TonyG
10-3-06, 05:01 PM
Of the so many suggestions that have been posted to these forums and which have been sent to PW through support, is there there a list of projects that PW is in the process of implementing which can be published? What about those that are simply being considered, but which have not been actually assigned as projects?
On the positive side, publishing project lists is good marketing, let's us know what we can look forward to, etc. It may serve to encourage some sites to stay with PW in anticipation of desired features.
There might be more points on the negative side, but all of these can be effectively managed:
This will certainly be perceived as a commitment to get certain things done even though a project may fail for whatever reason and be abandoned. That happens in development, but people just don't get it, they translate "we're working on it" to "it will happen" which isn't always the case.
There are also the inevitable "when" questions that will arise, requests for an ETA, outrage when dates aren't met, and further outrage if projects are simply not completed after a succession of ETAs.
Then there are the "what about 'my' project" questions, "why isn't projext X on the list", etc. To this I respond that at least people know where they stand, rather than being strung out hoping for something that PW has no intention of implementing. If something isn't on the list people can petition for it and PW can put rejections on another list of projects that it has officially decided to not work on in the foreseeable future.
Then there will be questions about prioritization, and "why isn't project X" going to be done sooner. Again, PW has nothing to lose by explaining their priorities, and it could be of benefit to open polls to let the user base decide whether some project X should have priority over project Y. Even if PW doesn't listen, and I'm not suggesting this, it's still good PR to ask the client base their opinion about what should be worked on and in what order. Of course actually being responsive to poll results is even better PR.
If PW does not have such a list, even internally, I'd ask pray-tell why?
And would it be of benefit it someone in this community started a web page to solicit a wish list from the user base, along with prioritization, so that we can present a list to PW just to see how close we all are to being on the same page? Such a list could include things we don't want PW to do, like making it easier for sites to mass-mail off of servers used by smaller clients, or getting rid of IRC access to PW personnel.
Really this could be as simple as setting up a Mantis bug tracker (I already have one), allowing people to post bug and enhancement requests which everyone can see, having admin access for PW people to approve or assign tasks, and then allocating forum space for people to discuss/vote on specific issues. All of this could be done outside of any official PW lists but it would give PW customers an organized view of what our issues and priorities really are.
Thanks as always,
Tony
On the positive side, publishing project lists is good marketing, let's us know what we can look forward to, etc. It may serve to encourage some sites to stay with PW in anticipation of desired features.
There might be more points on the negative side, but all of these can be effectively managed:
This will certainly be perceived as a commitment to get certain things done even though a project may fail for whatever reason and be abandoned. That happens in development, but people just don't get it, they translate "we're working on it" to "it will happen" which isn't always the case.
There are also the inevitable "when" questions that will arise, requests for an ETA, outrage when dates aren't met, and further outrage if projects are simply not completed after a succession of ETAs.
Then there are the "what about 'my' project" questions, "why isn't projext X on the list", etc. To this I respond that at least people know where they stand, rather than being strung out hoping for something that PW has no intention of implementing. If something isn't on the list people can petition for it and PW can put rejections on another list of projects that it has officially decided to not work on in the foreseeable future.
Then there will be questions about prioritization, and "why isn't project X" going to be done sooner. Again, PW has nothing to lose by explaining their priorities, and it could be of benefit to open polls to let the user base decide whether some project X should have priority over project Y. Even if PW doesn't listen, and I'm not suggesting this, it's still good PR to ask the client base their opinion about what should be worked on and in what order. Of course actually being responsive to poll results is even better PR.
If PW does not have such a list, even internally, I'd ask pray-tell why?
And would it be of benefit it someone in this community started a web page to solicit a wish list from the user base, along with prioritization, so that we can present a list to PW just to see how close we all are to being on the same page? Such a list could include things we don't want PW to do, like making it easier for sites to mass-mail off of servers used by smaller clients, or getting rid of IRC access to PW personnel.
Really this could be as simple as setting up a Mantis bug tracker (I already have one), allowing people to post bug and enhancement requests which everyone can see, having admin access for PW people to approve or assign tasks, and then allocating forum space for people to discuss/vote on specific issues. All of this could be done outside of any official PW lists but it would give PW customers an organized view of what our issues and priorities really are.
Thanks as always,
Tony