PBase might not be the cutting edge web app that it was when I joined in 2002, but here's why I’m staying here... for now at least.

After the recent problems, I, like several other PBasers I know, have been evaluating trial accounts with SmugMug and Zenfolio. Yesterday, I was so close to signing up with SmugMug. So close. Click. Outta here. Bye!! Then I realised that both Smug and Zen miss what is for me, a critical feature. Something I use all the time without a second thought. It was a deal breaker. They both offer a slick interface for sure. I love the drag & drop uploads, the drag and drop sort order, and the speed. But Zen has no way to promote a gallery. No way to see what others are doing. Smug has ‘communities’ where you can pimp you work, but no discussion within them. And the forums seem to be just a set of help files. But the killer blow? No built in messaging system. Sure you can leave a comment. But how do you reply? FaceBook? Ughhh. eMail? Hmmm. I use 'pMail' all the time here on PBase. It’s how the original PaD community got together. It’s how I communicate with fellow photographers. Build friendships. It’s critical. It’s the feature that glues PBase together. So I’m staying. For now at least. I have several months subscription left and I’m hoping that by then, PBase will be stable.

But that doesn’t mean I’m happy with how things are here. It needs to be faster. Everyone knows that. The upload process needs an overhaul. A nice Drag’n’Drop interface and maybe upload plugins for Lightroom iPhoto etc. One click integration with FaceBook and Twitter I could live without. But how about some fresh new gallery themes - yes I know you can create your own with HTML/CSS but it’s not exactly easy. But mainly, it needs to be faster.

So I’m staying, for now. And I hope that the recent problems spur the team to create a better faster PBase before it’s too late.