NEW FORMAT: WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Jan 19th, 2001, 05:42 PM
#44
Guest
Posts: n/a
Theory: Fodors's web site is run by first-time technicians and managers. We are seeing a microcosm of .com web site management. Battle worn, experienced (i.e. 10 or more years) IT professionals who have been burned over the years would never let this happen. A testing environment/machine, published release schedules, weekend and overnight impementation would be as basic as the team getting a cup of coffee and eating lunch at the same time together.
If this site can self-fund or even better become a profit center, then I would expect to never see the major disaster that just occurred this week. If this were a 911, Wall Street or fee based transaction business, these guys would never get another change.
So, I'll take the great forum this is and accept the management problems. I don't expect anything. But Fodors, expecially the management, these are baby steps in your career - practice really. Next time consider this portion of your site to be mission and revenue critical. It can NEVER go down. Then, you will gain valuable experience on some basic IT management principles that have been around for years and years.
Welcome to the real world.
If this site can self-fund or even better become a profit center, then I would expect to never see the major disaster that just occurred this week. If this were a 911, Wall Street or fee based transaction business, these guys would never get another change.
So, I'll take the great forum this is and accept the management problems. I don't expect anything. But Fodors, expecially the management, these are baby steps in your career - practice really. Next time consider this portion of your site to be mission and revenue critical. It can NEVER go down. Then, you will gain valuable experience on some basic IT management principles that have been around for years and years.
Welcome to the real world.
Jan 19th, 2001, 07:23 PM
#45
Guest
Posts: n/a
How have I missed this??? I've never seen any of the changes you all are complaining about. I haven't been able to get on for at least two days, perhaps longer. Was it up for one brief moment, and if you weren't on then, then you missed it all? I check in pretty regularly, but I am in the dark on this. Anyone else?
Without having even seen the new look, I'll tell you though, I won't do right and left scrolling just to read a post. No way, un-uh, not going to do it. I've seen that as an occasional error on other boards and I'll just check out before putting up with it.
Flashing banners? Have we gone the way of advertising to help finance the space? I don't know the rate of flash, not having seen the format, so perhaps shouldn't comment, but flicker or flash can be a trigger for anyone prone to seizures and pure annoyance for everyone else. Someone else mentioned it takes up 1/3 the screen??
Now, perhaps I have no business posting, only having heard about the new format, not having actually seen it, but I do know the old one sure wasn't broke, so why the heck were you "fixing" anything???
The only aspect of the old boards I'd fix would have been the ability to edit a post after it's up (and the spelling errors become shining beacons) but you can't do that without requiring registration...which is another topic all together, as we all know!!
Without having even seen the new look, I'll tell you though, I won't do right and left scrolling just to read a post. No way, un-uh, not going to do it. I've seen that as an occasional error on other boards and I'll just check out before putting up with it.
Flashing banners? Have we gone the way of advertising to help finance the space? I don't know the rate of flash, not having seen the format, so perhaps shouldn't comment, but flicker or flash can be a trigger for anyone prone to seizures and pure annoyance for everyone else. Someone else mentioned it takes up 1/3 the screen??
Now, perhaps I have no business posting, only having heard about the new format, not having actually seen it, but I do know the old one sure wasn't broke, so why the heck were you "fixing" anything???
The only aspect of the old boards I'd fix would have been the ability to edit a post after it's up (and the spelling errors become shining beacons) but you can't do that without requiring registration...which is another topic all together, as we all know!!
Jan 20th, 2001, 04:26 AM
#46
Guest
Posts: n/a
Jeannie's post is Q.E.D. ("which was to be demonstrated" -- in other words, an example of exactly what someone was talking about) regarding having so much information below the screen, particularly on the "travel talk" base page. which ought to be a quick "crossroads" page, not one you have to scroll around to find things. She couldn't find the cruises because so much of the menu was below the bottom. It's the page that's dumb, not her.
Jan 20th, 2001, 04:50 PM
#47
Guest
Posts: n/a
CMMcDaniel, I think I know why you missed the new site. If you have the old addresses for U.S. and Europe etc. in your favorites and used those addresses to access the site, you would get an error message. You had to go back to the home page, access the boards that way, then save the new addresses. So while you were seeing error messages, some of us were trying to read and post on the new site -- and all-too-frequently getting a different kind of error message.
Maybe you should consider yourself lucky.
Maybe you should consider yourself lucky.
Jan 21st, 2001, 07:22 AM
#48
Guest
Posts: n/a
Cindy, that's what I was doing, trying to get here through "favorites". Sorry I missed the "fun"! I did periodically try to go through the home page, thinking the address may have changed as it did once last year, but got apologies there too so figured they were still working on fixing the problem. Not sure I want to see the progress, now, after seeing all these complaints!
