In retrospect, I should have put a stop on the process from day one. Falcon had arranged the hosting, but we couldn't access the server till the DNS re-pointed. Once I got access into the FTP, the little voice that resides within me that warns me of danger fell suddenly silent, as if in disappointment for the path I had chosen. As this editorial is called The Truth, that also means that I have to admit to the truth, so I have to state that even if I had heard what my inner child was trying to tell me, I would have ignored it anyway. The visions of achieving my goals blinded me from what reality was saying. Never put your trust, and your love, into something, or someone, that doesn't appreciate the gift of receiving it.
Within a day of getting the site up, and operational, it became clear from the signs, that we had made a bad choice. Falcon couldn't even access the FTP, and when he went to the network to help clarify the problem, he was brushed aside, as if it was his doing. As well, I noticed that things were not right within the host, little things, like a problem with the speed of both the server and the site, a weakness within the CGI, and troubles with the Perl code used to set up advertising on the site. And yet, every time Falcon took the time to mention these problems, he was either brushed off, or ignored. It took 3 weeks before the advertising even was showing on the site, and to this day, we still have problems with the server, and the CGI. When they switched us to a new IP, things did not get better, they got worse. We lost our ads again, and had to wait several more days before they were restored. In the meanwhile, we once again was given the impression that this was somehow our fault, even though the company were the ones responsible for transferring the site over to the new server.
To make matters worse, when Falcon was notified of our new IP and server move, he was informed that such a move would happen within a matter of days, and that we should make sure that any new content should be noted, and replaced in the new server, as they will use the copy of the site that was up the day they informed us. In a case of misjudgment, and again ignoring my inner child, who was by now screaming, both Falcon and I discussed the matter, and it as decided to put new content on hold, as well as future upgrades to the site, until the new changes were in place. Those few days, as stated to us, became 2 weeks, and in the end, caused the demise of GameSurge as a respectable and professional website.
Within a week of first being notified of our new upgrade, we were allowed to access the new server. It became very apparent immediately that this wasn't a upgrade, but in actuality, a downgrade in fact. The new server was not ready, and it was pretty clear that there was some serious problems within the server that had to be fixed. For the most part, staff members had trouble even accessing the new server, and those that did, faced a slow and painful process when updating. I myself had several problems, but it was to a lesser degree than other members, only because I could upload content faster on my 56K modem than the other staff members could on cable or DSL connections, if they were able to at all. We told ourselves it was a new setup, and the company would squash all the bugs, and we would be back to normal. I'm sorry to say, this did not turn out to be entirely true.