Sorry about the issues this summer

[Andy R]

I am sorry for the all the issues we've had to face this summer. I wanted to recap why we upgraded the software so you all can understand what happened and our plan for getting things fixed and moving forward.

We had to upgrade because of some security issues with the forum software. No upgrade = not protecting our members data (emails, passwords, etc). The software vendor (IP requires us to pay ongoing maintenance for the software license and included with that fee is support. We were testing the upgrade on a test install and had some issues so we contact them. They told us they could not provide support on a test install and could only help troubleshoot a live install. We explained to them that this was crazy and that we always test our upgrades so we can resolve issues quickly and they assured us it would be strait forward. Reluctantly we let them proceed. When they were done, they said that the upgrade was done and returned the site to us in terrible shape.

Social Knowledge runs ALL of our other fourms on vBulletin. We do not know IPB, it has it's own template system and idiosyncrasies when it comes to URL rewriting, etc. When left with a crapped out website we were backpedaling. We tried to hire some IP.Content gurus (specific product from IPB which runs the home/content part of WTW) but could not get anyone to help. In the meantime our designer and a programmer were busy learning IPB so they could get things back online. First priority was the forums and then other content issues as they were pointed out to us.

Another reason to support the decision to upgrade was because we had to be on a newer version before we could launch some WTW apps for iOS & Android (coming soon). These are fully native apps meaning very little data is sent between the server and the apps making them very fast when on a potentially slower connection in a remote location. These provide a great way to communicate when camping and an easy way to post photos from your phone.

We are still trying to work through some of the last issues and look forward to smooth sailing ahead.

Once again, I'm very sorry about the technical issues this summer.

Regards,

Andy

 

[Lighthawk]

Sounds like a nightmare. Glad to see WTW will be moving onto mobile based platforms.
Thanks for the update, even if I could only follow 10% of the explanation.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Myself also as to the meaning of all the "tech" stuff.BUT thanks for all the work the admin does to assure we have a great site.
I am sure that this is a lot of work to keep WTW the quality site it has and will continue to be.
Many thanks.
Frank

 

[highz]

Thanks for keeping us in the loop. Appreciate it.

 

[Ted]

Andy,

Thanks for chiming in and letting the members know what is going on. As frequent campers, MarkBC, Ski3pin, Mark Ingalls, and I occasionally camp or talk with many of the members. As moderators we have heard your concerns about the website and have passed them on. MarkBC in particular, being more knowledgeable about how these things work then the rest of us, frequently is pushing Andy to fix things or make changes. So while we have been aware of the behind the seen efforts to improve WTW, many of you have not. So I am glad to see Andy's update.

 

[Bosque Bill]

Changes can be painful (especially with uncooperative vendors), but they had to be made to keep the site alive. A number of the features of the new forum are quite handy and I hope those last bugs can get worked out. Thanks for the post to let us know what has been happening.