Irvine Housing Blog

What kind of blog system are you using? Looks pretty good.

Test post.  Looks good Z.

Wow…  It looks really clean.  Nice!

Oh look, it’s a pic of Zovall! 

Uh oh.. the secret is out!

Overall a good job.  I must admit though, I’m disappointed to see nested comments didn’t carry over.

What?  No nested comments?  That’s very disappointing.  I really liked that feature in this blog. 

? Where’s the running inventory graph link that used to be on the top

there are no links to the other sites, like CR, anymore?

alan, the inventory graph will be coming back in a few days

LM, all of the regular sites will be back - i’m just trying to find the right plugin

Another vote for getting back nested comments, otherwise discussion doesn’t make much sense. Otherwise, great.

Z, there is a problem with the “search” function.  It’s not finding the thing I’m searching for, and I know it’s a topic title(Hindsight).  Then it takes me to a page that says, click here if you are not redirected.  So I wait, do not get redirected and then click on the link.  But nothing happens, and I can use the arrow to page back to IHB.  I have to exit the entire site and sign back in. 

Also, when I clicked on a member’s name to “see all posts by this member”, it did the same thing.

oops, I mean I CAN’T use the back arrow.

New forums are cool, but no nesting on the main blog is painful…

One of IR’s recent features, 30 Crimson Rose, is now in escrow…

Your blogroll is empty.

COMPLETELY UNREADABLE.

The main page (at least when viewed with Firefox 2 and Win2K) is grey on blue grey.  The text is COMPLETELY UNREADABLE.  I can see it when I use Ctrl+A to highlight everything on the page.

My name uh Borat.

I like the PREVIEW.  Good addition.

VERY NIIIIICCCCEEEE…I LIKEEEEE!!

Is anyone else having the problem that Danlantic described??

No RSS feed for comments?

I’m using Firefox 2 on Linux.  Not seeing the same problem as Danlantic.

One thing I did like in the old software was how the comments were nested.  You could reply to one section and not have to scroll all the way to the bottom.

I’m going to actually agree with Ipoplaya.  Good lord.

Sorry, I absolutely hate it.

I’ve posted a couple of places and I saying it again.

I hate the color.

I don’t like the not nesting.

I don’t like the fact that all the threads are not visible at once.

I don’t like the fact that the thank yous and the blog roll has gone away. 

If I had been faced with this format when I first started, I would have never continued.

I don’t like that there is no tutorial on how to use it or what has changed.  The old format was intuitively obvious to even a computer idiot like me—this one isn’t, to say the least.

In fact, I can’t think of a single way that this is an improvement.

I’m sure you worked very hard on this, but I want my old format back.

I think this will drive away newbies.

I’m really quite upset about this.  You’ve made something very pleasurable and easy into something I can’t use.

Was there some reason we needed an “upgrade” other than computer types like to mess around with things?

Humm, one more complaint.  I paragraphed things and the paragraphs went away.

Why?

Also, it used to be after I posted something, the computer went back down to the bottom.  Now it doesn’t.

Lawyerliz is very, very sad.  Also, she wants to throw things.  Nothing infuriates me the way not being able to make a computer do what it used to do and then doesn’t any more. 

I am angry and almost in tears of frustration.

Where did the useful tabs go on top of the discussions?  I couldn’t get back from a thread to the blog.

I tried to change the color on something and nothing happened.

Also, the lines are too long and hard to read.
They should be like a book—like they used to be—so your eyes can flick back and forth easily.

Lots of other sites have this flaw too, yours didn’t used to and now it does.

Please tell me this is not finished!!!

The thread comments are so long, I have to more the bar back and forth to read them.  Extremely annoying.  Much worse than before.

I didn’t like Borat either.  I thought he made fun of poor souls, and I don’t like that.  I’m perfectly willing to make fun of those that can take it.

Some issues???  Some issues!!!!!

The color of the items where you want to click on a link is an extremely ugly purple.  Don’t know if that’s an artifact of my setup on not.

What preview that somebody liked?

Oh, yeah, and an old thread would pop to the top when you added something.  Is that still happening?  Seems like you have to check every month.

You should have run it by a computer imbecile like me before you declared it finished.

Firefox 2 and XP works well for me.  I like the new look.  I also would prefer threading in the comments.  I don’t see the lines being too long.

Nice!  Thanks everyone for the hard work and effort.

The nesting in the old main forum comment sections were useful for following different tangents, but other than that I like the new format.

lawyerliz, you will be fine in the morning.

As far as the basic functionality and usability of the site, I don’t see any issues.  I’m running Firefox on Vista and everything is readable.

Only complaint I have is the one that has already been mentioned numerous times - where did the nesting go?  You don’t see that too often, but it definitely makes it easier to follow a lengthy back and forth discussion within the overall thread when you’ve got 100+ comments to wade through.  Hopefully the platform you’ve moved to either already will readily facilitate that, or it will be available in the near future.

One suggestion, paragraphs do not seem to come through in this comment section.

Zovall - there is a difference between a site upgrade and a redesign.  What drove the redesign?  I know I dont adept to change well but this my wife and my friends who read the blog said the same thing and that is that it looks like a generic site.  The color scheme, the text, the formatting of the page looks a lot like the landing pages for websites that don’t really have a website.  That is, its just a bunch of links and text but nothing really like a community blog.  I sincerely recommend going back to the old format and colors and just upgrading the software if you were experiencing load issues.

Good to hear that things display ok in Firefox!

I’ve fixed the paragraphs in the comments.

Nested comments is something I’m looking into.  I didn’t realize it was so important to so many people.  I’m confident we’ll have a solution to this in the near future.

rkp, There are many things that drove the upgrade/redesign including stability and security.  Things like the color scheme, text, etc can be modified.  The old blog was using a great theme (Mistylook) that was used by thousands of other blogs.  I don’t believe this look is as common.  It is also something that will evolve.  Six months from now may look a lot different from what we have today.  IMO, the most important thing is that the content is still available.  That is what I focused on for this migration.  Usability issues is what I’m focusing on now.

That makes sense.  Now that I think bout it, most sites that went through an upgrade lost a ton of content or the old content was only accessible through an archive link.  So major kudos on the content migration

This new site displays well in Firefox on Mac OSX 10.4, and even on Safari, which is quite an accomplishment.

I did notice the comments in the forums require scrolling horizonally to read, which is not good. Really easy to lose your place on those long lines of type. The width of the column should be laptop-width. See the BMW thread for an example:
http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/forums/viewthread/1220/

I agree with the other folks here: nested comments are a must-have!

Overall, a nice clean design.

LawyerLiz, don’t leave us! It’s just growing pains. I know that your input will be taken into consideration on further changes to the site. Give it a little time.

Liz, no more drinking and blogging for you ! 

Grump.  Grump.

Does not play well with others.

Does not adapt to change well.

Ick.

I have to agree with so many other people complaining. The homepage color scheme looks kind of ‘cheap’ and a bit busy (the links on the right make it look like an ad website). In fact when I first arrived I thought I had typed the url wrong. I also don’t like the new forum page. It was kind of nice having all the topics on one page, now you have to click through different forums to see the topics. The nesting was also very useful.

Alright.  I am FURIOUS.  I just posted a huge, thoughtful critique and comment of this new format which disappeared because I did not enter my e-mail address?  WTF is that crap?!?!?!?

I have to say I liked the old format better.  I am an ollldddd school IT junkie… the simple, nicely colored IHB was a wonderful piece of web design.

This is very generic, lacks ‘atmosphere’, and does not represent ‘improvement’ as much as modernization.

If a software upgrade was necessary, so be it, but remaking the page back to the old style with the new software would be my suggestion.  If ONLY for ease of use - you really, really need to play to the lowest common denominator. 

This format just isn’t as fun to look at.  Nor does it make me want to intuitively click links, post, or browse around… which is not a good thing!

The best adivce ever for webmasters:  “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.“

Patience people, zovall’s addressing issues and making changes as the feedback comes in. The best thing you can do is to leave a comment here: http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/forums/viewthread/1980/

Calmer.

I agree with much of what Liz says. 

Zovall, thanks for taking the time and considearble effort to create a site that is just superb. IHB is my happy place on the web.  I work ALL THE TIME, and IHB is where I go to relax and engage in the fine art of snark.  The new format has deterred me since inception.  My main gripes (thanks to Liz)?

I don’t like the fact that all the threads are not visible at once. THIS IS HUGE, and the main reason I am staying away.  I like to troll the list for the newest and bestest posts, regardless of category.  Now, I have to click into each category and frankly, I don’t like to work at relaxing.

I don’t like the fact that the thank yous have gone away.  I mean, seriously.  I live for a thank you! 

If I had been faced with this format when I first started, I would have never continued. Amen!

I totally appreciate the hard work and time spent on this site, hopefully you can retain some of the great features that went away.

Finally, will someone please tell me what the heall “nesting” is?  I can’t be appropriately annoyed that “nesting” is gone if I don’t even know what it is!

Anyone?

CM

I always like a “recommend” or a “thank you” feature b/c it helps catch my eye on a post that many others appreciate/like/agree with etc..

“Nesting” is being able to comment directly onto a specific post.  IE… you see that you want to respond to post number One…. asking about what kind of system is being used.  Well, you can post a response, but it won’t be pasted up right below that post number one.  You post will be located at the very bottom. 
Then say you want to respond to Jhill’s post number 11 talking about the nesting subject.  In the old format, you could also put a post immediately following the number 11 post, with your request to what IS nesting?  Not possible in this current format.

So in essence, this is just one huge jumble thread… not little threads that grow out of particular posts with slightly different takes on the main subject.

PS… the typing in a word in the box - I don’t like that.

Using Borat shows no class.

I do not like the new format.

I used to like that you could comment directly to a comment and they would trail.

girlbear not happy.

NoWow!way

Thanks!  I can now be appropriately and thoroughly annoyed that “nesting comments” are no longer allowed.

You’re right - that IS a problem!

I like to check my thank yous too.  Working as a lawyer, I like to feel supported once in a while.
When I was doing closings people would thank me.
Sometimes they tipped my secy.  sometimes they brought flowers or candy or fruit.  Not too often, but often enough to make us all feel good.

In litigation, unless you win 100%, nobody feels grateful, and you have to work to collect your money.  and you almost never win 100%.

Makes me feel good to see the thank yous.

Have they been lost, or if you reinstate it will
they come back again.

And if there was some reason, why you had to
reformat—no don’t tell me, I don’t want to know and if you try I will tell you about equitable subrogation—why then I thank you for all your efforts and look foreward to IHB 2.2.

Also I got way behind on reading the threads last week ‘cause I had a bunch of work to do, and now I can’t tell what I read and what I didn’t.

FYI… the dates in the forum are off. I just did a post and it said 2007.

Never mind I’m an idiot… I didn’t see it said date joined

Test post. I’m patiently awaiting responses to the above posts.

Impressive.  I truly appreciate the efforts of the progenitors of this site.  Keep up the excellent work.

- Nested Comments on the blog is the top priority right now.  I’m working on implementing this.
- The look of the site/forums will change in the future.  It will not go back to the old design. 

I will continue to post updates to this in the thread that nude referenced:
http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/forums/viewthread/1980/

Please continue discussion there.