I haven't found another forum that has this level of expertise and interesting discussions. Most others I've tried (and there have been quite a few) have either been mostly off topic (yes your dog photos are cute, but that's not why I visit gardening forums) or not particularly active. I have been introduced to new plants, design concepts and new folks here and wouldn't trade it in for anything else.

My strategy is when I signed in for the first time, I clicked the "keep me signed in" button, and then I bookmarked the forum pages that I usually visit. I just arrive via my bookmark and never see Houzz's setup or intro page or sign-ins or anything else. I like the ease of posting photos currently, and the links work much better as well since they are imbedded in the text and you can add multiple links, not just one. There are things I don't like, but I've mostly gotten used to the new format by now. Considering that the alternative was no more Garden Web at all, and the powers-that-be at Houzz have been fairly responsive to constructive criticism, I have few complaints in the long run.

NHBabs said it well and I agree with her comments on the ease of posting photos and links in the new format. I also stay signed in and use bookmarks to access the various forums (the same bookmarks I used for the old Garden Web).

There are some annoyances - I still can't edit my FAQ's for one - but this is still the Garden Web I rely on for information and amusement.

Claire

Me 3. Some things better, some not so much. Not a dealbreaker and not worth losing the sharing of images and information. I would miss that. It only took a few minutes to get my settings done. I stay signed in too, for the most part. Just click on my bookmarks and I'm in.

Susan

Everything they said. Me 4.

I find in general that I am not usually particularly pleased with changes in my computer operating system or software, but unfortunately it often happens despite my preferences. It's one of the things that bugs me about using a computer, and I just have sort of rolled this Houzz changeover into that category mentally.

When this change happened we did a fair amount of sharing of strategies, so if there are particular things that are driving you nuts (like getting an email every time anyone posts on any thread you have responded to) just ask; at least one of us may have directions or some work around to deal with the issue. For instance, if you want to add your zone back into your posts automatically, follow these directions that I copy and post on a regular basis when someone wants to know how.

Go to Your Houzz in upper right of every page, click Edit Profile, and on the left side click advanced settings. Well down the advanced settings page is a blank labeled Climate Zone for Garden Forums along with a link to find your zone.

If you add info on your state or the nearest large city you will get even better information since zone only relates to average coldest winter temperatures.

Then return to the top of the page and click Done Editing.