Do admistrators really care about ePlaya?

Post by **Sham** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 7:45 am

I have seen this board go down for days at a time, and when it finally comes back up, there is not a word about the issue. Did someone trip over a power cord on the server, and didn't notice that the light was off? Was it hacked and there was lots of behind the scenes trouble shooting going on? With so many people posting on this forum, you wonder if the person in charge of this really takes the task seriously.
I know troubles happen, but a few words about why it was down would be just common courtesy!

Another interesting thought would be to maybe post on the main BM website if the forum is going to be down for any extented period of time. This would keep people from checking back every few hours to see if it's back up.

FIGJAM · Post by **FIGJAM** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 7:56 am

AuntiM needed a couple of days off.

No sniveling!

Post by **AntiM** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 8:02 am

I am NOT an admin. I'm a volunteer mod in Utah.

It is "persons" and not person. As far as I know, the server sits unattended over the weekends. I can email the admins, but usually I just toss a twitter up and hope they see it.

goathead · Post by **goathead** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 8:02 am

FIGJAM wrote:
No sniveling!

Why?

Post by **Sham** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:11 pm

Who are the administrators who control ePlaya?
Is the server sitting in the corner of someone's bedroom?
Can we get their home phone number to call if it goes down again?
These are all very important questions.

Deb Prothero · Post by **Deb Prothero** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:25 pm

Not being one of the original eplayans, I'm confused about who does own the server. It really would be a nicety to have the information and alternate contact information as well as an outline of the possible future of eplaya.

I, as do many others, rely on eplaya to stay in touch with burners and much prefer this format to the often vitriolic atmosphere at Tribe. If the demise of eplaya is imminent then I'd like to make alternative plans for keeping in touch with some very special people.

Could one of the mods or an admin, give us the lowdown, please?

Post by **mdmf007** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:29 pm

Shambala wrote:Who are the administrators who control ePlaya?
Is the server sitting in the corner of someone's bedroom?
Can we get their home phone number to call if it goes down again?
These are all very important questions.

to answer some questions on this:

1. The administrators of the eplaya server are other volunteers like AntiM and I They have a full time admin guy that I am sure is tasked with lots on his plate

2. The server is indeed rack mounted in a warehouse with tons of other BM gear. I am told it is on the other BM servers

3. No phone numbers available - they know when it goes down as they surf the eplaya as well.

Edited as I got more information myself. Tribe was/is no more reliable than eplaya - I hate the format of tribe though.

FIGJAM · Post by **FIGJAM** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:30 pm

AntiM wrote:I am NOT an admin. I'm a volunteer mod in Utah.

It is "persons" and not person. As far as I know, the server sits unattended over the weekends. I can email the admins, but usually I just toss a twitter up and hope they see it.

I know your not.

I just thought you could use a break, so I pushed the "Do Not Touch Under Any Circumstances" button.

Sorry.

Deb Prothero · Post by **Deb Prothero** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:42 pm

thanks mdmf007 - appreciate the info.

Since the matter has been raised - could we get an assessment about the future reliability of eplaya? Is an influx of cash needed to update the servers?

I'd really hate to see it die of neglect and I fully comprehend volunteer burn-out. Possibly the admins could have a virtual meeting to discuss the future and then fill us in.

Thanks to all the admins and mods for all you do.

Post by **Eric** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:53 pm

Deb- The eplaya is just a small part in the BMan scheme of things. I doubt that it would "go away" as it is a good resource for the community (clink), but it's always going to be second fiddle to things happening in the Real World (Burning Man itself, regionals, BRAF, whatever other projects they have under their Hat)

When it goes down I usually check it a couple times the first day, after that I check in the morning & evening unless I start seeing emails that threads are active; while it's down I step away from the computer & do Other Stuff

Nothing on these boards is Mission Critical, I don't see why the sys admins can't have their weekend off & deal with it when they can fit it in. Honestly, this time I wasn't expecting it up before xmas so this is a nice surprise.

Sail Man · Post by **Sail Man** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 1:16 pm

Well, guess I picked the right time to go out of town and party with other burners

Deb, your right about Tribe. I used to roam there much more frequently but eplaya seems to suit me better.

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 1:34 pm

The server is hosted along with the rest of BMORG's servers. The lack of hardware and software upgrades seems to be more a lack of will than a lack of money. Eplaya is not a priority and many things are run by volunteers who have non-BM priorities. I'm able to fix a limited number of problems like corrupted databases or bad forum settings but I can't do anything other than send emails to random people if the server goes down. My internet access is pretty limited at the moment so I probably won't even notice it goes down anyway.

If anyone here with some linux savvy would like to volunteer to help improve things shoot me a PM and I will get you in touch with people higher up the food chain.

Post by **actiongrl** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 2:07 pm

If the ePlaya is down, other things are usually down too, and we never let it sit over holidays and weekends - often if it's out for that long it's not because it's being ignored! We have a full time sysadmin, yes indeed, though we're indeed understaffed to really provide the kind of focus that ePlaya deserves. It's very rare that we know about it and aren't doing something about it already...

Post by **AntiM** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 2:15 pm

... we love you ....

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 2:28 pm

...and here I thought it was buried deep under the playa in the heart of the Black Rock Desert...!

Actually, having ePlaya go down every now and again actually is probably a good thing for me-- I am forced to do more (theoretically) useful stuff with my time.

Thanks for getting things back up!

Post by **Elderberry** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 2:56 pm

Well the answer to this question is simply, no they don't. If they did they would pour in the necessary resources to make sure it doesn't go down. Plain and simple. He'll the board hasn't had the software upgraded for who knows how many versions, and the software is free.

JK

Post by **actiongrl** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 3:34 pm

JKisha - are you volunteering?

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 3:40 pm

dont let Kisha Touch Anything!

he'll get it all sticky.

Isotopia · Post by **Isotopia** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 4:08 pm

Who cares if they give a shit.

Your implicit message is that they should be on call 24+ hours a day in order to see this board operate.

If its a burr up your ass maybe you might want to belly up to the bar and contribute.

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 4:11 pm

Isotopia wrote:Who cares if they give a shit.

Your implicit message is that they should be on call 24+ hours a day in order to see this board operate.

If its a burr up your ass maybe you might want to belly up to the bar and contribute.

radical self-reliance.

+13

JStep · Post by **JStep** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 4:37 pm

I used the time to finally design and block a screen so's I can print me some swag to give away and show off my terrible art. Maybe if ePlaya went down more often there'd be more art in the desert?

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 5:01 pm

AntiM wrote:I am NOT an admin. I'm a volunteer mod in Utah.

It is "persons" and not person. As far as I know, the server sits unattended over the weekends. I can email the admins, but usually I just toss a twitter up and hope they see it.

Is this at the HQ in San Francisco? I need a job, and am quite willing to hang out there on the weekends! The place already has a spacious kitchen...and plenty of reading material...

Kinetik V · Post by **Kinetik V** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 6:22 pm

Isotopia wrote:Who cares if they give a shit.

Your implicit message is that they should be on call 24+ hours a day in order to see this board operate.

If its a burr up your ass maybe you might want to belly up to the bar and contribute.

I think 24/7 op support is a fabulous idea...I'm a little bit stretched on cash this week with Giftmas and all but I would love to contribute to keeping the eplaya stable and maybe even upgrading it. Would the ORG let contributions be earmarked for such a purpose?

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 6:28 pm

Simon of the Playa wrote:
Isotopia wrote:Who cares if they give a shit.

Your implicit message is that they should be on call 24+ hours a day in order to see this board operate.

If its a burr up your ass maybe you might want to belly up to the bar and contribute.

radical self-reliance.

+13

what they said.

Post by **Elderberry** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 6:28 pm

Isotopia wrote:Who cares if they give a shit.

Your implicit message is that they should be on call 24+ hours a day in order to see this board operate.

If its a burr up your ass maybe you might want to belly up to the bar and contribute.

Why is "radical self reliance" always used as the excuse for the reason BMORG hasn't cared enough about there IT department to fit it into their operating budget where it belongs?

Does "radical self reliance" pay the rent on their office space?

Please, get real.

JK

Post by **Sham** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 6:30 pm

I have a concern that a full upgrade to this site would make it look like a MyBigFaceSpace type of website. ePlaya is like a comfy old pair of shoes to me.
This site can be sluggish and unreliable, but would an upgrade make this too complex for my simple mind?
If there were some interactive communications with the admin folks, maybe we could see some of the site upgrade choices before the trigger is pulled.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 8:16 pm

Yeah, we are the ugly, red-headed step-children of the LLC and I'm happy to have it that way. The more we fly under the radar the better. And I remember when it was down for close to six weeks. 3 or 4 years ago...actually closer to four, because it wasn't 07. You can see the gap in the original bar thread. I was arguing about the Beatles in the original "Bar" thread. So, yeah, annoying but I'm okay with it.

Kinetik V · Post by **Kinetik V** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 8:52 pm

Thinking back...when Eplaya #1 died I remember the squawks about that. Then when we had the September surprise...we came back from the event to a serious case of WTF when they rolled out the format we have now....it raised the art of bitching to a whole other level....

Maybe changing things is NOT a good idea.

But if we could put the board on some faster hardware and help pay for someone even part time to keep an eye on the servers....I would like to see that.

Maybe it's time to send eplaya to the cloud....I moved my two boards over to a hosting provider with a whole lot of BM ties who shall remain nameless and have been very happy with it. And I'm sure BM has contacts who can make it happen...that is if they wanted to.

Post by **mdmf007** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 9:09 pm

Shambala wrote:I have a concern that a full upgrade to this site would make it look like a MyBigFaceSpace type of website. ePlaya is like a comfy old pair of shoes to me.
This site can be sluggish and unreliable, but would an upgrade make this too complex for my simple mind?
If there were some interactive communications with the admin folks, maybe we could see some of the site upgrade choices before the trigger is pulled.

id like to see a chat room, not just a link to one that pops up now and then, a calendar for regional's and socials in one location.

Post by **actiongrl** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 9:51 pm

You know, not every upgrade happens just because a new release comes out. Sometimes, for example, your code might have proprietary customizations that prevent upgrades from integrating neatly, and yeah, require paying someone to figure out. IN case you haven't checked out the rest of Burningman.com and our world online, ts' a many-headed hydra, and the ePlaya is but one part. I'm personally THRILLEd that people use it and would like to see more support happen for it, but while it's fun to pretend to be pariahs, the fact is, your ticket money is stretched out darn thin as it is, and for a free community site with zero ads and all, it ain't so bad if you ask me - problems notwithstanding, it's part of a whole suite and there are things in the BMan world that are far more borkened than the ol' ePlaya...and require more attention, sooner...

The "comfy shoes" analogy is pretty apt...but indeed, don't get me wrong, I'd like to see us get into some new shoes too. Maybe 2011 is the year to do another round of user feedback and talk about how we can improve this experience.

Do admistrators really care about ePlaya?

Do admistrators really care about ePlaya?

yes, more info, please