Posting a classified is getting absurd

I can't copy and paste my ad.  Typing it all in directly starts to slow down the screen well before an Andy S. type dissertation. Pictures aren't working. I get one picture to show up. When I finalize the add, the screen goes into a constant "Please wait" till I finally just exit. It freezes my comp. Then I find out the add is waiting confirmation somewhere.....which I would never know with the screen frozen when I tried to send it.  It's not my comp, it's what has become a more and more pathetic site. I'm on a Dell dual processor comp only a couple of years old. Never an issue with other sites, any of them, from CL to CN.

What is with the frozen screen when sending in an ad?
What is with the slower and slower screen after just two modest paragraphs?
What is with the pictures not working?
How can I copy and past my ad so that I can use a cooperative medium to write it?

The yellow announcements of each membership payment has become something to just wade through. It's old hat. It is nothing more than the site trying to make itself look big - PERIOD. The site isn't what it used to be. For decades I've upped the $100 annual even when it was free (which other sites still are), but this time only 6 months to see if I can bear it.  It's overly complicated, a pay site that still gives advertisement, and what's with the fuzzy advertisement created by the latest update butchering? It makes the site appear as unprofessional as the classifieds posting process.  

To be honest, AM used to be the unquestioned king of astro classifieds and it's lost that respect. I have a consensus from discussions of many from star parties, meetings, astro groups, and more. Too many to list here or it would likely get this entry clipped by some ones known eccentricities. I would seriously like to discuss this with some one in Astomart, maybe privately?  Just a clue of frequently open discussion items range from the Header ads that are obviously largely self serving site ads that very many if not most just skip through, to complicated membership and number of ads and time delays and yes I've seen those just toss there hands up at it and leave the discussions. This is not to mention the current mechanical internal site issues that make ads arduous. There's lots more openly hitting the buzz out there and I'd like to share it in private. I'd like to see this place shape up, and here's the biggest buzz:  MOST in the discussions would like to see the place shape up to its old unquestioned top of the ladder place to go for astro stuff.

Fine, how do I delete my initial post? If I can't then permission is given to let it be deleted internally. I'll rephrase in an undeniable cordial fashion with specific questions/suggestions.

Thank you.

Hi Neil

Did you get your issues with new ads resolved?

I have not posted any ads since the new system went public but I posted quite a few during the testing phase and and didnt notice any of the problems you mentioned.

No.

How can I copy and paste my written part of an ad so I can use another venue to compose it?
I used to be able to do this.

The last time I posted, I had to put in one picture at a time, using the EDIT option to add each picture.
When I posted more than 4 or so pictures at one time, the "please wait" thing was perpetual until I finally closed the screen.
I tried a couple of times with a couple of ads and just a few pictures froze my comp completely till I logged out of Windows.

What is with the slower and slower and slower writing speed after a modest add entry? This is no way to control ad length, it would be a
total cop out method for that. It should be fixed. I would think it is an unintended artifact of some kind. A typical website approach is to give a set limit, with 'amount of writing left available' usually shown at the bottom of the text page. It seems this would be a simpler code as well if the slowing writing is intentional.

You are correct that you cant copy and paste for the description......I would definitely prefer one could still do this.....as would anyone who wants to repost an ad that was getting old.

As for the rest.....I entered about 10 pages of text by just holding down keys and putting in large spaces with no apparent slow down.....

I attached 10 images with no issues, was able to use the edit function to verify it took all the text along with the huge space sections and review that it took all the images.....the images ranged from 95k to 300k each and the upload was fast.

What OS are you using?

What hardware ie desktop, tablet, phone?

What browser?

The only thing I didnt do was the final save after review.

Windows 10
Dell desktop about 2 years old, dual processor
I tried both IE 11 and Edge 42

and I see that making a reply to inquiries here does not allow one to see the previous string of entries, this is a pain too.
I hit the respond key directly from email notice of reply. Maybe the this string can be viewed along with a current response if done from in the forum.

300K is a darn small picture in this day and age. Other sites seem to auto-reduce. However, I can and will resize as this is also a common practice (still).
I was taking my pictures off an XD card reader. I'll also try putting the pictures directly in the comp first and loading from the main frame with resized pictures.
Manual resizing in not a big deal. I'll also try an ad with direct from my camera XD card with reduced picture size to 333K as this is convenient. I'll do some testing today.

Every time I hit the enter key I get a double space and can't find a way to eliminate the double space. How can I start a new line manually without a double space? I've never seen this issue anywhere else on any kind of site.

Thanks for the input.  Does AM intend to do something about the lack of ability to copy/paste?

Just a test here.  So the string being replied to can not be seen while making a post.
Single space happens here when hitting the enter key, I couldn't get this while posting an ad.

This was a double enter key stroke and I got the double space and normal. While posting an ad, this would create a 4 line blank - double space for each hit on the ENTER key.  It would be nice to be able to make a list in an ad without double space.

Originally Posted by Neil Barnett

Just a test here.  So the string being replied to can not be seen while making a post.
Single space happens here when hitting the enter key, I couldn't get this while posting an ad.

This was a double enter key stroke and I got the double space and normal. While posting an ad, this would create a 4 line blank - double space for each hit on the ENTER key.  It would be nice to be able to make a list in an ad without double space.

Confirmed it puts blank line between lines in an ad, don't see a way around it and I agree it needs to be addressed.

If you want to see what you are responding to in the forums you must use the quote function instead of just hitting reply. While it is sometimes nice to be able to quote all of a prior response including a quote in the message you are replying to I know with the prior software it could make for a real mess as reply chains could get VERY long.....Even CN recently changed to limiting this.

As for image sizes, storage space costs and I am pretty sure there is probably a cumulative limit both in ads and in the forums. I don't see any advantage to single images over 500k and I usually keep mine under 300k. I do wish the forums would allow for direct upload of multiple images in a post like CN instead of just one....That limit has been one of the main reasons I am not more active in the forums here.

I don't know what the future plans for improvements are but I am sure over time improvements will continue to be made and hopefully Herb is continuing to monitor these types of posts and make notes. Being able to copy and paste in ads is definitely something myself and MANY others want to see.....

Originally Posted by Greg Shaffer

Confirmed it puts blank line between lines in an ad, don't see a way around it and I agree it needs to be addressed.

If you want to see what you are responding to in the forums you must use the quote function instead of just hitting reply. While it is sometimes nice to be able to quote all of a prior response including a quote in the message you are replying to I know with the prior software it could make for a real mess as reply chains could get VERY long.....Even CN recently changed to limiting this.

As for image sizes, storage space costs and I am pretty sure there is probably a cumulative limit both in ads and in the forums. I don't see any advantage to single images over 500k and I usually keep mine under 300k. I do wish the forums would allow for direct upload of multiple images in a post like CN instead of just one....That limit has been one of the main reasons I am not more active in the forums here.

I don't know what the future plans for improvements are but I am sure over time improvements will continue to be made and hopefully Herb is continuing to monitor these types of posts and make notes. Being able to copy and paste in ads is definitely something myself and MANY others want to see.....

Ha, kind of ironic that using quote will work well for this one thing.  This is something to address but minor.

Typically (not here) the string is listed directly with a reply, and only the reply is posted. Typically (not here) the quote function is only to list the entry referenced (like yours above) directly in the reply.  Yes, it is good to limit the quote to just a single given previous post or the cascade can get absurd. It amazes me that people would just keep doing that cascade while watching the ad nauseum repeats fill a screen.  However, the situation here is different and somewhat counterproductive since seeing just one reference post REQUIRES the quote.  AND no other previous post can be seen while replying in any way.  Correspondence in a complicated or involved string, which is the interesting kind, could require notes before responding.

You referenced using 30K to 300K test pictures in a previous response (that I can't now see). I'll agree that 300K is a nice picture on a typical desk screen, but the 30K reference was almost like trying to hide an overly conservative limit. That's no bigger than the sample showing in an ad. I guarantee that those clicking on a 30K initial picture are nothing more than disappointed in the same size picture showing up. I'll run some test in the 300K range, a modest 4 to be specific to see if a total slightly over one meg goes. That's fairly minimal for usual accommodations. I'll experiment and let you know.

 

Originally Posted by Neil Barnett

Ha, kind of ironic that using quote will work well for this one thing.  This is something to address but minor.

Typically (not here) the string is listed directly with a reply, and only the reply is posted. Typically (not here) the quote function is only to list the entry referenced (like yours above) directly in the reply.  Yes, it is good to limit the quote to just a single given previous post or the cascade can get absurd. It amazes me that people would just keep doing that cascade while watching the ad nauseum repeats fill a screen.  However, the situation here is different and somewhat counterproductive since seeing just one reference post REQUIRES the quote.  AND no other previous post can be seen while replying in any way.  Correspondence in a complicated or involved string, which is the interesting kind, could require notes before responding.

You referenced using 30K to 300K test pictures in a previous response (that I can't now see). I'll agree that 300K is a nice picture on a typical desk screen, but the 30K reference was almost like trying to hide an overly conservative limit. That's no bigger than the sample showing in an ad. I guarantee that those clicking on a 30K initial picture are nothing more than disappointed in the same size picture showing up. I'll run some test in the 300K range, a modest 4 to be specific to see if a total slightly over one meg goes. That's fairly minimal for usual accommodations. I'll experiment and let you know.

 

Actually what I previously said was when I entered a test ad with 10 images attached they varied from 95k to 300k. Dont understand why you can no longer see it since all I had to do was scroll up to see all of our previous messages all the way back to your original post. I know for a fact the 10 images totaled up to far beyond 1 meg.....probably close to 2.....

I can easily check again using larger images.....will do so.