Changes

I’ve heard it said that in order to go forward we have to accept changes.

In the past year I’ve seen some changes that I don’t particularly like, but I am trying to learn about them as I know change happens and generally I can’t do much to stop them.

Microsoft Windows 8 is probably one of the biggest changes for me as well as for a lot of other folks. I have managed to learn how to do what I want in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 will be better, but still not what I really would like.

I guess my problem stems from the fact that I am like a lot of older folks that don’t like changes as I am sort of ‘set in my ways’. Microsoft never said they wouldn’t change Windows and it certainly is their right to make changes even though we may not like them.

I have used almost every version of Windows (except ME) and I always liked each upgraded version, even Vista. It did take me a while to get used to it, but I did and I never had the problems with Vista that a lot of other folks seemed to have.

The old dependable format for Yahoo Groups is another big change that a lot of folks are so upset about. While I admit Yahoo might have handled the change better (they didn’t let folks know it was coming), I suspect once it finally completes, folks will get used to it or go another way. I am pretty sure that the new look came about as the old code was getting too big, corrupted and dated. So while the new code was being written, why not make it look better too!

Remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I have to keep reminding myself of that every time I boot Windows 8.

Ed Bott of Zdnet said it so well “Any corporation has a right to do whatever they want with their products.”  While he was referring to Microsoft, this certainly applies to Yahoo as well.

I suspect we will see more changes faster and faster as new and better technologies are developed and put into play.

By the way, I upgraded my iPad to iOS7 today.  I don’t like the way the new icons for apps look. I will get used to them.

Martha

The Problems With Yahoo’s Neo Groups

Seems like there are a lot of problems with neo, but it also seems like its who you ask. There is a cadre of folks trying to force Yahoo to get rid of neo and bring back the old format. (Sorry folks, it won’t happen!) Some but not too many folks say they like the new format.

As with anything new and changed, there is a number of folks that are resistant. Same is true with neo. One of the biggest problems is the change is not happening all at once to everyone to everyone or to every group.

It appears to be a work in progress. Bringing back features seem to be happening, but isn’t consistent and doesn’t always seem to ‘stick’. Lots of things are there, but hidden and some are broken for now.

Pros so far, clean interface. Ease of switching from one group to another is MUCH easier. Posts entered while on the website are almost immediate.

Cons so far, almost too many to name. Post delivery to Inboxes extremely sporadic and sometimes never happens or days later.  (This has happened many times before neo came into being.)  Some groups are neo, some are not.  Seems to be random.

For the average user neo seems to be working ok, although the banner is not what users are used to seeing. Group owners are having a hard time trying to remove or change that banner if they have been transferred to neo, impossible if they are still using the old format. The mail delivery is probably the thing that impacts them the most.

Group owners and moderators are having the worst of it. Functions they normally perform to keep the groups working are often not working and some are having a problem even finding where those functions are located.

In my neo ID, I have found most of what I need. So far what I see that will impact a lot of users, the photos cannot be downloaded easily. This wouldn’t bother me much, but for some users this is a major problem, also for some types of groups. Many owners keep track of bouncing members.  The bouncing list in my neo ID shows every member, past and present that has ever appeared on the bouncing list. This is obviously broken and is an example of stuff that stays on the web forever!

The list of problems seems endless, but everyday some more things get fixed and eventually I hope it will all work.

The biggest issue of all was the fact that Yahoo didn't tell folks about neo before they implemented it.

Martha

Uproar At Yahoo Groups

About a month ago I started hearing about neo.  At the time I had no idea what it was and for awhile I thought they were talking about Yahoo Mail, since that has been a hot topic ever since Yahoo ‘upgraded’ their mail app.

Boy was I wrong. Yahoo is again changing the feature I use the most with Yahoo, Groups. They tried to change it several years ago to resemble something like Facebook, but there was such an uproar the change didn’t happen.

But the change this time is not to each Group but to each user and the changes are not happening to everyone at once.

So what one user sees at his Group’s web interface is not what someone else is seeing and now the confusion reigns supreme.  It’s even worse for Group moderators who can’t even get logged in sometimes and when they do they can’t do the job that a moderator is supposed to do.

Since at this time I haven’t been ‘neo-nized’ it’s a bit hard for me to  understand what it means. However I expect it will happen sooner or later as I doubt Yahoo is going to back down this time.

The uproar is deafening in the Yahoo forums. Supposedly millions of members have left, thousands of Groups moved to other venues and been removed from Yahoo. At least one Group is threatening lawsuits, contacting the ADA, contacting their Congressman, the press and any other organization they think can put a stop to this ‘neo’.

I never cease to be amazed at these folks.  I suspect the majority have forgotten that the Yahoo Groups are basically a free service. Yahoo has the right to change this service at any time and even terminate the entire Groups program if they so choose.

In order to survive in the modern world of the ‘world wide web’, things must be updated. Eventually old code gets corrupted and stuff no longer works the way it should and is open to hacking.

I know these folks have been members a long time.  They have amassed albums of photos and files. Some of these Groups have thousands of members.  There are Groups for every kind of medical condition and they provide support not immediately possible elsewhere. There are Groups for dogs and dog problems and the lists go on and on. They are fighting for what is a way of life for many of them and I can’t blame them.

I think Yahoo should have let the Groups know what was coming and why. Just a warning would have made the whole neo thing easier to swallow, even though the members may not have liked it.

As a footnote, I have heard from a few members that actually like neo. As for me I will wait and see what eventually happens.

Martha