Thank you, Alaister! (and the new WF team)

22 replies
I think I speak for everyone here when I say that the new WF team has been a God send for the entire WF community.

Ever since Freelancer took over I have seen nothing but improvements.

Way to go Alaister and team,
Keep it up!

Igor
#alaister #team
  • Profile picture of the author Chri5123
    I will second this, looks like they are changing things up and trying to improve.

    Awesome work guys!

    I know it will not suit everyone and there was nothing wrong with the WF before but in my opinion constant improvement or at least changing things up to see what works and what doesn't is only a good thing.

    Keep it going!
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  • Profile picture of the author jamespitt
    Yes - great work guys!

    It really does feel that this site has been getting better since it was taken over.
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  • Profile picture of the author RTD
    Completely agreed. I don't know why some members are targeting the new management.
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
      Really? Nothing but improvements? So I guess you have no trouble instantly spotting what threads you've posted to.

      Don't get me wrong, for the most part, little has changed. But nothing but improvements?

      Those rose colored glasses must really be wonderful.
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      • Profile picture of the author positivenegative
        Originally Posted by igorhelpsyousucceed View Post

        I think I speak for everyone here when I say that the new WF team has been a God send for the entire WF community.

        Ever since Freelancer took over I have seen nothing but improvements.

        Way to go Alaister and team,
        Keep it up!
        Strong praise indeed. But . . . nothing but improvements? Perhaps you see what you want to.

        Originally Posted by RTD View Post

        Completely agreed. I don't know why some members are targeting the new management.
        Well, I haven't targeted anyone. But from my point of view the new set-up leaves a lot to be desired. How about my PM sent to Alaister over 3 weeks ago which is yet to receive even an acknowledgement? How about the forums continually full of spam? How about the daft new "smiley" icons? How about no longer being able to instantly spot threads you've previously posted in? How about the huge hike in various charges? How about the giant red "in your face" text blocks promoting WSO's and War Room that make the forum look gaudy looking and distinctly over the top in it's stark self-promotional fashion? How about the WAMA section which 19 out of 20 members I converse with think is a complete waste of time. And how about the rapidly dwindling numbers who now log into the forum at any given time - markedly noticeable even on a day to day basis? I could go on about many other things but what's the point . . .

        You see, the problem is that criticism of any kind on WF inevitably leads to a ban. Always has done and always will do. It's not do as you do but do as we tell you, because we're always right. Yes, Freelancer are entitled to stamp their mark on the forum. They now own it after all. But out of sheer courtesy to the multitude who use WF on a regular basis, some kind of feedback on proposed changes should have been sought - after all, it's the members who make the forum. Without them you've got nothing.

        Cue, pro-Freelancer defence team . . . . .

        Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

        Really? Nothing but improvements? So I guess you have no trouble instantly spotting what threads you've posted to.

        Don't get me wrong, for the most part, little has changed. But nothing but improvements?

        Those rose colored glasses must really be wonderful.
        Well said Steve.
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        • Profile picture of the author Kay King
          How about my PM sent to Alaister over 3 weeks ago which is yet to receive even an acknowledgement?
          The arrogance of that statement blows me away. It really does.

          But then I looked at history and found this comment:

          I've got more rep on here than most. Certainly miles more than you.
          My post count exceeds most on here . . but I won't go into that (it's old news that selected few know).
          You obviously know your way around on the WF - I've noticed a few people formerly banned who seem to be making a return to the WF now. Some of them I'm happy to see back here - others not so much.
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          • Profile picture of the author positivenegative
            Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

            The arrogance of that statement blows me away. It really does.
            What exactly is arrogant about stating that I'd not received even a simple acknowledgement to a PM sent weeks ago? And it "blew you away". Wow, I'd hate to be late home from work, or forget to put the trash out in your house.


            Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

            You obviously know your way around on the WF - I've noticed a few people formerly banned who seem to be making a return to the WF now. Some of them I'm happy to see back here - others not so much.
            Been proper busy then Kay. You're entitled to your opinion - like anyone else - but don't come out with the "shock, horror" attitude because someone passes legitimate comments that you don't agree with.

            We all know you're pro-WF, no matter who owns or runs the place. Longevity as a member doesn't bestow omnipotent status upon you, and you're no better qualified than any other member to pass judgement on what is or isn't a realistic appraisal of the implemented changes on WF to date. Other people DO have opinions you know, and I expressed mine in a reasonable manner.
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            • Profile picture of the author Kay King
              Of course you can express your own opinion and I have no right to tell you what that opinion is. My surprise was in the assumption that the admin would be required to - or have time to - answer a PM from one of 700k+ members. A few months ago, Allen wouldn't have answered either unless he knew who you were....and maybe not then

              I'm not as much "pro WF" as I am pro-reality. I don't own this forum. I don't like everything that's been changed ...but the WF doesn't have to meet my expectations...because I don't own this forum. I've been here a long time but the WF doesn't have to cater to my complaints/demands/suggestions...because I don't own this forum.

              I haven't run a WSO for years - I don't sell MMO products - I don't send you to a signup page with my signature.

              I come here because I like the exchange of ideas and I like the people. My online business isn't based on this forum. I decided years ago it's a bad idea to base your business on a site you don't own...so I don't have a dog in this hunt.

              kay
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              • Profile picture of the author positivenegative
                Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

                I haven't run a WSO for years - I don't sell MMO products - I don't send you to a signup page with my signature.
                Ditto. Neither do I.

                Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

                My online business isn't based on this forum. I decided years ago it's a bad idea to base your business on a site you don't own...so I don't have a dog in this hunt.
                Ditto. Neither is my business on here nor do I link to anything; so I don't stand to gain anything either.

                Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

                My surprise was in the assumption that the admin would be required to - or have time to - answer a PM from one of 700k+ members.
                I didn't assume anything. FYI, in several threads Alaister invited PM's, emails, etc, from the community almost immediately he took over the reins here. I expressed disappointment that I'd not heard back or even received an acknowledgement within a month from. Is that so bad? Your response: "The arrogance of that statement blows me away. It really does".

                Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

                I don't like everything that's been changed ...but the WF doesn't have to meet my expectations...because I don't own this forum. I've been here a long time but the WF doesn't have to cater to my complaints/demands/suggestions...because I don't own this forum.
                I never asked WF to "cater" to me. I gave my views about some sections of the implemented changes here that I believed were badly thought out; expressing no more or less than what hundreds of others have in many other threads on a similar theme. I never "demanded" anything.

                I don't want to fall out with you Kay. I've always enjoyed reading a lot of your posts but nevertheless, you're the one "bashing" people as they evidently don't fall in with your line of thinking. You seem to forget that in several threads started by Alaister we were actively encouraged to voice opinions. By all means have your own opinions, but strange that I've never seen you come on so strong to a long-term member with a large post count. Very few have got the guts to eat a small portion of humble pie on here, so I won't hold my breath.
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        • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
          Originally Posted by positivenegative View Post

          Strong praise indeed. But . . . nothing but improvements? Perhaps you see what you want to.



          Well, I haven't targeted anyone. But from my point of view the new set-up leaves a lot to be desired. How about my PM sent to Alaister over 3 weeks ago which is yet to receive even an acknowledgement? How about the forums continually full of spam? How about the daft new "smiley" icons? How about no longer being able to instantly spot threads you've previously posted in? How about the huge hike in various charges? How about the giant red "in your face" text blocks promoting WSO's and War Room that make the forum look gaudy looking and distinctly over the top in it's stark self-promotional fashion? How about the WAMA section which 19 out of 20 members I converse with think is a complete waste of time. And how about the rapidly dwindling numbers who now log into the forum at any given time - markedly noticeable even on a day to day basis? I could go on about many other things but what's the point . . .

          You see, the problem is that criticism of any kind on WF inevitably leads to a ban. Always has done and always will do. It's not do as you do but do as we tell you, because we're always right. Yes, Freelancer are entitled to stamp their mark on the forum. They now own it after all. But out of sheer courtesy to the multitude who use WF on a regular basis, some kind of feedback on proposed changes should have been sought - after all, it's the members who make the forum. Without them you've got nothing.

          Cue, pro-Freelancer defence team . . . . .



          Well said Steve.
          It isn't so much out of courtesy but out of common business sense. If the quality of the forum goes down, it may lead to a decrease in participation. And that can never be a good thing from a business perspective. While the forum owner owes us nothing, he at least owes it to himself to put the best product out there if for no other reason than to remain profitable. That's what I don't see happening. And yes, so far it's just little things (depending on your POV) but those little things add up over time.

          That is not to say that the old Warrior Forum was perfect. Nothing in life is perfect. If a person is looking for perfection they have a long wait. But just the fact that you can no longer identify which threads you've posted in, which is a basic functionality of every forum I have ever attended, means things are not as good as they were. The spam is also worse, much worse.

          The one real improvement? No more server crashes. That was a real annoyance and one that sometimes had me wondering why I bothered coming here at all some days. Now, the platform runs like a clock and for that I'm grateful. But when basic things don't work, that's a problem.
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          • Profile picture of the author Kay King
            I think people need to read the article below about Freelancer.

            Freelancer maintains growth story in first post-IPO*results

            I'd say the company has quite a bit of business sense and they probably also have a well defined plan for moving forward with the WF.

            This acquisition is a business move by Freelancer - not an impulse purchase or a "gee, I'd love to own a forum". The WF will be more commercial - adapting or not is the choice of each person here.
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            • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
              Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

              I think people need to read the article below about Freelancer.

              Freelancer maintains growth story in first post-IPO*results

              I'd say the company has quite a bit of business sense and they probably also have a well defined plan for moving forward with the WF.

              This acquisition is a business move by Freelancer - not an impulse purchase or a "gee, I'd love to own a forum". The WF will be more commercial - adapting or not is the choice of each person here.
              And I don't have any problem with that. More commercial means more traffic which means more opportunity to interact with more members and maybe have more opportunities to work together with some or hire them for services you may need.

              What I have a problem with are basic functions no longer working. When you start adding up the time spent having to slowly scan a page full of threads to see which ones you've participated in, eventually it is no longer a productive use of time. Technological advances are supposed to speed things up. Not slow them down.

              Ironically, the spam posts actually make it easier to scan the main page because those chunks stand out so there is less to scan over. Of course that also means there is less useful information on the main page itself.

              It's a shame too because we've taken one step forward (no more server errors) but two steps back (navigation and spam)

              I just think there is room for improvement and for members to come here and see nothing but how wonderful the place has become all of a sudden I think is looking at things through rose colored glasses.

              Having said that, if things didn't get any worse than this I'd probably learn to deal with it just like I learned to deal with the server problems. But please, let's call things as they are and not as we would like to see them.
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            • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
              Banned
              Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

              I think people need to read the article below about Freelancer.

              Freelancer maintains growth story in first post-IPO*results

              I'd say the company has quite a bit of business sense and they probably also have a well defined plan for moving forward with the WF.

              This acquisition is a business move by Freelancer - not an impulse purchase or a "gee, I'd love to own a forum". The WF will be more commercial - adapting or not is the choice of each person here.
              That article implies that freelancer.com maintains growth. It's far too soon to determine whether or not that will also apply to Warrior Forum. They had a well defined plan for another popular forum also. It's now a redirect to Warrior Forum.

              Another acquisition I used to use, Scriptlance, is now a redirect to freelancer.

              RentACoder.com redirects to freelancer.

              vworker.com now redirects to freelancer.
              In a post announcing the news, Freelancer.com says that existing people on vWorker's books will be automatically transitioned to Freelancer.com, effective immediately. "We will transfer over your account balances, user profiles, reputation history, messages, employer escrow payments, active projects and past projects, so rest assured that it will be business as usual once you arrive on our platform,"

              Freelancer mulls $400m payday
              Just six years ago, Adelaide-born entrepreneur Matt Barrie bought a fledgling website for outsourcing work assignments from a Swedish entrepreneur living on a fish farm in Vanuatu. Today, Mr Barrie, 40, is considering a takeover offer for the business that could deliver him a $US400 million pay cheque.


              Freelancer.com's Matt Barrie On How To Monetise 5 Billion People - Forbes
              Much of the growth has been fuelled by 11 acquisitions, as Barrie, aged 40, has "rolled up the space" to become global market leader, at least by user numbers.

              With his shaved head and focused gaze, he has a contact sportsman's approach to business: ready to take out the opposition.

              Winner takes all

              "We want to be in every country, every language, every currency where people work on computers. The online marketplace trend is towards 'winner takes all', so we need to get big quickly."
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  • Profile picture of the author dbong
    It's nice to see a thread thanking new management as opposed to crying that the sky is falling on the entire WF because there have been some speed bumps along the way.

    I'm looking forward to seeing the forum grow and watching all the little problems we have with the new forum (such as the new icons) get solved along the way
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  • Profile picture of the author drewfioravanti
    I dunno. Seems like the only value anymore is the marketplace. And a few select subforums. Few. Select. But even they are dying off.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      I think the new owners are trying hard to maintain the WF "feel" while also changing it to fit their vision and their business. Alaister is doing his best to accommodate and explain changes - and some long term members are being overly demanding in my opinion.

      I've noticed an increase in international members and in very basic questions being asked. New ownership means new focus and spending millions on a website means that site needs to be profitable. Anyone in IM should be able to understand and accept that.

      I still notice a lack of moderation in the forum - bumping years old threads - promotions slipped into threads, etc take a bit of finesse we are lacking at the moment. You can see the improvements being made by moderators so I'm sure we will return to the "quick cleanup in aisle six" we are accustomed to. It takes times to get a "feel" for the place.

      One thing sorely needed is for the new owners to UPDATE the rules in each section. The rules may not change - but they need to come from the current owner so people take them seriously.

      Overall, the transition is going more smoothly than I expected it to and I think credit for that goes to Alaister. It's a difficult position to be in and he's handling it with style and a lot of patience.

      kay
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      • Profile picture of the author salegurus
        Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

        I think the new owners are trying hard to maintain the WF "feel" while also changing it to fit their vision and their business. Alaister is doing his best to accommodate and explain changes - and some long term members are being overly demanding in my opinion.

        I've noticed an increase in international members and in very basic questions being asked. New ownership means new focus and spending millions on a website means that site needs to be profitable. Anyone in IM should be able to understand and accept that.

        I still notice a lack of moderation in the forum - bumping years old threads - promotions slipped into threads, etc take a bit of finesse we are lacking at the moment. You can see the improvements being made by moderators so I'm sure we will return to the "quick cleanup in aisle six" we are accustomed to. It takes times to get a "feel" for the place.

        One thing sorely needed is for the new owners to UPDATE the rules in each section. The rules may not change - but they need to come from the current owner so people take them seriously.

        Overall, the transition is going more smoothly than I expected it to and I think credit for that goes to Alaister. It's a difficult position to be in and he's handling it with style and a lot of patience.

        kay

        Well said Kay

        I agree Alistair and Mods are doing their best.
        At the same time the rules need to be made clear, with many new forums etc it's not clear where threads go?

        For example is Adsense now part of the beleaguered Main Forum?
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  • Profile picture of the author seven7bh
    I wonder if there is a good reason for the small changes that have occurred on WF recently.

    It was much easier to see which posts you were involved in, and I liked that.

    Maybe there will be more and better changes. We can only hope! I guess the question is are the changes going to force you off the wf? If not then we must move forward.
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    Robert

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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      Looks like I was conducting conclusion jumping exercises. I did not see Alaister's posts inviting PM's and opinions. Wouldn't be surprised if he were inundated with comments and suggestions.
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  • Profile picture of the author Janice Sperry
    For those that are struggling to find which threads you are participating in you could always subscribe to the thread. That way you can instantly see ALL of the threads you want to revisit at the same time. After the thread has run its course then you simply unsubscribe.
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  • Profile picture of the author George Wright
    Note to self... Start a forum... Growth Hack it... Sell it... Rinse and repeat.
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  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    Igor, I think you have a little brown on your nose. Would you like a tissue?!

    HAHAHA
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