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Author Topic: Why is the forum now only accessible to paid members???  (Read 2550 times)

Dave (Isle of Skye)

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Why is the forum now only accessible to paid members???
« on: May 15, 2021, 12:47:20 pm »

I can no longer browse the forum without logging into the site, because I all I get if I do is this (see attached) and which I assume is the same for everyone else on the planet, so you must be losing a lot of casual visitors to your site, if not all of them by now I would imagine..

I contacted you through your customer services email address at "customerservice@luminous-landscape.com" over two weeks ago with this exact same query and no one has even had the courtesy to reply to me or do anything about this - in fact does anyone ever read the customer service emails for Lula anymore? I think not, as I have contacted you before about some other matter several months ago and so far not a peep of a reply from you, nothing!

So why do I want to browse the site without logging into it?

Well I have my laptop's browser set to delete all cookies and trackers each time I log out of it, because I don't want advertisers tracking me or my various login codes etc. Yet sometimes I just want to pop onto Lula for a quick look without the hassle of logging in, then if I see something I want to investigate further, I can log in and do so and is the way I have always done this.

Dave Hickey
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digitaldog

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Re: Why is the forum now only accessible to paid members???
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2021, 02:18:16 pm »

AFAIK, you've always had to log into the forums but of course, it's free. Perhaps your 'auto log in' failed and you were asked to log in again?
If you didn't log in, how would the forums know who you were when you posted?
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Dave (Isle of Skye)

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Re: Why is the forum now only accessible to paid members???
« Reply #2 on: May 17, 2021, 12:45:53 pm »

AFAIK, you've always had to log into the forums but of course, it's free. Perhaps your 'auto log in' failed and you were asked to log in again?
If you didn't log in, how would the forums know who you were when you posted?

No you could look at the forum for free and without logging into the site, but now you can't because it just comes up with this error instead. However I do agree that you could only post if you were a member, but now you can't even look at the members posts like we used to be able to do, without creating an account first, or of course logging in - but as you say Digital dog, this may be by design by Josh or the web designer, but it never used be like this and it just looks like a coding error to me and which I am pretty sure it is.

Dave
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digitaldog

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Re: Why is the forum now only accessible to paid members???
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2021, 12:50:35 pm »

I get no such errors, I'm not a subscriber to this site any longer (for nearly a year). So I don't know what to tell you and it's odd, no one from the site itself has tired to assist.
Might be useful to show a screen capture of this error.
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mcbroomf

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Re: Why is the forum now only accessible to paid members???
« Reply #4 on: May 17, 2021, 04:03:09 pm »

I can no longer browse the forum without logging into the site, because I all I get if I do is this (see attached) and which I assume is the same for everyone else on the planet, so you must be losing a lot of casual visitors to your site, if not all of them by now I would imagine..

I contacted you through your customer services email address at "customerservice@luminous-landscape.com" over two weeks ago with this exact same query and no one has even had the courtesy to reply to me or do anything about this - in fact does anyone ever read the customer service emails for Lula anymore? I think not, as I have contacted you before about some other matter several months ago and so far not a peep of a reply from you, nothing!

So why do I want to browse the site without logging into it?

Well I have my laptop's browser set to delete all cookies and trackers each time I log out of it, because I don't want advertisers tracking me or my various login codes etc. Yet sometimes I just want to pop onto Lula for a quick look without the hassle of logging in, then if I see something I want to investigate further, I can log in and do so and is the way I have always done this.

Dave Hickey

There might be something else going on Dave as I just logged off and yet was able to view the forum and individual posts OK with no error.  All the adverts popped up as expected but no problem with the threads.
I'm on Win10 and using Chrome.

I logged back in to post this of course.

Mike
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David Sutton

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Re: Why is the forum now only accessible to paid members???
« Reply #5 on: May 17, 2021, 06:04:59 pm »

Yes, I've had the "open index.php" dialogue since the website was upgraded. It could be an issue with the site software or my browsers running script blockers. It happens both with Firefox and Brave.
If I click on the log in button and then when that window opens just hit the forum button gain, it all works well. No need to log in to view threads.
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Dave (Isle of Skye)

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Re: Why is the forum now only accessible to paid members???
« Reply #6 on: May 18, 2021, 03:47:58 am »

Yes, I've had the "open index.php" dialogue since the website was upgraded. It could be an issue with the site software or my browsers running script blockers. It happens both with Firefox and Brave.
If I click on the log in button and then when that window opens just hit the forum button gain, it all works well. No need to log in to view threads.

Thanks David I will try that  ;)

...it's odd, no one from the site itself has tired to assist.

Might be useful to show a screen capture of this error. 

See my first post in this thread digitaldog, the screen capture is already up there - but of course you can't see it if you are not logged in - and yes, no one is helping anymore or replying to the customer services helpdesk, it's a bit like being stranded aboard the Marie Celeste on here these days isn't it?  ;)

Dave
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josh.reichmann

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Re: Why is the forum now only accessible to paid members???
« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2021, 07:11:57 am »

Thanks David I will try that  ;)

See my first post in this thread digitaldog, the screen capture is already up there - but of course you can't see it if you are not logged in - and yes, no one is helping anymore or replying to the customer services helpdesk, it's a bit like being stranded aboard the Marie Celeste on here these days isn't it?  ;)

Dave

Hi Dave,
And Dave,
Have you emailed webmaster@luminous-landscape.com ? The hep desk portal is being looked at (should work fine but there were issues in the past). The email address above goes to Paul our webmaster.
If he was slow to reply in the last few weeks it may have to do w site redesign taking his attention. Apologies.

I’ll screen grab your messages and send it to him. He does reply. You are not abandoned.
We will resolve.

Thanks
J
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Dave (Isle of Skye)

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Re: Why is the forum now only accessible to paid members???
« Reply #8 on: May 18, 2021, 09:18:44 am »

Hi Dave,
And Dave,
Have you emailed webmaster@luminous-landscape.com ? The hep desk portal is being looked at (should work fine but there were issues in the past). The email address above goes to Paul our webmaster.
If he was slow to reply in the last few weeks it may have to do w site redesign taking his attention. Apologies.

I’ll screen grab your messages and send it to him. He does reply. You are not abandoned.
We will resolve.

Thanks
J

Ok and thanks for that Josh, I will wait and see what happens.

You know now I have your attention Josh, Chris was starting to put together a tribute video to your father, you know the type of thing that has been done for all other great photographic pioneers, with a sort of tribute about to who they were, their life story and of course a reprise (or should that a study, I am not sure of the word to use there) of the best of their work - but perhaps there isn't much chance of that happening now. But I do think your father was someone who the photographic world should remember for his huge contribution to it and so a good in-depth video about him, with interviews of colleagues and family etc and fond reminiscences etc, would be the most fitting to do.

Dave Hickey
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josh.reichmann

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Re: Why is the forum now only accessible to paid members???
« Reply #9 on: May 18, 2021, 10:49:04 am »

Ok and thanks for that Josh, I will wait and see what happens.

You know now I have your attention Josh, Chris was starting to put together a tribute video to your father, you know the type of thing that has been done for all other great photographic pioneers, with a sort of tribute about to who they were, their life story and of course a reprise (or should that a study, I am not sure of the word to use there) of the best of their work - but perhaps there isn't much chance of that happening now. But I do think your father was someone who the photographic world should remember for his huge contribution to it and so a good in-depth video about him, with interviews of colleagues and family etc and fond reminiscences etc, would be the most fitting to do.

Dave Hickey

I hope Chris does complete that! Maybe reach out to him.
Chris would have the very best footage / material of course. And there’s no one better to assemble it than he.

J
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PeterAit

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Re: Why is the forum now only accessible to paid members???
« Reply #10 on: May 18, 2021, 06:07:21 pm »

If you delete cookies and all regularly then why would you expect to have the convenience that they provide? Your choice, take the consequences.
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David Sutton

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Re: Why is the forum now only accessible to paid members???
« Reply #11 on: May 19, 2021, 06:02:42 pm »

If you delete cookies and all regularly then why would you expect to have the convenience that they provide? Your choice, take the consequences.

Could be cookies but more likely something weird to do with scripts. If I open the site with scripts allowed I get the "open index.php" dialogue. If I then turn on script blocking, the site re-loads and I can get access without the dialogue.
Ditto with the reverse: starting with scripts blocked and the unblocking them.
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Dave (Isle of Skye)

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Re: Why is the forum now only accessible to paid members???
« Reply #12 on: May 21, 2021, 01:54:04 pm »

I have worked it out now - it seems if you are not logged in and you try to open any link in the forum using your right mouse button and then selecting open new window instead of just clicking on it directly, it goes to the error as shown above. So I imagine there is a script that has been added to the site that tries to limit right clicking for some reason, but that isn't coded correctly, but which is then bypassed when you log in - so no biggy and an easy workaround, but it didn't used to be this way  :)

I hope Chris does complete that! Maybe reach out to him.
Chris would have the very best footage / material of course. And there’s no one better to assemble it than he.

J

I will take that as a no then Josh - I mean if anyone was going to reach out to Chris to do this for the memory of your dad, then it really should be you, as you already know him personally and probably live close by to him as well and so could really get the ball rolling if you wanted to, whereas I am just another Joe photographer on this forum from the other side of the world. But perhaps that is a bridge that has long since ceased to exist between the two of you by now - but I thought it was still worth a mention and I have done that now and so expect no more to come from it and thanks for the reply.  ;)

Dave
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dandeliondigital

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Re: Why is the forum now only accessible to paid members???
« Reply #13 on: May 21, 2021, 02:26:17 pm »

Hi Dave,
I have noticed a "new behavior" which is I think what you are describing. Here is what happens to me with my forum "workflow:"

I log in to the forum, and click on "Show unread posts since last visit." I am "logged in" on the initial window. When I see a thread I want to read, the problem will appear if if I open the thread in a new window. In a new window the thread is now logged out in that window, and the trouble has started. Alternately, if I simply click the link to open the thread in the same logged in window instead of opening a new window, I can read the thread because I am logged in, but, I must remember to click the back button. Why? If I close the thread window, I need to log in again from scratch, and here is the real kicker, the number of "unread posts" gets reset, and I loose the ability to see the "unread posts" I have missed. I hope this description is clear, but this is what happens and it did not work in this manner before. Not sure of the timing of when this started, but would guess it is this year.

I use private windows always, and always clear everything when I surf, cookies, caches, and history.

So long for now, Tom
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ned

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Re: Why is the forum now only accessible to paid members???
« Reply #14 on: May 22, 2021, 12:53:43 am »

In the past, not sure how long ago... You didn't have to log in to read the forms. Now, unless you log in, clicking on a forum will download a .php file.
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Dave (Isle of Skye)

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Re: Why is the forum now only accessible to paid members???
« Reply #15 on: May 23, 2021, 05:58:27 am »

In the past, not sure how long ago... You didn't have to log in to read the forms. Now, unless you log in, clicking on a forum will download a .php file.

Yes it is the same for me ned. I thought I had found the reason for it, but no, I haven't and I still keep getting the same "php" type message unless I log in.

Hi Dave,
I have noticed a "new behavior" which is I think what you are describing. Here is what happens to me with my forum "workflow:"

I log in to the forum, and click on "Show unread posts since last visit." I am "logged in" on the initial window. When I see a thread I want to read, the problem will appear if if I open the thread in a new window. In a new window the thread is now logged out in that window, and the trouble has started. Alternately, if I simply click the link to open the thread in the same logged in window instead of opening a new window, I can read the thread because I am logged in, but, I must remember to click the back button. Why? If I close the thread window, I need to log in again from scratch, and here is the real kicker, the number of "unread posts" gets reset, and I loose the ability to see the "unread posts" I have missed. I hope this description is clear, but this is what happens and it did not work in this manner before. Not sure of the timing of when this started, but would guess it is this year.

I use private windows always, and always clear everything when I surf, cookies, caches, and history.

So long for now, Tom

Hi Tom, I surf the net in exactly the same way and so I think what we are all seeing the same problem and so I am wondering if there is a line of coding or script somewhere in the site, that hasn't been closed off correctly and so is causing a few strange anomalies in other parts of the code or scripts etc???

Dave
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