Minekey launched a new website in early September based on their well known application of the same name, formerly iThink.

If you have used it as an application on social networks (myspace, hi5, friendster, ad infinitum) you know what I am talking about.  If you haven't used it, just imagine being able to post opinions/statements and have people from all walks of life and from all over the world vote agree/disagree and then discuss it.

Now imagine all these people coming together in one single website. The concept is genius but in reality the problems outweight and overshadow everything.

Again, if you have used the application on the said social networks, you know just too well all the technical difficulties/problems aka bugs. If you haven't used it, imagine the most rushed out of the door buggy software you have ever come across and multiply it several times and you won't even be close.

Sure enough, yours truly, a former freelance QA tester for Bullfrog/AE had to have a go at this piece of rushed job and I joined the oh-so-grand Minekey.com.

As soon as I joined I noticed that my computer slowed down. It's not difficult or far-fetched to assume some cookie embedded itself on the hard drive. There is no point asking them about it, their well trained staff will without a shadow of a doubt deny it with their usual condescending platitudes.

The pesky bugs I encountered make for a list as long as a bog roll and if I am to detail every single one of them here I will bore you and me to early death by suicide.

The one major problem worth detailing is the sheer volume of people using the site. Minekey.com still has just one community manager, who "looks" after things from 9am until 11pm (Cali time) and from 11 to 9 is a lady in India, who supposedly takes over, not that she is at all visible or takes any "mod" decisions.

Not really much in terms of mediators/moderators to look after an alleged 1 million users on all networks. As it is I have seen first hand the lack of support given to users on myspace/hi5/orkut/friendster as I added the application on all these networks. Imagine then the magnitude of the problem on this rushed job of a website where all network users plus new internet users come together. Utter mayhem!

Now that the site has been officially opened to the general public plus all the existing users from the mentioned networks all running amok, this is a disaster waiting to happen. There are well established and organised "gangs" of cyberbullies, heavy duty theists trying to convert you and plenty of Jihadists. This site is without a doubt something you and/or your children do not want to use however I think (no pun intended) it would be of great interest to Stephen King as it would make a gory thriller/horror movie.

Top all that with the lack of management and/or bad management decisions, not to mention the obvious biased on Facebook users side (because that is where the company makes their income on advertising), these gangs control the place. Plain and simple. They act as they wish, breaking the code of conduct & terms of use of the application and the said social networks, a fact which is totally and utterly overlooked by those in charge.  These gangs dictate and demand things go the way they see fit, going around literally bullying anyone and everyone. Try to imagine you post an opinion, one of these "champions" disagrees with you and the two of you end up having words. That is fine, but then all of a sudden a whole bunch of people show up and start to attack YOU not your opinion, using whatever language they see fit to insult you and even your family by alleging you have molested by your father ( personal experience).

The outcome is always the same: they get away with it because the community manager isn't capable of standing up to 20 or 30 of them all ranting and raving to the same tune. The poor man caves in and does pretty much as he is told.  If he at first doesn't comply to their demands, they threaten to quit the application (not a reason for a manager to cave in but cest la vie, he is a young kid after all).

Ah! one last thing worth mentioning is that the champ come gang leader you can see "running the show" is a Navigator for the site.

Now go on, ask me what a Navigator means......I have plenty to rant about ;)


* This is NOT immediate exposure for company & wannabes - do not be fooled
** Do note the use (overuse) of the words assume & allege
*** Further rants on this subject and others can also be found on:

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