To Fun2BHere: I had NO idea what you were talking about so had to look around. I've been hanging around here a loooong time and had no idea that feature existed! Thank you! So there ya go - we need features that are already available to be more obvious for those of us who are a bit, uh, clueless!!

Dlm2000 - Glad you found the "Post a Follow-up" choice! My epiphany was finding the Conversations link. Until I did, I never understood what some posters meant. Some things are just not so obvious. :-)

Having access to some simple emoticons to add to posts would be helpful, too! :-)

Thanks for all of your efforts and for asking for input in improving the site for all of us. GW has been an awesome resource because the people here give so freely of their knowledge and insight. Like most others, I would love an improved search function and the ability to edit posts. I'm happy to hear that you're working on a mobile app too!

I'm a relative newbie and so I'm still learning everyone. I think it would be great to have user signatures that we could edit to include a description about us, current projects or decorating style. (as in, "I'm on month five of my 6 week guest bath renovation...").

Main thing: The ads are often extremely invasive and sometimes cause major errors including covering the whole screen. THe pop up ads are horrible and ineffective since they come up under my main screen anyway - resulting in 5 or 6 windows forcing themselves open. I understand that ads are a necessary part of running the site, but perhaps there is a way to display them more neatly. For example a bar along the bottom or top, rather than on the side where they often interfere with posts.

Editing posts would be great, and would improved search functions (search by user, thread title etc) and subscribe functions, etc.

Actually, I like the serif font. I find it easier to read.

I have no trouble uploading more than one photo from my Flickr photostream...if I want to post several photos, I create a Word document and copy all the HTML codes to that, with spaces between. Then I copy the whole business and paste it into my reply.

But if there were an easier way, that would be nice.

And I am the queen of hopelessness, technologically speaking...

Oh - I also wanted to say that I appreciate the speed with which you get rid of spam posts, once we call them out.

And the level of civilized discourse here is wonderful. We can take some credit for that ourselves, since we seem to set a pretty good example (!), but I really appreciate your standards.

I enjoy using the garden web forums,and check in almost every day. You have already made uploading photos friendlier so no complaints at all from me.

Thanks!

I too think a delete or edit option would be nice.
When I want to go to the end of the thread I just press the "end" button on my keyboard.

A better forum software - like vbulletin! Seeing topics, new posts, ability to edit, delete posts.. in other words - more up to date! I LOVE this forum, I hate the structure of it.

I just want an "Accessorizing the Home" forum is all. :)

Edit/delete posts.

Automatic go to new posts on thread - thread memory.

Home pages need updating.

I have Ad Block Plus, so I don't get ads.

I can almost echo Allison -

Another Ad Block Plus user, so no problem with ads.

Edit/delete definitely!!

I would also like to see a personal message system within GW, if possible.

Thanks for all you do!

tina

Just curious..... so many of us think this site needs updating, want features we enjoy on other sites, but Garden Web still has more traffic, more forum choices and seems to be the *go to* place despite being behind in features/technology. Why do you think that is? I get frustrated and leave other sites, but not this one - anyone else?

I have a different take...I very much like the simplicity of the site, and the fact that it keeps the central focus on the conversation, with pictures only for illustration.

If it becomes a lot more visual, busier, and more distracting, I'll find it much harder to cope with, and much less of a pleasure to use and participate in.

And isn't discipline, simplicity, and calm what we advocate for in our interiors?

I'm not against change. I just want there to be a compelling reason for it.

There is one feature that I really like on the Hometalk Forum website. If you put your cursor on the subject line you can see the OP's post without going into the full post. It really saves a lot of time if you are not interested in the subject or just short on time.

I also think adding a forum on Table and Mantelscapes would be nice.

Cam, we really need a separate forum for the table/mantelscapes, and accessorizing the home. After we finish painting etc., it would be nice to have a place to go to help with accessorizing.

I'm with Bronwyn on keeping this board simple. The search engine is lousy! When I do a search they're not in chronological order, which they should be.

A topics list would be helpful...at least for the Home Decor forum. Over the past 11 yrs. I've watched the forum go from 'how to design, decorate and reorganize a room' to theory & general discussions, CL, Paint, Lighting, Exteriors, etc. and I often have to scroll thru pages to find a topic of interest.

This forum is antiquated. By 2000, there were forums that included all of the features requested above and dozens more. I'm surprised you've held on to your members as it would be easy for a group of regulars to band together, open a modern forum, and move the majority of business there. Look how quickly Myspace was vacated once Facebook opened.

The feature I miss the most here, is where previously viewed threads are distinguished from threads you have not opened yet. It's usually a different color font or simply a flag that says "new" next to unopened threads. I also like to be able to find a users prior posts and search within them.

I understand that some people are reluctant to change and might thing these features make things more complicated. The fact that thousands are still using Yahoo mailing groups, which are like using a bicycle instead of a car, is evidence of that. But those people would be shocked at the time they would save if they were using a modern board.

A question about deleting your own posts (if that feature was available).

Wouldn't it be confusing on threads if someone posted, received answers and then the post was gone?

ML

I would like each follow-up post to have a reply button for that individual post. So if JaneSmith makes a comment it has a button to reply to her directly within the thread. In very long threads when a comment is made directly to a previous poster you have to back up the thread to read what they're responding to. Case in point Fun2BeHere to Dlm2000 should have been a connected reply to her.

Thanks for asking!

The search engine is my biggest complaint. And, when I do a search, for example, "wool rug", and when it brings up the threads with "wool rug", I would like the words "wool" and "rug" in red letters throughout the posts, so my eye can go straight to the post that talks about the "wool rug" instead of having to read through each post. I have seen this feature on other forums and it saves so much time.

Hope that makes sense!

I'm with brownwynsmom. There are a lot of features that seem desirable just because they're on other forums--but that doesn't make them good.

I don't want dopey avatars. I don't want to read threads where each person quotes-and-replies, so you have to reread the same comments a dozen times because others have lazily quoted the whole thing again and again. I don't want 4800-post threads like you find on other sites, so that to read the latest post on a subject you have to spend a week catching up on dead conversations.

Some of the antiquated quality of this board is what makes it work. It focuses you on the actual conversation.

I agree with bronwynsmom also! But, would still like a search feature like I described-LOL!

We need Edit!!!! of our own post, so many times I say oh I forgot to add..... and no way to do this but reply, which is rediculous.

Edit and having the option to jump down to end of thread. The search engine idea for search words highlighted and listed in latest date too.

As for spelling corrections, I do have this option here. Not sure why, but works.

It appears that lately very old threads (years) are being responded to. Perhaps new users, but this bugs me. Most of the old thread posters are gone, and most never came back to respond. Probably a personal complaint on my part. No suggestions on what to do with this one.

It is great you are asking and can say personally that your staff has done a good job of responding to me when needed. Respectful and nice responses.

I dislike the complexity of many other forums and while a few changes would be nice, I don't want much.

What Bronwynsmom and Marcolo said.

Simple is still good.

At least edit but delete would be a plus.

I'm assume if we want to delete our account we'd have to contact you guys. Correct me on this if I'm wrong. I'd like to have control over that and if an account is deleted have everything disappear with them. Photobucket does this with photos.

I agree with bumblebeez, bronwynsmom, and marcolo. I like the simplicity. Also agree that being able to edit or delete posts would be nice.

The ability to edit posts.

Love the idea of being able to edit a post after posting and a better search engine for finding the older posts. If a messaging system isn't possible, maybe a way to see when a poster last posted? Many of us are long timers and when we don't see someone for a while it would be an easy way to know that they are okay and still around, just not with us.

I have no problem with the font either except for when someone copies and pastes something and the some of the symbols aren't translated to the new font correctly.

The simplicity of the board is also a plus for me and I actually like having all the decorating things combined. I think that separating categories too much makes things more cumbersome to find or use; a perfect example is the paint forum vs paint talk in the decor forum. A lot of people feel the need to post in both because they don't know which forum is the right one to go to for their situation. I suspect that the same thing would happen if we separated any of the more popular topics into their own forum.

One thing I would love to see is a tutorial type forum that people could post instructions on how to do something with in the forum. Sort of like Buehl's kitchen post, but centralized so everyone can easily find it and contribute to it when new things are learned.

Thanks for asking. Just to endorse what others have said, I'd like:

Spell check (pretty please),
Edit/delete ability after a post has been submitted,
Easy quoting,
Ability to add multiple photos to a single post.

And a "preview" option so that I can hover over a post with an obscure title and get an idea of what it is about without opening it. A nice time saver on other sites.

Otherwise, keep it as simple as possible. I like resting my eyes here without avatars (especially the animated ones) and elaborate redundant personalized signatures cluttering the screen and hurting my eyes. :-)

Thanks.

Agree with the addition of "edit" and would love to see a "reply" option to each post AND a recommend button so that the heavily reccomended posts get flagged.

Please no avatars or long signatures!

Yes to bronwynsmom, marcollo and bb, etal: keep it simple!! I love this format....and gw! Don't change too much.

I haven't read all the posts but I'd also love a "spam" button so admin could be alerted to spammers more easily. It's really a pain now to report spam.

Let's see.

1. Ability to edit posts.
2. Spam button.
3. Inappropriate post button.
4. Spellcheck.
5. Ability to go to newest post without having to scroll down.
6. Ability to see if there are any new posts on a given forum.
7. Hotlinking.
8. Improve the search function.

This site is what made me get AdBlocker. No other site I've visited has the sheer number of scrolling up and down ads, ads that cover the entire screen, ads in the text, that this site has. Because there are so darn many, I've been forced to take steps to prevent seeing any of them.

I accept ads on websites because that is how the websites make money. But the volume of ads on this site has made me work to eliminate them, because they make using the site so difficult and time consuming.

It would be nice if diacritical marks that show up correctly in "Preview" also showed up correctly after "Submit."

Am I the only one who remembers the dog??

Oh jeez, wrong forum. Sorry! This is one of those times that I wish I had the ability to edit or delete after submitting!

1. A SPAM button, versus having to send an e-mail to Gardenweb.

2. A review of inactive forums and sub-forums for deletion or merging. Examples: the Conversations side of the Paint forum is not used, the Flooring Forum and Fireplace Forum get low traffic and it is frustrating to post a question and get no responses.

dedtired,
I remember the dog - he's just happy to see you :)

I agree...keep the simple. I would like to see edit, and it would be nice if the posts on a thread were numbered, so we could refer to them when we replied.

Namcy

It would be great if people were encouraged to answer a few basic questions when they start a thread. Very often, it would help to know the poster's state or region.

It would always be good if the poster gave us some idea of their budget for the project in question.

Some forums have questions that automatically appear in every post that starts a new thread. Others keep a sticky note at the top of the forum with basic suggestions for all posters. In the case of this forum, there should be instructions on how to post pics, as well as a list of factors that would assist others in answering questions. Suggested questions would be: Where do you live, what is your budget, what is the intended use of the room.

PLEASE - get rid of the popups!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm a GW addict and like the simplicity of the site. I'm reiterating what others have written. I have to agree that an "edit", "spellchecker" and "delete post" button would be great. Sometimes after I get my replies for a post on a personal issue, I'd rather be able to delete it when I don't want it "out there" any longer, especially if it's a post directed only for me looking for advice or similar.

Pop-ups are annoying, though I've since installed Adblocker. Hate when an ad opens at the top and takes up almost my entire screen, then I have to arrow down to read anything.

1) Better search. The current search is not only limited, but buggy (it doesn't return all matching results, even if the posts are recent, for example).

2) Ability to search multiple areas at the same time without searching the entire forum (for example, just Home Decorating and Paint, or Bathrooms and Plumbing, or Building a Home and Remodeling, or Appliances and Laundry Room, etc.)

3) If you're on That Home Site, search should default to THS, not to GardenWeb (this should be a trivial fix).

4) Additional subject areas for topics that always get a lot of questions (Fences and Walls, Roofing, Contractor Disputes, etc.).

5) GW should host its own photos so they don't disappear later -- it's so frustrating to read a thread and not be able to see the photos that go with it, or to have to create yet another account to log into a separate photo site.

6) A simpler way to add a link to a post

7) The ability to add multiple links to a post

8) The ability to designate certain posters as favorites so you could easily see their recent posts (your favorites list should be private, though).

9) A dashboard where you could see your recent activity (threads that you've started, threads in which you've recently posted messages, your watched threads, postings by your favorites, your clippings, etc.) so that you don't have to use search or go to your profile to find this information each time you log in

10. The ability to set up rules for alerts. For example, you could set a rule that sends you an alert whenever mythreedogs (one of the Home Decorating rock stars) posts a photo.

11. No limit on saved clippings

12. Very often, posts aren't very helpful because the reader doesn't know where the poster is located. (This is also true on THS, not just on GardenWeb.) To solve this problem, GW should require all members to provide their zip code, which members could keep hidden if they choose. No matter whether a member's zip code is hidden or visible, GW should ALWAYS display that member's hardiness zone on their profile and posts, as well as a GENERAL description of their location. Members should be able to control just how specific the geographical description is (Greater Boston, Massachusetts, or New England, for example).

13. Ability to edit your own posts and to delete posts that no one has clipped

14. Please recruit forum moderators who would have to the power to delete inappropriate posts and to edit other people's posts (for example, to correct misspelled words in the subject line that would prevent readers from finding that thread

15. The ability to tag threads as helpful or inappropriate

16. The ability to select a font.

17. The ability to control how GW appears on mobile devices

dilettante, if I had to post my zip code, I'd never post here. Why tell thousands of people around the world what town I live in? Not good.

As far as pop-ups go, my ad blocker works for every site except GW. And the pop-ups here have gotten way out of hand.

Oakleyok,

It's NEVER a good idea to respond to a post without reading it. I very clearly stated that zip codes would be used ONLY for the purpose of providing a hardiness zone (which, just in case you don't garden, is NOT a zip code) or for providing a very general location. Members should have the OPTION of displaying a zip code if they choose.

Just for the record, I wouldn't post my zip code either, since I live in a very small town. However, if I lived in a major city or if I were a contractor or someone who provided a service to homeowners, I probably would.

P.S. Knowing a hardiness zone alone isn't nearly as helpful to gardeners as knowing both the hardiness zone and a general location. Rainfall, soil type, altitude, day length, and other factors are important too. on-gardeners might also want to know the poster's general location because building practices, materials, zoning laws, building codes, environmental restrictions, water availability, house styles, building costs, land prices, income levels, recommended R-values, energy-efficiency and water-sense rebates and a host of other factors also vary greatly by location.

Hi everyone!

You asked and we listened. Today we are very excited to be debuting our newest feature -- post editing! To use this feature, go back to the post you wish to correct and you'll find the link under the 'My Clippings' links on the right side of the page.

I want to give a special shout out to all the testers who tried to break the editing tool. ;) Your feedback was insightful and invaluable. Thank you!

You may have also noticed that we adjusted the login cookie awhile back so that you should not have to login repeatedly.

Stay tuned -- we have more cool things in the works!

As always, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Best regards,
Tamara