ASA WEBSITE-CAN IT GET ANY WORSE?

mark tenenbaum · Mar 5, 2016

What happened to the "country"-the last issue with a really stupid looking giant turkey on the cover dwarfing the cattle behind it has been there since November-Is the mag no more? There are sales etc going on here and there-they manage to post a few WITH NO LINKS to the sale, or managers etc, never any results for the most part,and forget about trying to pay a bill on-line-A pretty pathetic representation of an association AT BEST O0

knabe · Mar 5, 2016

Can't you just join the Canadian association?

librarian · Mar 5, 2016

I'm convinced the new site is built to train the current generation to ignore pedigrees and to distract their attention from breed history.
Only the stalwart can have the patience to slog through the EPD pages over and over and over and over with each inquiry into the breeding behind an animal.
And since the EPDs are hogwash, the whole revamp rubs salt into the lobotomy.
End of rant.

Duncraggan · Mar 5, 2016

mark tenenbaum said:
What happened to the "country"-the last issue with a really stupid looking giant turkey on the cover dwarfing the cattle behind it has been there since November-Is the mag no more? There are sales etc going on here and there-they manage to post a few WITH NO LINKS to the sale, or managers etc, never any results for the most part,and forget about trying to pay a bill on-line-A pretty pathetic representation of an association AT BEST O0

I am not in North America but have been a subscriber to Shorthorn Country since 2011 and have noticed a huge improvement in the content of the publication. There has been a noticeable improvement in the type of cattle pictured since there has been an emphasis on commercial acceptability of the breed.
The new website I find to be extremely helpful and user friendly, even from a computer 'novice'.
A post on SteerPlanet even questioned the suitability of Mr. Soules as the new CEO. I voiced my opinion on the negativity of the post as he was, until then, an unknown entity, albeit very suitably qualified, candidate for the position.
Look what has happened since his appointment, the Association has gained huge credibility amongst the commercial breeders, across breed EPD's are now a reality and WHR is becoming the norm to get figures. Brilliant!
Only good things can come from the foresight of organizing the Impact 2015 conference, it seems to have been a huge success.
Please take the minor 'teething trouble' of the website for what it is, I am sure, from the past successes of the Association that you will be happy with the final product. Remember that IT specialists are not farmers and don't think like us, so there will be glitches, but constructive criticism will help to ensure a great final product. Don't shoot it down at this time, have some patience!

librarian · Mar 5, 2016

Okay, Duncraggen, I shall do as you suggest
Its not ASA that tries my patience, just the way the vocation is going. Can't change that.

mark tenenbaum · Mar 5, 2016

Doesnt anyone find it peculiar that the Country has not been published for GOING ON 4 MONTHS? Never seen that happen in 25 plus years. O0

mark tenenbaum · Mar 5, 2016

knabe said:
Can't you just join the Canadian association?/// That makes NO sense 1: Thats not what I;m paying for 2: I raise cattle that are not pure Canadian but are purebred Shorthorns in the US. O0 O0

Doc · Mar 5, 2016

mark tenenbaum said:
Doesnt anyone find it peculiar that the Country has not been published for GOING ON 4 MONTHS? Never seen that happen in 25 plus years. O0
[/quote
Mark, If you mean the Shorthorn Country magazine, there hasn't been a lapse. They just haven't updated the on line deal I guess. Do you not get a hard copy? Just got my March copy last Tuesday.

mark tenenbaum · Mar 5, 2016

Doc said:
mark tenenbaum said:

Doesnt anyone find it peculiar that the Country has not been published for GOING ON 4 MONTHS? Never seen that happen in 25 plus years. O0
[/quote
Mark, If you mean the Shorthorn Country magazine, there hasn't been a lapse. They just haven't updated the on line deal I guess. Do you not get a hard copy? Just got my March copy last Tuesday./// NO I DONT-and I access alot of things online-To anyone new, looking, etc. that means it stopped- every breed assoc. has thier MAG online-thats sorta where everything has gone these days-sorry bout the "technicality"as far as "publishing"-but its just INEPT-to have a stupid turkey issue up-4 months into the game-thats if you have any aspirations of being relevent to anyone outside of the established subscribed membership . So I guess the GIANT turkey can stay untill the herd referance issue. BUT AT LEAST PAY STRICT ATTENTION TO ANY AND ALL OUTLETS FOR THE CATTLE- There have been a number of "unaccessible sales to mere mortals"meaning events that had good cattle available: like the Nebraska Cattlemans deal. the Minnesota Wisconsin sales (upcoming?) where a person has no easy way to find out who to contact-see a PDF catalogue etc- SORRY- IT CANT BE THAT HARD TO POST A LINK OR A SMALL REPORT OF WHAT CATTLE BROUGHT AT THE ILL SALE ETC.-IT ISNT BEING DONE AT ALL-AND THE SITE SUCKS O0

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Doc · Mar 6, 2016

mark tenenbaum said:
Doc said:

mark tenenbaum said:

Doesnt anyone find it peculiar that the Country has not been published for GOING ON 4 MONTHS? Never seen that happen in 25 plus years. O0
[/quote
Mark, If you mean the Shorthorn Country magazine, there hasn't been a lapse. They just haven't updated the on line deal I guess. Do you not get a hard copy? Just got my March copy last Tuesday./// NO I DONT-and I access alot of things online-To anyone new, looking, etc. that means it stopped- every breed assoc. has thier MAG online-thats sorta where everything has gone these days-sorry bout the "technicality"as far as "publishing"-but its just INEPT-to have a stupid turkey issue up-4 months into the game-thats if you have any aspirations of being relevent to anyone outside of the established subscribed membership . So I guess the GIANT turkey can stay untill the herd referance issue. BUT AT LEAST PAY STRICT ATTENTION TO ANY AND ALL OUTLETS FOR THE CATTLE- There have been a number of "unaccessible sales to mere mortals"meaning events that had good cattle available: like the Nebraska Cattlemans deal. the Minnesota Wisconsin sales (upcoming?) where a person has no easy way to find out who to contact-see a PDF catalogue etc- SORRY- IT CANT BE THAT HARD TO POST A LINK OR A SMALL REPORT OF WHAT CATTLE BROUGHT AT THE ILL SALE ETC.-IT ISNT BEING DONE AT ALL-AND THE SITE SUCKS O0

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I understand what you are saying. I personally have never looked at the County online, so I didn't know if the pic was just old and the link was current or what.
As far as the catalog links go, I kinda see things 2 different ways.
1- The Country is a privately leased business and that is one of the incentives that the Country uses to get you to have them print your sale catalog. They will tell you that they will provide a ringman to your sale in the price and they provide a link on the Country website.
2- You would think that Shorthorn.org would figure out a way to provide a link to any Shorthorn sale to help PROMOTE the breed, provided that the party that is putting the sale on gives them that link. I also don't think that the ASA should have to have an employee troll the internet looking for any Shorthorn sale out there.
I do agree that it is stinks that it is a major ordeal to hunt down a link to a sale like NCC or MN state sale, etc. You never can tell, there may be something in the sale that I think that I couldn't live without but I don't have the time in my day to just search the internet trying to find the links.

justintime · Mar 6, 2016

I am not sure what Mark is talking about as my issues of Shorthorn Country have been arriving like clockwork. Always on time. Never had a late issue. I have also felt that the issues have been better lately. And as I have mentioned on here many times before, if you don't like what you see in the magazine, book some ads yourself. I guarantee you that Shorthorn Country or any other beef magazine will gladly place your ad. They only print the ads they receive. I find this very frustrating! It is like talking to a Shorthorn breeder who says he can't sell bulls in his area, and he has never advertised them, never promoted them in any way and never even produced a product someone might actually want to buy. I will also mention, that I have spent some time going through sale catalogs to see what there is available for bulls this spring, and I have to honestly say that I have never seen so many bulls offered that I would not drive 3 miles to look at. Maybe it is just the pictures the owners have used, but good grief folks... what on earth are you thinking? If you don't like the product you are producing, change the genetics you are using. No one will ever prove to me, that there aren't some excellent genetics available. We all are the masters of our own destiny's. I guess grumbling about how bad everything is, is much easier than actually doing something to fix the breed's situation and your own situation.
The new ASA website is totally new to everyone and I am sure there are still some tweeking that needs to be done to make it more user friendly. Maybe I am just getting more used to it, but I have been finding it far better in recent weeks... and I am about as computer challenged as it gets. There have been many many changes at the ASA in recent months. I happen to think many of them were needed and many of them are designed to bring this breed up to speed with the industry in general. I was able to attend one of the many workshops that the ASA has been holding to educate anyone interested in getting used to using the new online system. I found it very informative and helpful.
I would also suggest you pick up the phone and talk to someone who may know the answers than just grumble on the internet. This annoys me as much as finding out second or third hand that one of your customers is having problems with an animal they purchased from me. I want to be the first to know if there are any issues, so I can try to deal with it before it becomes a problem.
Sorry, this thread just hit a sensitive nerve with me this morning. Maybe I need more sleep... or maybe I need a Snickers bar... maybe I need both.
End of rant!

Duncraggan · Mar 6, 2016

Mark T, stop whingeing! Your subscription to the hard copy, in your postbox every month, costs much less than the USD120 per annum it costs to get mine. In ZAR, the USD120 price equates to more than a third of the price of a weaner bullock. I still think it is a fair price. My copy is usually in my postbox around the middle of the month, on the other side of the world!

Medium Rare · Mar 6, 2016

Doc said:
I understand what you are saying. I personally have never looked at the County online, so I didn't know if the pic was just old and the link was current or what.
As far as the catalog links go, I kinda see things 2 different ways.
1- The Country is a privately leased business and that is one of the incentives that the Country uses to get you to have them print your sale catalog. They will tell you that they will provide a ringman to your sale in the price and they provide a link on the Country website.
2- You would think that Shorthorn.org would figure out a way to provide a link to any Shorthorn sale to help PROMOTE the breed, provided that the party that is putting the sale on gives them that link. I also don't think that the ASA should have to have an employee troll the internet looking for any Shorthorn sale out there.
I do agree that it is stinks that it is a major ordeal to hunt down a link to a sale like NCC or MN state sale, etc. You never can tell, there may be something in the sale that I think that I couldn't live without but I don't have the time in my day to just search the internet trying to find the links.

I've never really understood the separation between the Association and the Magazine. Always seemed like a conflict of interest as I wouldn't expect a private entity to go above and beyond if it isn't profitable to do so. I did notice the addresses are the same, but the disconnect still seems real.

I do web work on the side for small orginizations, close friends, and family so I have a pretty good idea of how easy it is to create an online form that allows breeders to send in sale information. Once set up, it only takes a couple clicks and a minute or two of typing to pull that info from the submission and get it transferred to the "events calendar" on the website. Currently, when I click on the Sun Country Bull sale, which I know about because of this site, I get very little info. I'm half the average cowman's age and when I see the google calendar and ical buttons even I think, "where's the sale info??". It's pretty safe to assume a 60 year old commercial producer would throw his hands up and close the browser. I often use my father as a test, if he struggles with something online or gives something a "screw this" the message has failed to reach the target. I'm hoping it's just growing pains, because I really like the changes that have been made and have really came around to the new data system.

Maintaining a functioning web presence and self promotion often requires young intelligent mind with a commitment to the cause.

mark tenenbaum · Mar 6, 2016

Anybody who thinks I posted this about getting a magazine in the mail is completely missing the point. Its about non-subscribers ,newcomers,and everyone else not being able to get a handle on whats going on in terms of sales, what the cattle are bringing today, etc.or doing basic business functions on-line. Go on any other breed site and see how cloudy the info is. The magazine-informative and shrinking as it is-just represents one facet. The breed search engines etc work slowly but OK. It used to be a simpler but easier to use system:granted carcass and other data are now being added where applicable-the all important registrations-billing are not user friendly at all, and hopefully at some point will be back online.This creates alot of phone work for the staff etc.I'm guessing they got short handed somewhere-even old folks like me can load documents. O0

mbigelow · Mar 7, 2016

Mark,
I agree with some of your frustration, however your post title is about the ASA not the country. The magazine is a separate private business from the ASA (except that we are now forced to pay a higher membership fee and get the magazine included). I think the ASA is making great strides but, still has a long way to go with the website in terms of making it user friendly. The registration program
Is difficult but better than the old system. Now the country should be keeping get up online with current issues but, that's not the real problem. The magazine only advertise's sales that pay for ads or that are being represented by the publisher. So, not all information will be there. Now the ASA should be doing a better job of putting sale info on there site, however just like our other data issues they need people to submit sale info for them to post it. I believe that sine we pay this increased member fee the country should be handling this and it should include all sales. As frustrating as these issues are, letting ASA staff know of issue/problems is the only way they will get resolved. Hang in there, venting let's us know that we are not alone with the similar issues.

mark tenenbaum · Mar 7, 2016

Thanks MBIGELOW-maybe put it in a better perspective-I probably should have said that the mag has not been posted instead of "published". O0

sprayguy · Mar 7, 2016

Mark, I agree with you. I have been very disappointed in the fact the web site is not updated especially during sale season. I have not received a copy of the magazine since the turkey one, not to mention any of the sale catalogs. I find the new web site a bit complicated to move around in. Personally I don't care for all the pictures that are in the way give me a menu and lets get to work not advertise.

Doc · Mar 8, 2016

sprayguy said:
Mark, I agree with you. I have been very disappointed in the fact the web site is not updated especially during sale season. I have not received a copy of the magazine since the turkey one, not to mention any of the sale catalogs. I find the new web site a bit complicated to move around in. Personally I don't care for all the pictures that are in the way give me a menu and lets get to work not advertise.

You may need to check with your mailman or see if your subscription has expired if you haven't received one since November. I got my March issue 1st class the 1st of last week and now that one comes with your membership, I received it yesterday.

mark tenenbaum · Mar 8, 2016

Doc said:
sprayguy said:

Mark, I agree with you. I have been very disappointed in the fact the web site is not updated especially during sale season. I have not received a copy of the magazine since the turkey one, not to mention any of the sale catalogs. I find the new web site a bit complicated to move around in. Personally I don't care for all the pictures that are in the way give me a menu and lets get to work not advertise.

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You may need to check with your mailman or see if your subscription has expired if you haven't received one since November. I got my March issue 1st class the 1st of last week and now that one comes with your membership, I received it yesterday. /// I read it online-along with the maine voice and others-I guess the overal point in terms of the mag (one facet) is what does a new person think starting to look at the breed when the magazine presented on line is 3-4 months out of date? O0

ASA WEBSITE-CAN IT GET ANY WORSE?

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