Google drops the ball (again)

Please know that my heart is at a full stop when I say this: Google Docs are screwed up yet again.

For the second time in a month, their forms and spreadsheet service is malfunctioning, vaporizing completed forms after the fact. What does that mean in street terms? You fill out an online form, click the “submit” button, and assume the company on other end has received your info. What’s happening instead? That info disappears once you click the button…and no one on either end of the transaction knows it until it’s too late.

To my horror, the “vaporizing” process has reached out and touched The 3/50 Project yet again, wiping out all Other Brick and Mortar Businesses registrations dating back to September 1st. The others forms on the site are fine–only the second category on our Jump In page has been affected.

Last time this occurred, an entire week’s forms in all three categories were zapped. I supposed I should feel some sense of relief that this time, since it’s only one, but still…. From the look of things, it’s taken every single “Other B&M” from the past two weeks and tossed them into the stratosphere.

If you’re a Retailer or Other Supporter, you’re fine. No hiccups. Same for window cling and member badge forms. You’re safe. Sound. Please don’t re-submit.

If, however, you’ve signed up in the second category–Other Brick and Mortar Businesses–since September 1st, well, they’ve lost your registration. Please DON’T re-register yet, since the problem’s not fixed. As soon as it is, you’ll get a thumbs up here. Editor’s note (9/16/09): I completely rebuilt the form from scratch, and it appears to be holding. Whew. Go ahead and re-register if this was your category and the date range matches.

I’m so sorry about the inconvenience, and assure you, I’ll be standing on someone’s virtual desk at Google until this thing gets fixed.