mlc1us
02/02/09 08:42 PM
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I am really tired of all the celebrity homes. I also understand that lots of people like them. Is it possible to implement a preference in my user profile that would exclude displaying categories beginning with homes - celebrity, or other categories for that matter?
Thanks!
mlc1us
Virtual Globetrotting Moderator
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Parabellum
02/03/09 09:59 AM
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What we need is a separate website for all the 'celebrity' homes. Keep Virtual Globetrotting as it was, and spin the homes onto VirtualCelebrityStalking.com
VGT Moderator
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Champion3
02/03/09 12:50 PM
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I was thinking the same thing. because yes, if you like celebrity homes, you might not like ancient theaters or road signs. and vice versa
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tlp333
02/03/09 01:15 PM
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Wanna know what I am really tired of....? People complaining about celebrity homes. I don't see how or why they impede your enjoyment of the website. Is it because you can see them on the Front Page? That has to be the reason, or there is no way they could possibly interfere with your enjoyment of the website, unless you go out of your way to look for them. I could have swore that some code was implemented previously (but possibly before the overhaul of the site), to only allow a couple of celebrity homes to be seen on the Front Page at any given time. If it bothers people that much, and they long for the old days (before an abundance of celeb homes were posted here), then let's go back to that. I could care less. I just get tired of all the whining, when there is plenty of room for ALL TOPICS on this website, none of which are anymore important than the others.
I guess keep Virtual Globetrotting "as it was" means all categories MINUS celebrity homes.
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kjfitz
02/03/09 01:16 PM
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When the mass celeb posts first started I thought it was a passing fad. I still keep thinking that at some point we have to run out of celebs. I guess not though.
"It's a fad Mrs. Dahmer. He's only ten. He'll get past this morbid stage."
kjfitz
Virtual Globetrotting Moderator
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tlp333
02/03/09 01:20 PM
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Why would celeb homes be a passing fad anymore than anything else? It's a never-ending project as long as someone wants to keep up on it. Celebs buy and sell property constantly, and there are always old celebs dying and new celebs coming of age. I keep thinking we will run out of other topics that are posted on here as well, but we don't seem to.
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kjfitz
02/03/09 01:40 PM
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Before the mass posts started VGT was a smorgasbord of topics. But even back then if someone came along and posted a bunch of any one topic people became a bit overwhelmed and would complain. I think my week long mass post of Nike Missile sites was one of the first. There were others like stadiums, IKEAs, air ports and military airplanes that others complained about.
More accurately keeping VGT "as it was" means variety.
I have little interest in the celeb homes but I also notice that they bring the most viewers to the site. I have also seen a couple people who started out posting just celeb homes branch out into other areas. I like that. I also know that some long time posters from the early days have been driven out by the single-note-music of this site. That is sad. Ij the end it is a wash.
So... I say live and let live.
That said I WOULD love to have a way of customizing what groups show up on my home page. But I also know that there are some major technical reasons why nic hasn't been able to do that for us.** He also has a very busy life outside of VGT and his free time to re-write the site is quite limited.
** tech details - the load on the database is one of the limiting factors for scaling this site. The way it works now is that every x minutes (15 or 20 I think) a new front page is calculated for he site. This mixes up the posts that show up. The randomization is done because people (self included) realized that if you posted the last 12 maps in a day you'd hold all the front page slots for that day forever. Anyway, if he were to calculate/build everyone their own front page the server and database would not be able to handle the load.
kjfitz
Virtual Globetrotting Moderator
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kjfitz
02/03/09 01:51 PM
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Quote:
Why would celeb homes be a passing fad anymore than anything else?
Because up until the mass cleb posts lots of other mass posts came and went. Each lasted a few days to a month and then the posters tired of them themselves and moved on to other topics.
Obviously the celeb home posters are passionate about the topic. I'd just love to have as many posters as passionate about other topics as well, that's all.
We have pdunn and his planes and pmoore and the art. adrbr has been doing an awesome job on mass posts of his own that change topic from week to week.
Please don't take my lack of interest in your posts as a personal affront. I just wish there were more people as passionate about variety posts as there are about celebrity posts.
kjfitz
Virtual Globetrotting Moderator
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milwhcky
02/03/09 04:07 PM
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I think part of the blame behind less variety falls on a lack of updates to Live Maps. It used to be a monthly gift - when we'd jump into the new areas and find a bunch of different cool sites. And right about the time we gassed out, another batch was on it's way.
Google has given us plenty of new street level stuff to find, but I have to be in the right mood to do any amount of exploring in the headache-inducing FuzzyView. I'll be thoroughly disappointed if the upcoming UK footage is not in high resolution.
The celebrity homes do not bother me. Every once in a while I see one that interests me. Lately, half of the 'celebrities' are people who I've never heard of before (even after reading the map description), but they are still being viewed, so who am I to complain.
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tlp333
02/03/09 04:56 PM
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What I am trying to get to the bottom of here is what is supposedly destroying people's VGT experience? What has driven the old school folks away in light of all the celeb home postings in the last couple of years?
mlc1us started this topic by asking that the celeb homes be removed from his/her profile, so they cannot be seen.
Does that person mean they just don't want celeb homes to show on the Front Page for them or what?
It seems that everyone judges their experience here at VGT on what is displayed on the Main/Front Page, and that is such a small part of it for me, I'm not sure why that bothers people so much.
That being said, I would like to make everyone's experience here enjoyable, so again, if people don't want to see celeb homes on the Front Page, feel free to take them off. It wouldn't bother me in the slightest. I have stated before that I do not want to be the one to drive people away from this website, or diminish the experience of the community who existed here before I got here and long for the "days of old".
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mlc1us
02/03/09 05:31 PM
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I would prefer to not see the celebrity homes on my front page. That was the reason for my question. What it amounts to for me, they just don't interest me any more. There are just so many, with most belonging to people I've never heard of. No offense inteded to those who enjoy submitting or viewing them.
Thanks kjfitz for the explaining why my idea won't work.
milwhcky, I'm seeing signs of a BEV imagery update in progress today. I expect Microsoft to announce it tomorrow.
mlc1us
Virtual Globetrotting Moderator
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dda
02/03/09 06:00 PM
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Hello all.
Celebrity Homes category is a good idea. A category as others.
The first two were the Neverland Ranch and the Bill Gates' house.
The last two were Vernon Fiddler's house and Rodger Krouse's House...
QED.
You start with Michael Jackson, Bill Gates and so on until the non celeb people.
We have now more than 10 000 celebrity homes!!!
I have few questions :
What about french, chinese, somalian or russian famous people?
Who knows Marco Musa? (His house is on the site)
Is celebrities private life an information ?
I don't want to close the Celeb category, new famous peoples are always coming.
But it's one reason of my lull of posting. (My new fulltime job is the first big real reason) The home page of long ago was everyday full of new interesting places and stories. A mix of geography, knowledge, history, science, strange and funny things. I have discovered a lot of new things here. But now, the interesting maps are buried under yellow pages houses.
Today, it's a real-estate business like homepage.
I'm not criticizing anybody of posting famous houses. I also have kind of monomaniac posting way (Aren't castles celebrity houses?)
dda
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tlp333
02/03/09 06:18 PM
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If people know where any French, Chinese, Somalian, or Russian famous people live, then by all means post them. This is just me personally, but I live in the U.S., and there are more celeb homes here than anywhere else, so this country is enough for me to try and keep updated. I like to leave the foreign celebs to people in those countries who can actually confirm them. I have no access to foreign databases, so I stay out of such matters, and leave it to the experts in those countries.
I don't personally know who Marco Musa is myself, but I'm sure someone does. Though it is not interesting to YOU, it might be to someone else. Should that be criteria to post a home, that everyone has to have heard of them? I don't think so.
Is celebrities life "an information"? I'm not sure I understand the phrasing of the question. BUT...each home is a location and occupies land and space, just like anything else that is posted on here, so sure, it is definitely "information".
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Parabellum
02/03/09 10:21 PM
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"Richard Foley is the CEO of Qzina Specialty Foods, Inc., which is the largest importer and distributor of specialty chocolate, pastry, and dessert ingredients in North America."
Until today I had no idea that this man was a celebrity. Silly me.
VGT Moderator
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tlp333
02/03/09 10:29 PM
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I believe he is under "Celebrity Homes - Business". "BUSINESS" being the keyword. The "Celebrity" is just a name of the parent category. When the homes categories were reorganized, that's what we came up with. Would it have been better for you if it was "HOMES - BUSINESS"? Or are you just trying to be difficult to prove a point? Well...point taken.
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Champion3
02/03/09 11:13 PM
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Richard Foley is an a-lister.
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Parabellum
02/04/09 10:16 AM
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The point I was trying to make is that the word celebrity is being misused. For example, Jennifer Lopez's hairdresser is not a celebrity.
VGT Moderator
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tlp333
02/04/09 12:18 PM
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You're getting a way too technical for me, so I'll just leave you to your opinions and carry on. We had a discussion in the Moderator Forum on what to name the home categories before the switch was made a long time ago. Maybe you should have been a little more vocal at that time if just the word "Celebrity" in the category names is really putting a damper on your lifestyle.
Any VGT member is allowed to post whatever they want (including any house they want), as far as I've always known, so if you have a problem with the categories people are putting the homes in, then that is another topic, and maybe a motion should be made to change the category names.
If your point is that Jennifer Lopez's hairdresser (or whoever's haridresser) should not be featured here at all, then I would TOTALLY disagree with you, especailly if that property had been written about on another website that could be used as a reference to mark the location. I think we'll just have to agree to disagree, as it is apparent that you are not a fan of the category, and cannot be objective about the topic.
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tlp333
02/04/09 12:29 PM
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Here is a prime example of what you are talking about:
http://realestalker.blogspot.com/2008/04/ken-pavs-heads-for-hills-of-beverly.html
A "hairdresser to the stars" property was blogged about on the Real Estalker, which is a prominent "Celebrity Homes" blog. I definitely think this is "post-worthy" home (and definitely within a member's rights to post it here) and the category that matches it best for WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE AVAILABLE would be:
Homes - Celebrity - Entertainment - Misc
"Misc" being the KEY part. What's your beef?
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Parabellum
02/04/09 06:51 PM
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I guess our definition of 'post-worthy' is different.
VGT Moderator
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tlp333
02/04/09 07:17 PM
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Take it for what it's worth, but that post has gotten 575 views in less than a year. That's not breaking any records, but there has been enough interest in it that I feel it was "worthy". I'm always gonna post whatever they feature at a website like the RealEstalker, no matter how minor or unknown the person may be that they feature. I just find it FUN and a challenge to find it. That's what a lot of this is about....FUN (or at least it's supopse to be). Just because YOU don't find something worthy is not the criteria for submitting maps at this site. I think I've said my peace on this matter.
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adrbr
02/06/09 08:29 PM
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A celebrity is a widely-recognized or notable person who commands a high degree of public and media attention.
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BermudaBreeze
02/07/09 11:52 AM
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Why are people suggesting the celeb homes drive people away, drive who away? Let’s not ignore the fact that they attract an awful lot of views, which is surely the whole point of the site….Or is it who can post a map with the least views, that fundamentally no one is interested in….I suggest the latter will do far more damage in terms of driving people away..
I am sure the only reason the site has an increased level of advertising, is because it is much more popular that it used to be, and lets face it, this is driven principally by the visits generated by the celeb posting’s which in terms of the stats speak for themselves, “it is what most people find interesting”…or certainly more interesting than any other category on the site..
If you don’t like the celeb houses don’t look at them…I have no interest in “road signs” or some of the other extremely obscure postings and looking at the stats most other people have no interest either…but I respect the people who post them and if they provide interest to some people then great. I certainly don’t feel the need to complain about them.
Bitching about celeb homes and what’s on the front page or what the definition of celebrity is just ridiculously anal…..some of you really need to get a life…why don’t you turn off your PC and go out side, get some fresh air and enjoy yourself… This site is a bit of fun and nothing more…as soon as it stops being that, well I guess the site will be no more.
tlp333….Carry on with the celeb maps you have my vote !!!!
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nic
02/09/09 03:54 AM
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OK, time for me to chime in: I personally enjoy celebrity homes, though not as much as military posts 
The percentage of logged-in users that see the front page is relatively small (1% of visitors). I think I could implement a Home Page "filter" feature that you could modify from your profile page (http://virtualglobetrotting.com/edit_profile/). Users could specify certain categories they don't want to see on the front page. I don't think this would have a large performance impact since logged-in users are approx 1% of the visiting population.
I do have a general usage question for you all: How do most of you browse the site daily? Do you go to the front page to see the latest maps? Or to the calendar? RSS feeds?
As for celebrity homes, they do bring a lot of one-time visitors to the website (http://virtualglobetrotting.com/stats/catviews/), which is good. Some of these visitors will convert into casual browsers, and some may even become regulars (great!)
Same thing for the obscure categories, such as roadside attractions, or war planes. It's the long-tail of interests, and I think VGT can cater to both crowds without losing any luster. I love the variety of things on this site, and I love the fact that we have people interested in flooding the site with a lot of posts to just one category.
At the same time, I understand that regulars may get sick of certain categories, which is why I think it's a good idea to add an optional "filter" feature to the front page for logged-in users.
I also think that limiting the # of maps for any specific category on the front page (celeb homes / etc) is a good idea -- maybe to 5? This way, there's a bit more variety on the front page.
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milwhcky
02/09/09 09:23 AM
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Quote:
I do have a general usage question for you all: How do most of you browse the site daily? Do you go to the front page to see the latest maps? Or to the calendar? RSS feeds?
I usually do not enter from the front page. I've bookmarked the 'Latest Maps' page(http://virtualglobetrotting.com/maps/?so=1). After catching up with those, I check out the queue, comments, and forums.
Nic, once again, thanks for making this site. It's hands down the best of it's kind.
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tlp333
02/09/09 11:07 AM
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I do not enter from the front page and rarely go there. I always enter the site from a bookmarked favorite to my own maps organized by "latest".
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neotrix
02/09/09 02:49 PM
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i do it exactly the same way like milwhcky.
but i also read the map feed ...
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mlc1us
02/09/09 09:01 PM
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I have a couple of different bookmarked pages I use, but would use the main front page if I could block some categories. By the way I don't use the main front page now because it doesn't fit my screen resolution (1024 x 768) properly.
mlc1us
Virtual Globetrotting Moderator
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nic
02/24/09 03:14 AM
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mlc1us - Can you give me details on why it doesn't fit 1024x768? My resize'd browser seems to look good. If you could send me a screenshot to admin@virtualglobetrotting.com that'd be great!
As for limiting people seeing maps in categories they don't like, I think I can add a new "latest maps" view, customized for logged in users. Everyone would be able to specify the categories they don't want to see on this view.
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