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  • Glenn11523
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  • Member since: Jun 28, 2005
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Glenn11523's Blog

I have no idea what you can expect to find here, but if it ever turns out that my sanity is one of those things, would you be so kind as to gently lay it in a nice box, dim the lights, speak in a soft voice and return it to me? Ever so grateful!

  • 25Apr 09

    Bea Arthur 1922 - 2009 RIP

    Sad news today for anyone who grew up on quality TV like "All in the Family" which gave birth to Maude and "Golden Girls" which gave birth to Dorothy Zbornak, Bea Arthur has passed.

    She won a Tony Award for the musical "Mame"

    In 2008, when Arthur was inducted in the TV Academy Hall of Fame

    Among her movie credits are: "That Kind of Woman" (1959), "Lovers and Other Strangers" (1970), Mel Brooks' "The History of the World: Part I" (1981), "For Better or Worse" (1995)

    She was a wonderful comedian with an impeccable talent and I will truly miss her. May she rest in peace.

  • 9Feb 09

    Up in Smoke

    As I write this, a huge building that is part of the iconic CCTV tower here in Beijing is going up a flames. Early reports lean heavily to fireworks being the cause and it isn't hard to believe.

    It is not quite 11pm and the sounds outside resemble what best can be described as a war zone.

    This is the 15th day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, called in English "The Lantern Festival" and it is also (until midnight) the last time fireworks can be discharged in the city legally.

    If this is anything like years gone by, the sounds, smoke and lights will end sometime after dawn.

    It is not the two legged main tower structure (thankfully) that has gone up, but rather (sadly enough) the hotel/recording studio building that is part of the complex.

    At its worst, flames shot several hundred feet into the air and were visible for miles.

    It is hard for anyone who has never lived over here and seen it first-hand to understand just how seriously the Chinese take their fireworks. They light them off with a celebratory recklessness that has always left me stupefied as to how more aren't seriously injured and more property damage isn't done.

    However this year has seen far more than its fair share of fire trucks racing off to a variety of locations within my general view. My new apartment is much more centrally located here in Beijing and it has left me feeling simultaneously happy to see the fireworks at their best (when they light up the night sky as if day and make the closing of Disneyland look like some high school production) and their worst (as people have been injured and even vehicles have gone up in flames).

    But now this.

    This will be hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. And it will no doubt see a return to the ban on fireworks within the city year-round. The ban had been tried in the past, but was lifted in 2006 under great public pressure.

    However, now this year with so much damage and so much loss, it will be no too hard to sell to the general public the need for some sort of restraint.

    For my part, I will miss the fireworks if the ban does come through. They are truly something to watch. Having said that, I do admit that this year left me more nervous than in years gone by as people seemed quite careless with their use of them.

    Tonight, driving back from dinner with the in-laws is a perfect example. I had to swerve out and pass a car in front of me, since I no longer wanted to be behind the idiot who had a passenger lighting fireworks and tossing them out the vehicle as he drove down the street.

    Not to mention the night a while back, when I was at a KTV bar with friends (Karaoke) and another bright bulb lit off fireworks in one of the closed rooms to celebrate his friend's birthday. Hearing recently of a nightclub fire (for the exact same reason - indoor use of fireworks) which resulted in tragic loss of life, I guess I will have to reluctantly admit that for some people at least, common sense is apparently neither.

    I have just gotten off the phone with CTV's National News Desk, the did an over the phone interview with me about what I could see and hear from here.

    I wish there was some way to attach sound to this and that way you could hear what I am hearing, but they told me the sounds of the explosions were very audible during the phone interview.

    Its too bad something with so much potential for fun has now turned into something so costly. I only hope when the news finally gets through all told, that no one lost their lives tonight. If there was anyone on the upper floors of that building, it will be hard to imagine how they got out. The building went up in flames with astonishing speed.

    Sad, truly sad.

  • 7Feb 09

    My Name Spinoff - Idol Conspiracy

    Watching the latest episode of My Name Is Earl has left me feeling like maybe the show is about to spin-off Joy, Darnell and the kids into their own show.

    They have them situated in what appears to be the perfect place to do just that. And I have to say that at the moment, with the way the show has been going, I would probably be more interested to see what they could do with those characters in their new setting than I am with the current state of affairs.

    So Season 8 of American Idol is well under way, and I smell a conspiracy. What do you do when you hold auditions in Utah and an Osmond shows up? Well you do a little vignette with him, show that he has the trademark smile and usher him off to Hollywood of course.

    But wait, after the judges' role in calling the shots gets diminished and things are left to the voting American public to see who goes forward, then what? Surely an Osmond would have copious amounts of potential voters all locked up. From devoted Mormons who worship the family as the epitome of what good Mormon values are all about, to devoted fans who still remain enraptured with the brothers, as well as Donny and Marie.

    Don't get me wrong, the guy could sing (pretty much would have to considering the gene pool he swam out of) and he had a great heart-tugging story (his dad and him both battling MS), so it didn't make any sense that he got cut from Hollywood week (without much camera time at all).

    Until I thought about the whole legions of potential voters and the show turning into Osmond Idol. Then it all made sense. Use him for some good screen time and then cut him loose. After all, the guy's an Osmond, he'll have plenty of chances to pursue a singing career without any help from Simon, Paula, Randy and Kara, right?

    But if so, why bother including him at all?

    Oh right, initial ratings and all.

    So why cut him (he had as much talent and looks as many of the others who remain)?

    Oh right, he might actually have more power than we (American Idol Producers) could hope to control.

    Besides, imagine the backlash of Simon cutting down an Osmond on national TV.

    The whole thing left a sour taste in my mouth and while I am not a major Osmond fanatic (of any sort), I do feel like the guy got played.

    Just my humble opinion.

    But then isn't that what blogs are for?

    Go back to your Cheerios now, there is nothing left to see

    Oh and by the way, my life is slowing down a bit now and I still have not resigned myself to this blinding white background......

    ......just sayin'

  • 13Jan 09

    So long Prison Break

    It was announced today that Fox has cancelled Prison Break. Sad really to watch a show that was at one point fresh and innovative, with its intended one season complete story arch milked to the point where it winds up doing its own version of jumping the shark and then ultimately gets dumped with the vast majority of the viewers either not surprised and/or not caring.

    The thing of it is for me, the first season was truly great TV, the second season was a better viewing choice than most of what was in competition for my time, but now I find myself watching like you do when you pass a car wreck on the interstate.

    My hope now is that at least they will give the story some kind of decent wrap-up.

  • 10Jan 09

    I take thee brother to be my lawfully wedded husband...

    ...congratulations to Jennifer Carpenter and Michael C. Hall (Dexter and Debra) on Dexter for having eloped and gone public with their nearly 2 year relationship.

    Some good news for a change!!

  • 8Jan 09

    So....

    I am back and I'm sorry for the prolonged absence. I have had a bit of a rough go, but things are ok now. My husband had his grandmother pass away while I was out of the country (first time he has lost a family member) and I was not there to help.

    My dear friend's (who hosted our wedding in June) mother took a very bad stroke shortly before I arrived in Canada. She never regained speech or movement and passed on Dec. 24. Cathryn was a vibrant and lovely lady who had visited us in Beijing (I walked the Great Wall with her) and was full of life and love for her children and new grandchildren. It was a real blow to lose her.

    I regained contact with a cousin who I had not spoken to in a few years only to learn that his Mom had passed away as well. A triple whammy all in one fell swoop.

    The icing on the cake was that despite the fact I was back in Beijing late on the 24th, none of my bags arrived with me and so Jeff and I spent Christmas morning staring at an empty tree.

    One bag arrived 48 hours later and the other arrived a week after that.

    All of this had made me realize what is important in life and what isn't.

    While my friends here are of real importance to me, the site itself has all but lost my interest completely.

    The blinding white background is still with us and it appears they simply don't give **** that the majority of us have complained about it.

    In the meantime they have clearly added more advertisers and it must be that user numbers are sufficient enough to justify not giving one rat's ass about how the rest of us feel.

    At the end of the day, this is their site and they can do what they please. And they do and will whether it pleases us or not.

    My enthusiasm for taking things to the next level has been dampened considerably as I have had family issues and career expansions to deal with. However, if sufficient support remains, I do plan to at least give it another go.

    Because frankly either this horrible and very unpleasant white background goes, or I do. I simply can't stand it and while it might seem like a small reason to give up on the site, the simple fact is that Danmod swore up and down that this was going to be one of the first design changes and it has not been.

    Like other users here I am prone to migraines and while this site has not yet actually triggered one, the background is so stark, so blinding white and so unpleasant that it causes me enough stress that I just choose not to put up with it.

    My request for now is a simple one, EVERY time you log onto this site, use their "PFO" link that implies they actually care enough to want to change (it is called "Help Improve TV.com - Send Your Feedback), click on that puppy and demand they do something about the background.

    Tell your friends and your friend's friends.

    The link really should be called "We placed this here to look like we give a **** - Send Your Feedback (to a place that no one will ever read and/or act on"

    I could respect the honesty of that a lot more.

    I have missed you and I will try to here more often now.

  • 23Nov 08

    Well he said...

    ...it appears that tv.com doesn't give a rat's behind about dissatisfied users and all the promises about changes are about as truthful as a high school jock's assurances of "true love" while taking the panties off the cheerleader.

    Professionally I have been beyond busy lately in a way that I never imagined could happen so fast and I have yet another cross-continental trip to take in just 10 days.

    Having said that, I'll be damned if I am going to go quietly into the night.

    As I said right from the start, this blackout plan was not a "one off" and I am prepared to "take it to the streets"

    I have no intention of declaring here what the next step is, since my personal opinion is nothing says "thanks so much for the useless lip service" quite like a slap upside the back of your head. Particularly one administered when you are trying to enjoy a quiet dinner with that special someone.

    I am ready to deliver the Internet equivalent to that slap to those here who have seen fit to jerk us around with promises of changes that have never come and explanations that have been so laughable as to be deliberately insulting.

    While I normally quite enjoy various types of "jerks" circle and/or otherwise, I am not at all a fan of the type of jerking around we've all been party to here.

    For those of you who have provided me your email address (that list now numbers over 200) expect an email from me shortly.

    Had my professional life not suddenly demanded so much attention, I would have been leading the charge much sooner.

    I will for sure need your support as we go forward, since I will be overseeing this from 3 different continents over the course of the next 5 weeks.

    Thank God for the Internet which will allow this all to be possible.

    Frankly, some extra hours and jet lag will be well worth it in order to make sure we are heard.

    "Game On!"

  • 2Nov 08

    In and Out

    Hey all, I've been suddenly beyond insanely busy with work. I am home now (Sunday night for me) and I fly out tomorrow morning again. I will be back by Thursday and should have some time to get the lay of the land.

    From what I can see, some of the fixes are in place, many are not, and some that appear to have been promised are still AWOL

    I will get on this when I am back and have some breathing room and we will go from there. Sorry to have been out of touch recently, this latest spat of work was unexpected, with many exciting benefits for our company, but has had me running around like the proverbial headless chicken.

    At least I'm racking up serious airmiles in the process!

    Back soon and talk soon.

  • 10Oct 08

    Take a deep breath, pop the champagne and THANK YOU!!

    A short but sweet blog!

    I have been very encouraged to have received responses from CBS management in New York and Los Angeles, as well as from CBS Interactive in San Francisco.

    In particular the contacts from New York and San Francisco went a long way toward reassuring me we were moving well past lip service and that they truly not only valued our feedback, but also genuinely appreciated our determination in getting our issues put forward.

    I have a firm commitment from the contact in New York to follow this through directly with me and an assurance that the solutions will roll out (directly quoting) "sooner than later as I truly believe our valued users have demonstrated much appreciated loyalty to our site through some admittedly difficult technical difficulties."

    From the contact in San Francisco the very quick and sincere reply was (again, directly quoting) "Thanks so much for this constructive email. I truly appreciate you taking the time to articulate your concerns. We are steadfastly working on fixing the bugs we have encountered. I have forwarded your email to the head of our site along with Dan, our community manager, who you have been in contact with.

    Thanks for your patience and keeping the community calm."

    And the message which left me feeling like popping open the champagne, came moments ago, (danmod):

    "Hey Glenn, We're going to start knocking out these issues starting the middle of next week. The first thing we're tackling is the text color/size. We've got things prioritized and sorted and we'll be addressing each as quickly as possible."

    So now, I suggest we all take a deep breath, relax and believe them when they say that things are going to improve and quickly.

    Please find a moment to express your appreciation to the staff here, in particular, danmod.

    They have all had a very difficult 3 weeks, none of them designed the new site and I truly believe they have been vocal in bringing our concerns to the attention of management.

    From me, a very sincere thank you for the overwhelming support and kind words.

    We have a truly special community here, it is totally worth fighting for and I deeply honored to have shared this cause with you.

    Thank you everyone!

  • 10Oct 08

    Spreadsheet Results - Now what?????

    Hi everyone,

    I am going to post the results of our collective "Top 5 Changes" blogs. The amount of solidarity we displayed in common requests for changes is impressive, but also not surprising when you consider that what these changes represent are just our desire to have elements of the site returned to us that allow our community to be "user-friendly" again.

    But first the list, again a huge thank you to Ocean 58 for the vast majority of work on this. I then added to the list.

    We had 115 users blog about "Top 5 Changes" with another 35 users submitting email/PM lists to me since either they:

    don't blog at all on the site,

    their blogs are private and visible only to friends

    and/or they didn't see the need to post their own blog since their list was completely covered by everyone else's.

    For the last group, I tried for a while to encourage them to post the blog, since my opinion is that the more transparent we are with how many of us actually want what the better. But at last I compiled their lists into our count.

    Even if someone wanted to discount the veracity of these additions, the fact is the overwhelming majority of our numbers are in fact transparent and "out there" for anyone to see.

    Despite contact with danmod who seems genuinely concerned with helping us to have a voice, the simple truth is that several weeks into this launch and over one week since Blackout Day, we still have major design flaws, numerous bugs and no clear idea of what is being worked on, what will be worked on and WHEN anything will change.

    And it seems discontent is growing too.

    Here is the list:

    Get rid of White Background - To be able to choose the colour............................117

    My tracked blogs contains at least 10 blogs...........................................................94

    See number of comments on blogs (next/previous button working)..........................84

    Black default colour of text on blogs and other pages..............................................48

    Bigger default size of text on blogs and other pages.................................................47

    Latest Blog with picture on profile page fully readable.............................................33

    Re-enable HTML Codes - WYSIWYG in forum posts/blogs...................................33

    Thus far I have been able to determine that a total of 196 users took part in Blackout Day.

    I currently have the email addresses for 119 users who wish to be kept updated, with an additional 46 users wishing me to update them via PM here on tv.com.

    This means there are 165 of us still keenly interested to know what is going on and what is next.

    One user has requested not to be kept a part of any other action going forward and I have already emailed them to confirm that this choice is not a problem and will be completely respected.

    What is the buzz lately?

    Please check Jaxiecracks' most recent blog about the "Official Redesign Reported Bugs List" thread and where to find it.

    To quote "TheOldBill" (a long-term user) from part of a message he left on one of Jaxiecracks' blog:

    "Thanks, Jaxie. We do realise that the team has been beavering away behind the scenes, but the relatively small number of visible fixes three weeks in has been a little disconcerting."

    Another user, not a Blackout Day participant, also said on Jaxiecracks' most recent blog:

    "Jaxi--Does your EDIT mean that you are going to fix the problem with the brightness and readability? I think you're losing users just because of this issue alone, and less because of the bugs. Most users don't contribute. I think this ought to be higher priority. Just my two cents."

    Indeed!

    For my part, I left Jaxie the following comment:

    While I am not a web designer, several users here are and the consensus is that to change the blinding white background and increase the default size of text is not a difficult thing to roll out at all.

    I am sure we all can understand why bugs take first priority, the simple fact is that there is intense (and growing) user dissatisfaction over this one design "aesthetic" and the fix is not major design surgery.

    It begs the obvious question - Since it is clear an OVERWHELMING majority of us want this change AND since rolling it out is not a major pain for the tech team, why continue to drag your heels on "pulling the trigger?"

    In one move you would so completely please so many that you would not need to constantly be thanking us for patience we increasingly don't have, you would actually have our patience for having shown that beyond "hearing and listening" to us, you are actually doing something about it.

    Is it possible to get a firm answer to this one clear question about this issue?

    Thank you Jaxie!

    And now despite Private Messages to each of the staff on tv.com with the request to tell us when we can expect some changes, all we keep hearing is the "we hear you" or the "thanks for being patient" response.

    I'm sorry, but this just feels increasingly like lip service.

    The only other explanation is that the staff themselves are being dicked around over this and getting no support from the design staff and management to actually move things forward.

    Still we are left with rising discontent.

    Let me quote some other users from recent emails, PM's to me and blog comment posts:

    "You're doing a great job Glenn! Thanks! I have a question tho.. The more I go around the site, the more stuff I notice that is changed/missing. I've posted my 5 changes blog, but if I now got more/other issues I want on top, what do I do?"

    For now the answer is either blog "More Changes Needed" or PM me with your new additions and I will either add them to the spreadsheet if they are new, or add another vote to the tally if the issue has already been identified. Next came this one:

    "I am a web designer and I am stunned at the complete incompetence being shown by the management here at responding to the numerous and valid issues we as the users of this site are crying out for. Maybe I should submit my resume because I'm telling you that what they are dragging their heels on I could fix in less than one day of concentrated effort. Do you think its possible that they are simply planning to wait us out while not actually planning to do anything?"

    The answer to this is that I honestly don't think that is the case. I honestly do believe that the staff and management here do want a site that users want and like to use. The reasons as to why this is dragging out so long are truly baffling.

    "Any news from TV.com? Seems like we're being ignored. I just posted in a thread about the site color scheme wondering why it's not being addressed. They only want to focus on the bugs which is great, but it seems like we're applauding all the king's men when they're the ones who pushed Humpty off the wall in the first place. They're starting to piss me off again. I don't like being dismissed."

    And this is where the problem lies.

    Despite danmod's reply, despite Jaxie's blog, despite very minor changes, the end result seems to be that many of us are still feeling like not enough is really being done, and not nearly fast enough.

    This is an important thing for me to be clear on. How many of you are feeling this way?

    The simple fact is that maybe Phase 2 is required. I am not adverse to the work this will entail (and it will entail more hours of work on my end) and I am not afraid to stand up for what I believe should happen here, the alternative is to pack up and go play somewhere else and after seeing such overwhelming support from not only my friends, but also users I had never met before, I will not be chased away from this site without a fight!!!

    What does annoy me is the need for this at all.

    One important thing to confirm.

    For those of you who are web designers, I have been told that changing the default text colour and size and default colour of the skin "background" is a very easy thing to program and go live with. Can anyone tell me if I am either correct in what I have been told or not?

    Because if it turns out I get confirmation that this is true AND if the site does not do something about this issue almost immediately then I am absolutely going to turn up the heat. With your continuing support and help.

    If it turns out this is more complicated than I have been told it is, I guess maybe a bit more patience and time is in order.

    But really, almost a month later, we still can't page forward/backward in our blog comments and we still have to contend with only being able to track 4 friends blogs from our profile page.

    Frankly, it's getting really, really, really old!

    I have spent now several days of concentrated effort to compile the email list and cross-reference it with your user names. I have tried to communicate with the staff here in a respectful way that put forward our concerns, while pledging to help them in communicating with all of you about what was being done.

    The fact is that we still can't get a firm answer to 3 simple questions

    1. What issues are you planning to fix about the design?

    2. What issues do you feel we need to just "learn to live with?"

    3. When will you actually fix any of the issues from question number 1?

    Which leads to another question, why is it so hard to get an answer? I swear if what I get now is a "we hear you and we're working on it reply" the gloves are coming off.

    BTW, here is the updated list of the users who took part in Blackout Day (leaving out those who requested to not be publicly involved):

    abdullah2220, Angus_Mac, a_spod, alguna, AprilFox, Arrowhokie23, ascaffo, AuntArlene, bbntom55, big_haircut82, Bjbler2396, blufuzycow, Cenina, Chanouel, cjhtwo, Cubtracker, danharr, DarkKnight313, DemonSlayerZea, DisNick, dmjg, electricpeppers, eMetiB_101, enervator, fieke, Finalsequel, Finnegan77, FrakkingFrakker, GIVElove, GiX_MiX, glenn11523, gmvail23, harihudson, hikinggirl70, HimekosAhoge, historyseeker22, HockeyFan78, Hoeech, ihatefamilyguy, IndianaMom, Iphigenie72, jekyll, Jeric-Ho, JessWH, jimmy_the_pipe, Julus, Kimba66, la_survive, latinblue, lisagraham, lynn138, madison1314, marwash, Mer-Joy, Miles65UK, millerem99, MovieMark, mtjaws, mscraftee, noahcrash, no1thinker, ocean58, orangemann327, paulwj, petewrigley, PikeBishop, pixie9696, portuguesemarta, pumacat7, PunkNerd5, queerlybeloved, radrobd, Ramona87, ravenswood13, revbucky, RHam_01, sajwest, SARAHmcrmy, scooterstarr, Shana868, shawnlunn2002, shazza62, Sherasbear, sluggmunki_tx, spaci, SparkleFarkle, spideynerd3, StarbucksAddict, stellarchick86, supering, SweetPeaSurry, sylent_asassin, talent_knower, TaquaDeldrant, The_void_68, tish4dw, tjaman, ToxicAngel503, Tru_Slayer, tuckgraph, tursiopsseries, tvchick033, tv_lover066, tweety_ro, twopratt, uncle_mark, vampiredawn, wanted23, winterbehaviour, xlovedust, YamiNarutoBrief, youtube_tv, 9393usak,

  • 5Oct 08

    Who took part, Where we stand, What's next.

    Hi guys,

    I am going to put up a list of everyone who has left a message on my "Top 5 Changes" blog saying that theirs is up too.

    Please look over the list and make sure your name is on it. If it isn't make sure I know that you have a list also.

    It would also be a great help if you could keep your eye out for any of your friends who you know took part.

    I did my best to crawl through and find any stragglers, but I know for sure I missed some people.

    One user here Ocean58 has jumped in and is now going through all your lists and compiling a spreadsheet to list the changes and the number of votes each gets. This is a HUGE task and an amazing help to the already working their butts off staff. Thank you Ocean58!!!!

    At the time I first posted this, we have 157 (*edit 194*) confirmed participants in Blackout Day, with 87 (*edit 114*) blogging about it. There are some users who took part in Blackout that don't have any blogs (and don't post them), there are some that indicated they took part, but still have not posted a blog, and there some that took part and have already said they think their list is totally redundant after reading what others have already written. This last group I want to urge again to post a blog "Top 5 Changes" still. It is not too late to get yours up and it is actually powerful that so many of us have so many of the same items on our list. This is one case where being redundant is valuable!!

    Clearly of course I blogged about this, the 86 others I now know who did are:

    Angus_Mac, a_spod, AprilFox, Arrowhokie23, ascaffo, AuntArlene, bbntom55, Bjbler2396, blufuzycow, Cenina, Cubtracker, DemonSlayerZea, DisNick, dmjg, eMetiB_101, enervator, Finalsequel, Finnegan77, FrakkingFrakker, GIVElove, gmvail23, harihudson, HimekosAhoge, historyseeker22, HockeyFan78, Hoeech, ihatefamilyguy, IndianaMom, Iphigenie72, jekyll, Jeric-Ho, JessWH, jimmy_the_pipe, Kimba66, la_survive, latinblue, lisagraham, madison1314, Mer-Joy, millerem99, MovieMark, mtjaws, mscraftee, no1thinker, ocean58, orangemann327, paulwj, petewrigley, PikeBishop, portuguesemarta, pumacat7, PunkNerd5, queerlybeloved, Ramona87, ravenswood13, revbucky, RHam_01, sajwest, SARAHmcrmy, scooterstarr, shawnlunn2002, Sherasbear, sluggmunki_tx, spaci, SparkleFarkle, spideynerd3, stellarchick86, supering, SweetPeaSurry, sylent_asassin, talent_knower, The_void_68, tish4dw, tjaman, ToxicAngel503, Tru_Slayer, tuckgraph, tursiopsseries, tv_lover066, twopratt, uncle_mark, vampiredawn, winterbehaviour, xlovedust, youtube_tv, 9393usak,

    PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR NAME IS IN THE LIST - IF IT ISN'T, LET ME KNOW! IF SOMEONE YOU KNOW BLOGGED ABOUT IT ISN'T IN THE LIST, LET ME KNOW - THANKS

    NEWLY FOUND Participants (will add as we find them):

    shazza62, phf3947, Chanouel, marwash, pixie9696, GiX_MiX, lynn138, noahcrash, YamiNarutoBrief, cjhtwo, TaquaDeldrant, Julsus, hikinggirl70, abdullah2220, fieke, Miles65UK,StarbucksAddict, wanted23, radrobd, danharr, Shana868, big_haircut82, DarkKnight313, tvchick033,tweety_ro,

    3 Things make us a very special group

    1. We were organized into a protest and took part in it, in less than a week

    -most protests that are successful require significantly more planning and far more resources than ours did.

    2. Most of us did not know each other and still came together to protest

    -while you could argue that "friends" would help a friend to protest something, most of us had never met/talked before this. I know my own friends list here on tv.com tripled in the last 2.5 weeks.

    -many times people will say they agree with something and even say they will take part, the fact is, our group did BOTH!

    3. We represent a very diverse demographic

    -we have some of the youngest, and some of the oldest members

    -we have some of the newest and some of the longest registered users

    -we have some who have never blogged and some who blog everyday, some who have never edited a show/person guide and some who edit MANY (of both!)

    What these 3 things show is a consensus that is truly noteworthy. When you can get so many diverse people together in such a short time, representing such a diverse user base and have people who had never met before join together in a common cause, it is a POWERFUL statement.

    Sadly, that statement is we are frustrated with the new design of the site.

    Happily, we are united in our plan to DO something about it (not just sitting around complaining to the furniture)

    Most recently it was mscraftee who pointed out the significance of how quickly we all got on board with the cause and were willing to show support.

    Those of you who PM'd me with your email address (74 people at last count - *edit - now this number is 167!*) have already received the letter that went to CBS and CNET. You also received the next stages of the plan as I see them (should we not see results quickly enough).

    I have pledged to the staff here to be just as vocal in helping to mend the fence and bring us all back together should we see improvements.

    After all, that is, was and remains, the entire point of ALL of this - getting improvements.

    I'd be lying if I said I knew going into this just how much work it was going to be, but it is also absolutely true that I feel our community (and getting back elements that worked, made it special and - - - did not blind us!) is completely worth it!!

    I came so close to just giving up on this site, on this community and just leaving, the overwhelming support and solidarity we have shown each other showed me with absolute clarity that a change in design did not strip away the heart of our community. I am so glad that I posted my blog and floated the idea of a Blackout and I am beyond humbled by all of you who jumped into the water with me!

    If you want the letter and the outline for the next 3 Phases (should they prove necessary) PM your email.

    Please make sure everyone that blogged from your circle of friends is one of the names mentioned above, if they are not, their blog (and request for changes) may be missed!

    Thank you everyone for your amazing support!!

    Glenn

    Please find a chance to say a huge thank you to Ocean58 who kept up on all the new additions and made sure to include all "Top 5" lists in the spreadsheet he created for us.

    It was a lot of work and has made it very easy to show the staff the most serious issues.

    GREAT work Orhan!!

  • 2Oct 08

    We've Been Heard!!!

    Congratulations to all of us for our determination to get some recognition. Our efforts have paid off.

    PLEASE continue to add your comment to my last blog (if you haven't already) that says you have made your "Top 5 List"

    This is VERY important since we have now received a very polite and direct response from tv.com staff.

    I am truly appreciative of the tone of the response, and as I am sure you can appreciate, the staff on the site have been putting in a lot of time as a result of the new design.

    I am quite content to now give them some reasonable "breathing room" to first cull through our collective lists and then give us a more detailed update.

    Again it is important that you make sure you have a comment in my last blog calling attention to the fact that you have created a "Top 5 List" since this is where staff will go to review our concerns.

    This blog is wide open for any and all comments!

    Please give danmod and the staff here some space to move now as they process through it all. We currently have 90 registered users of Blackout Day and the number looks closer to double that.

    This will now take some time for them to get on it and we need to give them a reasonable amount of time.

    If it drags out, we'll cross that bridge if it comes.

    Thank you all for taking part, it would have been useless without your support!!!!

    Glenn

    I will now quote part of the response I received:

    From: danmod

    Hi Glenn,

    I just wanted you to know that your letter has gone to the entire Community Team and up even higher than that. I would rather not respond to the blog directly because I'll be hit with a million questions I might not be able to answer. But you can pass this along and mention me by name - We are taking this very seriously and bringing it to the attention of everyone involved. I can't promise anything, that would be unfair because I'm not in charge of everything on the site. My job is to help get your voices heard and make sure things work and people play by the rules. To that end, I do the best I can, (the whole team actually), and I intend to get your message heard.

  • 30Sep 08

    Top 5 Changes

    And I'm back!

    PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY

    I apologise in advance since I know it will be long. I will do my best to be succinct.

    First not one staff member from CBS or tv.com have contacted me about the blackout. This despite sending my open letter directly to support@tv.com

    Second, one moderator, grailwolf, while not taking part in the blackout has been nothing short of amazing in terms of fast responses, with helpful information and accurate feedback.

    Third, another moderator, gislef, has taken upon themselves to PM with messages basically consisting of passive aggressive *shrug* followed by criticism over our cause not being detailed enough, concise enough, etc. etc. etc.

    My response to that is basically *shrug* "it should be of great concern to the staff and owners here that so many people feel so unhappy, and rather than devote time and effort in criticism of their method of expressing that, your effort should go into finding out what the problem is and doing something about it!"

    The simple fact is that I am not some wizard capable of galvanizing people into a cause they are not invested in.

    This entire protest would have quickly fizzled out if people were not feeling as frustrated and let down as I was.

    Instead it grew exponentially in just under 7 days with participation growing literally by the hour leading up to the blackout.

    Think about that, how many "gone dark" avitars did you see springing up all over? Now imagine what the response can be if we take more than 7 days to launch our next step.

    And while I hope we simply all move forward and get the consideration, respect and changes we desire, I am fully prepared to launch the next step. And this one will not involve you having to stay away from your computer. Quite the opposite in fact! But let's truly hope it doesn't come to that.

    All I really want is to give the site a chance to respond. I want things to improve. I want our community back.

    So, here is what we need now, and I hope you can do exactly this.

    Put your next blog up with only this title "Top 5 Changes" just as mine is labelled here today.

    Be respectful and be accurate in your top 5 list. Avoid anything that can make them dismiss the message as coming from "complainers, whiners or sarcastic people"

    THEN, come back to this blog and leave a comment that says "My top 5 list is on my blog" and please leave it at that.

    I am then (at the suggestion of a couple of people) going to call attention to the fact that anyone from CBS and/or tv.com that wants easy access to the complaints can find it by visiting this blog.

    We will save all other communications and comments about blackout and what we do going forward for other blogs and comment sections.

    I have no idea how many of us ultimately took part, but I do know that those who did range in age from 13 - 60. They represent everyone from the most casual of users (and very new, newbies) to long time editors and contributors, some of whom have the highest point values and most significant contributions in all of tv.com

    It would be a huge mistake for staff here or CBS to blow this off, since not only is this a very accurate cross-section of their community, it is also truly an indication of "what the market wants"

    Plus, blowing it off will only serve to move people from dissatisfaction and frustration to just plain anger.

    I have no delusions of every change posted getting complied with.

    I have no delusions that changes will roll out overnight.

    I DO expect some recognition of our concerns and FAR more than *shrugs* and lip service of "we're working on it"

    I DO want to know WHAT is being worked on and WHEN it is likely to be rolled out.

    IF YOU RECEIVED THE PM FROM ME ENTITLED "WELCOME BACK - NOW PLEASE" IT WOULD BE A GREAT IDEA IF YOU COULD FORWARD THAT OUT TO YOUR FRIENDS WHO TOOK PART. BETTER SOMEONE GET THE MESSAGE TWICE THAN NOT AT ALL. THANKS FOR THIS HELP.

    I will leave the rest for my next blog. This one is about our change suggestions. Your list may well vary. I look forward to reading them all.

    Remember, for this blog, please just leave one comment that says"My top 5 list is on my blog"

    We'll make it easy on them for "one stop shopping"

    Thank you everyone.

    Glenn

    My Top 5 Changes.

    1. Get rid of the blinding white background.

    2. Allow me to track more than 4 of my friends and their blogs

    3. Allow me to see how many comments have been left in each of my friend's blogs and which of those are "new" since the last time I visited.

    4. Increase the default size of text for blogs and comments and put the default color back to black.

    5. When opening the "see all" function for tracked blogs, let the screen that opens be one that lists my friends by name, blog title, total comment number and new comment number ONLY" and let me choose which blogs to expand. The way it goes now, some of my wonderfully creative blogging friends take up almost all of one page (and take quite some time to load)

    Fair Warning: Comments for this blog only not limited to "My top 5 list is on my blog" are subject to deletion and/or moderation. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. All of my other blogs are wide open for any other comments and/or debate. I am also open to unsolicited PM's. Thanks again.

  • 29Sep 08

    Sept. 30 Blackout Day - Early for me - NOT a one step plan - EDIT New Info!!!

    PLEASE SEE END OF THE BLOG FOR NEW INFORMATION I RECEIVED JUST BEFORE I LOG OFF - T MINUS 85 Mins at the time of this posting

    Hi everyone,

    First I can't say thanks enough for all the effort you have put into raising awareness of the cause.

    As you look around the site and see how many are using the "gone dark" avi (and some have even made versions of their own) it is impressive. And sad.

    Truly sad.

    What that means is this is the number of users who share extreme dissatisfaction with the way things are being done around here right now.

    Our movement will be literally less than one week old by the time Blackout Day arrives and it has already spidered out so far.

    I wish it wasn't something required, and yet, one silver lining is that I have made many new friends along the way AND re-affirmed that we do have a special community here worth being a part of and worth hanging on to.

    I hope we will get a very serious and detailed response from CBS over the issues we call attention to with our Oct. 1 returning blog.

    For the sake of unity (and to allow their search to quickly find us) call your blog on Oct. 1 "Top 5 Changes"

    IF we do not get a response (and I promise I will instantly and loudly announce if we do), I am quite prepared with the steps I intend to take next and why I know we will eventually succeed.

    I won't go into that right now, but rest assured it won't involve having to log off here for even longer as has been suggested by some. I want to be here and keep contact with my friends and up to speed with what is on tv.

    Important points:

    1. Blackout is the 24 hours for the timezone in which you live.

    2. Blackout means not one visit to any CNET site during that 24 hours. Not logging in is not enough. If you drop by "anonymously" you still count as a visit and that still shows in the numbers.

    The avi can be found here:

    http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd330/tjaman/tvdark.jpg

    3. Blackout means coming up with a list of Top 5 things you want changed

    Please consider posting a blog to say "goodbye" for the day and PLEASE consider using the avi. It is really something to see it popping up all over the site. It is a great way to show solidarity.

    Because I am in Asia, I will be gone before all of you in the US.

    It also means I will be back before you as well.

    We are a part of a community and our opinion does matter!

    If you have some time before you log off for the Blackout, check out a reply I made to a user here who suggested what we are doing is of no real use.

    http://www.tv.com/redesign-feedback/strike/topic/92653-1159242/msgs.html

    Honestly, it will be hard to be away from here for the day. But the need to get attention is worth the effort it will take to control my fingers.

    Thank you again (each of you) for taking part. What an amazing thing to see us rally with such short notice, no budget for advertising, limited time and ways to make our case and such a diversity in age, gender, location, etc.

    I am humbled to be a part of this.

    Thank you.

    See you Oct. 1

    PS - I will stay logged on until the last possible minute to catch any comments and/or answer any questions.

    Glenn

    NEW INFORMATION

    Thanks to one of the site moderators for the PM which contained the following:


    Two other things:
    1) You may want to avoid the abbreviation "avi" for "avatar". An AVI file is a type of movie file, and I keep expecting to see that a participant has created a short video (which would be very cool, btw).
    2) You may also want to encourage users to download the avatar (right click, and save the image) and then upload that copy to their TV.com account. That way you are less screwed if photobucket is overwhelmed and shuts down the image.

    I have no idea if the moderator in question wishes to remain anonymous or not, but I will find out, later if they agree I will tell you who you can thank.

    This is likely my last chance to do anything before the "appointed hour" hits my time zone. See you on the other side!!!!

  • 28Sep 08

    Dear CBS and tv.com

    Dear CBS and tv.com

    If you are not already aware, allow me to make you aware of the fact that I, along with an ever-growing number of users on tv.com, intend to boycott visiting/contributing and/or supporting any of your sites on Tuesday Sept. 30, 2008

    Our reasons are many and varied, but they can all be summed up quite aptly with the generalization that we, the users, do not feel appreciated or respected at all.

    This has to do with your "new" tv.com format.

    To say that it has not been received well would be an understatement of monumental proportions.

    Many of us have been told (both directly and indirectly) that your take on this has been "people always complain about change" and/or "it will blow over and is no big deal." I have no idea if this is truly your stance or not. I invite you to clarify this for me.

    We trust that you are aware that, as a community, we have been the people who have done literally thousands of hours of data entry on this site, building it into one of the most comprehensive places on the Internet for quality information about television shows, past and present.

    We were/are proud of that fact.

    Many of us run businesses ourselves and so it was of no real surprise that some television network saw the value in purchasing the site. For having that much forward vision at least, I commend you.

    Further it is not surprising that as new owners you would want to put "your mark" on your new acquisition. Adding elements that make advertising easier and more prominently displayed, for one, is a completely reasonable business choice.

    Having said that, the new format of tv.com is not (at least not yet) anywhere near a professional enough or user-friendly enough mark on your territory.

    In fact, it more resembles the kind of "marking" my now 2 year old dog used to do when we first brought him home.

    Not to put too fine a point on it, but your new design, and the way you chose to roll it out, has left many of us feeling as if you simply raised your hind leg and "let 'er rip!"

    Sarcasm and humor aside, allow me to directly quote another long-time supporter and member of this site. Mac-Ale wrote (on the page devoted to voting if the old layout should come back or not):

    "While it would be too lengthy to quote again, post #170 (while using language I find a bit harsh) points out exactly what I find to be the real issue and why I was dreading the TV.com "upgrade" ever since I saw Gamespot doing it this past Summer. It's a lot less about "TV.com screwed me out of my favorite feature" and more about fundamental arrogant incompetence on the part of web design and web development personnel."

    It is that last line that sums up a lot of what we are feeling.

    Are you listening?

    Will you listen?

    Do you care?

    I do not ask the above 3 questions lightly.

    I have never "led the charge" of any kind of protest or revolt before in my life.

    What caused me to do this?

    Simple. I was so deeply weary of seeing long-term users "pack up and go home." I got tired of losing dear friends in this community.

    I got to the point where, after membership since before you were even tv.com, I considered leaving too.

    And then I thought, "not without at least feeling like I tried to do something"

    That is what Sept. 30 Blackout Day is all about. We hope that a large dip in user numbers will get your attention. We hope you will give serious consideration as to what would happen to this site if we all simply decided to take our efforts and passion for television somewhere else.

    Whether the number of people who boycott your site on Tuesday is high or not, I urge you to take a minute and stroll around your site. Look for how many of us are using the "gone dark" avitar.

    These are people who are not happy. These are the volunteers who edit the shows and people pages on this site. These are the people who breathe life into this community.

    I have not been pushing for you to roll-out the old design, however, looking at the page devoted to counting votes on the subject, it is hard to not notice that (as of the time I'm writing this) almost 400 people have voted for just that. With less than 55 voting for the design to stay the same.

    Not sure what page I'm talking about? Visit:

    http://www.tv.com/redesign-feedback/vote-to-return-to-previous-layout./topic/92653-1156053/msgs.html

    Those of us taking part in Blackout Day will return on Oct. 1 with a blog listing our "Top 5 Changes" we would like to see.

    It would seem to make sense that you would care enough to discover what those lists say.

    I promise I will be just as vocal in trumpeting your response, should you decide to give me one.

    Should we find that nothing is done and no attention is paid to our request for attention, I guess we will need to seriously take a look at what comes next.

    The simple fact is that we are asking for most is the simple respect and courtesy we feel should have been without a need to ask for.

    CBS, you're a big company with a large team of people devoted to IT. How is it that you missed this?

    How is it that you made a choice to launch something without BETA testing?

    How is it that you chose to launch at the start of a new television season?

    Was your only thought about how the two dove-tailed nicely? Because frankly, you should have thought of the intense burden you were placing on the editors (VOLUNTEERS) who would need to learn how to use it all while coping with a HUGE influx of submissions BECAUSE the new season started!

    Did you consult with the staff at tv.com about timing at all?

    Does it at all matter to you at all that an ever-growing number of long-term users are considering leaving this site?

    Has the number of people who have left recently registered with you at all?

    It has been suggested that not only are you aware of these facts, but that clearing out the majority of users was in fact a goal of yours all along. I find that far too draconian a suggestion to be seriously considered, and yet, should you continue to ignore the discontent I may be forced to reevaluate my position.

    What is the upshot of all of this?

    Well for starters you have an ever-growing number of dissatisfied users such that, with very little real effort, our Sept. 30 Blackout Day has gained real momentum.

    Imagine if we had decided to do something more comprehensive and organised....

    Track it for yourself, my first blog on the subject was on September 24.

    What you see in terms of our numbers has happened in less than a week and when September 30 rolls around, the number of people taking part will be as a result of less than seven day's notice.

    The result of this new format and it's roll-out is frankly a mess and it has been from the start, so that now you are facing genuine frustration (anger on the part of some) over the way it's all been handled.

    I will give you the benefit of the doubt that this was not intentional.

    I will give you the opportunity to respond.

    What will you do?

    Sincerely,

    Glenn

  • 27Sep 08

    Blackout Day - Coming Soon to a Screen Near YOU

    Hi all,

    First and foremost thank you again to all of you for your participation.

    Housekeeping stuff:

    1. This blackout is in NO WAY a violation of any kind of tv.com's TOS. No reasonable person would suggest otherwise. To log on to the site, or not to, remains (as of the time of this posting at least) still your right.

    2. The 24 hour period we are asking you to abstain from visiting the site is the 24 hours of Sept. 30, 2008 for the time zone in which you live/log on.

    3. To be effective you must avoid visiting any CNET site (movietome, mp3.com, etc.) as well as tv.com

    4. Even visiting on that day (even if you don't log onto your account) will show up as a visit. Please refrain from coming by at all.

    5. There is a place to vote for the old tv.com layout to come back. That is NOT the focus of our blackout, but you are certainly welcome to include it (or any request) on your personal "Top 5 Changes" blog when you come back on Oct. 1. IF you want to vote for the old layout to be returned, visit this link and cast your ballot.

    http://www.tv.com/redesign-feedback/vote-to-return-to-previous-layout./topic/92653-1156053/msgs.html

    6. PLEASE blog about this and please consider using the "gone dark" avi. It is getting noticed all over the site. The avi can be found at:

    http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd330/tjaman/tvdark.jpg

    7. There are a couple of users who have become quite vocal about their opposition to our protest. Exactly why it should be something that causes such a response is beyond me. I'm having a hard time figuring out what could motivate someone to work aggressively to stop people from taking part while saying things like "it isn't going to make a difference" or "you need to come to your senses and stop this crap!"

    LET ME BE CLEAR, I will NOT, nor do I hope any of you, will fight or argue with someone over this. I urge you to take the high road and not engage in any name calling, insults or threats. Those things ARE violations of tv.com's TOS and if they happen to you, let me know.

    It seems so strange that if as they say, this is not going to accomplish anything, why they would need to take time to try and shrink the numbers of those taking part??

    It seems so strange that if all we are doing (as has been said) is "punishing ourselves" by not logging in, why wouldn't you just let the "idiots" not log in??

    Why would it be important to stop people from taking part?

    What motive could they possibly have?

    I will leave it for all of you to draw your own conclusions.

    For me, what I understand and believe are what follows:

    I believe user numbers matter on a site like this.

    I believe that a large dip in numbers (particularly one that was deliberate and orchestrated to raise awareness to our cause) will be noticed.

    I believe that having a voice and an opinion matters.

    That is why I support the voice and opinion of those who think we're jousting windmills here.

    They have just as much right to their opinion as I do mine, and you do yours.

    I am truly appreciative of all the effort undertaken by so many to support what we are doing.

    This is NOT the time to rest easy.

    There is a signature banner you can use if you want as well. Why is this important? Well your signature appears on every single forum post you make (or have made) EVER on this site. It is 100% acceptable under tv.com's TOS to use your signature banner for this (or any other reasonable self promotion).

    Please consider using it if you aren't already.

    To add the signature banner:

    Change ALL the { } bracket combinations to [ ] and then save it by going to your "prefs" option, then to the "Boards" tab and paste the option in your "My Signature" box.

    {url=http://www.tv.com/users/Glenn11523/blog.php}{img}http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/4892/blackoutrm7.jpg{/img}{/url}

    WE ARE NOT DOING ANYTHING wrong by taking part in this protest and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

    Finally, please visit a new friend of mine's blog (Lisa) to see her "open letter" to tv.com. It is brilliantly done and for those that think we are merely lunatics ranting about nothing, her letter is a cold bucket of water over the head.

    http://www.tv.com/users/lisagraham/profile.php

    My heartfelt thanks to all of you for jumping on board and giving us all a much needed sense of community here again on tv.com

    THANK YOU ALL!!!

  • 26Sep 08

    Sept. 30 Blackout Day - What's the Point Anyway??

    Hi everyone!

    We are really gaining momentum and there are some things you can do to help

    1. Blog about this - Particularly important on Monday Sept. 29 to declare you are logging off for 24 hours and to post the "gone dark" avi

    2. Comment in all your favorite show forums AFTER you have changed your signature line to the new banner. BUT keep your comments about the shows and in line with the topic of the thread or you will get them deleted.

    3. Leave comments on all your friend's blogs (again, comments that are appropriate to the blog)

    4. Change your avi now to the "gone dark" one

    Why do this?

    There are limited ways (without getting TOS mods) to call attention to our protest to those outside our circle of friends.

    The avi and signature lines are totally acceptable ways to do this.

    Every forum post you make has both your avi and signature line as a part of it.

    Every comment you leave on any blog has your avi.

    These things (particularly if seen spreading across the site) may peak curiosity. So if anyone clicks on your avi and you've blogged about it, they will know what's what.

    If anyone clicks on your signature banner (if you use it) they will automatically go to my original blog and know what's what.

    The blackout is for the 24 hour period in your timezone.

    One click on the site during that period will count as you NOT taking part in the protest. Be sure to check to see bookmarks and "auto-login" features are appropriately set so you don't "accidentally" negate your participation.

    Please don't let up. I have had several messages from now several mods and staff saying that we have already been noticed and that now the attitude is "wait and see if this is a big deal or not" on the part of management.

    IT IS a big deal, it is our voice and we deserve to have one. Moreover, we deserve to have our requests for changes to the site WE BUILT listened to.

    Remember to log back on Oct. 1 with your "Top 5 Changes" list and please keep pushing for the support of your friends. Thank you very much!

    Particular thanks to tjaman for the avi and for the signature banner.

    The avi is here:

    http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd330/tjaman/tvdark.jpg

    To add the signature banner:

    Change ALL the { } bracket combinations to [ ] and then save it by going to your "prefs" option, then to the "Boards" tab and paste the option in your "My Signature" box.

    {url=http://www.tv.com/users/Glenn11523/blog.php}{img}http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/4892/blackoutrm7.jpg{/img}{/url}

  • 25Sep 08

    September 30 is Blackout Day - Avi and Information Here

    First a HUGE thank you to everyone! A mere 36 hours after my first post, the chatter about Blackout Day is gaining speed.

    Staff, Mods and Volunteers have contacted me to say they hope many people choose to take part. These hard-working people are for the most part volunteers and yet, they have been forced to take the brunt of the anger and frustration we users have felt with the new format.

    Our 24hour walk-out will get noticed (already has) and remember a key part is logging back on Oct. 1 and posting your blog with your "Top 5 List for Change"

    Another huge thank you to tjaman for creating the avi for the blackout day.

    I have put the new avi up now and I suggest, if you are taking part in blackout day that you do the same. Why? This will increase the chatter about Sept. 30 Blackout Day and maybe increase the number of people participating. Just a suggestion, the avi can be found at: http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd330/tjaman/tvdark.jpg

    Remember your avi is seen in every comment and forum post you make. This is a huge way to generate interest in users who are not on our friends list, but may click on our profile to see why we all have the same avi all of a sudden.

    Also remember, along the way should you encounter anyone who does not agree with our planned blackout, respect their opinion and do not argue. Let's all agree to take the "high road" here. We are not forcing participation (as CBS forced the new format on us), we are not insisting that share our dissatisfaction. All we want is the sheer number of those of us unhappy to be seen and some concrete changes made.

    Most of all, we NEVER want this kind of roll-out to happen again without sufficient notice and a chance to really input what changes we (the life-blood of the site and those who input ALL the data you find here) would like to see.

    So, don't fight about it, this is a passive and peaceful protest, I respect completely anyone who does not choose to take part and/or disagrees with my point of view.

    Tuesday September 30 - TV.com Blackout Day!!

    For 24 hours, don't log into the site, don't contribute, don't edit, don't post, don't show up at all.

    Tuesday September 30, 2008 - I won't be here for 24 hours! Repost if you won't be either.

    REGARDING TIME ZONES: Just stay away for the 24 hours of September 30 for whatever time zone you are in.

    PLEASE TAKE NOTE: Even one "quick peek" gets logged as you visiting the site that day. You have to be willing to not visit the site at all. Be sure you don't "open all in tabs" in any of your bookmarks and be sure that you don't have any "auto-log-in" features set for that day. I'm not going to enjoy not being here either, but for this to work, we have to show unity and resolve.

    I am truly humbled by the amazing support shown thus far and I'm doing my best to visit other blogs to comment and to answer all the PM's I'm receiving.

    Thank you everyone!

    Now.....

    Let's get this party started!!

  • 24Sep 08

    Sept. 30 Blackout Day - New Information!! Please Read

    See the bottom of this blog for the link to an avi I hope you will consider as uploading to your profile on Sept. 29. Then taking down and putting back up whatever you usually use when you come back on Oct. 1. Thanks to tjaman for creating it!!

    The idea for the blackout day is gaining speed. Please check my last blog for more on that.

    I want to be clear about some things. We are not out to get tv.com to roll-out the previous version of tv.com!

    We are not out to dump on the site or its hard working staff (most of whom are volunteers)!

    In fact, you can see on my comments section from my last blog, grailwolf, is one such person who has taken the time to respond (in detail) to the feedback we've been giving.

    The problem is that the hardworking staff and volunteers do not actually control what happens here. They are merely the "front line" and as such, they take all the anger/frustration/complaints head-on and the people who set the policies and make decisions remain very insulated from all this.

    Ultimately these people care about one thing only. How much money can tv.com make them.

    How do they make this money? Mostly through advertising. They sell space on the site to those who are interested in reaching a the demographic of users that log on here.

    How do they know what the demographic represents? Well for starters each new user is asked to provide personal information that includes birthdate and gender.

    Next comes the all important "traffic" logs. These show how many people visit the site each day, how long they stay, what activities they partake in and even if they click on any of the advertising.

    CBS bought tv.com and thus it is no surprise that a vast majority of the ads now feature CBS programming.

    They brought in a team to "revamp" and "redesign" tv.com. In part to suit their needs that now include prominent advertising on every single page we visit here.

    Ok, as a business person, I understand that completely. I can respect it, and even support it.

    What I don't respect and what I don't support was they way this new redesign was created and rolled out.

    So what is the point of blackout day?

    As I've said, every day a log is kept of the number of hits and visits and how much time the average user spends when logged in. These then become weekly and monthly statistics. They are used as a method to set the rate they can charge to advertisers and dips (particularly large ones) get really noticed.

    They are one of the ONLY things that get immediate attention, require explanations and make life generally a bit uncomfortable for the suits.

    I hope to accomplish exactly that.

    Will this crash tv.com? Not a chance and hardly our goal.

    Will we get noticed and call attention to the general dissatisfaction level here (you bet, and already have).

    Will it result in any lasting change? Well frankly that depends entirely on how many people participate. I am not out to destroy anything, but I grew weary of seeing people leave the site and in hearing more and more grumbling and the general "nothing can be done about it anyway" refrain.

    Something can be done, and thus, I came up with a plan to do something.

    At the end of the day, if the participation is high enough, not only will we get noticed, but I know for a fact that someone will be assigned to cull through the blogs posted on Oct. 1 for what suggestions for change got the most votes. Honestly something can be done because there is strength and power in numbers.

    Since this started I have heard from a number of the staff here who are actually quite supportive of what we are doing, since they have actually tried to explain the high level of hostility and anger they are facing from the users and have been told things like "people always resist change" or "it will blow over soon enough" or "you'll always have a few very vocal people who (b word), so just ride it out"

    There are so many of us that are NOT happy.

    It is a much larger problem that they might believe.

    We hope to show them just how large.

    On my last blog comments, grailwolf said (in part)

    "I'm sure that our community liaisons are limited in the way that they can express their opinions on the matter, so perhaps something like this can make the CBS management see the larger issues"

    THIS IS THE POINT OF IT ALL!!

    Remember on October 1, the second part of the plan takes place. Log in and blog with a list of your top 5 things you want to see changed for the site.

    Please, PLEASE, pass this information along. Blog about it and get everyone you can to participate. One thing is very clear....

    IF ONLY A FEW PEOPLE PARTICIPATE IN THIS, THEN CBS WILL SIT BACK AND BE ABLE TO SAY "SEE, THERE ISN'T REALLY A PROBLEM HERE"

    I have done all I can now to point us in a direction that will generate something positive. Now, the rest is up to you.

    WILL YOU HELP? If yes, talk about this, blog about this and support this.

    Thank you very much!

    You can find the avi here:

    http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd330/tjaman/tvdark.jpg

  • 23Sep 08

    Make Your Voice Heard - September 30 Blackout

    We've all heard from many of our friends complaints and grumblings.

    Some of our friends have already left.

    Many feel disenfranchised and even more are considering whether to stay or not.

    Then it occurred to me that to simply leave the site is the playground equivalent to taking your ball and going home.

    If you don't like the way the game is being played, then make your opinion known.

    A site like tv.com is dependent upon users.

    That user base and support is what makes the site possible. From the user base comes the data that is fed to advertisers ("we can help you reach XX of people by buying ad space on our site...").

    CBS has rolled out a new version of tv.com that it seems not many of us are fond of. Blinding white background, small grey text, difficulty posting blogs and comments, the list goes on (and on, and on).

    Meanwhile we bleed out users. Some of them have been around (like me) since before this site was even tv.com.

    Should we complain about it? Hundreds have, it hasn't really made an impact.

    Should we leave? Maybe, but I think we should at least let our voices be heard first.

    So, I suggest:

    Tuesday September 30 - TV.com Blackout Day!!

    For 24 hours, don't log into the site, don't contribute, don't edit, don't post, don't show up at all.

    Let those that run the site see just how many of us are not happy with the way things are going and more importantly show those at CBS just how many of us are feeling this way.

    The reason? It makes perfect sense that if they see a potential to lose a vast number of users (thus spoiling their ad rates, since who wants to pay a lot of money to reach a small number of people) that they may take our dissatisfaction more seriously and actually do something about it in a more timely fashion.

    Of course if general apathy ensues and/or if people don't see the value of a blackout day, then CBS and tv.com can merrily continue on their present course safe in the knowledge that eventually we'll all just resign ourselves to the futility of having an opinion.

    So.... if you agree to participate in a 24 boycott of logging into tv.com on Tuesday September 30, 2008

    I urge you to repost this blog and invite all your friends to do the same.

    I am not some rebel out to cause trouble for trouble's sake. I am a user who feels let down by the way things have gone around here recently and if all the hype about "we listen to you" is true, then by our collectively going silent for 24 hours and showing them in real terms just how many people are dissatisfied I hope that tv.com will find a way to really solicit our feedback about what we want to see improved.

    The first step is to agree to participate. If that is well received, then I suggest on Wednesday October 1, 2008 when we return, we post a blog with our top 5 things (more if we have them, less if that's the case) of things we want to see changed.

    My feeling is that this might get their attention and actually get something done.

    Are you on board with the idea? If so, please repost this and tell your friends.

    This is how I've decided to deal with my frustration as opposed to just "taking my ball and going home."

    Tuesday September 30, 2008 - I won't be here for 24 hours! Repost if you won't be either.

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