Author Topic: Weather Underground Keeps Webcams (for now)  (Read 3178 times)

jennajon

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Weather Underground Keeps Webcams (for now)
« on: December 12, 2017, 10:49:11 AM »
Seems they bowed under pressure and webcams are remaining.
Received this early this morning;

To our webcam community members:

We heard from many of you about how much you like and rely on our webcam product. So we will not discontinue the product as we stated in November. We will continue to allow users to add webcams to the Weather Underground network and everyone can view images from connected webcams.

Thank you for your passionate support and apologies for any inconvenience we caused.


The WU Team


--jenna

Blicj11

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Re: Weather Underground Keeps Webcams (for now)
« Reply #1 on: December 12, 2017, 04:22:57 PM »
Well, I guess I will have to go turn my webcam feed to WU back on. Thanks for the update.
Blick


elagache

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IBM under the squeeze (Re: Weather Underground Keeps Webcams)
« Reply #2 on: December 13, 2017, 12:19:22 AM »
Dear Jenna, Blick, and WeatherCat WU data providers,

Thanks for the update.  I also got the same email and my webcam feed is working reasonably well although I'm getting once more the FTP upload errors occasionally.

I'm hearing from the grapevine that IBM got a little too enthusiastic making acquisitions in an attempt to catch up on cloud computing.  Since their profits were already suffering from being behind the curve, all these acquisitions are now getting looked over to see where some cuts can be made.  It appears that IBM foolishly tried to get some savings from Weather Underground, forgetting that this is one of their public services.  My guess is that the public relations folks won the argument and that IBM will look for cost savings away from where the public can be effected.

Cheers, Edouard 

Randall75

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Re: Weather Underground Keeps Webcams (for now)
« Reply #3 on: December 13, 2017, 08:50:48 PM »
Hi Weathercatters
 I never lost my webcam feed to WU.
i check it everyday so don't know what to say
when did you lose your feed to them?

cheers

elagache

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Supposed to end later this month (Re: Weather Underground Keeps Webcams)
« Reply #4 on: December 13, 2017, 10:31:01 PM »
Hi Randall and WeatherCat data submission junkies,

I never lost my webcam feed to WU.
i check it everyday so don't know what to say
when did you lose your feed to them?

The date when the service was going to be discontinued was later this month.  However, some of us just gave up immediately in disgust.  Indeed premature.

Cheers, Edouard

Blicj11

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Re: Weather Underground Keeps Webcams (for now)
« Reply #5 on: December 13, 2017, 11:21:57 PM »
I was one who stopped uploading to them. But for several months before that, my camera would be routinely disconnected from my WU site. Then after a few days it would crank back up again. My uploads never stopped. They just stopped displaying them.
Blick


xairbusdriver

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Re: Weather Underground Keeps Webcams (for now)
« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2017, 11:47:37 PM »
I was too lazy to even stop uploading! [blush] I just went back and noticed a strange item in "My Profile->Member Settings".
Code: [Select]
Status            Expiration:    Signed Up:
Paid Membership   12/8/2018      9/23/2014
Of course, I don't remember any payment. But I'm wondering if his is part of their 'plan' for 'supporting' continued displaying of our data/images. Looks like I have nearly a year to decide... :)

Just found another interesting item:
  • Status:       No-Ads Paid Membership
  • Expiration:  2018-12-08 18:23:22
  • Signed Up:  2014-09-23 13:24:38
Perhaps that explains the future fee structure plan? At the present time, it doesn't appear they are using Flash or javascript to display ads or the page with my data & image. That could change, of course...
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF COUNTRIES
Those that use metric = #1 Measurement system
And the United States = The Banana system


Blicj11

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Re: Weather Underground Keeps Webcams (for now)
« Reply #7 on: December 14, 2017, 04:58:46 PM »
Nothing new Xair, except for your discovery of how WU works. When you create an account and upload data from your PWS, WU grants you a paid membership, the only significant value of which is when you are signed into your account whilst looking at WU you do not have to view ads. This is desktop only. Ads are still displayed in their iOS apps even when you are logged in. When you hit your paid membership expiration date, if you are still uploading data, they will auto renew you for another term. At least this is how they have operated for years. When they start charging us for uploading data, we can all stop uploading and concentrate on complaining about the weather.
Blick


xairbusdriver

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Re: Weather Underground Keeps Webcams (for now)
« Reply #8 on: December 14, 2017, 05:50:02 PM »
Thanks for the explanation! As someone wise once said, "It's great when things turn out to have simple solutions". :P
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF COUNTRIES
Those that use metric = #1 Measurement system
And the United States = The Banana system


The Grand Poohbah

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Re: Weather Underground Keeps Webcams (for now)
« Reply #9 on: December 14, 2017, 06:43:31 PM »
Nothing new Xair, except for your discovery of how WU works. When you create an account and upload data from your PWS, WU grants you a paid membership, the only significant value of which is when you are signed into your account whilst looking at WU you do not have to view ads. This is desktop only. Ads are still displayed in their iOS apps even when you are logged in. When you hit your paid membership expiration date, if you are still uploading data, they will auto renew you for another term. At least this is how they have operated for years. When they start charging us for uploading data, we can all stop uploading and concentrate on complaining about the weather.

You can be ad-free in the iOS apps. Use the "Remove Ads" setting in Storm and Wunderground. If you are uploading your weather data, you should be ad-free in the iOS apps until your expiration date.

Blicj11

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Re: Weather Underground Keeps Webcams (for now)
« Reply #10 on: December 14, 2017, 08:04:26 PM »
When I click on Remove Ads in Storm it says, "We are no longer offering AD-FREE subscriptions. If you already have an active subscription, Storm Radar will remain AD-FREE until your subscription expires."

When I click on Remove Ads in WU, the app crashes.
Blick


xairbusdriver

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Re: Weather Underground Keeps Webcams (for now)
« Reply #11 on: December 14, 2017, 08:10:10 PM »
Quote
When I click on Remove Ads in WU, the app crashes.
Well, you didn't get any ads! [rolleyes2] Isn't that what you wanted? sheesh! Some people would complain if they were hung with a new rope!!! [banghead] lol(1)
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF COUNTRIES
Those that use metric = #1 Measurement system
And the United States = The Banana system


The Grand Poohbah

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Re: Weather Underground Keeps Webcams (for now)
« Reply #12 on: December 15, 2017, 06:42:15 PM »
Quote
When I click on Remove Ads in Storm it says, "We are no longer offering AD-FREE subscriptions. If you already have an active subscription, Storm Radar will remain AD-FREE until your subscription expires."

Mine says that too, but it also shows my weather station sign-on name and "AD-FREE UNTIL..". Have you signed in? Maybe the app just needs to know who you are.

Blicj11

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Re: Weather Underground Keeps Webcams (for now)
« Reply #13 on: December 15, 2017, 07:09:39 PM »
That's what it is. It won't let me sign in. Does not recognize my username and/or password in iOS, although it recognizes them everywhere else.
Blick


xairbusdriver

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Re: Weather Underground Keeps Webcams (for now)
« Reply #14 on: December 15, 2017, 08:20:37 PM »
"...Does not recognize my username and/or password in iOS..."
iOS uses smaller electrons. They don't always work at some older sites, especially those with "memory leaks".
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF COUNTRIES
Those that use metric = #1 Measurement system
And the United States = The Banana system