Top Ten thinkTRIBE Blogs 2017

12th December 2017

One of the things that gives us most satisfaction is sharing our expertise on the thinkTRIBE blog. Every month we aim to post stories – mostly gained from real-life experiences with clients – that offer insights on recent innovations, advice on tackling tech challenges, and tips on preparing for high-traffic periods.

Recently, we analysed our page view data to see which blog posts had attracted the most interest during 2017 to help us plan a strategy for next year’s blog schedule; we’re summarising them here as a potted guide to load testing and web monitoring best practice.

10. Synthetic monitoring – when to choose real browser or emulated monitoring?

thinkTRIBE offers a choice of two highly synthetic monitoring tools – Real Browser and Emulated. Real Browser monitoring returns a unique insight into the CX, while Emulated helps diagnose server and network problems quickly and efficiently. Check out the blog to learn how using these approaches in concert is the best approach to effective monitoring – and see how our Video Replayer function makes troubleshooting a piece of cake.

9. Platform migration checklist

A number of customers have migrated to new platforms this year. Some have taken the plunge in response to the challenges of managing an increasingly complex site, others to enable scalability in the future. We’ve assisted clients in effecting a smooth transition from old to new by carrying out realistic load tests so there are no nasty surprises when the big switch happens. If you’re planning a platform migration, you should find our checklist invaluable.

8. Neilson transitions to a new platform to manage peak traffic

Speaking of platform migrations, this blog post demonstrates how, by taking a carefully planned and well-resourced approach to shifting operations to a new platform, you can make an orderly transition – even when you’re approaching your peak sales period. There’s always something to be learned from others’ experiences – which is why our case studies are such a valuable resource.

7. Roundtable cogitations on peak traffic preparation

For many of our clients, preparing for peak traffic periods is the number one priority. Reputations – and sales figures – can rest on the quality of the CX when a website is under pressure from browsers and buyers looking to cash in on a seasonal sale. This roundtable event in March enabled thinkTRIBE clients and partners to share their peak traffic experiences and learn from those of others. Definitely worth a look.

6. How to optimise your CICD pipeline with synthetic monitoring

CICD (continuous integrations, continuous deployment) is the latest watchword in DevOps. This agile methodology releases updates as soon as they are available, creating a continuous cycle of integration and testing. thinkTRIBE can help by monitoring performance in staging and production environments. Find out more in this informative blog post.

web site performance

5. Why traditional load testing no longer cuts the mustard

As websites become increasingly complex – and users’ expectations correspondingly higher – it’s essential that businesses deliver a satisfactory UX even when under pressure. Discover how traditional load testing methodologies, such as measuring concurrent users, don’t return the realistic results that thinkTRIBE’s realistic load testing model, based on real user journeys, does.

4. Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages – the key to faster browsing?

Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) project is raising the stakes on mobile web performance. But, could this proprietary solution have potentially negative implications for web developers and their clients? Will AMP encourage the creation of more responsive sites or will it impose unfair restrictions on publishers?

3. How to prepare for Black Friday

Our Black Friday blogs always resonate with clients. As this event heralds the beginning of the all-important run-up to Christmas and is, for many, the most important trading period of the year, we review last year’s figures and offer our advice on how to prepare for profits (spoiler: it’s all in the planning!).

Mobile performance

2. Top five mobile performance issues

Research shows that mobile continues to drive not only web usage but also performance expectations. Unless you can deliver your service quickly and effectively on a mobile device, you won’t persuade users to stick around for long enough to convert browsing into buying. thinkTRIBE’s genuine iOS/Android synthetic monitoring shows how you can optimise mobile performance.

1. Realistic load testing models for Black Friday 2017

Our top spot this year – by a long chalk – goes to a blog pondering the ingredients of a successful load testing programme as part of Black Friday preparations. We talk through the advantages of realistic load testing that maps genuine customer journeys, so providing realistic data that will help plan for a successful peak traffic period.

thinkTRIBE provides a cloud-based, managed service precisely tailored to each client’s business and designed to optimise web performance. If you’d like more information about how taking a more realistic approach to load testing and performance monitoring could help improve your customer experience, download our ebooks.