PN still Maintaining the Database, still not talkin' about it.

Yep. I first asked on June 25 why I could not post a positive feedback for

someone who'd sold me a camera, then again a little later, and now it's today

and the mystery remains.

 

If you have a good transaction, or get ripped off by another member, you have no

way of telling the community right now, because when you try to post something,

you are told it would only get lost, as "we are still maintaining the database".

This may even have been going on for sometime before I tried to post a

recommendation.

 

And membership has no priveleges, because this is the third time I've asked to

no reply.

 

I hope neighbor-to-neighbor isn't being phased out; it changes the nature of the

classifieds to more of a "buyer beware" zone.

I have always liked the Neighbor to Neighbor feature of PhotoNet, and have used it frequently to research my photographic purchases. I truly hope that it will not go away (as did much of the other value of the this site). Regards.

It seems to be in the nature of the way Photo.net 'decisions' 'sometimes' are 'made' or 'revealed' possibly to use a more appropriate term to recount how several other decisions were unveiled.

 

When I requested 'thumbnails' and better software be added to 'Presentations' for those of us who have tried to make huge presentations, I never received an answer (that I saw); the present software allows only very limited movement of photos within a presentation and then only by caption (and then only if you're lucky enough to recall what caption a photo has), and with a Presentation with 100s of photos, it's simply too unwieldy for me to continue.

 

But this presaged a recent revelation by Brian M. that he's probably going to introduce some sort way members can 'sort' their photos within folders or within their portfolio -- which does not obviate the 'Presentations' question, but makes it far less pressing.

 

There never has been a known Administration reply to my several inquiries about Presentation organization software (or my memory fails me).

 

Similarly, with the Critique only portion of the Request for Critique, it was popular with a few members, but not useful for drawing large numbers of views and the Administration judged it not valuable for the site.

 

Ultimately the 'buttons' for accessing the photos apparently (if I read postings correctly) got 'hidden' and one had to use one's imagination to 'find' them to find the 'critique only' photos. It was not that the 'critique only' section was outlawed; it was just made so inaccessible that it was in a sort of Photo.net Siberia -- exiled in a way.

 

That's the site's prerogative, but it was done without consultation, and without announcement. Later, after complaints, it was explained by the Administration.

 

So, one possible surmise -- that neighbor-to-neighbor is being phased out, is a clear possibility, and the manner in which you infer it's meeting its demise is consistent with PN's manner sometimes of dumping things. It has the right to do so, but it would be nice if people were told, however sometimes reactions are entirely negative and Brian took several years of heat over the ratings where he couldn't do one right thing (in the view of most members who posted) so there is maybe an understandable reluctance to make announcements that a few are bound to oppose vehemently, and to just 'let it happen.

 

Sort of reminds me of Richard Nixon's policy towards 'Civil Rights' -- 'benign neglect' was the term he used (just let it alone -- don't touch it -- don't exactly kill it, but don't pay attention to it either, -- but in Nixon's case that may have been 'code' for 'kill Civil Rights if you can get away with it.'

 

If Photo.net doeesn't deign to answer your written letters and postings, then that is your answer. The Administration is far from dumb and little happens without a purpose when it's consistently brought to the Administration's attention, so maybe they have grander plans they don't care to reveal yet, or there are legal liabilities they are concerned about they don't want to discuss for fear of planting the idea for a lawsuit in someone's brain (slander, slander of title, libel, etc., are torts that 'feedback' forums easily can foster, and the Administration surely has few dollars to spend on legal counsel over serious matters let alone piddly stuff like ruffled feelings and hurt egos from negative feedback that turns out to spark a defamation lawsuit against the site from an errant feedback poster.

 

So, Jack, best advice (from me only and based on watching your posts go unresponded to, as I have no special knowledge and write only from observation) is just sit back and see what happens. The person you tried to praise has been praised, though in this forum, so your initial purpose has been accomplished.

 

Maybe the classifieds are going to be phased out, or they're going to be expanded in some unknown way and nobody knows how (or it's in dispute or planning stages), and no one wants to talk at the present.

 

You've made your point and now's a good time to sit back and be patient -- the ball's in the other court.

 

John (Crosley)

brian told me this was going to be fixed last weekend...

so I will ask what the hold up is.

Still "Maintaining the Database", still not answering this query. 2 days later.

 

I'll be back.

A fine and intelligent comment by J. Crosley. I, too, have been simply ignored on this topic--except for one post that was removed as "repetitive" and unneeded since the problem "was fixed."

 

It is dishonorable and cavalier the way the powers that be simply stay quiet on an obvious situation that needs some explanation--even a vague and generalized one if the leaders feel that is necessary for reasons known only to them.

 

Very sad, indeed.