Blue Links

OK thanks for your reply Peter. Time required to actually resolve is one thing. I suggest that it is very important for CPod to first acknowledge promptly. Yes we hear you, we have read your email, we see what you're talking about. Then I wish you would communicate CPod's position on the issue (and not all issues we bring up are necessarily tech errors or problems. often we bring up our preference to see things done another way.) --do you agree that the "improvement" the user is asking for is necessary or a good idea, do you understand their view but have reasons you can't accommodate their request, etc.--as early as possible, say within a day or two.

The reason the Tech Problems on Site group was launched (by CPod staff, as you know, not the users, who were then encouraged to go there with their issues) in the first place was to centralize the issues in a public place. There was a point to doing that.

But now, because I prefer any problems I report to be acknowledged promptly, and am not pleased when they receive no acknowledgement by CPod, I suppose that might make me choose to email support or use the Contact Us page, instead of going to the Tech Problems on Site group.

I've already said before in this thread, I think you need to make that clearer to everybody--to ensure response from CPod we have to go to the Contact Us page or email support.

Hi zhenlijiang, all emails sent to support@chinesepod.com or sent to us via our contact us page are acknowledge and reply to by myself and team members. We take great pride in resolving our customer issues. But not all technical issues can be resolve in a timely manner due to various circumstances beyond our control. The technical problems posted on site groups are directed to me by my colleagues. Therefore, some problems might take longer to acknowledge and resolve.

In reply to:

We've recently put up a new contact us page at http://chinesepod.helpserve.com/index.php

You can submit a ticket under Report a Bug / Technical Problem. I answer all of your technical questions and troubleshoot your problem if necessary. Unresolved problems will be forwarded to our tech team.

What isn't good about us directly contacting tech support is that nobody else can see the issue has already been reported and acknowledged.

Having said that, if the acknowledgement/response (resulting in fixes) rate is going to be significantly higher than when we post to the Tech Problems on Site Group (you can see that many of my posts there have gone unacknowledged; also promises of follow-ups from staff frequently go unfulfilled), that could of course be an incentive for us to go to the trouble.

Hi go_manly. We've decided to remove this function because the coding conflicts with some other features on our website.

But one thing that is not back is Paste From Word.

Could you let us know Peter why this was removed.

Thank you for reviving our links. I'm immensely relieved.

I still do think underlined is not the best way to highlight them, think it's distracting and actually hard on the eyes. With hanzi especially, I think it's harder to see the characters.

Oh and the italicizing formatting in our Replies is also back! yay.

chinesepod.uservoice.com is no longer on the site because we are no longer using this third party service.

seriously? another page? what happened to chinesepod.uservoice.com?

I submitted 2 'tickets' 24 hours ago. The automated emails I received as confirmation said "one of our agents will get back to you as soon as possible".

No response as yet. I guess your agents are busy doing secret MI5 work.

O, you want me do ironing. OK.

I'm guessing this is the sort of conversion that has gone on between John and his tech team up to now.

#irony

You can get there by clicking 'Contact Us' under 'Help' at the bottom of the page.

Thanks for your response Peter. Glad to hear from CPod with acknowledgement that this is a problem and assurance that a fix is in the works.

Hm, seems like this means the Technical Problems on Site Group does not have a function any more--? Which is fine, as long as the problems get attention and response.

Of course you do need to let everyone know about the new Contact Us page elsewhere too (I may flatter myself sometimes but certainly don't imagine that all users are keeping themselves updated on what goes on in this thread I started).

Sorry Peter, that link doesn't work.

We've recently put up a new contact us page at http://chinesepod.helpserve.com/index.php

You can submit a ticket under Report a Bug / Technical Problem. I answer all of your technical questions and troubleshoot your problem if necessary. Unresolved problems will be forwarded to our tech team.

Hi Peter- suggest to the tech team to do some testing before sticking buggy changes live...

Hi Peter. Its good to see you giving some feedback. Its exactly what we've been missing in recent times - acknowledgement of our concerns, and an indication of progress. Perhaps you could let us know if there is a way of directing our tech issues straight to you, so we can get some meaningful feedback on our concerns.

Hello everyone, this is Peter. I am the customer service specialist here at ChinesePod.

The changes to the publish post/comments functions were updated a few days ago. The new update had a conflict with the coding with the posted links. Our tech team has been notified of the problem and are working to resolve this issue. We will have a fix for this bug in the next couple of days.

*commends and agrees with above post to the power of 10*

I've really been trying to restrain my impatience and displeasure on this issue, but find I can do so no longer. It seems like every hyperlink I have ever posted on this website is now dead, and has been for an absurdly long period of time. WHY?

More and more I get the feeling that CPod would like user groups to just wither away and die, whatever they may may say in N&F, whatever little announcements may appear online. First we get the "dashboard", a system inherently designed it seems to prevent people from noticing new posts to groups and therefore starving them of any new life. Then we get endless fiddling around with the way the site works, postboxes redesigned so that users like me have to learn frickin' HTML just to try and keep groups alive. Now even the HTML doesn't seem to work, and all the many hours of effort I (and others here) put into the groups has just been thrown in the trash because all the links to our work are broken. WHEN IS THIS GOING TO BE PUT RIGHT?

Aha. But I guess you have to do that before the option to edit expires. And it's also true that some links that were working fine have now been deactivated.

I had the same problem. The issue is the < and > that appear in the HTML. When you edit the comment, you find they each have turned into 4 other characters. If you delete those characters, and retype the < and >, the link then works.

Earlier I tried using HTML to put a link into a post, but it didn't work. 还是老样子啊。

Just to note: I don't want all posts to be visible to me all the time. The option to filter them that way would be nice though.

Hi guys,

The reality is that different projects take different amounts of resources (and different amounts of time) and it's often the case that changes and updates are not rolled out right away.

Hmm. It's not Catherine's fault she isn't given anything better to tell us, but really we don't need this clarified.

Tal is not the only "frustrated" user I'm sure. By leaving our questions unanswered you let us think our concerns are unimportant to you. That tends to make people unhappy.

Why do you not take into serious consideration a perfectly sensible suggestion Bodawei has made elsewhere? Keep us apprised of your priorities and timeframe. Why do you not do this? We may not necessarily agree with all your priorities (I can't see why you're applying limited resources to tinker with how the links look now) but at least we'll know whether we can expect solutions to the problems we've raised and do consider rather important, and when.

It seems quite obvious to us that the solution to the groups problem is simply to reinstate the Conversations page to show postings of all groups just like it did before. Please do clarify and let us know why this is not an acceptable solution for Cpod..

As it is now, the Conversations serve no purpose since it is just a duplication of the conversations shown on the Dashboard. By showing all groups on the Conversation Page, poddies have the best of both world ... only see postings of groups they belong to, as well as, see what's going on in the whole Cpod community. What's wrong with this?

By the way, personally I find it much more convenient browsing on the Conversations Page rather than on the Dashboard. The layout on the Conversations page is much easier to read and to identify new conversations since my last visit.

“We have been working hard to come up with ways of improving groups (and making it easier to join groups/discover groups etc.).”

Well, I'll give you a really simple solution. (To be honest, it's the way it always was in the past, so of course it won't be acceptable to you.) Quite simply: make all posts visible to all users, regardless of what 'group' they are in.

As for changes and updates not being rolled out right away, don't worry we all know the pattern. Goes something like: part one, major redesign of website that irritates most users but is justified in the name of 'progress'. Part two, countless bugs and annoyances are winkled out over countless weeks, mostly by disgruntled users begging for them to be fixed or altered. Part Three: another major redesign of the website. Repeat steps 1 to 3 and you have the CPod story from a user's angle.

tal_ It's clear your frustrated and I understand that you have a lot of questions about the changes on the site. The reality is that different projects take different amounts of resources (and different amounts of time) and it's often the case that changes and updates are not rolled out right away.

We've been busy this week trying to clean some bugs up and publishing the new profile page. We have been working hard to come up with ways of improving groups (and making it easier to join groups/discover groups etc.). I've mentioned this before and while I'm sure "we're working on it" is not what you want to hear, it is in fact something we're devoting a lot of time to.

The changes to the publish post/post a comment functions are already in the queue and are set to be published next week.

I will continue to try and keep you and the rest of our community apprised of changes and updates to the site, and hope that you will continue to let us know what you're thinking. Your feedback is important and we are listening to it!

zhen, they just like to mess with your head.

Another 7 days have gone by since my above rant, but has there been any change to the format of the posting box (when posting a new message in a user group)? Of course not. It still looks like this:

And has there been any response to my request for feedback on the User Groups issue? Of course not.

Does this (lack of feedback and action) not in fact speak quite eloquently in itself? Of course.

Keep on tweaking the color of links and messing about with underlining team, you're doing just fine.

Hi zhenlijiang

I can't agree more.

tal, I knew I had seen it before and just before reading your reply I recalled that it was you who had come up with that masterful photoshop job in the firstplace. I should have thought more about it before posting. Great to see it again.

You're right mate! I decided to go for something everyone, (well, almost everyone would recognize!)

呵呵，actually mate I made that image some time ago. The Radical Show could still be enjoyed on Youtube at that time, but oddly I can't seem to find it there now, and that's terrible. Surely there should be a permanent online home for that small slice of video greatness. What fools those who condemned it! In my view it should be brought back and continued in the same vein. Who knows, producing it might keep the minds of the team off endlessly fiddling around with the website.

But of course I'm sure you know that. I assume you couldn't find a decent image from that wonderful production.

Tal,

I think a Star Wars Holiday Special Photoshop job would have been more appropriate, 哈哈. (Sorry CPod.)

I didn't realise that the Radical Show had been hidden away - I think that there was a link, and there it was. (Sorry I can't be more specific.) I have to admit I enjoyed it on one level - we actually got to see John Pasden in a moving picture. :) And was that really Pete? There was about fourteen or fifteen years of tertiary linguistics training combined there, jumping in the air making like a ren. So fun!

I would have kept the tone, the production values, and just added some more meat. But as you say, we don't want to re-start that discussion.

hey tal, where'd you find that clip? I remember it well. That photo alone shows there were some good elements to it despite it's criticisms [but let's not go there again...it's all been said before].

hey tal, where'd you find that clip? I remember it well. That photo alone shows there were some good elements to it despite it's criticisms [but let's not go there again...it's all been said before].

where did you find the radical show? I thought it was removed from the site. I'm still holding out that they'll have another crack at a radical show.

Ahh, The Radical Show! Those were the days. *sigh*

Thanks for your input fordbronco. Maybe a teensy bit harsh. :) Actually I think there are a lot of initiatives that are well-meaning - but you raise the history of the organization which I find interesting. Obviously ChinesePod has changed over the years in various ways (a big success story in many ways.) But yesterday I found the 'Radicals Show' and was surprised to see about 200 comments in a few days [mostly slamming the efforts] - in many respects it reminded me of the events in the past couple of months. But in those days John Pasden (in particular) was very conciliatory and engaged in the discussion productively. And almost immediately. My personal experience is that in recent history there is more spin. Now there is a valuable brand to protect the tone of the organisation has changed. You could call it commercial reality.

But commercial or not, the reality is that ChinesePod is a much better learning site now than it was then. It just becomes increasingly difficult to keep the customers happy. :)

see, when i reply there is no html menu for me to use. so how can I include a link wheN REPLYING TO SOMEONE?

DON,T YOU GET IT? WE ARE FRUSTRATED WITH HOW THE COMMUNITY SYSTEM HAS CHANGED INTO? WHO IS THE BRAIN CHILD BEHIND THIS MESS?

Thanks zhen, you make some good points. Most of my moaning above related to making a new post in a user group. Even if you make a blank post (which I hate doing) and then go back and edit, you still have to use lots of HTML if you want it to look right. Actually I don't mind learning a little HTML, but the question remains, why should anyone be expected to??

(I've taken to making my links large chunks, or bolding when I can without too much trouble; am obsessed now with making them noticeable)

I created a trial account a little while ago to see what I would be seeing, and found that I only automatically get added to 1) my stated academic level Group and 2) the News and Features Group. In the Conversations page I see those conversations + all lesson level conversations. I too was surprised (dismayed) when I understood that we weren't all automatically added to General Discussion. But at least that "usual crowd" is by far the largest. Just don't really get how new users will know to join it though.

Tal, I just publish my post now when I want to do any formatting with color, or add images, etc.. Just publish a blank post or whatever. Then immediately go in to edit it, because then you not only have all those tools at your disposal as you've pointed out above, you're also allowed to Save as Draft. Can't bother with any more than the most basic HTML stuff.

OK then, how about some feedback on the issue bodawei referred to? It's sure nice of you to start featuring groups on N&F, and for those who have put effort into creating them given some recognition and praise. But sorry, I still cannot believe this system where new users have almost no idea (imho) what's going on with groups, (unless they notice or can be bothered to browse the list and join some.)

I only just discovered that new poddies are not even automatically subscribed to the General Discussion group, (a friend of mine signed up last week and I was astonished when he told me this.) Thus, posts like this intended to attract new members are still only being seen by the usual crowd on that board.

Even your own recently founded group for Discussing and Appreciating the CPod Bugs and Technical Glitches, (sorry I don't have a link to hand) is now all but invisible except to the few diehard moaners who joined it, 对不对？Or was that the plan?

Thanks for your input, tal_. We are in fact working to standardize the publish a post and post a comment functions. I asked for user feedback last week regarding our mock-ups. We're going to have buttons for the options you mentioned (in addition to bold and italics, we'll have things like font color and lists as well) so users don't have to add the html themselves. If you have any questions about this, just let us know!

Well said bodawei.

My god, how long is it since the smashboard was introduced, and yet so little has been done to redress the squeezing out of user groups. (To be honest I again and again feel that the CPod 'powers that be' would like to see them die off.)

How else to explain why making new posts in user groups is now an almighty pain in the ass? When you want to make a post, this is what you see

Notice the total absence of user-friendly clickable buttons to add links, images, formatting, etc. Just to keep posting half-way decent additions to the groups I started, I have had to become almost an expert in HTML. New posts I make look like a mass of HTML code before I ever get to hit the 'post' button, and even then they seldom look the way I hoped.

Compare the image above with this one for general replies to posts

Notice how different they are? Now why in hell cannot they both be the same? Stupid question of course, people ask such questions all the damn time, but they never get answers and changes are never made, just the same old same old week after goddamn week.

But hey, let's get the colour of links just the right shade of blue, OK guys? Now that's important.

John, as a representative of the older generation here (the eyes aren't as good as the used to be) - this change makes life on the site just that little bit harder.

But I for one have noticed a commitment to improving the aesthetic of the site - and I will allow some credit for that (most people would be unfairly preoccupied with language learning). It is a pity that there have not been more runs put on the aesthetics board.

But there is a fundamental question - why this tweaking with things not raised as problems? When more important things remain unfixed? It is still difficult to find and promote Groups - putting Groups in the news doesn't fix this problem.

HI John

I have weak eyes and hate to see a bright display screen, so my screen brightness is always very low, which makes subdued-blue links even more unnoticeable. And this is the reason I don't like this change. I have a question. Are there any users who complain that the link color is too deep?

OK thanks for taking note John. I guess you mean, if enough people see it as a problem ...

Oh I did not know of such a connotation with "tweaking".

“Tweaking?" Does that carry the same "high-on-meth" connotation in English that it does in American?

Right. ;)

Continue to strive for excellence you mean, right? ;-)