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- Daniel Nesemeier, "dnesemeier"
- Contributions:1379
Well,
After fuming about it I guess I can accept the changes. I'm making a change too.
This is my last post using the current format.
So long Zillow friends!
Dan
- weav727
- Contributions:83
Yeah what's going on ? I don't like this. Not user friendly. I can't even see how to get directly into the forums.
- HomeSand.net, "White Picture"
- Contributions:4392
I like the old format more.
- Alan May
- Contributions:4377
I have to agree with Mr. D.
While you've added some nice things.... this entire "Format-shift" is uncomfortable, unfamiliar and unfriendly.
While you've added some nice things.... this entire "Format-shift" is uncomfortable, unfamiliar and unfriendly.
- Dan Hayden, "Dan Hayden"
- Contributions:293
ditto, the new look has it's merits but the thread layout is confusing and how come i can't view my old thread posts with a click from my "my zillow" tab?
- jimmy57
- Contributions:1511
I agree, this new format is ridiculous. Just because you CAN add bells and whistles doesn't mean you should. Categories, sub-categories, fat borders around everything -- this is going to be like playing basketball in a Michelin-man suit.
Hey Dan -Â
Thanks for the feedback. I'll try to address your complaints ...
1) Categories are optional - they needn't get in your way if you don't want to use them. It actually takes no more clicks to get to the high-level categories than it always did - nothing's changed there but now you can drill down to more granular categories if you want.
2) Whitespace in the A and C columns is also unchanged. We may have gone too far with whitespace in the posts themselves - I've had that feedback a few times this morning - and will pass it on to our designers.
3) Receiving e-mail responses to your threads is also optional. You can switch it off when you post your question. This was actually a regularly requested feature but I'll discuss with the product team whether we can't leave it "off" by default in the case of Discussions. For Questions however, I believe it should be on by default.
Please don't go just yet - far less has changed than it seems.
Thanks for the feedback. I'll try to address your complaints ...
1) Categories are optional - they needn't get in your way if you don't want to use them. It actually takes no more clicks to get to the high-level categories than it always did - nothing's changed there but now you can drill down to more granular categories if you want.
2) Whitespace in the A and C columns is also unchanged. We may have gone too far with whitespace in the posts themselves - I've had that feedback a few times this morning - and will pass it on to our designers.
3) Receiving e-mail responses to your threads is also optional. You can switch it off when you post your question. This was actually a regularly requested feature but I'll discuss with the product team whether we can't leave it "off" by default in the case of Discussions. For Questions however, I believe it should be on by default.
Please don't go just yet - far less has changed than it seems.
- Tiffany Bond, "TiffanyBond"
- Contributions:3010
Very unpleasant format change. If they were going to add something, they should have pulled out the stops and added spell check.
- Stephanie Davis, "agentinthecreek"
- Contributions:185
Humans tend to resist change. I'm sure we'll all be fine once we get the hang of this new format. Designers and product managers don't change things just to change them; they are always trying to make things better.
the beauty of the previous format was the simplicity.
- jimmy57
- Contributions:1511
Went to "My Zillow" to try and locate old threads (Economic Watch posts have been purged or moved?) and found my 1200+ postings sorted oldest to newest, without any option to resort... rendering it unusable of course.
jimmy57-
Here is the economic watch category.
Here is the economic watch category.
- flack121
- Contributions:126
Bad form Zillow! You need to inform your users ahead of time when your planning to introduce big changes on a site. You should know that.
- 2 Big 2 Fail
- Contributions:0
I also hate the new format. If this is the way that Zillow wants to run their forums, I am out of here. If anyone wants to continue following my posts, I will be over at the forums at www.streeteasy.com
Bye everyone! It's been nice speaking to all of you, but I guess all good things must come to an end.
Bye everyone! It's been nice speaking to all of you, but I guess all good things must come to an end.
2 big 2 fail-
Can you provide any further feedback as to what you don't like about the new format? Saying "i hate it and I'm leaving" doesn't give us much to go off of...
Can you provide any further feedback as to what you don't like about the new format? Saying "i hate it and I'm leaving" doesn't give us much to go off of...
- Tiffany Bond, "TiffanyBond"
- Contributions:3010
Another "missed improvement" is that you still can't edit or delete your own posts.
If you are going to increase functionality, it'd be nice if it was in ways that most benefit the users.
Tiffany-
We used to give anyone the ability to delete their own posts, but it was horribly abused by a few users so we had to remove that functionality. In my mind, the ideal functionality would be to allow people to edit their own posts within 5 minutes of posting. If they could come back 5 days later and change the conversation, it would be horribly confusing for others since others might have replied in response to something the original poster edits out of their post. What would your suggested edit/remove function be? Are you just trying to account for spelling mistakes, or is there another use case where editing or deleting is required?
We used to give anyone the ability to delete their own posts, but it was horribly abused by a few users so we had to remove that functionality. In my mind, the ideal functionality would be to allow people to edit their own posts within 5 minutes of posting. If they could come back 5 days later and change the conversation, it would be horribly confusing for others since others might have replied in response to something the original poster edits out of their post. What would your suggested edit/remove function be? Are you just trying to account for spelling mistakes, or is there another use case where editing or deleting is required?
- Daniel Nesemeier, "dnesemeier"
- Contributions:1379
I'll tell you what Zillow crew.
The measure of this terrible format will be reflected over at Alexa.
Over the coming months I'll check Alexa from time to time to see how you are doing.
Change does not always bring improvement. Just ask the Coca Cola people.
Farewell for now.
I agree with the others. I do not like the feel of the new system. I can see how the new "advice" system may be helpful, but I do not like this format for general discussions.
I agree with Flack. You guys might have given a head's up and asked for comments before making the switch. This was an unpleasant surprise. I doubt that I will frequent the discussions nearly as much (if at all) with this interface.
I'll continue to check in to see what happens.
I agree with Flack. You guys might have given a head's up and asked for comments before making the switch. This was an unpleasant surprise. I doubt that I will frequent the discussions nearly as much (if at all) with this interface.
I'll continue to check in to see what happens.
- Alan May
- Contributions:4377
Drew, this new format is very difficult to navigate. Even Trulia (which is not as easy to use as Zillow's old format) is easier to navigate than this one.
I attempted to post a discussion this morning... and tried maybe a half dozen times.... it seemed to go through... but I don't know where it ended up... and IF it ended on the site at all. I just can't tell where to look.
Also, it's now incredibly difficult to see where the active posts are (yes, I know you can see what the newest are)... this is a pretty design, but not very functional. Sorry.
I haven't been that active, of late, but this is enough to keep me away... permanently.
I attempted to post a discussion this morning... and tried maybe a half dozen times.... it seemed to go through... but I don't know where it ended up... and IF it ended on the site at all. I just can't tell where to look.
Also, it's now incredibly difficult to see where the active posts are (yes, I know you can see what the newest are)... this is a pretty design, but not very functional. Sorry.
I haven't been that active, of late, but this is enough to keep me away... permanently.
- flack121
- Contributions:126
Zillow, I think today you are learning a big lesson: the value of a forum is in the users that frequent it. You should have shown more respect to that and redesigned with the users in mind and with their guidance.
I have a bad feeling that you've lost a large group of valuable forum members today. It may take a long, long time for this site to recover--if it does at all.
I have a bad feeling that you've lost a large group of valuable forum members today. It may take a long, long time for this site to recover--if it does at all.
- Mike_oxafloppin
- Contributions:2851
the part I find funny is the resistance to change. Alps we all know you arent going anywhere so you might as well just stop saying it. I deal with the implementation of change and the backlash resulting in people not knowing where things are etc.
give it some time people ....... give it some time.
oh and Zmods how about allowing HTMLplease ?
give it some time people ....... give it some time.
oh and Zmods how about allowing HTMLplease ?
- klarek the realist
- Contributions:7044
Drew, it's everything. The fonts for starters, but that is a quick fix. And as tough as the old format was on my browser, at least firefox could handle it. Not the case with this format and I'm running a high-powered machine. Simplicity is always the best route when designing forums. At least that is what I learned in my previous life as a web designer.
This isn't a revolt against change. The forums have changed before with very little opposition. The science is in on this change and its unanimous.
Count me in with the folks that can't take this and will leave.
This isn't a revolt against change. The forums have changed before with very little opposition. The science is in on this change and its unanimous.
Count me in with the folks that can't take this and will leave.
If the goal is to allow users to quickly and efficiently communicate/exchange ideas then you have failed.
But perhaps there is another goal.
Oh yeah, constructive critique:
1. There does not appear to be a way to sort by most recent reply (should really be the default, let alone an option).
2. Burying the start new discussion under a pulldown is silly, it should be a button right at the top, right in your face front and center.
3. Organizing posts in so many sub categories is excessive. The old forums even had a category or two too many.
4. Return to a "forum" format for discussions. Its time tested, refined and widely understood.
But perhaps there is another goal.
Oh yeah, constructive critique:
1. There does not appear to be a way to sort by most recent reply (should really be the default, let alone an option).
2. Burying the start new discussion under a pulldown is silly, it should be a button right at the top, right in your face front and center.
3. Organizing posts in so many sub categories is excessive. The old forums even had a category or two too many.
4. Return to a "forum" format for discussions. Its time tested, refined and widely understood.
- askmaryann
- Contributions:975
It's a complete mess. I'm sure there would have been more responses here, but they've probly given up trying to figure it all out. They will loose alot of members. I've enjoyed reading everyones discussions, even though I did not participate, because you were all whittier and quicker than I...I'm going to miss reading them.
- klarek the realist
- Contributions:7044
I guess one positive aspect is that their mods will have a lot more free time having to censor our remarks since we'll all leave this [content was removed for being insulting towards Zillow's site developers].
- CrystalLake06029
- Contributions:443
I too miss the old "discussion" format. Change is all well and good,
if its change "for the good".
if its change "for the good".
- Eileen Nelson, "BestMilwaukeeHomes"
- Contributions:96
Sorry to disagree, but this is so much easier to navigate for me! I thought the old format was a mangled mess and hard to find anything. Of course, I was relatively new to it, so wasn't married to the format. Honestly, I felt lost before and now I can find my way around much better. And I like the notification option - I just started using it at Trulia and it helps me keep in touch if I forget to check in with the 20 different sites I seem to be on these days! I REALLY like the state/city drilldown. I like to answer local questions more than national questions. The local expert award is a great idea, too!
Noll-Marsh: "but this is so much easier to navigate for me! I thought the old format was a mangled mess and hard to find anything"
Huff much Kristin?
Huff much Kristin?
- SoCal_Engr
- Contributions:5663
I understand some of the shock over the new format, but it does seem to be easier to navigate. If you like the "old school", then just stick to the main forum topics. If you want to filter, then select a sub-topic.
Also, the ability to sort the thread (newest first, oldest first, etc.) is a nice addition, especially for those threads than ran mutliple pages.
The biggest "glitch" right now is that many discussions got sorted into the wrong topic or subtopic (mostly subtopic). Over time, this will sort itself out, but...
Also, the ability to sort the thread (newest first, oldest first, etc.) is a nice addition, especially for those threads than ran mutliple pages.
The biggest "glitch" right now is that many discussions got sorted into the wrong topic or subtopic (mostly subtopic). Over time, this will sort itself out, but...
BRING BACK THE OLD FORMAT
-
- 0.0/5.0
- (no reviews)
Contributions:1379Why the over the top categorization of every single topic?
Why this change to begin with?
Open, free flowing formats are what I really liked about posting here. Now we are constrained to too many pull downs, categorizations, too many clicks to read information.
As I write this I see almost half of the screen void of anything other than white pixels.
I also don't want my email inbox flooded with responses to my question. I don't want notifications.
BOTTOM LINE. I encourage you to change the format back to what we had two days ago, otherwise I'm outta here, and I'm sure many more will be as well.
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