could top my loyalty [or should I say "dependency problem" :-( ;-)]. Yes, it was another ba....aa...d weekend for us loyal OS-ers but what a joy to find things working again today. Do keep us "advised" as best you can, o.k.?
Oh I can breath again and not utter those words under my breath that my mother told me not to. THX and more...
Kerry, I'm not much of a blogger and having stumbled upon Open Season might change that. Great place.
Open Salon...Let this be my mulligan.:-)
Hello My Dearest,
How are you today,I hope all is well with you.l am Miss vivian desmond, Am deeply in need of someone to share with.please to knowing more about me get back to me.waiting to hear from you soonest.
Thanks,( viviandes73@yahoo.com)

Miss vivian
Hello My Dearest,
How are you today,I hope all is well with you.l am Miss vivian desmond, Am deeply in need of someone to share with.please to knowing more about me get back to me.waiting to hear from you soonest.
Thanks,( viviandes73@yahoo.com)

Miss vivian
Damn, that Vivian will share with anyone!!!

WHORE!!!

I kid, I still love ya!!

~wanders off~
Sorry, Tink, but Viv and I are engaged. You must let her go!
This site does not like November and I fear December will be very slow as well. Not sure what happened? Was like a dissipating rainbow once we had some speed back in October and dwindled down to a grind again. Fingers crossed for better days. Writing is often very impulsive and when the urge is gone, so are the writers. Hanging on for dear life, here.
Today December 3rd. The entire feed is spam. The lag time is again long and has been off and on all week.

I call BULLSHIT.
If in fact OS somehow profits from spam ~ you're not saying ( hell, you aren't even communicating - great business model ) & we can only guess ~ has anyone done the numbers about how many of your own readers you lose, every week-end ?
Talk to Nick Leshi about it, since he posts every day, but say something so the rest of us might hear.
You have got to be the most ridiculous editor on the internet.
ps. lose Emily & her Front Page friends ~ LK Walker is an established psychopath.
UPDATED: Better, faster, stronger .........are you sure about that......sounds like a line of crap!!
Ok, apologies for the ad hominem. You, not Emily or LKW. But this is a week-end not-funny joke now. Since April.
When everyone has a little time to kick back, read & comment you flood the place with spam and comments take over 4 minutes to load. There is no conversation in threads, when comments take 4 minutes to load. There is no incentive to stay on OS when it takes that long for a post to appear.
These issues are so basic it's difficult to understand why you aren't bothering to explain your end of it to us. Us, your contributors, without whose time, investment & creativity you have n o t h i n g .
You have time enough to delete comments from this thread : you must have time to explain in simple layman's terms what on earth is going on to the rest of us.
This evening is the worst I've seen it. Kim makes points that express my thoughts perfectly. If you can't afford a decent IT crew who can fix this, just tell us. We're adults, we can at least understand. Believe me, many here are bound to be thinking much worse than poverty. You folks don't seem to appreciate what you've got; the worrying migration of good writers notwithstanding.
Back to the ad hominems now ~ you are one, seriously-suited ignorant of 300 + thousand readers here kind of editor. To not deign to let any of us know what is about to happen to this vault of information ~ private, public ~ we invested here, & you're ok to say : "Tech team is looking at it; very sorry we don't have a quick fix. I notice the site is still sluggish. Hope to have more soon."
Do you see how this might look now ?
Is it possibly apparent to you that this might be a screw-up of a major order ?
Do you think that there might be writers here about to lose all they've contributed & they what ... won't care ?
Man up, Kerry. Do something ~ say something we can believe.
If for no other reason than your "editorial" future might rest upon it.
Forget that. Forget what I said. This isn't editorial ~ Kerry isn't an editor ~ what was I thinking ? This is OS.
The only time an editor appears is when a Front Page title gets re-titled, right ?
Why do you guys call yourselves editors ? Is it something to do with your paycheck ~ what ??
Please do something about this, Kerry? PLEASE?

This weekend has been the pits!!!!
WoW.

Now, I remember why I took a break from OS.

I thought it was because I broke my wrist.

Seriously...
Canadians have Thanksgiving earlier than we Southern North American.
A Elder is affable.
She. is wise, intelligent,
and BROKE her wrist too.
On Thanksgiving She fell.

A NFL Hockey Player Player also retired there on the beach to watch seagulls. He always ran errands, stacked her wood bin, and I accused her of wearing a caste.
I washed her dishes. She fake?
No. I suggest wearing a caste.
Wear a fake caste and retire.
Pretend Ya got Old Timers.
REspect.

Who deleted Salon's`Pedinska?
She was NOT a Spanner briber.
I have only met a few bloggers.
She gave me banana trees.
She gave gifts to Annabella.
She has a kind husband.
She gardens and hoes.


Pedinska is a Gardner's Friend. The banana trees are tropical and grow Beautifully erect.
My son multiplies them.
Some are potted beauties.
Outdoor ones grow 18- feet.
I visited in DC Botanical Garden.
We saw the Plant called Buddha Feet.
The flower looks like a fat People Foot.
`
P.S.
Why did I have to resign in the last few days?
I did this morning too. I forget my password?

Who Deleted me when I was a @ Salon?

All avatars that I used were Arthur James.
bebop-o
GreatCelery!
clownsense
goat gouda blueberry

It bugs me If - When done.
I don't believe in ignoring.
Maybe we pretend we die.

I am getting Old Timers too. I'll wear a caste.
I'l leave and pretend I's broke. I broke head
The NFL Hockey Player Broke many bones.
Canadians have Thanksgiving earlier than we Southern North American.
A Elder is affable.
She. is wise, intelligent,
and BROKE her wrist too.
On Thanksgiving She fell.

A NFL Hockey Player Player also retired there on the beach to watch seagulls. He always ran errands, stacked her wood bin, and I accused her of wearing a caste.
I washed her dishes. She fake?
No. I suggest wearing a caste.
Wear a fake caste and retire.
Pretend Ya got Old Timers.
REspect.

Who deleted Salon's`Pedinska?
She was NOT a Spanner briber.
I have only met a few bloggers.
She gave me banana trees.
She gave gifts to Annabella.
She has a kind husband.
She gardens and hoes.


Pedinska is a Gardner's Friend. The banana trees are tropical and grow Beautifully erect.
My son multiplies them.
Some are potted beauties.
Outdoor ones grow 18- feet.
I visited in DC Botanical Garden.
We saw the Plant called Buddha Feet.
The flower looks like a fat People Foot.
`
P.S.
Why did I have to resign in the last few days?
I did this morning too. I forget my password?

Who Deleted me when I was a @ Salon?

All avatars that I used were Arthur James.
bebop-o
GreatCelery!
clownsense
goat gouda blueberry

It bugs me If - When done.
I don't believe in ignoring.
Maybe we pretend we die.
&
&
Poky Slow. It snail slow
We need wine with this
We eat at five-Star eats

I am getting Old Timers too. I'll wear a caste.
I'l leave and pretend I's broke. I broke head
The NFL Hockey Player Broke many bones.
Canadians have Thanksgiving earlier than we Southern North American.
A Elder is affable.
She. is wise, intelligent,
and BROKE her wrist too.
On Thanksgiving She fell.

A NFL Hockey Player Player also retired there on the beach to watch seagulls. He always ran errands, stacked her wood bin, and I accused her of wearing a caste.
I washed her dishes. She fake?
No. I suggest wearing a caste.
Wear a fake caste and retire.
Pretend Ya got Old Timers.
REspect.

Who deleted Salon's`Pedinska?
She was NOT a Spanner briber.
I have only met a few bloggers.
She gave me banana trees.
She gave gifts to Annabella.
She has a kind husband.
She gardens and hoes.


Pedinska is a Gardner's Friend. The banana trees are tropical and grow Beautifully erect.
My son multiplies them.
Some are potted beauties.
Outdoor ones grow 18- feet.
I visited in DC Botanical Garden.
We saw the Plant called Buddha Feet.
The flower looks like a fat People Foot.
`
P.S.
Why did I have to resign in the last few days?
I did this morning too. I forget my password?

Who Deleted me when I was a @ Salon?

All avatars that I used were Arthur James.
bebop-o
GreatCelery!
clownsense
goat gouda blueberry

It bugs me If - When done.
I don't believe in ignoring.
Maybe we pretend we die.
&
&
Poky Slow. It snail slow
We need wine with this
We eat at five-Star eats

& && It is third efforts.
&- Looks like wheelchair

I am getting Old Timers too. I'll wear a caste.
I'l leave and pretend I's broke. I broke head
The NFL Hockey Player Broke many bones.
Canadians have Thanksgiving earlier than we Southern North American.
A Elder is affable.
She. is wise, intelligent,
and BROKE her wrist too.
On Thanksgiving She fell.

A NFL Hockey Player Player also retired there on the beach to watch seagulls. He always ran errands, stacked her wood bin, and I accused her of wearing a caste.
I washed her dishes. She fake?
No. I suggest wearing a caste.
Wear a fake caste and retire.
Pretend Ya got Old Timers.
REspect.

Who deleted Salon's`Pedinska?
She was NOT a Spanner briber.
I have only met a few bloggers.
She gave me banana trees.
She gave gifts to Annabella.
She has a kind husband.
She gardens and hoes.


Pedinska is a Gardner's Friend. The banana trees are tropical and grow Beautifully erect.
My son multiplies them.
Some are potted beauties.
Outdoor ones grow 18- feet.
I visited in DC Botanical Garden.
We saw the Plant called Buddha Feet.
The flower looks like a fat People Foot.
`
P.S.
Why did I have to resign in the last few days?
I did this morning too. I forget my password?

Who Deleted me when I was a @ Salon?

All avatars that I used were Arthur James.
bebop-o
GreatCelery!
clownsense
goat gouda blueberry

It bugs me If - When done.
I don't believe in ignoring.
Maybe we pretend we die.
&
&
Poky Slow. It snail slow
We need wine with this
We eat at five-Star eats

& && It is third efforts.
&- Looks like wheelchair

I am getting Old Timers too. I'll wear a caste.
I'l leave and pretend I's broke. I broke head
The NFL Hockey Player Broke many bones.
Sorry that "Better, faster, stronger" didn't work out for you. What's next?
Kerry,

People who care ... who really care ... about all ... here ...
about all the people ...
all they share ...
all their work ...
all their souls ...
all their ... all they are ...

people who care ... who really care ... about all ... here ...
who reach out ... and offer ... loving support ...
when more than anything else ...
that is ... what ... we need ...

sometimes when people like these ...
come ... when ... and as they can ...
to read ... to write ... to touch us all ...
to be touched themselves ... by ...
what they might find here ...

but ... come ... and find that ... those they seek ...
may be ... right there ...
but that someone ... somewhere ...
has shut the door ...
has made the opening impossible ...
has made the being with ...
unnervingly ... beyond our grasp ...
... all ... our grasps ...

then they may be so deeply frustrated ...
by a place that says it is ... open ...
... open ...
but for hours ... days ... seems ... only closed ...

closed ... with no one who might be able to ...
do ... something ...
or ...
say ... something ...
or help us ... understand ...
why ... what we want ... and need ... to be ... open ... all hours ...
seems barricaded ...
beyond ... our reach ...
beyond our knowing any way to ... make any of it ... better ... open ... open ... open ...

then is it any wonder that

people who care ... who really care ... about ... all ... here ...
become angry ...

and seek you out ... to not only hear ...
but to reply ... to let them/us know ...

where we are ... where you are ...
that you are noticing ... and ready to help ...

Kerry ...
when so many spend time here ...
or would spend time ... if they could ...
not because they have to ... but ...
simply because they ... want ... to ...

simply ... because of all they/ we value here ...

no wonder some speak their anger ...

know, Kerry, it is the anger of people who care ...
about what exists here ...
has been ... continues to be ... created here ...
given here ...
shared here ...
in faith ...
in trust ...
dare I say ... in hope ...

we are ... here ... a community ...
Gail’s territory ... Gail who does sometimes respond ...
and to whom I will copy this ... plea ... for ...
the community we are here ...
the community we want to be ...
the community ... we will be ... as soon ... as ... all ... once more ... opens ...

is anyone there ...
is anyone listening ...

when hours ... days ... so much time passes ...
while more and more breaks down ...
and no word or help or hope is given ...

in a time when reaching out ... may be absolutely everything ...
what keeps this open ... community ... separated ... is not ...
really not ... good enough ...

please listen ... and if you care ... speak to us ...

because ...

people who care ... are wanting ... trying ... to open the door ...
and be ...
here ...

it is cold out here ... and no one seems to be ... listening ...
is anybody there ...
Loyal User Update: Saturday night December 4, unable to log onto OS at all.

Loyal User Update: Sunday December 5, sluggish loading speed, but I'm trying.

Please, powers-that-be, fix this ongoing problem or hire someone who can. The more this continues, the more it seems (whether true or not) that Salon doesn't care about the Open Salon community. After all this time, fixing this ongoing problem should be a top priority.
If you listen to no-one else, please listen to Nick.
Much faster. Thank you.
@ Seamoremonster : until these people get their act together, forget week-end traffic on OS. Listen up, advertisers.
I am grateful for this site.
Larry is it ok to experience this level of disconnect in any other areas of your life just asking
kimbo
Normally I don't waste my time with reading whatever babble OS gives us but I'll make an exception tonight and say I have incredibly low expectations of businesses and OS has managed to disappoint even me.
Fantastic & informative, your response. Say thanks to Emily too. She's been great.
A bit warmer ... for now ... but Kerry, this time will you speak to us and help us know ... that you are there ... and listening. Gail ... I hope you as well will try to help us have a sense that all this matters ... not only to those who come ... in hope of being able ... to open the door ... a firm and warm and stable ... door ... but also to you ... both of you ... all of you ... who ... hold ... the key ...
Kerry,
This is my first time of speaking to you. Normally I just figure let it roll and it will be ok, eventually, well it's not ok is it? What's not ok is that this site has become an absolutely ridiculous event in so many people's lives. I've been around for a while and have watched some unbelievably dumb things happen here but the lack of respect that the staff is showing to the members of this site is criminal. You have enough people out here who are technically savvy enough to know that you are completely full of bull when you speak of improvements. The spam on the weekends is insanity and frankly with today's technology there is no excuse except that you are probably making money off of it. Here's the mix bud, just get honest.
Kimbo. It's a matter of perspective, not disconnect.
Larry, I'm grateful too. There is so much here ... in our community ... that is so strong ... so good ... the reading ... the writing ... the connecting ... so often ... of souls who care ... of souls who can smile ... and laugh ... and ...
It's just that when the ground begins to shake ... in a way it's not done before ... one hopes that someone ... Kerry ... Gail ... will recognise ... how many care ... and then speak ... and let us know ... whatever it is ... that they know ... if only that we ... who want the door to be always open ... for all that holds us here ... who want also to know ... to be able to believe ... that the holding we treasure ... will ... hold ... and hold ... well ...
My worst thoughts as all of these past hours wore on ... were of loss ... I know how I still feel about the loss of one particular piece that I held dear ...
There is so much here ... that I hold dear ... I know exactly which pieces, whose pieces ... are most dear to me ... and that there are others that others hold ...
perhaps what we all wish we felt when earth here begins to shake and open ... doesn't feel open ... is a voice of acknowledgement ... of clarity ... of some ... collegiality ...

Larry, I am grateful too and I hope someone ... who knows whatever the problem is ... will speak ... and offer clarity ... a caring ... for those of us ... here ...
Larry, you are right. It's a matter of perspective.
Happy Christmas, good buddy.
You too, Kerry, Emily, Gail : Happy Christmas & a brighter New Year.
& thanks.
Hey all -- just noticed people are still commenting here. But you should follow Emily, who is going to be updating more regularly here:

http://open.salon.com/blog/emily_holleman/2011/12/05/spam_were_working_on_it
I really appreciate Open Salon and I'm so glad it is faster now. I feel more confident about participating now that I know I won't have to wait wait wait…and forget what I was waiting for… Thank you for all your work.
I was vexed nervewise til this. Still os is slow.like grandpa snail . I say cool. All is karmic
Til the end of the world.
Then the history ends, per hegel.

„Jede Vorstellung ist eine Verallgemeinerung, und diese gehört dem Denken an. Etwas allgemein machen, heißt, es denken.“ ("Grundlinien der Philosophie des Rechts oder Naturrecht und Staatswissenschaft im Grundrisse", Berlin, 1833, p. 35)
 "Any idea is a generalization, and generalization is a property of thinking. To generalize something means to think it."
 "Every representation is a generalization, and this is inherent in thought. To generalize something means to think it."
 "Any idea is a universalization, and universalizing is a property of thinking. To universalize something means to think."
 "An idea is always a generalization, and generalization is a property of thinking. To generalize means to think."


Ideas are of the head.

Whitehead ate a hegel spat him up upturned to a plato.me.

Thanks. kerry
I was vexed nervewise til this. Still os is slow.like grandpa snail . I say cool. All is karmic
Til the end of the world.
Then the history ends, per hegel.

„Jede Vorstellung ist eine Verallgemeinerung, und diese gehört dem Denken an. Etwas allgemein machen, heißt, es denken.“ ("Grundlinien der Philosophie des Rechts oder Naturrecht und Staatswissenschaft im Grundrisse", Berlin, 1833, p. 35)
 "Any idea is a generalization, and generalization is a property of thinking. To generalize something means to think it."
 "Every representation is a generalization, and this is inherent in thought. To generalize something means to think it."
 "Any idea is a universalization, and universalizing is a property of thinking. To universalize something means to think."
 "An idea is always a generalization, and generalization is a property of thinking. To generalize means to think."


Ideas are of the head.

Whitehead ate a hegel spat him up upturned to a plato.me.

Thanks. kerry
Lots of errors occurred!

An error occurred, then the error handler crashed while trying to handle the error. Whoops!

Here are the details of the original error:

SELECT c.content_id, c.author_id as user_id, title, open.get_public_name(c.author_id) as public_name, (select picture from open.users where user_id=c.author_id) as picture FROM open.contents c INNER JOIN (SELECT author_id, MAX(changed) as changed FROM open.contents WHERE author_id IN (SELECT relation_id FROM open.relations WHERE user_id='3965') AND type=1 AND is_active=1 GROUP BY author_id order by changed desc limit 10) q1 on (c.author_id=q1.author_id and c.changed=q1.changed) AND c.type=1 AND is_active=1 LIMIT '8' [nativecode=FATAL: terminating connection due to administrator command server closed the connection unexpectedly This probably means the server terminated abnormally before or while processing the request.]

#0 /var/www/html/open.salon.com/urlPalau/web/BetaBlockModules/OSProfileFriendsPostsModule/OSProfileFriendsPostsModule.php(69): Dal::query('SELECT c.conten...', Array)
#1 /var/www/html/open.salon.com/urlPalau/web/BetaBlockModules/OSProfileFriendsPostsModule/OSProfileFriendsPostsModule.php(18): OSProfileFriendsPostsView::getFriendsPosts(3965)
#2 /var/www/html/open.salon.com/urlPalau/api/PageRenderer/PageRenderer.php(365): OSProfileFriendsPostsModule->render()
#3 /var/www/html/open.salon.com/urlPalau/web/content.php(385): PageRenderer->__construct('setup_module', 12, 'That's What I G...', 'opensalon_three...', 'os_header.tpl', 'public', 'Homepage', Object(stdClass), '', Array)
#4 {main}
Here are the details of the second error:

SELECT R.relation_id FROM salon.open.relations R, salon.open.users U WHERE R.user_id = '106246' AND R.relation_id > 0 AND R.relation_id=U.user_id AND U.is_active0 GROUP BY R.relation_id [nativecode=FATAL: terminating connection due to administrator command server closed the connection unexpectedly This probably means the server terminated abnormally before or while processing the request.]

#0 /var/www/html/open.salon.com/urlPalau/api/Relation/Relation.php(122): Dal::query('SELECT R.relati...', Array)
#1 /var/www/html/open.salon.com/urlPalau/web/includes/classes/Navigation.php(704): Relation::get_relations(106246, false)
#2 /var/www/html/open.salon.com/urlPalau/api/PageRenderer/PageRenderer.php(116): Navigation->get_links()
#3 /var/www/html/open.salon.com/urlPalau/web/includes/functions/html_generate.php(157): PageRenderer->__construct(NULL, NULL, 'Error 100: SELE...', 'opensalon_three...', 'os_header.tpl')
#4 [internal function]: exception_handler(Object(PAException))
#5 {main}
HUZZAH, "you guys"! (Kerry here; Gail and Emily comments to follow "when/if/as best as I can":

Betcha never expected to find a COMPLIMENT or a THANKS on this thread, didja?!

WAA...aaa....L ( all my fellow OS-ers who might happen to find this post in the "activity feed"):

Just now on opening OS I found the activity feed showed aqll but one OS members and their recent posts. Only ONE corporate spam post.

WOW.

You guys are SUCCEEDING (see, I'm so excited I can't even spell ?write?/"right").

THANK YOU!!!!
Oops ... guess I still need spellcheck. Sorry 'bout det. I do know how to spell the word "all" but my fingers keep doing weird things at/to the keyboard. Ah weel........... [Tink, where are you when we need you? ;-)]/
When are you people going to realize that Kerry is just Joan with her head shaved?

Sheesh. This avatar faking is gettin' outta hand...
This IS good news! Now if I could get the occasional EP I'd be a happy OS camper!
Great news for everyone! Congratulations!
Kerry,

It's almost alarming. You seem to really know how to do THINGS. I was just getting all shuffly with my favorites again, and then YOU popped up as my most favorite of my favorites. :)

I am most seriously impressed with your skills.

V

XOXOXO
Kudos to all involved. Salon's slowness was a major problem for us all.
Are you, mayhap, interested in the purchase of the Brooklyn Bridge?
So the spam posters don't have to wait as long?
Is that the improvement?

No we are not being ungrateful; perhaps for you it's a separate problem and you've fixed one.

For us, the problem is that the Editor doesn't edit and the spam posts fill the feeds.
@themanhattankid:

I agree that Kerry looks like Joan without hair, but I always thought it was the other way around. Joan is Kerry in a dress.


Excuse me...pants suit.
I want chocolate caramels with every log-on!





And a puppy.
Don't give him the puppies. He eats them.
Thanks for the update! Working like a charm after a restart!
Wow great post thanks for sharing it