Skip to main content
Welcome Guest! You can not login or register.

Notification

Icon
Error
4 Pages123>»
What I think of this site
Options
Previous Topic Next Topic
knowsie
#1 Posted : 02 November 2009 15:27:15(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 03/07/2008(UTC)
Posts: 251
So, what do I think of this site?

Unfortunately, I can't tell you because the last time I ventured an opinion, the post was blocked. No, I didn't use bad language, far from it - just put it down to over sensitivity to criticism in certain quarters ...

... and now it is infinitely worse.

I cannot find a single link to the forum or any mention of it on the revamped home page, (and not for the want of looking, either) so life is likely to very quiet here for the foreseeable future ...

Under the heading Recent neighbourhood activity I find that: "A local news item was added here 2 days ago (31/10/2009)" points to an item promoting London Peace Week - which will be very useful if September 2009 ever comes round again ...

... there is another, more obvious, link to the same item right down at the bottom of the page, under More local news: ...

Oh, and that forbidden word I used to describe this site before? Using, not the same word, but a synonym for it, the home page tells me that mine is collected on Thursdays ...

I notice the home page says that it is the beta version. Now, in my experience, the beta version of any software is always a new, development version run in parallel with the existing live, working version so that anybody interested can check it out and report any bugs. For example, Microsoft freely made beta versions of Windows 7 and Office 2007 available well in advance of their official release.

However, I can't find the existing live, working version of Redbridge-i anywhere ...

Words fail me, they really do.
Back to top
knowsie
#2 Posted : 03 November 2009 11:55:57(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 03/07/2008(UTC)
Posts: 251
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!

I tried to quote a short phrase from my previous post and got:

Access Denied
You tried to enter a area(sic) where you didn't have access,if you are not logged in please click the Login button on the top right of the page.

So, I'll have to do it the hard way, then!

If Redbridge-i (beta version) ever struggles back to life, this might get posted ...

Quote:
I notice the home page says that it is the beta version ...


... for those not familiar with the term, here is an extract from Wikipedia (my emphasis) ...

Beta

"Beta" is a nickname for software which has passed the alpha testing stage of development and has been released to users for software testing before its official release. It is the prototype of the software that is released to the public. Beta testing allows the software to undergo usability testing with users who provide feedback, so that any malfunctions these users find in the software can be reported to the developers and fixed. Beta software can be unstable and could cause crashes or data loss.

A "beta version" is the first version released outside the organization or community that develops the software, for the purpose of evaluation or real-world black/grey-box testing. The process of delivering a beta version to the users is called beta release. Beta level software generally includes all features, but may also include known issues and bugs of a less serious variety ...

...Beta version software is likely to be useful for internal demonstrations and previews to select customers, but unstable and not yet ready for release ...

Famous last words! Anybody who attempted to follow its promised birth over the (extended) weekend and its total failure on Monday evening will entirely agree with that!

To quote something from my last post on the old site, I would love to see Redbridge Council's official definition of 'fit for purpose' ...
Back to top
Morris Hickey
#3 Posted : 03 November 2009 13:41:51(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 06/06/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1,399
Location: Too close to Redbridge-i censorship
"Archived" - the Redi euphemism for banned further discussion.
Back to top
markmason7
#4 Posted : 28 November 2009 18:03:53(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 30/06/2007(UTC)
Posts: 76
I would like to request that Redbridge Borough council add the e-petition facility to its Redbridge i website please.

The following borough councils do have a very good e-petitions facility, which is run by http://www.public-i.info

The following borough councils all run e-petition facilities with the e-petition product from public-i.info
The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames
http://www.kingston.gov.uk/epetitions

Bristol city Council
http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/

Hertsmere Borough Council
http://epetition.hertsmere.public-i.tv

North Lincolnshire Council
http://epetition.northlincs.public-i.tv/

Birmingham City Council
http://epetition.birmingham.public-i.tv/

To find out more go to their website or download the following pdf file:
http://www.public-i.info...ions%20Solace%20FAQ.pdf
Back to top
markmason7
#5 Posted : 02 December 2009 16:37:19(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 30/06/2007(UTC)
Posts: 76
Mark: What do we want?
Crowd: e-petitions!
Mark: When do we want it?
Crowd: Now!
Back to top
markmason7
#6 Posted : 08 December 2009 23:13:36(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 30/06/2007(UTC)
Posts: 76
Neighbourhood Matters

Confused
1. What is the purpose of getting your hopes up of having a conversation with anyone within a 1 km radius of where I live? Answer: There is none!

Sorry, but this feature is just not useful, and more than that it's very frustrating that it appears to look like a sort of discussion forum function but you can only see comments from people within a 1 km radius.

Talk about Isolation!

Please add this comment to your data collection of "tone of feedback".

Taa
Back to top
annesevant
#7 Posted : 09 December 2009 15:29:44(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 14/07/2007(UTC)
Posts: 975
I am puzzled by Mark's isolated postcode. Nobody within a 1km radius? Or, perhaps, as in my case, nobody within a km radius who cares to converse with him!
That said,I agree that the strictness of whom you can talk to (or not) based on geographical data (thank goodness expressed in metric measurements) is bemusing.
annesevant
Back to top
Matt Oliver
#8 Posted : 10 December 2009 18:26:25(UTC)
Rank: Member

Joined: 07/09/2007(UTC)
Posts: 22
Why exactly has the 'Ask My Neighbours' section changed? The reason given in the 'help' section is that it allows people to answer questions from their own neighbourhoods. You can accuse me of being self-interested but the whole point of posting my question was so that everyone in the borough could read it. I actually found it interesting reading all the other questions from parts of the borough I would not normally now about.

Does LB of Redbridge not count as a whole neighbourhood now?
Back to top
cllrbond
#9 Posted : 11 December 2009 12:29:36(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 01/10/2007(UTC)
Posts: 124
An e-petitions facility would seem an obvious and attractive enhancement to this site which we should be making regardless of whenever any legislation comes into force?
Back to top
markmason7
#10 Posted : 11 December 2009 16:15:59(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 30/06/2007(UTC)
Posts: 76
ThumpUp Hooray! finally,! Thank you Councillor Bond. PLease spread the word. We don't want to have to wait up to one year after the petitions act has come into force! Please see my reent dicussion here -

http://redbridgeeye.blog...thorities.html#comments

thanks
Back to top
annesevant
#11 Posted : 14 December 2009 10:25:17(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 14/07/2007(UTC)
Posts: 975
Thank you Cllr Bond for posting on a forum. I hope the fact that you are a Cllr will help make the Council listen. Barkingside 21 has organised an e-petition and we are asking friends and neighbours to sign it.
annesevant
Back to top
knowsie
#12 Posted : 17 December 2009 18:02:39(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 03/07/2008(UTC)
Posts: 251
Well, this forum is definitely living up to its reputation, as widely expressed here (if and whenever permitted) and elsewhere, as being designed to deter as much comment on the council and its services as possible ...

... for example, there is no thread that I can find for feedback about the much maligned "Redbridge Life" and, of course, no taxpayer is permitted to start one ...

... well, much as the tail enjoys wagging the dog thses days, I'm going to have a winge about it, anyway ...!

Usually it turns up when a great many events listed in it are history but, for once, it turned up while there was still some life left in it.

I spotted this item:

Aldborough SNT – Thursday 17 December
8am to 11.30am - N1K UR REG Community event - B+Q Car Park, Horns Rd

and duly turned up at 11am this morning to find ...

...nothing!

Had I got the date wrong ... or the time ... or even the place?

I 'phoned home' but to no avail. Today is recycling day and the paper copy was long gone. My wife tried a quick search on the internet but found nothing, so I gave up.

I've since discovered that the only source available is in a 7MB .pdf download of Redbridge Life (obviously Redbridge Council don't expect any of their tax payers to still be using dial-up connections - or aren't concerned if they are!)

The general consensus of all the comments I've seen of Redbridge Life is that it is utter waste of time and taxpayers money.

Well, you can add my vote to the list!
Back to top
cllrbond
#13 Posted : 21 December 2009 15:23:42(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 01/10/2007(UTC)
Posts: 124
What I think of the site isn't the issue but - looking at the range of last post dates for the various sub-forums and topics, which mostly date back a month or more - it does appear that the changes made to this part of the site have more or less killed off these forums...?
Back to top
knowsie
#14 Posted : 22 December 2009 23:21:25(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 03/07/2008(UTC)
Posts: 251
Thank you Councillor Bond for your comments, in particular:

Quote:
... it does appear that the changes made to this part of the site have more or less killed off these forums...?

As has been already suggested here and, perhaps more forcefully, elsewhere, wasn't that the council's intention in the first place?
Back to top
dopeyf
#15 Posted : 16 January 2010 13:14:36(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 29/07/2007(UTC)
Posts: 554
We used to be able to bring up ward boundaries in the late lamented V1, this facility appears to have disappeared,Why?
Back to top
markmason7
#17 Posted : 18 January 2010 12:04:19(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 30/06/2007(UTC)
Posts: 76
Well said Councillor Bond!
Back to top
VerlorenHoop
#18 Posted : 05 February 2010 12:39:22(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 18/07/2008(UTC)
Posts: 225
What I think of this forum is that I wish I'd known about it. As a long-time user of the original forums, I'd have like to have been notified of their return. I'm checking out redbridge eye at the moment, so maybe I'll just stick to that for the future.
Back to top
knowsie
#19 Posted : 05 February 2010 15:58:38(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 03/07/2008(UTC)
Posts: 251
VerlorenHoop wrote:
What I think of this forum is that I wish I'd known about it ...


Obviously yet another Council Tax Payer who is annoyed by the way this forum has been made difficult to find.
Back to top
 |  Edit by moderator
Morris Hickey
#20 Posted : 05 February 2010 18:02:58(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 06/06/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1,399
Location: Too close to Redbridge-i censorship
knowsie wrote:
VerlorenHoop wrote:
What I think of this forum is that I wish I'd known about it ...


Obviously yet another Council Tax Payer who is annoyed by the way this forum has been made difficult to find.


It should have featured as a budget cut Angry - something that would have been widely welcomed BigGrin - rather than really important things like the local history archivist. Sad
Back to top
dopeyf
#22 Posted : 12 February 2010 15:11:52(UTC)
Rank: Advanced Member

Joined: 29/07/2007(UTC)
Posts: 554
It is time that Senior Officers and Councillors realised the failure of V2 The Pledge Bank has failed , The whole neighborhood thing is a nonsense, with no activity,as has been said the internet will find its own route around censorship.We are supposed to be in the middle of yet another review (or has that been abandoned?)Let the website at least do something useful, instead of a system of comment nobody uses. The effort spent on My Neighborhood is wasted and the money and time would be better spent on something useful such as
NHS Choices web services
NHS Choices web services allow you to make NHS Choices content available through XML feeds on your website, intranet, widget or application. This means you'll always have up-to-date, trusted NHS content available for your users.

Redbridges "Innovative Website" is only innovative as far as web technology goes, what users want is innovation directed to people, things like "ask the Leader"- "ask the Chief Executive"-


A unique citizen participation exercise in which young people ‘govern’ a virtual simulation of their borough through an online platform echoing the popular computer game ‘Sim City’is being used to help shape policy in Croydon Council, E-Government Bulletin has learned.

The Croydon2040 project (http://www.croydon2040.com), which ran from September to December 2009, allowed teams from 25 schools and colleges around the borough to compete against each other, taking on the role of their local authority and local strategic partnership using an online decision-making tool.

It is time that this council displayed some imagination with this website.
Back to top
Rss Feed  Atom Feed
Users browsing this topic
Guest
4 Pages123>»
Forum Jump  
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.
Powered by YAF | YAF © 2003-2011, Yet Another Forum.NET