Holiday hugs and bringing photos back will be a nice way to draw former users and contributors back in, when they stop by to check on progress. Or if not holiday hugs, at least the photos.

Hey Doo, I think your post about business was really thoughtful and I agree with a lot of it. I was really talking about the endless DS slamming and passive aggressive comments. Things like implying the developers are stupid to.me is uncalled for. I've seen that quite a bit. The developers and support folks are someone's daughter, someone's husband, someone's mom. Would anyone find it acceptable for anyone to talk about their daughter, or husband or mom that way, and for what, because somehow a website redesign has become a personal offense? It's gross behavior.

I saw your post Doo and it was a good post sweetie....xo

You know, you could take the view that on many support boards we have people saying the same thing over and over and constantly complaining about the same thing over and over again.

Why should this board be any different?

While this a board it seems mainly for DS communication, maybe people saying the same thing over and over again isn't a bad thing.

If they don't then DS might think that these things are ok. They're not.

I think it's naive to think in this regard the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

On other boards yes people throw fits about the same thing over and over as well. I think calling people out for rah rahing as if we're boot lickers of DS is crappy. That's one example of an underlying nastiness on some of these repetative posts. The other is implying people are stupid, which I've seen on countless other posts here. Not ok with me. Sorry.

And remember this group is for all DS members not just those who are are angry and hostile. Shame that's what this has become here.

By the way, no where did I say people can't post what they feel like posting. Have at it. But you can't have it both ways, being able say what you want and then expecting everyone else to shut up and tip toe around because people are upset. Give me a break.

I didn't take someone using the term "rah rahing" as being someone expecting "everyone else to shut up"? I don't think anyone used the term "boot lickers"? and I'm not getting the feeling you are being told you are stupid. Maybe it's been in other posts. We did have a banned member that might have done that and the mantra there is "don't feed the troll".

Maybe if whatever is not ok with you put whoever it is on ignore and if you think it's abuse then report it?

I don't think it's naive to suggest that saying the same thing over and over won't have an impact. DS say they are listening, are you say they aren't?

I think we are all basically hoping for the same thing, an improved DS functionality and a return to some of it's previous vibrancy which I've pointed out time and time again is increasingly difficult in the world of Facebook, Twitter etc - a problem that all forums are facing right now.

I took the rah rah remark as a passive aggressive swipe at those of us trying to remain a bit positive about this situation, especially within a post where DS is trying to outline upcoming updates. I did not take that specific remark as everyone else shut up. I'm saying it seems it's become acceptable to say crappy things and if you don't agree, too bad. That's how it feels on this particular board, that if you're not complaining constantly about the state of things, then somehow your thoughts and voice don't count.

No, I don't want to put members on ignore. That's not an answer. And I'm not going to report it as abusive, because I don't think it's even abusive. Just because I don't like something doesn't make it abusive. I think it's not nice and it's childish, and unfortunately there's not a button to report childish behavior. But as a member, I have as much a right to speak my opinion as everyone else. I think that's the rub, that everyone who is so upset can blast away, and yet here I am just speaking about how it looks and feel, and that makes me what, inappropriate?

Fish do you think everyone is really hoping for the same thing? I think when we first went to the new version of DS, yes, I would say that's true. But now, this many months out, not even close. I think we have two camps essentially, people who want a functioning website but accept this is what we have to work with today, and people who just want the old DS back, and no matter what improvements are made to the new version, no matter what DS says or doesn't say or does or doesn't do, it will never be ok. That's my perception.

II want to also stress that my comments aren't just about venting. Like I said, that's not the issue. It's the repetitive diatribes I mean, if DS says in the update, we're working on fixing the button issues in the next update for those still having issues, and then you a handful of posts with people screaming about still have problems with the button, clearly it's not about DS fixing anything. It's just called a habit.

I am not trying to argue. I think we just have to agree to disagree on this matter. I'm going to zip it now.

being a CL, I have to look at things from both sides. I get people's frustration but I also understand what DS is working with and I know that they are working hard, maybe not to everyone's version of the timetable but they are working hard with what they've got.

however, as a member, I have to say I've grown weary of the constant negativity and for my own sanity, I bypass a lot of things that have been repeatedly said. Frankly, it's the same thing over and over again and I just will not beat my head against a wall so to speak trying to respond to only get beat down .

Frankly, this DS is what we have now . This is what we have to work with and wishing we would go back to the way it was is not going to happen. yes there are a lot of boards that are not as active but there are others who are making the best of it and doing quite well. yes, we've lost a lot of members but we are also gaining members as well. I'm frankly tired of hearing people threaten to leave. that is a personal choice regardless of what changes/no changes are being made on this site.

I find I'm on this website less and less. And I'm one of the people who has mentioned over and over again the things that need to be taken care of. Important things. Basic things. Not bells and whistles. Elementary things such as making the font in a color that you can see. Or ensuring that the send button always works. Hugs and alphabetical lists are things that should be done AFTER the basic things are done. What good is developing the hug function if you can't see the screen and navigate?

People with legitimate questions regarding the website's functionality [or lack of it] are hardpressed to know where to go to inform those who CAN fix the issue. Navigation functionality on this website is poor, at best. So when the members can't figure out where to find help, they do the next best thing and write about it in this portal, hoping someone will investigate and take action. Sadly, more often than not, the cries for help are in vain.

People are frustrated [not angry - frustrated]. For many this website is a lifeline to human "contact," albeit virtually. Many people have left and the exodus continues.

To suggest that we should just "settle" for this or adapt to the nuances is ludicrous.

I agree with some, disagree with some. The send button is a huge thing. If it does not work then we cannot post or reply, now it is affecting journals. Many posts are going to the bottom and people feel ignored. I cannot reply to friends in need. Add the crisis center but what is going to happen when people do not respond because they cannot? What happens to people who depend on the crisis center but cannot post anything to ask for help because the important send button does not work? Some are basic functions that do need repeating because they are vital to us using the site. This said, I do believe the harshness, the put downs, yelling dialog and diatribes being said over and over are not needed repeatedly and I just think to myself how I would react if I had to see it all the time. I have been overly passionate myself so shame on me. The dead buttons happened again tonight. This has been happening for months now. I will not give up on it, I do love this site. I only hope someone can see how important it can be

Not that I think it's major.....but "whack-a-mole" seems to be evident.

Notice how the posts from two days ago have the screen name followed by the approximate timestamp [i.e., "two days ago"].

Yet the posts made in the last day or today don't have any approximate "timestamp" [i.e., "1 day ago," "4 hours ago".....].

Ordinarily not a big deal......except that it's symptomatic of other issues. My guess is that when they were working with the down arrow that controls the drop down list to update or delete a post, they managed to delete the timestamp function.


~~~~~~~~

Three hours later: the timestamp is there for all posts now.

I just want to leave one reply today. I would like to wish the DS team a happy Thanksgiving. That's it...

I'm sorry for whining. But it just keeps happening to me -remembering how good the old DS was, compared to the new one. I remember almost always having a hug and a few messages, which I would reply to. I could easily see how friends were doing on the same page as all my groups - no scrolling required. It was a friendly place.

No one mentioned that ridiculous banner, which continues to drive me crazy. If you post something on a thread, at least earlier today, you don't see what you posted to check for errors, but it bounces up to the absolutely useless banner. I'm sick to death of that non-functional banner taking up half the page and dominating everything.

I won't even get into how much I hate having to scroll to see anything. Or the grey hued colours. The bright primary and secondary colours on the old DS was a big part of why I stayed around in the beginning, before I knew anyone. Then, it was just pleasant. If I was coming here for depression, and had to see those horrible gray shades, I think I would just go somewhere else.

I really need support for my RA. And I do try and be active in that forum. But sadly, I suspect a lot of the newbies are trolls, but ones sanctioned by DS, to make it look like the groups have more than 3 people in them. In fact, that pattern has been repeated in every group I am in. These people come in and post, maybe answer once or twice, and are never heard from again.

I won't deny that happened on the old DS, upon occasion, not DS promoted. But now, the posts of some of these newbies are virtually identical. Now, before you think I am paranoid for even thinking such a thing, let alone posting here about it, I am not the only one who has noticed it. Of course, I cannot confirm it, but after some things that happened a few years back, I am a bit more wary of some things that go on. Or, maybe less naive. I do hope this is something I am completely wrong about, but as long as we are talking about things that are really bothering us, that is a big one for me.

No, I seriously don't have paranoid bone in my body.

Then there is the signing in 3 or 4 times a day, because I walked back into my real world, and the hour or so is up and I am signed out. This is just ludicrous! I always stay logged in, in any forum I am in, and it discourages me daily from posting, because I am just sick of being booted off. Because it does not feel much like a security feature, but rather a way of having only a few people online, leading to a need for less band width? A smaller server?? I really don't know enough about forums to be able to see the advantage of driving people out, as often as every 20 minutes to an hour. Nope, I have never been signed in for 2 hours.

So be positive? I'll be positive when this site is totally overhauled and goes back to being like the old DS. Keeping a member group is hard enough, with no way to upgrade admins, ban people, or send a group message. I would just fold my group and go, but I am not going to abandon it to potential satanists. (Because folding it is no longer an option! I wish we had been told that before the switch over, because the Beta site had no way to access member groups. Who knew we would lose everything we needed to run a member group?)

I am not targeting anyone, but that actually happened one time. If I had not been on, 20 posts about God would have stood with the last posts being made by a satanist who specifically was there to trash God and the group.

Sorry, I am venting again. But to all who are being so wonderfully positive, I'm sorry, but even though I try and try, I just can't get excited about this gutted forum.