Stories from the Sales Frontlines

kyfdx

Next time... just let me know where you are going... I'll be at the bar, old friend and all that... and, you can buy me a beer!

Women love displays of generosity... ;-)

Kirstie_H

"To be continued..."
Maybe GG will get in here in time to let us know how the date went, maybe not. In case you didn't see it, note the announcement at the top about the forums going "read only" for a couple of days. Looks like we'll be moving any day now... fingers crossed, everyone!

imidazol97

Hoping we hear from GG. I expect to hear if he changes his mind about taking flowers in retrospect.

I'm hoping that the changeover to the new Edmunds will be smooth and brings only a few bumps as the new site rises from the swamps of server land. It can't be worse than some of the slowdowns we've been through in the past years.

Now if we can find a way to extend support by Microsoft of my two XP computers... Anyone have old legal copies of Vista I can upgrade to?

ray80

Hhmm are we back and live on new software? And the gear looking thing in upper right lets me edit my post (more looking around needed of course)

Kirstie_H

@ray80 said:
Hhmm are we back and live on new software? And the gear lloking thing in upper right lets me edit my post (more looking around needed of course)

Congrats! You're the first non-host member to post here. Poke around - there's lots to see. I suggest going to your profile and editing your notifications ASAP. Otherwise, you'll get a lot of emails.

imidazol97

Good to see we're back in business. Now checking on whether the watch values copied over or how to set a new watch list up...

Will check my settings.

I just learned how to bookmark: click on the small star on the right side of the title line for the forum. That star turns yellow and the topic is added to my "watched" list, now called "bookmarks."

I really like the appearance of the forum. Clean. Pleasant. Professional.

abacomike

__Good to see we're back in business. Now checking on whether the watch values copied over or how to set a new watch list up...
_
It sure takes some getting used to, that's for sure. It's like trying to teach an "old" dog some new tricks. I wonder how long it will take for me to get used to the new format.

Kirstie_H

@abacomike said:
__Good to see we're back in business. Now checking on whether the watch values copied over or how to set a new watch list up...
_
It sure takes some getting used to, that's for sure. It's like trying to teach an "old" dog some new tricks. I wonder how long it will take for me to get used to the new format.

You'll be surprised. It might take a bit, but once you get all set up and start using some of the new features, it'll be old hat.

thinker01

Long-time lurker, very rare commenter, but I like the look of the new forums.

cdnpinhead

Well, the cheese has been moved again, but it looks like I've found this at least. Where the posts I saved on the old platform ended up is anyone's guess but, on the other hand, I couldn't find this until just now.

If I live long enough, I'll possibly be able to construct a list of forums I prefer to visit and reconstruct what I had before.

Or not. . .

imidazol97

@cdnpinhead said:

If I live long enough, I'll possibly be able to construct a list of forums I prefer to visit and reconstruct what I had before.

Go to the right side of this page. Look at your username box. There's an item "participated." Go to that and it seems to be the "watched item" list from the old forum. Those can bring you to each topic where you click on the small white star next to the topic name and it turns yellow to bookmark it for you. Then it will be in the "bookmarked" list in the username box.

The "participated" link right now is taking me to the first page of each discussion. I have to click on the last page to get to anything meaningful and current.

cdnpinhead

Thanks. I'm working my way through this.

Beyond that, I saved a number of posts over the years that used to appear at the bottom of my list of watched discussions. They may be in here somewhere, but I haven't found them yet.

imidazol97

@cdnpinhead said:

Beyond that, I saved a number of posts over the years that used to appear at the bottom of my list of watched discussions. They may be in here somewhere, but I haven't found them yet.

I had printed out the lists including those saved posts back a couple of years.

I wonder if the old forum is accessible through a link with a different name for a time so you could go back and print or save those as a web page.

Kirstie_H

@imidazol97 said:
I wonder if the old forum is accessible through a link with a different name for a time so you could go back and print or save those as a web page.

No - all of the URLs (links) to the old forums re-direct here.

imidazol97

The new software is working so well compared to the past times fixes caused problems in the forum. It's a relief not to be finding problems and slowdowns after the fix. It's almost like heaven.

Part of that is that there's the feel of the previous forum in the post layout, compared to other auto blogs/forums I frequent where the posts and reading works in a clumsy way.

Someone deserves kudos for planning and effecting a good change over. Usually posters were complaining about the people working to put in the fixes in the past.

It's good.

Kirstie_H

@imidazol97 - glad you like it. It's a big change, and it will take some getting used to, and some features are still being worked on. Everyone worked very hard on this project, including employees you'll never see or hear from.

houdini1

My first post. Hope it works. Hey, how do I "reply" to someone.

Kirstie_H

@houdini1 said:
My first post. Hope it works. Hey, how do I "reply" to someone.

if you hover over a post, you'll see the "quote" icon. You can use that, and you can edit down the quoted text to nothing, or nearly nothing. Or, if you're directing your response to a specific member and don't want to quote anything, you can use the "at" symbol followed by their userID, and it will show as directed to them. Like @houdini1

jayrider

How do you put a discussion on your watch list ?

Kirstie_H

Oh, while I'm here... see the "flag" icon at the bottom of each post? If you click on that, you can flag as spam or abuse. If it gets a handful of flags, it's automatically removed from a discussion until a moderator can review it. Good for when the spammers find us again... and they will.

Kirstie_H

@jayrider said:
How do you put a discussion on your watch list ?

Next to the title of any discussion, whether you're in that discussion or just looking at it on a list, there's a grayed-out star. Click it. It will turn yellow, meaning you've added it to "my bookmarks" here.

houdini1

@Kirstie@Edmunds . OK, thanks. New digs look great !

oldfarmer50

This change is hard on an old technophobe like me. I think I'm going into shock. What's a "bookmark" or a "watch list"? Why is the day date of posts no longer listed? I won't know if I'm commenting on a post from 5 minutes ago or 5 months.

Don't mind me, I be grumbling for a few days before I get use to it.

Oh, one more thing, whys there a Toyota ad hovering in the middle of each page?

cdnpinhead

@oldfarmer50 said:> Don't mind me, I be grumbling for a few days before I get use to it. You and I both, but messing about with the various "features" seems to help.

Kirstie_H

@oldfarmer50 said:
Why is the day date of posts no longer listed? I won't know if I'm commenting on a post from 5 minutes ago or 5 months.

The day is shown if you're on a page with posts not made today. You just happen to be reading all posts from today.

The Toyota? In the MIDDLE of the page? There's one at the top for the rest of us. Not sure what browser you're using, but maybe it needs to be updated. I've not seen that complaint before.

oldfarmer50

Re: Toyota ad. Yep. It's been on the home page since all the changes started but now it's covering up copy in the forums as well. As I type this it's covering the last line of Imidazol97's 2:48 post. Can't be clicked off.

Kirstie_H

@oldfarmer50 said:
Re: Toyota ad. Yep. It's been on the home page since all the changes started but now it's covering up copy in the forums as well. As I type this it's covering the last line of Imidazol97's 2:48 post. Can't be clicked off.

Can you use the "contact us" link at the bottom of the page to report this? That will allow our system to capture your operating system and browser so we can figure out what might be making this happen for you.

jmonroe

@oldfarmer50 said:
Re: Toyota ad. Yep. It's been on the home page since all the changes started but now it's covering up copy in the forums as well. As I type this it's covering the last line of Imidazol97's 2:48 post. Can't be clicked off.

jmonroe

@jmonroe said:

I have no idea how to use this new format. I don't see anything that is being referred to.

sb55

Kirstie, How can you tell if more posts are added to a discussion?

ray80

@sb55 said:
Kirstie, How can you tell if more posts are added to a discussion?

Not Kirstie, but if you click on recent discussions on right side of window it will list out lastest posts it appears, and yellow new will show up in forum areas you have looked at before if there are new posts

abacomike

I agree with jmonroe - don't know who is replying to what! There should be a step-by-step training page on how to reply to a specific post and what that original poster said. I see some of that, but I have not figured it out on my end!

sb55

"Not Kirstie, but if you click on recent discussions on right side of window it will list out lastest posts it appears, and yellow new will show up in forum areas you have looked at before if there are new posts"
OK. it makes sense now. It will take a while to get used to this!

Karen_S

@sb55 said:
Kirstie, How can you tell if more posts are added to a discussion?

Kirstie has taken off for the evening. If you bookmark a discussion, the number of new posts since your last visit will display in "My Bookmarks." Click on the grey star above. It will turn yellow and display in your Bookmarks.

Hope that helps!

imidazol97

@sb55 said:
Kirstie, How can you tell if more posts arhttp://i86.photobucket.com/albums/e added to a discussion?

When you look at the list of "Participated" or in the list of "Bookmarks" after you have
clicked the little star to mark a topic as Bookmarked, you see a yellow square over
words saying how many new posts there have been since you last visited the end of the
the topic's posts.

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/Newpost_zpsba5a99e6.jpg

When I go to the topics, I've been going to the last page in each to mark the forum
think I've read all the posts.

Kirstie_H

when you view the discussion on any list (recent discussions, my bookmarks) if there are new posts, you will see a yellow box with "X# new posts" next to it. I don't think you see that if you've never been to the discussion, but it happens once you've read any discussion.

Karen_S

@Kirstie@Edmunds said:
when you view the discussion on any list (recent discussions, my bookmarks) if there are new posts, you will see a yellow box with "X# new posts" next to it. I don't think you see that if you've never been to the discussion, but it happens once you've read any discussion.

Hunh. I didn't notice that. Learned something new. Thanks, Kirstie!

[Deleted User]

Well, this new forum format is different. I feel like I stepped off a plane in a foreign country without any travel plans in place.....or a map. I guess I'll just wander around the place a bit. At least the locals speak English.

explorerx4

Like abacomike, I'm not sure how to reply to a post.
Did figure out how to post a new avatar or 'badge'.

tjc78

Ok, we are back. Lots of great features here, the best of being able to attach a picture right to a post.... Finally!

tjc78

Quick hint... If you click on "participated" on the right it will help you get the topics you frequented in the past bookmarked.

kyfdx

@explorerx4 said:
Like abacomike, I'm not sure how to reply to a post.
Did figure out how to post a new avatar or 'badge'.

Click on "quote" beneath the post... to do what I just did...

murphydog

hmm…to bad watched items did not flow into book marks...

snakeweasel

No Sir, don't like it. The page is just way to white and to bright.

abacomike

@kyfdx@Edmunds said:
Click on "quote" beneath the post... to do what I just did...

abacomike

Aha, just click on the quote beneath the post you want to respond to and then click on comment. Now that was easy!

isellhondas

Not liking this at all.

Michaell

isell, hang tough .. we're all experiencing a bit of shock as we get comfortable with the new software. I think, after time, you'll see the advantages to the new platform and will embrace it.

@isellhondas said:
Not liking this at all.

snakeweasel

@isellhondas said:
Not liking this at all.

Don't worry we might get used to it. But I noticed that I lost a lot of seniority here, my profile states that I have been a member since 2010. I have been here about 10 years if not longer.

Karen_S

@snakeweasel said:
Don't worry we might get used to it. But I noticed that I lost a lot of seniority here, my profile states that I have been a member since 2010. I have been here about 10 years if not longer.

That's an issue that has been reported. My own profile displays that I joined 11/4/13.