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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Here, here....I'm with you brother. I think part of
joy of the old list was it's convenience and ease of use. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Tom Servinsky</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=erwinspiano@aol.com href="mailto:erwinspiano@aol.com">Dale Erwin</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, June 28, 2011 9:56
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [pianotech] Really, really
irritated with the New forum system</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, Serif" color=navy
size=2><FONT size=2><FONT face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, Serif">Hi
All<BR> </FONT></FONT>Hav<FONT
face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, Serif" color=navy size=2>e read many
replys<BR>I do not find it easier to either post or have any kind of dialogue.
Ones that are (meaningful) seem to span days before responsse come in and by
then I am losing interest.... And I work for living like you all, ...so I am
tired by days end,.... So I don't bother much. <BR><BR>Another factor for me
and no doubt many others is that I manage more and more e-mail and at some
point enough is enough. So...Throw in the more difficult and less satisfying
format and I don't care that much for the hassle.<BR><BR><BR> The tragedy
for me is that I have learned so much from so many and now the extra time to
wade thru more clicks and lists and e-frustrations puts me over my E-patience
limit.<BR><BR> I know some see the<U> "new system"</U> as the next best
thing to sliced bread and shoe strings in a package but I'm not one of those.
<BR> Please write me any time. I think I'll see whats on the
tele.<BR> Best regards to the best of you <BR>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="CLEAR: both"><FONT size=1><B><FONT
face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, Serif" color=indigo>Dale S.
Erwin<BR>www.Erwinspiano.com<BR>209-577-8397</FONT></B></FONT><FONT
size=1><B><BR>209-985-0990</B><BR><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d"></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f497d"></SPAN><B><I><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black"></SPAN></I></B></FONT><FONT
face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, Serif" color=navy size=1><I><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black"></SPAN></I></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><B><FONT size=1>Ronsen hammers/prep<BR>Sitka Sound
boards<BR>Belly packages<BR></FONT></B></SPAN><BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica">-----Original
Message-----<BR>From: Encore Pianos <encorepianos@metrocast.net><BR>To:
pianotech@ptg.org<BR>Sent: Tue, Jun 28, 2011 4:34 pm<BR>Subject: [pianotech]
Really, really irritated with the New forum system<BR><BR>
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<DIV class=MsoNormal>I was trying to reply to Alan McCoy’s query about
soundboard hotboxes and had written a fair amount of text within the thumbnail
sized box given to us to use in the new system to write our replies
(surrounded by LOTS of empty unused white space). I wanted to look
something up, so I minimized the page to look somewhere else. (I did not
delete it) So I come back, or tried to, and it was gone. Disappeared,
along with about half an hour of writing. Arrgghhh!!!!</DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal>It’s not the first time it has happened either. In
the past I have also sent completed replies to the new site, using the
protocol given. Not only does it sometimes never show up, but, unlike
Outlook, it does not allow me to save a copy on my computer. Which I
would have re-sent if it had not disappeared altogether. If I try to
reply to a message on the new forum by hitting Reply within Outlook, the
message will be sent, Outlook keeps a copy, but it never gets to the new
forum. </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal>So I am sending this message by the old method in the
hopes that it will get to the forum for others to read. Of course, they
will soon enough eliminate this, which actually works reliably, simply, and
consistently. </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal>They dumped this poor cousin into our laps a few months
ago. I can’t see that anything further has been done to make it any less
buggy or easier to use. We’re going to be stuck with it anyway, so why
bother? I have to question how much value those who were responsible for
setting up this system place on the forum, or they would have payed a lot more
attention to how it was actually being used by us. And especially worked
to fix the problems as needed, of which there is little indication that such
has been done. No one is willing to say how much this thing cost – did we get
this program out of the $5 bin at Walmart?</DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal>There are some interesting statistics regarding the
pattern of usage: I went into the Archives (yes, they do still exist,
somewhere….) and did a count on usage for each month, </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal>January 2011 – 1872</DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal>February 2011 – 1480</DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal>March 2011 – 1139</DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal>April 2011 – 345</DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal>May 2011 – 235</DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal>As you can see, once the new system was implemented,
visits fell off a cliff, from March to April a 70% drop in usage, and a
further drop still in May. May is a mere 12.5% of the numbers in
January. I think March’s figures are artificially high because so many
people were bitching or asking how to use it (You certainly couldn’t find out
how on the web site). Is it fair to say that a lot of people said to
themselves, if it is going to be this much of a pain, I don’t want to
bother? </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal>I think that the Forum had become one of the very best
resources for a great many Guild members. A year ago, it was lively and
vital. Not so much now. Have they killed the goose that laid the
golden egg? Do they even care? </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal>Yes, this is an irritable and grumpy reply.
Probably it will offend some. I haven’t heard anyone who had something
to do with implementing this system talk about the problems and performance of
the new system for a very long time. So if anyone of you are listening,
please feel free to call me (insert your derogatory term of choice), but at
least acknowledge the problems that exist and tell us what is being done about
them. </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal>I will not be going to the National, but it is my earnest
hope that the problems with the new system will be discussed in depth, and
meaningful solutions sought. What we have now is mediocre, and
underserves the Guild and participants of Pianotech. Do we really have
to live with this thing?</DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal>Will Truitt </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal> </DIV>
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