Having the same problem!

What new format??

If you use Chrome, I found a way to stay on the old format, as long as you don't click on any other Houzz links on the page. There is an extension called Skip Redirect (I think there is a version for Firefox too, not sure about Safari or IE). Install that and restart Chrome.

CLEAR ALL YOUR COOKIES - Three dots/ More Tools/Clear Browsing Data

Set up a bookmark for https://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/flgard. Use that to get to the forum. You should get the old format.

If you click on a Houzz link, and it takes you back to Houzz, just go to your bookmark to get back here, or hold left click your back button & choose this forum, or the long way is to go to Stories & Advice/Garden Forums/ and choose the one you want.

That should keep you on the old format. I haven't tested this long term, but from what I understand, once you are redirected to Houzz Discussions instead of Gardenweb, there is no way back without this extension. This keeps you from being redirected to the Houzz Discussions site in the first place.

For those of you on mobile devices, I have no clue if this will work with the mobile Chrome or any other browser. I'm on a laptop PC, so I assume it works on all PCs.

Try bookmarking this link and entering through there. Worked for me :

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums

Nothing works for everyone. It seems to be a server thing. For me, if I enter through a forum that has no houzz page, like cooking or hot topics, and use the links on those pages to navigate, I can usually stay in the GW format.

However, be aware that not all posts show up in the old format. Anything that includes a poll, for instance, won't appear on the old pages, only on the houzz evil twin pages.

Carol thanks for the link. It worked for me too. Much better!

When I tried that page, it said the page doesn't exist. The redirect app doesn't work either anymore. I guess they read this thread and "fixed" it so we have to be on this HORRIBLE new format. I hate Houzz!

Not sure what is happening ! Am able to respond to someone else's existing post, but unable to post one of my own ! I sign in, type out my dialogue, click on the green rectangle with " next " inside, but nothing happens ! Nada !

Joe, does it take you to the page where you're supposed to pick a topic to post to?

No Deb, no mention of a topic.

How do you "search" on a specific forum. I can do search on the general search box on the top of the page that Carol posted (thanks Carol) but I can't specifically search on the Florida forum for a topic ?!!? And picture posting is hit and miss too Lol...

puglvr1 - you can't search by forums. I've tried everything. My friend who is a site designer says this is the worst designed site he has ever seen. He says it seems to be designed solely to get you to have to click as many pages as possible to serve up ads, and that it has nearly zero functionality for the forum users. He said that it seems that they are trying to get Gardenweb users to move over to Houzz forums by making these forums unusable. And yes, he looked at the code and says they have now blocked any attempt to get back to the old format.

I guess this is why we have lost so many users. They've all moved over to Facebook, where I refuse to go. I was over there for awhile, but the gardeners over there are not nice and helpful, they are horrible! I actually started a Florida Gardening group over there years ago, and had to turn it over to someone else because I couldn't take the hatefulness anymore.

This is the forum to complain to, not that I see it does any good.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/using-houzz-dsbr0-bd~t_28565

Thanks DG!!

CORRECTION: seems you can't post to that forum anymore unless you also choose a second forum to post to. I wrote a long post and when I tried to post it, got a message that the page I was trying to reach didn't exist. They don't want to hear what we want, evidently. I wish they would just sell the Gardenweb forums to someone who would take care of them.

@ puglvr1... you can search within a section by being in the section and also choosing to search that section.

For example, this thread is under Florida Gardening. If I type in something to search in this area in the general search box, there comes a dropbox that the first option is to search within Florida Gardening, then other options to search in advice and so on. I have used the search function to find things like a specific name begonia in the begonias section, or daffodils in the bulbs section, or specific tomatoes or peppers in those sections. It's a little weird because you do have to be in the section you are searching and make sure you choose to search the section instead of just hitting the return button because that takes you to general/advice.

Yes, I was just coming to post what beesneeds said. If you start typing into the search box at the top of the page, you get a number of different search options. If I type "site" for example:

And I've never had to choose more than one tag for a post, although you do have to be careful because Houzz often chooses tags for you, which is why there are posts on old roses in the bathrooms forum and things like that.

Thanks Bees and WB...that is very helpful and it does work :o)

I can still access the old Houzz (via a bookmark) but sometimes I apparently get into the new Houzz... but can't then find where I am on a list. For instance, I have come upon threads under these titles: Hot Topics where they grouse about politics (!), Before and After, and Problems to Solve. Of course, they don't appear on the old Houzz list, so in a sense they don't exist or are figments of my imagination. I fear to say "it is driving me crazy" for fear it will launch me completely out of the old Houzz permanently!

Neither Joe or I can create an original post with pictures on this forum. We have to post them as a reply to another post.

Interesting thing is that I have had no problems posting with photos on the Butterfly forum on Houzz and that forum is still in the original format (not this aggravating new one). For example, I don't get the stupid thing where I have to select which forum(s) I want it posted to.

I sure wish they hadn't changed this forum :(

I spoke too soon! I just went to the Butterfly forum to post and it is now in this awful format. I just posted 2 days ago in the old format there. Why can't they leave good enough alone?!

Just today lost my old format connection--- thanks, Houzz. I may say farewell soon. I'm a computer dummy and after many years had finally figured out how to post photos to (Houzz). Now I can't even use the back arrow so I have to scroll upwards after reading a post. I refuse to hire my computer go-to guy just to fix me up for the IMPROVED HOUZZ. Now I understand why so many of our past, very helpful big contributors have disappeared.... life is too short to be frustrated by a computer if you would rather be gardening!

Irma, in houzz-land when you click on a topic, it opens in a new page or tab. Just close the tab/page to go back to the topics list.

I have this new format now too. And if i surf away from the florida forum its very hard to surf back to it.

Yes, it's the end of the old GW format, I fear:

There has been an update to the look and some functionality of the topics that were originally part of GardenWeb to make them consistent with the user experience and look of Houzz as a whole. Including the ability to post a single thread to up to three relevant topics.

from:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/new-look-for-gardenweb-topics-dsvw-vd~5342444?n=965

I havent had the formatting issue but have had my photos disappear and also issues with the messaging feature which I will no longer use since is not reliable. Also, I have started a thread a few times and then it would not allow me to upload photos. I tried uploading the same photos on an existing thread and it does it, no problem. I haven't tried starting any more threads since then.

My format just changed today. Now the forums no longer appear in any order. They're all just randomly placed.

FWIW, I quickly figured out you can save your preferred forums to the sidebar on the upper left of the page. Just clicked 'edit' and found or searched for the ones I frequent and they're now bookmarked up there and I can simply click to visit them. Also clicking 'follow' will add a forum to your list of favorites. I had to look at my activity to get to the HD&D conversations page, but now I'm following it, so I don't have to search.

I try not to let change upset me. However, I also find it annoying that the forums aren't alphabetized - makes it very hard to find anything. Thank goodness for the search feature, but I do miss having related forums linked at the top; that was very helpful.

I too hate that the forums aren't in any particular order. I usually only frequent a couple but sometimes I check out others for reference.

I still can't post photos to a post I start. It will show that I have attached the files but when I submit and it posts, the pics aren't there. So, I have to respond to my own post and attach photos again and it will then post them.

Rhonda

What does this mean....i have read and reread but i am not grasping what it means:

Including the ability to post a single thread to up to three relevant topics.

I think that means you can start a conversation in more than one forum at the same time. Tho I do not understand why very many people would want to.

I sometimes post to both this forum and the Florida Garden Exchange forum when I have something to give away, or to the particular plant forum, like Brugmansia or Adenium. It ensures that someone on one of the forums will give me an answer.

Oh the horror, I have been made to use the new format that sucks so bad.it will not let me on with my book mark.

Stupid question...how do a post a new post with this new format?

Pea, at the top of the main page of a forum, just below the shrieking "What are you working on?" banner, there's a place to type the title of your post, then you can add the body copy and stumble through the list of suggested places to post it. THEN you can post.

It's so confusing, because it says "What are you working on?" It should say "Start a new conversation here," or " What do you have to say?" My son, who is a User Experience web designer says this is a horrible design, not user-friendly at all.

If it just said post i would have known what to do. Plus when i did post it tried to post it to forums i did not want it to...i had to uncheck the forums. It is very bad design. The fact that the list of forums are not alphabetical nor seem to have any logical arrangement is odd.

Aaaarghhhh! My old bookmark no longer works and I have been forced on to the new format. I kept wondering what all of you were talking about earlier. I now understand the frustration! This is definitely not a user friendly site.

I tried to post a new topic earlier and it does not show up here at all. I don't know what I am doing wrong.

vml68, you have to be on this forum to post to this forum, so navigate your way here, then click in the bar up top to post here. It may try to also put you into another forum, but just uncheck it.

DG - I was on this forum but it would not let me post a new topic. After, I made the previous comment here, I don't know what happened but the format changed again and then I was able to make the post about the nursery pots.