ok, nice to hear. sorry to hear your getting flack Alex, thats not fair.
I am something of a cynic when it comes to CEO announcement of this sort (in my experience CEOs are a lot like politicians, very good at telling you what you want to hear... ) but I will do my best to reserve judgement on this, and keep on waiting. my ascendant membership is paid up for another year (largely due the recent activity of you Alex) so let see what happens over the next 12 months :)
Well, I will vouch for what has been addressed in his message. The former tech team was not delivering on what was promised and they are done now. We have a new team in place that is working out great so far and is very dedicated to the issues at hand. Just got out of a meeting with some folks here actually about this, and will be meeting with the members of tech daily (including another meeting later on today) as well for some updates on progress. To put this in perspective I am in the EST timezone, so we are putting some round the clock efforts in here. I'll still be compiling things up in a weekly report, but will also be dropping details in here as well for folks along the way with this new setup.
And don't worry so much about me catching some flack here and there, I expect it personally as to anyone who isn't a frequent member here on the forums I am just a faceless corporate entity that is swooping in on a less than stellar situation. And in fairness, now that I have access to numbers and data, that really is a small percentage of the total base that pops in on the forums here.
I am going to catch a bit of shut eye here, it is pushing on 5am local time for me, and I need to touch base with the tech guys some more in a couple hours at 10am. Keep on dropping any comments or questions here though and I will address them when I get up.
My comment on the blog post was long enough, so I'll post the other, quick, less on-point parts here.
First off, nothing in that comment or this post is against you, Alex.
Second, how long was the released tech team working on OP before they were fired? How long has the new tech team been in place? Without dates, we users don't know which group(s) were accountable for what was happening at what times.
Third, what about Adam (schwing) and Andrew? Were they involved with this, let go, etc.?
And while I'm on the subject of individuals, were any of the people who were let go from any OP-related project still a part of Kaleidoscope, or were they only dismissed from that task?
Finally, I'm beginning to wonder just how much of a priority this website is when they possibly aren't even updating their own.
I am hopeful. But I also feel what other users (KVP comes to mind) have said: so much talking and planning, but lets see some functional changes/improvements!
I remain hopeful.
Yes, we understand. But read the posts above this one, for they hold wisdom.
Consider this question, does the CEO’s post “reset” the “wait and have patience” clock again?
I think we do have patience, and have shown it, and could continue to have it, IF we can be shown actual progress on something/anything along with the communication. Again read the wisdom of those posting above, they are more eloquent than I.
While I disagree with Mae's comments on the blog (and posted there regarding that), Mae does make an important point here. Can we get date information that can give us a clearer picture? When was Micah removed? When did Kaleidoscope devs start looking at the codebase? When did Kaleidoscope get a clear picture of the state of the community, and from whom?
Keelah Se'lai,
Keryth
"Shadows Over New York":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/shadows-over-new-york
"2013 Campaign of The Year":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/2013-coty-shadows-over-new-york/
"Campaign of the Month July 2013":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/shadows-over-new-york-julys-campaign-of-the-month/
Adam was head of the Tech Team let go. The new team was put in place just before we saw an actual email fix, subsequent email fix, and is still working on the email issues that remain (now with enhanced support as mentioned in the latest blog). The team that was let go had been working back with Jerry after the buyout and had been advising they had many things done which upon review was not the case (of all the items, we got a very baseline name generator out of the deal and a bunch of other stuff in various stages of function). They were not left on any other projects after being let go. Andrew was not a part of this release, he had been and continues to do his part in things. Blanket firing on the project did not happen, a team that failed to do what they were to be (and said they were) doing was. I proactively inserted myself into the testing process a bit after I came on board and this was all discovered.
Since this time, we have found that while the tech team has skills, we were still facing deficits that needed to be addressed. We have fresh blood on the tech team now in some new RoR developers to help enhance speed on tasks, and we have since had a meeting with the newly enhanced team and Micah to help alleviate some confusion about the environment and infrastructure in its current state. We are working to make more of a team here for OP, and have been further empowering our Inner Council to help with this (and will be soon looking to expand this Inner Council as well).
The post was not intended to "reset" anything, but simply advise and reiterate some various points, and to communicate that from bottom to top we are aware of what is going on and are working to improve that. I hope this further clears some things up.
Many comments were made to the CEO- we are still waiting to hear from him. That was what I was referring to on my previous post.
Wow, can't believe that all of this is Jerry's fault (said knowing it is not- really, not good form) and a tech team that we were told was "top notch". We have not heard from Andrew, the Operations Manager, in over 2 months, even though he said "Going forward, I’ll be checking in on the forums pretty regularly". Andrew also said "I’ve been working on OP for the last 3 months, working through the stretch goals from the OP reforged campaign with the tech team led by Adam (Schwing)." back in August- so it comes as a surprise to hear that you had to be the one that found that the tech team had not done their job, months later. That does not add up.
Kaleidoscope has owned this for almost 9 months now- not one issue has been fixed from the previous owners. The only "fix" was repairing an email system that broke down since Kaleidoscope took over, and it is not even fixed fully.
All we get is "things will change". Still waiting......
Posting Kettle's comment from the Feedback section, as it addresses the CEO-
"
I have to agree with Leonidas300. I also checked out Kaleidoscope’s website and not only has it not been updated in a while, clicking on the blog link I received “Error establishing a database connection.” If they can’t even maintain their own blog, how can we trust them to fix the issues on Obsidian Portal?
In the Message from the CEO blog post on Sept. 17, 2015, the CEO stated “Know that Alex is not the person at whom you should be directing any displeasure. Know that he is truly your pipeline to the Company owners. And we hear you. And we hear him. Please remain patient a while longer and let’s see what we can do by working together to make OP a world-class gaming community.”
I do not blame Alex_redeye or any of the programmers. I blame the CEO Keith Allaun and whoever under him that is in charge of Obsidian Portal specifically. Kaleidoscope choose to purchase OP. This was a business decision. Why are they not treating it like a business? They obviously saw the potential for OP otherwise they would not have bought it.
As far as making OP a “world-class gaming community,” A few years earlier it was getting there. OP had the one of the best communities in the gaming industry. But the lack of attention, the constant broken promises and thing continuing to break has ruined that community. Kaleidoscope has had a chance to fix/improve this site and community for more than 6 months. Instead we get less and less attention. Less and Less fixes.
OP should not be thought of as a “gaming website” or a “Gaming Community.” OP is a business. As I stated in another thread, my wife and I have given over $2,000 to this website. I pay for 3 Ascendant Accounts for me, my wife and a friend. I have five other friends who also have Ascendant Accounts.
This is a service that we pay money for. Any other website would rush to have the forum issues fixed within hours. Why? Because that is part of their service. Without a service what am I paying for?
Understand that OP is not an essential purchase. I have been GMing games since 1986. In the past I used a 3 ring binder to hold all of my notes. I could easily go back to that. I went with OP because of the features it provided, but now it is not providing all of those features. Why pay $15 per month (3 accounts), when I can buy a 3 ring binder for $2.50 and get the same result. If I wanted an online solution I have Onenote with my Microsoft office subscription.
So Kaleidoscope as a company needs to realize that while we love OP and are willing to pay for a good online campaign management service, if the site does not work; if we are not getting the service we are paying for, why pay for it?
So Keith Allaun needs to get his ship in order. Whoever is specifically in charge of Obsidian Portal needs to either fix the issue or be fired. I don’t even know who is in charge of OP. I looked around and could not find out who is in charge. If I missed that announcement please let me know.
My point is Kaleidoscope has been messing up this site for a while now. It is time they get back to work and fix these issues, or they will soon find their revenue dry up. Which will make them sad and will make us member sad, because it will mean the death of OP.
Kettle
Rise of the Dead
Campaign of the Month June 2013"
I cannot believe that no one is looking into problems on this website. How can the forums remain broken for over 3 days with no resolution. This shows that no one seems to care about this site anymore. How can you in good faith take our money and not fix issues with the site?
How can you guys take our money and not fix a forum issue? We have heard nothing from the company about these issues. Is the goal of of this company to just blind rip off its subscribers? Because that is what it is starting to feel like.
This is becoming a disaster of enormous proportions now.
And where is even Alex? Part of me is wondering if he was a plant from the beginning. Out of no where he shows on the forums, and starts helping people, then BAM suddenly OP has new owners and he is the Community Manager when, no offense, there are far more deserving people who have been here far longer (KillerVP and Chainsaw come to mind). No offense Alex, really, but one begins to wonder as this site continues to circle the bowl.
I am tired of "Its being looked into" I'm sick of "We're focused on the e-mail issue"...Focused on the e-mail? It's been THREE months and the email still isn't fixed? YouTube miraculously fixes itself, then dies again, and now the Forums are borked. AND WE HEAR NOTHING.
My patience is almost gone. I am now seriously looking into a new home for my campaigns. Should I find one before things here start looking up, I'm gone. And I don;t WANT to leave. I like the community (whats left of it) here. I LIKE OP. However, it is quickly going from a useful tool to a complete POS.
Alex and Kaleidiscope, FIX THIS FRELLING SITE NOW!!
No more excuses. No more blame games. No more being looked into. FIX IT.
FIX THE EMAIL. FIX THE EMBEDDING. FIX THE FORUMS.
Otherwise, you'll have no product because you'll have no customers
Keelah Se'lai,
Keryth
"Shadows Over New York":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/shadows-over-new-york
"2013 Campaign of The Year":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/2013-coty-shadows-over-new-york/
"Campaign of the Month July 2013":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/shadows-over-new-york-julys-campaign-of-the-month/
Shouldn't they be able to use the $86,000 from the Kickstarter to fix the site? The money was suppose to be used for the Reforge and add such things as natural editing... where did that money go?
Heeellloooo! Me again :-)
Would anyone of the OP/Kaleidoscope guys PLEASE show just a tiny bit of RESPECT for their paying customers and crawl out of their hobbit hole in the ground? CEO anywhere? Community manager somewhere in sight? Seem to be busy searching for someone to blame. I'd even listen to the cleaning lady - I guess her IT-abilties can't be worse... .
Sorry for being so provocative - but YOU started the hole offense to the community by knowingly making false promises and keeping your lips shut when everybody is waiting for some crumbs.
Get your a***s up and talk to us!
Was bored at work, decided to look up Kaleidoscope's website. I find it interesting that only 2 peoples are listed with "Obsidian Portal" title (Customer Support and Community Manager). There's got to be more people working with OP in the company.
http://kaleidoscopeglobal.com/about
I selected two people at random and googled their names.
Both were involved in things like improving online businesses, driving business opportunities, helping you grow your business.
If I offend anyone, I apologize, but here's my assessment;
"They" bought in order to get a return on investment, with the thought that OP was self sustaining. Now that they realize it isn't, and they were left holding the bag. they would have to hire someone else to fix OP, and thats money they are not sure is a good investment.
So, Catch -22, OP needs more revenue to fund improvements, but improvements/repairs ar needed to increase revenue.
When/If things turn around, or I am shown to be wrong, I will gladly come here and state the fact that I was wrong.
So do you guys think the site will shut down for good anytime soon? I've got several campaings running and while they are not as elaborately designed as some other I've seen around here, I've still put a lot of work and hours into them. Should I start saving my content or is there still hope for a white knight in shining armour who will save OP and our campaigns? I've already been looking for alternatives, but haven't had any luck so far. It's really sad that it should have come down to this. Ever since the reforge things have been going downhill. When those Kaleidoscope guys bought the site I was quite hopeful, but it's been what - a year now? and they've fixed one bug that I'm aware of. To be honest I haven't had many issues with the site as of late, but I'm still worried about OP closing up shop.
Comments
I am something of a cynic when it comes to CEO announcement of this sort (in my experience CEOs are a lot like politicians, very good at telling you what you want to hear... ) but I will do my best to reserve judgement on this, and keep on waiting. my ascendant membership is paid up for another year (largely due the recent activity of you Alex) so let see what happens over the next 12 months :)
And don't worry so much about me catching some flack here and there, I expect it personally as to anyone who isn't a frequent member here on the forums I am just a faceless corporate entity that is swooping in on a less than stellar situation. And in fairness, now that I have access to numbers and data, that really is a small percentage of the total base that pops in on the forums here.
I am going to catch a bit of shut eye here, it is pushing on 5am local time for me, and I need to touch base with the tech guys some more in a couple hours at 10am. Keep on dropping any comments or questions here though and I will address them when I get up.
First off, nothing in that comment or this post is against you, Alex.
Second, how long was the released tech team working on OP before they were fired? How long has the new tech team been in place? Without dates, we users don't know which group(s) were accountable for what was happening at what times.
Third, what about Adam (schwing) and Andrew? Were they involved with this, let go, etc.?
And while I'm on the subject of individuals, were any of the people who were let go from any OP-related project still a part of Kaleidoscope, or were they only dismissed from that task?
Finally, I'm beginning to wonder just how much of a priority this website is when they possibly aren't even updating their own.
_~Mae_
~Mae
CotM Selection Committee
I remain hopeful.
-bort
"Morwindl":https://morwindl.obsidianportal.com
Campaign of the Year - 2018
Yes, we understand. But read the posts above this one, for they hold wisdom.
Consider this question, does the CEO’s post “reset” the “wait and have patience” clock again?
I think we do have patience, and have shown it, and could continue to have it, IF we can be shown actual progress on something/anything along with the communication. Again read the wisdom of those posting above, they are more eloquent than I.
SkidAce
Unconquered Kingdoms, July 2016 CotM
Just trying to help out.
Keelah Se'lai,
Keryth
"Shadows Over New York":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/shadows-over-new-york
"2013 Campaign of The Year":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/2013-coty-shadows-over-new-york/
"Campaign of the Month July 2013":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/shadows-over-new-york-julys-campaign-of-the-month/
Just trying to help out.
Since this time, we have found that while the tech team has skills, we were still facing deficits that needed to be addressed. We have fresh blood on the tech team now in some new RoR developers to help enhance speed on tasks, and we have since had a meeting with the newly enhanced team and Micah to help alleviate some confusion about the environment and infrastructure in its current state. We are working to make more of a team here for OP, and have been further empowering our Inner Council to help with this (and will be soon looking to expand this Inner Council as well).
The post was not intended to "reset" anything, but simply advise and reiterate some various points, and to communicate that from bottom to top we are aware of what is going on and are working to improve that. I hope this further clears some things up.
Wow, can't believe that all of this is Jerry's fault (said knowing it is not- really, not good form) and a tech team that we were told was "top notch". We have not heard from Andrew, the Operations Manager, in over 2 months, even though he said "Going forward, I’ll be checking in on the forums pretty regularly". Andrew also said "I’ve been working on OP for the last 3 months, working through the stretch goals from the OP reforged campaign with the tech team led by Adam (Schwing)." back in August- so it comes as a surprise to hear that you had to be the one that found that the tech team had not done their job, months later. That does not add up.
Kaleidoscope has owned this for almost 9 months now- not one issue has been fixed from the previous owners. The only "fix" was repairing an email system that broke down since Kaleidoscope took over, and it is not even fixed fully.
All we get is "things will change". Still waiting......
Just trying to help out.
"
I have to agree with Leonidas300. I also checked out Kaleidoscope’s website and not only has it not been updated in a while, clicking on the blog link I received “Error establishing a database connection.” If they can’t even maintain their own blog, how can we trust them to fix the issues on Obsidian Portal?
In the Message from the CEO blog post on Sept. 17, 2015, the CEO stated “Know that Alex is not the person at whom you should be directing any displeasure. Know that he is truly your pipeline to the Company owners. And we hear you. And we hear him. Please remain patient a while longer and let’s see what we can do by working together to make OP a world-class gaming community.”
I do not blame Alex_redeye or any of the programmers. I blame the CEO Keith Allaun and whoever under him that is in charge of Obsidian Portal specifically. Kaleidoscope choose to purchase OP. This was a business decision. Why are they not treating it like a business? They obviously saw the potential for OP otherwise they would not have bought it.
As far as making OP a “world-class gaming community,” A few years earlier it was getting there. OP had the one of the best communities in the gaming industry. But the lack of attention, the constant broken promises and thing continuing to break has ruined that community. Kaleidoscope has had a chance to fix/improve this site and community for more than 6 months. Instead we get less and less attention. Less and Less fixes.
OP should not be thought of as a “gaming website” or a “Gaming Community.” OP is a business. As I stated in another thread, my wife and I have given over $2,000 to this website. I pay for 3 Ascendant Accounts for me, my wife and a friend. I have five other friends who also have Ascendant Accounts.
This is a service that we pay money for. Any other website would rush to have the forum issues fixed within hours. Why? Because that is part of their service. Without a service what am I paying for?
Understand that OP is not an essential purchase. I have been GMing games since 1986. In the past I used a 3 ring binder to hold all of my notes. I could easily go back to that. I went with OP because of the features it provided, but now it is not providing all of those features. Why pay $15 per month (3 accounts), when I can buy a 3 ring binder for $2.50 and get the same result. If I wanted an online solution I have Onenote with my Microsoft office subscription.
So Kaleidoscope as a company needs to realize that while we love OP and are willing to pay for a good online campaign management service, if the site does not work; if we are not getting the service we are paying for, why pay for it?
So Keith Allaun needs to get his ship in order. Whoever is specifically in charge of Obsidian Portal needs to either fix the issue or be fired. I don’t even know who is in charge of OP. I looked around and could not find out who is in charge. If I missed that announcement please let me know.
My point is Kaleidoscope has been messing up this site for a while now. It is time they get back to work and fix these issues, or they will soon find their revenue dry up. Which will make them sad and will make us member sad, because it will mean the death of OP.
Kettle
Rise of the Dead
Campaign of the Month June 2013"
Just trying to help out.
How can you guys take our money and not fix a forum issue? We have heard nothing from the company about these issues. Is the goal of of this company to just blind rip off its subscribers? Because that is what it is starting to feel like.
My patience is wearing thin.
Kettle
And where is even Alex? Part of me is wondering if he was a plant from the beginning. Out of no where he shows on the forums, and starts helping people, then BAM suddenly OP has new owners and he is the Community Manager when, no offense, there are far more deserving people who have been here far longer (KillerVP and Chainsaw come to mind). No offense Alex, really, but one begins to wonder as this site continues to circle the bowl.
I am tired of "Its being looked into" I'm sick of "We're focused on the e-mail issue"...Focused on the e-mail? It's been THREE months and the email still isn't fixed? YouTube miraculously fixes itself, then dies again, and now the Forums are borked. AND WE HEAR NOTHING.
My patience is almost gone. I am now seriously looking into a new home for my campaigns. Should I find one before things here start looking up, I'm gone. And I don;t WANT to leave. I like the community (whats left of it) here. I LIKE OP. However, it is quickly going from a useful tool to a complete POS.
Alex and Kaleidiscope, FIX THIS FRELLING SITE NOW!!
No more excuses. No more blame games. No more being looked into. FIX IT.
FIX THE EMAIL. FIX THE EMBEDDING. FIX THE FORUMS.
Otherwise, you'll have no product because you'll have no customers
Keelah Se'lai,
Keryth
"Shadows Over New York":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/shadows-over-new-york
"2013 Campaign of The Year":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/2013-coty-shadows-over-new-york/
"Campaign of the Month July 2013":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/shadows-over-new-york-julys-campaign-of-the-month/
Just trying to help out.
Unconquered Kingdoms, July 2016 CotM
We did have a "Reforge" after all, whether it used up all or some of that money, I have no idea.
Unconquered Kingdoms, July 2016 CotM
Would anyone of the OP/Kaleidoscope guys PLEASE show just a tiny bit of RESPECT for their paying customers and crawl out of their hobbit hole in the ground? CEO anywhere? Community manager somewhere in sight? Seem to be busy searching for someone to blame. I'd even listen to the cleaning lady - I guess her IT-abilties can't be worse... .
Sorry for being so provocative - but YOU started the hole offense to the community by knowingly making false promises and keeping your lips shut when everybody is waiting for some crumbs.
Get your a***s up and talk to us!
http://kaleidoscopeglobal.com/about
Just trying to help out.
Both were involved in things like improving online businesses, driving business opportunities, helping you grow your business.
If I offend anyone, I apologize, but here's my assessment;
"They" bought in order to get a return on investment, with the thought that OP was self sustaining. Now that they realize it isn't, and they were left holding the bag. they would have to hire someone else to fix OP, and thats money they are not sure is a good investment.
So, Catch -22, OP needs more revenue to fund improvements, but improvements/repairs ar needed to increase revenue.
When/If things turn around, or I am shown to be wrong, I will gladly come here and state the fact that I was wrong.
Just an assessment...
Unconquered Kingdoms, July 2016 CotM
Just trying to help out.
Just trying to help out.
Unconquered Kingdoms, July 2016 CotM
...and so we are back.....once again.....
....to the dreaded silence! "The horror!"
twigs
"I met a traveller from an antique land....."
CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.
Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign
Inner Council Member