Post your tech glitches, errors, issues, etc. here.

wrenn

Thank you Melissa,

Moderators

exbrnxgrl

I can’t recall which issues have been reported as there are far too many and they continue virtually unresolved. I am using an iPad. When I look for favorites, if there are any unread posts the little circle with the number of unread posts on a favorited thread appears too far to the right of the word favorites and the circle is a very pale gray with the number in white. It really looks like a faint circular shadow. Additionally, if you click on the favorited thread and get the “site down” message and then go back to the menu it appears as if you were able to access the thread so the unread messages circle disappears. Of course, that’s ridiculous since you were not even able to access the thread at all!

I hate belaboring the point and I have no tech expertise but I am baffled as to why virtually nothing has been fixed for two weeks!

AliceBastable

If I'm getting a "site is down" message when I try to go to the previous page, how is it I'm able to read this page and post on it? Just shut the whole damn site down for real, fix it once and for all, then send an email to all members when it's running properly! Why is that so hard to understand?

IllinoisLady

Interesting.....I can o to the older Women's thread --whenever I want to, but for several hours I have gotten the error message when I try to go into the political thread. I don't understand how one forum can be highly usable and the other gets an error message. Thanks for any help you can give. I'm on Windows 10 w/Microsoft Edge.

DivineMrsM

I AM THANKFUL TO HAVE GOTTEN INTO THIS THREAD BECAUSE YOU ALL MAY NOT HEAR FROM ME FOR A FEW DAYS. AFTER TWO WEEKS. ACCESS TO THE FORUM FOR ME HAS GOTTEN WORSE NOT BETTER.

I AM TYPING FROM MY MACBOOK AIR. THIS MORNING I GOT ON THE POLITICAL THREAD FOR A QUICK SECOND AND THE REST OF THE DAY I HAVE TRIED USING MY IPAD AIR TO GET INTO NUMEROUS THREADS AND HAVE GOTTEN THE SITE DOWN PAGE EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

SO I EMAILED THE MODERATORS. I APPRECIATE THAT THEY GOT BACK TO ME BUT THEY SUGGESTED, AND I WILL COPY AND PASTE IT: "We have found that refreshing the browser when receiving the message (even if it's a couple times), will get you to the page."

I ASSURE YOU THAT I PERSONALLY HAVE NOT FOUND THAT REFRESHING THE BROWSER NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES GETS ME TO THE PAGE!

I CANNOT ACCESS THE POLITICAL THREAD, THE FEMINISM THREAD AND I HAVE NOT GONE ON TO THE STAGE IV FORUM TO READ ANYTHING IN DAYS BECAUSE IT HAS ALL BEEN SO FRUSTRATING. BESIDES, I CANNOT TELL WHAT THREADS ON THE STAGE IV SECTION HAVE NEW CONTENT.

THE OTHER THREADS I TRIED TO GET INTO USING THIS LAPTOP HAVE COME UP WITH THE APPLICATION ERROR/SITE DOWN PAGE. I MEAN, I'M ALREADY LIVING ON BORROWED TIME. I WOULD RATHER GO BANG MY HEAD ON THE WALL THAN SIT HERE AND HIT REFRESH OVER AND OVER. I MEAN, IF I'M JUST DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS, ACCORDING TO THE DEFINITION THAT JUST MEANS I'VE FALLEN INTO MENTAL ILLNESS! GAWD ALMIGHTY AND LAWD HAVE MERCY!

I AM GOING TO TRY TO SUBMIT THIS POST. I HAVE COPIED IT BECAUSE MY CURRENT EXPERIENCE ON THE FORUM IS THAT TRYING TO SUBMIT SOMETHING LEADS TO THE SITE DOWN PAGE!

AliceBastable

The new WTF: I actually got a log in page when I hit "log in" instead of a blank white page. But why the heck do I have to log in each time in the first place? It's so damn annoying!

exbrnxgrl

alice,

I can actually use the log in page on my phone but on my iPad it just flashes and then goes white.This has reached the upper levels of absurdity!

wrenn

I get a login page and fill it in and all goes blank and I start over but then am logged in when it finally opens up again.

macbook air and ipad

Moderators

Hi all,

It means the world to us that you count on Breastcancer.org and this community discussion forum for daily connection to a supportive group of people you have come to know, respect and call friends. We are all here doing our best for each other.

Please know that our site relaunch and update to the discussion forums was both necessary, and part of the progress that will keep this site here for you for many more years to come.

After over a decade, the technology stack for our website was due for a more significant upgrade. Over the past several years with our older code base, we have experienced increased outages, inefficiencies in troubleshooting bugs, and blockers to adding the new features you've been asking for from us.

The release on March 1 launched a redesigned content site with a new content management system, new user profile, and reskinned community discussion forum. The frustration some of you have experienced in the community over these past two weeks stems from the fragility of the older code that still exists. The older code created limitations around testing and fixing the bugs requires developers with knowledge of this coding language. They are working as fast as possible, and we all appreciate your continued patience.

Over the next few months we will be rebuilding the technology foundation of the forums. We assure you we will be inviting our community advisors and many more of you into this process. We will test the user interface, user experience design, and functionality to be sure it delivers on our promise to help you get the expert information and peer support you need to make the most important decisions for your lives.

Hope Wohl
CEO, Breastcancer.org

wrenn

When you say frustration "some of us" have experienced it suggests some haven't experienced that. That feels like our frustration might not be universal and can therefore be seen as meh?

kathindc

Have stopped using my iPad to access BCO, way to frustrating. Using my MacBook Pro (2021, mac)S Monterery) that I had to get as my previous one needed to much in repairs. Extremely slow load of the pages. One forum I tried gave me the site down message twice and then showed that I did get into it as the "NEW" disappeared. So I tried another of my favorites, then went back to it and got in. Now I'm here and I see absolutely no improvement whatsoever. The I Say Yes . . . You Say No . . . takes up the whole page when it appears. I have seen absolutely no improvements whatsoever. If there have been any, Where/What? "We are trusting the tech team who is working diligently on the all reported issues." Should you be placing this much trust in a team that to date hasn't really made any improvements? Sounds like a new company should be brought in. Hopefully, the update promised for today will eventually appear as it is now 7:00pm on the east coast.

DivineMrsM

Dear Hope Wohl and Moderators:

it would have been nice to have known in advance that March 1 the site was going into overhaul mode.

It would have been nice to get the explanation that you posted above, describing the reasoning behind the re-do, explaining the need to update old code, etc., BEFORE the switch.

Something that simple, notifying members ahead of time, could have prevented some initial aggravation. Instead, members were caught completely unaware. Were we thought not to be smart enough to grasp the scope, concept and details of such a massive project? I think it a terrible oversight not to let us know beforehand to expect some extended turbulence and that it would probably take time to work through the many processes necessary to bring bc.org up to date.

Often when major roads in my neck of the woods are getting ready to go under construction for a period of time, there's a big flashing sign upon entering the area saying “will be under construction beginning such and such a date." It might also say to expect delays, and even say how long the work will take. Surely a message like your most recent one above could have been posted through the month of February to give members a heads up.

Anonymous

Mods,


Your last post confirms these changes were much more than a reskin. It doesn't comfort me that you hired developers with little experience in coding language from 10 years ago. Where have they been? Makes me feel like a dinosaur. Your plans for the upcoming months should have taken place already.

Given the broadness of the changes, it is no longer feasible to revert all changes. You can fix navigation to minimize the errors and slow loading we experience.

Sadiesservant

Okay, to add insult to injury, I received an email from BCO this morning, telling me about the "big announcement". Apparently, and I quote, the team is "excited to tell you about our brand new look and improved technology and features, developed to help the people who depend on us every single day." The key updates are apparently going to make our experience better...

I'm stunned that this went out today. OMG!

Anonymous

🙃

Mods, maybe don’t send out these emails especially to anyone who has tried to log into the discussion forum since March 1. They can be filtered out.

Sadiesservant

I would suggest... wait until the site is working! LOL

AliceBastable

Aw, I didn't get that email! I don't know whether to feel left out or happy that it saved me some aggravation. Maybe leaving some people out is just another new and thrilling glitch.

ceanna

Ms. Wohl. Thank you for finally explaining the need for the change, but as you can see from others' replies, this expression of need should have been made long before March 1. I totally agree with the comments of divinemrsm and won't repeat here.

I, however, am disappointed in your attempt to mollify us into accepting the premature launch of what seems to be a poorly planned, poorly timed, and poorly built format change. Where is your acknowledgement that you did not ask or inform us about the changes you felt were needed? Where is your acknowledgement and apology for launching an unannounced, dysfunctional format change? Where is your acknowledgement that the leadership team made some poor choices that only frustrated the very users you see on the boards?

Now, over 2 weeks since this fiasco was launched, the moderators and you have tried to mislead us with incorrectly labeling this as a reskin, a soft launch, and blame it on old code. Take responsibility, AND BE ACCOUNTABLE, please! This mess should never have been seen by BCO members until it had been thoroughly tested, vetted with a few tech savvy members, and then, after the bugs were worked out, should have been launched for all. Programmers know how to rewrite old code--they don't have to have to wait for us to tell them what doesn't work to make it work in real time.

Ms. Wohl, you say in your last paragraph, "Over the next few months we will be rebuilding the technology foundation of the forums. We assure you we will be inviting our community advisors and many more of you into this process. We will test the user interface, user experience design, and functionality to be sure it delivers on our promise to help you get the expert information and peer support you need to make the most important decisions for your lives." THOSE "FEW MONTHS" NEEDED TO HAVE HAPPENED BEHIND OUR SCREENS, NOT AS A LIVE WEBSITE WHERE PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR SUPPORT, INFORMATION, AND COMFORT. That paragraph should have been posted months ago, and your promises of rebuilding, inviting, testing, and functionality kept. We have observed none of that from you and BCO leadership!!

Moderators

We are sorry you have had to endure the bugs and glitches over the past weeks. We're continuing to do our best to get the site running the way it should and to see that we are most productively communicating with everyone in the community. The best path to accomplishing this is for you to submit bugs using the form on our release notes page. We will continue to communicate updates through the release notes page and mod's announcement box. Thank you.

Hope Wohl
CEO, Breastcancer.org

santabarbarian

Mods,

Why do you trust the Tech team who F'd up the site to fix the mess? This re-design fails on every front. Fire this bozo "tech team" and hire competent people! They took a user-friendly site and destroyed it. Days tick by and nothing is fixed. People will give up.

1. Double the font size and if needed make bolder. Only a 20 year old could think this font is readable!

2. Use up some Left margin blank space.

3. Re-introduce color. B&W is awful to read and hard to look at due to glare. Boring and cold.

4. Improve speed - loading speed is terrible. No fun to "pop in" anymore!

You can't make it this hard to participate and expect participation.

What was the change FOR?

thecargirl

Make it easy, just go back to the original format!! Fire the Tech Team, obviously they don't know what they are doing or what works in the real world.

cyathea

I agree. This was a horrible launch and the performance continues to be awful when you click on a topic. The only things that seem slightly better than the initial version are that the font is slightly larger and the log in page is finally working for me on my iPad.

The e-mail that I received today was completely “tone deaf” to what I have experienced in the last two weeks. Why would the e-mail proclaim this “big announcement” now? Why would it say that they have been “counting down the days” to tell me about this when we’ve been living with this daily disaster? Why would it say that the site had “improved technology and features” when clearly the site is worse from a performance and usability standpoint? Why would it say that the site has updates to make our experience “better”? How can they say that the site was “inspired entirely by our global community of patients and caregivers”? The e-mail was signed by Marisa C. Weiss, M.D., Founder and Chief Medical Officer, and Hope Wohl, CEO. Have these women been completely shielded from what is actually happening?

I believe that these women and the BCO teammean well, and I will be forever grateful that I found this site almost three years ago. I have supported this site (albeit small donations) because I believe in the good that it can do. But don’t try to say this was a success or that any part of this update was done properly.

goldie0827

This gives new meaning to "beating a dead horse".

I'm able to manage what I do here, but I have elderly friends here that aren't posting, because they can't get here to log in. I'm glad I have them on other platforms to keep in contact with them. However, there are things that are shared here and talked about here, that aren't discussed elsewhere. And now that has been taken away from them.

Cowgirl13

Santabarbarian, I completely agree with you. It' the tech team/leader. And the person who hired this team should be fired. As far as the mods coming clean -- the higher ups i'm sure do not want this debacle to go public and the mods would lose their jobs if they don't toe the party line. I feel for the mods.

Moderators

Hi All,

Please have anyone having a problem logging in email us at community@breastcancer.org and we'll get them back in! OR PM us their names.

Thanks so much!!

Simone80

this site is soooooo slow

AliceBastable

This is fairly minor, but annoying. When I logged in, the topics list showed 2 unread posts for this topic. I read them. The list still says 2 unread posts. So do I have to post something for that number to change, or wait until the next time I log in (which is still a major pain in the ass after years of staying logged in, boo hiss) for it to change? If the numbers don't change, how on earth am I to remember which threads I've just read? Several have similar titles. Just another list for the FUBAR.

quinnofmn

SandraDublin

I’m not sure this was reported but my diagnosis and treatment details completely disappeared from my setting and when i go through the process I am unable to select numbers e.g ER%, so I skip this but after completingthe lengthy process it doesn’t save and all reentered details lost. I am on apple software on iPhone X.

I would on state as someone who works in IT as a software testing manager I am surprised on the number and severity of the issues, as a user and recent joiner it is becoming very frustrating.