Beckett Launches New Site!

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Posted By: Brandon Cacek

I wanted to put a quick post out there to let you all know that we have launched our new website. You may like what you find.

Thanks to everyone on the board for all of their input regarding our Graded Card magazine, and please keep the comments coming.

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Posted By: James Feagin

And in the words of a poster there "it is a jumbled mess". Honestly, I've never seen a more disorganized message board in my life.

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Posted By: Marty Ogelvie

I don't know about the message board, but I purchased some cards (from Beckett.com) just yesterday and even though the front end is much different, the purchase area is basically the same.  Once you get to the dealers page to puchase cards, its all the same. 

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Posted By: whitehse

I have to agree that the message board is a total mess. I have been there for over 7 years but have found the last 2 years to be somewhat frustrating because of the lack of serious posters on the boards. Combine the lack of serious posters with the new look.... I am pretty sure I will not be back. For all of its faults there has been some good information provided on that site regarding newer issues but I think that will all go by the side now as posting to those boards has become hard to do. Way to confusing and just not worth trying to navigate through!

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Posted By: J Levine

The site is SLOW!
It is confusing as well...In order to check an order status I logged in on the front page and then went to the marketplace where I had to log in again which then sent me to the front page and then I had to go back to the marketplace where I could finally check my order...

The site is confusing, confusing, and slow. The site map is incomplete and essentially is useless...

Joshua

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Posted By: Kevin

Wow, sorry but confusing is not the word. It's got to be one of the worst sites to navigate that I have ever been on. Could not find a single page I was looking for...let alone the pages I wasn't looking for.

Is there a plan "B" or is this the pre-pre beta version? Somehow I think this can't be close to complete. Then again maybe it's just me.


Kevin

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www.AlteredCards.com - in-depth education on advanced card doctoring techniques & detection with detailed examples

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Posted By: Leslie Westbrook

Let me just put my name on the list of people who really, really don't like the new Beckett site. I was a regular visitor, but I'm now very turned off, and I've already begun looking at other sites that fill the niche Beckett.com had in my life. If it was up to me, the old site would be back up ASAP with $5 gift cards to all forum members and Beckett marketplace customers, an apology and no more trying to fix what isn't broken.

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Posted By: CS Bolay

Can't even figure out how to access the message boards. Found a bunch of random junk by clicking 'Discuss' or something (too confused to remember), but no readily apparent listing of board categories. Could be just missing it, I don't know...getting senile in my 30s.

Didn't like the old site too much to be honest, but this is even worse.

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Posted By: Chris

I only frequent one store on that site (graf cards) and everything seems to be the same in that area.

My biggest complaint with the stores is there's no summary of recently added inventory. Most card sites I buy from have something like this so that customers know which sets have been recently updated. If I've already searched through a dealer's '67 Topps, I don't want to do it again if nothing has changed.

I know you can email dealers 'want lists,' but for people like me who buy a wide variety of cards that really isn't feasible.

Either suggesting that dealers provide summaries of major updates to their inventory, or somehow having automatically generated summaries (like 300 '57 Topps cards added), would be helpful to me and I presume to others.

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Posted By: Paul

I agree. It's terrible.....

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Posted By: John Basilone

The new site is a disaster. I've yet to find any collector (customer) who likes it.

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Posted By: Brandon Cacek

I have heard a number of rough comments about the new site, and I understand that it is a strech from what everyone is accustomed too. I promise that as time goes by and the new format is played with, you will see how useful the new site can be.

I know that when I first played on the site earlier this year, I had a hard time with it as well. Over the last few months in the beta testing phase, I have grown to like it a lot. I know that I work for the company, but I promise that I'm not just blankly giving it praise.

Our designers have worked really hard over the last few years on the site, and even though we launched it early this week, we knew that there were going to be glitches to be fixed. It happens with any site of this magnitude.

Thank you so much for all of your comments and please keep them coming (good or bad). They really do help.

I also want to say thank you so much for your time and for some of the emails that I have received. I promise to answer each and everyone of them personally, or I'll be sure that your questions are answered by the most qualifed employee at Beckett.

Have a great night, and I'll talk to you soon.

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Posted By: Paul

I don't have the patience in dealing with websites that are slow to load, & a pain to navigate. It shouldn't feel like work when visiting a website. It should be easy from the get go. I'll give it a try a few times, but that's about it. I know that sounds a little harsh, but I shouldn't have to spend a "few months" trying to like the new website.

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Posted By: Tim Kinserlow

This may come off a bit harsh, but this is how a lot of people feel:

First, the Beckett baseball card monthly was tinkered with, and now it's nothing more than a new version of the old Tuff Stuff magazine.

After these horrible changes, I cancelled my subscription. I had been a subscriber/buyer of their magazines since 1984, but will no longer worry about giving them my money for the garbage it has become, that's almost 2 times the price of the former Beckett baseball card monthly.

Now, the message boards and website are a disaster, so I have decided that Beckett will never get another dime of my business, until they can restore some of what they done wrong. If they never do, so be it. I'll be sure they never see my business again. I don't need them, but they need us. It seems like they forgot who made them who they are. Us collectors/hobbyists.


P.S. To add, Beckett employees don't need to pump this bull of giving it a try, how great it is, so much better, like nothing we have ever had, ect..

I understand you guys need a paycheck, but collectors know what they want. I think the new message boards created by old BMB members should be enough for Beckett to get a clue. I heard last night that they have had over 500 members join that site since the Beckett changes. Most of them were former Beckett members, so that should speak volumes as to the disgusted users/members/customers.

Beckett hurt themselves pretty severely this time.

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Posted By: Marty Ogelvie

Well, I certainly was not critical of the new site.  The new site is fine.. The message boards have always been a ZOO and I haven't visited it in a few years and don't expect to visit any time soon.  The market place is as good a interface as I have used on the web. You can easily search for a card, you can compare all the dealers who have it for sale and pick the one you want.  I don't know what else I could want in a market place.  easy as pie.

That being said, I do NOT visit Beckett frequently or use it as my main card buying source. I use it when I NEED a card FAST.  If I am not in a hurry, I can wait and find one on eBay or another avenue.. but I personally don't know of a better site that has as many cards from reputable dealers that can ship the card SAME DAY or NEXT DAY.  I don't use Becketts price guide or any of the other features on the site.  I just the market place and it works well, very well if you ask me.

martyOgelvie
New York Yankee cards

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Posted By: Matt

Brandon - I don't find the main web-site objectionable from a user-experience standpoint, but the "discussion" section is a disaster. There is an accepted presentation of message boards, where a user is first presented with a list of forums and then can pick a forum and see threads within it. It seems Beckett is trying to present something different and that's the cause of the confusion.

This reminds me of the launch of Windows Vista where the interface was different enough from all previous version of Windows to cause people major headaches, but Microsoft said "just keep using it, you'll get used to it." The difference is that Windows is the #1 OS and people don't have many other options.

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Posted By: whitehse

Brandon,

I guess I will just give Beckett time to work out the bugs and then take another look. I just dont think that the new format will be all that user friendly but I will give it the benefit of the doubt!!

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Posted By: Spike

Like some, I only use Beckett for limited purposes.

1. Seller marketplace, primarily for modern oddball cards of players I collect. It's a good umbrella for lots of vendors and I probably spent $200 there this year.
2. Create an "authoritative" list of cards for a given player. Beckett is the only site I've seen with an ability to search a vast array of sets according to player name. It also represents my only use of the "My Collections" section. (Nothing that I "own" shows up there, it's just a few lists of player names.)
3. Show calendar

#1 is pretty much unchanged, so #2 is more significant. The player search works fine for me, includes some info about the sets, and directs me to sellers. I'm OK with the searching front end and facet elements along the left sidebar. Guess that's a thumbs-up!

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Posted By: Tom

Brandon sez:
I have heard a number of rough comments about the new site, and I understand that it is a strech from what everyone is accustomed too. I promise that as time goes by and the new format is played with, you will see how useful the new site can be.

Wow - that's gotta be one of the most arrogant things that I have seen someone say about their website in a long time. Beckett actually expects people to visit the site repeatedly just to figure out the navigation?

I know you're just the messenger, Brandon, but riddle me this: Did Beckett perform any true research prior to launching this?

I'm sure if you did, you'd find that if a user can't figure out the website the first time they visit, they're not going to go back.

Beckett has become more and more irrevelant to me over the years and this redesign seals the deal.

Good luck to Beckett in the future. I just hope that one of these days, you guys stop taking your customers for granted.

-Tom

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Posted By: leon

There goes my advertising from Beckett .....Just kidding. This is all good constructive criticism and I am positive the Beckett guys are at least listening. One small word of caution. Please be very careful on the anonymity aspect of posting your concerns. So far I haven't seen anything that really crosses the boundary as most of the comments have been shared by others too....but do please be careful....take care

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Posted By: Brandon Cacek

Hello Everyone,

First, I have to point out that due to the harsh criticism that we have received, Brockelman & Luckey Auctions will no longer be able to advertise with us. Ways to go...a few have ruined it for everyone. (I am kidding of course, and I hope you can catch that tone in the above comment).

I have read each of the posts and I would like to try to answer a few questions/comments that have been breeched. I will apologize ahead of time if I do not answer everyone in this post.

Whitehse - regarding your "lack of serious posters" comment. - These boards are designed to allow everyone to come on and give their own opinion. Unfortunately, with that we will see a number of posters that take advantage of it. (I actually read a thread last night between two or three posters that said nothing more than "what are you up to?...nothing on this end how about yourself". It was nothing more than a transcript of a phone conversation. Thank you for your second post where you stated that you would still give our site a little more time to iron out the kinks.

Kevin - We did Beta test the site, and there were a number of issues that were addressed during that phase. I'm sure that you will understand that with the Beta testing phase still in progress, our site is not complete as of yet, and there is a huge difference between a typical in-house Beta test, and actually going live in Beta mode. I will be honest and say that there are a number of aspects on the new site that employees of Beckett are actually trying to get worked out too, so it is not as if we launched with the intention that everything was going to go smooth. However, what a better way to do it than actually going live and listening to feedback from our users.

Leslie - Sorry that the old site has gone away, and I am also sorry that I cannot get you that $5 gift card that you were hoping for. I will ask the higher ups, but I cannot promise anything.

Paul - I appreciate that you are willing to give it a try a few times, and please feel free to shoot me an email or give me a call if you get snagged anywhere on the site, and I will do my best to help you out.

Tim - Yes, we did adjust our publications slightly in the last year, but it was not with the intention to take away anything from the collectors. If anything it was to provide that much more information to you without bombarding you with magazines every so many weeks. We still have the four core sports titles that deal with raw cards within their specific sport (includes the material from the previous monthly and plus titles), and come out an average of seven issues a year (4-5 within the season, 2-3 outside of the season). Then our new Mutlisport magazine only fills the holes as far as new material is concerned. Therefore, if there is a long stretch between this issue of baseball for example and the next one, someone could potentially pick up the multisport title to get the latest news. Then all of the Graded cards have been encased in our magazine Graded Card Investor (six issues a year). We are also not trying to eliminate our customers, actually, we are trying to allow them to be more involved with the hobby by being able to submit information into our Beckettpedia feature, and adjust the site as a whole with comments, price suggestions, etc.

Matt - We have heard a lot that the discussion boards are a mess, and I assure you that is one feature we are working hard to fix as fast as we can. Even internally, we are having a few issues with this section of the new site, so I completely understand where you are coming from.

Tom - We just want people to know that with all of the drastic changes from the previous site, it might take a little time to learn to navigate. I know that I frequent sites on the web that were not always the easiest to figure out. Heck, there are some that I am still learning all of the features and how I can use them. We really are not trying to take customers for granted. Actually quite the opposite. This site was designed with collectors in mind and through extensive research within the hobby as a whole.

I hope that I have been able to help a few of you out with our new site. I really do understand that a number of you are frustrated with the site, and I cannot even begin to tell you how helpful it is to hear your concerns and questions. Just like everything else that we produce, the only way to please our customers is to listen to what they want, and do our best to give it to them.

As you can see, even on the Net 54 board (where you all gather with a relatively similar collecting niche), there are many opinions on how it should/could be ran. With our site, we have numerous collectors that range from the person collecting pre-war cards with specific backs, to the guys/gals who are collecting the most modern of cards. Then there are the large numbers of collectors who fall in the middle.

Thank you all again, for everything and I really do appreciate the feedback, and I hope that I was able to help you out a little.

p.s. - I should note that I do not get a bonus at work for putting nice comments on line. If I did, I would be on here a lot more.

Brandon Cacek

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Posted By: Paul

Hey Brandon, I'll give it a try more than a "few times". I was at work last night, & when I posted I was a little grumpier than usual. I'm allowed to flip flop. I just might have a bright future in politics I suppose. Sincerely, Paul

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Posted By: Tony Gordon

Where is the show calendar? I emailed customer service on Monday and have not received a response.

___

I just found it. There is a Show Calendar tab at the bottom of the page.

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Posted By: Bryan Long

Even though I don't care for the site either I do have to admit that it says something that they are willing to come on here and respond to everyone. I am willing to give it some time to see if any of the suggestions are taken when the final site comes out.

.

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Posted By: John J. Grillo

They didn't tinker with the registry side and that is the main site I am going to use. I do find the new format confusing. I tried adding a few ungraded cards and the site doesn't allow you to put a dollar amount (even though it is an option) and I still can't figure out how to delete a category.

I wouldn't have tinkered with it, but would have considered having a "collector's showcase" or "way I collect" registry like PSA and SGC. For example, if I have a graded Jim Rice, Roberto Clemente, and Harmon Killbrew cards, I have to create 3 separate player sets...why not just have a collector's showcase?

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Posted By: Duke42

edited due to anonymity....

Duke- as I said a few posts up you can say what you want to but you need to put your name out here....this one crossed the boundary imo....and please don't take this personally...it's the rules....

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Posted By: Richard Cline - RC

I only used Beckett to keep in touch with those who were on the vintage board, especially the latest pickups. It doesn't seem to be very user friendly as all baseball posts go on one page and without the number of vintage pickup posts on their site as on this one, the post will slip to back pages fairly quickly.

I'll give it some time to see how it evolves but there seem to be a large number of people very disappointed for now.

RC

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Posted By: Kevin Saucier

Thought I would give it yet another chance. Spent over an hour trying to add just one card I recently had graded to what I think is some kind of registry. All I was able to do was login.

I give up!



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www.AlteredCards.com - in-depth education on advanced card doctoring techniques & detection with detailed examples

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Posted By: jamie

Brandon,
I was a very loyal poster on the Beckett message boards going back to 2003. It was one of the sites I checked in daily- if not to post, then to at least read. When news of the revamped site began to circulate, I wasn't the slightest bit concerned- change is ineveitable and I've seen Beckett make a lot of great improvements in their magazine since I picked up my first copy in 1985. I obviously should have been more concerned. The new site is dreadful and impossible to navigate. The message boards are especially a mess. It's been several weeks now and I still can't even log in with my original id. I had to sign up with a new id just to attempt making a post (which I promptly gave up on). It's a message board- a heavily trafficked area of your website where everyone is supposed to be able to access and interact. All these bells and whistles are simply unneccessary. For a website to best be functional, it has to be built on existing conventions, functionality that your users are already familiar and comfortable with. You've thrown out everything that works and only made it more difficult. I'm guessing you hired a design firm to revamp the website which would explain why you're sticking so stubbornly what is clearly a failed effort- you've probably sunk some cash into its creation. But when 90% of your existing users tell you something isn't working, maybe it's time to swallow your pride and pocket book and start listening.

Count me as one of many very unhappy and former message board and magazine viewers.
Jamie Wasserman
jwasserman

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Posted By: Anonymous

I've been using BGS on all my modern stuff and using there registeries as well for the last 3 years and have been very pleased.

Over the last 6 months I have decided to use them for my vintage as well and have started a couple new registeries.

Now I'm not so sure.. There registery has been killed imo. I have spent many hours on their site since the launch to learn how everything works (which I have) as I really wanted to give them a chance.

I probally won't be going to there site any longer, It's too bad as I felt they had a really good thing going and a solid chance at their registeries taking off.

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Posted By: Cobby33

Remember that message boards are only as good (or bad) as those who post. Most message boards are zoos- which is why you should stay away if you have a low tolerance for horsesh*t. I will say, however, that Beckett is very responsive to abuses of their terms by their posters.

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Posted By: Brandon Cacek

Hello Again,

I wanted to let you know that I have emailed each of the posters individually regarding their concerns with the new website. A lot of there concerns were on a level that wouldn't have helped everyone if I would have posted the answers.

The only one that I couldnn't respond to was the annonymous post by DavidSchreck. If your still around please shoot me an email and I'll be more than happy to help you out.

Thanks again to everyone for their posts and their time.

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Posted By: Anonymous

Brandon,
There's really not much I need help with as far as understanding the site. Like I said in my post from above since the site launch I spent plenty of time on the site to learn it which I did. I know where everything is at my registeries have been switched over ect..

I just don't like the layout.

Registeries.
I want to click BGS/BVG grading services = click registeries = click sport = Then see every Year/set on one page the way it use to be. I can then scroll down the page clicking every year/set I want to view quick and easy.

Now I have to type in the set in the search bar = click the right set from the list that pops up = the click the grade tab = then click registeries = then repeat If I want to view 30 sets across all sports this takes forever.. It's just not worth my time..

Pop reports..
Before really simple. Click population reports = use the drop down menu for sport = type in the year = you then have every card from the set on one page simply scroll down and check the pops for each card..

Now you have to type in the the exact card player/year/set/ into the search bar = then click the proper card from the list the pops up = then click grade. If I'm searching the pop reports on 40 cards this is once again too time consuming just not worth my time.

I'll Leave it at these 2 problems for now. Once they get addressed I will bring up 2 more issues I have. No sense In writing down 15 problems I see to only see 3 be addressed.

Thanks for your time.
David.

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Posted By: Mike C

I have been watching this post since its inception and wanted to give it some time before I went to the site.

When I typed in the homepage, I saw the countdown message for a split second. I found this odd.

The very first page is too busy and too blue. Couldn't the different "branches" be different colors?

I think I moved "my collection" into the "organize" section. It told me I was 594 in line and that a message would go into my Beckett inbox. I have a Beckett inbox? And now I have to wait until 594 collections get migrated over?!?!?!? So, if I am correct, I spent all that time inputting my cards and now can't view them?

So then I did a search for 1954 Aaron and the first item was a 1983 card. After clicking through 3 pages, I found the "shop" section which looks exactly like the old section.

All it appears to me is that the top 2 - 4 level pages were changed and the underlying content is stayed the same.

But even with that, it is too much. I won't be going back and all I was using was the "my collection" and occasionally browsing the shops. I never bought from merchant. I was using them for grading and keeping track of the submitted cards in "my collection." Since I can't find "my collection" or I am 594th on the list, I am going to seriously reconsider the entire process.

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Posted By: Brandon

Mike,

I wanted to send a quick note to let you know about your "my collection" on the new site. The reason for the list that your on is one that I hope you can understand.

Our old site was up for a lengthy period of time, and in that time a very large number of collections were created. Over the years a substantial portion of those collections were abandond.

Rather than tranfering over all of these "orphaned" collections before we went live, we waited and then only transfered those for individuals who came to the new site and logged on for the first time.

In the last week our site has been busy with people loggin on for the first time, and in doing so asking for their collections to be transfered. (I think the highest number on the list of collections that I heard were waiting in the que to be transfered was around 5000).

Now that it has slowed up a bit (People coming for the first time), the list is getting signifigantly shorter. Your collection should appear soon, and I hopes the transition to be a little better for you.

Yes, the design and layout of the new site is "new" and "unique". Our designers worked very hard to create a site that can grow and be adjusted from input that we recieve from our visitors, thus the idea of a 2.0 website. (Almost like a Wikipedia type format).

I hope that this helps, and that you give it another shot when your collection appears. Thank you for your post, and feel free to post here again with anything else that may come up, or shoot me an email directly.

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Posted By: Anonymous

edited out.....You can't be anonymous with good or bad accusations....For the record this was a good one but to keep it "real" we need to have names and good contact info...nothing personal...

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Posted By: Anonymous

Oaklandasfan..

So for those of us who do not like it should we lie and say it's great? It's our opinions if you like it that's fine but like you we can offer feedback as well.

you say give it a chance I for one have I've already figured everything out ect. Hence my opinion...

Since I'm here I might as well bring up another Issue I have..

On the new BGS/BVG registeries you can now add SGC/PSA/GAI cards to it.. Some people may like this option but I feel it's a slap in the face to a collector who may have been working on say a BVG set for 3 years and was at the #1 spot. Someone could waltz in enter there PSA graded cards and knock them out of first place.. Again some may not care as not everyone is into the whole registery thing, But many are and many are upset by this.

Under this "new" format there may be more SGC/PSA cards on Beckett's registery than actual BVG/BGS graded material. It just doesn't seem Like the best way to promote the Beckett grading name. As for as crossovers there is no longer a need for that as you can enter cards from different companies and still participate in the registeries..

Since the site launch a now former Beckett site user started his own forum. Last I checked it was around 600 registered members all of which are unhappy with the new site and will not be returning, This should tell beckett something imo.

I mention these things not to be "rude" but to be honest So please don't take it that way Brandon or anyone else for that matter.

David.

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Posted By: Brandon

I have been posting to some of the comments that I have read on this board and through my email. All I'm trying to do is clear up some information that may have been misunderstood, or not to clear regarding the new site and Beckett in general.

I'm not trying to stay on this thread until everyone says that they love every aspect of the site. I'm simply trying to provide a service so that false information doesn't run the rumor mill and gets perceived as truth.

I have emailed a number of posters directly (including DavidSchreck) in an attempt to address each of their concerns. Some of which have actually been apreciative for the information yet admit that the site just isn't for them.

Just trying to help on this end and nothing more. Again, I don't get bonus points for persuading people to use the site. I just know that with the size of the change, there are going to be questions out there that need to be answered.

Thank you all for your emails, and comments (both good and bad). I really enjoy this board, and have nothing but the highest respect for each and every member that posts/reads.

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Posted By: Cobby33

Brandon-
Always remember- you can't please everyone. I think the site is fine.