Hi folks, Just wanted to stop by and assure you that we are working on these issues. Last week, we launched a new registration tool and there are still some bugs that are being ironed out. I know that it's frustrating and upsetting when things don't work as they should -- I really do feel your pain. Unfortunately, some of these bugs are difficult to recreate because they vary from member to member. What would be enormously helpful would be for you to contact us directly and detail what your issues are. Including information such as a step-by-step overview of your login process, where you are seeing issues, the error messages you are getting and anything else that might have differed from any previous login experiences. Many of you have probably already done this, but please make sure you check your browser settings and make sure that you have cookies enabled. If you would send this information to our contact link below, that would be extremely helpful. If you have specific questions or need something else, you are welcome to email us at the link below or contact me directly at any time -- my email is listed on my profile page. Thank you for your continued patience and support. Best regards, Tamara Amey GardenWeb Community Manager Here is a link that might be useful: Email Us

I'm late to the game, but wanted to share an idea we're doing this year. We're starting some local, neighborhood-run produce markets. They're technically grey-market - someone will turn a garage or shed into a produce stand. Anyone can drop produce by, and they list inventory on a whiteboard. Payments are handled through Venmo, so shoppers pay growers directly through a mobile app. It's a grassroots thing meant for neighborhoods, but I think if you had a handful of these going in town, a professional growers could drop off a steady supply of produce to each one. The folks who host it get to keep any produce unsold after a couple of days, so there are definite benefits for them. We wrote down the business model, if anyone wants to steal it :) http://www.hackyourhometown.com/the-grassroots-produce-stand-that-runs-itself/

I'm with prairiemoon2 on the privacy thing. I've already had the creepy experience of houzz emailing me to one email address when I signed up with a different one, and I'm not pleased. I hate the "like" buttons - they seem totally counter to the idea of people actually communicating with each other in a way that goes hand in hand with not being able to reply directly to a comment ("click 'like' instead!"). Bottom line: This new format really represents everything I hate about the social internet (intrusiveness, the feeling of your every move being tabulated and tracked, your method of interaction being subtly manipulated, etc.), most of which GW was blissfully free from in, as slowjane put it, its "web 1.0" way. So, I guess we were lucky for a while, and now I'll either adjust or be gone. And fyi, I did use the like buttons in this thread, but only as feedback for the houzz staff in case they're paying attention to people's reactions to the new site : )

I've made a few comments elsewhere, but I think it is appropriate to put my 2 c's in here. Soilent_green, I've had to wrestle with the same question you've asked as I watched SSE morph into something far different than the organization I joined. Many have chosen to leave there also, rather than accept the changes. I respect their right to decide based upon their own principles, but I've decided to stay in SSE for the same reason I've decided to stay here: Not because I support the ownership, or the policies, or the website, or any of the other trivial annoyances that came with the transition... but because I value the community. I decided that withdrawing my seeds from SSE out of protest would hurt the wrong people... which is the many sincere young gardeners who joined with the expectation of learning to be better gardeners & seed savers. The situation here is no different. I doubt that Houzz will be damaged by those who choose to leave, but there are a lot of great people who would be just a little less informed in their absence. Any harm caused by leaving falls disproportionately on those who least deserve it. And just for the record, Houzz seems to be making a sincere effort to address many of the problems that have been brought up, and to make us all more comfortable with the transition. There have already been several positive changes, and there has been direct communication with many members over their concerns - self included. It would behoove us to consider that this site could have been turned over to far less responsive management. I participate in garden forums because I have a passion for gardening, and hope to inspire some of that passion in others (and to find greater inspiration myself). Sometimes change makes the conversation more difficult... but it is still a conversation worth having, even if it means tolerating situations not necessarily to our liking. A lot of sharing and preservation has happened here, and many wonderful friendships have been formed over the years. Isn't that worth something? Do we cut & run so easily, or do we put up with the inconvenience (changing what we can) and do our best to preserve what has been special about this community? I agree with those who have made the comparison to gardening in spite of weeds, insects, disease, or inclement weather. We overcome those obstacles and frustrations because in the end, what we gain from success makes it all worthwhile. So Soilent_green (and other long-time contributers) why should you stay? Because you have knowledge to contribute, and many friends here who appreciate that. Because I & others have enjoyed your sage counsel, and because if many of those who have contributed to the vibrant community that was Gardenweb choose to leave, then the site might as well have gone dark. It would be a shame to have dodged one potential tragedy - that of a total site shutdown - only to replace it with another tragedy of our own making. I don't care what color the "houzz" is outside, I care about the company inside. I hope you will choose to stay.