Keith wrote: Some things - such as the width of the side column - aren't going away but they will be put to good use.
Good use? It is there for ads, plain and simple. While playing with the ads by posting odd things in a thread is entertaining at times, it isn't enough to keep some from complaining about it, pure and simple. It is even more obnoxious when you use a browser with an ad-blocker so all you get is blank gray space. Since Baxter has said it isn't going anywhere and since they are being very tight-lipped about the other features that will be provided or integrated into the sidebar, I'm not going to say anything more about it. It is up to Baxter and GRM to prove its worth otherwise.
With that said, I do like the majority of the new board and its features (sidebar aside) I also appreciate the work Baxter has put in so far. Though I feel he shouldn't be going it alone as it seems the rest of the GRM staff is mostly taking a hands-off approach at the moment. Not good, it makes it seem like he's the one driving the change. I'm sure they are busy putting the mags together, but this is a major change for some of the core of your readership.
I am in IT, I've done large scale software deployments, with just as many (or more) vocal people who have not only my ear, but the ear of my superiors. I feel his pain, I really do. However, he has stated they he doesn't have an IT background and this is showing in how the board transition was done and how it is currently being handled. So, as an IT professional, I feel some points need to be made from a lessons learned aspect:
Why wasn't there a better transition plan created and implemented for dealing with the existing board? At the very least, someone should have been hired to look at integrating that old data into the new board. A real DB admin could probably accomplish this. As dear old dad would say, text is text it can be manipulated anyway you want provided you have the skills to do it. If it was too costly or to time consuming to do in the timeframe, then make sure the populace is notified and that a note is made to revisit that problem later on.
Why were the user names and their data handled the way they were? I understand that the database between the two sites are vastly different, requiring new registrations, etc. However, aside from Dr Hess' work on a migration script for the post counts, there wasn't much done in that regards. it seems that if the transition had been allowed to happen more slowly that more notification to the users could have been made and they could have had time to make any changes necessary to their profiles, allowing the automated method a better chance to work.
Why was the new board pushed to go live after only a week of live testing? Seems like a another week would have been a better solution given the way users tend to use the board. This is something that could have been decided once it was made available to the wider audience and they were given a chance to work with it.
Also why was the cut over so abrubt? I was notified of the new board via e-mail, did the sign up dance and starting posting between the two, getting used to the differences and making note of changes, etc. Then Baxter posted on the old board saying that the board was going to transition sometime that week. The next day, it seems like the old board was closed and the new board had gone "live" So sometime = tomorrow? Specific dates need to be published to the users and a rollback plan should be at least thought of.
I think the magazine could have handled it better by simply having someone else from the mag actually replying to the chatter while Baxter focuses on the work necessary in the background. Also given a little more time, perhaps a note could have made it into the magazine as well.
From the outside, looking in, I want to say that some of the pain he is feeling right now could have been avoided with better planing. I do know how Baxter feels. He is getting beaten up by seemingly everyone, he's working his ass off, under a ton of stress and all he wants is for things to quiet down so he can calm down and clear his mind to think a little bit about one or two problems, no't every last one of our complaints. All I have to say, is "Welcome to IT, now you know why we get the "big bucks"
So as a fellow IT person, I say to you, get someone at the magazine involved with the public aspect of this ASAP so you can quiet those nattering flies and work from data being given to you in a much more calm and reasonable manner. Then understand that work you do while under the effects of a brain suffering from a lack of sleep, being propped up by a caffeine and a need to finish the job will rarely be your best work. It really is ok sometimes to say, "I need to rest" and disconnect and take a quick nap.
Good luck with it and let us know if you need any help,
Stefan
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