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crkyolfrt · December 2013

@imidazol97 said:
Click your user name, then Edit Profile over at the right, then change picture.

I admire your patience, imid. Members would be well advised to simply start at the beginning of this forum and start reading. Between it and the other Read Only forum tips...so many basic questions are answered right away..

It's a shame..as much of the frustration some are having is needless stress with a bit of reading first.

PF_Flyer · December 2013

@douglas1 said:
The new forums are a real step backward IMHO. Used to be when I typed in a car model it went right to that forum, now I get a list to chose from and the one I want is usually half way down the list and I have to hunt for for it. Previously when I went to the forum it told me if there were new posts since my last visit, now it does not do that. Also when I go to the opening page of Edmunds.com it used to clearly show if I was till signed in, now it does not. It's such a pain trying to find the Forum I want to read I'm starting to go elsewhere because your new design is so cumbersome. Sorry, this just isn't working for me.

There is a bit of adjustment to the way the forums are now ordered compared with the old software. Where we used to have boards by bodystyle/topic and then groups within those boards for make/model or topic, The first level of organization is by make. But I find that I'm not really starting there. I'm really using the Search box at the Forums landing page or the tags to find the discussions I'm after. And it seems that people are finding more than one way to "skin the cat" and navigate around. It was a bit disorienting for me at first as well.

The new "watched items" are the Bookmarks. Unfortunately (for us too) the Watched Items lists could not transfer over in the switch. But once you start bookmarking discussions, you will see new posts indicate in the discussions you're following by clicking on the Bookmarks link.

You also can see all the discussions that have new activity with the Recent Discussions link.

Don't hesitate to ask if you can't find something or you're not sure how some of the new toys work. That's why the moderators are her. If you have a specific discussion that you're trying to relocate, let us know and we'll try to show you exactly how we got there. (Sometimes just one step-by-step can clear up a lot of confusion)

imidazol97 · December 2013

@crkyolfrt said:
Members would be well advised to simply start at the beginning of this forum and start reading.

There is a general how-to-do-it list of steps for the new forums put up by SteveR. It shows when I click on the "Forums" link in the breadcrumb line at the very top of the page.

forums.edmunds.com/discussion/16564/general/x/forum-navigation-tips

But when things are new and confusing, people just need to ask questions and get an answer then and there.

MarkHolthoff · December 2013

@andys120 said:
-Why do the forums open to the "AM General" topic, something in which I have no interest whatsoever?

Could you let me know what old URL you have bookmarked that is re-directing to the AM General page? Sounds like that URL isn't matched up with the correct place in the new platform. It's an easy fix -- just need to know what the URL is. (Should be something with townhall-talk at the beginning.) Thanks.

imidazol97 · December 2013

@Mark@Edmunds said: ...URL...?

I am not Andys120, but I had bookmarked the page for "Read New Posts" as my old log in page.
It was taking me to AM General--still does--when I went back to IE8 to see the ad layouts there.

This is the actual link: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX?38@@.ef14c39

MarkHolthoff · December 2013

Thanks @imidazol97 -- I will see if we can get that old URL redirected to the new bookmarks page.

texases · December 2013

I fixed the starting page by getting where I wanted to be ("My Bookmarks") on Edmunds and all the other tabs, then resetting my home pages ("use current") under Tools=>Internet options in IE11.

cdnpinhead · December 2013

The "AM General" is alphabetically first on the list so, in the absence of any other input, that's where you end up.

I fiddled around and set up a bookmarks list and chose that as my browser bookmark. All is well.

YMMV.

carnaught · December 2013

Merry Christmas to our hosts and everybody!

andys120 · December 2013

@cdnpinhead said:
The "AM General" is alphabetically first on the list so, in the absence of any other input, that's where you end up.

In the alphabet I use "Acura" and "Alfa-Romeo" come before "AM General".

PF_Flyer · December 2013

@carnaught said:
Merry Christmas to our hosts and everybody!

Back at you and yours carnaught. Hope Santa left something nice in your driveway!;)

cmhj2000 · December 2013

Not too crazy about the new format. Been playing with it for a week now and think I'll just======

bpeebles · December 2013

@andys120 said:
In the alphabet I use "Acura" and "Alfa-Romeo" come before "AM General".

Actually, many computer-systems use "lexicographic order". The numerical equivalent of the characters is used to order them. Using this method, UPPER case characters come before lower case. Using lexicographical ordering, "AM General" comes before "Acura".

Under the covers, Computers work only with numbers. (binary numbers!) Alphabetic letters are not able to be sorted because, to a computer, they are represented by a string of ONES and ZEROS at the computational level.

More details on Hexadicamal equivalant of the Alphabet ==> http://www.asciitable.com/

More details regarding lexicographical ordering ==> http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/238250/definition-of-lexicographic-ordering

Given the above, it is obvious that "A" sorts before "a"

Heck.... even "Z" sorts before "a"

PF_Flyer · December 2013

I'm not 100% certain, but I think I recall a similar point being made about sorting order during one of our previous forums changes. Deja vu all over again!

andys120 · December 2013

stever · December 2013

Seems okay for me, both using the Image icon to link to pic elsewhere and using the Attach a file link to grab one off my computer. Wonder if you have a goofy URL if you are using the Image icon link.

ab348 · December 2013

Testing posting a picture. If this works, it's my hobby car.

ab348 · December 2013

Another test using a hosted photo.

ab348 · December 2013

OK, so that's interesting. If you attach a photo from your computer, it posts a large thumbnail that you click on to expand. If you post a hosted photo, it resizes it to fit inline.

brucem3 · December 2013

Haven't visited the forums for a while and just had my first experience with the new format. I must say I'm astonished at how every update Edmunds does makes the site harder to navigate and more user-unfriendly. Seriously, guys: Rethink. It's gotten to the point that I dread visiting Edmunds because it's such a pain.

andys120 · December 2013

Testing, this my 2000 528i>

andys120 · December 2013

That worked pretty well, now let's try one from the web>

andys120 · December 2013

andys120 · December 2013

No worky!

stever · December 2013

When you paste the URL, make sure you delete or copy over the http text that's in the paste box. We're looking into graying out that helper text since it's messing up some links by sticking an extra http in the URL. Otherwise your link is fine. (Your Triumph is fine too, but I'm not sold on the wheels).

kyfdx · December 2013

@andys120 said:
Testing, this my 2000 528i>

Awesome E39!!

andys120 · December 2013

Trying again to post pic from web

andys120 · December 2013

It worked! The trick is to delete the //http: (I dunno why it's there)

backy · December 2013

Over 12 years and 18,000+ posts, I used to look forward every day to checking out and contributing to the Forums at edmunds.com. It was fun, easy to use/navigate (just had to hit "Read New Posts" to cycle through all new posts on discussions I was following), and efficient. The tweaks to the site sometimes made things worse than better, but the overall design held up well over time.

I am sad to say that the latest redesign makes the Forums cumbersome to use and no longer fun, for me at least. It seems a lot of needless "fluff" was added at the expense of complexity. Some of the things I miss the most are:

1) "Read New Posts" button to easily move through all new posts in discussions I'm following. The only way I can see to do this now is to visit every one of my bookmarks, one at a time. What a pain.

2) No subjects on posts. Thus no way to tell what a post is about without reading the post. Another time-waster.

3) No way to follow a "thread" within a discussion. Since there's no subjects, there's no threads!

4) No way to "Reply" to a post. I've seen a note that we might get that feature at some point. I would think that would be a basic feature of any forum. It shows how little thought went into the redesign.

As Microsoft found out with Windows 8 and Apple found out with OS 7, new isn't necessarily better.

I may poke into the Forums once in awhile to see what's going on, but I will no longer be a regular follower or contributor. The latest redesign was the last straw. I'll find other automotive forums to feed my automotive urges.

Bye, folks.

stever · December 2013

@andys120 said:
It worked! The trick is to delete the //http: (I dunno why it's there)

It's there so you'll be reminded to post a URL in the box and not just a file name or something. But the implementation is a bit lacking.

brian125 · December 2013

backy

Sorry to see you go. I think the older members who have been here for 12 to 15 yrs feel the same way.

See you around the dial..

PF_Flyer · December 2013

@andys120 said:
It worked! The trick is to delete the //http: (I dunno why it's there)

I think it's there because someone expected people to type in whatever comes after the http, but I'm pretty sure most of us cut and paste url's and they almost never work when they start with http http

texases · December 2013

The new site is working fine for me, now that my bookmarks are set.

Best feature? I don't have to log in every time, like I used to. Anyone else notice this?

PF_Flyer · December 2013

@texases said:
The new site is working fine for me, now that my bookmarks are set.

Best feature? I don't have to log in every time, like I used to. Anyone else notice this?

Interesting. On the old site you could be logged in all the time, I never had to sign in. But it's interesting to watch everyone find all the angles

carnaught · December 2013

Would appreciate any insight as to whether/how I can delete the content of "My DIscussions" which is many year's old.

texases · December 2013

I guess I meant signed in. Every time I started IE I would have to sign in with the old version, even if I had the 'keep me signed in' box checked.

stever · December 2013

Some people were unable to log out on the last platform (and that wasn't intentional )

suydam · December 2013

I never had to log in each time. Just stayed signed in. So no difference. I just wish there was less busy stuff on the new platform. I was hoping for more streamlined.

crkyolfrt · December 2013

Here's some of my questions, thoughts and advice with the new site. Perhaps my browser is the culprit in some cases and maybe that will come out in replies.

Having 'only' awesome is too good in that it is the only positive choice (not counting 'insightful') It should be reserved for something that is in fact, awesome. With only those two choices to show support or encouragement, it tends to support their misuse and sorta 'cheapens' their real meaning. I thought we were going to get a :thumb up:? That would take care of not having people use awesome or insightful when there are really no other choices for posts that are neither awesome nor insightful.
I know you guys don't want to promote negativity, but there are times a :thumb down: would be useful if somehow we collectively didn't abuse or overuse it.. I know..wishful thinking..
Is that what Flag is for? - but Flag seems too harsh in many instances
I would rather have the awesome, lol etc show all the time because if your cursor is not in the right place and you use a scroll wheel, then they don't show - as for busyness, having Flag and Quote is already there so it makes no difference if a few more are in the same line
- would be handy if we had a 'save post' button...especially since we no longer have post counts or the time once they are 24 hours old.
this new site is blazing fast - AND so far...very easy on internet usage for those of us who pay exorbitant prices for it - much appreciated and please don't change this part.
be good if we could add a pic during an edit
tried to delete a redundant discussion I started that had no comments, and leave the one that had two, but it said I didn't have permission - can this be done at a user level? If there are no comments we should be able to remove it to avoid clutter or redundancy. I notice this has been asked at least three times here on this forum but so far no acknowledgment of it yet.
also, I miss not being able to see who replied to who within a certain post - I suspect that must be one of the features of the old software that is being discussed here and well missed but by other (probably more accurate) descriptions
and perhaps along the same vein of how the software works or its restrictions, but I notice that if we want to start a new sentence in its own position within a paragraph, when it posts, it is posted in a run-on position. Perhaps the term is truncation and how it is or isn't handled? I suspect that my post here isn't going to show with the clarity or uniformness that I created it..so sorry in advance if it ends up displaying as one big run-on mass.
expanding the width of page still won't show most dates. Why have December spelled out when Dec would do? That would let a person see the date without having to hover every link.
not having posts numbered is a pretty big deal I am finding over and over - mostly this becomes an issue when you see a watched forum has new posts, but because a post also lacks the time of day, you don't know how far back to find the new post - is noticeable the most if it is a regular poster that posts often in the same forum in the same day. I find I end up going back an extra page to make sure I didn't miss a post reply.
are the times shown of other posts, my time or theirs?
Really really miss not having any content whatsoever when you get an email - I thought it could be better before by including the entire post rather than the first couple sentences..little did I know it could get worse - this requires a person to be logged in in order to read a reply to a watched forum
this last one isn't really very important, but thought I'd mention it in case others agree and the choice would be easy to change, but the emoticons are hard to see. It's hard to tell the difference between a smile or sad or wink etc. Plus, are those ear muffs or headphones that they are wearing? Maybe it's my browser?

Over all though, IMO, so far so good and can't really understand the degree of negativity regarding the new platform by anyone...especially by newish members. I think I saw a post or two by a member that hadn't posted in 3 years, but logged on just to complain about the new platform! lol but

crkyolfrt · December 2013

@suydam said:
I never had to log in each time. Just stayed signed in. So no difference. I just wish there was less busy stuff on the new platform. I was hoping for more streamlined.

I wonder if this busyness you mention is a browser thing? With mine, I don't find it any more busy than the last platform.

PF_Flyer · December 2013

@crkyolfrt said:

also, I miss not being able to see who replied to who within a certain post - I suspect that must be one of the features of the old software that is being discussed here and well missed but by other (probably more accurate) descriptions

I get the feeling that the ability to "reply" in the old software - with the links that were generated back to the previous post and all - was part of the reason for some of the slowness we've left behind. Just a personal preference here, but I'm finding that using the Quote to peel off exactly what it is I'm replying to is keeping my train of thought clearer. I'm certainly able to better respond to a specific part of a longer post like yours

ab348 · December 2013

The reply/post box is busy looking in part because of the font (Times) and its size (too small). Not having it automatically expand when you start to compose is also a negative.

The Bookmarks page is also very messy for reasons I mentioned in an earlier post. I hope Edmunds didn't pay anyone for this design.

I notice that it automatically saves a draft when you are composing. But how do you access that if, as just happened to me, the text magically disappears while you are typing?

imidazol97 · December 2013

@ab348 said: But how do you access that if, as just happened to me, the text magically disappears while you are typing?

If you go back to the box with the Bookmarks, there will be an item named "Drafts." Or I found if I didn't complete a post, it would still be there the next time I returned to that same discussion, with the text showing in the posting box.

KCRam · December 2013

@carnaught said:
Would appreciate any insight as to whether/how I can delete the content of "My DIscussions" which is many year's old.

Unfortunately, you can't. "My Discussions" are the ones you personally started, regardless of when it was or whether you ever went back to them.

carnaught · December 2013

Re: one's ability to delete "My Discussions" @,KCRam@Edmunds said:
Unfortunately, you can't. "My Discussions" are the ones you personally started, regardless of when it was or whether you ever went back to them.

Too bad because in my mind there's no reason to emphasize them, as they're irrelevant after a while.

ab348 · December 2013

@imidazol97 said:
If you go back to the box with the Bookmarks, there will be an item named "Drafts."

I don't see that. Can you take a screenshot? Is it an icon, a dropdown, or a button marked Drafts?

Since the text I was typing disappeared (I don't know if it was something I did or not) going back to the discussion would not have done much good. I have not seen the effect you are describing, but then again I have not abandoned a post in the middle of typing it.

imidazol97 · December 2013

@ab348 said:

This will be my reply.

bpeebles · December 2013

@texases said:
I don't have to log in every time, like I used to. Anyone else notice this?

I hope you realize that it can be a serious security problem if you allow your computer/device to "remember your passwords" or "keep you logged-in". I work with computers for a living and know how bad this can be. (Lets not forget what happened to Target department stores recently.) Lack of computer security allows bad people to access your accounts. ... There is a reason that passwords exist
.
Oh- and do not use the same password on multiple systems.... if the bad people get ONE of your passwords, they can then access ALL of them (perhaps including your bank account)

... and change your passwords at least every 6 months. (just incase someone has discovered it)

ab348 · December 2013

@imidazol97 : Well isn't that curious! I have those 2 old discussions I started a decade ago instead of the "Drafts" button. I have no interest in those discussions now, but the drafts might be a useful thing. Surely that must be a bug, hosts?

stever · December 2013

You may no longer have any interest in a Maverick but someone else might want to keep track of all discussions they've created, so that's how it defaults.

Back to drafts, I have one draft floating around. It shows up under my name on the right sidebar, below My Bookmarks and My Discussions. When you click on My Drafts, the text will show up and when you mouse over the text, an X will appear to the right of the text. Click than and you'll zap the draft.

If you don't see "My Drafts" that means that whatever you were working on either got posted or zapped.

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