And now, as I am trying to read posts and switch between discussions and conversations, it keeps asking me about my “interests”! VERY annoying! I am signed in, ought to be enough. I am a long time gardenweb member and was also a Houzz member. I have very occasionally purchased on Houzz and get their weekly decorating email. If this keeps up, I will have to quit Houzz because the chasing-annoyance factor is not worth it. A sad thought though, because I would surely miss these fora.

BBS was better.

Yes, the interests pop-up is annoying. I finally picked one in the hopes it would stop. I don't need a program to tell me what I want to see. An easily navigable site would be nice.

Heck, the original AOL dial-up forums were less clunky!

I just tried to start a new thread and it was impossible to pick a forum. I couldn't find Decorating Conversations at all. Everything jumbled with no order. How stupid do you have to be not to alphabetize a large list? I guess the Houzz budget for web design isn't enough to attract competent people.

I'm a pretty savvy on line searcher and navigator. I can't find my way around Houzz and I know what forums are on the site ... imagine a new user who doesn't know what is available deep below the useless layers. How do they even find stuff? Just stumble on things by accident? Yeah, because that is a great web design strategy. Not.

I NEED HELP! I decided given all the above that I need to get moving and open an email account - I currently don't have a personal account and have been using my work one on rare occasions for personal use but it contains my full name, and I need to stop that anyway. SO I clicked at the top to start a new topic here in conversations, something like need recommendations for email ---I can't exactly remember, but requested simple and private, for the apocalypse etc. then entered and it didn't post but there was a list of other forum topics to post to- not interest - but where did it go? Geesh, the crap is already happening. I was also trying to find out if DML2000 is the info keeper.. Sorry, but can someone recommend - I'm feeling pressured to do this ASAP....

Ah well. I’ve finally been changed too. Was hoping I’d somehow avoid it but just tuned in to find I’m no longer in Kansas. Sigh

Me too. I was already in a funk over Anthony Bourdain's death. Then learned Charles Krauthammer announced he has weeks to live. Now gardenweb goes up in smoke like a Miss America bikini.

For me it may be a blessing in disguise. I spent WAY too much time at GW. If the new format reduces it, it's actually a good thing. Think about it.

I got in by not selecting anything and then clicking done. Hopefully this won't go on forever

Stuck here. I HATE HOUZZ FORMAT.

This forum fortunately doesn't have the stoopid list of "top yakkers" at least not yet. I did get to fight my way over, sorta kinda however briefly.

Anthony Bourdain gone. GW, gone.

Yes, you don't actually have to select anything if you don't want to. Just click Done, as chessey suggests.

Chessey, I did what you did and it worked for me too, but then it comes back, and then the “interests” thing starts etc etc. I hope you have better luck than me.

Between "The Chew" being cancelled and now this , I have so much more time in my day. What will I do with all of it? Wahhhhhh!!!!!!

Gray wings and bunny foof, you are why I hope the membership doesn't diminish, though the format might!

I finally got zapped by Houzzzzzz today. Drat.

It's Friday evening. No one will look at any of your comments until Monday. Spike was 24/7.

Indigo Rose - send me a message through houzz - click on my name and then click message - send me contact info....I'm working on it

User interface updates that improve navigation, streamline presentation, correct poor color choices, etc., are always welcome.

These changes are not welcome.

Gentleman Jack is here visiting, and he agrees...

I recall, some time back, lots of angst over changes. And before that. I know there was one before that, I wasn't here for Spike but I heard the tales We got used to it all. This one is different. We will either get used to it or not. Sigh. I don't need more change right now.

Saturday morning here and I've lost my GW... Houzz has taken over completely.

Spike was a pain in the ass. (ooo... off to the teacups) Don't miss him at all. Lots of changes since then. The changes have been okay but I think this really signals almost the end of any form of GW and it wouldn't surprise me if the conversation forums (this one, KT, hot topics, etc.) totally disappear. Unless they decide to get some mental health professionals to sign up and give us all advice.

I am not finding the new format that hard to navigate. When I went to home decorating on the left of my page were suggested topics and an explore button. There all the old forums are listed alphabetically now and I followed conversations and the other pages I like and I can access them from there. Once I open a topic it looks like the original GW page.

But it doesnt work on my phone. Where do you find the different forums/fora?

Under the pull down menu, I have all kinds of Houzz stuff but not fora.

Via GW, I can see the fora but not even alphabetized

I can't even comment in the comment thread. It's almost like they knew what I would write...

Nosoccermom, on my iPad I clicked the top of this page link back to conversation topic list page on the left is a list of "my topics" and a button that says " explore topics" is under my topics. If you click that there is a list of garden and home GW fora. Earlier it was alphabetical but not separated by home or garden now there are two non alphabetized lists. If you see a topic you like to frequent click follow.

I'm having Roarah's experience on MacBook Air, Safari browser.

I’m trying to figure it out - kind of get it but it is a bit of a mess. I do see the GW forums and can select the ones I frequent so they appear in my menu bar. I hope we’re not just being dinosaurs, resistant to change......

Well you’re all still here so I’m relieved about that. Do you think some people aspire to be top commenter?

do comments saying rude things about management count for top commentator?

Went on vacation for a few days, came back and logged on, and what do I find, but the final death of gardenweb. I guess it's officially gobbled up. Houzz blows and they know it. I disliked it from day one when I first heard about it via the decorologist blogger gushing over it. The hipster spelling of the world 'house' was annoying in the beginning, but now it's just passe' and no longer hip.

I do not like how each thread opens in a new window.

I absolutely hate that every post in decor is now also linked to other threads. As snobby as it sounds (even though that’s not my intent) I don’t want my responses to show up in other places especially when the forums they’re choosing aren’t even applicable. . By allowing users to choose what forums the thread is posted in, we are basically being forced to inadvertantly participate in the houzz forums too. Not doing it.

I suppose there's a subreddit for this sort of thing.

I feel so dirty.

Search function does not work to get to home decorating conversations. I like that forum because there is more to "decorating"/running a home than finishes and colors. I post here mostly things about keeping my home and life running smoothly.

Pinkmountain, they’ve changed the jargen on us, so now it’s under discussions. Do a search for just “discussions” in the edit section where you can pick your topics and it should come up.

Honestly since I added Home Decorating and Conversations to 'your topics' (top left main page) it's been bearable. The main page is still visual clutter overload but once I click on a thread the inside looks the old way for me. Am I alone on this?

FYI you can clean up the look if you'd like. I have posted elsewhere, not sure if I hit this thread or not. I use Adblock Plus https://adblockplus.org/  and have blocked some of the clutter. Here is what my HD Conversations page looks like. I don't have the annoying What are you up to or whatever it says, I don't have the side list of top commenters. I have the forums that are most important to me listed (although I have ALWAYS kept and will continue to keep separate bookmarks for all the forums that I frequent). At least it's clean.

I tried to look for conversations in the topic list and nothing came up. But I saw that Shee said that she found it. So I typed it in again and waited and waited and it finally popped up. There seems to be a significant time lag while the search function "looks" through the topics. Weird.

DLM, I have AdBlock Plus. How do I target the huge greeting and top commenters?

I can still negotiate around Houzz. I can even make peace with threads opening in separate tabs. In a weird way it makes sense to me. It's just a different place to click (i.e., close the tab vs hitting the back button).

What's most annoying to me is the ugliness of the list of threads/topics. Such a huge font. And the colors of the titles: black, gray, green. So much scrolling is required.

OK, how do you find the various topic areas/sub forums, other than scrolling through a long list under Home Forums or searching? My URL is still www.gardenweb.com..... Is that the reason, i.e. they want me to switch to www.houzz.com... ?

nosoccermom, usually the only forums I read are this one, Home Decorating, Kitchens, Bathrooms, and HT. I have this forum and HT bookmarked. The others appear under Your Topics, customized for my preferences.

Bunnyfoot you should have an Adblock icon in the upper right of your screen. Click it and a menu drops, Click Block Element and a new window pops up then mouse over the element on the screen you want blocked - it will get an orange-y shadow over it, click and it will disappear. You have to repeat the sequence for each element you want to block.

DLM, I don't see Block Element. Can you possibly do a screen capture to show me where you find it?

Okay. I found it. I didn't click in the right place. Anyway, it works so well that I accidentally turned off thread titles. Try using a forum without knowing subject of the thread. I had to unblock everything and will start again, a little more carefully this time.

I decided not to let Adblock get the better of me, so I figured out how to restore elements that have been accidentally blocked. The trouble is, it's sometimes hard to isolate a pesky element without including others that you need. I got into trouble when I removed the Top Commenters (you know who you are!) and it took out the thread topics. I may try it again.

I do wish there was a way to stop new people from calling us Houzzers. I cringe everytime I read it.

Houzzers? Like, "Howdy there Houzzers!" Ugh.

So, is it now okay for Houzz “Pros,” or anyone for that matter, to reply to a post about needing help for their home with, something like, here, we sell what you need, with links to their stuff. Is that no longer spam in Houzzworld?

Hi Bunny, Pros are welcome to participate in discussions, just like other users. If, however, you see posts that are spammy and just linking to their site or products, instead of participating as part of the community and engaging with the question, you can mark those as spam.

Thanks Emily. I appreciate the clarification.