Dear Team

[Darren1978]

Peter,

I 100% agree with everything you have written.

Since getting the invite several weeks ago, and the initial 'excitement' having worn off, I haven't visited the site for well over 2 weeks, until now.

From reading a selection of thread/posts to catch-up on what has been going on, I see nothing much has changed. The Forums are full of disatisfied users; every thread I click on someone is reporting a problem or a bug, suggesting an improvement or ideas for additional content, yet everyone is either being ignored or being fobbed off with what appears to be 'standard responses' along the lines of "Thanks for that, we'll look into it" or "we'll add that to our list of things to look into", hardly good, positive communication.

The list of faults/bugs and other issues being reported is endless, yet nobody seems to know what ones are, or have been, looked at or solved. The whole thing is a shambles and quite clearly the beta version of the site was in no way ready for being launched for testing. Far too many testers were invited i.e the entire database of DCM users & new PR users and this has resulted in what can only be described as your 'downfall'. Trying to keep tabs on feedback/reports from a reported 108,000+ users was never going to be possible in a million years, especially when there are a few website coding 'experts' in amongst that lot. I know hindsight is a wonderful thing, but surely someone would have figured out that it would have been best to invite a small handful of people who knew what they are talking about???

From what I can see from my quick flick through this morning, there are a few users who quite clearly know what they are talking about, who are reporting problems and suggesting fixes yet they are being completely ignored, and in one case, they appear to have been forced out or 'banned'....wtf is that all about? They are offering expert help on a plate and coming up with fixes 'just for fun' and can be solved in a very short space of time....the least you could do is acknowledge them. Shocking customer treatment.

From what I can establish, there are still loads of bugs/faults that need fixing and time is running out. The gallery's are a disaster, basic formatting of pages is still an issue, the website still not displaying correctly in different bowsers is still ongoing (surely this should be on the the most important issues to fix before launch?) and the list goes on. It seems that the site will go live whether its ready or not.....this could prove to be a massive mistake, but only time will tell.

Personally, I'm completely disiilluisoned by the whole thing and they way it has been managed, and I don't think I'm along in echoing those thoughts. I sincerely hope that the site is a success, but I fear it may take a considerable amount of time for that to happen.

Four years in the making to produce what we currently have now.....oh dear

Rant over!

[Rachael DCruze]

Originally Posted by Upstart

Yes, very well put Peter, though I wouldn't hold out any hope of things changing.

Photoradar as it stands really is a case of 'too little too late', the once vibrant community that existed at DCM was destroyed as a result of the same attitudes and behaviours that we're seeing here, the same meat with different gravy! The team just don't seem to get it, perhaps it's down to a lack of maturity or experience, I wonder how many of them have ever worked in a customer facing environment before. Perhaps Future is paying peanuts and can only attract the relative quality of staff, who knows?

This is an offensive and quite nasty comment I feel. As you know, Amy is a graduate and this her first full time job, but both Marcus and I have a strong magazine (customer facing) and photography background.

I get the feeling that Photoradar only exists because they finally had to accept that DCM was dead and buried, all the broken promises, the dismissive attitudes, the complacency......... finally caught up with them! The realisation that their credit was all used up and their customers had voted with their feet seems to have led to a hasty rethink. This site looks and feels like it's been in development for a matter of weeks not years, the decision to betalaunch can only have been born out of panic, it was months away from being properly tested and still is in my opinion.

Whatever, the net result is clear for everyone to see, a total PR disaster, a site that's being laughed at all over the internet, do they really think any serious minded photographer is going to want to join up for this? What I ( and many others) find particularly irritating is the pretence that everything is fine and dandy, the abject failure of the team to acknowledge their customers concerns and the all too familiar "It's free, if you don't like it you can leave" response to anything that's less than positive. Well guess what, the customers are leaving and in their droves, all the while the team are apparently fantasising about the 108,000 active members. Is it just me, or do others find this an insult to your intelligence? I mean, who do they think they're kidding?

We are well aware that there are problems with the site - numerous issues are being looked into and changed right now. We will also be improving the site once it is live. PhotoRadar offers much more than DCM already and this is just the very beginning.

Shutting DCM and rebranding the new site gave Future an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and deliver a site that would trash the opposition, once again they've conspired to make a mess of it and it's difficult to imagine how they can retrieve the situation.

Very disappointing!

Paul

x

[Upstart]

Originally Posted by Rachael DCruze

This is an offensive and quite nasty comment I feel. As you know, Amy is a graduate and this her first full time job, but both Marcus and I have a strong magazine (customer facing) and photography background.

Well if I was Amy I would be more offended by your assumption that those remarks were aimed at her. My comments were an observation on the teams attitude in general, I had no idea of Amy's background. Maturity doesn't always come with age Rachael and your ill considered and prickly response perfectly demonstrates my point, there's also a certain irony here given the outrageous allegations that were levelled at Jonathan Ryan by you and the team. It was not my intention to offend anyone, I was just adding to Peter's suggestion that the team aren't currently up to the job. It clearly touched a nerve with you!

Originally Posted by Rachael DCruze

We are well aware that there are problems with the site - numerous issues are being looked into and changed right now. We will also be improving the site once it is live. PhotoRadar offers much more than DCM already and this is just the very beginning.

There it is again.......Jam Tomorrow! I really want to believe that changes are taking place, but sadly there's no evidence of it anywhere.

Yet another disappointing response that highlights the very issues that Peter refers to in his post. Thanks for the kiss that you left for me at the end though, I'm flattered really.

Paul

l

[Rachael DCruze]

Hi Paul,

The x was a typo, apologies.

The team are up to the job, don't worry. Hopefully you'll see the site's potential when you experience the changes, please bear with us.

I've actually had to take some time off and today is my first day in the office, I've not made any allegations towards Jonathan Ryan.

Best wishes, Rach

[Eileen]

Originally Posted by Matt Pierce

Hi Peter
...but we're aware of all the posts and bugs and working through as many as possible in priority order based on how critical they are.

I recognise that without responses to every thread/post, that it could look like we're ignoring people's feedback. Again, rest assured we're not.

Ironically, it should be much easier to spend time replying to forum posts once the site's live (when we're not concentrating so much on fixing bugs). In the meantime, thanks for the ongoing feedback...

All the best

Matt Pierce

(Group Publisher of Photography and Design at Future)

I can see that the team have been busy today, and apologies in advance if this point has been taken up somewhere else that I haven't found.

It was good to see a response to Peter's post. But in reading the response I note that there is no reference here to one of the key concerns expressed by Peter (and by myself and others in previous posts) which is about the galleries themselves. You can (hopefully) fix the bugs with uploading and image size and so forth but if the galleries don't look good, show off pictures well and meet user needs then they still won't be much used.

I'm weary of asking this question and getting no reply, but will have one last go as like Tony and Peter and the other commentators I would like to see a good replacement to DCMAG. Please can we have a comment about what, if anything, is being done to make the galleries function like good photo site galleries? On launch will the galleries just look like they do now but with fewer bugs?

[Boltondave]

Originally Posted by Rachael DCruze

The team are up to the job, don't worry. Hopefully you'll see the site's potential when you experience the changes, please bear with us.

No doubt the sites "potential" will be unleashed when the site goes live. Which brings me to the next thing. There's a question that's been avoided by all the behind-the-scenes lot, and that's "What date does this site go live?"

Can you believe that question's been avoided/unanswered five times?

Originally Posted by Rachael DCruze

I've actually had to take some time off and today is my first day in the office, I've not made any allegations towards Jonathan Ryan.

Maybe you yourself didn't, but someone did.

Well said Peter Jackson and Paul (Upstart). I've avoided this thread purely because of its title!
I think both Peter & Paul have said it all and anything else would just be a repeat. Voting by absence is something that hits the best at its hardest, and may be the ultimate downfall of this site. It's near on impossible to upload a shot as it should appear......
Enjoy!

[OldBoy]

Photoradar as it stands really is a case of 'too little too late', the once vibrant community that existed at DCM was destroyed as a result of the same attitudes and behaviours that we're seeing here, the same meat with different gravy! The team just don't seem to get it, perhaps it's down to a lack of maturity or experience, I wonder how many of them have ever worked in a customer facing environment before. Perhaps Future is paying peanuts and can only attract the relative quality of staff, who knows?

This is an offensive and quite nasty comment I feel. As you know, Amy is a graduate and this her first full time job, but both Marcus and I have a strong magazine (customer facing) and photography background.

I think you have jumped to the wrong conclusions here and your reply is OTT. Remember the customer is always right even when they are wrong. You need to remember that a customer can go elsewhere but the 'shop' can't be moved.

[Sue Allen]

Well, if we can't have a we hate photoradar section how about a we are sooooooo bored with photoradar section....

[Upstart]

Well at least this thread has provoked some sort of activity on the forum, hardly surprising that it's all negative though.

Despite Peter's opening post I still get the feeling we're all wasting our time here. Sure, there's been a response but once again none of the questions have been answered, it's the same old trite nonsense, avoiding any commitment to resolving specific issues and yet more vague promises that it'll all be alright 'sometime in the future'.

Rachael talks of 'potential' and of improving the site after it's gone live, not exactly the bold and confident fanfare that was rolled out in the national press is it? After years of waiting patiently it's not unreasonable for customers to expect something a bit special, something at least functional and complete. All we're being offered is 'potential'? In reality Photoradar is fundamentally flawed in almost every aspect of its conception, design and delivery, it falls way short of everyone's hopes and expectations, users are having a hard time seeing any potential let alone the vision of a finished product.

According to Rachael "PhotoRadar offers much more than DCM already and this is just the very beginning"

So what is it that PR offers much more of? Two disparate halves of a site held together with gaffer tape and elastoplast? Overbearing and annoying adverts squeezed into every available centimetre of the screen? The worst gallery function anywhere on the internet? A forum that barely functions and is full of bugs? Or perhaps it's the library of helpful video tutorials that don't work for most people that have tried them? I'm sure there's a lot more but I'm too tired of this nonsense to be bothered.

Seriously Rachael, which bit do you think it actually improves upon?

I'm really struggling to find anything that works properly or that could even be loosely described as an improvement over the old DCM site.You surely must be trying to make things better but it's difficult to see anything tangible or remotely convincing. At least DCM worked, it was slow and a bit clunky, but it had a thriving community of top class photographers and the liveliest following of forum regulars that I've seen anywhere, on any site! It had the one thing that any site needs to succeed .......customers! I'm sure it hasn't escaped your attention that Photoradar doesn't actually have any? If it's already better than DCM as you assert, then where is everyone? It’s looking like you’ve thrown the baby out with the bathwater I'm afraid.

Forgive my cynicism, but this site seems nearer to the end than the beginning. We've been "bearing with you" for years now and nothing has really changed. I've already wasted more time than I care to consider on here, there are far better sites on the internet where the customers are valued rather than treated with contempt. John (Fanning) is right, I'll bide my time with the other 108,000 (in)active users, good luck......you'll need plenty of it.

Paul