The ugly truth

[mraynrand]

Yup, there's a lot here to find fault with.

The pic you posted was the homepage issued with Vbulletin. Once we figured out how to operate it, those canned stories got removed and replaced with actual articles. But, the homepage wasn't the priority, nor was the garbage can, which took weeks to figure out. Sometimes change is painful. This software was very different than the old stuff was. some stuff was easier to figure out and some of it wasn't. In this case, we used the furnished articles to get the layout right and then we put up our content.

Hope you didn't have to unblock me to read this, but if you did, I understand.

Actually, I blocked you because we were like oil and water there for a while and it made sense just not to read your posts. My admiration for you has gone way up - you tried to help a friend in need, even though you were technically outmatched. If only you could have found (still could find?) some techie help, this place might recover. For a brief time there, when I thought I was going to get shit canned from my appointment, I had a friend who was going to help me revive Cleft Crusty and offer to help with the website. If he's still interested, I might put him up to it, but he has to get through a tough stretch with his business before he can think of anything else. The shitty economy is wreaking havoc with a lot of lives, including his and mine.

I hope you don't stop looking for someone to help you with the software. I would think that if you fix some of those problems, the site will recover...

[retailguy]

Actually, I blocked you because we were like oil and water there for a while and it made sense just not to read your posts. My admiration for you has gone way up - you tried to help a friend in need, even though you were technically outmatched. If only you could have found (still could find?) some techie help, this place might recover. For a brief time there, when I thought I was going to get shit canned from my appointment, I had a friend who was going to help me revive Cleft Crusty and offer to help with the website. If he's still interested, I might put him up to it, but he has to get through a tough stretch with his business before he can think of anything else. The shitty economy is wreaking havoc with a lot of lives, including his and mine.

I hope you don't stop looking for someone to help you with the software. I would think that if you fix some of those problems, the site will recover...

Well, right now I can't do anything but read and post. When Madtown reads this thread, I probably won't even be able to do that. I did solicit some help at one point, and was even willing to pay them, but he wouldn't give me a username and password for them to log in. Vbulletin also provides an install service which I'd have paid for also, but again, same result. So, it is what it is.

I did learn quite a bit about how to work vbulletin. But I really have no interest in learning how to install it, or configure the main template. There is probably some specific name for it, but essentially it controls the "look and feel", colors, backgrounds, etc. No clue there.

Would I do it again? Probably. But I'm not going through this middle of the night bullshit again. No reason, no communication. Nothing. It's really ridiculous if you ask me. I've got no idea what pissed him off this time, and little respect for how he's handled it. But that's just me.

[Kiwon]

Ok, time to come clean.

I was Joe, or better phrased, HALF of Joe. Madtown was the other half.

Thanks, RG. That story was a mix between a WWF storyline and a '24' episode.

So what comes next?

[KYPack]

Well, this certainly is the "thread of the year".

I like the "bucket brigade" spirit in this line of thought.

I pretty much knew that "Joe" was one of the old hands, but I really thought Freak or Zool was the most likely candidate. Keep PR going. We've had more than 9 lives and can weather one more storm.

It's good to see some of the old posters, even that scurrilous Blue Dog.

[retailguy]

Thanks, RG. That story was a mix between a WWF storyline and a '24' episode.

So what comes next?

No idea. I don't think that part has been written yet. We can either get Vince McMahon to fill us in, or wait until Madtown shows up. Currently, I'm out of it, and probably about 4 feet out on a 6 foot plank in a boat on the Nile river.

[retailguy]

Well, this certainly is the "thread of the year".

I like the "bucket brigade" spirit in this line of thought.

I pretty much knew that "Joe" was one of the old hands, but I really thought Freak or Zool was the most likely candidate. Keep PR going. We've had more than 9 lives and can weather one more storm.

It's good to see some of the old posters, even that scurrilous Blue Dog.

Gee, I thought it was you. Or Tarlam.

[KYPack]

Check your email, pal.

[retailguy]

Check your email, pal.

Spartacus, I replied.

[mraynrand]

No idea. I don't think that part has been written yet. We can either get Vince McMahon to fill us in, or wait until Madtown shows up. Currently, I'm out of it, and probably about 4 feet out on a 6 foot plank in a boat on the Nile river.

From some of Mad's posts, you can tell he knows that he needs to do something. He either needs to get back into it and run it seriously or seriously hand it off to someone who really wants to develop it. Unfortunately, it's very likely that he isn't willing and there is no interested party to hand off to....

I appreciate his and your efforts. I hope they're not in vain. There was a heyday for PR that would be cool to see come again. Clefty might be persuaded to take a cocktail of ritalin and opioid peptides, to start writing incisive columns again, if there were a vibrant PR to write for....

[retailguy]

From some of Mad's posts, you can tell he knows that he needs to do something. He either needs to get back into it and run it seriously or seriously hand it off to someone who really wants to develop it. Unfortunately, it's very likely that he isn't willing and there is no interested party to hand off to....

I appreciate his and your efforts. I hope they're not in vain. There was a heyday for PR that would be cool to see come again. Clefty might be persuaded to take a cocktail of ritalin and opioid peptides, to start writing incisive columns again, if there were a vibrant PR to write for....

thanks for that. Sincerely.

I do believe that the day to day programming needs to be handed off. If it is, there isn't that much work. We're 5 versions behind on the software again. We're running 4.0.8 and the current version is 4.1.3. as I understand it, the problem is that the afore mentioned "style template" has to be adjusted each time the upgrade is done, or something like that. Some type of changes have to be manually recreated each time you update. I guess it's a PITA, but again, it's over my head.

Next, we'd need moderators to help. One person can't read everything. Well, right now you can, but that's not good. But the biggest need is folks to 'market' the new site. That'll take a bunch of folks not only posting, but getting out there to get folks. Bretsky did that, a while back, but we'd need more than him.

But first, someone needs the keys to the kingdom, and a promise that they won't get swiped off the nightstand at 2am.

[Freak Out]

So what's the Packer Rats rally point if we have to evacuate this place? Is it still the Swedish bestiality site?

[Guiness]

thanks for that. Sincerely.

I do believe that the day to day programming needs to be handed off. If it is, there isn't that much work. We're 5 versions behind on the software again. We're running 4.0.8 and the current version is 4.1.3. as I understand it, the problem is that the afore mentioned "style template" has to be adjusted each time the upgrade is done, or something like that. Some type of changes have to be manually recreated each time you update. I guess it's a PITA, but again, it's over my head.

Next, we'd need moderators to help. One person can't read everything. Well, right now you can, but that's not good. But the biggest need is folks to 'market' the new site. That'll take a bunch of folks not only posting, but getting out there to get folks. Bretsky did that, a while back, but we'd need more than him.

But first, someone needs the keys to the kingdom, and a promise that they won't get swiped off the nightstand at 2am.

I never understood getting rid of the moderators, and always figured 'Joe' was some sort of Kyle Shanahan-like control freak. This place seemed to run quite well like that for a while.

Tech help? I've seen enough tech-savyness here to know there's help available from posters. Myself included.

One question that's bothering me about your initial post: if your password was changed, how did you get it back?

[retailguy]

So what's the Packer Rats rally point if we have to evacuate this place? Is it still the Swedish bestiality site?

Probably premature to talk about evacuation. I believe that Madtown plans to carry on without me. He's been logging in about once a week since he deactivated me. (you can see that from your personal page, btw, and you don't need to be logged in to do it either).

It'll probably be only me looking in from the outside.

[retailguy]

I never understood getting rid of the moderators, and always figured 'Joe' was some sort of Kyle Shanahan-like control freak. This place seemed to run quite well like that for a while.

Tech help? I've seen enough tech-savyness here to know there's help available from posters. Myself included.

One question that's bothering me about your initial post: if your password was changed, how did you get it back?

If you had moderator access on the old software you could see IP addresses. If the moderators were allowed to continue, then they could match up the IP's for Joe to me and Madtown. That wouldn't have worked very well.

Yes, plenty of help was/is available. I hope that gets used. We damn sure need it. Some of the help I tried to get was from folks here.

I had 3 accounts, (well 4 actually), Joe, administrator, retailguy and a test account called packer fan in tx. We shared administrator on the old software, but when we created the new forum, it worked better to have a new created account because of the way vbulletin imported things. So, that's how Joe was born. They were supposed to be merged, but that hasn't happened yet.

You have to have a unique email address for each one. On 5/20/2011 when I tried to log in, all the passwords were changed. When you fail to log in, you can "click here" to reset your password, but you have to type in an email address. When I tried to reset the Joe password, that email address had been changed, to something only Madtown knows. The email address used to be administrator@packerrats.com which was my email address. That's now the old administrator account, which I can now log into after resetting the password, but no admin/moderator rights are left on that account. I didn't realize this until a few days ago, that i could reset it. Next, my retailguy password was changed, and my main email address, which it was set up with, was no longer active in the database. What I didn't realize was that my hotmail account was actually tied to retailguy. I don't use that email address often, and truthfully, I don't know whether or not Madtown changed it, or I did and forgot. But, once I realized it, I was able to reset my password.

Packer fan in tx was used as a test account to test things like rights, how the main page was viewable, etc. I had used retailguy until one day when mraynrand had tried to block me and I was testing moderator access that day. You can't block a moderator and he got a message stating that retailguy was a moderator. He pm'ed Joe about it, so I tried to explain, and then stopped testing things with retailguy's account as it was too risky. That's when the new test account was born.

Hope that makes sense.

[mraynrand]

I had used retailguy until one day when mraynrand had tried to block me and I was testing moderator access that day. You can't block a moderator and he got a message stating that retailguy was a moderator. He pm'ed Joe about it, so I tried to explain, and then stopped testing things with retailguy's account as it was too risky. That's when the new test account was born.

Hope that makes sense.

That was weird. I wondered why "Joe" had set you up as a moderator. I always figured "Joe" was Madtown, just so he could avoid being harassed as Madtown.

I don't think you should be worried about Mad cutting you off completely, unless there's something more I don't know about. You helped him out. The site needs an engaged owner, it's that simple. Either that person exists, or not. The sooner that person takes over the better. All the other stuff is details. If there's a leader who cares about the site, and has the time to invest in it, it will flourish. I hope Mad - and you - find that person. Otherwise it's blogging on the Pup-Peroni website for me. I'm not following Freak or Skin to that Swedish site.

[mraynrand]

dp

[retailguy]

That was weird. I wondered why "Joe" had set you up as a moderator. I always figured "Joe" was Madtown, just so he could avoid being harassed as Madtown.

I don't think you should be worried about Mad cutting you off completely, unless there's something more I don't know about. You helped him out. The site needs an engaged owner, it's that simple. Either that person exists, or not. The sooner that person takes over the better. All the other stuff is details. If there's a leader who cares about the site, and has the time to invest in it, it will flourish. I hope Mad - and you - find that person. Otherwise it's blogging on the Pup-Peroni website for me. I'm not following Freak or Skin to that Swedish site.

A similar thing happened with Thunder Dan. He noticed the "green square" above retailguy's avatar. There is some strange rating system that I could never figure out how to get working properly. The moderators can rate posts. I clicked on one of retailguys posts once and the green square showed up. If you hover on it it says "retailguy is on a distinguished road". there's a bunch of different levels. He pm'ed me about it. so I told him retailguy had volunteered his account for testing purposes. which really wasn't a lie when you think about it... anyway, I could never figure out how to get rid of "negative ratings", so I never let it go live. Negative ratings around here would've been a disaster.

I hope you're right about madtown. We shall see.

[mraynrand]

Negative ratings around here would've been a disaster.

I would have strived for the lowest rating possible

[Guiness]

Actually, there are things to discuss, such as:

Continued news on the lockout
Fox picking the Packers as the best NFL organization (QB+head coach+coaching+front office+ facilities, etc.)
The expansion proposals for more seating at Lambeau
Should the Packers have player organized practices?
How will the Packers handle success, be a "dynasty" or a "fart in the wind" as Wolf said
Packers decision to go private with their ring ceremony
Ted Thompson vs. Ron Wolf
Vic Ketchman, a good addition or not?
Driver's softball game
Driver's recent mention about the HOF, could it happen for him?
What may happen with the Packer roster (in the past we had in depth discussions on this)
The draft picks
The promotion of Elliot Wolf
Aaron Kampman's recent interview
The new "Steelers' Rule", as it is becoming known
Ohio State
USC

Some of these have been the subjects of threads, but they have gotten little traffic. Things always slow in the summer, but, for whatever reason, this place has died this summer. Maybe without the various camps, most of us just aren't thinking much about the Packers.

Yes...and no.

All of the things you mention are certainly 'football related' but not football per say. Not everyone is as interested in the minutia of the enterprise as you are.

Other items would be difficult to discuss. How much can we say about draft picks since we don't get to see them on the field? I guess we could try and dig up more college tape. Should the player's organize practices? They aren't, not much we can say or do about that.

The Steeler rule? About as interesting as the 'Tuck Rule' or the 2 man 'wedge' (how can two people make a wedge?). Not to mention if there's no football, doesn't much matter what the rules say about how you're supposed to play, does it?

We could talk about the lockout, but even that doesn't have a lot to be said about it. Both sides are (remarkably) closed lipped about it!

I understand what you're saying Patler, it's just that we need real, actual football to get interested in these side stories!

[retailguy]

I would have strived for the lowest rating possible

lol - case closed.