Update 5:30PM: Whoopsie. Alex was just swapping out our network switch for the new servers and an operation that was supposed to take "5 seconds" ended up making connection intermittent for the better part of an hour. Apologies! This was separate from yesterday's issues, but you know what they say about "when it rains"? The good news is that we should now be all set to get our new servers online in the next couple days.
Original post follows...
Well, the bad news is that I think that (11 PM - 2 AM) was the longest downtime in Bonanzle history. The good news is that you probably weren't awake to suffer through it. The other good news is that the problem behind this downtime was the same problem that had slowed down Bonanzle for at least two multi-day periods in the past. Despite days spent trying to figure it out, this problem went unsolved both times and everything eventually returned to normal.
But now it's solved.
Unfortunately, the explanation of the culprit probably doesn't warrant such a lengthy buildup. The problem was that any time a new visitor arrived at the site, we made a call to a web service that tried to determine their approximate location (so they could search for items nearby without logging in). Periodically, this service went AWOL, and when it did, it took Bonanzle with it. The kicker was that even when the service wasn't AWOL, it still would rarely return useful results. It's now vanquished, and never shall it return. Our apologies for any inconvenience you may have experienced at the hand of this vile foe.
With that out of the way...!
You've probably also noticed that we now have hand picked lists setup to be featured on the home page. Initially, lists will be selected for the home page by Mark and I, from lists we find that have 20 or more items and will leave a good first impression of Bonanzle. Premiere members will tend to get the big pictures in the spread, when the premiere items associated with those members have good and clear pictures associated with them (the standards won't be as stringent as the Category Showcase page, but they can't be blurry and such). Another change to the hand picked lists is that if you're a seller you can now add one of your own items to it.
Eventually we hope to put the home page list choosing in the able hands of our community. Stay tuned for updates!
Just checked out the Homepage and it’s great! Rotation time is perfect for browsing (items don’t disappear so quickly). Provides another way to shop Bonanzle by themes! What a wonderful idea! Thanks!
Thanks for suiting up and charging in to battle the cyber Gremlins!
That’ll teach them Gremlins…they better stop & think who they’re dealing with, before they even start!
Sometimes even the best ideas that sound good on paper, turn out , in the “real world,” to be no so great.
I’m glad to see you guys aren’t chained to things that don’t work, slow down the whole show, and make the site boggy & buggy.
Nice to see innovation that’s live and ongoing, with nothing written in stone, unchangeable, because it’s a particular pet or because it’s always been done a certain way.
Glad to see we can add one of our own treasures to the handpicked lists too.
A nice way to self promote, and gives folks an incentive to keep those lists up to date.
LOVE the new home page with hand picked lists! The themed lists with great pictures raises Bonanzle to a new level! Thank you for your endless dedication and ability to keep thinking clearly with little sleep!
Thanks Fearless Leader…Knowing you and the Cyber Ninja got our backs fighting all those dastardly foes and gremlins allowed me to rest easy.. I was awake but for a change I actually got a couple hours of sleep… go figure. Just too boring not having Bonanzle on line.. LOL..
I love the home page concept and think the addition of allowing one of our own pieces in our hand picked lists will be a great motivational tool to keep the hand picked lists alive and fresh.
You all are so awesome. We have nothing to fear with you at the helm. problems are fixed so quickly and no worries should be had by sellers or buyer. thanks for always being on top of things!!
I noticed the change to the home page immediately, thinking “Wow, it looks so bright this morning!” Then I noticed it all had the same theme, and then I saw the credit to skywalker ~ absolutely cool!! I better get on doing some handpicked lists
Glad you got rid of the bugs too! I don’t know how you guys manage to do it, but the place just keeps on getting better!
I tried to do some uploading and finally was able to get on about 12:30 am cst. Also, is it possible you and Mark can contact the coupon sites like coupon mountain, my coupons, and retailmenot to get a group BONANZLE account so we all can post our coupon codes for new shoppers to drive some business this way- I am ready to call the geek squad in to help me get that damn google to pick up my data feeds. The site is great, and I have been in and out of retail since my college days so this is a great selling platform for all…thanks for saving me hundreds of dollars in ehay fees over the next few years.
I feel safe here at Bonanzle and KNOW that you always have our interest at heart! I just love all the changes you and Mark are making! You KNOW what you are doing (well it appears that way) and you really think about something before you do it.
I just love the foundation you and Mark are laying out for Bonanzle – you Boyz really are something!
Bill, does that mean that the photos of the past that showed some of our stuff won’t be cycling through any more unless they are on someone’s handpicked list with 20 items?
Mark.. does that mean that a pick list by the low end members is out of luck for the home page.. That’s why some of us are here, cause we can afford it.. I pay dmy 10.00 cause i think I should,but it all I can afford till sales begin to move forward. I love this placed. Will move my 200 plus items from Blujady as soon as I can..
Please don’t forget the poor people..
Jack
jacks, I think our Lists can feature any sellers items, but we should include a few premier members items and those items will get the bigger picture slots.
jacks, I think our Lists can feature any sellers items, but we should include a few premier members items and those items will get the bigger picture slots.
Bill, How often do the Hand Picked lists changed on the Home Page? I’ve seen at least 6 in just the last half hour.
That’s really nice…but that means we’ll have to get busy with a lot more lists if they rotate that frequently!
Bill, How often do the Hand Picked lists changed on the Home Page? I’ve seen at least 6 in just the last half hour.
That’s really nice…but that means we’ll have to get busy with a lot more lists if they rotate that frequently!
Wonderful job Bill. The front page is so good looking with my pyramids on there! lol. No seriously, beautiful job on the front page. Very classy looking.
The lists seem to appear only randomly, if you refresh the page you get a new showcase. I’d like to see added a “next” button to view the next showcase in line.
Bill, How often do the Hand Picked lists changed on the Home Page? I’ve seen at least 6 in just the last half hour.
That’s really nice…but that means we’ll have to get busy with a lot more lists if they rotate that frequently!
I LOVE the hand picked lists!! What a great IDEA! And looks VERY professional! KUDOS to the Boyz and KUDOS to those who have had their beautiful items “hand picked”. What an honor!
I am glade the gremlins got a taste of your wrath !
The Home page changes are fun with the themes My sincer only concerns are the speed and I have seen the same lists 2-3 times in a matter of hours am sure it is all in the tweeting mode as you better/improve the BONZ. I just think I would like faster rotation my two cents!
kathyseven said…
jacks, I think our Lists can feature any sellers items, but we should include a few premier members items and those items will get the bigger picture slots.
How do you know if a member is Premier?
Specifically picking items because of the seller’s status?
hmmmmmm
Update 5:30PM: Whoopsie. Alex was just swapping out our network switch for the new servers and an operation that was supposed to take "5 seconds" ended up making connection intermittent for the better part of an hour. Apologies! This was separate from yesterday's issues, but you know what they say about "when it rains"? The good news is that we should now be all set to get our new servers online in the next couple days.
Original post follows...
Well, the bad news is that I think that (11 PM - 2 AM) was the longest downtime in Bonanzle history. The good news is that you probably weren't awake to suffer through it. The other good news is that the problem behind this downtime was the same problem that had slowed down Bonanzle for at least two multi-day periods in the past. Despite days spent trying to figure it out, this problem went unsolved both times and everything eventually returned to normal.
But now it's solved.
Unfortunately, the explanation of the culprit probably doesn't warrant such a lengthy buildup. The problem was that any time a new visitor arrived at the site, we made a call to a web service that tried to determine their approximate location (so they could search for items nearby without logging in). Periodically, this service went AWOL, and when it did, it took Bonanzle with it. The kicker was that even when the service wasn't AWOL, it still would rarely return useful results. It's now vanquished, and never shall it return. Our apologies for any inconvenience you may have experienced at the hand of this vile foe.
35 responses to Downtime (UPDATED)
Glad to see you got the problem fixed! Too bad the new visitor search thing didnt work as you hoped. Could have been a very valuable tool for you.
Thanks for the info though…I was just waiting to see what was going on!
NOW…go get some rest!
Some of us were (are) awake! However, I’m glad that you were able to find the problem – and a solution! Thank you!
Just checked out the Homepage and it’s great! Rotation time is perfect for browsing (items don’t disappear so quickly). Provides another way to shop Bonanzle by themes! What a wonderful idea! Thanks!
Thanks for suiting up and charging in to battle the cyber Gremlins!
That’ll teach them Gremlins…they better stop & think who they’re dealing with, before they even start!
Sometimes even the best ideas that sound good on paper, turn out , in the “real world,” to be no so great.
I’m glad to see you guys aren’t chained to things that don’t work, slow down the whole show, and make the site boggy & buggy.
Nice to see innovation that’s live and ongoing, with nothing written in stone, unchangeable, because it’s a particular pet or because it’s always been done a certain way.
Glad to see we can add one of our own treasures to the handpicked lists too.
A nice way to self promote, and gives folks an incentive to keep those lists up to date.
Good job guys!
LOVE the new home page with hand picked lists! The themed lists with great pictures raises Bonanzle to a new level! Thank you for your endless dedication and ability to keep thinking clearly with little sleep!
I think the new homepage concept is really great!
Thanks for figuring out the foe! Bill, UR great!!! I like the new home page set up-much better getting a good look at items with the slower change!
Thanks Fearless Leader…Knowing you and the Cyber Ninja got our backs fighting all those dastardly foes and gremlins allowed me to rest easy.. I was awake but for a change I actually got a couple hours of sleep… go figure. Just too boring not having Bonanzle on line.. LOL..
I love the home page concept and think the addition of allowing one of our own pieces in our hand picked lists will be a great motivational tool to keep the hand picked lists alive and fresh.
You all are so awesome. We have nothing to fear with you at the helm. problems are fixed so quickly and no worries should be had by sellers or buyer. thanks for always being on top of things!!
Nice to see new homepage concept! Thanks for correcting the problem too!
What a unique idea for the home page! Glad your slings and arrows were able to slay that vile foe too! Thanks Bonanzle BAD Boyz!
I noticed the change to the home page immediately, thinking “Wow, it looks so bright this morning!” Then I noticed it all had the same theme, and then I saw the credit to skywalker ~ absolutely cool!! I better get on doing some handpicked lists
Glad you got rid of the bugs too! I don’t know how you guys manage to do it, but the place just keeps on getting better!
we can add one of our OWN items? really? will that be okay? guilt-free?
hmmm….. but it’s so fun to expand my horizons elsewhere
hand picked lists were really fun when they began, now they’re even more really fun again… thanks guys!
I tried to do some uploading and finally was able to get on about 12:30 am cst. Also, is it possible you and Mark can contact the coupon sites like coupon mountain, my coupons, and retailmenot to get a group BONANZLE account so we all can post our coupon codes for new shoppers to drive some business this way- I am ready to call the geek squad in to help me get that damn google to pick up my data feeds. The site is great, and I have been in and out of retail since my college days so this is a great selling platform for all…thanks for saving me hundreds of dollars in ehay fees over the next few years.
Thanks for keeping us informed. How refreshing!
Bill, that is a pleasant surprise. You do understand what many of us have become accustomed to over the years with ebal (ebay/paypal).
They usually denied there had been a problem and it was our puter at fault. Just clear cookies & cache was their normal answer to all site problems.
Congratulations on fixing the glitch. Vin
Well, I was awake and at work and missed my “break” play time…BUT, glad all is fixed now…
Was very impressed with the new home page…what a wonderful way to feature themed items!
Thanks again for all you do and are doing and continue to do!
I feel safe here at Bonanzle and KNOW that you always have our interest at heart! I just love all the changes you and Mark are making! You KNOW what you are doing (well it appears that way) and you really think about something before you do it.
I just love the foundation you and Mark are laying out for Bonanzle – you Boyz really are something!
Bill, does that mean that the photos of the past that showed some of our stuff won’t be cycling through any more unless they are on someone’s handpicked list with 20 items?
Mark.. does that mean that a pick list by the low end members is out of luck for the home page.. That’s why some of us are here, cause we can afford it.. I pay dmy 10.00 cause i think I should,but it all I can afford till sales begin to move forward. I love this placed. Will move my 200 plus items from Blujady as soon as I can..
Please don’t forget the poor people..
Jack
jacks, I think our Lists can feature any sellers items, but we should include a few premier members items and those items will get the bigger picture slots.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong.
jacks, I think our Lists can feature any sellers items, but we should include a few premier members items and those items will get the bigger picture slots.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong.
Bill, How often do the Hand Picked lists changed on the Home Page? I’ve seen at least 6 in just the last half hour.
That’s really nice…but that means we’ll have to get busy with a lot more lists if they rotate that frequently!
Bill, How often do the Hand Picked lists changed on the Home Page? I’ve seen at least 6 in just the last half hour.
That’s really nice…but that means we’ll have to get busy with a lot more lists if they rotate that frequently!
Thanks Alex! For all your hard work!
Wonderful job Bill. The front page is so good looking with my pyramids on there! lol. No seriously, beautiful job on the front page. Very classy looking.
Sandra
The lists seem to appear only randomly, if you refresh the page you get a new showcase. I’d like to see added a “next” button to view the next showcase in line.
I LOVE the front page! Thank you so much for all these little things that you do to make us all feel like we are a part of something big.
Julie and Blu
Thanks to Ghost and Mark for keeping us updated on Twitter during the “5 second” downtime
Glad it’s all fixed and ready to rumble!
Bill, How often do the Hand Picked lists changed on the Home Page? I’ve seen at least 6 in just the last half hour.
That’s really nice…but that means we’ll have to get busy with a lot more lists if they rotate that frequently!
I LOVE the hand picked lists!! What a great IDEA! And looks VERY professional! KUDOS to the Boyz and KUDOS to those who have had their beautiful items “hand picked”. What an honor!
ty for all the great job
Mary
I have to give you guys a HUGE SHOUT OUT for handling everything with such great humor. I love your messages!
(((hugs to all for all you do seen and unseen)))))
Reen~
I am glade the gremlins got a taste of your wrath !
The Home page changes are fun with the themes My sincer only concerns are the speed and I have seen the same lists 2-3 times in a matter of hours am sure it is all in the tweeting mode as you better/improve the BONZ. I just think I would like faster rotation my two cents!
kathyseven said…
jacks, I think our Lists can feature any sellers items, but we should include a few premier members items and those items will get the bigger picture slots.
How do you know if a member is Premier?
Specifically picking items because of the seller’s status?
hmmmmmm
Login to see more comments