YEAH! A "Larger" button!

Nice work guys. You may now trash my previous posts on the subject.

Thank you all.

But I imagine that won't last (sigh)...

Actually, I'd like to get something off my chest. I implemented the new view on Thursday night; within minutes people noticed that there was no "Large" view, which I already knew. I said that it would be brought back soon, perhaps as soon as Friday. I said this several times in different threads. There were other problems, and I didn't get to it on Friday. People have been ragging on it all weekend. Do people really think that I ought to work 24 hours per day 7 days per week on this site to fix "problems" like this? Its stuff like this that makes me think that the return on having this forum is not worth how exasperating and demotivating it can be.

Some people don't consider that it might be one person that is doing all the work. People should have realistic expectations on when and how something is done. People in todays society are intent on having it their way, right now. The instant gratification that people seek is fleeting, and will be a key in the downfall of modern society.

 

I think that the site is great, and take all the time you need to impliment any changes that YOU might have slated in the near future. I for one am glad that forum is avaliable to come together and discuss all aspects of photography, and I for one don't care that I have to click something more than once, or scroll a little bit. The site is great Brian take a break and go shoot some film (or Pixels).

 

Cheers,

You're absolutely right Brian. I guess you'll just have to attribute it to the fact that with so many visitors/members, there will always be a few people who post hastily without checking recent threads. And of course, a lot of people do not have a realistic picture in their mind about the enormity of the to-do list that one has at hand when deploying interface changes on a site of photo.net's complexity. I have done similar work in the past, and I used to hear comments like "it's just a little button, can't you spend 5 minutes and do it now?" by people who didn't realize that this was one of a hundred 5-minute tasks pending, and probably way low down the priority list.

 

I guess you just go on an live with it. Any job that involves maintaining a service and making it work is essentially a thankless job. You do a dozen things every day to just keep i working, but nobody pops in an says "thanks for making it work again today" With the slightest glitch and unavailability, everybody somehow remembers you exist. Sysadmins either have very thick skin, or they take up a differrent job at some point.

Take a short break Brian. I am sure the silent majority are very appreciative of how much work you put into keeping this site humming along and making constant improvements. Don't let the few whiners get you down, and sometimes we need to vent our spleen on idiots, its a great form of catharsis if done with style!

I think the biggest problem with people being upset over changes is that it can be very difficult to figure out what is actually going on.

 

Someone who doesn't participate in the photo.net feedback forum has to hunt through many many threads, reading all of Brian's comments, to try and figure out what changes have been made and what changes are being made and what changes will not be made.

 

And this, of course, leads to a well-known problem: Do developers (or in this case, does the developer) take time out to tell everyone what is happening or would the time be better spent actually doing the work needed to get things completed?

 

I would argue that, in this case, with the lack of any clear source of information, it would be better to have a "what is being updated" page.

 

The "Discussion Forums" box on the main page used to link to "hot topics" (or whatever the moderators wanted to highlight). Why not use that box to link to a single thread in the photo.net feedback forum that Brian and only Brian could post to and that would simply be: "status of recent changes"

 

Code changes get rolled into production, Brian makes a quick update to the thread. Changes b0rk in production, Brian fixes it and makes a quick update to the thread.

 

Certainly that would be more productive than reading and responding to the 20 threads that show up in feedback every time a change happens, right?

 

Just a thought.

B.T.W., Brian, I do appreciate the effort that you put into this site and I thank you for it.

Brian, how bought putting up a "Status" thread? Have it answer all the redundant questions you get, like the large button and the others stuff you know you have to get to but won't for a while or are in the process of?

 

It would save you from having to post ad-nauseum about the same stuff. It would take some time, but in the long run I am sure it would save you a ton of it.

 

No you shouldn't work 24/7. I bet most here don't know you work alone. They probably figure P.net is a pretty big place and has more than you working.

#1. This site is hands down better than the few others I checked out and the only one I would / did give money too.

 

#2. No, you shouldn't work 24/7.

 

#3. Finding out "What's getting fixed." is just about impossible unless you search scores of threads lookinh for posts from you.

 

#4. Unless there was some systematic way for a non-experienced / vistor to the site to easily find out what future / pending updates were pending, then I'd say you are just going to have to deal with people not knowing and redundant posting of complaints and or fix recommendations. Your legitimate frustrations seem to stem from legitimate inabilities of the users to know what's up.

#5. you've got a really hard job. I'm a sys admin for a number of different companies and you only get talked to when there's a problem - not when everything is great.

There is an easy way to find out what's up with the site. (although not obvious to user's who don't know who the admin is)

 

Just click on Brian's name (even better, put him on your interesting members page) to see his member page and peruse his latest forum postings.

 

Ok, this is not a proper site news mechanism, but it's the closes you'll get to one at the moment.

Speaking of the interface, is there any way to have a larger comment box? The current one only displays 4 or 5 lines.

Brian, you deserve a break today. I'll take over. Just send me all your administrator passwords, etc, and I'll manage the site for a few weeks while you go on vacation.

Thanks Doug. Why don't we just let everyone administer the site for a couple of weeks while I take a vacation? The password for everthing on the site is "THISSUCKS1". Please note that this is all upper case and that the last character is a "1" not a lower-case "L". Please don't send me mail complaining about not being able to log in; I'm taking the corporate jet and flying to Capri. Have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.

bwahahahahahahahhahahahahaha... excellent.

Administrator of the Week?

Brian Mottershead: "Do people really think that I ought to work 24 hours per day 7 days per week on this site to fix "problems" like this?"

 

Well, Yeah.

Giving complete adminsitrative powers to Doug Burgess??

 

Does code orange ring a bell?

Sorry, red code RED...thats what I meant. No ofense Doug.

I think what would have helped would have been for an 'Site Changes In Progress' notification on the main page.

 

As I saw changes occuring I looked for something that would explain the plans for the site. Perhaps there is/was something like that, but I couldn't find it. Never came to this forum til my curiousity brought me here. If a general plan for what was going on was viewable, then people could read that or be directed to it.

 

Just a thought.

You need one of these ... a <a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/pcd2488/woodstock-town-crier-15">Town Crier</a>

Brian, I don't think anyone here thinks of this as work. Heck, we're having a great time.

 

No offense in orange, Vince. Red is just as good. By the way, you're fired.

 

Peter, Brian isn't coming. He's going to Capri. Please wire the amount of money you would have spent on him, and his large extended family that would have accompanined him, to my pay pal account.

 

Thanks!

I know when I first came here it was with complaints about the gallery and the rating system. I was foolish, premature, and judgmental. I am coming up on my first anniversary here and I have the highest admiration for you that you are able to maintain and continue to improve this place pretty much single-handed. All the while you have to answer complaints which must be a chore you dread. If you were given 3 wishes regarding the users that would make your job easier and more enjoyable, what 3 things would you wish for?

It isn't for me to complain about "the users". The site is here for them. But since you ask, the three things I would ask from people are:

 

1. If you are visiting the site and can afford it, please Subscribe.

 

2. When the site is changed, don't immediately fire off a complaint that

the previous version was better. Give it some time. (This doesn't apply to bugs and technical issues).

 

3. If you must react negatively to the behaviour of another person on the site, do it by sending a private email to the moderators. And then let it go.

So easy to do these and merely good manners. You should have been given more wishes. These 3 could be posted in a more prominent place as guidelines for a PhotoNet Netiquette. It's so big here, they probably are and I've just never visited that page.