554385 Wed Sep 03 10:19:59 -0700 2008 9 30 Site Talk 0 4005827 Just thinking out loud here....but would it help if us hounds gathered together and donated a couple bucks so we can get ourselves some new properly functioning servers??? Just set up a PO Box and we could get it together in no time. I know you guys pride yourselves on being a FREE website for great chow and we ALL appreciate that act, but I think lots of people would be willing to chip in. Even just a few bucks! So my question is....would it help? Wed Sep 03 10:20:00 -0700 2008 82143 amanda3571 1 4006019 Back when Chowhound was a shoestring operation that Jim Leff kept afloat by putting off car repairs and occasionally passing the hat, I would toss in a few bucks now and then. Can't see doing that now that the site is part of CBS (2007 revenue: $14 billion). As much as hounds want to see the site running properly, we should not have to pitch in for repairs that the new owner can and should pay for itself. The value that users contribute to the site is smart talk about food. The Chowhound boards are part of the "content" that is driving healthy growth in traffic for Chow.com (as trumpeted by CBS last month: http://www.cbscorporation.com/news/prdetails.php?id=3583 ). Higher traffic means higher ad rates. So hounds are already doing their bit for the site. Wed Sep 03 11:27:36 -0700 2008 4005827 10496 squid kun 2 4006076 I hear what you're saying, and believe me, I agree -- but who knows what role, if any, CBS is playing in this? Have they sent "their people" in to dx our server problems? Or maybe brought more moderators in to give some folks a break? The problems started when CNET owned CHOW and have only continued since CBS bought it. Not a THING is getting fixed and people just keep complaining (and rightfully so). It's time to be proactive about it. Declare a day of no posting, do something! MAKE CBS NOTICE. Wed Sep 03 11:44:47 -0700 2008 4006019 82143 amanda3571 3 4007414 My goodness, it was aggravating as all get out just trying to by pass the damn spinning circle to reply.... Perhaps a letter writing campaign to CBS would be effective? Not trying to stir up trouble, and I am generally a patient person, but it is really getting to the point where the frustration is greater than the enjoyment...Last time that went on endlessly without any sign of release I got a divorce! ;-D Wed Sep 03 21:18:32 -0700 2008 4006076 111267 meatn3 1 4007410 amanda, I think your post & squid kun's keen reply demonstrates that CH users are offering far more than content. They are following along very closely with the success and failures of its operation. Should a Chowhound Team member ever open a post asking for help, I have no doubt the thread would be record setting. Wed Sep 03 21:14:46 -0700 2008 4005827 36312 HillJ 1 4007865 We appreciate the kind offer to help, but it's really not a question of more servers or more money. My understanding is that it's a fairly deep-seated problem with the core architecture underlying the site. I know that from the perspective of someone using the site, it looks like a single non-stop problem, but Engineering has been working and continues to work on the issues. They've solved some problems only to have them return in a slightly different form, and solved other problems but saw new problems crop up. You might remember the streak of 500 errors we endured and now (knock wood, because nearly every time I declare a problem well and truly fixed, it comes back immediately following my post) they're pretty much entirely gone -- though obviously a host of new problems have come up. It's not at all that the problems are being ignored, it's that the problems aren't straightforward to fix, and that fixing one doesn't fix them all. Thu Sep 04 07:12:52 -0700 2008 4005827 10021 Jacquilynne 2 4008040 Things are definitely trending better, Jacquilynne. 500 errors have gone away and the lag time to see new posts to an existing thread is very infrequent. For those who weren't around in the good/bad old day's of CH as run with Lucas Electrics (those who own/owned British sports cars will understand) Spit and Shoe Polish the new CH is a thing of beauty. Eventually all will be well and we can all get on with the search for the holy grill. ;-D Thu Sep 04 08:29:02 -0700 2008 4007865 108169 Servorg 3 4008514 oh goodness Servorg! As a former British sports car (beautiful when it ran) owner, your analogy of problems CH had in the past has made me thank my lucky stars I've found CH when I did! Thu Sep 04 10:52:53 -0700 2008 4008040 90565 Cookiefiend 2 4013344 I can understand that it is an architectural problem. I just think it's a case of the plumbing, wiring and foundation coming out and you go back up from there, if you can prop up the walls long enough. There's a saying about a car that could be fine if fixed; you jack up the radiator cap and drive a new car under it. So many big, commercial sites do them well. Look at Amazon, where you can write reviews, or New Egg where they have forums or Egullet which is based on a common forum engine. There are some nice, unique features to Chowhound but I don't think they are worth the aggravation of an unreliable site. Just a comment about human nature. They want consistency and reliability. Sat Sep 06 11:22:28 -0700 2008 4007865 137946 Scargod 1 4009050 problems were getting better, but now new posts are failing to appear again, site is painfully slow, etc.. perhaps just shut the site down for a day or so like other websites do when performing maintenance and get it right. Thu Sep 04 13:46:51 -0700 2008 4005827 26725 swsidejim