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#387242 - Mon Sep 17 2007 05:48 AM I can't create a new quiz
mick_is_god Participant Registered: Mon Sep 17 2007 Posts: 8 Loc: Walsall, England	Hello, I have already created 10 quizzes on Fun Trivia, and I want to create some more, but when I try to create one, I get a message saying 'Temporarily unavailable?'. This message comes up for a number of different subjects such as Music, Sports, History etc., and has done so for a few days now. Can anyone tell me why this is? Thanks.
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#387243 - Mon Sep 17 2007 05:57 AM Re: I can't create a new quiz
cinnam0n Moderator Registered: Tue Nov 02 2004 Posts: 6750 Loc: Pennsylvania USA	Read the entire thread before this entitled "Quiz Creation Temporarily Disabled."
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#387244 - Mon Sep 17 2007 06:12 AM Re: I can't create a new quiz
mick_is_god Participant Registered: Mon Sep 17 2007 Posts: 8 Loc: Walsall, England	Thanks for that cinnam0n. I feel so stupid now! It just seemed to me that new quizzes were being added everyday so I didn't think there was a problem with the system, maybe just my username.
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#387245 - Mon Sep 17 2007 06:21 AM Re: I can't create a new quiz
sue943 Administrator Registered: Sun Dec 19 1999 Posts: 38005 Loc: Jersey Channel Islands	The quizzes appearing as new online are those which were being worked on before the site went down. It can be confusing. _________________________ Many a child has been spoiled because you can't spank a Grandma!
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#387246 - Mon Sep 17 2007 09:19 AM Re: I can't create a new quiz
Jar Multiloquent Registered: Wed Apr 11 2001 Posts: 4224 Loc: Texas USA	I wonder if this is not fortuitous -- the editors are getting a bit of a chance to catch up if they have any backlog of quizzes waiting to go on line. _________________________ If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep. -Dale Carnegie
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#387247 - Mon Sep 17 2007 10:14 AM Re: I can't create a new quiz
dg_dave Champion Poster Registered: Sun Oct 05 2003 Posts: 24575 Loc: near Stafford, Virginia USA	Quote: the editors are getting a bit of a chance to catch up if they have any backlog of quizzes waiting to go on line. Considering about every category's wait time can be upwards of over 100 days, I'd presume they have a major backlog. I think it's a blessing for the eds to get the queues down to a more tolerable level. It may be why the site issues started in the first place. _________________________ The way to get things done is NOT to mind who gets the credit for doing them. --Benjamin Jowett No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. --Eleanor Roosevelt The day we lose our will to fight is the day we lose our freedom.
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#387248 - Mon Sep 17 2007 10:36 AM Re: I can't create a new quiz
Bruyere Star Poster Registered: Sat Feb 10 2001 Posts: 18899 Loc: California USA	Gee, it doesn't look that bad. 100 days? I don't think I'd have the courage to work as an editor if it were that bad. I'm not a numbers person at all, but, I can tell you that the quizzes that are holding things up have some logistics problems. Say, there are some things that don't work properly in our format and it's hard to explain and too much for an editor to fix. So that means that, until I can think of a good way to get the person to fix it up so that it works well, it may make things look worse to you. This isn't a scientific explanation of course, but just a question of how come the the queues look very long but might not be that bad. There might be one quiz in the queue that would work, but requires about ten steps to fix it. I'm relishing the opportunity to finally do some editing after my surgery took me out of here for off and on a month, and then, the theft of my computer. My real life events really did make a difference to editing. Bruyere, funtrivia ed since 2001. _________________________ I was born under a wandering star.
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#387249 - Mon Sep 17 2007 01:12 PM Re: I can't create a new quiz
dg_dave Champion Poster Registered: Sun Oct 05 2003 Posts: 24575 Loc: near Stafford, Virginia USA	Heather, looking at the queue wait times here, as of 2:04pm CT on 9/17/07, the wait times range from as low as 14 days in Geography to as much as 130 days in General. Fifteen of twenty (75%) show wait times that could range over 100 days. The queues may not in truth be that long, but one who is really wondering about their quiz may say, "Wow! Up to four months?" Others who are new may say the same. I've been here since Feb 2001, and I've not seen times this long either before. Part of the problem could be that now that there are about 1.25M members, and if each one submits one quiz, that's 1.25M quizzes in the queue. I understand some of the logistics regarding it, but not everyone will see it that way. These numbers do not reflect crosswords in the queues. Edited by dg_dave (Mon Sep 17 2007 01:12 PM) _________________________ The way to get things done is NOT to mind who gets the credit for doing them. --Benjamin Jowett No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. --Eleanor Roosevelt The day we lose our will to fight is the day we lose our freedom.
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#387250 - Mon Sep 17 2007 01:47 PM Re: I can't create a new quiz
gman89 Explorer Registered: Thu Dec 07 2006 Posts: 91 Loc: Lexington Kentucky USA	I feel like I might get attacked here from some of the newer members, but I'm in favor of increasing number of quizzes taken/amount of time spent of FT before quiz submissions should be enabled. This has been so in the past, but has been reduced a while back. Not only would this slow the quiz submissions, but editors wouldn't have to spend as much time editing poor quizzes created by inexperienced authors. Sounds mean, but it's for everyone's benefit, really.
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#387251 - Mon Sep 17 2007 01:48 PM Re: I can't create a new quiz
kyleisalive Forum Champion Registered: Mon Mar 07 2005 Posts: 8760 Loc: Toronto, Canada, eh!	Quote: Heather, looking at the queue wait times here, as of 2:04pm CT on 9/17/07, the wait times range from as low as 14 days in Geography to as much as 130 days in General. Fifteen of twenty (75%) show wait times that could range over 100 days. The queues may not in truth be that long, but one who is really wondering about their quiz may say, "Wow! Up to four months?" Others who are new may say the same. I've been here since Feb 2001, and I've not seen times this long either before. Part of the problem could be that now that there are about 1.25M members, and if each one submits one quiz, that's 1.25M quizzes in the queue. I understand some of the logistics regarding it, but not everyone will see it that way. These numbers do not reflect crosswords in the queues. LMAO! There is nowhere near 110 days worth of quizzes in the queues. _________________________ Senior FT Editor (Video Games, Television, and Entertainment) Chat Board Moderator (Author's Lounge) Amazing Trivia Race Taskmaster/Commission Hander-Outer/TRICster
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#387252 - Mon Sep 17 2007 02:05 PM Re: I can't create a new quiz
trident Multiloquent Registered: Sun Feb 20 2005 Posts: 3332 Loc: Wisconsin USA	It certainly must be a glitch. _________________________ Perception is everything. Editor: World, History, and General
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#387253 - Mon Sep 17 2007 02:25 PM Re: I can't create a new quiz
stuthehistoryguy Prolific Registered: Fri Aug 20 2004 Posts: 1302 Loc: Omaha Nebraska USA	Quote: I feel like I might get attacked here from some of the newer members, but I'm in favor of increasing number of quizzes taken/amount of time spent of FT before quiz submissions should be enabled. This has been so in the past, but has been reduced a while back. Not only would this slow the quiz submissions, but editors wouldn't have to spend as much time editing poor quizzes created by inexperienced authors. Sounds mean, but it's for everyone's benefit, really. You may have something there. I'm speaking out of turn here, but that's the beauty of not editing anymore - diplomacy schtonk! All too often as an editor, you see quizzes submitted by players who have EXACTLY 100 quizzes played. When this happens, you just kind of exhale, because you KNOW this isn't going to be any great shakes. The player hasn't been enjoying the site, learning the ropes, and polishing their craft - they've just been buzzing through quizzes so they can put one online and have another link for their myspace. So you mark the corrections and send it back. When it's resubmitted, you notice that the number of quizzes taken has not incremented at all. This time, you take a shot of Scotch. I'm saying this just to give y'all a bit of insight here. This isn't "airing dirty laundry", this is just the way it is. Am I discouraging some potential quizmakers? Perhaps. Anyone who doesn't feel that quizwriting IS writing really ought to be discouraged - or at least encouraged to look at what they're doing and reflect on its purpose. Just my opinion. _________________________ Peace, Stu Editor, Sports
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#387254 - Mon Sep 17 2007 02:31 PM Re: I can't create a new quiz
stuthehistoryguy Prolific Registered: Fri Aug 20 2004 Posts: 1302 Loc: Omaha Nebraska USA	Quote: It certainly must be a glitch. The wait times are based on an algorithm that runs from number of quizzes in the queues and how long they've been waiting. Since the editors aren't getting a lot of new quizzes because of the disabled thingy, you're seeing fewer quizzes submitted by folks whose quizzes go through quickly due to their superior use of guidelines and conventions of the language - the P word that must not be spoken here figures into this as well. This tends to make the algorithm go goofy. Edited by stuthehistoryguy (Mon Sep 17 2007 02:44 PM) _________________________ Peace, Stu Editor, Sports
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#387255 - Mon Sep 17 2007 03:02 PM Re: I can't create a new quiz
mick_is_god Participant Registered: Mon Sep 17 2007 Posts: 8 Loc: Walsall, England	When I've created quizzes, I've usually had them sent back to me within a few days, so surely waiting times can't be that long? Does anyone know when the problem will be fixed?
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#387256 - Mon Sep 17 2007 03:18 PM Re: I can't create a new quiz
stuthehistoryguy Prolific Registered: Fri Aug 20 2004 Posts: 1302 Loc: Omaha Nebraska USA	Quote: When I've created quizzes, I've usually had them sent back to me within a few days, so surely waiting times can't be that long? It's not. You'll get weird predictions from any model if you feed in weird data. And, as our esteemed, morally superior to myself editors (which I do mean quite sincerely) have indicated, quiz creation is disabled, so things are weird. Edited by stuthehistoryguy (Mon Sep 17 2007 04:11 PM) _________________________ Peace, Stu Editor, Sports
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#387257 - Mon Sep 17 2007 03:30 PM Re: I can't create a new quiz
skunkee Star Poster Registered: Thu Oct 16 2003 Posts: 10984 Loc: Burlington Ontario Canada	Terry disabled quiz creation because the site was crashing. Perhaps these weird wait time predictions are part of that problem. _________________________ Editor: Movies/Celebrities/Crosswords "To insult someone we call him 'bestial'. For deliberate cruelty and nature, 'human' might be the greater insult." - Isaac Asimov
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#387258 - Mon Sep 17 2007 03:51 PM Re: I can't create a new quiz
gman89 Explorer Registered: Thu Dec 07 2006 Posts: 91 Loc: Lexington Kentucky USA	Quote: Does anyone know when the problem will be fixed? Again, there is an entire thread dedicated to this question directly below this thread. It's repetitive when the same members ask the same question in the same thread. (Irony on my part )
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#387259 - Mon Sep 17 2007 04:29 PM Re: I can't create a new quiz
crisw Forum Champion Registered: Mon Feb 21 2000 Posts: 5745 Loc: California USA	The algorithm is most certainly wrong. The longest I have ever seen a quiz in the regular queue is perhaps 20 days- and those were quizzes that, as explained above, needed special attention. I would say the average wait, even in busy categories, is 3 days or less- UNLESS you see the green warning screen when you create a quiz- that can slow things down considerably. Even then, I took a quick look in the busiest categories, and the longest-waiting quiz in the green screen queue was still just 14 days. _________________________ Senior Editor and Site Administrator "I'd rather make one dog happy than please all the dogmatists in the world." P. Z. Myers
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#387260 - Mon Sep 17 2007 05:11 PM Re: I can't create a new quiz
agony Administrator Registered: Sat Mar 29 2003 Posts: 16595 Loc: Western Canada	I agree with crisw - there is something off there. A couple of my categories were backed up recently, but that means a two week wait, at most. I don't think I have ever seen a 'normal' quiz having to wait longer than about that long, even when the quiz author has a proven bad record, which increases wait times.
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#387261 - Mon Sep 17 2007 06:26 PM Re: I can't create a new quiz
guitargoddess Moderator Registered: Mon Jul 09 2007 Posts: 41461 Loc: Ottawa Ontario Canada	Quote: I would say the average wait, even in busy categories, is 3 days or less- I recently (well maybe a month ago or two) waited about 3 weeks or so for one of my quizzes to go online (though I couldn't you which one, can't remember at all). I'm not saying that's very unreasonable, but I would say I have a pretty good track record and lots of my quizzes go online less than a day after being submitted. That hasn't happened again though, so I guess it was just an unusual little quirk in that category, maybe? _________________________ Editor: Television and Animals
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#387262 - Mon Sep 17 2007 07:23 PM Re: I can't create a new quiz
agony Administrator Registered: Sat Mar 29 2003 Posts: 16595 Loc: Western Canada	I think I remember the quiz, actually, and there was some problem about categorization? Or something like that - anyway, some issue that the editors needed to kick around for a while. When things like this come up in my categories, with an established and otherwise OK author, I try to send a little note letting the author know that the quiz hasn't fallen through a black hole. Sometimes forget, though.
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#387263 - Mon Sep 17 2007 07:39 PM Re: I can't create a new quiz
dg_dave Champion Poster Registered: Sun Oct 05 2003 Posts: 24575 Loc: near Stafford, Virginia USA	Quote: The algorithm is most certainly wrong. The longest I have ever seen a quiz in the regular queue is perhaps 20 days - and those were quizzes that, as explained above, needed special attention. I would say the average wait, even in busy categories, is 3 days or less - UNLESS you see the green warning screen when you create a quiz - that can slow things down considerably. Even then, I took a quick look in the busiest categories, and the longest-waiting quiz in the green screen queue was still just 14 days. Could the algorithm have caused the system crash, hence the unrealistically high numbers? I was figuring 3-14 days was more realistic. It wasn't until just recently that these numbers went unrealistically high. I know when Terry gets back, he can fix the glitch that has caused the system crash. Edited by dg_dave (Mon Sep 17 2007 10:23 PM) _________________________ The way to get things done is NOT to mind who gets the credit for doing them. --Benjamin Jowett No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. --Eleanor Roosevelt The day we lose our will to fight is the day we lose our freedom.
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#387264 - Mon Sep 17 2007 09:08 PM Re: I can't create a new quiz
crisw Forum Champion Registered: Mon Feb 21 2000 Posts: 5745 Loc: California USA	From what I understand, the system problem is with the actual database itself. _________________________ Senior Editor and Site Administrator "I'd rather make one dog happy than please all the dogmatists in the world." P. Z. Myers
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#387265 - Tue Sep 18 2007 08:15 AM Re: I can't create a new quiz
stuthehistoryguy Prolific Registered: Fri Aug 20 2004 Posts: 1302 Loc: Omaha Nebraska USA	Quote: Could the algorithm have caused the system crash, hence the unrealistically high numbers? Nah. That's like a barometer causing a thunderstorm. In the words of the immortal Johnny Slash from Square Pegs: "Totally different head. Totally." _________________________ Peace, Stu Editor, Sports
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#387266 - Tue Sep 18 2007 12:58 PM Re: I can't create a new quiz
Rowena8482 Prolific Registered: Mon Mar 12 2007 Posts: 1408 Loc: Hartlepool Durham England UK	Don't forget, loads of people will be beavering away composing quizzes in word or whatever too, so as soon as the creation opens again hundreds of quizzes will "pop into being fully formed" and hit the queues all at once. The poor editors will see all the lovely reduced lists shoot up again. The "Forth Bridge paint" effect? _________________________ It is better to open your eyes and say you do not understand, than to close your eyes and say you do not believe.
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