Frommers.com

[timzeipekis]

<p>Whenever I go here, I get a google warning that this site hosts malicious malware. When I click for more info, I get this link.......<a href="http://safebrowsing.clients.google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?site=http://statcntr.com/news/income.php%3Fs%3D5714&client=googlechrome&hl=en-US">http://safebrowsing.clients.google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?site=http://statcntr.com/news/income.php%3Fs%3D5714&client=googlechrome&hl=en-US</a><br>

Just want to be sure I'm safe.......</p>

[William Kahn]

<p>I'd stay away from it, until the site admin gets a handle on the problem. It wouldn't hurt to run an anti-virus scan on your machine, also.</p>

[timzeipekis]

<p>Yeah, did that right after. Thanks William!</p>

[bobatkins]

<p>I don't quite understand what you are trying to say. The title says "frommers.com" not photo.net. Then you say whenever I go "here"...."this site"....</p>

<p>What do "here" and "this site" refer to? Frommers.com or photo.net. If it's frommers.com what's the association with photo.net?</p>

[joshroot]

<p>Is it a Frommers.com ad you are seeing on photo.net?</p>

<p>If you are asking about visiting Frommers.com itself, this really should be in Off-Topic rather than the "Photo.net Site HElp" forum. Otherwise its kind of confusing.</p>

[timzeipekis]

<p>Sorry guys that it's place in the "wrong" forum. Excuse me. It's displayed as a "exclusive offer" that's right in the middle of our workspace homepage. What a fool of me to think this was associated with photo.net.<br>

 

<p>Bob, Photo.net provides a link as an "exclusive offer" from photo.net on our workspace homepage. I'd consider that an "association". </p>

 

<p>That's the only info you can provide? that I picked the wrong forum. Thats very helpful, thanks.<br>

Maybe you guy's shouldn't attack anyone who has a question and make them feel stupid. Isn't that the reason for a site help forum?<br>

Pardon me.</p>

[joshroot]

<p>Heavens Tim,</p>

<p>Calm down.</p>

<p>Perhaps some more information in your original post would have eliminated any confusion. After all, it's not like your post said anything about where you saw the ad or where on the site you were seeing it or even that it was an ad or in your workspace area. It was perfectly legitimate for Bob and I to both be confused and to ask for further questions.</p>

<p>We aren't mind readers.</p>

<p>Now that I actually have that information, I can look into the issue.</p>

[timzeipekis]

<p>I figured the subject reading "frommers.com" and the explanation that "Whenever I go here, I get a google warning that this site hosts malicious malware." Followed by an actual link to the warning information I was referring to was more than adequate.<br>

The "technical editor" had no idea frommers.com was associated with photo.net<br>

So I got a lesson in grammar for using "here" instead of "there" and a I was corrected as to what forum I should've chosen.<br>

There are better ways to gather more information and to correct confusion than by making the person asking the question feel stupid.<br>

Next time, I won't bother. </p>

[joshroot]

<p>Tim, you are being pretty unfair. It is obvious that neither Bob nor I were aware of the Frommers link from the workspace area. It is a new sponsorship that just started and we simply didn't know that it existed. In that context, how could we have understood what you were asking? "Here" or "there" isn't the problem, the problem was that we didn't know what (or where) "here" or "there" referred to. Your original post made no mention of where on photo.net you were coming from nor did it give any other information that would have given us a clue as to how the issue was connected with photo.net. Bob particularly should be excused from any sort of blame in this situation, as he has nothing to do with advertising or sponsorships. I myself am annoyed (not with you, just with the fact that I was unaware of the Frommers sponsorship), because I should have been notified of a new sponsorship and was not. So I wasn't aware of anything having to do with Frommers. you also have to remember that not everyone uses the site the same way. So something that might be glaring and obvious to you might not be glaring and obvious to everyone. As much information as possible, even to the point of being redundant, is the best path when making a bug report.</p>

<p>We do our best around here and you have been on the site long enough to know how hard those of us who run the site work to make it the best we can. But we're only human, just like you, and can't be perfect all of the time. I apologize for the confusion and wish that I had been able to help you sooner. But as I said, I think your subsequent replies have been more than a little unfair.</p>

[timzeipekis]

<p>I understand this is a big site and I can't imagine the amount of work that goes into it. I appreciate that. I thought that two people who are as heavily involved with the site as you and Bob would be aware of what sponsors photo.net is affiliated with. I think it's a fair assumption from my standpoint. <br /> You say my reaction is unfair.<br /> I simply tried to make you guys aware of something that I thought my be harmful to your subscribers. I could've have just ignored it. I don't get paid to monitor photo.net. I was just trying to be helpful.<br /> All you or Bob had to do was ask for more information if you didn't understand. Instead, you both chose to criticize the wording of the question and point out that I chose the wrong forum. That, I found, unnecessary and unfair. <br /> I see it a lot in the forums. People asking questions and others jump all over them for asking a "stupid" question. Usually I think twice before posting in the forums because of the negativity there, but this, I thought, might be important.<br /> I'm just saying, your initial responses rubbed me the wrong way.</p>

<p> </p>

[bobatkins]

<p>Chill out. I think you're being WAY oversensitive. All I said was :</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>I don't quite understand what you are trying to say. The title says "frommers.com" not photo.net. Then you say whenever I go "here"...."this site"....<br>

What do "here" and "this site" refer to? Frommers.com or photo.net. If it's frommers.com what's the association with photo.net?</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Not sure where I didn't "ask for more information", since that is exactly what I thought I had done.</p>

<p>I'm afraid I'm not aware of every ad on every page on the site (and neither is Josh as far as I know). If you have problems with an ad displayed here, please say so. Don't assume we know everything about every ad served on every page because we don't. Ads are served by 3rd party agencies. Most of the time we have no idea which ad will appear where (or when).</p>

<p>The more information you provide, the more likely it is we can do something to help.</p>

<p>BTW I'm not an employee of the site. I just write for it and do some minor admin tasks. I have no idea who is an advertiser and who isn't as I'm not in any way associated with the business end of things (nor do I wish to be!).</p>

<p> </p>

[timzeipekis]

<p>That's fine. I misinterpreted the "tone" of your typing. I'm overreacting and humbly beg your forgiveness. I'll move on. <br>

Any info on what I was actually inquiring about?</p>

[joshroot]

<p>I'm looking into it and have the ad/programming guys doing so as well.</p>

<p>I can't make any sort of alert happen for me and as of the end of the day (east coast) the ad people hadn't given me any info either."statcntr" sounds like one of the sites that advertisers use to keep track of clicks and impressions, but I've never heard of it.</p>

<p>However, there isn't a google search that turns up much except for a couple forum sites having the same issue. No real explanation of what (if anything) that statcntr does or has done. And in fact, if you replace the site name in that google "report" to photo.net, you get equally weird results:</p>

<p>http://safebrowsing.clients.google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?site=photo.net/</p>

<p>We have nothing to do with any of that stuff.</p>

<p>So I'm at a loss and am hoping that it's something one of the ad guys knows about.</p>

[timzeipekis]

<p>ok</p>

[joshroot]

<p>It should be noted that, as far as I can tell, Frommers.com has nothing to do with any sort of malware or problem sites. The are a legit company with a long history. I would believe almost any other explanation before I would believe that they were behind some sort of plan to infect the computers of PN users. Not that Tim or anyone was accusing them of that.</p>

[timzeipekis]

<p>I went to the link again a couple times and I DID NOT receive the warning. I DID receive the warning at least twice BEFORE this posting. Maybe the matter has been resolved by Frommers.</p>