visit from nowhere?

[Tubby]

Checking some stats today I find 7 visits from http :// restored.classic.com/msgboard.mv

This page has not existed for years, when it did it never linked to the site recording the stats.

What makes it possible to get traffic from pages that do not exist?

.
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[Doc]

Are you on dial-up? :lol:

Sorry, Tub! I couldn't resist.

I'll be good now.

At least 'til I've had my coffee. ;)

[weegillis]

Could it be that a cached page has a call to an include that contains a more recently added stats script?

[flhu]

Were these different visitors? (I doubt it, even if they have different IPs)
Did they do anything suspicious while they were on your site?

[ron angel]

Checking some stats today I find 7 visits from http :// restored.classic.com/msgboard.mv

This page has not existed for years, when it did it never linked to the site recording the stats.

What makes it possible to get traffic from pages that do not exist?

.
.

The x-files,supernatural,aliens looking at pages & releasing them after a long time,ect ect.

or more probable you are getting hits from cached files (the same way that google cashes them or similar.
bet you were relieved that appears to be the answer.... or though the other stuff would be more interesting & an extra method of "unknown" seo

[flhu]

While not exact, the referer looks a lot like the type of web addresses that are used when some one is trying to do something fishy with my site... like they'll add something like "?refer=http:// restored.classics .com" to the end of my sites' urls, which I never fully understood either.

I'm thinking that it is a similar situation, but they have managed to change the HTTP_REFERER header. Still, I don't know why.

[netroact]

Hey Pat;
In the days before I used CAPTCHA in web forms, the spam bots would fake the referrer when they posted their spam as they knew my script would check the referrer.
I also had forum software on a website where spam bots would try all day to sign up with bogus environment info.
I currently have a site where someone is using bot software with all kinds of bogus ip, current page, referrer info. It's funny because they are using php files, and that site doesn't even use php. I think that in this case it's some local kiddie crackers, who are trying to scare me into thinking they have hacked me.
In your case I would guess that it is your competition trying to hide themselves, so that you won't know they are spying on your code. That's kinda silly though, since most websites have regualr visitors for no apparent reason in their stats. It could also be an old bot with old info in their database.
Of course, this is just my guess for what it's worth.

[Tubby]

No

The address they arrive from (according to the stats) is an old address of my own. It used to be a notice board - long gone. Even if it was not long gone this address never had a link to the site because the new site never existed. even if the old page were cached somewhere it never contained a link to the new site.

These visits do no harm. (far as I can see) It just seemed to be a question, and completely baffles me.

It is like a puzzle. I just thought some of the brighter sparks at WPW might have an answer.

nothing desperate, causes and no problem. . . . except whenever I see the link I say to myself 'What the F*%#K? ? ? ?


There are links going to this site from the same site as no longer existing page was situated. It must be some sort of residual memory that is attaching itself to a current link? ? (puzzle)

[Doc]

It almost sounds as if some sort of a loop has been created, when you modified some old links, Tubby, and a new link somehow got tied up with an old one, and one piggybacked in with the other.

Is that even possible?:neutral:

[Tubby]

Doc - the extinct page was a message board (.mv) this came with yahoo web hosting - you simply activated it and a message board was ready installed on your site.

The site it is sending traffic to, never even existed three months ago . . the message board was gone ages before that.

Still a mystery to me.

Docs question
Is that even possible?

something must be 'possible' - because it is being recorded as happening. ( hmmm?)

[Doc]

Doc - the extinct page was a message board (.mv) this came with yahoo web hosting - you simply activated it and a message board was ready installed on your site.

The site it is sending traffic to, never even existed three months ago . . the message board was gone ages before that.

Still a mystery to me.

Docs question
Is that even possible?

something must be 'possible' - because it is being recorded as happening. ( hmmm?)

What I meant by "is that even possible?" was, could it possibly be somehow piggybacking something old on a new link to the new site? I have inadvertently superimposed a new link right over an old one, and only the new one showed as visible, but sometimes one would activate, sometimes the other.

But I would assume that the file for the old board would have to still exist somewhere on your server, for that to happen.

Strange, to be sure!

[netroact]

But, won't other websites with this messageboard have a file called "msgboard.mv"? If so, they are just appending it to your website url, and using it for a referrer. I bet if you checked with other people that have that same message board, the bots are doing that on their website as well. I know you don't have that website or message board anymore, but the bots could still think you do.
It's just like the simple machines forum board I was using until recently. The bots would know what the name of the files were on this message board. They would just append that to my domain name, and call that a referrer. In my case they were trying to do auto-signups, so they could spam the board, but it never worked.

[deepsand]

Checking some stats today I find 7 visits from http :// restored.classic.com/msgboard.mv
Might be helpful if you post the full text of the server log entries in question.

[Tubby]

Deep - this is a site that I am in cooperation with (cooperative site) . the stats came with the site I believe. just your basic stuff.

I am considering putting in a request to get better statistics pages - but everyone associated with the site is working like busy little bees and priority for answering puzzling questions seems a bit too low for me to upset the equilibrium.

We are still working on the images and header. printing stickers, We have not yet sorted out a heap of stuff. I severely do not wish to piss anyone off that is busy by asking for stuff just because I find a question interesting.

I think I prefer at this stage to concentrate on being an asset to this small team. I will lobby for better statistics in six months time when we have some respectable traffic to analyze.

at this stage it is still puzzle . (but not an overly important one) I will get back at some stage with more info.

[deepsand]

Understood.

Without seeing the raw log data, we're just guessing.

BTW, I did rule out the possibility of stuff archived by the Wayback Machine; there's nothing at all there for restored.classic.com.

Stale bookmarks?

[weegillis]

You could change the name of your includes (snippets, scripts, etc.) and see if everything goes away.

[ron angel]

You could change the name of your includes (snippets, scripts, etc.) and see if everything goes away.

Then the seo that they have achieved may be lost if they have been there for a long time.

[weegillis]

The includes themselves would not have accumulated any PR, they're includes, server-side or client-side script. It's the pages that get PR.

[wige]

Looking at the restored . classic . com site, it looks like it is now just a scraper site. Based on the way all URLs redirect, I could see how someone with an old bookmark could have gone to your site, then clicked through to the new site.

[Tubby]

restored-classic .com is - first port of call for incoming adverts and navigation.


Old bookmark? hmmmm


definition
"A scraper site is a website that copies all of its content from other websites using web scraping. No part of a scraper site is original. ..."

heartbroken wige