Bad trouble at WordPress dot com
The continual *upgrading* and *fiddling* is leaving a lot of users, unhappy, frustrated, and confused. Can Automattic cope?
The all round performance and end user experience of WordPress dot com is degrading rapidly. The forums are awash with users complaining of really serious loss of functionality, ranging through virtually every aspect of the application. Matt helpfully posted a sticky thread in the forum (now rather prematurely removed). He invited readers to post in their details if they had any difficulties. This seems to raise three issues.
I would hazard a guess that huge numbers of users can not find their way to the forum and would not know what to do if they got there. A huge number of com users do not speak English. And you have to wonder if an outfit with 1.5 million users is really planning on fixing up each blog manually.
There has incidentally been no announcement on the dashboard as far as I know. But of course Matt has always followed a policy of what he likes to call *pre moderation* ie suppressing dissent. He obviously feels the same way about informing his own users when anything *Unhappy* is occuring.
If this was a paid for service - users would not ask if generally over 12 months they got good value. They would just quit.
Hacking a bit of php is way different to running this kind of service reliably. And it can not be right that the front line support - even in terms of just informing people - is being handled mainly by one single forum volunteer.
Nice circle they’ve got going on. Matt says post in the forum, which he then seems to ignore, and forum volunteers are told to send people to support.
If he wants happy, then he has to actually work for it and keep people happy. That involves listening to what people say – or more correctly reading what they type, then acting accordingly.
1.5 million? Hardly likely accurate in terms of real actual users. I’m sure they have that many according to the backend, but how many are just signed up for the askiment api key, or just to poke aroudn then leave?
For all the blog issues, they all run off one codebase. So, fixing an issue in one file affects everyone. If you’re running the site and you’re working on things, the proper thing to do is let peole know ahead of time. Or, you know, test on a non-production server first.
They’ve been a great case study in what not to do, that for sure.
Comment by andrea_r Sep 19, 07:05 PM #
Sure that is 1.5 million users but only 67k blogs today. :)
Comment by Root Sep 19, 07:26 PM #
It was one heck of a weekend and I’m sure that neither Matt nor anyone else anticipated the extent of breakage that occurred. It’s still one heck of a week as staff are still working to fix lingering problems.
Testing first a non-production server sounds like a good option to me but what do I know?
What I do know is this: we humans learn just as well from failure as we do from success. That’s why I’m sure that once things settle down and de-briefing takes place there will be options to pursue with when it comes smoother future upgrades.
Comment by timethief Sep 21, 03:18 AM #
Well I just hope the WP guys recognise the great work you do in keeping the whole ship on an even keel. :)
Comment by Root Sep 21, 04:00 PM #
Thanks for the recognition. Because I can multi-task from home I tend to help answering questions more that those who cannot do the same. I have made an effort to be as helpful as I can be throughout this upgrade and the fall-out. Others have also made an effort too.
Comment by timethief Sep 23, 11:02 PM #
“If this was a paid for service – users would not ask if generally over 12 months they got good value. They would just quit.”
(clearing throat)
“WordPress.com Custom CSS
Total:$15.00
WordPress.com Unlimited Private Users
Total:$30.00
Item Unit Price Qty Total
WordPress.com 1GB Space Upgrade
Item #9
uid: 1497685, bid: 1428918 $20.00 1 $20.00
Subtotal: $20.00
Subtotal: $20.00 USD
WordPress.com 1GB Space Upgrade
Total:$20.00
etc., etc., ad nauseum…”
Quitting with a refund, surely?
- –
Okay,
Father Luke
Comment by Father Luke Sep 24, 09:28 AM #
As bad tempered and bitter as usual, huh? No change.
Comment by Smith Sep 26, 09:59 AM #
Another troll with no url.
Comment by Root Sep 26, 12:43 PM #
I sometimes wonder if they actually have a beta server where to test their changes/upgrades before rolling them out to production.
Sure, things happen and nothing is perfect, but if you plan and make your applications as robust as possible, test them thoroughly, this kinda things shouldn’t happen.
BTW, nice theme you have here.
Comment by Juan Sep 27, 05:10 PM #
Thanks Juan. Nice theme? Glad you liked it. Its home grown:)
Comment by Root Sep 27, 05:22 PM #
Home grown? Awesome!
I’d develop one for me blog but I’m too freaking lazy to do it.
I’ll be coming more often to read your blog. You have interesting articles.
Comment by Juan Sep 27, 05:36 PM #
If you need a freebie on the web dev – just ask.
I wish I knew half the stuff you do:)
Thanks for making contact.
Comment by Root Sep 27, 07:56 PM #
Thank you. Your offer is very kind. Likewise, if there’s something I can help with, just let me know.
Best!
Comment by Juan Sep 27, 09:43 PM #