We deserve and used to have, better!!

[S'mE]

I'll post it here as well, as I feel so strongly!!

I'll be straight as I see it.
In my opinion this site suffers, more than badly, in comparison to our old site.

I've never really been a visitor to the US boards, rather a seeker of info. specific for UK visitors. The UK search was invaluable, and unique, in my opinion, as you can probably recognise from the message under my name, over the last few weeks.

The boards here are slow, frustratingly slow. With information input apparently decreasing at an alarming rate.

Basically I want a UK database. I think we all miss our old "pool of knowledge". The search here is of inconsequential benefit to my needs. There's no way that I'd totally leave or turn my back on the DIS, but it's unfortunate that we've come to a situation where my needs are catered for more satisfactory elsewhere.

Having seen and visited the link.
I hope the situation can be resolved. If private persons can cobble together something that cater for my, and our, specific needs, then surely this site can offer a comparable alternative?

I'm sure others are of the same opinion.
People can be forced out by indifference. What we had was good!!!
It's worth writing a few words of appreciation for he fact!!

 

[Hilary]

Yes, the old UK site was good - very good - and we all loved it, but that doesn't alter the fact that it has gone

That site took a while to build up to the position it was in before it crashed, and I'm hopeful that the same can happen again. No-one can <i>make</i> people post on these, or any other, boards, it's down to all of us to get the boards busy again if that's what we want to see.

The boards here are slow, frustratingly slow. With information input apparently decreasing at an alarming rate.

Actually, I have found these boards to be no slower than the old UK ones lately (I don't think it's just me being fortunate) although I totally agree that the sloooooowness a few weeks ago was a problem. I have also discovered that a double click when posting helps me to speed things up (that might be just me!).

 

[WebmasterPenny]

Like Hilary says...we loved our boards, they were great, but now they are <i>gone</i>.

I admit that in the evenings I do still sometimes have trouble with the 'server too busy message', it's a pain in the bum having to refresh 7 or 8 times until I 'get through' but we are all in the same boat...WM's, Mod's, Posters. It's frustrating, and it IS being worked on, I guarantee it, but these things don't happen overnight...

I'm at a loss at what else to say that hasn't been said before except I know people need to do what they feel is best for them. I'd hate for anyone to turn they're back on the DIS, I really would - I know many people here, I have made friends too, and I still feel the DIS is a special place.

Penny

 

[Fantasia Sam]

Indeed the UKDIS was great, I for one agree with some of your sentiments on the subject.

However Hilary is right they're gone and quite frankly I'm of an opinion that I just have to get on with the tools that have been put at my disposal. Now some of those tools DIS can and do offer me, but I have never just put all my eggs in one basket when gaining advice or tips on Disney holidays, and I don't think anyone here expects us to.

If I can't get the info I want on DIS then I go elsewhere whether that be Official site, Deb's pages, Passporter etc or other community boards that have been set up by friends of mine who I've met here on these boards.

In terms of speed I do not find the boards slow and didn't even in the first 2 weeks of being back here so I couldn't understand what everyone was harping on about when it came to speed - but then I'm a technophobe so I wouldn't know if ithad to with servers, PCs etc.

Now for the future - firstly, we build on what we know technically. I'm sure the webmasters over here take everyone's comments and try to keep all of the people happy all of the time but you never can! I don't know the technicalities of how these boards work and I don't even know if there is any assurance that what happened on UKDIS won't happen here! However I'm not paying for this service (well apart from the fact that it makes me book more holidays to Orlando than I can really afford) and that for me means I'm grateful for what I can get out of DIS.

Secondly, we build on what we know about Orlando and WDW. We still help newcomers OK we can't direct them to a past post but we have some great WDW experts here and even after 5 visits I still don't know it all so I need to give advice and share it.

I don't think I've been known for being outspoken (and apologies to mods if I'm not following guidelines) in the past. But I just want to say that I'm happy to continue to come here and watch the boards evolve as the US boards have continued to do so up until now. And if I can't find the information I'm looking for here then I'll pop somewhere else and then come back here to advise others if need be.

I appreciate others frustrations but at the end of the day "it's a board".

 

[SimonV]

I'm afraid this thread is just stating the blindingly obvious, IMHO. Yes, it used to be better; No, no-one's happy with it now; but Yes, we can - and will - make it better. If you think all the Mods and Webmasters are happy with this state of affairs, when they all give up their free time and energy and expertise to try to help people out as much as possible - and are the most frustrated people going by the loss of the UK Boards - then you must have completely the wrong end of the stick. Frankly, this does nothing to help the situation and take us forward as a community. Sam makes some very good points about looking to the future, and that's what we need to do. Last month is history and there is no mileage in harking back to what was.

Simon

 

[mickg7dyd]

Hi,
Forgive me if this as been covered before but why have we "lost" the UK boards??
Mick.

 

[WDWfan uk]

Mick, the UK DIS was being moved onto another server. In the process there was a total database failure which resulted in a complete loss of the boards. The Webmasters then set our boards up here.

 

[jana]

Since the UK site was "accidently" lost are we going to get it back? I know we won't get the info lost back but will we get a UK site back?
I may have missed it and if so I'm sorry but I haven't seen anything saying they were working on getting the UK site back up. I have only seen the postings on them getting the US site able to handle the over load.
Are they trying to get the UK site back up or will there only be the US site from now on?

 

[JohnW]

When I first came across these boards in 1999, the UK forum was, as it is today, a part of the US boards (I was "Seeezeee" back then) . I remeber asking why it was being moved to a seperate board when the ".co.uk" was created and I was told it was to do with making UK search engines find the board.

Presumably that logic still holds true, so, is the intention to recreate a ".co.uk" board or do we remain here ad infinetum?

The most important thing on any board is the contributers and I don't know if people don't know where we are or if people have got fed up, but it seems to me that this is a fraction of what it was.

I am more of a lurker than a frequent poster, on the odd occasion I know an answer someone has usually beaten me to it, so I will stick around but I hope things improve soon.

John.

 

[BevS97]

I understand that there have been technical difficulties etc etc - But I really don't understand why a decent message can't be posted on the old homepage- my basic understanding of the way these things work is that it should be possible to either upload a new page - or else redirect the www.wdwinfo.co.uk name to a new location - either here, or else to a page giving some info and a link to here.

 

[S'mE]

Simon,

I'm afraid this thread is just stating the blindingly obvious

Actually, as you want to talk of blindingly obvious, you've totally missed my main concern which is a lack of a specific UK search facility.

Last month is history

Um!......Blindingly obvious!
You imply that it's gone, accept it, this is out lot now!
In my opinion you should and could learn from history, surely!
To accept blindly what's on offer now as opposed to then is one sure way to lose more people from the board. I accept our database was lost. I accept it's not coming back. I do not intend accepting meekly that this board cannot fulfil its past role and to that end I think it requires a specific UK search facility, specific to the UK section of the boards.

Fantasia Sam says that what he can't find here, he finds elsewhere. It was quite rare to have to "go elswhere" to search for information if you were on the old board.

Yes, it used to be better

No, no-one's happy with it now

The trouble is........here you are stating the blindingly obvious, your words not mine!

I'm trying to improve the situation, as if it's not said, people may meekly take the status quo as acceptable and not be looking to improve the situation.

 

[StephenM]

Originally posted by S'mE
I think it requires a specific UK search facility, specific to the UK section of the boards.

I just use the 'search the forum feature at the bottom of the UK page seemes to work ok for me

 

[nxylas]

I haven't been here for ages, cos I kept getting the "excuse the pixie dust" message and assumed that the site was being redeveloped. Now I find that it has gone forever. I dread to think what a newcomer who had bought the Brit's Guide and just typed in the URL is gonna think.

 

[WebmasterPenny]

Originally posted by S'mE
Actually, as you want to talk of blindingly obvious, you've totally missed my main concern which is a lack of a specific UK search facility.

Click on 'Search" at the top of the page, use the drop down menu under 'Search Options' to select either a particular UK Board, or you can select 'UK DIS' and that will search all 4 of our boards at once. Ummm, would that be the specific UK search facility you were looking for?

Penny

 

[S'mE]

Goes to prove a point, unfortunately.

I've tried to access the search four times in the last 10 mins and it hasn't completed once. If you find that acceptable then that's your choice, obviously.

 

[WebmasterPenny]

Steve, would you like to PM me the details or post here what <i>exactly</i> you did the search on so I can try it? I've not had any troubles, and just to be sure I tried it then searching out every post I've ever made on the UK Boards...came up no probs in about 3 seconds.

I'd like to try and figure out the problem.

Penny

 

[UKDEB]

I have had no problems finding what I want with the search facility and I use it a lot. There are limitations, and I think the trick is to make sure you work within the guidelines.