Who is changing Facebook links to affiliate ones?

I know someone else has come across this before, since there’s a page on it here.    The very same thing has begun happening on Autocade, whenever the Facebook link is clicked. I’d love to blame Facebook, but I don’t believe it’s them.    I’ve contacted Sovrn (formerly Viglinks) as the discussion board participants identify […]

Read More… from Who is changing Facebook links to affiliate ones?



Another milestone: 16 million page views for Autocade

Looks like the viewing rate has picked up again for Autocade despite a relative lack of updates over the last six months (in no small part due to our move). Tomorrow it’ll exceed 16 million page views.    Some of the last few entries have been about filling in gaps: the Renault Clio V is […]

Read More… from Another milestone: 16 million page views for Autocade



A very humble 3,800th entry on Autocade

We almost never plan which car winds up being the x hundredth model entered into Autocade, and here’s proof.    The humble, boxy Mazda Demio (DY) was the 3,800th entry in Autocade. It makes a nice change from all the SUVs that have found their way on to the database in recent months, even if […]

Read More… from A very humble 3,800th entry on Autocade



Autocade turns 11 as the web turns 30

The latest model to appear on Autocade today: the Mazda CX-30. It’s March, which means Autocade has had another birthday. Eleven years ago, I started a car encyclopædia using Mediawiki software, and it’s since grown to 3,600 model entries. The story has been told elsewhere on this blog. What I hadn’t realized till today was […]

Read More… from Autocade turns 11 as the web turns 30



Why paywalls are getting more prevalent; and The Guardian Weekly rethought

Megan McArdle’s excellent op–ed in The Washington Post, ‘A farewell to free journalism’, has been bookmarked on my phone for months. It’s a very good summary of where things are for digital media, and how the advent of Google and Facebook along with the democratization of the internet have reduced online advertising income to a […]

Read More… from Why paywalls are getting more prevalent; and The Guardian Weekly rethought



Autocade hits 14,000,000 page views, and we start a YouTube channel

Above: Behind the scenes of the Škoda Karoq road test for Autocade. I hadn’t kept track of Autocade’s statistics for a while, and was pleasantly surprised to see it had crossed 14,000,000 page views (in fact, it’s on 14,140,072 at the time of writing). Using some basic mathematics, and assuming it hit 13,000,000 on May […]

Read More… from Autocade hits 14,000,000 page views, and we start a YouTube channel



Autocade hits 13 million; and what’s the deal with Nissan’s withdrawal from mainstream passenger cars?

Some time during May, Autocade exceeded 13 million page views. I can’t tell you the exact day, since it wasn’t a milestone that we’re socialized into noticing: I just happened across it one evening last week. It’s currently on 3,665 model entries, the latest being the Porsche 944. Admittedly, we haven’t added the premium brands […]

Read More… from Autocade hits 13 million; and what’s the deal with Nissan’s withdrawal from mainstream passenger cars?



Happy birthday: Autocade turns 10

Above: Autocade can be hard work—and sometimes you have to put up less exciting vehicles, like the 2001–7 Chrysler Town & Country, for it to be a useful resource. March 8, 2018 marks 10 years of Autocade.    I’ve told the story before on this blog and elsewhere, about how the site came to be—annoyed […]

Read More… from Happy birthday: Autocade turns 10



It took a little longer, but Autocade reaches 12 million views

It’s a little disappointing to note that Autocade has taken slightly longer to reach 12 million page views: it ticked over to its new milestone earlier today. I really had hoped that we’d get there before 2017 was out, but it was not to be.    Part of it might have been the slower rate […]

Read More… from It took a little longer, but Autocade reaches 12 million views



Saving the internet from itself—Sir Tim Berners-Lee sees the same dangers

Above: The Intercept is well respected, yet Google cozying up to corporate media meant its traffic has suffered, according to Alternet. There’s a select group of countries where media outlets are losing traffic, all because Facebook is experimenting with moving all news items out of the news feed and on to a separate page.   […]

Read More… from Saving the internet from itself—Sir Tim Berners-Lee sees the same dangers