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Changes To WizardResponder &
Why...
As You will
probably be aware, WizardResponder
recently had some major changes applied to
it, and unlike the upgrade from version
1.0 to 2.0 which happened back in April,
we did not inform our users in advance
that it was taking place.
Now that the
changes have been applied, and the service
is back up and running, it seemed only
right we explain why these changes were
applied - as well as why we did not inform
our subscribers of what was happening.
So Let's Start At The Beginning....
Those
members who have been with us for a while
will know we planned the upgrade process
from Version 1.0 to 2.0 for many months in
advance. We wanted the process to be 100%
seamless for both our members and every
one of their subscribers.
This Was The Most Important Factor To Us
When Planning The Changes - That We
Continue To Give The BEST Service To Our
Customers
Whilst we
were extremely proud of the success of
WizardResponder 1.0, we had a number of
reasons for wanting to upgrade to a newer
version of the service. They included:
 Updated
Script Language: (PHP Based Script) Which
is more secure & reliable.
FULLY
INTERGRATED Members area - Using a single
Log in to access both the members area
& the WizardResponder Control Panel.
Updated
features - Including RSS Broadcast System
New
Integrated Affiliate Center - Managing All aspects of your Affiliate
account.
New system
that allowed
us flexibility to grow and add new features as time goes on.
There
were many many more reasons we wanted to
upgrade - All of them based on enhancing
the service we provide to our members.
So after
(What seemed like forever, to me!) plenty
of planning and road-testing, we migrated
our members over to the new service -
Including all our members Autoresponders,
messages, and most importantly, their
subscribers. We managed to create a
"Snapshot" where the old service
stopped, and the new began.
"So
if a subscriber was due to be sent message
4 of 7, from Autoresponder 375, from
Member 223, 2 days after we stopped using
the old script... Then the subscriber
WAS
sent message 4 of 7, from Autoresponder
375, from Member 223 - 2 days after we
migrated -
Just from the NEW VERSION"
We created
re-direct pages, so anyone using a sign-up
form created in the old version of
WizardResponder to submit their details,
was redirected to the new script
automatically. So NO LOSS
of subscribers at all!
The
migration went REALLY well, and we have
had some great feedback from our members.
- Both regarding the great new features in
the Control panel, as well as the newly
designed members area.
This was so
gratifying for me personally, as I put
quite a lot of time and effort, (As well
as a few tantrums, that nearly had my PC
going out of the window!) into making it
right for our customers.
As with
anything new - there were a few "teething
troubles" a few bugs that only get found
when you actually go live with a new
service, and nothing that couldn't be
corrected.
However -
There are a few bugs which it has proven
impossible to rectify, these are mainly
around the Global Broadcast & Message
Sheduler features, but they are not
something we can or want to overlook.
For those of
you who regularly read Randy's blog and or
subscribe to one of his many lists will
probably have heard about duplicate
messages being sent out to some - whilst
no messages to others. It is this
behaviour of the script which caused both
Randy & myself the greatest concern.
There's no way we could allow the script
to act in this way with our members
valuable, hard earned, subscriber lists.
You only need to read Randy's Blog to
see the way some subscribers reacted to
receiving a single message multiple times.
And who can blame them? Would you be happy
at receiving a message over and over to
your inbox?
Us Neither.
And above all else, it's
TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE both to us,
our members, and all their subscribers.
So Why Can't We Fix It..?
A valid
question. Simply put, Wizardresponder is
made up of code we created ourselves, and
some created by a 3rd party. The part
created by the 3rd party is IonCube
Encoded. In simple terms, I cannot look at
the source code of these encoded pages to
understand what is happening - Or more
importantly, what's going wrong.
The only way
to view these files, is by the user who
encoded them applying the decoder. In this
case, the person who created them.
We have been
constantly trying to contact the creator
of these files for support, but to no
avail. And without the decoded
information, it's impossible to see or
change anything. Full Stop.
So this was
where we were a few weeks ago. Randy had
actually LOST subscribers due to the way
the software was behaving and I was
powerless to do anything about it.
So We Had To Make A Call. And Make
It Fast.
Which is
exactly what we did. I sourced a coder who
had the necessary files that could replace
the Control Panel section of
WizardResponder, and as well as having all
the features our members have come to
expect, it's got a
WHOLE LOAD MORE TOO!
Ultimatly,
this has cost us quite a bit of cash - but
we believe it was the right thing to do.
An
Autoresponder service is unlike most other
services that are out there: In that it
does things for our members when they are
offline, and it works in "real-time"
So if a membership site goes down for
example - Then hey, it means no one can
access the site till its fixed. Not great
i grant you, but certainly not the "end of
the world" When a service such as ours
stops or does not work correctly, then a
whole lot of things go wrong:
-
EVERY Member Loses Possible
Subscribers.
-
TIME-SENSITIVE Emails Are Not
Sent.
-
UNWANTED Emails Are Sent To
1000's Of Subscribers. - Sometimes
MULTIPLE TIMES!
Well, you
get the picture. It's something where time
is of the essence - Both for our own, and
our members reputation.
So we've
taken the only steps we belive would
ensure WizardResponder goes on giving you
the service you've come to expect from us.
It's just had to happen at pace, and far
less smoother than we'd have wanted. But
that's the situation we were in, and I'm
pretty sure most of our members will
understand why it had to happen like this.
OK, Lets Look At The Changes,
Which Are Effective As Of NOW
Let's start
by reassuring you all that:
Your Existing Autoresponders, messages,
And Subscribers Have Been transferred To
The New Service. - So as
far as your messages being sent to your
existing subscribers, its BUSINESS AS
USUAL.
Hopefully
the following Q's & A's will go someway to
answering the next questions you have
about the changes, but as with the nature
of these changes, we do ask you to bear
with us!
You can
still log on to the members area at the
original URL:
http://wizardresponder.com/v2/members.php
But you will notice some of the links have
been disabled. This is due to the
information no longer being relevant. Also
the "WR-Control Panel " link is not active
- This is due to the site still needing to
be fully integrated. (Work-In-Progress)
There is a
link from the members area to the
Control-Panel, or alternatively you can go
direct to the Control-Panel Log On Page
here:
http://wizardresponder.com/wr/index.php
To Access The Control Panel, Your Username
And Password
ARE EXACTLY THE SAME AS FOR THE MEMBERS
AREA - Your Email Address
and existing password. These details
remain unchanged.
-
Is there anything else that I
need to know or do ..?
yes - The
old signup forms will no long add
subscribers to the Autoresponders in your
new account - You will need to generate
new form code in the new Control Panel -
But don't worry! - We've put in place a
"capture system - So that anyone
subscribing using one of your old forms,
will be stored and transferred to your
lists at a later date.
Anyone with
multiple forms, leading to the same
Autoresponder list, please submit a
support ticket, as we have some software
on order that can automate the replacement
process for you.
Please Note
- This page will be updated soon.
Regards
Randy Smith
& Pete crossman
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