The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

Re: The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

I think this board has given birth to a sub-culture that management aren't eager to embrace (tinkerers with soldering irons). I'm sure they would rather have 1 full time musician to every 1,000 hobbyist and tinkerer.

I don't speak for SD management but I used to; and I did handle their marketing for nearly two decades. I would respectfully disagree with that comment. I think tinkerers with soldering irons are viewed as just as important as other musicians, and maybe more so, especially the ones who are vocal in social media and forums.
 
Re: The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

I'm just wondering why they needed to try to fix something that wasn't broken? Until the walls start falling in and the duct tape starts lifting off, then I can see a redesign but until then, leave it the way it is now. One of the biggest reasons Harmony Central is a joke now compared to what it used to be before the powers that be over there decided to switch from vBulletin to JIVE (turkey) software. The site was slow inefficient and even with members browser extensions that did help it was still a joke compared to what existed previously. Now that site has much less traffic than it did prior to that fiasco. I'd dare say 50-60% less. Would hate to see this place become a ghost town the way that site has.
 
Re: The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

Hey guys, first off appreciate the feedback as always and we actually love the SDUGF and all of you out there who support us so we can support you. We've always welcomed criticism and I'm actually in agreement on most of these things and am working to get them all resolved. There were certain things that were going to be added after launch that were deemed momentarily non-critical, but with always the intention to re-visit after a couple weeks / month. Keep in mind that this site is like 11,000 pages and has tons of information, new sound clips, etc - so having a couple bugs or things that were delayed to come over is inevitable.

1)The Wiring Diagram builder is designed for a certain type of customer, while some of us (myself included) prefer the browse/list method. We will be bringing you back the option to browse like before within the next week or so.

2) We are aware the Wiring Diagrams came over smaller, and we will discuss and try and remedy (don't know if they will go back to PDF but a higher-res is likely.

3) I also enjoyed the ability of the tone chart page to allow a quick look comparison, we can bring this back so you can all access it but it probably won't be updated in the future since such data is available in the product listings itself.

4) Any bugs (like 404) errors, will be addressed (old blog articles in particular). If you see anything like that hit the Sound Off button please at the bottom of the page.

5) I'm not sure what is causing the Pickup Selector issues, I've heard it once before but I've not been able to reproduce it or get anyone else who could. So if you get that please PM or use Sound Off to tell us what options you selected that recommended it.
 
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Re: The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

I think this board has given birth to a sub-culture that management aren't eager to embrace (tinkerers with soldering irons). I'm sure they would rather have 1 full time musician to every 1,000 hobbyist and tinkerer.

Actual musicians have no monies.
 
Re: The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

2 extra magnets and special pole pieces would account for it, i think.
 
Re: The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

3) I also enjoyed the ability of the tone chart page to allow a quick look comparison, we can bring this back so you can all access it but it probably won't be updated in the future since such data is available in the product listings itself.

First of all, thank you for taking the time to respond to this topic.

Second, I'm sure someone in this group would be willing to take on the responsibility of updating the tone chart, even if it is just for use within the forum. If you can provide it in a db, csv or even spreadsheet, it would save a lot of data entry.
 
Re: The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

2) We are aware the Wiring Diagrams came over smaller, and we will discuss and try and remedy (don't know if they will go back to PDF but a higher-res is likely.

Needs to be printable. I'd recommend at least 300dpi - 600dpi versions of what you have. The current ones look like a large thumbnail even when zoomed in - the script text in that badge thing is not really legible. I have to believe the source file is much larger.

3) I also enjoyed the ability of the tone chart page to allow a quick look comparison, we can bring this back so you can all access it but it probably won't be updated in the future since such data is available in the product listings itself.

This could be solved by allowing users to turn off parts of the search result format. For example, most search tools have 'list', 'grid', 'with photos', etc. If you allow the option to search/view all pickups, sorted by type, and turn off photos/descriptions, leaving the name, mag, and tone chart (maybe a couple other elements), that would do it.

Thanks again for addressing these issues.
 
Re: The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

Anything pixel picture for the wiring will make for bad printing. There just isn't enough control in typical browsers to place it usefully. Few people bother with a dedicated program to print a then-downloaded jpeg.

Why would you give up pdf entirely? There should at least be a link to one.
 
Re: The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

I'm going crazy trying to compare the sound samples. I got it to work once, but now it just stays with those two, and I can't add any more or take those other two away.
 
Re: The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

For the record, I'm not snarky. Just disappointed. It's just barely not a failure for all that huge effort.

The conversion from vBulletin 3.x to 4.x went a similar way. Half-baken. Job half done. Worse service overall for all the money our sponsor spent.

And only temporarily since the vBulletin new owners have already decided to let 4.x die and 5.x is unusable. Nobody has ever gone vbulletin 3 or 4 to 5. It's undoable. But they don't maintain or license v4 anymore. So it's all for nuffin.
Xenforo is the way to go now. vB 5 is a giant clusterbomb of fail.
 
Re: The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

I'm a bit reminded of this. The new website is a bit too much lifestyle and a bit too much information sacrificing for me.

university_website.png
Being that I work in IT for a school system, now, that's insanely true. Also, everybody comes to us asking us to change stuff on the website. Interestingly, the website is not handled by IT in any way, shape, or form.
 
Re: The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

You know, I could have sworn that I already posted in this thread. Maybe, I am becoming confused in my old age?

Here is my post from the other thread, on the same topic, that began at roughly the same time.

I have already stated in another thread that I understand the need to insert ownership signifiers in the schematic diagrams. I expressed the opinion that the newly-chosen side bar typeface introduces an obstacle to clear communication.

Somebody out there considers style to be more important than substance. In my opinion, this is a mistake.

In the post that I can no longer find, I did also assert that the new side bar typeface is, ahem, "not particularly masculine."
 
Re: The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

In the OP, I noted it's ok to post the same issue more than once because if multiple people are hitting the same problem, it helps indicate the significance and priority for them to fix.
 
Re: The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

I echo everything that has been said about the wiring diagrams - used to be great pdfs, and I liked the search. I find it horrid now. I did see the response about being able to browse or diagrams supposedly to be brought back, and I am going to go try to find that feature. But I fear it will still take me to the same new awful lo-res diagrams with incorrect pictures of the pickups, no save/print, etc.

Thanks for listening!

Rex
 
Re: The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

Three months and no improvement.

Not to worry. I am sure that Dr.Newcenstein can produce diagrams for yez.
 
Re: The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

Three months and no improvement
I don't think the new contraception allows room for improvements as required, meaning that's the nature of the beast and can not be changed, unless re-designed and re-made from scratch, something that simply's never going to happen.

Or, the person in charge doesn't agree with what it's been said about and won't fund the changes to be made.

In any way, *I* wasn't expecting any changes to be made.

In my case, I've found all the necessary diagrams, charts, etc. and saved'em on my cloud, so I don't need to visit the site anymore.

Thank God for the "way back" machine! ;)
 
Re: The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

I am beginning to warm to the revised format wiring diagram Support zone. Its inability to provide a decent schematic is all the excuse I need NOT to bother answering wiring queries any more.
 
Re: The Epic "New Web Site" complaint thread

The problem is that some useless generic website remaking company was contracted, and that - as always in the history of contracts - not everything was specified in enough detail. They have seen the PDFs, didn't want to bother doing something useful with them and checked their contract. Contract doesn't directly say they need to be readable.

Done.
 
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