Today the server remained up all day. I was also able to optimize some things that had made both the "Who's Online" page and the "Advanced Profile Search" run very slowly. The second one of these had, before this, sometimes launched processes that brought down the database.
In addition, I was able to restore the Private Messages that had been affected by the whole situation. Some of them were messages from me, so that was an additional verification.
I also revised the Profile Search form to make it a little more clear about how to use it. This comes after someone sent an email to the Cruisemaster account asking why he couldn't find people in his metro area. Since he was in the US I suggested that he use the first two or three digits of the Zip Code for his search. I don't know if that would work for postal codes in other countries.
Since the software that Keith and I had used years ago to set up the Message Board did not require people to validate their city against a list of city names -- instead you can type whatever you want -- it makes the field rather useless for searching. Many people type in abbreviations, neighborhood names, multiple city name, etc., etc. It does give you freedom to be descriptive but has always limited the Message Board's use as a tool to find people near you. Perhaps that's another reason why Craigslist and also the various hookup sites and apps became much prominent as activity on the Message Board declined. That's a discussion for another space.
Anyhow, I am now going to remove the bold-text notice at the top of most parts of the sites, keeping it only on the Cruiser Gallery for now.
I hope that I will have time to address the Cruiser Gallery tomorrow and restore whatever is missing there. There may also be some additional work needed for the Message Board but that can be addressed as needed.
I will continue to monitor the database this evening. Thank you again for all your patience and support.
Bob
|