Question about the Featured IRC network thing on the index

webcoder · Lurker Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 162 Location: Florida

I visit SearchIRC a couple times a day to view the forum posts and things like that. I was wondering how often the featured IRC network thing updates? I've noticed its a different IRC network two or three times a day, and in the 5 years I've been index here, I've only seen my network once or twice, but others I see 5 or 6 times a week or as many times every couple days.

So I was curious as to how it worked? And I think it would be cool if it showed a network on there for at least 24 hours before it changed, and maybe not show any network no more then 2 or 3 times before it cycles through the list. I don't even know if that's possible, just commenting on what I've observed and adding my two cents worth...

*tink* *tink*

Keep up the Good work SIRC Staff Smile

webcoder

webcoder · Lurker Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 162 Location: Florida

Is my question so bad that I got get an answer?

FBI · Posted: Jan 03, 2009 7:29pm Post subject:

The thing is that the Featured IRC Network can never
truely be random..

They just get lucky because of Jason's coding skills Wink

webcoder · Lurker Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 162 Location: Florida

Well, I think that's kinda unfair, as I stated in my first post, I've seen a lot of the same networks come up 2 or 3 times a day, and in the whole couple of years that I've been index'd here, I've seen my network come up maybe twice. How does this feature benefit growing networks? If it shows some networks multiple times a day, and only shows others hardly ever? I think a lot of networks, like mine, try to use this site to gain exposure, but having a "Featured IRC Network" thing that does what this one does, kinda defeats that purpose.

Not to take anything away from Jason, or the staff here, because I think this is a great site, but thats the one thing I have to say that I think could be better...

FBI · Posted: Jan 03, 2009 11:22pm Post subject:

Jason · Posted: Jan 04, 2009 9:40am Post subject:

I just looked at the code and this is what it does:

SQL query pulls all networks who's freshness is >80, has at least 10 channels, and contains a blurb text. It then orders the networks by last_featured_network_ts (when the network was last featured). The network featured longest ago is the one that gets featured. If a network recently signs up and meets all the requirements, it would then be featured first because it's last_featured_network_ts is set to 0.

So once featured, you won't get to be featured till everyone else has gone again.

The featured network is updated once an hour.

I'd say this is a pretty fair system. Everyone gets a turn. You might get featured at 3am though, but because the networks who meet the requirements to get featured changes all the time, you will never know when you're up next.

webcoder · Lurker Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 162 Location: Florida

okay, well, why do I see some networks show more then once a day? Like for instance, yesterday I was Abjects, then I saw another one, then I saw Abjects again, all with in about a 6 hour period?

Jason · Posted: Jan 04, 2009 5:23pm Post subject:

Not possible unless the robots weren't able to connect any networks besides Abjects in that timeframe.

webcoder · Lurker Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 162 Location: Florida

okay, I'll time stamp some screen shots over the next couple of days, i hope im not loosing my mind tho :/

zeke · Idler Joined: 04 Oct 2003 Posts: 334

Is it also a new thing for every hit received, or is it cached for a long time? Because if there are 1000 networks available, and 1000 hits within the period of time between the first appearance of the network and the second appearance of the network, it would be explained.