SITE FORMAT

I think I have posted about as many messages or replies on this site as anyone during the last several months. I did it because I felt like I may be helping someone and I was returning a favor because this site provided an untold amount of help for me during the trials and tribulations I went through with my pacemaker. In addition as I gathered information for my reply, I usually learned something for my own benefit. But this new format will drastically reduce my participation if it doesn’t bring it to a complete halt. I’ve heard of people that wanted to wear a belt and suspenders for security, but this new format seems to want a belt and two pairs of suspenders. Like many of you, logging on has been a trip with an uncertain ending for me. In addition, there are a few more little tricks up its sleeve which I find are not to my taste. One, is after I finally get a message ready to be posted I am sent to a feature that resembles a Chinese water coloring book, where I get to translate the characters into English and transfer them. There has been more than once I found the characters impossible to translate and just gave up. Another peeve I have is, I usually break my messages up into paragraphs. Not because I am such a stickler for correct prose, but because I know it makes the text easier to read and understand. No more paragraphs on this site. You may put your message together as you wish, and apparently as lengthy as you wish, but it all becomes one paragraph when published. Folks, I know I am looking a gift horse in the mouth when I criticize anything about this site. I am aware the site is free to one and all, but so is my time which I spend posting messages or replies. I also know all the changes were done in the name of good s24softlineintentions, but I also think some of those changes were carried a step too far. (This will be my 7th try to post this message)

11 Comments

no posts

by jessie - 2007-03-23 03:03:22

i agree since this change i have become very frustrated and it seems like because we needed to be more secure we are being punished for that very fact which most of us are not responsible for causing. i for one am not impressed. the members on line is no longer there to access in case you mail anyone in particular and notice they are online. so all in all i don't really like it but i suppose it is better than nothing. so i will rest my case and hope that i am the only one who feels this way. right now i am going thru a family members terminal illness and don't have a lot of time to contemplate this. so regards for now jessie

Smitty, I agree.....

by auntiesamm - 2007-03-23 04:03:34

At first glance I thought the new website was fabulous but have changed my mind! Every single time I sign on I am challenged in my efforts to post a simple message or a comment. Just an hour or so ago I wrote a rather comment to the newby who just got his Guidant pacer at Virginia Mason in Seattle. A lot of thought and words went into my comment, then I found I could not get it to transmit. I did the little "crazy letters" task, clicked on Add Comment and nothing happened 3 times! The next thing I knew my comment disappeared but definitely did not post. Very irritating. I was far too annoyed to start over again, therefore, did not comment to the new poster. Not Good! I have never understood the reasoning behind these crazy letter filters. Any of us can type in those letters so how does it work??????????? Anyway, Smitty, I think many of us will not be checking the website as often and certainly not posting with the ease and frequency we did in the past. It's sad because this club is a great benefit to all of us. God bless you, my friend. Sharon

"Crazy Letters"

by tman - 2007-03-23 06:03:09

These crazy letters are there for a reason. They stop spammers from posting junk on sites like this with automated programs. Over the past while, you will probably have notice junk messages for porno, gambling, etc. showing up on the site. The new format stops it. You are right about the carriage returns, though.... they should be put back into place. As for difficulty logging in -- what message do you get when you try to log in? Are you using your email address instead of username?

Feedback Important

by admin - 2007-03-23 07:03:23

First, thanks for your feedback. The crazy letters are explained above so I won't explain that again. The new site was buit from the ground up. We are fine-tuning it and debugging it the best we can based on your feedback. I have not been able to reduplicate the problems posting a message or comment. If you experince more problems, please take a :print screen" and mail it to us. Thanks, Blake

Response

by SMITTY - 2007-03-23 08:03:28

I am fully aware of what the “funny” letters are for, but that does not keep some of them from being difficult for me to read. I have used many web sites that use these funny letters. I have also used web sites that are open forums, such as this one, and all they require is that we log in with our user name and password EACH time we post any message. And yes, I was properly logged in, and I never got any message as to why my message was being refused. I would click submit and nothing happened six times. I then removed an email address I had included and it accepted my message. I am guessing the fact that I had the email address in the text was the reason for the refusal. But all of this is of no significance. Anyone that wants to use the site should certainly use it. If you own the web site, then that says it all. It is yours and certainly you have the right to do as you please with it. I have not changed my opinion, but again that too is of no significance. My use of this site in the past has served me extremely well and for that I am appreciative. But comments were requested and I expressed mine. End of story. Smitty

Improvements

by tman - 2007-03-23 09:03:18

Hi Smitty: Thanks for your comments. We've removed the suspenders, but kept the belt... :) Or to put it another way, we've relaxed the spam filter a bit to make it more readable. I hope this makes things simpler. Next, I'm going to work on the carriage returns between paragraphs... it shouldn't be too tough. Take care.

New lines

by tman - 2007-03-23 11:03:10

The new lines problem has been fixed.

This should be on a new line.

Working on login error

by admin - 2007-03-24 08:03:56

We hope to have the login problem resolved soon.

Blake. When I logg in I'm not getting error on page

by LISA_TIGGER - 2007-03-24 12:03:33

still having some problems

Blake. When I logg in I'm getting error on page

by LISA_TIGGER - 2007-03-24 12:03:42

still having some problems

new design

by ted - 2007-03-25 09:03:29

The new design is really a step backward. Why do computer types keep having to constantly change things around so that we constantly have to learn to navigate all over again. I'd rather have occasional porno and spam than what we have now.

You know you're wired when...

Your friends want to store MP3 files on your device.

Member Quotes

The pacer systems are really very reliable. The main problem is the incompetent programming of them. If yours is working well for you, get on with life and enjoy it. You probably are more at risk of problems with a valve job than the pacer.