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Reply #60 posted 03/25/09 10:19pm

stanleylieber

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it's all good here, my sign-up and download process went smoothly on the first try.
it's time for a new direction / it's time for jazz to die
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Reply #61 posted 03/25/09 10:20pm

utopia7

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Prince probably told them I do NOT want any words on the site lol Make sure you create a vast... empty space with just my music alone.I want my own world away from worlds...All I want is streaming 16 digit CC #s


Thank you, This meeting is done,Any questions? OK...fine have a good day gentleman I'll review the final specs. wildsign


lol
[Edited 3/26/09 6:59am]
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Reply #62 posted 03/25/09 10:21pm

NuPwrSoul

utopia7 said:

Prince probably told them I do NOT want any words on the site lol Make aure you create a vast empty space with just my music alone.I want my own world away from worlds...All I want is streaming 16 digit CC #s


Thank you, This meeting is done,Any questions? OK...fine have a good day gentleman I'll review the final specs. wildsign


lol


lol ya know? and def NO "member connection" hahahahaha
"That...magic, the start of something revolutionary-the Minneapolis Sound, we should cherish it and not punish prince for not being able to replicate it."-Dreamshaman32
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Reply #63 posted 03/25/09 10:22pm

xlr8r

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stanleylieber said:

it's all good here, my sign-up and download process went smoothly on the first try.


then hush
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Reply #64 posted 03/25/09 10:22pm

stanleylieber

avatar

xlr8r said:


(btw dont change the immeidate post topic regarding jonas brother sand how u think they are the biggest thing ever and will outlast his royal badness. He got all yall up late at night two nights straight still lol)
[Edited 3/25/09 22:17pm]


did you really think anyone was trying to say the jonas brothers will outlast prince? you're the only one who's said those words this thread. several times now. biggrin

the point was that the jonas brothers are obviously a bigger draw in march, 2009. that's why their records sell more than prince's. that fact doesn't say anything about the quality of prince's music or his importance to pop music.

relax. prince's legacy is intact no matter how many records the jonas dorks sell or how many fans they attract to their website. biggrin
it's time for a new direction / it's time for jazz to die
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Reply #65 posted 03/25/09 10:23pm

Serena

Don't I remember that one version of the NPGMC had a choice of whether you wanted the Flash side or non-Flash? Maybe something like that would help, although I have no idea how much extra work it'd mean.

It was good they communicated, but it could've been better. I know they probably have 42 gazillion emails, so maybe they should ask us to get an organized list together of what general problems still exist and who needs personal contact regarding billing issues, etc..
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Reply #66 posted 03/25/09 10:24pm

stanleylieber

avatar

xlr8r said:

stanleylieber said:

it's all good here, my sign-up and download process went smoothly on the first try.


then hush


sit on it
it's time for a new direction / it's time for jazz to die
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Reply #67 posted 03/25/09 10:24pm

xlr8r

avatar

stanleylieber said:

relax. prince's legacy is intact no matter how many records the jonas dorks sell or how many fans they attract to their website. biggrin


My point exactly.
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Reply #68 posted 03/25/09 10:26pm

utopia7

avatar

NuPwrSoul said:

utopia7 said:

Prince probably told them I do NOT want any words on the site lol Make aure you create a vast empty space with just my music alone.I want my own world away from worlds...All I want is streaming 16 digit CC #s


Thank you, This meeting is done,Any questions? OK...fine have a good day gentleman I'll review the final specs. wildsign


lol


lol ya know? and def NO "member connection" hahahahaha



lol lol lol lol lol Damn I miss Member Connection lol lol lol heck for the trouble he should have ALL the transcripts from the npgmc for DL razz lol
[Edited 3/25/09 22:27pm]
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Reply #69 posted 03/25/09 10:26pm

stanleylieber

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xlr8r said:

stanleylieber said:

relax. prince's legacy is intact no matter how many records the jonas dorks sell or how many fans they attract to their website. biggrin


My point exactly.


but it's a non-point. no one here disagrees with it. the point you were bristling at doesn't even disagree with your point.
it's time for a new direction / it's time for jazz to die
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Reply #70 posted 03/25/09 10:39pm

dolorespark

stanleylieber said:

xlr8r said:



My point exactly.


but it's a non-point. no one here disagrees with it. the point you were bristling at doesn't even disagree with your point.

ALL THE CRITICS LOVE YOU IN LA..Carlos bring some of that soul sacrifice to LA.
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Reply #71 posted 03/25/09 10:50pm

ShadeoViolet

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I just feel, as a graphic design minor, I might have at least a tiny bit of insight on this issue...

When designing anything, we were always taught that FUNCTIONALITY comes before everything else. (Yes, even aesthetics.) The site has to work and work effortlessly. Period. If it doesn't do that, then all of the artistic flourishes are ignored and put to waste due to user frustration.. (Here's an analogy:: Imagine walking into an art gallery, and before you could view any of the beautiful pieces, you had to complete a successful round of Sudoku just to properly view any kind of drawing or painting.. That's just frustrating, isn't it?)

I don't know about everyone else, but when I want to visit a Prince website, I just want the music and videos. I don't want to play a game. Heck, that's why we have video game counsels. They are BUILT solely for that purpose. Trying to make a website into some elaborate "Myst" experience is just a very poor idea on its face. Why? Because it all goes back to functionality. Websites are built for this and for accessing information first and foremost. If they aren't doing that very well, then there needs to be a redesign. It really is that simple.

Plus, why would you want to alienate a large portion of your fan base who happen to be running PC's with lower specs? If anyone has ever wondered why the "Diablo" video game series has been so ridiculously popular after all these years, I speculate that a large part of its success might have to do with the fact that ANYONE with ANY kind of computer can smoothly run the game. (PC or Mac) This increases your potential market share greatly and ends up benefiting everyone involved..

Basically, it comes down to this:: Make the website leaner, faster, and more straightforward. I say this even as a Graphic Design minor and Art major. There's a time and place for clever Flash tricks.. and this certainly isn't it.
Falling leaves will appear to them.. Like slow-motion rain..
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Reply #72 posted 03/25/09 11:23pm

Phantasy

avatar

heebong said:

i want my money BACK

cuz i am still not a member..

even though i got charged... mad


Me too! I paid and cannot even get on...it stays on the first webpage for me. After I log on, I am unable to click on anything. Any suggestions as to why this is? Is it because I have an older computer? Does anybody else have this problem? shrug
__________________________________________________

+++SOME THINGS ARE BETTER LEFT UNSAID+++
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Reply #73 posted 03/25/09 11:31pm

united1878

ShadeoViolet said:

I just feel, as a graphic design minor, I might have at least a tiny bit of insight on this issue...

When designing anything, we were always taught that FUNCTIONALITY comes before everything else. (Yes, even aesthetics.) The site has to work and work effortlessly. Period. If it doesn't do that, then all of the artistic flourishes are ignored and put to waste due to user frustration.. (Here's an analogy:: Imagine walking into an art gallery, and before you could view any of the beautiful pieces, you had to complete a successful round of Sudoku just to properly view any kind of drawing or painting.. That's just frustrating, isn't it?)

I don't know about everyone else, but when I want to visit a Prince website, I just want the music and videos. I don't want to play a game. Heck, that's why we have video game counsels. They are BUILT solely for that purpose. Trying to make a website into some elaborate "Myst" experience is just a very poor idea on its face. Why? Because it all goes back to functionality. Websites are built for this and for accessing information first and foremost. If they aren't doing that very well, then there needs to be a redesign. It really is that simple.

Plus, why would you want to alienate a large portion of your fan base who happen to be running PC's with lower specs? If anyone has ever wondered why the "Diablo" video game series has been so ridiculously popular after all these years, I speculate that a large part of its success might have to do with the fact that ANYONE with ANY kind of computer can smoothly run the game. (PC or Mac) This increases your potential market share greatly and ends up benefiting everyone involved..

Basically, it comes down to this:: Make the website leaner, faster, and more straightforward. I say this even as a Graphic Design minor and Art major. There's a time and place for clever Flash tricks.. and this certainly isn't it.


Interesting stuff.
Oh, and I wouldn't mind the Sudoku thing. I'm an addict to them cool
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Reply #74 posted 03/26/09 12:16am

kbarso

The reason the videos are so choppy is that there are too high of a quality. Lower the quality and then the buffer will fill up faster than the play speed. Same for the audio MP3's. 320kps is over kill is you have the WAV versions. 193 kb s is more than enough if you put them on a portable player. I have a 3.2G machine and 4G memory and get choppy video. We all need a T3 connection. Anyone try the site on their company network?
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Reply #75 posted 03/26/09 12:45am

Militant

avatar

moderator

kbarso said:

The reason the videos are so choppy is that there are too high of a quality. Lower the quality and then the buffer will fill up faster than the play speed.


True that! The 'Crimson & Clover' video is OVER 30 MB!!!! Way too much for a stream that's accomodating to everyone, IMO.
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Reply #76 posted 03/26/09 12:52am

BartVanHemelen

avatar

ShadeoViolet said:

I just feel, as a graphic design minor, I might have at least a tiny bit of insight on this issue...

When designing anything, we were always taught that FUNCTIONALITY comes before everything else. (Yes, even aesthetics.) The site has to work and work effortlessly. Period. If it doesn't do that, then all of the artistic flourishes are ignored and put to waste due to user frustration.. (Here's an analogy:: Imagine walking into an art gallery, and before you could view any of the beautiful pieces, you had to complete a successful round of Sudoku just to properly view any kind of drawing or painting.. That's just frustrating, isn't it?)

I don't know about everyone else, but when I want to visit a Prince website, I just want the music and videos. I don't want to play a game. Heck, that's why we have video game counsels. They are BUILT solely for that purpose. Trying to make a website into some elaborate "Myst" experience is just a very poor idea on its face. Why? Because it all goes back to functionality. Websites are built for this and for accessing information first and foremost. If they aren't doing that very well, then there needs to be a redesign. It really is that simple.

Plus, why would you want to alienate a large portion of your fan base who happen to be running PC's with lower specs? If anyone has ever wondered why the "Diablo" video game series has been so ridiculously popular after all these years, I speculate that a large part of its success might have to do with the fact that ANYONE with ANY kind of computer can smoothly run the game. (PC or Mac) This increases your potential market share greatly and ends up benefiting everyone involved..

Basically, it comes down to this:: Make the website leaner, faster, and more straightforward. I say this even as a Graphic Design minor and Art major. There's a time and place for clever Flash tricks.. and this certainly isn't it.


You don't need to be an Graphic Design minor and Art major to figure that out. This is EXACTLY THE SAME CRAP we went through with NPGMC v1.
© Bart Van Hemelen
This posting is provided AS IS with no warranties, and confers no rights.
It is not authorized by Prince or the NPG Music Club. You assume all risk for
your use. All rights reserved.
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Reply #77 posted 03/26/09 12:59am

BartVanHemelen

avatar

kbarso said:

The reason the videos are so choppy is that there are too high of a quality. Lower the quality and then the buffer will fill up faster than the play speed.


The problem is that they're running inside a HUGE 3D FLASH app that is sucking all power from your graphics card.

kbarso said:

Same for the audio MP3's. 320kps is over kill


Oh come on. You're complaining about a 100 MB zip? That's ONE 720p HD trailer at Apple -- the 1080p trailers are even bigger.

kbarso said:

193 kb s is more than enough if you put them on a portable player.


Perhaps there should be a VBR version available. But then I look at the level of questions here ("what is WAV?") and I despair to think what would happen if you offer people the choice between TWO sets of MP3s.

Then again, I bet I could have build them a site where you would have that option and you wouldn't hear anyone complain or ask questions (as long as they weren't too lazy to read the instructions).

kbarso said:

I have a 3.2G machine and 4G memory and get choppy video. We all need a T3 connection.


The site runs perfectly well on my PC at home, and it's not like I have some pimped out state of the art machine. I also have cable broadband, but nothing that special.
© Bart Van Hemelen
This posting is provided AS IS with no warranties, and confers no rights.
It is not authorized by Prince or the NPG Music Club. You assume all risk for
your use. All rights reserved.
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Reply #78 posted 03/26/09 1:04am

harveya

avatar

CarrieMpls said:

Nice to see them address the concerns.

I think it's funny they pass the message along here and don't say that on their very own site, though.

lol


Another page might make it even slower lol
We ain't from Hollywood, so you know it's all good
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Reply #79 posted 03/26/09 1:09am

Copycat



Prince's New Subscription Web Site Greeted by Complaints and Derision
March 25
Link

After spending most of 2009 promoting his new online presence, Minnesota's own Prince finally launched LotusFlow3r.com Tuesday night as a paid site. And mere moments after paying their $77 for full admission, many Prince fans took to the Internet to start complaining.

Difficulty downloading songs, a cumbersome interface and overall lack of content were among the cries aired on the fan message board Prince.org, which inadvertently ended up acting as an FAQ for folks scratching their heads as to just how, exactly, they could sign up to join LotusFlow3r.com in the first place.

(The trick is to click on the small purple ticket found on the splash page and enter "1986" and "Los Angeles" into the blanks.)

So far, the $77 membership fee gives users access to photos (taken from his recent book "21 Nights"), video clips from recent live performances (streaming in a choppy manner that makes viewing them a chore) and the option to download and/or stream Prince's three new albums, the guitar-heavy "LOtUSFLOW3R," the synth-driven "MPLSoUND" and "Elixir," a Sade-like effort featuring Prince's latest protégé, Bria Valente. Numerous users have reported problems with corrupted music files and the need to download them several times.

Prince may be too busy to work out the bugs on LotusFlow3r.com. He's performing live the rest of the week on NBC's "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno. Saturday night, he'll stage a trio of concerts in the Los Angeles area. And Sunday, the physical versions of his new albums will arrive exclusively in Target stores, bundled together for the price of $11.98.
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Reply #80 posted 03/26/09 1:14am

idas

Anxiety said:

This note just came our way:


We understand that several people have had issues with the site, and we're working diligently to address them all as quickly as possible. With the great amount of traffic that we've received there have been some issues getting the large amount of content in the site out to everyone simultaneously. We're currently doubling the size of our server farm in order to make sure that fans can get all of the albums and videos they desire. To accommodate our friends overseas we've relaxed some of the normal security checks put in place by American banks. Since the vault has 3D and video, which is pushing the boundary of the web and current technology, only newer machines can adequately handle it. If fans are experiencing choppy videos in the vault, they should click the fullscreen button on the video and it should improve their experience. Thanks to everyone for their patience while we scale up LotusFlow3r.com to accommodate the great response from Prince fans all over the world.

Thanks so much,
Scott




whatever, I still didn't get my tix.
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Reply #81 posted 03/26/09 1:24am

BlueZebra

Anxiety said:

This note just came our way:


We understand that several people have had issues with the site, and we're working diligently to address them all as quickly as possible. With the great amount of traffic that we've received there have been some issues getting the large amount of content in the site out to everyone simultaneously. We're currently doubling the size of our server farm in order to make sure that fans can get all of the albums and videos they desire. To accommodate our friends overseas we've relaxed some of the normal security checks put in place by American banks. Since the vault has 3D and video, which is pushing the boundary of the web and current technology, only newer machines can adequately handle it. If fans are experiencing choppy videos in the vault, they should click the fullscreen button on the video and it should improve their experience. Thanks to everyone for their patience while we scale up LotusFlow3r.com to accommodate the great response from Prince fans all over the world.

Thanks so much,
Scott


This message contains BS on so many levels that I'd rather see them.

Anyway, those of you that are on Twitter can follow and inquire @joyent . Joyent is the company that provides (part of?) the cloud resources for lotusflow3r.
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Reply #82 posted 03/26/09 1:41am

misteron

Ilove said:

Anxiety said:



well ya know,

there are 3,000+ MFs on this site!!!! eyepop

Im a SMF



Does that stand for slutty or skanky? lol Ok I should stop drinking now.
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Reply #83 posted 03/26/09 2:28am

funkyhead

serioulsy, if ran my business like this i'd go bust within weeks. It really is hard to imagine the planning could be any worse than this. Fair play that Scott has replied directly but surely it would have been better to assume that they needed to have a worst case scenario on capacity capacity i.e. if I were P my first question would be 'if 250k fans wanted to register around the world within a short time frame do we have a system that could cope'?.
This is a real shame because I think we all agree that this really is some of the strongest material he has done in many years and deserves much better.
Scott it's all about planning!.
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Reply #84 posted 03/26/09 2:53am

squirrelgrease

avatar

kbarso said:

The reason the videos are so choppy is that there are too high of a quality. Lower the quality and then the buffer will fill up faster than the play speed. Same for the audio MP3's. 320kps is over kill is you have the WAV versions. 193 kb s is more than enough if you put them on a portable player. I have a 3.2G machine and 4G memory and get choppy video. We all need a T3 connection. Anyone try the site on their company network?


If prince.org were to be made idiot proof, someone would just invent a better idiot.
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Reply #85 posted 03/26/09 3:15am

NME

epic FAIL.

these graphic designers / managers of Prince are really f-king up. right there, they say the site is suited to newer computers. good business idea....restrict the potential audience from day one, load site with horrible (and dated) Flash animations, tell Prince (who isn't all that clued up), "wow, you are SO popular the really expensive site we billed you for has FAIL".

i feel bad for prince. his age is showing, when it comes to the business. he just got taken for a ride.
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Reply #86 posted 03/26/09 3:16am

Veej

avatar

ShadeoViolet said:

I just feel, as a graphic design minor, I might have at least a tiny bit of insight on this issue...

When designing anything, we were always taught that FUNCTIONALITY comes before everything else. (Yes, even aesthetics.) The site has to work and work effortlessly. Period. If it doesn't do that, then all of the artistic flourishes are ignored and put to waste due to user frustration.. (Here's an analogy:: Imagine walking into an art gallery, and before you could view any of the beautiful pieces, you had to complete a successful round of Sudoku just to properly view any kind of drawing or painting.. That's just frustrating, isn't it?)

I don't know about everyone else, but when I want to visit a Prince website, I just want the music and videos. I don't want to play a game. Heck, that's why we have video game counsels. They are BUILT solely for that purpose. Trying to make a website into some elaborate "Myst" experience is just a very poor idea on its face. Why? Because it all goes back to functionality. Websites are built for this and for accessing information first and foremost. If they aren't doing that very well, then there needs to be a redesign. It really is that simple.

Plus, why would you want to alienate a large portion of your fan base who happen to be running PC's with lower specs? If anyone has ever wondered why the "Diablo" video game series has been so ridiculously popular after all these years, I speculate that a large part of its success might have to do with the fact that ANYONE with ANY kind of computer can smoothly run the game. (PC or Mac) This increases your potential market share greatly and ends up benefiting everyone involved..

Basically, it comes down to this:: Make the website leaner, faster, and more straightforward. I say this even as a Graphic Design minor and Art major. There's a time and place for clever Flash tricks.. and this certainly isn't it.


Nice post, eloquently put. Good to be reminded of the form & function principle, thanks!

As for the site, jeez, could it be made any harder? A mean for fucks sake a quiz to pay your money???? What genius thought that up?? Right there, the whole thing starts as a function nightmare.
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Reply #87 posted 03/26/09 3:30am

Veej

avatar

^ makes me wonder how I would have signed up without the org?
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Reply #88 posted 03/26/09 3:32am

txladykat

avatar

CarrieMpls said:

Anxiety said:


Since the vault has 3D and video, which is pushing the boundary of the web and current technology, only newer machines can adequately handle it. If fans are experiencing choppy videos in the vault, they should click the fullscreen button on the video and it should improve their experience.


This is my main concern as it seems most of the others have been fixed (or have for me anyway). But, as I said on another thread, my laptop exceeds their requirements and is only a year and a half old. I have hi-speed internet. I don't have a problem watching streaming video anywhere else on the net (netflix, hulu, nbc, etc.) and watch most of my tv shows that way these days and yet even the full-screen version of the vault videos are still choppy for me. It's very, very frustrating.

Still, nice to see they're working on it.


That is exactly my situation. Laptop less than a year old. I watch all my tv shows online since I am in Europe and don't get American channels, and have absolutely NO problems with those.
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Reply #89 posted 03/26/09 3:51am

Rorywan

avatar

Anxiety said:

This note just came our way:


We understand that several people have had issues with the site, and we're working diligently to address them all as quickly as possible. With the great amount of traffic that we've received there have been some issues getting the large amount of content in the site out to everyone simultaneously. We're currently doubling the size of our server farm in order to make sure that fans can get all of the albums and videos they desire. To accommodate our friends overseas we've relaxed some of the normal security checks put in place by American banks. Since the vault has 3D and video, which is pushing the boundary of the web and current technology, only newer machines can adequately handle it. If fans are experiencing choppy videos in the vault, they should click the fullscreen button on the video and it should improve their experience. Thanks to everyone for their patience while we scale up LotusFlow3r.com to accommodate the great response from Prince fans all over the world.

Thanks so much,
Scott



Oh my god, could he be anymore condescending?

1. "that several people have had issues with the site"
Several THOUSAND people HAVE issues with the site.

2. "fans can get all of the albums and videos they desire."
That is why folk paid 77$ to join, its not like an after thought, did u plan
or even care? The files are corrupt, the mp3s are not even titled..Ridiculous!

3. "3D and video, which is pushing the boundary of the web and current technology, only newer machines can adequately handle it."
Do you think we are STUPID. I have a brand new high spec Imac, Powerbook and a PC in my office. NONE of them can handle it. IT IS NOT PUSHING ANY BOUNDARIES.

4. "To accommodate our friends overseas."
See the www. on the web address? That stands for WORLD WIDE WEB, Jesus is this world war 2????
WE ARE A GLOBAL MARKET, every other international site does not have these problems. It is pathetic to try and blame it in anything other than incompetence.


Talk about rubbing salt in, if you are going to make a statement, at least come clean, own up and admit the launch was a disaster.

FIX IT, Don't Bullshit.

mad
"My God it's full of Stars"
Indigo Club, September 21st 2008, 4.24am
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