Anybody else having frequent issues accessing HMF? The last couple afternoons my queries have, with relative consistency, been timing out and delivering a “this site couldn’t be reached” message.
Is everything good with them?
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Likely a server-side issue due to how much traffic the site gets vs. how much bandwidth they can manage at any given time. All that data gets expensive and HMF has a very low membership fee, no advertisements other than a few nursery sponsorships, and most of the information on the website isn’t gated behind a paywall.
It’s a wonder they can handle all the data and traffic that they do given what I imagine must be a fairly small revenue stream. HelpMeFind is one of the last vestiges of how much better the internet was before Web 2.0 and smartphones ruined everything in the name of data monetization.
The downside to all of this is that high traffic can cause the website not to load or run very slowly at times. From what I’ve noticed this primarily happens in the afternoon and in the middle of the night when Europe is waking up, but that’s all anecdotal. Between that and the $24 dollar annual membership it’s a small price to pay for the best rose hybridizing resource out there.
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I don’t argue that point. I was concerned they might be having more serious issues.
Having said that, it admittedly is a bit frustrating that it seems to be down so much on those occasions I want to use the service, and I personally see no reason non-members should not be subjected to ads – particularly if it enables making the site more servicable to the rest of us.
“A small price to pay” does not describe a service that I have been entirely unable to utilize every single time I have tried this week. I would have prefered to hear there is an issue they are aware of and working on.
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I emailed The Help Desk with a screen shot of what it was showing me and it was fixed.
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I have paid in the past but would equally be happy to have to watch a few adverts to access all the sources
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I would agree but it’s such a slippery slope. There’s ads and then it quickly turns into ADS. Look at what happened to YouTube, it’s almost unwatchable now without premium, which I refuse to get. I left a certain EU-based rose forum, in part because they started plastering ads over 80% of each page and anytime you’d click to enlarge a photo, a full page ad would pop up. It became a huge turn off. There was no option to pay for an ad-free version.
Personally I love HMF, and am happy to pay the fee to support them.
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And all this time l assumed, and this morning, HMF doesn’t like VPN’s. This morning thought better re- enlist in premium - nope no go.
Sorry my VPN service stays in this day and age.
Deleted - was working now not - issue must be traffic load
Well then there should be fee no ads and ads to view for free. Better for the site to survive!
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Someone donate a rose where all royalty sales go to supporting the website
“A rose dedicated to HelpMeFind.com, the rose database. A priceless resource whose content is built by rose lovers from all walks of life and used by Rose Hybridizers from across the world to bring forth wonderful new creations. Each sale helps to build and maintain the website with a portion of the proceeds going back to the organization.”
Personally I’d like to see the rose section separated from the clematis and peony. And updated to modern standards, sans ads of course.
Generally half the page on mobile is empty, when viewing pictures or lineage for example. I am always zooming
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Did not mean to open the pandora’s box in voicing my frustration. (I get in touch with my inner curmudgeon pretty quickly as of late.) I am a paying member and certainly believe in supporting the site, but would worry were I to understand that “principles” were to make it less servicable or unsustainable.
I’d love to be able to scroll through the pictures in the photos section on my phone, like with a “next” button, rather than having to go back to the photos page to click on a different photo. Also, I’d love it if they categorized the photos, so you could look at pictures of the whole plant if that’s specifically what you’re looking to do.
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Oddly enough, even though it might still not have been fully phone-friendly, it used to allow users to view one photo after another without going back to the photo selector page each time. I’m not sure why that feature was removed, but it was actually better in the past.
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Yes that’s another issue I have too.
When you upload photos it gives the option to categorize them like you suggest but I have not noticed a way to view them by category. Although I haven’t looked
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@vadr
You can view them by category by clicking on the “list options” in the Photos page.
However, it doesn’t really work, since many members don’t specify a category when uploading their rose photos. It would perhaps be useful if categorizing was mandatory when uploading a photo.
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We were just discussing HMF yesterday, and agreeing what an astonishing website this is - and indeed it is a bit of a throwback to an earlier day where enthusiastic volunteers dominated over ads.
I was thinking that in order to preserve and enhance this unbelievable resource, some marketing/promoting and ad improvement would be welcome.
I saw the comment earlier that YouTube has been ruined - but I have found paying for Premium to be well worth it. Same applies for HMF - if they had ads you could opt out of by paying more, it would probably be more sustainable in the long term, and get more younger people involved…
Not sure how old the interface is, but pretty old! Still, what a great resource.
I also did see the comment lately that service interruptions were related to upgrading…
J
Tough one … “membership dues” financing “dedicated volunteer” operation, maintenance and “site development costs” and public contributors, versus option of creeping private enterprise financing.
It is imo a beginner, to advanced modern digital “Library of Alexandria” repository of rosa history with references, some science, observations and to the astute some inferred genetic rules/guides of thumb for new rose engineering, as well as folklore … with free pictures from voluntary global curious to professional hybridizer sharers. Plus for hybridizers a storage of their efforts with real crossing data.
Core issue - not functioning as remembered due to upgrade?, and any core issue decedents, whether real or phantom, in the background, gives me visions of fertile ground for a “gathering” spike “storm” (ripped Winnie off with that one).
Keep it free and fee based and maybe “grant - will endowment - public service based” is my vote, counts once l can pay for my premium membership on site.
According to Wikipedia “ The Library (of Alexandria) dwindled during the Roman period from a lack of funding and support.”
Gads that feels close ….
Think still in maintenance? Not getting confirmation from ApplePay option.
I wonder if the issue is with the login portion of the website as well as an overload problem. I have noticed that every time hmf starts having loading issues the site logs me out.
Still getting a LOT of “couldn’t find server” messages.
I belong to another forum that went down for months after being overloaded by AI scraping bots. I’m sure HMF is a prime source of information in that regard.
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