Why here, not there?

[Jacob Bugge]

Why this new set of forums instead of carrying on where everyone expects/expected to have news about the forum changes, namely:
http://www.adobeforums.com/webx/.3bc0fb97/

Hopefully, all the valuable information in this thread has not been forgotten:
http://www.adobeforums.com/webx?128@@.3bc157dd

[Dorothy_Krause]

Fresh start?

[Claudio_González1]

From the new FAQs:

>Why are you changing the Adobe Forums?

>In response to community feedback through surveys, we are incorporating many user-requested features into Adobe Forums and also making changes to the underlying technology to improve the overall user experience.

Well, the surveys do not seem to include the wealth of feedback in the second thread given by Jacob in his opening message.

>What are the changes in the new Adobe Forums?

>Here are some of the changes:

> New look: Experience a fresh new look for Adobe Forums that is consistent with the rest of Adobe.com and easier to navigate.

This has been consistently opposed by regulars in that thread.

> Adobe ID login: Use the same login ID and password that you use to access other areas of Adobe.com.

Same thing. For many, it will mean losing long time used screen names.

I am afraid that the lessons from previous attempts haven't been learnt.

Also, I seem to remember a call for beta testers for a future new version, and that many of us volunteered. I wonder if anyone has been contacted for this; I haven't.

[dave_milbut]

ya know, that's a good point...

> In response to community feedback through surveys,

I'm here helping at least several people a day in photoshop win forum for the last - i dunno - 5, 6, 8 - years and i've NEVER seen a survey.

who was asked, the actual users? or people who don't use the forum? or people who use the macromedia side but not this side.

you'd think if there was a "survey" to be had, i would have randomly hit on it in the literally THOUSANDS of logins since i've started helping here.

hmm...

[John T Smith]

I have not looked at the sample forums linked elsewhere (something about "Jive" being the new software) but I probably should

That said... I only go to one cfusion forum, for Dreamweaver... and there are people over there who are saying they will "leave forever" when the new forums are put in place

I like the look here (I go to about a half dozen webx forums) and can tolerate the one cfusion forum I visit... but it is certainly the case that people on BOTH sides of the current forums are not happy

But, as was mentioned in one of the FAQs here, the current software on either side does not have the capacity to keep up with the message volume... so I guess change is just going to happen

There may be a few people who really do leave forever... and that's too bad... but the nature of the computer world is change, or we'd all still be using Windoze 3x

[Claudio_González1]

Jim, as experience has shown in these forums, nor all changes mean improvements. And more than a few people around here have strongly opposed some of the changes that were forced on us, and are going to be forced on us for the third time.

[Dorothy_Krause]

Claudio, can you agree that it's appropriate to find a way to bring people that use the old Macromedia forums into a set of forums for all the Adobe products? People shouldn't have to divide themselves between 2 sets of forums when they bought software in a package that includes software from each side. That is what the changes are all about. Not upgrading this side... but adding the other. It's been tried to use this software and it failed. So they had to go in search of something that would do what has to be done, and make as many people as possible as happy as possible. Things will stay more the same for folks on this side of the wall then for those on the other, so, in general, you'll be happier with the result then they are likely to be. But it's going to take some working together from all sides to make it the best possible for all.

[Claudio_González1]

Yes, I agree with that need; and I seem to have read that there will be a considerable upgrade, not just a merge. Also, I remember that the latest attempt looked very much closer to the forums at the other side than to forums at this side. Finally, we have been repeatedly told that Adobe wants to unify the looks of all their sites; and several of them (none here) have recently experienced changes that have made them noticeably slower to load without adding anything specially valuable, just more cluttered looks.

Losing the speed and simplicity of these forums is what most of us are fearing, and the signs we are receiving are not encouraging.

[Dorothy_Krause]

How is "upgrade" defined? For me it's an improvement. But even that needs to be defined. The last trial was on this software, regardless of whether it looked like this or that. And it wasn't the skin that made it fail. And, ya, marketing says that establishing a brand identity is important, so, for better or for worse, Adobe marketing is going to have a say in how it looks. Beyond the looks tho, we get to help define the function of the forums, and that is truly the important part.

[Claudio_González1]

Whatever the definitions, an upgrade is more than a simple merging. And of course in Adobe they have the right to transform these forums as they see fit, regardless of what users think. However, recent history says this is not always the best option.

Most of the people who have voiced their opinions in these threads are by no means newcomers, or occasional visitors. I may be wrong, but I think that their opinions cannot be simply ignored. As one of the participants in this discussion,

http://www.adobeforums.com/webx/.3bc157dd/

I feel to somewhat have lost my time.

[Dorothy_Krause]

Your time, and mine, is in the future yet. I haven't seen what they are working on, so I can't judge it... yet.

[Claudio_González1]

I was talking about the time spent in making what one thought to be useful suggestions, often backed by many others. And that, judging by what I have read in these same new forums, aren't going to be considered.

[Dorothy_Krause]

I think a lot of people have learned a lot of lessons, and will be more prone to listen to John's expertise this time around. And we know that John has been paying attention.

[dave_milbut]

>I think a lot of people have learned a lot of lessons, and will be more prone to listen to John's expertise this time around.

waiting for the punchline... ;)

[Claudio_González1]

Not trusting the Adobe.com side login pocedure, and based on experiences of others posted here, I haven't accepted the "invitation" to link my login information with that on the other side.

I think I have found a way to post been only a guest. If this message gets posted, its only purpose is to say that I am not going to follow the "invitation" until the present mess gets sorted out.

[John_Cornicello_Photo]

There isn't anything to get sorted out. If you don't link your login all of your messages that get moved from this system to the new one will say they were posted by "Guest" and you will be starting anew. If you link your accounts your old messages will have your name attached to them in the new system. It is your choice.

John

[Ozpeter]

Thinking aloud - given perhaps increased graphical possibilities in the new forums, might it be worthwhile to have imported discussions displayed with some faint background colour, so that the reason for any oddities (such as a whole lot of posts by "guest") would be instantly clear?

And if "Guest" has to be used where the actual poster cannot be identified, any chance of having "Guest0001, Guest0002, Guest0003" created rather than just one apparently frantically posting Guest?

[Jacob Bugge]

I hope the login linking works once and for all.

[Fred_Nirque]

Well, I've complied with the linking request and since then I have to manually log on every time I access the Photography forum. Prior to doing this I had been logged on automatically whenever I hit the bookmark link in Firefox.

What gives? This is now a time-wasting PITA.

[John_Joslin]

Make sure adobeforums.com is "Allowed" in Firefox > Tools > Options > Privacy > Cookies > Exceptions

[Claudio_González1]

John, I have read more than a few messages around here complaining about difficulties in logging in after linking. Maybe the word "mess" was a bit too strong applied to this issue, but this is what I was talking about.

For some two years, I have had to log in every time I have wanted to post a message at "the other side". I have followed carefully all the recommendations given in here and there to avoid this, but none has worked. I have had this problem in a Mac with successive verions of OS X and Firefox, in a desktop machine with Windows XP, and now in this laptop with Vista, using Explorer in both cases. Some of the people complaining of difficulties after linking are reporting this same problem, but I have not yet seen any explanation or solution posted.

Frankly, I don't feel like doing the linking until I am forced, or the login problems are solved.

[Claudio_González1]

Addition. Due to my been admitted as a guest because I haven't linked, I see red flags everywhere, and I had missed this thread:

http://www.adobeforums.com/webx/.59b7ebfe/0

This is the "mess" I was talking about.

[dave_milbut]

>Make sure adobeforums.com is "Allowed" in Firefox > Tools > Options > Privacy > Cookies > Exceptions

that's not really a solution. that's a stop gap. the solution should come when whoever messed up the cookies gets back from their weekend.

[Jacob Bugge]

Let us have the skilled bakers back.

[Fred_Nirque]

Thanks, JJ.

I was looking for something like that.

Using Linux Firefox, Privacy is accessed under Edit>Preferences (where it really should be, I guess 🙂 ).