New "Shiny" Versions of State and Metro GB Sites Coming
Jan 20, 2020 1:47:21 GMT -5
gastrader likes this
Post by topcat57 on Jan 20, 2020 1:47:21 GMT -5
I looked for a thread already started about this subject but found nothing recent. GB announced in a blog post on January 18th entitled "Shiny new GasBuddy site now available!" that they're starting to roll out a "shiny" new version of the state and metro GB sites. The Massachusetts state site has already been changed. As we know... and why we're here... is that they eliminated the whiteboards and forums with the last major web overhaul. Now this.
In the comment section underneath the "article" (the link just takes you to the gasbuddy . com site, the same virtually useless site typing "memphisgasprices . com" now always takes me to the first time I enter it in the browser on my phone). For several months now I've had to enter it a 2nd time to get it to go to the Memphis site and not the generic "new" GB site. I posted this comment (or a variation thereof) at various times underneath the "article."
I have also sent it to the GB Moderator but don't really expect a response. I added a link to this board at the top each time I left a comment.
"So are we to expect all the state and metro sites to be replaced with this 'shiny' new version? I'm unimpressed. I don't see any articles, any way to PM other members, the MSL, nothing from the old site. So that's it? Why do you even bother with a website? The 'shiny' new MA site is nothing but the app displayed on a computer screen. I already can (and often do) run the app on my computer using an Android emulator, a throwback to when my old smartphone would not run the 'new' app. The only things I use the website for are reading articles & posting comments (earns you up to 625 points/day), making the occasional correction to the Master Station List (you know, the one a bunch of us old-timers spent thousands of volunteer man-hours to post and update back when GB seemed like a real community?), and corresponding through PMs with other GBs.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears with your 'shiny' new format you have just removed our capability to do all 3 of those things. So let me ask again, what is the point of even having a website now if you're going to replace all the current sites with this 'shiny' version? The reason it's so shiny is the expanse of empty white space on my screen.
"I had over 10 years (over 4000 days... 94th in the world... big woo) of posting consecutive days until May 2019 when I missed posting several days due to a serious health issue. It was nothing more than a personal challenge just to see how long I could do something daily. I've entered the gas card drawing a few times but never won. A few years ago I actually did win a $100 Sam's Club card by clicking on a link that popped up at the bottom of the page after I posted prices one time. I haven't seen anything like that in a long time. I've always said one day this site will jump the shark, and I'll cash in my points for a 1 in a million+ chance to win a daily drawing, and leave. The only thing I really stick around for now is the ability to PM w/ other members.
"The app has only drawn the attention of newer members who seem to think there's some reward for posting the most gas prices in a day. There are several posters on the Memphis board (the perpetual leader's home site is Cleveland, the one in Ohio, I assume) who are notorious for posting wrong prices day in and day out, sometimes hundreds of times a day. I remember when TPTB at GB would eventually take action when a member persisted in posting wrong prices, but today I wouldn't waste my time reporting bad posters because (1) more of them than not are bad posters, and (2) TPTB at GB don't care. Now it's all about how many clicks they can get, not the integrity of the data.
"Just an idea if anyone is interested. Since it appears the personal Inbox is going away with most of the other remaining capabilities of the soon-to-be-replaced-with-the-shiny-version of the GB website, I opened all the messages in my PM threads with a few other GBs and saved them in the form of a PDF file. I would hate to lose some of those interesting discussions.
"BTW, this week's poll question is just a tad out of date. 'What factor do you think will have the greatest influence on gas prices in 2018?' Seriously, does anyone there even read what y'all post, or do y'all just have the poll questions set to automatically cycle every couple of years? Most of the time the links for the articles posted by 'GasBuddy Blog' are broken from the moment they're posted. Again, what's the point of even keeping a web presence other than the app?"
In the comment section underneath the "article" (the link just takes you to the gasbuddy . com site, the same virtually useless site typing "memphisgasprices . com" now always takes me to the first time I enter it in the browser on my phone). For several months now I've had to enter it a 2nd time to get it to go to the Memphis site and not the generic "new" GB site. I posted this comment (or a variation thereof) at various times underneath the "article."
I have also sent it to the GB Moderator but don't really expect a response. I added a link to this board at the top each time I left a comment.
"So are we to expect all the state and metro sites to be replaced with this 'shiny' new version? I'm unimpressed. I don't see any articles, any way to PM other members, the MSL, nothing from the old site. So that's it? Why do you even bother with a website? The 'shiny' new MA site is nothing but the app displayed on a computer screen. I already can (and often do) run the app on my computer using an Android emulator, a throwback to when my old smartphone would not run the 'new' app. The only things I use the website for are reading articles & posting comments (earns you up to 625 points/day), making the occasional correction to the Master Station List (you know, the one a bunch of us old-timers spent thousands of volunteer man-hours to post and update back when GB seemed like a real community?), and corresponding through PMs with other GBs.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears with your 'shiny' new format you have just removed our capability to do all 3 of those things. So let me ask again, what is the point of even having a website now if you're going to replace all the current sites with this 'shiny' version? The reason it's so shiny is the expanse of empty white space on my screen.
"I had over 10 years (over 4000 days... 94th in the world... big woo) of posting consecutive days until May 2019 when I missed posting several days due to a serious health issue. It was nothing more than a personal challenge just to see how long I could do something daily. I've entered the gas card drawing a few times but never won. A few years ago I actually did win a $100 Sam's Club card by clicking on a link that popped up at the bottom of the page after I posted prices one time. I haven't seen anything like that in a long time. I've always said one day this site will jump the shark, and I'll cash in my points for a 1 in a million+ chance to win a daily drawing, and leave. The only thing I really stick around for now is the ability to PM w/ other members.
"The app has only drawn the attention of newer members who seem to think there's some reward for posting the most gas prices in a day. There are several posters on the Memphis board (the perpetual leader's home site is Cleveland, the one in Ohio, I assume) who are notorious for posting wrong prices day in and day out, sometimes hundreds of times a day. I remember when TPTB at GB would eventually take action when a member persisted in posting wrong prices, but today I wouldn't waste my time reporting bad posters because (1) more of them than not are bad posters, and (2) TPTB at GB don't care. Now it's all about how many clicks they can get, not the integrity of the data.
"Just an idea if anyone is interested. Since it appears the personal Inbox is going away with most of the other remaining capabilities of the soon-to-be-replaced-with-the-shiny-version of the GB website, I opened all the messages in my PM threads with a few other GBs and saved them in the form of a PDF file. I would hate to lose some of those interesting discussions.
"BTW, this week's poll question is just a tad out of date. 'What factor do you think will have the greatest influence on gas prices in 2018?' Seriously, does anyone there even read what y'all post, or do y'all just have the poll questions set to automatically cycle every couple of years? Most of the time the links for the articles posted by 'GasBuddy Blog' are broken from the moment they're posted. Again, what's the point of even keeping a web presence other than the app?"