Am I the only one who misses the old boards?

[cherryblossom]

Please don't hurl the tomatoes at me, just yet. I miss the old boards! I am quickly going frustrated trying to search the boards and getting the "server is busy, try again" message. Is it just me or is everyone else experiencing this as well? OK, let the tomatoes fly!! :)

[KristineIN]

I don't miss the old boards, but I imagine until they get the kinks worked out, the server is busy is normal. They were probably not prepared for the volume. Naturally people will drop off, if you look at other message boards like this, the registered members is quite higher than active members. The Grocery Game has similar message boards with Members: 11,251, Active Members: 2,744 (taken from their website)
We all have to be patient for now.
:D
Kristine

[WTMindy]

I do miss the quick banter from the other forum, but I'm hopeful we will find a way to do that here. I love many of the features on this board!

[Lolly]

I never like change. The server being busy is something that I really hope they can work on. I doubt anyone will be staying around if that isn't fixed. Hopefully the changes will grow on us as we get used to them.

Lolly

[A home for their hearts]

I feel your pain! Although I haven't had much trouble with the server being busy, just learning this new format has been hard. I am getting there though. It'll just take time to get used to and in the long run I think the forum will be much better the the old fashioned message board.

[DB in NJ]

I miss being able to quickly scan the board. I think this format takes more time, which means I have to cut back on how many "conversations" I participate in.

I'm used to this format, as it's very similar to the Sonlight boards.

Overall, I feel better knowing that if anyone's here, they've had to register and be approved. I like that A LOT! LOL And I like the avatars, siggys, and smileys :D

[Nicole not in CA]

There are some neat things about the boards here (love seeing the pictures, etc.), but I miss the old boards. I think threads were easier for me to follow as I would pop in here and there throughout the day. I miss being able to scan through everything so easily and quickly. So far it seems that it is more time consuming for me to follow things here, but maybe that will change as I get used to this format.

[JudoMom]

I do miss the quick banter from the other forum, but I'm hopeful we will find a way to do that here. I love many of the features on this board!


I think this is what I miss, too. I'm sure we'll figure it out, though! :D

And I read somewhere yesterday that Jedi Bob is working on the server is busy. We overwhelmed the host site, he's working on that or he said he'd switch hosts. :eek:

[Susan Wise Bauer]

will be resolved VERY QUICKLY. It's a technical issue. Bob's on top of it.

As for the other regrets...I miss the scan-down-the-threads format too. But we just couldn't keep those old scripts going any longer. You have no idea how vulnerable to spammers and pornographers they were.

You can change THIS message format to look more like the old boards. Go to the "Options" link...and be sure to check out the "how to use the boards" forum below.

Change hurts. I'm with you there. :(

[JennifersLost]

Because yeah - I really miss the old ones. I miss being able to play with our names and to be funny with them.

I miss feeling like I'm a part of the "whole" conversation, rather than just picking my own "clique" to join.

I miss the quick scan of the boards that gave me a perspective into the general "mood" of the hive mind.

I'm not getting server delays - it just takes a long time to load each new thread, so I can only look at a few conversations and, looking at the number of pages there are, I'm missing a lot of conversations.

It is interesting - I always thought I didn't join other chat boards because the people weren't compatible or interesting. I'm now realizing that the format is really much more important than I ever thought.

Ah well, as everyone else is saying - less time here, more time for real life. I miss everyone though!

[GothicGyrl]

will be resolved VERY QUICKLY. It's a technical issue. Bob's on top of it.

As for the other regrets...I miss the scan-down-the-threads format too. But we just couldn't keep those old scripts going any longer. You have no idea how vulnerable to spammers and pornographers they were.

You can change THIS message format to look more like the old boards. Go to the "Options" link...and be sure to check out the "how to use the boards" forum below.

Change hurts. I'm with you there. :(
All of which is why this format is so much better. It's more up-to-date, more efficient, and less vulnerable to spammers.

If everyone would just, how do I say this without sounding mean--listen to what is being said, then a lot of the problems will resolve itself. Personally, going to the old board format, on this board, defeats the purpose. That one complaint can be eliminated with the "new posts" button. The conversations are more fluid on this format than the old one. To quickly scan, just click "new posts". Honestly, it's that easy.

All of the fancy bells and whistles are cool features, but even without them, this format is just so much easier to manage.

I know some are reluctant to change, but change is a good thing. It truly is. And yes, I'm getting frustrated with the "server busy" thing too--but that's due to all the NT posts, people posting new threads instead of just reading to see if one already exists and posting in that, and it's still new. So people are playing around.

[dragons in the flower bed]

Yeah, it was nice being able to see responses at a glance. This board requires an awful lot of clicking.

[Peek a Boo]

but toni --
clicking on "New Posts" just brings up alllll the new posts in every forum --it really doesn't eliminate teh "scan at a glance" benefit that the old boards had. I like teh format at TM best --personalization, registration, collapse trheads, but still scannable :-)

yeah, i can get the same "look" by threading EACH message, but you still hafta open. each. thread. from the forum to see the replies. Click. click. click. click. it would be nice if we could have allll the threads at least on one page instead of TWO HUNDRED PLUS pages [and that's just in the last two days!].

the great thing about the old format was that you COULD tell pretty easily at a glance what most threads were about a lot faster, which made it easier to not duplicate threads. That might also be helped by more people putting VERY explicit subjects in their thread starters.

I just don't feel the same fluidness that you feel --i feel a bigger disconnect w/ all the clicking from one thread/page to another. And each response has a big ol' box around it --more *stuff* to weed through. It's one of the reasons I don't hang out at DJ much --I love the concept of the board and the discussion topics, but hate the format. I'm sure they don't miss me tho ;-P

[GothicGyrl]

Well, all i can say then is either get used to it or don't. For the benefit of those running this board, this was a MUCH wiser move. And TM's board is no better.

All people have to do is look. Not duplicating threads is easy if you just look. Really, I can't say much more without it sounding mean, but honestly, this board is just so much better.

[Peek a Boo]

I'm absolutely sure it's easier to *run*, it's just NOT as easy to "look" at two hundred pages vs one long page :-)
I'm just glad we finally got dsl --i don't even wanna think what it's like waiting for each page/thread to open w/ dial up....

Yes, I'll get used to it. But as far as user-friendlines, VS & TM are better *for me*.....

The busy server stuff is the LEAST of my complaints, lol.

[GothicGyrl]

VS? Ha! With all of their ads loaded into each of the posts and on one page alone? No thanks, I'll take the busy server. :)

The fluidity is better here because good conversations remain up top rather than get buried and restarted. By having an often posted to conversation move to the top each time, the board remains in one constant forward moving motion--and it creates less duplicating of posts.

And ANY board on dial-up is skeery. I used to think Dial up rocked. Now, I find my patience is non-existant if I have to even consider dial up. :)

[Melissa in FL]

yep, I miss it. But, I think once I get used to navigating these new boards I'll really like them more. The servers being too busy is annoying, but I assume it's an issue that they are working on.
Melissa

[Peek a Boo]

but that's the wild part --even dealing w/ all their ads, i can STILL see more threads in a shorter amount of time than I can here -even when the server isn't busy.

I agree that moving most-oft-discussed topics to the top is great, but as for actually following a *specific* conversation, it's harder to follow who's responding to who. whom? :-) The organization of the replies is straight down. :-/


whine whine whine. Can i have some cheese w/ this whine?? LOL!
feel free to just smack me and ignore my whining :-D

[GothicGyrl]

Umm Peek, that's what the quote feature is all about. All one has to do is hit the "quote" button and unless you are completely dense (or your leather head piece is on too tight), you should be able to know immediately who's responding to WHOM. :)

That's the major benefit of this type of board--the quote feature adds to the fluidity and makes it so that in one big conversation, many can take place--just like in real life.

Now I know you cat people don't like us humans very much, but life is life and you've either got to pull your tail up out of the way and move, or get it stepped on. :)

which does my little cat woman prefer?

[3lilreds in NC]

This was my first board, and I loved being able to scroll down and see what everyone was up to. This feels compartmentalized and weird. But, although I resist change with every fiber of my being, I'm willing to learn the new format in the name of progress. :o And I'm having a good time playing with the smilies.

[JFS in IL]

I like being called a larvae:)

I do NOT like that I have to click on a thread to read the replies - old board it was easy to skim the entire General Board (for example) fast and see if anyone had anything else to say (stuff I had already read was a different color darkness than new stuff) and I would always remember where a thread I was following was on the board. I do NOT like that the threads on these boards do not seem to stay in order, but whenever anyone posts a reply that bounces a thread back up to the start of the line, so to speak. It takes a lot longer to access and read the boards this new way.

That said - the benefit of being able to keep spam, etc off (almost) makes it worthwhile for this old fart to try and adapt to the change.

[Liz CA]

but that's the wild part --even dealing w/ all their ads, i can STILL see more threads in a shorter amount of time than I can here -even when the server isn't busy.

I agree that moving most-oft-discussed topics to the top is great, but as for actually following a *specific* conversation, it's harder to follow who's responding to who. whom? :-) The organization of the replies is straight down. :-/


whine whine whine. Can i have some cheese w/ this whine?? LOL!
feel free to just smack me and ignore my whining :-D

we were all pretty much used to how the old board worked and how to search it. We'll get used to all the new features. I still have to visit the "how To" thread that was started - somewhere.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

but that's the wild part --even dealing w/ all their ads, i can STILL see more threads in a shorter amount of time than I can here -even when the server isn't busy.

I agree that moving most-oft-discussed topics to the top is great, but as for actually following a *specific* conversation, it's harder to follow who's responding to who. whom? :-) The organization of the replies is straight down. :-/


whine whine whine. Can i have some cheese w/ this whine?? LOL!
feel free to just smack me and ignore my whining :-D

we were all pretty much used to how the old board worked and how to search it. We'll get used to all the new features. I still have to visit the "how To" thread that was started - somewhere.

Go up to the top right and click on Display Mode. Make it hybrid and you get the best of both worlds -- threaded and linear. Much easier to get used to that way.

And just click on new posts. Easy to see who's posted what and to whom (sorta).

[Maxine in WA]

One thing I definitely like better on this new board is the ability to quickly find my own posts. If someone responded to one of my posts, I can answer them easier. With the old board, especially for as quickly as the boards would fill up, I had to search for my name, find a post, then find again and again. If the board moved too quickly, I had to go to previous boards and find again. With the new board, the search is done in one fell swoop.

Here's how to do it. On the forums' main board, scroll all the way to the bottom where you'll see a list who's currently logged on. Click on your name. You will then have the option of seeing all posts you've posted to or to see only the posts started by you. Click on one of the those options and a list is displayed. Makes it much easier to answer questions others have asked of you. You can also use this option to search for people whose posts you like to read most (like Susan Wise Bauer ;) ).

[mommybee]

VS?
The fluidity is better here because good conversations remain up top rather than get buried and restarted. By having an often posted to conversation move to the top each time, the board remains in one constant forward moving motion--and it creates less duplicating of posts.

This is what I like about the new format, at least I can tell where people are doing their talking.

I may have some issues with the new format not being as easy to scan, but I understand the need to update to something more sophisticated than the old format and I still appreciate the fact that we have a board and people to run it.

[mommylaw]

[quote=

Here's how to do it. On the forums' main board, scroll all the way to the bottom where you'll see a list who's currently logged on. Click on your name. You will then have the option of seeing all posts you've posted to or to see only the posts started by you. Click on one of the those options and a list is displayed. Makes it much easier to answer questions others have asked of you. You can also use this option to search for people whose posts you like to read most (like Susan Wise Bauer ;) ).[/quote]

You can also just click on your name (or anyone else's) in any thread.

[Paz]

I love change but I am not real great with computers so I get a little nervous when the change involves that. LOL! You should see me freak out if someone changes the settings on my computer. l I love most of the changes in this new format so hopefully I adapt quickly. It does take some getting used to.

[mcconnellboys]

At least a lot of folks are experiencing this, including me. They have emailed me that they are working on it. I guess the server just can't handle the volume..... I know nothing about computer stuff, so I don't recall exactly what they told me......

I do miss being able to quickly scan and see if someone has replied to any of your posts so that you know if you might need to respond further. I don't want to subscribe to every thread in which I make a comment, but if someone does end up coming back and asking for something more, I may never see that.....

Regena

[Peek a Boo]

the threaded feature still doesn't display all the replies in a thread :-(
and it doesn't list all the replies in the linear option when you click on hybrid either.

[Peek a Boo]

Umm Peek, that's what the quote feature is all about. All one has to do is hit the "quote" button and unless you are completely dense (or your leather head piece is on too tight), you should be able to know immediately who's responding to WHOM. :)

That's the major benefit of this type of board--the quote feature adds to the fluidity and makes it so that in one big conversation, many can take place--just like in real life.

Now I know you cat people don't like us humans very much, but life is life and you've either got to pull your tail up out of the way and move, or get it stepped on. :)

which does my little cat woman prefer?


but LOOK at all that!!!

it just adds more STUFF to scan past.

it just doesn't seem fluid to me --even sans headgear ;-) -- to read down the list of replies and have every other post quoting someone else further back in the thread. It's like listening to two different conversations on the same topic. And yeah, as people learn to hit the quote button, the *threaded* feature will look better --and the linear reply will look busier. The threading of each reply is what adds organization to the conversation. Trying to read straight through it w/ every other person addressing something different keeps my tail a-twitchin' quite a bit, lol.

meowch.

[Rhonda in WA]

I really like the info you have just shared! I am getting used to the new board and will soon know what I am doing. Well I hope!http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Rhonda in WA]

Not sure how that got in there!

[Peek a Boo]

you've either got to pull your tail up out of the way and move, or get it stepped on. :)



and for the record, I'll admit that I've been spending A LOT of time here just to Really Try to Like this format. But as someone else mentioned, mourning the ease of the previous format is gonna take a while.

:sniff:

and man does my tail hurt!!;)

[HollyDay]

I liked the ease of "control F" searches and searching on the old boards and the ease of "scanning". But, I tend to resist change when the thing changing is something I really like the way it is. The "server busy" message is very annoying and I do hope it is resolved very quickly. I think it is neat though that there are so many of us that we are driving the server nuts! I wonder if posts will "get lost" in the shuffle as the page turns over. I know personally I might not scan "older" pages as my time it limited and this format takes more time (perhpas since it is new to me). I'm sure time will tell and we will soon be loving this!

[Sue in St Pete]

That one complaint can be eliminated with the "new posts" button. The conversations are more fluid on this format than the old one. To quickly scan, just click "new posts".

And I'm fairly computer literate!

[Sue in St Pete]

NEVER MIND. I found it!

[nancypants]

Part of the reason I love this format is that it actually keeps me from spending too much time here! (No offense y'all but I took a break for a awhile because I have so little self control!) On the old boards I would get sucked in through the follow up posts sometimes more than the OP. Here, if I am not drawn in by the OP thread title, I won't even read it... again, not to be offensive... this just keeps me from being drawn in to too many threads and I like it that way. So this format is good for my self control and time spent perusing the boards.

I now try to only pay attention to stuff that is on the first two pages or so and then only if the subject is something that draws me in.

[Sweetpeach]

absolutely discouraged with these new boards.

My simple brain can't figure out how to navigate this crazy land called the "New and Updated" WTM boards.

Sadly,
Tricia :(

But hey, on a positive note, I just made a sad face with the smiles --- cool.

[nancypants]

Also thought I'd add (sorry if someone already mentioned it) that when you go to respond to a post you can scroll further down and subscribe to it if you want to be notified whenever there is a response. HTH

[Diane]

YOu'll get used to it. I have to say, I hated the other boards. Everything would get lost and buried. I love forum formats, it's so easy to find information.

[Krista in LA]

I miss them. I feel like I'm missing out on too many conversations with this format. I just keep telling myself that I'll get better at navigating them with more practice.

[EKS]

I can't stand this new format. I was so releived the last time they tried this and decided to go back to the old way. I want to keep visiting the boards, posting, and such, but this new format drives me crazy.

[Audrey]

I used to post on the old boards a couple of years ago, but honestly, they were just so cluttered and it got really boring wading through those threads, so I dropped out, but for lurking when someone would mention something interesting.

When I saw the change in forums, I was glad. It's a format I can browse easily, and I can ignore whatever threads don't interest me without having to scrooooooooooooooooolllll forever to get to the next dang thread! :p

[MOCA]

You'll have to add me to the "disconnect" side with these newer boards. I guess everyone's mind works differently and influences how we process information best. The past boards worked most efficiently for me, too.

[nanette]

Someone commented that they don't like that the posts don't stay in order, but they go to the top of the list if they have had a reply. If you want them to stay in order here's what you do:
go to the bottom of the page where it says Display Options
go to Sorted By
click on Thread Start Time

This was really bothering me too, but Susan posted how to change the display options, so that is what I did.:)