TreeLove
Oct 18 2008, 12:33 PM
PDGA Web Site: can anyone tell me how to find my rating now? Or my buddies' ratings? Thanks!

cgkdisc
Oct 18 2008, 12:46 PM
Not linked in yet. They said it may take a week to get all links live on the new site.

TreeLove
Oct 18 2008, 12:56 PM
Thanks for the quick reply. That's a real shame - we need those ratings to handicap our Team Disc Golf season, which starts tomorrow!

cgkdisc
Oct 18 2008, 12:58 PM
Contact a TD in your area who just ran a sanctioned event within the past month. They will have all the ratings for your area regardless whether they are current members.

kkrasinski
Oct 18 2008, 01:01 PM
Do an advanced Google search on the player's PDGA # and only search PDGA.com When you get the search results choose the "cached" link. For example, your rating as of Sept. '08 is 919

chrispfrisbee
Oct 20 2008, 10:26 AM
When will we start uploading scores?....and how will the process be different from before?

tpozzy
Oct 20 2008, 01:12 PM
When will we start uploading scores?....and how will the process be different from before?



I am currently focusing on getting the schedule, event results and player stats pages online. After that the course directory, followed by the tournament admin pages. They will have a different look and feel (colors, fonts, etc.), but they will function the same way they used to.

-Theo

vinnie
Oct 20 2008, 04:15 PM
When will we start uploading scores?....and how will the process be different from before?



I am currently focusing on getting the schedule, event results and player stats pages online. After that the course directory, followed by the tournament admin pages. They will have a different look and feel (colors, fonts, etc.), but they will function the same way they used to.

-Theo


I got to puTT my manager hat on when asked when....we don't want to know what needs to happen.....but an ETA....like COB Friday.
The PDGA needs to act as if we are the customer instead of the other way.

vinnie
Oct 20 2008, 04:51 PM
I know that sounds rough and to the point....but bussiness is not a casul relationship

baldguy
Oct 20 2008, 04:58 PM
I hope that this new site also incorporates some real technological upgrades and not just a new look and feel. I'd hate to think that after all the money and time that has been put into this site, we still can't get player data in a programmatic fashion or even have more than one tournament associated with a TD login.

gumbputt
Oct 20 2008, 05:16 PM
Anybody else having difficulty getting onto the tabs
For Example:
I highlight "Multimedia"
PDGA Radio
Photos
Videos

all come up but disappear before I am able to select one of them. If I try several times it eventually will stay open and I will then be able to select.

cgkdisc
Oct 20 2008, 05:18 PM
I sent Theo an email yesterday regarding this and he was having the same problem. So they know about it. I think it wasn't a problem or at least as much on Firefox versus IE7 but they want to fix it regardless.

gumbputt
Oct 20 2008, 05:24 PM
Thanks for the update Chuck, I just wanted to make sure they were aware of the issue.

Where I am looking at this now I don't have a choice which IE version I use, Firefox also isn't an option. I just love SorbaneOxly (I am sure I misspelled that)

sandalman
Oct 20 2008, 05:51 PM
its good that we thoroughly test everything in development before launching it.

tim_g
Oct 20 2008, 06:35 PM
It looks like an IE thing as I tested in Opera and FF without issue. I think Drupal uses a suckerfish variant for the drop down menus but I'm not sure if that is a global thing with that CMS. I know for my drop-down menus I had to add some javascript code to get it to work 100% in IE. I didn't notice any javascript on the PDGA site that has to do with the menus so you may want to look into that option to potentially solve the disappearing menu issue.

terrycalhoun
Oct 20 2008, 08:29 PM
I just love SorbaneOxly (I am sure I misspelled that)

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarbanes-Oxley_Act), otherwise known as the Lawyers' Full Employment Act. :)

tkieffer
Oct 21 2008, 01:09 AM
Not to anyone in particular, but I think we need to give the people running this a bit of a break. It looks like things may have had to go in rather quickly due to what happened with the old site. So some bugs and quirks should be expected.

It looks good so far, so I'll send a 'nice job' out to those who are putting in the work. I'm sure they'll get the bugs taken care of in an orderly fashion regardless of what style of 'suggestion' is employed here.

Jroc
Oct 21 2008, 01:58 AM
I agree. I am waiting to upload scores from Big Arms in Lubbock last week, but I am willing to wait a bit. If some dumb a**, too much time on their hands hackers hadn't decided to screw with things, we probably wouldnt be having this discussion. It's not the greatest timing I know...and I'm sure the powers that be do too...but let's cut them some slack. I think the new site looks great so far....I'm looking foward to seeing more of it go live.

tpozzy
Oct 21 2008, 03:41 AM
its good that we thoroughly test everything in development before launching it.


For those of us that have spent many hours trying to cope with the current situation, that would have been nice.

Oct 21 2008, 09:57 AM
A daily update of an estimated completion date would probably be appreciated by the masses.

Thanks to whoever is doing all the work.

bgwvdave
Oct 21 2008, 10:49 AM
A daily update of an estimated completion date would probably be appreciated by the masses.

Thanks to whoever is doing all the work.


Second!

discette
Oct 21 2008, 11:08 AM
its good that we thoroughly test everything in development before launching it.



Why would you make a statement like this when you are well aware that the time schedule for the new website launch was rushed due to the problem with hackers on the old site.

bruceuk
Oct 21 2008, 11:49 AM
its good that we thoroughly test everything in development before launching it.



Why would you make a statement like this when you are well aware that the time schedule for the new website launch was rushed due to the problem with hackers on the old site.



Why would you ask that question, knowing his board history so well...

discette
Oct 21 2008, 03:34 PM
its good that we thoroughly test everything in development before launching it.



Why would you make a statement like this when you are well aware that the time schedule for the new website launch was rushed due to the problem with hackers on the old site.



Why would you ask that question, knowing his board history so well...



Touche'

cgkdisc
Oct 21 2008, 06:09 PM
Looks like the "easy" way to get at the drop down menus is to first right click on the right side of the main menu word. This freezes the sub menu on the screen. Then left click on the submenu item you want.

rascheri
Oct 21 2008, 11:32 PM
Would it be possible to have a PDF file generated from whatever information was available before the site was hacked. The information would be the player name, player #, current rating. For all players, including those that don't have a current rating...in alphabetical order. This would be great!

Thanks in advance.

cgkdisc
Oct 21 2008, 11:36 PM
That list with members and even non-members ratings is still sent from the PDGA office to TDs prior to events.

stack
Oct 22 2008, 12:52 AM
That list with members and even non-members ratings is still sent from the PDGA office to TDs prior to events.



then it shouldn't be hard to get that list scanned/saved as a pdf and posted then right?

also its good having the calendar thru december available via PDF but can we also have next years stuff (what little there is) as well? i'm trying to plan some spring vacations/trips and would like to know what tournies might be going on.

theo or anyone that actually knows... was the 'hack' an SQL injection style attack?

cgkdisc
Oct 22 2008, 12:59 AM
then it shouldn't be hard to get that list scanned/saved as a pdf and posted then right?



For 30,000 current and non-current members? PDGA sends targeted lists to TDs that only includes players in their region.

baldguy
Oct 22 2008, 01:10 AM
As someone who has launched many websites, some successful and some not as much, and as someone who has regularly handled security, development, and production implementation of applications on and off the web... I understand the headaches involved with launching before one is ready. That said, there is *no* excuse for launching before one is ready.

A silly hacker had his fun, but the decision to move ahead early with the new site was a bad one. Spending that much of our money on what is apparently little more than a fresh coat of paint is also a very bad decision. Relying on volunteers to complete a job that was already paid for is also a very bad decision.

Many will wave the "lets all support the PDGA" flag, but there is absolutely no excuse for the way this has been handled and that fact should not be swept under the proverbial rug. This needs to be fixed, and not by volunteers. The statement has been made many times that "the PDGA must be run as a business". This is not how a business handles it's public interaction.

As an IT professional I am disgusted by the way this transition has been handled. As someone who runs PDGA-sanctioned events and therefore contributes greatly to the success of the PDGA (and benefits from it as well), I am terrified by the lack of result from the huge amount of money and time that has already been spent. I have personally taken *much* larger projects from zero to full-fledged-production in far less time and for much less money.

Technology is a weak spot for the PDGA, but the PDGA cannot afford such a weakness in this day and age. It's time to start thinking about how we vote for our elected officials... we cannot afford to allow this weakness to continue.

baldguy
Oct 22 2008, 01:13 AM
then it shouldn't be hard to get that list scanned/saved as a pdf and posted then right?



For 30,000 current and non-current members? PDGA sends targeted lists to TDs that only includes players in their region.


30,000 is a very small number of records. This could be done in a matter of minutes, it would just be a large file (or set of files). More appropriately, a temporary page could be built using the records in a temporary database... the old code could even be re-used. this is valubale information that should not be kept off the web. This is *not* a complicated problem to solve.

cgkdisc
Oct 22 2008, 09:41 AM
To my knowledge, the TDs who need the member and ratings info are receiving the appropriate file before their sanctioned events like they always have and it's not a problem.

chrispfrisbee
Oct 22 2008, 10:19 AM
Relying on volunteers to complete a job that was already paid for is also a very bad decision.




Exactly. No offense to the people that are working to get this new site online..I realize how hard it is.....but the PDGA as an organization should have realized that this is a job for someone that does this *for a living* and that is getting paid to do it and do it well.

Since no one answered myself & Vinnie seconded, Olathe Tom, 3rd & Big Wave Dave, 4th:

Do we have an estimated time frame of when all of this will be up and running?

or is no one in charge of this project willing to take a stand on that question?

bgwvdave
Oct 22 2008, 10:28 AM
Do we have an estimated time frame of when all of this will be up and running?

or is no one in charge of this project willing to take a stand on that question?

rascheri
Oct 22 2008, 10:30 AM
Chuck I am only asking for a ONE TIME posting of this information because I'm hoping that the Ratings Sytem that you had working previously will be back up within a month or so...and the updated information will be available then. I'm not asking for someone to continually update this list.


Also, having a list that is generated by area doesn't work well for me. Here at La Mirada we get a bunch of players from around the world. In fact there was a guy that played yesterday that goes by the name Grog? I don't have any record for him and I want to find out if he is in fact a PDGA player and if so what is his rating. He tells me that he is and that he goes by Grog in the PDGA as well.

So can you please get someone to generate this one time report that shows all of the players and that includes the player first and last name, player #, and last known rating if there is one. If not just list the player name and number. Put it in a PDF file and you can even reduce the size of the image so that there are less pages if you want. Anything is better than nothing at this point.

Thanks In Advance.

cgkdisc
Oct 22 2008, 10:33 AM
Contact the PDGA office. There's no need to post a temporary list online when those who need it may request it from the office.

JerryChesterson
Oct 22 2008, 10:33 AM
As someone who has launched many websites, some successful and some not as much, and as someone who has regularly handled security, development, and production implementation of applications on and off the web... I understand the headaches involved with launching before one is ready. That said, there is *no* excuse for launching before one is ready.

A silly hacker had his fun, but the decision to move ahead early with the new site was a bad one. Spending that much of our money on what is apparently little more than a fresh coat of paint is also a very bad decision. Relying on volunteers to complete a job that was already paid for is also a very bad decision.

Many will wave the "lets all support the PDGA" flag, but there is absolutely no excuse for the way this has been handled and that fact should not be swept under the proverbial rug. This needs to be fixed, and not by volunteers. The statement has been made many times that "the PDGA must be run as a business". This is not how a business handles it's public interaction.

As an IT professional I am disgusted by the way this transition has been handled. As someone who runs PDGA-sanctioned events and therefore contributes greatly to the success of the PDGA (and benefits from it as well), I am terrified by the lack of result from the huge amount of money and time that has already been spent. I have personally taken *much* larger projects from zero to full-fledged-production in far less time and for much less money.

Technology is a weak spot for the PDGA, but the PDGA cannot afford such a weakness in this day and age. It's time to start thinking about how we vote for our elected officials... we cannot afford to allow this weakness to continue.



Well said.

sandalman
Oct 22 2008, 10:40 AM
its good that we thoroughly test everything in development before launching it.



Why would you make a statement like this when you are well aware that the time schedule for the new website launch was rushed due to the problem with hackers on the old site.

hackers on the old site was a problem, yes. rushing a new site is not the way to solve it. whats the difference between a hacked site and one that doesnt work? one day we boast about how big and important we are and the next we defend ourselves by saying oh gosh we are just a bunch of overworked volunteers. you cant have it both ways. we eiother need to grow up or admit we arent yet.

baldguy
Oct 22 2008, 10:46 AM
I second the notion that the PDGA's definition of the folks who should be attending your events is silly. I always get TX, OK, LA in my spreadsheet but I consistently have players who are from outside those 3 states. Arkansas, most regularly. Sometimes Kansas, Washington, etc. These spreadsheets are not a valid solution to the problem presented when processing player data for tournaments, nor are they a valid solution to the problem at hand.

It's actually very simple: dump the data into a mysql database and write a quick, 15-minute php page that allows people to search based on name or PDGA number. Just like what we used to have. If you wanted to make it really valuable, add a web service that allows a programmatic query from other web pages... now that's a novel idea.

It's not even an hour's worth of work. Why not just put it up there? If security is a concern, it shouldn't be. Standard practices for handling such a project should remove any vulnerabilities.

johnrock
Oct 22 2008, 10:47 AM
To my knowledge, the TDs who need the member and ratings info are receiving the appropriate file before their sanctioned events like they always have and it's not a problem.




This year has definately brought up problems for me with the PDGA. As a TD (and not just a first year TD!), I was never sent my TD info package. Nothing! They never sent even a measly PDGA sticker to say, "Hey thanks! We appreciate what you're doing to promote Disc Golf in your area and sending in our cut of the $$$." I've sent plenty of money in to help out the cause, yet have not received anything that I was supposed to, so I don't have the ability to check ratings and current membership. I tried to contact PDGA HQ about the problem and all I could get in response was, "Hey! I'm busy! We're short-handed and your needs just slipped through the (huge) cracks in our system." And then I get the basic brush-off of, "You tell me how to make it better."

Makes me wonder why I should keep sending in so much money.... :confused:

EDITED at 9:19 - I went back through my e-mail list and I must apologize to Karolyn as she did send an electronic copy of the players in my area on the day before the event. But the fact remains that I never received any kind of physical TD package for my event and I did not receive the password to load scores to the PDGA website so the players at the Top of Texas Open could see their scores online.

bgwvdave
Oct 22 2008, 11:01 AM
Dear Members and Viewers,

The Tour Calendar and Member Search will be available soon. These pages will also include the lists of Certified Officials, Ace Club, Birdie Club and Eagle Club members. I am receiving several emails regarding this and want to assure you that we will have these features again. The website must pull this information from our database. The delay stems from a security review. The Course Directory will be available again as well.

Please remember that this website is a work in progress. Thank you to all volunteers working behind the scenes to get the new site running properly.

We will keep you posted. Thank you for your patience and understanding.


This is Addie's post on the web site issues yesterday. i applaude her willingness to at least post something on the problem that we are experiencing. And this is nothing personal with Addie becasue all the experiences i have had on the phone with her have always been great. she is very professional and personable. my only problem with this post is it's absolute vagueness on a time frame.

As a due's paying card carrying member of this organization i would like to know a time frame on when this website is going to be functioning again. even if it is a loose one please give me something!

rascheri
Oct 22 2008, 11:11 AM
OK Chuck. Can you provide an email link so I can contact the PDGA Office. I don't see any contact information on the new website...

Thanks for all your help.

cgkdisc
Oct 22 2008, 11:13 AM
Try tourmgr@pdga.com or office@pdga.com or the phone number on top of this page.

vinnie
Oct 22 2008, 11:35 AM
<--------shakin head
Sure a lot of money in the "CLUB" called the PDGA.
I recommend do better with what yah do good ....it would lessen the bad customer experience.
The mag was good and because of delivery it went to bad.
The web site was good till we needed it improved.
These are ways future sponsors, members and government associations view the club. And none of these identities would want to be a part of something this un-organized.

iheartdiscgolf
Oct 22 2008, 02:16 PM
Thank you Dave for the kind words. I wasn't aware of a time frame until today. The security review should be complete later today. Based on what is found...if anything...those changes will have to be made before we can proceed. Otherwise you will be able to view your stats, member search and tour within the next few days.

vinnie
Oct 22 2008, 03:08 PM
thanks Addie!
I look forward to the add ons.

Moderator005
Oct 22 2008, 03:13 PM
The ability to post on the PDGA DISCussion Board using UBBCode and HTML has been restored. :cool:

stack
Oct 22 2008, 09:53 PM
thanks Addie!!

<font color="red"> and </font> Thank
GOD

t<font color="green">h</font>e <u>UBB</u> codes R f<font color="blue">ixe</font><u>d</u>
http://www.contract-worker.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/thumbs-up.jpg

;)

okcacehole
Oct 23 2008, 01:20 AM
Is that a 25th Anniversary Aviar hitting the basket at the top of the home page? (forgive me if it is up above this post)

tpozzy
Oct 23 2008, 01:57 AM
theo or anyone that actually knows... was the 'hack' an SQL injection style attack?



We have engaged Ciphent's security consultants to do a thorough review of our systems, including the server that was hacked, to try to get to the root cause of the attacks. While we're hoping that they may figure it out, there's a good chance they may not figure it out.

tpozzy
Oct 23 2008, 02:01 AM
As someone who has launched many websites, some successful and some not as much, and as someone who has regularly handled security, development, and production implementation of applications on and off the web... I understand the headaches involved with launching before one is ready. That said, there is *no* excuse for launching before one is ready.

A silly hacker had his fun, but the decision to move ahead early with the new site was a bad one. Spending that much of our money on what is apparently little more than a fresh coat of paint is also a very bad decision. Relying on volunteers to complete a job that was already paid for is also a very bad decision.

Many will wave the "lets all support the PDGA" flag, but there is absolutely no excuse for the way this has been handled and that fact should not be swept under the proverbial rug. This needs to be fixed, and not by volunteers. The statement has been made many times that "the PDGA must be run as a business". This is not how a business handles it's public interaction.

As an IT professional I am disgusted by the way this transition has been handled. As someone who runs PDGA-sanctioned events and therefore contributes greatly to the success of the PDGA (and benefits from it as well), I am terrified by the lack of result from the huge amount of money and time that has already been spent. I have personally taken *much* larger projects from zero to full-fledged-production in far less time and for much less money.

Technology is a weak spot for the PDGA, but the PDGA cannot afford such a weakness in this day and age. It's time to start thinking about how we vote for our elected officials... we cannot afford to allow this weakness to continue.



As an IT professional with credentials that probably match or exceed yours, and as someone who has dedicated the majority of my free time for the last 6 years to helping the PDGA with it's technology challenges, I appreciate your support.

tpozzy
Oct 23 2008, 02:07 AM
Relying on volunteers to complete a job that was already paid for is also a very bad decision.




Exactly. No offense to the people that are working to get this new site online..I realize how hard it is.....but the PDGA as an organization should have realized that this is a job for someone that does this *for a living* and that is getting paid to do it and do it well.

Since no one answered myself &amp; Vinnie seconded, Olathe Tom, 3rd &amp; Big Wave Dave, 4th:

Do we have an estimated time frame of when all of this will be up and running?

or is no one in charge of this project willing to take a stand on that question?



I have been spending all of my spare time for the last two months trying to get the new site ready. I have personally been responsible for conversion of all of the pdga.com dynamic content (everything that is driven off of a database, including the schedule, results, ratings, stats, course directory, member database, etc.) to the new site. I had a lot of it converted and ready to go, except for security checks. Due to the ongoing problems with security breaches, we decided to pay a consultant to do a full security review. That was originally schedule to take about a week, and half-way through the review, the consultant had some non-work issues that have delayed the process.

We're trying to get the site functionality online as fast as possible. I have completed the schedule, tournament results, and player stats pages. Those should be online within a week. After that, the course directory and member search pages. Then we'll get the tournament admin (unofficial result uploads) working.

Thank you for your patience and support. As a volunteer, I'm not getting much out of this other than stress and sometimes a feeling that I'm contributing to the disc golf community and the organization.

-Theo

klemrock
Oct 23 2008, 08:51 AM
Theo,
Although I only agree with portions of what "baldguy" stated,
AND
even though I DO value your expertise and generous contributions of time and talent,
your last posts/responses sound like a rebuked child, not a professional.
This is not about YOU, this is about the PDGA wasting money.
This may just be the sticking point for me to not renew my membership.

I was able to tolerate SportsLoop.
I was able to tolerate the magazine fiasco.
I was able to tolerate the screwy changes to the Tour (and total lack of email responses from Dave Gentry).
I was able to tolerate the loooooong wait for a partial website to work.
But the lack of "transparency" in the organization and now the immature manner in which concerns are addressed make me want to stop donating my time and money.
If the PDGA wants me to extend my decade-long membership, the PDGA had better start being more PROFESSIONAL, because this PLAYER is pi$$ed.

krupicka
Oct 23 2008, 10:52 AM
Theo is getting hammered for making the decisions that need to be made (and I think he has made the correct ones). Is his response immature? It sounds more like the response of someone who is exhausted from putting in a lot of extra hours. Having random folks on the web complain about that effort is not going to get anything done faster and can have the opposite effect by derailing the effort put in.

hawkgammon
Oct 23 2008, 11:01 AM
I have personally been responsible for the ongoing problems with security breaches.

I'm not getting much out of this.

-Theo



Wow!

terrycalhoun
Oct 23 2008, 11:03 AM
Thanks for all the hard work, Theo. For every person in here who posts something negative about the process, there are dozens who are supportive of you and the others working on this, but who remain silent to avoid possibly being personally attacked.

hawkgammon
Oct 23 2008, 11:11 AM
We have engaged consultants to do a thorough attack. We may figure it out.

mitchjustice
Oct 23 2008, 11:14 AM
From another Thread

"yes titleDISC is having problems right now... my colo is working on it. I may be heading to downtown dallas to swap out some hardware this morning. Gotta love owning your own server... It should be back up soon, though. I'll post as soon as it is."

Sounds like Baldguy needs to spend more time getting his website to work and less time complaining about the PDGA website :o:D

Seems like this is not the first time Titledisc has been down in the last few weeks...maybe gangster penguins are to blame :o:D

Jeff_LaG
Oct 23 2008, 11:21 AM
there are dozens who are supportive of you and the others working on this, but who remain silent to avoid possibly being personally attacked. (according to my own personal definition of a personal attack, which differs greatly from the definition agreed upon by past Communications Directors Steve Dodge &amp; Peter Shive, 8 different moderators over the years, and the Executive Director.)



Fixed that for you.

baldguy
Oct 23 2008, 11:22 AM
no, it's just aging hardware. but... it won't take me a month to get it done... and not even CLOSE to 75 grand :eek:

sandalman
Oct 23 2008, 11:30 AM
yes, it appears Theo is getting hammered for things beyond his control. no, thats not fair. however, much of these problems are of the "shot myself in the foot" type thanks to the nature of the organization. individual condescension, no matter how much it may be rooted in justifiable frustration, doesnt help.

discette
Oct 23 2008, 11:40 AM
Thanks for all the hard work, Theo. For every person in here who posts something negative about the process, there are dozens who are supportive of you and the others working on this, but who remain silent to avoid possibly being personally attacked.





I agree. Thanks Theo and everyone else who is working to get the new website completed.

md21954
Oct 23 2008, 11:48 AM
is UPS a sponsor of the new website? that'd be rad.

http://www.pdga.com/files/hg4.jpg

JerryChesterson
Oct 23 2008, 12:43 PM
theo or anyone that actually knows... was the 'hack' an SQL injection style attack?



We have engaged Ciphent's security consultants to do a thorough review of our systems, including the server that was hacked, to try to get to the root cause of the attacks. While we're hoping that they may figure it out, there's a good chance they may not figure it out.



Why are you hosting on your own servers and not through a hosting company? That would, in my opinion, be easier, cheaper, and safer.

veganray
Oct 23 2008, 12:51 PM
Why are you hosting on your own servers and not through a hosting company? That would, in my opinion, be easier, cheaper, and safer.


And, most importantly, makes it somebody else's (somebody beholden by a contract &amp; $$ to providing a fast, permanent solution) problem &amp; responsibility if something goes wrong, just as it has in the past few weeks.

sandalman
Oct 23 2008, 01:02 PM
its been getting hacked for years, literally, and the powers that be do not seem to want to make any serious changes. still hosted on our hardware, and apparently were not getting much in the way of hack prevention from our access provider.

vegan, remember opacity prevents change. when we see opacity we ask who benefits. so... who benefits from having a web setup that is so opaque that no one other than those who set it up have either access or understanding. not a good recipe for business continuity - in fact, this is an unnecessary organizational risk of ridiculous proportions.

yomamafoo
Oct 23 2008, 01:21 PM
will we be able to see ratings any time soon? It's presenting problems for Texas Teams...

cgkdisc
Oct 23 2008, 01:34 PM
will we be able to see ratings any time soon? It's presenting problems for Texas Teams...


Ratings haven't changed since mid-September. TDs who have run events in your area since mid-Sept have the ratings for both members and nonmembers in your region. In addition, a ratings file for TDs can be requested from the PDGA office at: tourmgr@pdga.com

sandalman
Oct 23 2008, 01:36 PM
ratings for non-members? i like that! how far back do those go? are they also presented on the website or to the non-member?

baldguy
Oct 23 2008, 01:53 PM
I haven't received a ratings sheet for my tournament this weekend. I also didn't receive the normal tournament care package from the PDGA. And I didn't receive a response from the PDGA office when I inquired about it.

Perhaps most importantly to the PDGA, I can't pay my fees...

klemrock
Oct 23 2008, 02:46 PM
Ratings haven't changed since mid-September. TDs who have run events in your area since mid-Sept have the ratings for both members and nonmembers in your region.



OK, please let me see if I have this all straight:
-The PDGA is taking the time to calculate and post the ratings of NONmembers
-The website and supported processes are either still not ready or are not changed much
-The magazine is still trying learn to what print media and distribution is all about
-I paid more this year than in the past for the benefits of membership

Then . . . what is the reason to renew my membership?

29444
Oct 23 2008, 03:35 PM
Ratings haven't changed since mid-September. TDs who have run events in your area since mid-Sept have the ratings for both members and nonmembers in your region.



OK, please let me see if I have this all straight:
-The PDGA is taking the time to calculate and post the ratings of NONmembers
-The website and supported processes are either still not ready or are not changed much
-The magazine is still trying learn to what print media and distribution is all about
-I paid more this year than in the past for the benefits of membership

Then . . . what is the reason to renew my membership?



there are none. shhh, its a secret. /msgboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

krupicka
Oct 23 2008, 03:45 PM
The PDGA does not calculate non-member ratings. It does publish the last ratings of non-members (who were once members) when sending the list to TDs.

cgkdisc
Oct 23 2008, 03:45 PM
ratings for non-members? i like that! how far back do those go? are they also presented on the website or to the non-member?


Sorry, that's frozen/old ratings of non-current members, not "never members who have no ratings" that are included on the TD lists.

hawkgammon
Oct 23 2008, 04:10 PM
Ratings haven't changed since mid-September. TDs who have run events in your area since mid-Sept have the ratings for both members and nonmembers in your region.



OK, please let me see if I have this all straight:
-The PDGA is taking the time to calculate and post the ratings of NONmembers
-The website and supported processes are either still not ready or are not changed much
-The magazine is still trying learn to what print media and distribution is all about
-I paid more this year than in the past for the benefits of membership

Then . . . what is the reason to renew my membership?



The opportunity it affords you to meet women.

klemrock
Oct 23 2008, 04:31 PM
Thanks for the clarification.

cgkdisc
Oct 23 2008, 04:34 PM
The opportunity it affords you to meet women.



I've met many future wives at PDGA sanctioned events. (Of course, they were marrying other guys... mostly :eek:). I suspect it was their PDGA member card that impressed those ladies, or perhaps their big rating...

gang4010
Oct 23 2008, 04:38 PM
Thanks for the clarification.



Like he had to say that for you to know

Jebb
Oct 23 2008, 04:52 PM
will we be able to see ratings any time soon? It's presenting problems for Texas Teams...


Ratings haven't changed since mid-September. TDs who have run events in your area since mid-Sept have the ratings for both members and nonmembers in your region. In addition, a ratings file for TDs can be requested from the PDGA office at: tourmgr@pdga.com



HUH? I've been TD at many events in this area and I don't even begin to know what you're talking about when you say we should have a list of ratings. Communication breakdown?

cgkdisc
Oct 23 2008, 05:01 PM
Unless policies have changed recently, TDs usually get emailed an Excel file with ratings of current and non-current members in their region which also indicates Am/Pro and age brackets each person can enter. Check your spam filter because usually they send it on Thursday before your event.

mitchjustice
Oct 23 2008, 05:10 PM
I have been getting the ratings from the PDGA on Thursday or Friday before the event...as far as the "Package"...I have gotten 7 out of the 10 events I have run this year...1 came after the event was over

Chuck..the issue we have at Texas Teams is the Captains have to turn in ratings for all the players on their team that have one...not all 36 Captains have access to those numbers...as a result I have to look up 288 names and ratings and then notify the Captains if anyone is out of place on the team...they then have to replace or more players around....would be a lot easier if we could all access one of our member benifits, which seem to dwindle every day

johnrock
Oct 23 2008, 05:24 PM
Well I'm glad to know that I'm not the only Tournament Director who didn't get what the PDGA is paid to provide.

Tell me something Brian G. (Mr. Executive Director), why should I continue to send our hard earned money to your office when the expected return on that investment falls short on your end?

sandalman
Oct 23 2008, 05:43 PM
for the good of the sport! come on man, this is the PDGA! support us or disc golf will die!

oklaoutlaw
Oct 23 2008, 06:15 PM
for the good of the sport! come on man, this is the PDGA! support us or disc golf will die!



Now that is funny. :D:D

johnrock
Oct 23 2008, 07:03 PM
You'd think 20+ years of paying dues and event fees would result in a little better support and communication. Man, when I think of all I've spent and done for the PDGA, when very few in my area were pitching in to help out, it makes me want to re-evaluate the relationship. And then to have to deal with paid PDGA office personnel who are too busy doing...something(?)... to even send me my most basic membership perks, not to mention not sending me the stuff I need to host a PDGA event........

It's getting really tiresome :(

tpozzy
Oct 23 2008, 10:03 PM
theo or anyone that actually knows... was the 'hack' an SQL injection style attack?



We have engaged Ciphent's security consultants to do a thorough review of our systems, including the server that was hacked, to try to get to the root cause of the attacks. While we're hoping that they may figure it out, there's a good chance they may not figure it out.



Why are you hosting on your own servers and not through a hosting company? That would, in my opinion, be easier, cheaper, and safer.


We do go through a hosting company. However, they are dedicated servers, so I tend to use the term "our" when referring to the PDGA servers.

-Theo

tpozzy
Oct 23 2008, 10:04 PM
Why are you hosting on your own servers and not through a hosting company? That would, in my opinion, be easier, cheaper, and safer.


And, most importantly, makes it somebody else's (somebody beholden by a contract &amp; $$ to providing a fast, permanent solution) problem &amp; responsibility if something goes wrong, just as it has in the past few weeks.



Our current contract only includes minimal hardware and operating system support. It does not include hardening of the web server or the applications we run on it, which is likely where the security problems are coming from.

-Theo

tpozzy
Oct 23 2008, 10:06 PM
will we be able to see ratings any time soon? It's presenting problems for Texas Teams...



The ability to view player data and ratings has been converted to the new site, but is waiting for a security review before we make it publicly available. We're hoping that happens in the next day or two.

-Theo

blazinpat
Oct 23 2008, 11:54 PM
thanks for the update. It's much appreciated :)

sammyshaheen
Oct 24 2008, 09:27 AM
Keep up the good work. Not everyone is disgruntled and
unhappy with the PDGA. Security issues are very tricky. I just
had my companies website hacked by a "bot" I didn't even know
that was possible. Took me two weeks and some money to fix the security issues.

Have a good day.

Jebb
Oct 24 2008, 12:09 PM
Unless policies have changed recently, TDs usually get emailed an Excel file with ratings of current and non-current members in their region which also indicates Am/Pro and age brackets each person can enter. Check your spam filter because usually they send it on Thursday before your event.



Never seen such, and I use gmail which has always had pdga.com addresses whitelisted.

cgkdisc
Oct 24 2008, 12:49 PM
Just to be sure, I checked with Gentry and there hasn't been a problem issuing the weekly member lists for TDs prior to events even with the website issues which are not connected. If you haven't been geting them, then contact PDGA HQ to find out if maybe email addresses have been wrong or some other issue.

Mark_Stephens
Oct 24 2008, 12:54 PM
1 of 2 things happen with me.

1. 1/2 of the time, I get no emails. I get other email from the PDGA so, they have it.

2. I get my packets mailed to me &amp; I receive them approximately 3-5 after the events. This has happened with all 5 of my C-Tiers this year.

sandalman
Oct 24 2008, 01:21 PM
see, part of the problem is that we mostly want to prove that we are blameless when problems like this occur. what we need is someone to stand up and say, "look, we're hearing of this happening. lets find out exactly why and rectify it." due to the nature of our association we look to its paid employees and elected leadership to do this. if these problems are continuing and we have not taken definitive steps to solve them or have been ineffective at solving them, then the employees and elected leadership can justifiably be asked to step it up a bit.

cgkdisc
Oct 24 2008, 01:28 PM
But this forum isn't the place to do it. Specific problem? There's a specific place to get it handled. If not handled, then contact ED or Board directly. None of those steps involve this D-Board. Now, if it's a question whether TDs should get member lists or not and what information would be helpful, then that would make sense to discuss here, and it has been.

sandalman
Oct 24 2008, 01:37 PM
the forum is for discussing. the point you really are making is that you feel, as do much of the current leadership, that certain topics are not for public discussion. those taking this position forget that this is OUR association and we'll discuss what we want about it when and where we want. leadership might prefer otherwise, but thats just a manifestation of the emperor's new clothes syndrome.

this is a MEMBERSHIP problem. members should not feel prohibited or discouraged from discussing membership problems.

cgkdisc
Oct 24 2008, 01:40 PM
It's one thing to discuss and even complain here which is fine, especially if they've taken steps to try and resolve an issue thru the appropriate methods. It's another to expect their problem to be solved arising from a post here. Two separate things. Rarely do you see anyone come on here saying 'good job' when they had a problem that got handled well using proper channels. Hopefully, that's the "silent majority" of members.

sandalman
Oct 24 2008, 03:00 PM
but i dont expect it to be solved simply by posting here. i dont believe i have give ntheimpression that i do expect such a result, but if i have, then i apologize.

johnrock
Oct 24 2008, 03:43 PM
Chuck, I tried to handle my problem with PDGA HQ. Several times. I finally got a response after 3 tries. I was told that the person doing the work was too busy. Then it was left to me to tell them how it needs to be corrected. Unfortunately, I'm also busy (you know, daily work trying to pay my bills, run my business, take care of family matters, and other things so I can make EXTRA money to send to Augusta to help support my PDGA), so it should not be left up to me to tell our paid employees how to do their jobs. OUR ED should be the one doing that. How many times do I have to contact HQ in order to get the most basic membership perks? This year has been extremely frustrating for me as a PDGA member trying to get straight answers from Augusta. Maybe they answer your e-mails right away but they sure haven't for me!

baldguy
Oct 24 2008, 03:46 PM
I have taken the appropriate steps and still not received a ratings sheet. That's honestly okay with me, though... the PDGA just won't get as many non-member fees since I have to take players on their word when it comes to current or not.

cgkdisc
Oct 24 2008, 04:13 PM
Chuck, I tried to handle my problem with PDGA HQ. Several times. I finally got a response after 3 tries. I was told that the person doing the work was too busy. Then it was left to me to tell them how it needs to be corrected.


Sorry you're getting that response. Not smoothing things over at all, but it certainly indicates they are currently overwhelmed with the issues along with the time of the year when docs need to be prepared on deadlines for the next season. I think you need to contact Graham next at: bgraham at pdga.com I do the same thing with other companies by going to the boss over customer service if needed then higher if needed, etc.

None of us posting here have the ability to solve the problem. I don't have the master file that shows who's current and their ratings. However, I do have a list showing the current ratings for everyone who has one. If a TD thinks they could use a ratings list for their state for their event this weekend, even though it doesn't have member status, I'll send you what I have. ck34 at aol.com

sandalman
Oct 24 2008, 04:53 PM
chuck, what you are about to read is not directed at you.

"they are currently overwhelmed with the issues along with the time of the year when docs need to be prepared on deadlines for the next season"

this is an excuse, and a lame one at that. in jthe first quarter they're too busy processing membership renewals. in the second its getting ready for the big part of the season. in the third its handling all the events and getting ready for worlds. in the winter its getting the stuff next year ready.

i have asked in every season and gotten the same BS run around every time. and that was for the freaking financial docs which as a director i was legally entitled to!

if we cannot perform the most basic services and tasks, then we either are too inefficient and/or unproductive, or we dont have enough staff. either way, it needs fixing, not excuses.

sammyshaheen
Oct 24 2008, 08:16 PM
Why are you a member sandaman? So much hate comes from you.

baldguy
Oct 25 2008, 02:18 AM
Why are you a member sandaman? So much hate comes from you.


what you read as hate, some read as frustration. frustration is bred from passion. I, for one, worry a lot more about those that sit by and shower praise on an organization that squanders our money and wastes our time.

If you took your car to the mechanic for an oil change, and he kept it for a week and told you it would cost $350, would you be upset? What would you think of someone who told you that you were complaining too much or too vocally. That the mechanic is doing his best and should be thanked for the amount of time he's putting into it. Better yet, what would you think if the owner of the shop then told you that he had to call in 5 of his drinkin' buddies to work on the oil filter in their spare time because he couldn't get the guy he already paid the $350 to finish the job properly?

You may think this is extreme... but I have worked in IT my entire career. and not as a desktop monkey, either. I have worked on some of the most expensive pieces of computer equipment that are readily available to the business world, and some that are even bigger. I have worked on tiny projects and billion-dollar ones. I know what is normal and expected.. and I know that the amount of money and time already spent for basically a *negative* result is unacceptable. I also know that it is par for the course as of late.

it's true that open negativity isn't going to be constructive in very many cases. This, however, is the PDGA discussion board. This is the place we can all get together and openly share our thoughts, concerns, hopes, and fears for the PDGA. We are a member-supported organization that is hurting. If nobody is allowed to even complain... how will we ever be able to fix what's broken?

I continue to send big checks into the PDGA. I continue to run events for them and play in events that others run for them. I continue to be a member. I just really, really hope that things turn around soon. These recent website issues are just a good example of where we are as an organization. The ratings page isn't the only thing that needs fixing, it's just one of the more high-profile things.

ChrisWoj
Oct 25 2008, 03:36 AM
Straight up - This has been the worst year for the PDGA since I joined at the end of 2005. They didn't seem to have nearly this many issues in 2006 and 2007. I am going to continue to hold out hope that things will get better, some years are worse than others. The PDGA has done well for itself in the past, remember that this organization has been around for a while. It could well be possible that one down year with a lot of frustration could lead to many good ones.


-Chris.

md21954
Nov 05 2008, 08:10 AM
not sure the best place for this question but i figure that i'll get a response here--
are the pdga payout tables available in .xls online? where? if not can someone who has a copy in .xls pm me i can get it via e-mail?

thanks

discette
Nov 05 2008, 09:36 AM
The payout tables and other information for Tournament Directors is available at PDGA.

While on the main page, move your mouse over "Tournaments" and select "Tournament Directors" from the drop down menu. Once you are on the Tournament Directors Welcome Page it is fairly easy to find "Documents and Resources".


Here is the direct link to all the TD documents:

Documents and Resources (http://www.pdga.com/tdinfo/resources)

md21954
Nov 05 2008, 09:39 AM
thanks, but i was hoping to find the payout tables in .xls (Excel format). am i missing that? i didn't see it.

md21954
Nov 05 2008, 09:41 AM
nevermind, i've got them via e-mail

thanks

johnbiscoe
Nov 05 2008, 11:51 AM
they're too top heavy anyway- do your own.

md21954
Nov 05 2008, 01:01 PM
but the handy dandy excel payout calculator will make it a little less of a headache to play in my own tourney ;)

i might tweak it if i don't like the result. it all depends how big the divisions are (and where i finish muwhahahahahaha).

jk

JerryChesterson
Nov 05 2008, 03:33 PM
When specifically will TD's be able to upload scores and the like for recent tournaments?

cgkdisc
Nov 05 2008, 03:55 PM
Theo said maybe by this weekend. No specifics.

alirette
Nov 05 2008, 09:02 PM
Anybody else having difficulty getting onto the tabs
For Example:
I highlight "Multimedia"
PDGA Radio
Photos
Videos

all come up but disappear before I am able to select one of them. If I try several times it eventually will stay open and I will then be able to select.



I'm still having this same issue. Is there anyway to fix this? Yes, I do use IE 7.

okcacehole
Nov 05 2008, 09:11 PM
ditto

TreeLove
Nov 12 2008, 12:13 AM
Thanks for gettnig the schedule back on line. Will the Search functions be added to the Schedule pages soon?

SarahD
Nov 15 2008, 12:29 PM
For the private messaging function: When one user's inbox is full and another user tries to write her or him a PM, the current system lets you type out the entire message and try to send it before telling you that your recipient's inbox is full.

This is an enormous and frustrating waste of time. Is there any way to change this so that if a recipient's inbox is full, it lets you know before you start a message, like right when you hit the reply button?

This has happened quite a few times to me now, and wordy people like me go bananas when we realize we just dropped 800 words on a friend and they will never get the message.

cgkdisc
Nov 15 2008, 10:39 PM
Since the Discussion Board software will be changed, I don't think they'll spend much time patching or improving this Board.

setexeljefe
Nov 24 2008, 07:00 PM
i've been holding back but i gotta say it. The new web site looks like a spam site. A friend of mine has a website that he gets for free now because he bought into the ad thing and it looks cheap. I get distracted by all the blinking ads. looks like I wont be checkin out the home page anymore....maybe if the ads were not so in your face and covering most of the page. how about a little discgolf in the premium spots and the ads along the side or something. Anyway for members to challenge the idea of selling out the website?

Roosta
Nov 24 2008, 07:57 PM
and they seriously slow the site alot...the new site and MB suck because of all the adds...its terrible...is the 3 cents per view worth it really? is the PDGA that hungry for money?

ching_lizard
Nov 24 2008, 08:17 PM
I don't have the patience to look up to see if this has already been reported or not, but here goes:

Finding tournament results isn't obvious. It's under "Schedule."

When I looked at the results of a tournament for last year, I was interested in viewing the number of Pro and Am players but the data is truncated off on the right side of the little window it displays in. There is no scroll bar at the bottom so that I could scroll it into view.

my_hero
Dec 03 2008, 10:46 AM
So does anyone want to disclose how much this new website cost?

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/9630/pdgazc3.png

I hope it was a lot less than the $50,000 we paid SportsLoop! (http://www.sportsloop.com/sportsloop/)

sandalman
Dec 03 2008, 11:17 AM
email the HQ and ask if they'll give you a copy of the Ciphent contract.

stack
Dec 03 2008, 12:03 PM
while you're at it why donn't you also ask for a map to the lost city of Atlanntis ;)

seriously though... let us all know if you actually get anny info.

marshief
Dec 04 2008, 02:00 AM
I really hope those two n's bother at least one more person as much as they do me. We dump money into a new website, and can't even get correct spelling in the error messages!

discette
Dec 04 2008, 09:47 AM
We dump money into a new website, and can't even get correct spelling in the error messages!




The error message has an error - how fitting. ;)

jHarr
Dec 04 2008, 10:18 AM
maybe its my 'puter but each page on here takes forever to load now- like its waitin for the animated ad to get going... annoying, and it makes me want to use this place less...

Roosta
Dec 04 2008, 11:10 AM
agreed, get rid of the banner ads. im glad my benefit of membership is now view our banners!!!!!!

twoputtok
Dec 04 2008, 11:23 AM
Try Discgolfersrus, they may not have the ratings and such but for discussions and information it is a great site.

And loads properly. /msgboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

stack
Dec 04 2008, 11:34 AM
agreed, get rid of the banner ads. im glad my benefit of membership is now view our banners!!!!!!



Depending on the contract I doubt the pdga can just decide to get rid of the ads. Ciphent probably worked it into the contract that they need to stay there for a certain amount of time since it is an additional revenue source for them as well.

Roosta
Dec 04 2008, 01:41 PM
are you kidding? i love the banner ads!!!! i don't know how i lived without them!!! personally i think there need to be more. waiting for the banner ads to load only hightens the anticipation for the post im about to read!!! you guys are doing an awesome job down there in GA! keep up the excellent work! oh, and all is forgiven as far the magazine goes too....i only wanted 3 issues anyways......&lt;sarcasm off/&gt;

petershive
Dec 04 2008, 02:13 PM
to Stack:

The contract that was approved in August gives the PDGA, not Ciphent, control of website content. If the PDGA desired, it could eliminate banner ads or limit them in any way they see fit.

klemrock
Dec 04 2008, 02:15 PM
Using Safari:
Now about half the front contains errors that read "undefined".
This did not happen to me before today.
Also very slow.

Using Firefox:
No issues except slowness.

And . . . either earlier in this thread or in another similar thread, I believe Theo stated that the PDGA could NOT control the content or placement. Please correct me if I am wrong.

klemrock
Dec 04 2008, 02:51 PM
Found it:
On 11/23/08, Theo wrote:


I have no control over the advertising. That is a business issue between the PDGA and Ciphent. I am not involved in the implementation or decisions regarding the ad content. I was hoping this thread could focus on technical issues with the site and not a forum for opinions regarding whether we should have ads and how they should be presented.



Peter, unless I am reading things incorrectly, the above statement contradicts what you stated.
Can someone PLEASE clarify?
THANK YOU.

discette
Dec 04 2008, 03:02 PM
Found it:
On 11/23/08, Theo wrote:


I have no control over the advertising. That is a business issue between the PDGA and Ciphent. I am not involved in the implementation or decisions regarding the ad content. I was hoping this thread could focus on technical issues with the site and not a forum for opinions regarding whether we should have ads and how they should be presented.



Peter, unless I am reading things incorrectly, the above statement contradicts what you stated.
Can someone PLEASE clarify?
THANK YOU.



Theo is just stating he has nothing to do with the business agreement between Ciphent and the BOD. He is not a BOD member but simply a volunteer helping with the web switchover.

petershive
Dec 04 2008, 06:26 PM
Discette is correct. Unless the contract with Ciphent that was approved in August has been renogiated, the PDGA (ie, the Board) has ultimate control of website content.

My guess is that Ciphent placed the ads, and the Board needs time to consider how it feels about them. In any case, Theo has no authority to modify such content on his own.

sandalman
Dec 04 2008, 09:15 PM
the association does have ultimate control over the content. it is the cost of exercising that control that bothers me the most.

"Therefore, both parties agree to make only those changes that are deemed to be beneficial and are PROJECTED in Good Faith to increase traffic and revenues for the Website."

the association is bound by this statement to make decisions about the website based solely on the implications on revenue and traffic.

us: "hey, we're gonna make a change".
them: "will it increase traffic and revenues".
us: "no, its just a nice change we like".
them: "nope, no can do"

the penalties for disobeying are severe - substantial cash due immediately. plus other trouble. if we deliberately made a change today that was not intended to increase revenue, it would run us a minimum of $50K, and one can see it easily going over $100K.

get used to it: with a contract like the one we have, this website will have one primary purpose: to take dollars from us and generate fifty cent pieces for the ciphent and the association. if information gets dispersed in the meantime, well thats just groovy. but dont expect decisions to be made with anything other than dolars in mind.

one good thing: the association is boxed into keeping the message board. this place gets a nice number of advert views, so killing it would be costly :)

wsfaplau
Dec 04 2008, 11:34 PM
Not directed to any individual..........

The PDGA leadership feels these ads generate revenue which they can use to better take the sport and PDGA forward.

A couple of dozen members on the discussion board don't like them.

12,000+ members have not had their opinions heard.

You can quote contracts all day long but if anyone feels a couple of dozen voices on the discussion board will get this changed you have unrealistic expectations.

zbiberst
Dec 05 2008, 12:20 AM
running the mozilla addons like noscript has helped speed up the site for me, i dont mind if adds are gone or dont animate or whatever, so it suits me great. it just will suck when i have to navigate the site from someone elses machine.

stack
Dec 05 2008, 01:01 AM
Thanks for your words Peter... I hope you can understand the misunderstanding I had (and I guess still have) on the issue.

I would have thought that if the PDGA has control over the ads and could remove them (without penalty) then why would we have went into this partnership w/ Ciphent in the first place. Why wouldn't we have just put up ads ourselves and kept 100%? Seems like I had heard that the deal w/ the ads saved us money on the overall project/development and if that were the case I'm sure Ciphent would have a clause in the contract where we owe big bucks if we want to pull the ads. (I guess this is what Sandal... is talking about).

That being said... if we can't remove the ads w/o penalty then how long do they have to stay up without us worrying about invoking fees or breaching?

klemrock
Dec 05 2008, 09:51 AM
Thank you all for the informative replies.
And, although I have been in severe gripe-mode, I do appreciate all the work that Theo and others have put into improving the website and the PDGA.

I still disagree strongly with these decisions and the process through which they are being implemented.
I thought our organization had learned how risky it can be to enter into a contract with harsh financial consequences.

sandalman
Dec 05 2008, 12:22 PM
stack the contract is for two years. penalties seem to be based on projecting the average of past performance through any remaining duration

petershive
Dec 05 2008, 07:06 PM
Stack:

There were two considerations. First, we wanted to modernize the website, but didn't have the necessary expertise to do it on our own. Ciphent seemed like a good partner to work with.

Second, we were not completely uninterested in making money from the site. The more ads we run, the more money we make. So the issue is a measure of money vs. "class". The more money we make, the more class we sacrifice.

The old Board had no way to quantify either the lost class or the gained money. The new Board knows the dollar amounts, and they can see the state of the website. Eventually they will decide where to draw the line.

klemrock
Dec 11 2008, 12:46 PM
Besides the drop-down list on the Contacts page, I cannot find an organizational chart of committees and the BOD.
It would be very helpful if even a simple PDF detailing these were available (who is on the Board, who is on which Committee and what the responsibilities are, etc.).

If this already exists, please hook me up with a link.
THANKS.

klemrock
Jan 05 2009, 12:37 PM
Lack of answers
Lack of transparency
Lack of accountability
Lack of attention
Lack of progress
One more member GONE

my_hero
Jan 05 2009, 03:36 PM
Lack of answers
Lack of transparency
Lack of accountability
Lack of attention
Lack of progress
One more member GONE



Your experiences could be why only 1 out of 3 remain.

twoputtok
Feb 23 2009, 12:23 PM
There are 8 registered and 42 anonymous users online.

Sad but this pretty much says it all. /msgboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

ninafofitre
Feb 23 2009, 04:57 PM
Nice Ronny Santo pic Klem, if your ever at the Friendly Confines and need a buddy call me ;) I'm in GA but haven't been to Wrigley in 3 years, I'm starting to have withdraws....sorry for the thread hijack :D

Jebb
Feb 23 2009, 07:56 PM
There are 8 registered and 42 anonymous users online.

Sad but this pretty much says it all. /msgboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif


42 users who are surfing at work who havent set a custom password, got logged out by a paranoid admin setting and dont feel like going home to dig their pdga card out of a drawer (or the trash) in order to know how to login again?

Jeff_LaG
Feb 23 2009, 11:37 PM
42 users who are surfing at work who havent set a custom password, got logged out by a paranoid admin setting and dont feel like going home to dig their pdga card out of a drawer (or the trash) in order to know how to login again?



http://www.bearclaws.org/forum/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif

gnduke
Feb 23 2009, 11:50 PM
Why this talk of a password on a membership card?

The only time I've used that in years was for voting.

sandalman
Feb 24 2009, 10:03 AM
Jebb, your experience is different from Jeff's. so..... you're wrong! :)

AviarX
Feb 24 2009, 10:42 AM
Why this talk of a password on a membership card?

The only time I've used that in years was for voting.



I think you can log in by PDGA number and password on card, and also by user id and the password you create yourself... (?)

if so, one problem with that is that anyone you show your card to could potentially log in to your account and post comments on the DISCussion board in your name... :confused:

Jeff_LaG
Feb 24 2009, 12:06 PM
Jebb, your experience is different from Jeff's. so..... you're wrong! :)



The flippant attitude isn't appreciated, Pat.

This isn't about one's experiences or being right or wrong, it's about people complaining about the most ridiculous of things, and outlandish assumptions that there are people out there who don't want to participate in discussion on this message board because it's sooo unbearable to have to enter a password every 10-14 days.

For the umpteenth time, a new message board is in the works and it makes zero sense to do any modifications to the current one. Especially for trivial matters such as this.

cgkdisc
Feb 24 2009, 12:47 PM
Sorry I took so long to get back on here but I had to log out and log in with another name so I could post on the PDGA Announcements then log out and back in again so I could post here... :p

AviarX
Feb 24 2009, 01:05 PM
For the umpteenth time, a new message board is in the works and it makes zero sense to do any modifications to the current one. Especially for trivial matters such as this.



when is the expected 'go live' date for the new message board?

one would hope feedback about what people find problematic with the present one would be welcome since the new message board could be modified to avoid some of the same problems...

sandalman
Feb 24 2009, 01:29 PM
Jebb, your experience is different from Jeff's. so..... you're wrong! :)



The flippant attitude isn't appreciated, Pat.

This isn't about one's experiences or being right or wrong, it's about people complaining about the most ridiculous of things, and outlandish assumptions that there are people out there who don't want to participate in discussion on this message board because it's sooo unbearable to have to enter a password every 10-14 days.

For the umpteenth time, a new message board is in the works and it makes zero sense to do any modifications to the current one. Especially for trivial matters such as this.



but Jeff, that message wasnt designed to make you appreciate me :)

is calling someone elses concerns "ridiculous" flippant, or something else?

is labelling their concerns "trivial" flippant, or something else?

its the little things that count. dissing people for their comments does not make this organization better.

cgkdisc
Feb 24 2009, 01:34 PM
one would hope feedback about what people find problematic with the present one would be welcome since the new message board could be modified to avoid some of the same problems...


Not sure you should expect any different policies on a new board. Hopefully, just a faster response. However, the speed seems to have been improved in the past week or so. Anyone else see that?

Jeff_LaG
Feb 24 2009, 01:41 PM
when is the expected 'go live' date for the new message board?



I have no idea.


one would hope feedback about what people find problematic with the present one would be welcome since the new message board could be modified to avoid some of the same problems...



Although what people find "problematic" with the present one are not expected to be issues with the new one, there will be ample opportunity to provide feedback. It will surely flood in mere seconds after it goes live. :D

AviarX
Feb 24 2009, 01:42 PM
Not sure you should expect any different policies on a new board. Hopefully, just a faster response. However, the speed seems to have been improved in the past week or so. Anyone else see that?



i can't tell as i try to treat the delay now as one would a car horn when putting... i wasn't so much speaking about policies as about the new message board in general. for umpteen times Jeff has said the new message board makes concerns with this one moot -- any idea on how the new message board will be different and when we can expect it to be unveiled? is it days, weeks, months ... years?

AviarX
Feb 24 2009, 01:47 PM
when is the expected 'go live' date for the new message board?



I have no idea.





what then makes you sure they aren't just stringing you along with this 'new message board' talk just to keep you from vacating your not-so-rewarding position as message board moderator? :eek: :D

cgkdisc
Feb 24 2009, 01:48 PM
Don't know that any more than anything else on the tech update timetable. Oh, the new Ratings document section should be up soon. The documents are already in the general docs section and the FAQ is now online.

AviarX
Feb 24 2009, 01:53 PM
Don't know that any more than anything else on the tech update timetable.



please tell me we aren't paying them by the hour :p


Oh, the new Ratings document section should be up soon. The documents are already in the general docs section and the FAQ is now online.



cool. i'll bet you are as frustrated as anyone waiting for the new features to go live... isn't there a timetable tied to the contract? or is it all voluntary work :confused:

krupicka
Feb 24 2009, 01:54 PM
Yes, the web site has gotten faster. Looks like they took care of the back-end bottle neck with the tracking pixel.

Jeff_LaG
Feb 24 2009, 03:14 PM
its the little things that count. dissing people for their comments does not make this organization better.



The irony there is truly overwhelming.


when we can expect it to be unveiled? is it days, weeks, months ... years?



There will be a new message board and that is all I know.

cgkdisc
Feb 24 2009, 03:21 PM
cool. i'll bet you are as frustrated as anyone waiting for the new features to go live... isn't there a timetable tied to the contract? or is it all voluntary work


I don't know what the contractors are doing. But Dave has been working with me to update the content sections of the submenus on the site. The Course section and FAQ have been done and the Ratings section is about to be done. The Super Class section may be next. And then some more statistical reports based on the final stats of 2008 now that the ratings corrections have been completed.

sandalman
Feb 24 2009, 04:53 PM
rob, when the BoD was asked to rush the Ciphent contract through approval we were also told the website was a 90 day project. so, it should be ready long about early December 2008 :)

my_hero
Feb 24 2009, 10:36 PM
Wow, that was the most DISCussion on one topic in one day since they took back the message board.

okcacehole
Feb 24 2009, 11:07 PM
How many registered users :)

why not just take the message board to another URL if you can't accept opinions and non-current members?

Jebb
Feb 24 2009, 11:19 PM
one would hope feedback about what people find problematic with the present one would be welcome since the new message board could be modified to avoid some of the same problems...


Not sure you should expect any different policies on a new board. Hopefully, just a faster response. However, the speed seems to have been improved in the past week or so. Anyone else see that?


markedly improved, yes.

my_hero
Feb 27 2009, 03:44 PM
Not sure you should expect any different policies on a new board. Hopefully, just a faster response. However, the speed seems to have been improved in the past week or so. Anyone else see that?



I wish they'd slow it back down. It was kind of nice to be able to watch The Biggest Loser, American Idol, and Survivor while waiting on a reply to process and post. :D

blazinpat
Feb 28 2009, 12:28 PM
Are they gonna put back in the search by ratings section? You can search in the stats for money leaders and point leaders but not by ratings by state and what not like you used to be able to.

cgkdisc
Feb 28 2009, 01:12 PM
It's on the bottom of the Tour Stats page:
www.pdga.com/tour-stats (http://www.pdga.com/tour-stats)

AviarX
Feb 28 2009, 07:21 PM
Chuck, just visited the link -- i can sort by points or money but don't see an option to sort by ratings?

blazinpat
Mar 01 2009, 12:02 AM
yeah same here. Still no ratings search

cgkdisc
Mar 01 2009, 11:55 AM
Never have had the ratings search. It's been on that long To-Do list for the tech guys.

the_kid
Mar 01 2009, 08:45 PM
Never have had the ratings search. It's been on that long To-Do list for the tech guys.




We did about a month ago. :D

sandalman
Mar 04 2009, 01:02 PM
This site (site) is coming like a ghost site
All the cheeks have been clenched so tight
This site (site) is coming like a ghost site
Peeps won't post no more
Too narrow the minds on the disc board
(A-la-la ...)
Do you remember the good old days before the ghost site?
We posted and talked as the discussion goes in any good site
This site(site) is coming like a ghost site
Why must the Org fight against its members?
leadership leaving the voice on the shelf
This site(site) is coming like a ghost site
No thoughts to be found in this website
Can't go on no more
The players getting angry
(A-la-la ...)
This site is coming like a ghost site
This site is coming like a ghost site
This site is coming like a ghost site
This site is coming like a ghost site

my_hero
Mar 05 2009, 07:28 PM
Did you compose that yourself? :DFYI, lots of DISCussion going on at othe dgR.us ites.

ching_lizard
Mar 05 2009, 10:19 PM
You take back the message board. We'll take back the sport.




Geez Pat, I beg to differ with you on that statement...I respect the difficult job that the PDGA faces every day in an effort to paint the "brightest" image of our sport. This message board being only one part of many.

I remember the "good old days" when we were just getting off the ground with our first message board or two. Folks would post up information about a tournament, and other folks would talk about what a great time they had playing it previously, or what special ammenities it had, or how its payout was, etc.

With very few exceptions, most people were civil to one another and everyone back then seemed to "get-it" that the idea and purpose of the message board was to promote the sport, events and the org. It was (and still is) useful in those areas for the most part.

Don't you think it's more of a matter of the PDGA taking a firmer hand in managing the resources they provide for its members and in particular the image of our sport that they want to see portrayed? I know I do. I can't understand how anyone can be upset at the PDGA or its moderating team for trying to keep this message board clean enough to not offend folks that come here to seek out information about the sport and its events.

Geez...I think that everyone of us can agree on one very important point: We want to see this sport grow. So if you have a better way of managing the image that this discussion board presents to the non-disc golf playing world, then please share it with me. I'd like to understand why you think that this is a bad thing.

sandalman
Mar 06 2009, 11:17 AM
thats an awful lot of suppositions from just 11 words. who said i was upset? if the pdga wants this discussion board, they can have it. the association is pretty much driving people towards other venues. but i'm not upset about it. i believe the association pursues far too broad a mission, so in fact this strategy is great with me. it allows other sites to flourish.

johnbiscoe
Mar 06 2009, 12:46 PM
i believe the association pursues far too broad a mission,



amen.

CRUISER
Mar 07 2009, 07:54 PM
It's a sad day when the final round of the Memorial is going on and there are only 5 registered users online.

RIP DISCussion BORED :confused: :mad:

AviarX
Mar 08 2009, 10:00 AM
The ask Dave D thread keeps me coming back . Now, if Innova were to start an "ask Dave D" thread on their website...

i might still come back once in a great while to ask Chuck a question and to hear what those still around are DISCussing... but if it is a ghost town there's not much point.

AviarX
Mar 08 2009, 12:26 PM
Hey Pat,

at the bottom of DISCussion Board it presently says:

Max users online was 326 @ 10/13/08 03:20 PM



While that is a pretty good number a lot of those were probably friends of participants -- if not the participants and officials themselves -- of the 08 USDGC.
do you know if the timeframe of that stat goes back to when non-members could post here at DISCussion? i think you once had some stats regarding daily DISCussion Board attendance back around the time when we boarded up this place (pun intended) to non-members and gave them read-only access???

hopefully the new DISCussion forum we keep hearing about will have areas for non-members to interact and this low turnout thing will be a thing of the past...

johnbiscoe
Mar 08 2009, 09:37 PM
this site sucks. i try to view the memorial results but the schedule link takes me back to the darn message board. it's great to pay this org more and more money for less and less service and get nothing but excuses in exchange. those better be some ungodly nice courses in BFE, georgia.

gnduke
Mar 08 2009, 09:51 PM
You are correct, you have to manually change the address to www.pdga.com (http://www.pdga.com) instead of discussion.pdga.com to get back to the home page where you can get to the schedule and the results.

schick
Mar 08 2009, 11:03 PM
I too am still having a ton of problems while on the pdga site. I rarely come on here any more, but when I do the same problems exist. Like many others have said on here, the drop down menus disappear when I try to click on something. If I am on the discussion board, I can not click back to the schedule. Currenlty I drag my mouse over the PDGA Tour link and nothing will drop down. Nothing will drop down now, but sometimes it will and I am unable to click on anything. I just don't understand why some experience these problems and others don't or why sometimes it works and other times it will not? Hate to complain, but this is disappointing!

Jebb
Mar 09 2009, 03:20 AM
...and getting force-logged-off every 2 weeks just serves to infuriate people that much more!

cgkdisc
Mar 09 2009, 03:36 AM
Hey Jebb, Why is the Birmingham site one of the few local club sites where members have to pay to even access what club members are posting, even if someone is invited to participate by a paid member?

Jebb
Mar 09 2009, 05:16 AM
Chuck, its a single forum specifically for current members of the club (membership benefit) which allows the public forums to remain civilized and PG-rated. In a similar manner, certain priviledges are also granted for access to our Executive Board forum. (i.e. being on the club Executive Board) ;)

There are many great reasons why we have a very healthy and thriving forum environment.

Sharky
Mar 09 2009, 07:57 AM
I cannot get the PDGA schedule to drop down either a lot of the time, is there a work around for that? In other words is there a url I can go to to see the schedule when the drop down menu is not working for me? Thanks.

krupicka
Mar 09 2009, 09:15 AM
Keep in mind that the drop down links on the discussion board are maintained separately from the main pdga.com site. They are not always up to date. If you go to the main pdga.com page, all of the links are working.

Tour schedule link: http://www.pdga.com/tour-schedule

NOHalfFastPull
Mar 09 2009, 10:02 AM
Membership benefits, sort of like Q &amp; A,
"If you can't see them, do they really exist?"

I am running a tourney this weekend,
looking up membership numbers, learned a trick.
Instead of clicking on the evaporating dropdown menu,
first click on the pDGA logo to get to the home page.
Dropdowns work from home.

I know LaGrassa, a little thing,
stack these little things and they become a large barrier.
I realize it will be fixed,
but will there be anyone left here to care?

steve timm

seewhere
Mar 09 2009, 10:21 AM
yes the drop down schedule part of this website SUXS :mad: :confused:

bruce_brakel
Mar 09 2009, 10:53 AM
Drop downs don't work from home in some older versions of Windows, like whatever I have here at work.

This works for me: Start at Home, or www.pdga.com. (http://www.pdga.com.) Triple click on the drop down heading I want. Left click and hold as I move the cursor down to the subheading I want. Release the left click and then click on the subheading I want.

cgkdisc
Mar 09 2009, 11:07 AM
Chuck, its a single forum specifically for current members of the club (membership benefit) which allows the public forums to remain civilized and PG-rated.


It's disingenuous to complain about logging in once every two weeks on a member's only forum when your local players and other players can't even login or see what potentially useful information your paid members are posting even if they can't post themselves. At least here they get to see the content.

Jeff_LaG
Mar 09 2009, 11:55 AM
...and getting force-logged-off every 2 weeks just serves to infuriate people that much more!



http://www.nefa.com/phpbb/images/smiles/nopity.gif

AviarX
Mar 09 2009, 11:59 AM
...and getting force-logged-off every 2 weeks just serves to infuriate people that much more!



http://www.nefa.com/phpbb/images/smiles/nopity.gif



[satire mode fully engage:]

PDGA representatives: making fun of &amp; belittling members on DISCussion Board for over one year

[disengage]

:confused:

Jebb
Mar 09 2009, 12:17 PM
Chuck, its a single forum specifically for current members of the club (membership benefit) which allows the public forums to remain civilized and PG-rated.


It's disingenuous to complain about logging in once every two weeks on a member's only forum when your local players and other players can't even login or see what potentially useful information your paid members are posting even if they can't post themselves. At least here they get to see the content.


Are you honestly claiming not to know what a membership benefit is Chuck? I know you certainly get the concept of incentive from your replies.

Regardless, if you really want to read our members-only forum:

http://www.discgolfbirmingham.com/store/

If you decide to join, we promise not to log you out every 2 weeks!

cgkdisc
Mar 09 2009, 01:29 PM
I'm saying paying for your membership benefit is more of a hassle than having to login every 2 weeks and is more restrictive than most DG sites in the country (and I'm on or regularly look at many). I switch between IE and Firefox browsers all the time visiting the same site and that requires logging in. Oh, the pain. What secrets are your paid members hiding from the rest of your local DG community? At least here they can read the informative posts.

Jebb
Mar 09 2009, 02:25 PM
Hah! as if being able to read one private forum where dirty jokes and other nonsense is posted is the only reason to join our club.

Martin_Bohn
Mar 09 2009, 03:25 PM
Hah! as if being able to read one private forum where dirty jokes and other nonsense is posted is the only reason to join our club.



works for me jebb. that and the cool sticker i get every year in the mail.

RhynoBoy
Mar 09 2009, 09:59 PM
Whenever I try and click the link for "Schedule" under the PDGA Tour tab (from the DISCussion forum), It just takes me back to the Discussion Forum. Anybody else notice this? To check the "schedule", I have to go back to the PDGA home site.

CRUISER
Mar 09 2009, 10:57 PM
Same here...however, the site seems to be working much faster today. I hope I didn't just jinx it.

Dwiggy444
Mar 10 2009, 09:53 AM
I've been having problems with the drop-down menus since yesterday morning - earlier yesterday, the menu would not stay active long enough for me to click on an option (like Statistics under PDGA Tour). Now, the menu is getting in the way of other items - it's staying active too long and is prevnting me from clicking on an itme underneath.

I've worked on many websites and web-based applications, so I know how difficult it is to get these things to work. I'm not exactly sure what the problem is in this case, but if you're the PDGA Webmaster and/or someone who is wroking on this, feel free to drop me a line and I'll be glad to help you troubleshoot. :-)

seewhere
Mar 10 2009, 05:32 PM
now the drop downs work but a little too well. you cant look at a players tournament history :confused:

Dwiggy444
Mar 10 2009, 09:57 PM
The problem with drop-down menus may be browser-specific -

Everything appears to work fine here at home, using Firefox 3.0 or IE 7, but at work, where we still use IE 6, things don't work so well (see my post above).

terrycalhoun
Mar 13 2009, 10:58 AM
I like the new look to DISCussion. And, since I was able to change my user name, it looks like some of the long-lasting issues have been resolved. So I logged in again after a long time staying logged-out. Cheers!

Martin_Bohn
Mar 13 2009, 06:55 PM
yeah, where you been terry?

discette
Mar 16 2009, 05:16 PM
Please provide a link to the Am and Pro World Champions. The link to this information is no longer valid.

terrycalhoun
Mar 18 2009, 08:33 AM
I've been in the "State of Busy," martinb. Day job accelerating the past 8 months (glad to have it), DGRUS, four courses in various stages of design, including two very active and about to go in the ground.

james_mccaine
Mar 18 2009, 03:10 PM
For the on-line version of the rules, is there no longer a drop-down box which allows one to choose a specific section of the rulebook? and

Where on earth, or this site in particular, is the Rules Q&amp;A?

krupicka
Mar 18 2009, 03:24 PM
The Rules Q&amp;A can now be found under the FAQ. (This is fairly recent).

cgkdisc
Mar 18 2009, 06:40 PM
Please provide a link to the Am and Pro World Champions. The link to this information is no longer valid.



I encouraged Dave to get'r done. Take a look: www.pdga.com/world-championships (http://www.pdga.com/world-championships)

discette
Mar 19 2009, 08:47 AM
Please provide a link to the Am and Pro World Champions. The link to this information is no longer valid.



I encouraged Dave to get'r done. Take a look: www.pdga.com/world-championships (http://www.pdga.com/world-championships)



Thank you!!!

ERicJ
Mar 20 2009, 01:49 PM
The Rules Q&amp;A can now be found under the FAQ. (This is fairly recent).


Shouldn't there also be a link to them (http://www.pdga.com/faq/299) from the Rules page (http://www.pdga.com/rules)?

You've already got links for the Competition manual, the divisions grid, Doubles rules... why not the Q&amp;A as well?

ERic

cgkdisc
Mar 20 2009, 02:15 PM
There are several submenu items that may be relocated and/or have multiple links. Tech Standards should probably go where the Rules are located also. However, their first priority is getting the basic content back online.

my_hero
Mar 20 2009, 07:47 PM
2 registered users and 39 anons. Nice Job!!!! :D

rhett
Mar 23 2009, 12:33 PM
The new adds that pop up and overlay the page content and require an active click of the "x" button to close are horrible and way too intrusive.

I pay for PDGA membership, and this message board and the PDGA website are billed as major benefits of that fee. Please get rid of these awful new ads.

CRUISER
Mar 23 2009, 12:41 PM
2nd

bruce_brakel
Mar 23 2009, 12:44 PM
On the positive side, the drop down menus now work properly with IE 6.0 and the drop down menus work on the discussion page. I have not checked to see if they solved the problem with the drop down menus covering up stuff you wanted to click on, on the stats and ratings pages.

bruce_brakel
Mar 23 2009, 12:49 PM
And on the continuing negative side, you still cannot navigate with the forward and back buttons when looking at the stats, membership and ratings pages.

bbotte
Apr 08 2009, 12:05 PM
Didn't read the whole thread, but I hate the freaking ads, why I should have to look at ads for the military and MADD and other things? If I pay dues like I do, I should not have to see them. The front page is a mess, especially when you throw in all the ads. That front page has so much garbage on it, it is overwhelming. It looks like a collage.....

cgkdisc
Apr 08 2009, 12:19 PM
If I pay dues like I do, I should not have to see them.


If we paid enough, the PDGA wouldn't need that extra revenue. It should be apparent we do not pay enough.

ANHYZER
Apr 08 2009, 01:42 PM
The PDGA is making PLENTY of money for a "non-profit" organization. The people defending the PDGA regardless of the situation obviously have a vested interest in the additional revenue stream...

bbotte
Apr 09 2009, 08:15 PM
If we paid enough, the PDGA wouldn't need that extra revenue. It should be apparent we do not pay enough.



http://www.columbusdiscgolf.com/IMAGES/Smilies/rolleyes.gif