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blfenton

Where is the home and decorating conversation side

8 years ago

I went out for Thanksgiving dinner (Canadian) and came home to find a complete change to this. GW seems to have disappeared. Where is the conversation side or did it disappear as well. I am not thankful.

Comments (33)

  • PRO
    8 years ago

    Hi there, Thanks for reaching out! All the GardenWeb content you are used to is still here, but you may be seeing an updated design in a particular forum. Which forum were you having a hard time finding, and were you going from a bookmark on your browser or a search? Thanks!

  • 8 years ago

    Go here to the GardenWeb homepage: http://forums.gardenweb.com.

    That will produce a small box in the upper left corner listing your options: All Discussions, Garden forums, Home forums, etc. Click on the Home forums and a listing of various ones will come up. Select the forum of your choice - Kitchen Table or Home Decorating (HD Conversations is a subforum from that link) or whatever - and that will get you to the discussion and formats you are used to.

    Houzz is making some changes........and not all of them well-received.......but most of us long time GW users are finding our way through the maze :-)

    And if you really don't like the changes, let them know!!

  • 8 years ago

    Thank you gardengal I know. It was like that.

    I figured it out pretty fast and that's what I did. Exactly as you described.

    and stays like that for now at least all I know

    except "Kitchens"

    that changed yesterday

    try to reach "Kitchens"-it appears in new format only.

  • 8 years ago

    I don't really want to boycott the kitchen forum, but I really have no choice since it is a PITA to look at, use, navigate, etc.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    (that new format on "Kitchens" shows "Laundry", "Cleaning tips" and other topics not really pertaining to Kitchens

    it makes it very hard to follow on topics on the matter

    Kitchens is one great very helpful forum with people sharing a lot of expertise, putting their time and heart to plan spaces, it's a wealth of knowledge and good will too..I'd rather see it as it was, not trying to dig it out from under hundred other things. It's not helpful for anyone.)

  • 8 years ago

    A very similar format is present in the Landscape Design forum - the ONLY one of the Gardening forums to be affected so far. Apparently it has been linked with the Houzz 'Design Dilemma' feature and all sorts of non-gardening/landscaping issues are being attached to landscape design threads with constant comments from all sorts of unrelated PRO's. What does a window installer or flooring supplier have to do with landscaping??

    btw, april, my instructions were for the OP - blfenton. We were apparently typing at the same time.

  • 8 years ago

    The new kitchen forum feels virtually un-usable to me.

    It used to be great. It was an active forum with a core group of users who provided great feedback on all sorts of KITCHEN topics.

    Now it's an absolute mess of things.

    I totally understand sometimes one gets what one pays for. But by the same token, it sure would have been nice if a change this dramatic was announced before hand and explained. This whole subset of Gardenweb forums feels like it is in complete disarray, people are very upset and worried. There are people here on Gardenweb who have known each other (virtually anyway) for YEARS and all of a sudden boom - it's like you dropped a bomb on the place.

  • 8 years ago

    I do not approve. Can't they just run extra ads if they aren't making enough money? Scaring off regular users in an attempt to get a few one-timers can't be prudent.

  • 8 years ago

    Some time earlier in the year, I downloaded the Houzz app, thinking it would be easier to navigate the forums from my phone, which is what I use most often.

    It didn't take me long to realize that the GardenWeb interface, while pretty plain Jane and not snazzy, made it MUCH easier to find what I was looking for. It also easier to keep track of forum threads.

    I deleted the Houzz app and bookmarked it the Kitchen forum on the GW side. If I get an email notification comment on a thread I'm following, the link takes me to Houzz (although it no longer takes me directly to that comment so I have to scroll through the lot.) If I read more than that comment, I use my GW bookmark

    Finally, I HATE that go back to the forum post from a thread automatically takes you back to the top of the page.

  • PRO
    8 years ago

    Hi there, Please continue with the feedback on what you are seeing. It is valuable to our team and they are paying attention. When you see things with other topic names posted, that means they are cross-posted threads, meaning they are posted to Kitchens (for example) and potentially up to two other relevant forums for the discussion. Cross-posting does depend on the poster to select relevant forums, so In the meantime, if you see any posts in the Kitchen forum that you feel are not relevant for the forum, please flag them to alert us and we will take a look!

  • 8 years ago

    Now I'm confused. I have the Kitchen forum bookmarked which is now taking me to the new Houzz format. From there I click into the home decorating discussion which is also the new Houzz format but there is no link to the conversation side. When I use the link that gardencal provided it takes me to the old GW format which I way prefer.

    Are you planning to "Update" the Hot Topics and the Kitchen Table. Definitely do not try to integrate those two forums.

  • 8 years ago

    Emily H, it is the cross-posting that is causing the problem!! Why is it necessary to have all the various cross posted forums linked together? That is what is causing all the flak on the Landscape Design forum - linking a gardening forum with the decorating forums is just creating a massive amount of confusion and ill-will. Can we not go back to the poster actually cross-posting as they desire but with separate posts to each individual forum? Instead of mooshing Design Dilemmas, Landscape Design and Exteriors or Home Decor all together in single post.

    Here's a thought......upgrade the Houzz side of the equation so that new posters don't have to navigate through multiple questions, options, categories and discussions to find the one forum appropriate to their needs, rather than messing up the traditional Garden Web format. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!!

  • 8 years ago

    Fori-did you change your username again with this new change? I think I will change mine this time too.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I agree with gardengal, the beauty of GW is the simplicity. The cross posting and jumping through hoops on the Houzz side and the partial integration with GW is confusing and not necessary.

    You blame users for posting in unrelated threads but the issue didn't start until Houzz added the confusing options.

  • 8 years ago

    Aaaauuuggghhh! What a mess! No, I don't like crossposting and I see no reason for it. I hate this, Emily H. I'm going to start searching around for a new forum family to join.

  • 8 years ago

    This is the absolute worst!!!

    Your new format for the GW side of houzz is horrible. Now instead of seeing just the kitchen threads in the kitchen forum ([https://www.houzz.com/discussions/kitchen-discussions-dsbr0-bd~t_28581[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/kitchen-discussions-dsbr0-bd~t_28581)),we have to wade through threads that are in design dilemma, appliances, etc. I NEVER go to Design Dilemma or any of the other houzz forums and don't want to. It's all Pros showing off how wonderful they are. I go to the GW side to get and give advice for the problems related to the forums I'm interested in.

    When I go to the kitchen forum, I ONLY WANT TO SEE KITCHEN THREADS to click on! We don't want to wade through threads that have nothing to do with the forum we are in!

    Plus, it now pushes down threads into obscurity too quickly so people who come to the kitchen forum can no longer get the help they need.

    There was a thread started on the kitchen forum about this issue and I think one person was happy with this new format. [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/do-other-folks-here-see-a-new-view-screen-for-this-forum-dsvw-vd~4910004?n=122[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/do-other-folks-here-see-a-new-view-screen-for-this-forum-dsvw-vd~4910004?n=122)

    There's an old saying; If it ain't broke, don't fix it. You're creating a problem when there was none.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    BTW: I just counted. Of the first 20 topics on the supposed kitchen forum link, only 10 were actual kitchen forum threads. The rest were threads belonging to other forums like the laundry forum etc.

    My guess is if they keep this forum as it is now, then most of us will find greener pastures. I know I'm not about to wade through 20 threads to find the 10 I want.

    Also, now it's a continuous feed so it's almost impossible to see where it is.

    I'm sorry but I'm not going to wade through hundreds of threads I have no interest in just to find the few about kitchens

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Emily maybe you should read this:

    [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/do-other-folks-here-see-a-new-view-screen-for-this-forum-dsvw-vd~4910004?n=122[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/do-other-folks-here-see-a-new-view-screen-for-this-forum-dsvw-vd~4910004?n=122)

    http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4910720/has-everyone-seen-what-has-happened-to-the-kitchen-forum?n=10

    http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4910997/heads-up-on-new-forum-designs?n=11

    http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4910996/heads-up-on-new-forum-designs?n=18


    What you're seeing is people are NOT HAPPY having to wade through threads that have nothing to do with the forum they spend time in!!! No one wants to see threads that have no relation to the forum they are in.

    Someone who comes to the Laundry forum is not interested in how someone decorates their living room in the Decorating forum or how to build a new house in the Building a House forum What the heck were you thinking?

    Our beef is not with the new layout. It's with having to see threads that are not related to the forum. So again. If I go to the kitchen forum, I don't want to have to read threads that are in the design dilemma, or in bathrooms, or in laundry, or in any other forum except KITCHENS!!!!

  • 8 years ago

    [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/kitchen-discussions-dsbr0-bd~t_28581[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/kitchen-discussions-dsbr0-bd~t_28581)

    That is for the Kitchen Forum.

    Now that wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that in the feed if you click on over half the threads listed, they have nothing to do with kitchens, but are threads in design dilemma, laundry, appliances, paint, cleaning tips, etc. So it means you now have to wade through threads that have NOTHING to do with the forum you're interested in.

    When I go to the kitchen forum, I want to only see kitchen threads.

    I'm hoping they don't ruin all the forums.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    In some ways I can see the benefit to an easier crossposting ability. Very often we have all told a poster to cross post in bathrooms and kitchens with their decorating and building queries but it seems there may be a glitch in this format for all posts cross post by user interest and not by actual subject which is causing a lot of frustration and confusion.

    I trust Emily, as our liaison to the powers that be at Houzz, will keep our point of view in mind while trying to work out a new format. She did a great job during the merge a few years ago at trying to listen to all sides and talk us thru changes that occurred.

    Hopefully a happy compromise will be reached.

  • 8 years ago

    roarah, I hope you're right although some things were lost in the last translation, like the threads at the top to refer back to.

  • 8 years ago

    We lost some but also gained a home. Without houzz GW would have been obsolete years ago.

  • 8 years ago

    "We lost some but also gained a home. Without houzz GW would have been obsolete years ago"

    Well, that's not true - Houzz acquisition of Garden Web was only 2 years ago. It was functioning perfectly well before that and for the prior two decades!!

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    GW, after decades, was going out of service and houzz saved it after nbc's I village I think it was, dropped it.

    Regradless, kitchens is back as it was at this time, thanks Emily!

  • 8 years ago

    Question: are responses to cross posts duplicated? If not, then I assume the OP has to find all the cross posts to get all the responses? Now I'm really confused. I read mostly Home Decorating/Conversations. If any posts I originate go somewhere else and responses are not duplicated, I can see that responders whose comments are not acknowledged will be miffed and less likely to respond to my future comments.

    ....and don't get me started on that carpy Houzz app popup that obliterates most of my Android table screen.

  • 8 years ago

    I am a recent newcomer. I do not like the new format. If regulars leave, could you please let me know so I can follow? Thank you.

  • 8 years ago

    Nobody 'dropped' Garden Web and it was not going out of service!! It was purchased from NBC Universal for an undisclosed amount. It wasn't 'saved' at all - it was a busness decision by Houzz because of the depth of the GW membership, the activity of the forums and the compliment Houzz felt it provided to its current activity with the home and gardening forums.

    Really, dispersing false news like this is of no help to anything!!

  • 8 years ago

    Kitchen forum isn't back for me. Maybe by the morning with my first cup of coffee?

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Garden web was first on ivillage, which nbc purchased in 2006, until in 2013, i village was swallowed by today.com, which at around 2014 decided to drop( yes up for sale but no longer wanted by nbc) the GW forum. GW went live on houzz in Jan. 2015. Gw was looking for a new server to Save it, because short of a purchase today.com no longer planned to sustain it and that is why houzz was able to acquire it.

    Really, dispersing only half of stories and the side you like is misleadingly unhelpful. Also not acknowledging houzz' prompt response and repair to our gripes is plain rude.

    blfenton, I never did the three step sign up thing the other day maybe that is why it was back on my page.

  • 8 years ago

    Blfenton, try deleting the cookies for GW and Houzz, emptying your browser cache, and signing in again. Some people find that they need to restart their device on mobiles.

  • 8 years ago

    writersblock - I'm going to try that, Thanks.

  • 8 years ago

    So is conversations still in here somewhere? Sorry for resurrecting, but I'm completely lost. I miss the old GW format. :(