Doxpop - Tools for Attorneys and Public Information Researchers: On Tuesday, 10/22, We'll be rolling back the changes to the document preview system for Recorded Documents.

Monday, October 21, 2024

On Tuesday, 10/22, We'll be rolling back the changes to the document preview system for Recorded Documents.

 Last week, we made a major change to our document preview system to prevent theft. (Details here.)

Within hours, we began receiving feedback from Doxpop users who had come to depend on the "scrolling pane" preview system that we have used for many years. Apparently that method of previewing documents has been built into many business processes, and the sudden change ruined the week for many people. 

Although the change was made for good reasons that will have to be addressed in the long run, we obviously screwed up by not understanding the value that the scrolling pane system provides. We're going to put the old preview back, and then spend some more time looking for a better solution. Thanks to everyone who provided immediate feedback. We needed to hear your message, and we appreciate it.

So... What's next? We still have to deal with the image theft that is occurring for several important reasons:

  1. Indiana and Michigan Statutes make it clear that copy fee income is to be used as a partial funding source for Recorders (Indiana) and Registers of Deeds (Michigan.) If we allow this theft to continue, it ultimately hurts the taxpayers.
  2. The majority of businesses that don't engage in theft are forced to compete with the few dishonest businesses that reduce their expenses through thievery. That's not fair.
  3. Doxpop has an obligation to protect the Recorders & Registers we work with. We are aware from observing other vendors that when companies who work with public offices don't take the trust that is placed in them seriously, substantial losses can occur in a very short time.
We'll be revisiting our options in the next few weeks, and we'll be reaching out to everyone who got in touch with us about the problems that removing the original preview system caused.

If you sent us an email or left a phone number when you commented last week, we'll be back in touch this week to seek your input. If you left an anonymous comment on the blog, or just haven't been in touch yet, but have thoughts to pass along, please email support@doxpop.com to let us know how you use the scrolling pane preview system so we can preserve that value for you to the extent possible.

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