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southeasternphotography
Registered Users Posts: 647 Major grins
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southeasternphotography
Registered Users Posts: 647 Major grins
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What a wonderful response. Don't you think a weekly update would suffice. Or better yet -LIKE WE HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR - a thread that always stays at the top of the list of improvements and fixes and what is being worked on. Right now I am following a MAJOR number of threads to get through the NEW implementation that is so full of bugs and left out features. So, I am getting a heck of alot more emails a day already. Take for instance the new implementation of the Stats Counter that just appeared with no update to the users. Wonder how many folks STILL do not know about it.
You have to understand that probably most users do not come to DGRIN considering the large size of the customer base. So, SmugMug needs to find a better way to let users know what is going on.
Trust me, there are alot of Smuggers who are not "amused" right now.
And if an email system was created correctly, you could opt out entirely, get dailies, or summation weeklies like MANY other forums like LinkIn already provide. Hard to argue with that.
I don't want or need to be kept abreast of problems I don't have, especially by email. A pinned thread at the top of the forum would probably be useful but I am already subscribed to the threads I have an interest in so I am being kept informed regularly in any case until I choose to unsubscribe once the issue has been dealt with.
I imagine the large numbers of people who don't come here often (and I used to be one of them) don't come here because they don't have an issue! The few major issues I had with moving to new Smugmug have been dealt with and I am being kept informed of the last remaining minor ones in the threads I am subscribed to. It's a system that works very well and I'm not sure what I would gain by being told about issues that are not of concern to me. It would be a full time job for somebody to gather the relevant information from a hundred threads and send out a weekly news update (which would also be huge) and I can't imagine anybody at Smugmug has the time to do this right now. Or ever in fact.
The official spot: http://news.smugmug.com
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Case in point - The request for this kind of thing has been made several times in various threads. There have been multiple Hero responses lately stating that this is being worked on NOW. See, guess you missed that thread; so you were unaware. I don't expect a synopsis of every thread. What has been asked for is what SM acknowledges as a bug (so we don't keep crying about it), feature requests that SM has acknowledged to work on (so we don't keep crying for them), and a blurb that consolidates the current (perhaps weekly) updates to the system (sorry - news.smugmug does not accomplish that fully).
Once upon a time I had a Legacy Site (still do) where I had customized it to my satisfaction and did not need DGRIN (as you stated). Happy that most of your issues are solved in NEW SM. My PREVIEW site has too many major issues to go live. Therefore, I am more committed to the functions of communications than you need. And Andy, yes, news.smugmug is helpful - thanks.
So, just the threads you are interested in then? How will that work?
Which bugs? Which feature requests? Which updates? There are lots of bugs (real and imagined), hundreds of feature requests (serious ones and absurdly petty ones) and frequent updates to the system. Unless the email you are requesting is tailored specifically to you and your concerns then it would be pages long and you would still have to trawl through it to find the bits relevant to you. At the moment you don't have to trawl through the forums because presumably you are subscribed to the ones you have an interest in.
Good luck with finishing your site. There will be issues you will have to live with, either short term or permanently so at some point you may have to just go with what you've got. Now I have unveiled I am kind of embarrassed at how my old website used to look. In some ways it was easier for me to use but I've already got used to the changes and would never go back now.
Not looking for thread information. Looking for one spot for SM Acknowledged Real bugs (which could include a FIXED tag when appropriate), one spot for updates to the system on a timely basis - all updates - never know when something new could be useful, one spot for Feature Requests that SM has Acknowledged they will work on. This is useful data and is not structured to any particular person.
These three items should reduce multiple requests, posts, and gripes. So, no, not looking for a synopsis of all threads.
We already have a general forum for chit chat and presumably for 'updates to the system', a whole sub-forum for Bug Reporting where threads get marked 'Now Fixed' when they are fixed and another sub-forum for Feature Requests where threads get marked as 'Completed' when they have been addressed.
I suppose you could have yet another sub-forum where the 'Now Fixed' and 'Completed' threads get moved to. Would that be good for you? If so, then I agree and I hope they do it
(However those posts would have to be locked because you can bet your mortgage that there will be people eager to add to each one saying 'Well, its not fixed for me' or 'It's not completed as far as I'm concerned' so it could get very messy, very quickly!)
That threads get marked as "fixed" or "completed" is pretty new.... Within the last week users accidentally discovered what was fixed or implemented by them self.
Usually bug reports never get a flag like "Acknowledge" or similar. This three forums (support, bug and feature request) are just a mess.
No wonder SM stuff isn't able is to keep up track in here and when overstrained are telling: "well the official way to get attention is to write to help@."
WUAH.
I could do away with the email. However a properly set up mail notification system (meaning a way for people to opt out (maybe default), get them as things are entered, or get a weekly roundup) would be nice. Getting that could let us know of an important issue where we could then go to the proper DGRIN thread to monitor ongoing discussions and add to them - not the email. This might produce more posts to the thread that actually might help in the long run.
Just the Acknowledged bugs. Perceived bugs would be in the regular bug thread until they are known to be real or are determined to be user error. In the original bug thread, a message would be put in to say that the issue has been ID'd as a bug and has been placed in the PINNED Acknowledged Bug thread (which users should be blocked from commenting in).
Yes, one for system updates - this would be when a new feature is added - like the new Stat Counter. Like I said, anything that is a system enhancement; like as soon as the Random Image Slideshow is implemented (re-implemented) it would go in the PINNED Updates thread. News@smugmug could be used to tell folks HOW to use the update (kinda like it is right now).
Yes, as long as they have been "acknowledged" that SmugMug agrees to do the item and is placing it i the queue to be developed. Nice to have a timeframe or priority # attached when possible. We all know of Feature requests that are over 3 years old and have not even been acknowledged or stated just will not happen. As before, the original thread should be marked as being added to the Acknowledged Will Do thread that users cannot add to. Folks can go to the original thread to see anything else has been added by users that might enhance the feature. But I understand once a feature has been acknowledged, input to the design of it must stop at some point and the code written. If folks aren't happy with the resultant feature, they can create a new Feature Request. It might be better to CLOSE the original thread after being acknowledged that that specific request will be accomplished. That could make some sense.
No, because you could easily be missing threads that are important that you did not know about unless you were constantly going back to DGRIN and checking out all the new threads. Like the thread asking for the prev/next buttons to be brought back because folks might not want to uses the keypad or don't know the keypad even works. You would have a chance to go to the thread and vote on it. (ok, seems I'm a little messed up on this one 'cause how could it be acknowledged to be fixed/implemented if folks had not seen the thread, go to it, and +1 it.......might logic suffers here a bit.......
Yes that is correct. If you had a major recall for brake problems in your car would it not be handy to have the factory let you know about the recall BEFORE your brakes went out? So, yes I do.
Yes, you have this system. It is not working so swell right now - as also stated by albrechter. And lets say it was working well...we would still have to sift through many threads to see which ones are fixed or completed. I am currently monitoring tons of threads and get the instant notification from each user input. At some point, it would be easier to stop monitoring all of these if I knew from the 3 PINNED threads that action was going to take place. Then I could wait for it. Now it is free for all with everyone trying to prove their case or help ID something that obviously wrong and we are waiting for SM to acknowledge it.
Sure, I could agree to that. If they are really fixed or completed as asked for or described, then they don't need to clutter up the "OPEN" threads areas.
Yep. This makes sense.
Well, there ya go.
To be fair, it exists, but in the time when so many people were so desperate for information, there's a gap from Aug 8 to Aug 23.