Groundspeak Portal

Greetings Groundspeak from Chantilly, France,

After several months of fairly smooth performance on the site, I'm noticing more and more timeouts recently.  I just got one, in fact, while approving a waymark.

Any site modifications going on in the background?

BTW, the forum performance issues still persist.

Thank you,

RitC

Hi guys, we're making some serious backend changes to the architecture of the site currently so you may see some hiccups. We hope to have everything switched over in the next week or two, when site performance will be much more appealing.

I hope that one of the performance issues you are working on is picture upload. Picture upload only works about 1 in every 3 to 4 times for me. That means in categories that require a picture to post a waymark (which ones don't) it can take as many as 8 attempts to load two pictures.

The system doesn't seem to like the size of picture from modern digital cameras (5 megapixels and greater). What happens is that the system goes through the upload process (you can see the data being sent) and then just drops back to a picture upload form without actually having uploaded the picture. So, you try again and again and again. Talk about the impossible task when you have 30 plus waymarks from a vacation to post.

Given that this is such an integral part of the site its imperative to have this work better.

JD

JDandDD:

I hope that one of the performance issues you are working on is picture upload. Picture upload only works about 1 in every 3 to 4 times for me. That means in categories that require a picture to post a waymark (which ones don't) it can take as many as 8 attempts to load two pictures.

The system doesn't seem to like the size of picture from modern digital cameras (5 megapixels and greater). What happens is that the system goes through the upload process (you can see the data being sent) and then just drops back to a picture upload form without actually having uploaded the picture. So, you try again and again and again. Talk about the impossible task when you have 30 plus waymarks from a vacation to post.

Given that this is such an integral part of the site its imperative to have this work better.

JD

As is suggested on the upload page you should resize your photos before uploading.  I seldom have a problem when uploading photos and it is not uncommon for me to upload 50 or more each and every day.  I resize mine to 800 x 600 but could just as well do 640 x 480 as the site reduces them to 600 x ?? anyway.    I use a small add in for XP and resize mine.. right click resize done in seconds.

BruceS:

JDandDD:

I hope that one of the performance issues you are working on is picture upload. Picture upload only works about 1 in every 3 to 4 times for me. That means in categories that require a picture to post a waymark (which ones don't) it can take as many as 8 attempts to load two pictures.

The system doesn't seem to like the size of picture from modern digital cameras (5 megapixels and greater). What happens is that the system goes through the upload process (you can see the data being sent) and then just drops back to a picture upload form without actually having uploaded the picture. So, you try again and again and again. Talk about the impossible task when you have 30 plus waymarks from a vacation to post.

Given that this is such an integral part of the site its imperative to have this work better.

JD

As is suggested on the upload page you should resize your photos before uploading.  I seldom have a problem when uploading photos and it is not uncommon for me to upload 50 or more each and every day.  I resize mine to 800 x 600 but could just as well do 640 x 480 as the site reduces them to 600 x ?? anyway.    I use a small add in for XP and resize mine.. right click resize done in seconds.

This seems to be a newer issue, however.  I've never had problems uploading pictures before. 

It takes me long enough and it's enough energy for me to have to upload the pictures that I do.  If I had to resize each of them before posting, that would really drag me down and make me less likely to even try.  I shouldn't have to do that, the site should be able to handle resizing things for me, just like on gc.com.

ambrosia:

BruceS:

JDandDD:

I hope that one of the performance issues you are working on is picture upload. Picture upload only works about 1 in every 3 to 4 times for me. That means in categories that require a picture to post a waymark (which ones don't) it can take as many as 8 attempts to load two pictures.

The system doesn't seem to like the size of picture from modern digital cameras (5 megapixels and greater). What happens is that the system goes through the upload process (you can see the data being sent) and then just drops back to a picture upload form without actually having uploaded the picture. So, you try again and again and again. Talk about the impossible task when you have 30 plus waymarks from a vacation to post.

Given that this is such an integral part of the site its imperative to have this work better.

JD

As is suggested on the upload page you should resize your photos before uploading.  I seldom have a problem when uploading photos and it is not uncommon for me to upload 50 or more each and every day.  I resize mine to 800 x 600 but could just as well do 640 x 480 as the site reduces them to 600 x ?? anyway.    I use a small add in for XP and resize mine.. right click resize done in seconds.

This seems to be a newer issue, however.  I've never had problems uploading pictures before. 

It takes me long enough and it's enough energy for me to have to upload the pictures that I do.  If I had to resize each of them before posting, that would really drag me down and make me less likely to even try.  I shouldn't have to do that, the site should be able to handle resizing things for me, just like on gc.com.

I guess for me it is just so easy to resize, I just select as many photos as I want to resize, right click select resize, click ok and done.  I agree the site should handle the photos however until then I would resize.  Even without the problems you are experiencing on the upload I would resize... it takes considerable less time to upload a photo of 120 kb than a 2.5 mb photo, especially when in the end the 2.5 mb photo is going to be resized by the site to a 120 kb photo anyway.  The image resizer I use is listed here.

If you have lots of photos to resize, look to see if your photo editing software has a "batch edit" mode. I use Elements and can resize an entire folder of photos with one command. I know that other software programs have this capability.

The point really isn't what alternatives exist, the point is that something new is wrong.  What used to work now does not work consistently.

Hopefully this and some other site related issues will be addressed in the 'back end overhaul' that OpinioNate referred to.

BQ

the blue quasar:

The point really isn't what alternatives exist, the point is that something new is wrong.  What used to work now does not work consistently.

Hopefully this and some other site related issues will be addressed in the 'back end overhaul' that OpinioNate referred to.

BQ

Thanks BQ. That was my point. Yes I know about resizing etc. as alternatives but that just adds time to the process and as another poster stated it makes one less likely to participate in waymarking.

The site implies on its picture upload page that it will load the picture and do the resizing. However, now that cameras take large megapixel pictures it no longer does that reliably. So, it either should be fixed to do so or state specifically on the upload picture the reliable size that will work and indicate that you need to resize to that size.

Hopefully, as BQ says, this will be addressed in the overhaul.

JD

*accidental double post*

JDandDD:

the blue quasar:

The point really isn't what alternatives exist, the point is that something new is wrong.  What used to work now does not work consistently.

Hopefully this and some other site related issues will be addressed in the 'back end overhaul' that OpinioNate referred to.

BQ

Thanks BQ. That was my point. Yes I know about resizing etc. as alternatives but that just adds time to the process and as another poster stated it makes one less likely to participate in waymarking.

The site implies on its picture upload page that it will load the picture and do the resizing. However, now that cameras take large megapixel pictures it no longer does that reliably. So, it either should be fixed to do so or state specifically on the upload picture the reliable size that will work and indicate that you need to resize to that size.

Hopefully, as BQ says, this will be addressed in the overhaul.

JD

Agreed.

Well, I'm on a waymarking jag at the moment.  I have no idea how long it will last, so I want to take advantage of it as much as possible.  I realized that I was spending way more time trying to get the site to upload my pics than if I just resized them myself.  Now that I've started resizing them, there's no issues at all with the uploads.  I'm trying to do my best at not using a bunch of pictures, just doing the minimum for now.  Although on some waymarks that's almost impossible for me. 

I'm still hoping for a quick fix on this, for all the reasons stated by myself and others.  Thanks. 

Being relatively new here, I can't make comparisons with previous performance.

I can, however, comment on what I see:

Sometimes it takes the Forum an incredibly long time to load, if at all. Time out.

I see an overabundance of "Server error in '/' Application" errors under a wide variety of circumstances, both at Waymarking.com and here at portal.groundspeak.com. Generally, just trying again works.

Then again, there is my continued inability to upload an avatar image. I have tried to upload, I have tried to specify a URL, neither one works: "Server error," every time. My avatar is properly displayed at Waymarking.com, but not here.

Hi. 

As far as I know, whatever avatar you upload for the gc.com forums is what will show up here.  That's why my avatar is so squashed.  I use a tall avatar because that's what shows up best on gc.com, but in the waymarking forums, it's best to have a square one.  I'm hoping someday they can be separated so I don't always look like a mutated dwarf. 

Which raises questions...

Why share some stuff between Waymarking and Geocaching, but not everything, especially if premium membership in one equals premium membership in both?

And, why is the opportunity to upload or reference an avatar image presented here, if it's not going to work, while doing it somewhere else will work for this forum?

We'll see. I just upped an avatar image to geocaching.com. Not showing up here yet.

RE: Avatar

I don't know if the two are still linked.

OOPS this is wrong. If you click on your name under the Avatarless box next to your last post it will take you to your forum profile. There are several tabs on this page one of which (I think the third over) is labeled avatar.
 Select this tab and it gives you options to upload or link to an avatar.

Corrected Information  Click on your name in the upper right hand corner and you will see the tab for avatar upload. It looks like you are able to upload an avatar or link to one on another site if you wish.

Also on your "My Page" tab on Waymarking.com there is an option under the box for changing an avatar there.


RE: Site Performance......

Yes it is getting Worser and Worser.  I tried for a LOOOOOOONg time before I could get back into the site to make a simple edit of the misinformation I was spreading.

TheBeanTeam:

RE: Avatar

Corrected Information  Click on your name in the upper right hand corner and you will see the tab for avatar upload. It looks like you are able to upload an avatar or link to one on another site if you wish.

Also on your "My Page" tab on Waymarking.com there is an option under the box for changing an avatar there.

Well I dunno, I just tried many times to change my avatar through my forums profile, and kept getting a huge error page.  I may try again later.

Also, the option to change your avatar on my page in waymarking.com is just your profile image for your profile page.  It's not the same picture as your forum avatar.  If you look at my profile there, I have a picture of myself, which of course does not show up here in the forums.

edit:  Well!!!  Strike my first paragraph here.  Although I got an error, it seems the site changed my avatar anyway.  I'm so glad that they fixed this issue, I wish that I had known about it earlier!!! 

ambrosia:

It takes me long enough and it's enough energy for me to have to upload the pictures that I do.  If I had to resize each of them before posting, that would really drag me down and make me less likely to even try.  I shouldn't have to do that, the site should be able to handle resizing things for me, just like on gc.com.

One thing about this.  If you resize them first, then it takes much less time for them to actually upload....
I don't know which process would be longer, but not having the upload fail seems worth it.  Until this recent issue, though, I always let the waymarking.com system do the resizing.

Getting this tread back on topic ... There seems to be (at least) a long delay in the sending of e-mail through the site.  I sent of a mail at least an hour ago and checked the box to send myself a copy and I still haven't received the mail.

Anyone else have this problem?

Occasionally ISP's throttle the emails coming through, thus they end up being queued up.  Not saying this is what is happening now, I know it happened in the past with a few different ISP's. 

I have received several visit emails from the site which seem to be coming in within a minute of the posted visit and when I tested just now it as nearly immediate (5-10 seconds)

ACK! I can't even post in this forum! ERROR! Let me retype my message and try again!

Submitting a waymark has become a PITA. I have just spent 45 minutes trying to submit a photo for a waymark and I have several more to go. Finally, decided to just save and submit later. ERROR!

I thought it was just because I am still stuck on archaic dial-up (no choice in my area), but this really is getting on my nerves.

BTW, I always resize my photos to 400 x so I don't time out because a mega-megapixel photo has to load, but it's not helping.

OK, done venting. Let me try posting this again.

La de Boheme:

ACK! I can't even post in this forum! ERROR! Let me retype my message and try again! Submitting a waymark has become a PITA. I have just spent 45 minutes trying to submit a photo for a waymark and I have several more to go. Finally, decided to just save and submit later. ERROR! I thought it was just because I am still stuck on archaic dial-up (no choice in my area), but this really is getting on my nerves. BTW, I always resize my photos to 400 x so I don't time out because a mega-megapixel photo has to load, but it's not helping. OK, done venting. Let me try posting this again.

Most of the time I can't even get onto the Forum any more.

I reduce all photos because I also have only the dial-up option. Last night I tried 20 times in three hours to upload one 120K photo. after it was sent, I kept getting sent back to "upload photo" page. Finally called it quits. Best time to upload is between midnight and 5am.

8Nuts MotherGoose:

Best time to upload is between midnight and 5am.

2:50AM - I just found that out. Finally SUCCESS in getting my photos uploaded and the waymark submitted.

For two weeks now I've been getting nothing but errors when posting new WM's, accessing pages, and especially in the forums (They're horribly slow and crash daily).  A small percentage of the errors are when uploading small sized photos, but the vast majority are just by browsing the pages. It's extrememly frustrating when you've filled in all the fields for a new WM, and poof, it's gone when you click next.  The Country/State fields also seem to reset 1/3 of the time when adding new WM's.  Is anyone else having these issues?

(Figures, the forum crapped out w/ a server error when poting this, so we'll try again)

For two weeks now I've been getting nothing but errors when posting new WM's, accessing pages, and especially in the forums (They're horribly slow and crash daily).  A small percentage of the errors are when uploading small sized photos, but the vast majority are just by browsing the pages. It's extrememly frustrating when you've filled in all the fields for a new WM, and poof, it's gone when you click next.  The Country/State fields also seem to reset 1/3 of the time when adding new WM's.  Is anyone else having these issues?

(Figures, the forum crapped out w/ a server error twice when poting this, so we'll try again)

I just posted two waymarks this evening and for each one there was an error.  That's 2 for 2. I think things are getting worse and not better recently.

Anyone agree/disagree?