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Whirlpool (website)
Encyclopedia
Whirlpool is an Australian broadband user web site, started in 1998 by founder, Simon Wright. Since then, it has grown significantly with over 450,000 registered users (as of 16 September 2011) while remaining independent.
's BigPond
cable
Internet service. However, it soon expanded to cover Optus
' Optus@Home cable Internet service (now known as OptusNet), ADSL
based services, and other forms of broadband in Australia as they became available.
The website undergoes occasional re-designs; the most recent re-design included a new logo and was implemented on 3 April 2008.
was commencing legal action against Whirlpool founder, Simon Wright, for posts made by users in the Whirlpool forums that 2Clix claimed were "false and malicious". 2Clix claimed it had lost approximately A$
150,000 income per month between January and July 2007 and sued for this amount plus legal costs.
Whirlpool users responded immediately by sending Paypal
donations to assist with the site's legal costs, with some users claiming they'd sent donations exceeding A$
1,000. The co-founder of PIPE Networks
personally pledged a donation of A$
10,000 towards the cause.
On 19 September 2007 2Clix solicitor
s stated that they had received instructions to discontinue the case.
Broadband Choice allows a user to find options available to them and to filter them by features such as price, speed and usage limits. In most cases, details about Internet service provider
s (ISPs) and their plans are maintained by staff of each ISP, which are then editorially approved by Whirlpool. A few ISPs, such as Telstra
, are maintained by Whirlpool. Small or niche ISPs who are unaware of the website or are uninterested in submitting their plans may not be listed.
). Representatives from many Australian service providers, hardware vendors and merchants use Whirlpool as a strictly non-official support and communication channel.
Some features present on other message boards such as signature
s, avatar
s and in-line images have been excluded by design to keep the site 'clean'. Many of the long term users agree that despite some shortcomings, Whirlpool's differences are beneficial to the forum, and set it apart from "pre-written" forum software.
Whirlpool uses an 'open moderation' policy, so when threads and posts are deleted or moved, placeholders are left allowing users to see the moderation that has taken place. This is different from other forum software, where deleted threads may simply disappear from view, and posts may be edited by moderators unbeknownst to users. As a result, any moderation is more obvious than on most typical internet forum
s, which use off-the-shelf
software like phpBB
or vBulletin
.
The forum also has very few off-topic areas (known as 'lounges'), which are generally only available to long standing or highly active members of the community.
Until recently, Whirlpool's servers suffered from capacity issues, which were handled by 'cooling down' the server when load exceeded capacity. The cooling down message was affectionately known as a TSOD (Teal Screen of Death, a play on the Windows BSOD
) and become part of the forum culture. Whirlpool now has ample server capacity, consigning TSOD messages into history.
. It is an accumulation of information put together by forum users in 'sticky threads' over time, with the hope of cutting down forum clutter while also allowing more collaborative content development. It includes information that is difficult to find aggregated into one place elsewhere, such as the Australian Exchange Guide(a guide to the locations of Australian telephone exchanges), a list of Australian computer shops and a list of Australian VoIP providers.
. Phil Sweeney assists by writing news and keeping Broadband Choice updated.
Previously, Whirlpool existed with no revenue stream. Unlike many forums, Whirlpool had no banners nor paid advertising. Recently, the owner has begun using Google AdSense
in pages that result from Google searches, for users who are not logged in.
Bandwidth
and web hosting
are donated by Bulletproof Networks, an Australian hosting company, and all site administrative tasks are conducted by a team of unpaid volunteer members who have been given special privileges over time as they have built trust among the online community.
to build strong grass-roots support and trust with their customer base. Whirlpool.net.au is rare in that relatively few online forums offer the ability for customers to discuss topics and issues with not only each other on a national basis, but also with the vast majority of large service providers in one spot.
History
Whirlpool started as a pun on the name of TelstraTelstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
's BigPond
BigPond
BigPond is an Australian Internet service provider and is a product of Telstra. BigPond is Australia's largest ISP and based in Melbourne.- Internet :...
cable
Cable modem
A cable modem is a type of network bridge and modem that provides bi-directional data communication via radio frequency channels on a HFC and RFoG infrastructure. Cable modems are primarily used to deliver broadband Internet access in the form of cable Internet, taking advantage of the high...
Internet service. However, it soon expanded to cover Optus
Optus
SingTel Optus Pty Limited is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications...
' Optus@Home cable Internet service (now known as OptusNet), ADSL
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
Asymmetric digital subscriber line is a type of digital subscriber line technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. It does this by utilizing frequencies that are not used by a voice...
based services, and other forms of broadband in Australia as they became available.
The website undergoes occasional re-designs; the most recent re-design included a new logo and was implemented on 3 April 2008.
2Clix controversy
On 11 September 2007 it was announced that 2Clix Software2Clix Software
2Clix Software is a software developer in based in Australia. The name comes from the company's philosophy that "Nothing should take more than 2 clicks to open".-History:...
was commencing legal action against Whirlpool founder, Simon Wright, for posts made by users in the Whirlpool forums that 2Clix claimed were "false and malicious". 2Clix claimed it had lost approximately A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
150,000 income per month between January and July 2007 and sued for this amount plus legal costs.
Whirlpool users responded immediately by sending Paypal
PayPal
PayPal is an American-based global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders....
donations to assist with the site's legal costs, with some users claiming they'd sent donations exceeding A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
1,000. The co-founder of PIPE Networks
PIPE Networks
PIPE Networks is an Australian company, based in Brisbane, Queensland, primarily involved in setting up peering exchanges. PIPE itself stands for "Public Internet Peering Exchange"...
personally pledged a donation of A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
10,000 towards the cause.
On 19 September 2007 2Clix solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
s stated that they had received instructions to discontinue the case.
Broadband Choice
A significant part of the site is the Broadband Choice facility. Its database of over 8,654 services from 222 providers (as of 18 June 2009) makes it the most comprehensive list of Internet plans and prices in Australia.Broadband Choice allows a user to find options available to them and to filter them by features such as price, speed and usage limits. In most cases, details about Internet service provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
s (ISPs) and their plans are maintained by staff of each ISP, which are then editorially approved by Whirlpool. A few ISPs, such as Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
, are maintained by Whirlpool. Small or niche ISPs who are unaware of the website or are uninterested in submitting their plans may not be listed.
Whirlpool forums
The purpose of the forums is to provide a place to discuss broadband and related areas (such as networkingComputer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
). Representatives from many Australian service providers, hardware vendors and merchants use Whirlpool as a strictly non-official support and communication channel.
Some features present on other message boards such as signature
Signature block
A signature block is a block of text automatically appended at the bottom of an e-mail message, Usenet article, or forum post. This has the effect of "signing off" the message and in a reply message of indicating that no more response follows...
s, avatar
Avatar (computing)
In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It can also refer to a text...
s and in-line images have been excluded by design to keep the site 'clean'. Many of the long term users agree that despite some shortcomings, Whirlpool's differences are beneficial to the forum, and set it apart from "pre-written" forum software.
Whirlpool uses an 'open moderation' policy, so when threads and posts are deleted or moved, placeholders are left allowing users to see the moderation that has taken place. This is different from other forum software, where deleted threads may simply disappear from view, and posts may be edited by moderators unbeknownst to users. As a result, any moderation is more obvious than on most typical internet forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
s, which use off-the-shelf
Commercial off-the-shelf
In the United States, Commercially available Off-The-Shelf is a Federal Acquisition Regulation term defining a nondevelopmental item of supply that is both commercial and sold in substantial quantities in the commercial marketplace, and that can be procured or utilized under government contract...
software like phpBB
PhpBB
phpBB is a popular Internet forum package written in the PHP scripting language. The name "phpBB" is an abbreviation of PHP Bulletin Board...
or vBulletin
VBulletin
vBulletin is a proprietary Internet forum software produced by Jelsoft Enterprises and vBulletin Solutions, both subsidiaries of Internet Brands. It is written in PHP and uses a MySQL database server.-History:...
.
The forum also has very few off-topic areas (known as 'lounges'), which are generally only available to long standing or highly active members of the community.
Until recently, Whirlpool's servers suffered from capacity issues, which were handled by 'cooling down' the server when load exceeded capacity. The cooling down message was affectionately known as a TSOD (Teal Screen of Death, a play on the Windows BSOD
BSoD
BSoD is an initialism. It may stand for:* Blue Screen of Death* Black Screen of Death...
) and become part of the forum culture. Whirlpool now has ample server capacity, consigning TSOD messages into history.
Knowledge Base
Whirlpool has its own WikiWiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
. It is an accumulation of information put together by forum users in 'sticky threads' over time, with the hope of cutting down forum clutter while also allowing more collaborative content development. It includes information that is difficult to find aggregated into one place elsewhere, such as the Australian Exchange Guide(a guide to the locations of Australian telephone exchanges), a list of Australian computer shops and a list of Australian VoIP providers.
The people behind the site
Simon Wright, as founder and main developer, developed the site in ColdFusionColdFusion
In computing, ColdFusion is the name of a commercial rapid application development platform invented by Jeremy and JJ Allaire in 1995. ColdFusion was originally designed to make it easier to connect simple HTML pages to a database, by version 2 it had...
. Phil Sweeney assists by writing news and keeping Broadband Choice updated.
Previously, Whirlpool existed with no revenue stream. Unlike many forums, Whirlpool had no banners nor paid advertising. Recently, the owner has begun using Google AdSense
AdSense
Google AdSense which is a program run by Google Inc. allows publishers in the Google Network of content sites to automatically serve text, image, video, and rich media adverts that are targeted to site content and audience. These adverts are administered, sorted, and maintained by Google, and they...
in pages that result from Google searches, for users who are not logged in.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth (computing)
In computer networking and computer science, bandwidth, network bandwidth, data bandwidth, or digital bandwidth is a measure of available or consumed data communication resources expressed in bits/second or multiples of it .Note that in textbooks on wireless communications, modem data transmission,...
and web hosting
Web hosting service
A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to make their own website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server they own or lease for use by their clients as well as providing Internet...
are donated by Bulletproof Networks, an Australian hosting company, and all site administrative tasks are conducted by a team of unpaid volunteer members who have been given special privileges over time as they have built trust among the online community.
Relationship with ISPs
A unique property of Whirlpool is the degree of participation from industry players. A reasonable number of the more progressive ISPs have recognised the potential for Whirlpool.net.au to act as a bi-directional communication channel with their customers. While this very direct communication with their customers presents many challenges, it also allows ISPsInternet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
to build strong grass-roots support and trust with their customer base. Whirlpool.net.au is rare in that relatively few online forums offer the ability for customers to discuss topics and issues with not only each other on a national basis, but also with the vast majority of large service providers in one spot.
Awards
- Best Technology Media Website, Sun Microsystems MediaConnect IT Journalism Awards
- Nominated, 2003
- Winner, 2004
- Winner, 2005
- Finalist, 2006
- Best Technology Title, Sun Microsystems MediaConnect IT Journalism Awards
- Winner, 2004
- Most Popular Website, News and Media - IT Media, HitwiseHitwiseExperian Hitwise is a global online competitive intelligence service which collects data directly from ISP networks to aid website managers in analysing trends in visitor behavior and to measure website market share. The Hitwise product is a commercial platform whereby customers pay Hitwise a...
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