Libsyn has been upgraded so if you’re using the iTunes feed, iTunes subscription or the Libsyn feed please check it’s working (you should check/update Radio Clash periodically in iTunes anyway since it has a nasty feature of switching podcasts off if you don’t listen to them….grr).
Warning – kvetching about Libsyn 3.4 upgrade in 3..2..1.
Well since the Community Forum hasn’t bothered to add me in nearly a day, I thought I’d give this feedback here. I’ve been a Libsyn customer for over 3 years and I do recommend the service, despite this upgrade.
If you’re going to upgrade a service and spend several years updating the architecture and basically renewing the whole site and service it might be a good idea:
- To provide your victims with documentation before going live – or after – about how the new site and features work. You know I’m fussy like that wanting to know where to upload files, why my login doesn’t work, what the new FTP means, why my files can’t be just attached to a new blogpost like before, etc.
- To not take features away (this in part had been improved by the time Radio Clash was transitioned)
- To not actually add steps in the way of the working process (yes it’s gotten more complex)
- To communicate the new features rather than just expecting people to work them out
- To not make it so I have to go and recreate all the Thumbnails in about 100 items in a feed (still doing that one)
- To have a site that won’t let you edit more than one said item/blog entry – or bitch you are doing so when you’ve actually clicked on ‘Discard’
- Not break my old player meaning that I’ve had to put in a new player – exit Wimpyplayer which I PAID FOR and enter actually a far better JW Player to the right sidebar. Still meant hours of my time setting it up – and support had no idea why it isn’t working (might not be Libsyn’s fault, but worked before the upgrade?)
- And replacing old files with new ones because they won’t strangely play in the new player (but do if I update them) and I get stung for extra account space on replacing them. Really?
- Changing the way the feed work so every item has it’s own blog entry, meaning that in a few cases double posts have happened separating the file from the blog attached to it…no idea how that happened, meaning I’ve had to go in and re-unite the poor file with the blog info.
- Reassure people that all these ‘put adverts into your feed/show’ tickboxes don’t mean your podcast will be soon littered with unwanted ads. I mean it’s not like this has been an issue before or anything.
Other than that it’s a great service and probably the best out there. It’s just having a few slight niggles that testing, forethought, preplanning and documentation (you know those old chestnuts, silly me I know) would’ve solved…also I understand it’s just a different way of working which I’ll get used to – which is exactly why letting people other than the ones on the community forum into the sandpit to look at it in advance and giving prior-documentation on the differences might’ve helped.
EDIT 09/07/10: Nearly a month later and still not ‘activated’ on the support forum, and found that they’ve been double charging me for a year. Nice. Really Wizzard better buck up it’s ideas…or it won’t be around til next August when my account credit runs out!
Leave a Comment! Be nice….