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Improve the site

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mikelong
 
Posts: 670

Improve the site

Post Sat Oct 10, 2015 6:09 pm


Hello,

Thank you for the email. What can we do to improve our site? Please advise.

Thanks,
Ashlee
PBase Support


Anyone want to respond to this?

jwcoffman
 
Posts: 18

Re: Improve the site

Post Sat Oct 10, 2015 6:31 pm


Well,to start with, you might fix it so when we upload a image we don't have to wait 10 minutes for it to load! Then you might fix it so when we comment on a image we don't have to sit and wait and wait for the comment to post!
Then there is the matter of this site is so slow people are talking of going somewhere else where they really care about there customers and oh yes,you might have the courtesy to communicate with us and let us know you are aware
that there is a problem and you really do care!!

mikelong
 
Posts: 670

Re: Improve the site

Post Sat Oct 10, 2015 6:35 pm


jwcoffman wrote:Well,to start with, you might fix it so when we upload a image we don't have to wait 10 minutes for it to load! Then you might fix it so when we comment on a image we don't have to sit and wait and wait for the comment to post!
Then there is the matter of this site is so slow people are talking of going somewhere else where they really care about there customers and oh yes,you might have the courtesy to communicate with us and let us know you are aware
that there is a problem and you really do care!!


Figure what I'll do is wait a week and see what sort of responses come in, compile them, and send her a laundry list. Don't know if it will help, but what the heck.

amoxtli
 
Posts: 3296
Location: San Diego, California

Re: Improve the site

Post Sat Oct 10, 2015 10:25 pm


Post a notification about the "State of PBase" and the plans for the future. This has been requested as far back as 2010, maybe even earlier.

Communicate with subscribers when they send emails and when they post to the forum.

Answer emails to customer service in a timely manner.

Fix intermittent problems with the speed of the site and error messages such as "The connection has timed out", "The server at search.pbase.com is taking too long to respond.", "Error 503 Service Unavailable", "Varnish cache server Not Found The requested URL /rolls was not found on this server." etc.

Fix Geotagging. First reported broken 22 Nov 2013.

Update camera and lens database regularly.

Add optional e-commerce.

Update and improve the search function.
Walter Otto Koenig Architectural Photography: http://www.wokoenig.net

General Photography: http://www.wokoenig.com

Pacific Photographic Society: http://www.pacificphoto.net

mikelong
 
Posts: 670

Re: Improve the site

Post Sun Oct 11, 2015 8:30 am


amoxtli wrote:Post a notification about the "State of PBase" and the plans for the future. This has been requested as far back as 2010, maybe even earlier.

Communicate with subscribers when they send emails and when they post to the forum.

Answer emails to customer service in a timely manner.

Fix intermittent problems with the speed of the site and error messages such as "The connection has timed out", "The server at search.pbase.com is taking too long to respond.", "Error 503 Service Unavailable", "Varnish cache server Not Found The requested URL /rolls was not found on this server." etc.

Fix Geotagging. First reported broken 22 Nov 2013.

Update camera and lens database regularly.

Add optional e-commerce.

Update and improve the search function.


Very helpful info, will pass it along. Thanks.

graeme45
 
Posts: 6

Re: Improve the site

Post Sun Oct 11, 2015 10:43 am


Hi

Having read the points asking to improve on certain areas of PBase, I agree with them as I too am having the same problems with commenting and the uploading of images, as stated by member 'jmcoffman' in the first thread. PBase is a community, a good community of people who are dedicated to this website because of the ability of being able to message one and another, something that is maybe not available elsewhere. That aside, members are leaving PBase because they are paying for a service and you are not keeping us updated with and to how you are improving the website and updating area's that have been pointed out in an earlier input of this thread. A lot of people I was in contact have just dissapeared telling me that they were fed up with the service on PBase and have now joined a website called Flickr which is much faster and gives their members 1TB of image space for FREE! You are loosing members, I have been a member since 2009 and I am fed up with the slowness of PBase and the time it takes to post a comment and load an image! It's sad that its coming to this point with so many mambers especially ones that dont want to speak out in fear that they may loose their account are really fed up with the service! They dont want to leave because of the good friends they have made and many even meet up on PBase meets! Can you please do something to reassure the members that they dont need to leave to find a better service?

Graeme

kstuebin
 
Posts: 1541

Re: Improve the site

Post Sun Oct 11, 2015 10:55 am


A lot of people are leaving Pbase now. The fact that there is no communication from the owners makes me think they're indifferent to its fate. I really have nothing to go on. But if someone owns a business and it starts losing customers and they do nothing to address the issue then it must be because they don't care. What else is there? Maybe they have enough tor retire now.

And I did have a suggestion for the list in case it does matter. I will beat this horse to death. A NSFW that works. There is one on here but it doesn't work.

mikelong
 
Posts: 670

Re: Improve the site

Post Sun Oct 11, 2015 11:23 am


kstuebin wrote:A lot of people are leaving Pbase now. The fact that there is no communication from the owners makes me think they're indifferent to its fate. I really have nothing to go on. But if someone owns a business and it starts losing customers and they do nothing to address the issue then it must be because they don't care. What else is there? Maybe they have enough tor retire now.

And I did have a suggestion for the list in case it does matter. I will beat this horse to death. A NSFW that works. There is one on here but it doesn't work.



Not sure what's going through their minds. The response by support was a surprise, after writing them to say I wouldn't be returning after eleven years if the site did not improve.
Either way, we'll give it a shot and see if anything improves. Seems somebody cares, after all.
Last edited by mikelong on Thu Oct 15, 2015 8:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

reticulatus
 
Posts: 33

Re: Improve the site

Post Sun Oct 11, 2015 1:12 pm


I agree with all the comments raised above.

The problems with frequent dismal performance of the site over many recent weeks means, I'm sorry to say, I have given up commenting - it's just too frustrating.

What makes it worse is the almost complete lack of communication from the owners about what is going on and what, if any, efforts they are making to fix these problems.

I can fully understand why others are leaving Pbase and moving to other sites. I've recently been looking at Smugmug and difference in the level of support available is quite amazing.

lynnh
 
Posts: 3633

Re: Improve the site

Post Sun Oct 11, 2015 1:28 pm


Lack of responsive customer service is an issue.
While I've heard that quite a few Pbasers are experiencing problems with uploading and commenting for the past month or more, I haven't experienced the slow uploads. Most likely because I only post 900 x 600 size images. But, I noticed comments take about 10 to 20 seconds to post instead of 3.

My thinking about Pbase management is that they don't offer good customer service unless it affects massive amounts of customers. Even if only a certain percentage of customers are experiencing problems, Pbase customer service should figure out why and at the very least have some sort of recommendation for them.
All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost ~ J. R. R. Tolkien

mikelong
 
Posts: 670

Re: Improve the site

Post Sun Oct 11, 2015 2:02 pm


lynnh wrote:Lack of responsive customer service is an issue.
While I've heard that quite a few Pbasers are experiencing problems with uploading and commenting for the past month or more, I haven't experienced the slow uploads. Most likely because I only post 900 x 600 size images. But, I noticed comments take about 10 to 20 seconds to post instead of 3.

My thinking about Pbase management is that they don't offer good customer service unless it affects massive amounts of customers. Even if only a certain percentage of customers are experiencing problems, Pbase customer service should figure out why and at the very least have some sort of recommendation for them.


The lack of communication seems to be a huge issue, though I've never experienced the problem myself and always receive replies from support. Don't know why that is, we all pay the same, more or less.

Mostly just slow uploads and a very out of date interface. I've got alternate sites on both Photobiz and SmugMug, and the customer service is superb with both. When I submit a support ticket with Photobiz, for example, they'll call me back in France on their dime, which says a lot. But neither are inexpensive, ultimately you get what you pay for.

joldfield
 
Posts: 2

Re: Improve the site

Post Sun Oct 11, 2015 2:30 pm


The slowness of commenting is very frustrating and takes too much time. Some days it is almost impossible and I will give up. Also, having my comment show up multiple times is very frustrating as well. I like the user interface much better than Flickr (I use both). I like the community and the ability to personalize the site more than Flickr as well.

jwcoffman
 
Posts: 18

Re: Improve the site

Post Sun Oct 11, 2015 4:23 pm


I guess when you have 198,589 members at a minimum of $20.00 a head you can afford to sit back and just laugh at the rest of us!! Who cares if a handful of us leave..

helenpb
 
Posts: 78

Re: Improve the site

Post Sun Oct 11, 2015 5:55 pm


Well, my worst problem now is the speed of doing most everything on the site. Leaving a comment can take as long as 60 seconds, the same with responding to one. Uploading pictures can also take forever. I thought maybe this was just due to my connection in Saudi Arabia, but all other sites work well, and I also work online in my Turkish newspaper's network and rarely have slowness. I have two servers and have used WiFi with and without VPN (except I need VPN to comment, otherwise my Favorites are blocked), fiber optic with VPN and fiber optic without VPN, and the result -- incredibly slow response -- is exactly the same. So my one request for improving the site would be to remedy this problem. I know that people in both Europe and the States are experiencing the same delays.

I also agree that Customer Service is not good. I used to always get a response from somebody there, but not any more. For a while I didn't even get their automated email. If they are having problems, why can't they just say so? They only have to look at the Forums to see what people are experiencing.

Anyway, I have been with Pbase since 2001. I like the site and have a lot of Pbase friends here, and don't want to move. But I simply don't have time to put up with this slowness problem so may have to consider that if things don't improve, and soon.

dlgphoto
 
Posts: 65

Re: Improve the site

Post Sun Oct 11, 2015 8:02 pm


I think Walter's list really hits most of the nails on the head.

amoxtli wrote:Post a notification about the "State of PBase" and the plans for the future. This has been requested as far back as 2010, maybe even earlier.

Communicate with subscribers when they send emails and when they post to the forum.

Answer emails to customer service in a timely manner.

Fix intermittent problems with the speed of the site and error messages such as "The connection has timed out", "The server at search.pbase.com is taking too long to respond.", "Error 503 Service Unavailable", "Varnish cache server Not Found The requested URL /rolls was not found on this server." etc.

Fix Geotagging. First reported broken 22 Nov 2013.

Update camera and lens database regularly.

Add optional e-commerce.

Update and improve the search function.


I would probably leave if there were a truly suitable alternative and I wanted to go through the incredible bother of re uploading and documenting all the work I already have here. Flickr is not a good alternative, at least not for me, since I hate it's inflexibility and how slow it is.

I don't seem to have as much problem posting comments, but I do often have a gigantic problem uploading or displaying images. It is often very, very slow. Customer service, even for simple things, is abysmal. I asked them to add my camera in March and they actually did, but did it wrong. (Nikon NIKON D750 instead of simply Nikon D750). There have been scads of cameras added in the past couple years that are not on the list. It is almost like the whole thing is running on autopilot with no one really watching it.

I don't mind paying for the site and in fact would rather do that than have the mass of advertising and slowness of sites like Flickr and FaceBook and the flexibility to lay out and format galleries like we do. Whenever there is free whatever, someone is really paying for it some way. It would certainly be nice to have much more space included for what we pay. I have noticed that quite a few PBasers don't know how to size their images appropriately for upload. I like looking at "Original" but often, people have uploaded a full res file that really takes long to load and when loaded is 4 or more times bigger than my pretty good sized screen.

Does anyone know where PBase really lives and who actually owns it?

Have a nice remainder of your weekend.
Dan

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