[Closed] Warning - unsolicited video download from STW ads can cost you money!

Thanks for the update, a guide to data consumption when it's working properly would be nice.

Also what's the measure of popularity on epic? If it's click through that could just be people trying to shut it up. At this point I feel old...

Enjoy the rugby at the weekend?

There's a thread for Rugby.

have to admit after my moaning I did click it for the snowdonia video and found it enjoyable. 😳

*ducks*

That seems like an entirely reasonable response Mark and it's good to see some acknowledgement recognising it as being an issue for some.

For everyone else I don't think I'm affected, my concern was for those who were. I invariably browse via my phone even when I'm on my home broadband so I don't think I've even seen it.

Out of interest though, I experience the screen going blank when trying to load a thread and then reloading far more frequently these days. Is that likely to be influenced by the ads or just browsing a UK site from Australia? I don't get anywhere near my advertised download speed, more like 1-3 (can't remember the standard units), which can be pretty marginal for video playback anyway.

Dofts Cap to Mark..

Ta
Very
Muchly
😉

I'm confused. Who are we angry with now? Cougar, Mark, Epic TV, STW or Perthmtb?

When do we get to blame Hora?

Changes now made.

The EpicTV player will autoplay on the first two pages only per session/visit. After that it will sit there waiting for you to hit the play button. This doesn't preclude the instance that you may leave a browser window open on either of the first two page visits but we have a fix for that but we can't implement it until monday now.

franksinatra - Member

I'm confused. Who are we angry with now? Cougar, Mark, Epic TV, STW or Perthmtb?

When do we get to blame Hora?

Someone wants to blame the aussies' I think but am not 100% sure.

I liked the vids but perhaps they ought to be on a different tab? or embedded on a sticky thread?

not really.

it's the webdev's responsibility to ensure that sites don't cause inadvertent unethical use of paid-for connections.

I don't think i've seen so much hand wringing from people who should know better before.

All this talk of "unethical", "unsolicited" etc is laughable.

If you've got a potentially fuel hungry car you should either fill it full or be careful how you drive. This is the same thing.

Just because you don't understand or think you know what you're doing is no excuse for not taking measures to preserve your data usage, especially if you're using a tethered connection.

I'm glad Mark and the STW have made the changes as it was badly implemented before, but most of the content on this thread is ridiculous. I'm going to flounce now and have a beer, ta ta 🙂

to correct your analogy, whatnobeer, it's more like having a fuel hungry car, but knowing full well to go easy on the noisy pedal. Then finding out some underhand cad has been swinging underneath your chassis drilling holes in your fuel tank.

No one disputes the idea that you manage your downloads if it's metered, but having your connection reamed to the tune of 2Gb by an unsolicited bandwidth thief is poor form and takes responsibility away from the user to to the hoster.

[quote=whatnobeer ]
All this talk of "unethical", "unsolicited" etc is laughable.
If you've got a potentially fuel hungry car you should either fill it full or be careful how you drive. This is the same thing.
Just because you don't understand or think you know what you're doing is no excuse for not taking measures to preserve your data usage, especially if you're using a tethered connection.
It's even funnier when lots of the complainers are whinging just because they might get caught out using their companies resources for personal web browsing.

If you don't like the tone of my responses so far, I'd wager you're really not going to like the tone of the one I'd like to give you right now, because frankly I'm spitting feathers.

Well it made me chuckle

I do know that if I worked in that magical land of IT, and I found that some one being paid to work was also spending time on STW, I'd be making very, very sure that they didn't get paid for the time they spent here, and then I'd make sure that they never even looked at it again.

I work 12 hour shifts, and most days, I get a total of 30 minutes break over the entire 12 hours.

Then I read about the lack of productivity in the UK...

zokes - Member

That's it, carry on antagonising the customers...

We're not Cougar's customers, the mods here make it possible for the site to run, and I suspect they do it for free. So how about don't be a ****. You might always like them but you need them in order to keep on using this free and excellent resource. Customers 🙄 I'm a customer of the mag and a leech of the forum.

That said the Epic TV adverts pissed me off too, my connection's not fast and it took me a while to realise that the reason my internet's running so slow is because of the tiny little window in the sidebar that could probably be done with a millionth of the bandwidth. So just gone in and switched all the ads off which I've never been irritated enough to do before. I'm sure the other advertisers will be well chuffed 😉

you need them in order to keep on using this free and excellent resource. Customers I'm a customer of the mag and a leech of the forum.

Is it free? Suppose the ads delivered to you by Google started consuming large chunks of your system resources - would you be happy with that, too?

and I suspect they do it for free

Nah, they get to keep all the stuff from Fresh Good Fridays.

Strikes me that the original alert by perthmtb deserves some gratitude and recognition by members, users, hosters, modders and anyone else adversely or otherwise, affected by the issue. It's good to also recognise how quickly and seriously the issue has been dealt with to what seems like a best fit compromise.

It's been rather entertaining catching up on this one this evening, in amongst some very entertaining flounces, there's been an awful lot of willy waving too. The testosterone was palpable about pages 3 & 4 IIRC, it's kinda easing in the last couple, which has got to be a good thing. Boys eh? 😕

Just one question, given that the issue was identified by perthmtb and he has now decided to flounce off, only to return maybe when it's all sorted. How will he get to know? 😉

some kind soul will tell him

unless the rest of us have flounced off as well

I don't think 'souls' are allowed to exist around here 😉

There's a thread for Rugby.

I'll take that as a "no" then 🙂

Slack alive beat me to it.

I think perthmtb did a good thing in raising this as others may be affected and incur costs.

Mark responded very swiftly and in a very pragmatic way, looking after us and the advertisers.

I hadn't noticed the problem as I'm unlimited BB, or I browse on my ipad or phone. But once I heard of this it explained why things slowed down on my laptop as stw is one of my always open tabs. So it annoyed me.

So good on ya both 🙂

We're not Cougar's customers, the mods here make it possible for the site to run, and I suspect they do it for free. So how about don't be a ****. You might always like them but you need them in order to keep on using this free and excellent resource. Customers I'm a customer of the mag and a leech of the forum.

No, we are Cougar's customers. Whether he's paid or not matters not one jot, by being a moderator of the forum, he is associated with the company. Thus, his (in my and several others' opinions) poor attitude on this occasion reflect on that company. Mark has said previously that the forum (or more correctly, its advertising) brings in a large proportion of STW's income, if not the majority. How does it do that? Advertising.

If a moderator (volunteer or otherwise) acting apparently on the behalf of the company antagonises visitors to that forum, viewer numbers may go down, and consequently income from advertising will decrease.

zokes - Member

If a moderator (volunteer or otherwise) acting apparently on the behalf of the company antagonises visitors to that forum, viewer numbers may go down, and consequently income from advertising will decrease.

Yup, and that's something for STW/Gofar to worry about, it still doesn't make you his customer.

it still doesn't make you his customer.

They are providing a service, in the hope that a) I buy something directly from them, b) that I click through one of the adverts, or at the very least c) appear as a usage statistic so that they can negotiate higher rates for those adverts. That makes me their customer. As Cougar is acting on their behalf to run the forum, that makes me his customer also.

User =/ customer. But you go on acting like the forum owes you something, see how you get on. I prefer to acknowledge the debt we owe to the mods, personally.

Well I hope nobody wants to buy anything from him tonight. He's hung up the sign on the door and gone fishin'. 🙁

No, we are Cougar's customers.

Whether he's paid or not matters not one jot, by being a moderator of the forum, he is associated with the company.

Thus, his (in my and several others' opinions) poor attitude on this occasion reflect on that company.

If a moderator (volunteer or otherwise) acting apparently on the behalf of the company antagonises visitors to that forum, viewer numbers may go down, and consequently income from advertising will decrease.

Indeed IF
How on earth could anyone moderator this shower without antagonising someone ..its like herding cats but unhappy moody ones.
For example , I subscribe and have no issue with what he has done and said and think some folk just get off on moaning at the mods whenever they get the opportunity. It made me chuckle tbh.

As Cougar is acting on their behalf to run the forum, that makes me his customer also.

Personally I respect the public mods but reactions like this show why the rest hide anonymously amongst us.

I find it rather amusing that you wish to argue that your use of this site for free gives you the privileges of being a customer and that they will treat you as such.

Good luck with that

Zokes, you are not, by any reasonable definition, a customer of Cougar. Or me for what it's worth.
Being a customer involves the transfer of currency from one party to the other and in your case I gave up on that dream a long time ago.
🙂

Basically you are a user and you are free to take your custom elsewhere 😛

Not read all 6 pages but when did this advert first appear?
Wasn't late December / early Jan by any chance was it?

Zokes, you are not, by any reasonable definition, a customer of Cougar. Or me for what it's worth.
Being a customer involves the transfer of currency from one party to the other and in your case I gave up on that dream a long time ago.

Funny, when I was in the UK I was a subscriber to the magazine for over two years, then despite attempting to renew twice (on both occasions my form had apparently been lost), I continued to buy the mag whenever I saw it in my LBS. I'm actually wearing an STW T-shirt now.

Since then I've obviously moved to Oz, so its prevalence in shops is somewhat limited. I could try and subscribe again I suppose, but seeing as getting the mag all the way from Todmorden to Belmont seemed to be problematic, I don't fancy the chances of it making it all the way to Adelaide 😉

So, by your narrow definition, it seems I have been a customer of your company on several occasions. As Cougar represents your company when he posts as a moderator on your company's web forum, that makes me his customer also.

Pah! I don't see no blue P next yo name beeyatch.

This thread is an encapsulated microcosm of everything I love, hate and feel indifferent about stw.

No Zokes, it really, really doesn't. Honestly, you are not Cougar's customer and neither are you mine. I'm not making this up. Ask him for a refund. See what happens.
🙂

Regardless either way as being obnoxious or abusive is not a right a customer has. Cougar was being honest and up front with the issues, as an IT bod he has a better understanding of how these things should work.

Perthmtb was right to raise the issue, STW has addressed it but people need to be also responsible for their own usage. Many places now use automatic videos or image heavy pages. If you don't monitor your usage on a low bandwidth plan you'll get caught out one day.

No Zokes, it really, really doesn't. Honestly, you are not Cougar's customer and neither are you mine. I'm not making this up. Ask him for a refund. See what happens.

By reading and posting on here, all users consume the product STW provides i.e. the forum. We pay by providing a user-base large enough for you to draw significant advertising revenue. Just like watching ITV or Channel 4 really.

Additionally, as I stated above, unless I dreamt it and all those magazines at the back of my wardrobe are MBUK, I did used to buy the magazine regularly when I lived where it was easily available.

Regardless either way as being obnoxious or abusive is not a right a customer has.

I'm being neither. I'm disagreeing with you - that [i]is[/i] a right I or anyone else has.

I do like a good read with my morning coffee.

I can't see where cougar has gone wrong other than trying to help and then getting a bit pissed off when some posters decided to ride him.

You are only a customer if you actually buy something. Most people on here are just users. There is a fundamental difference. The rest of the bollocks is entirely predictable whining from people with sand in their fannies.

[quote=Mark said]No Zokes, it really, really doesn't. Honestly, you are not Cougar's customer and neither are you mine. I'm not making this up. Ask him for a refund. See what happens.

He doesn't give refunds either ?

The cad.

If a moderator (volunteer or otherwise) acting apparently on the behalf of the company antagonises visitors to that forum, viewer numbers may go down, and consequently income from advertising will decrease.

I'll happily buy a sub if Zokes could be disappeared.
I'll buy another one if TJ could be returned in his place.

You really didn't like the rugby, did you...

No I enjoy rugby and having lived through the 80's and 90's a 11 point loss at twickenham is a walk in the park. Its you I dont like.

@A_A:

Can you edit your post to say 200!

Thanks.

I'm being neither. I'm disagreeing with you - that is a right I or anyone else has.

There's more than you on this forum.

Its you I dont like.

Can't win 'em all, I suppose... 🙁

As Cougar is acting on their behalf to run the forum, that makes me his customer also.

Also, I have to say, if you were antagonised by anything the mods said on this subject, really, you had to go looking for it. There was nothing antagonising there.

He explicitly threatened that if posters didn't like what he was saying, he would really like to say a lot worse.

http://bit.ly/1hlAOL6

zokes, you're beginning to appear like someone who's happy to dish it out (multiple times on the rugby threads with a_a and Piggie (realise it takes ten to tango of course) but getting rather sensitive about a comment from Cougar that wasn't even directed at you (IIRC).

That didn't take long.

[img] [/img]

zokes - not a customer

😀

What's the point in having all this power if you can't have some fun once in a while 🙂

He explicitly threatened that if posters didn't like what he was saying, he would really like to say a lot worse.

I think if he HAD said what he wanted to say, you might have a point.

Not a customer
Brilliant

zokes, you're beginning to appear like someone who's happy to dish it out (multiple times on the rugby threads with a_a and Piggie (realise it takes ten to tango of course) but getting rather sensitive about a comment from Cougar that wasn't even directed at you (IIRC).

zokes is only this objectionable because he lives on the other side of the world to most of us. Easy to get your gob on if there's no chance of meeting people.

I received an official warning at work for 'streaming non work related video content' after logging on to this website.

Thanks for that!!!!

I no longer view at work and only spend a few mins looking at forum now, always pausing the video.

shame as I spent loads of time on here before. 🙁

I fully expect to see Mark honoured by an OBE for single-handedly improving the productivity of Britains office workers.

(Remember to thank Cougar in your acceptance speech 🙂 )

I received an official warning at work for 'streaming non work related video content' after logging on to this website.

FFS people are still giving Cougar grief? 'Poor attitude'? The words pot, kettle and black spring to mind.

Zokes: I used to think you were alright - what happened to you?

I fully expect to see Mark honoured by an OBE for single-handedly improving the productivity of Britains office workers.

😆

A warning for not doing work when at work. Hmmm!

A warning for not doing work when at work. Hmmm!

Quite a few employers allow "reasonable" recreational use provided that it doesn't affect their ability to do their job or compromise the IT systems etc.

Browsing a bike forum occasionally would probably fall under "reasonable" recreational use. Downloading gigabytes of HD video (intentionally, or in this case not) probably significantly less so.

LOL @ Drac

I 'll just add that we are allowed to use the internet for non-work stuff at lunchtime. 🙂 no audio or video streaming though.

Zokes,
What would like to happen next?

I 'll just add that we are allowed to use the internet for non-work stuff at lunchtime. no audio or video streaming though.

Same rules for us but the IT has blocked anything that's not authorised streaming, it's a far better way to do things then trying to control several hundred staff.

Downloading gigabytes of HD video (intentionally, or in this case not) probably significantly less so.

Yes.

And I'll ad that even at it's worst - and at this point I'll apologise again just in case it's not clear that I accept we got it wrong - it would have taken 2 hours of continued browsing of the site to end up streaming 1 gb of the EpicTV video.

I don't say that in order to downplay the issue but just to be clear about the scale of the issue.
The scale was certainly much too big for the OP.

Precisely Pondo.

In the same way Perthmb was naive in his browsing manner STW were maybe naive in not double checking an effect it may have had. Both parties could have perhaps maybe prevented this issue. Perthmb was good enough to raise the issue and was very sensible in not 'demanding satisfaction'. STW brought in a fix as quick as they could without effect they're business and are addressing it further.

Now can we all hold hands and sing happy songs.

Good grief 😯 There are many useful texts and writings of wisdom, insight and affirmations available on 'Letting Go' of our stuff and issue's. The one's I've read have been very beneficial for me.

Just a thought.

As for:

456mocha - Member
I received an official warning at work for 'streaming non work related video content' after logging on to this website.

Thanks for that!!!!

I no longer view at work and only spend a few mins looking at forum now, always pausing the video.

shame as I spent loads of time on here before.

Where is the hope, when taking personal responsibility seems so hard? Blame, blame, blame... And flounce, from an infrequent contributor 😉

I received an official warning at work for 'streaming non work related video content' after logging on to this website.
Thanks for that!!!!

Someone else's fault that you got caught out browsing the internet instead of doing what you are paid for ?

Awesome 🙂

Zokes,
What would like to happen next?

Well, world peace would be a nice start...

But such a request might be seen as taking the [img] [/img]

And I'll ad that

Freudian slip? 😛

"Someone else's fault that you got caught out browsing the internet instead of doing what you are paid for? Awesome "

Sadly, I don't get paid for eating my lunch at lunch time.

Sadly, I don't get paid for eating my lunch at lunch time.

Don't come on here with your inconvenient facts, they've got their flames and pitchforks ready now...

Now THAT'S antagonising. 🙂

My irony alarm just went mental
🙂

Now THAT'S antagonising.

Facts can be, when you don't like them.

Sadly, I don't get paid for eating my lunch at lunch time.

And you don't pay for the internet access at your desk either.

So you will have to cope with what the people that do pay, allow you to use it for.

I'm sure the world will keep turning.

Bloody hell isnt it your bed time or something?

How's Cougar bearing up?

My irony alarm just went mental

Mine refused to work under such pressure.

[quote=bearnecessities ]How's Cougar bearing up?
I hear he's drifted out and in but should be functioning OK after a wee bit of lubrication.

nealglover - Member

And you don't pay for the internet access at your desk either.

He's already answered that:

456mocha - Member
I 'll just add that we are allowed to use the internet for non-work stuff at lunchtime. no audio or video streaming though.

Until recently, browsing this site didn't involve either of those things. As I said, facts and all that...

456mocha - Member
I 'll just add that we are allowed to use the internet for non-work stuff at lunchtime. no audio or video streaming though.
Until recently, browsing this site didn't involve either of those things. As I said, facts and all that...

It is 100% his responsibility to not break the rules of his workplace.

It's is not the responsibility of STW to make sure their content matches the rules of some random company they have never heard of, that someone happens to work for.

It's not that hard to understand really.

Unless you are trying really hard obviously.