well, of course, it all boils down to sex & $ which are among the most basic of primal needs.  When those needs are made less accessible becuase of technological changes, naturally people will get upset.

Still, there's more to it than that; many people
derive great entertainment & form social networking & friendships from the various boards & chatroom. If denied those functions, again, many people will be upset. Shit-----if this site has THAT many functions, it has to be one of the best sites on the web, IMO.

It's because this site fulfills so many functions, even if they get rid of TER Classic, ( which I hope they won't ), I'll certainly stay with the site. ( to the delight of many-------LOL ! )

Thoughts ?

The 2 easiest means of measuring the success or failure of this programming change are:

1. Paid memberships
2. Post counts

Complaints are fine, but they simple add to the post counts which is measured as that people like the change.  The folks up in the invisible tower read the boards, but the quick metrics are going the wrong way if you're trying to impact change.  Food for thought.

If you have a problem with what is happening now, we have made it clear for the past week or so.  Anyone who cares about it at this point...simply step away.  

TER was not intended as a "social networking site"...it's a P4P site! When it was developed, the boards likely were set up as a way to get people interested and involved and give a sense of community, further encouraging their loyalty to the brand.  Now that the brand is locked in, the boards are likely more trouble than they are worth (until and unless it is shown that they have a direct effect on the bottom line), so it makes sense to put less priority on their format and the wishes of the vocal minority who use them regularly.

For those of you like myself whose involvement with TER was solidified by board interaction, there is little recourse.  Unless and until enough people show their displeasure exactly how Phil said (by either making the boards SIGNIFICANTLY quieter or by lapsing their memberships), the words of Marie Antoinette will pretty much be our epitaph here.

As someone who deals with user reactions to interface changes, I can tell you this:

It is the same no matter WHAT that software is for:

The bigger the change in the interface the stronger the reaction, which will usually be either positive or negative. It's rarely ambivalent.

The strong initial negative reaction here is because that change is major. That ONE reason is the current problem.

Other factors --like OPS theories-- will affect the reaction over time.

Right now, it's just that "someone moved my cheese!"

I agree with MSD completely.

I would suggest to those that hate the new format to flood admin with complaints and to make their voices public by posting on the S&P board. Otherwise it appears that whatever drop off in real conversation we have will be more than offset by members bitching about the new format. If the post count stays the same or inexpicably "increases" the new format will definitely be here to stay.

Resistance to change.

Let's face it, most of us are old and I'll willing to bet the vast majority who dislike the new site are old. As you know, learning a new skill at old age keeps to mind alert, so I embrace this change.

We come here for contents, less so user interface, and TER has plenty of that.

...as long as *I* don't have to do anything different!"

I think the changes sprung upon us without explanation or input (not many paid attention to the Beta version before the fecal matter impacted the rotating impeller) shook up a lot of people. When someone in a customer-service business (and this is the ultimate customer service business, as it revolves around the oldest customer service business in the world) does that,they run the risk of pissing off a good number of its customers.

As many folks have mentioned the "New Coke" analogy here, it would seem to be the "changes without input" aspect that has most people riled up. Almost to where you can imagine bales of tea being tossed into Boston Harbor --

If they are truly disgusted with the new format (and I don't see much change from the old version, except for the look), then they will vote with their dollars (not renew memberships) and take their eyeballs/dollars elsewhere. Of course, I don't see many alternatives that are as good as TER right now -- but that's the thing about opportunities like these. One company's screw-up ia another company's golden opportunity to snag some dissatisfied customers.

I say all of this with the caveat that the new system is working fine for me and I'm not using a mobile device to access TER. If I were having technological challenges accessing a site that I had paid good money to access, and couldn't -- damn right I'd be upset!

I agree that the new format is cumbersome and not easy to negotiate.  Go back to the classic model.

I am using a Mac and not a PC. I can now view the reviews without any problems, both in Safari and Firefox. I cannot use the pull down menus on Safari and all the Replies on Firefox are jumbo together and unreadable. What I hate about beta software is the we have to pay for them to get it correct. When they first introduced the beta version, they could have left the original version until all the bugs got worked out....

The new version, you cannot view all the replies together like you could on the original version...

I do not mind new changes, but I hate them when I they do not work and I have to keep paying for the service until they get it corrected.

For me, most of the Discussion Board is unreadable...

I don't have much of a problem with the new look.  HOWEVER....for whatever reason, TER freezed up both Foxfire and IE on a regular basis.

The new site will eventually grow on people as we learn to navigate around all the functions. It looks like it's here, so we may as well get used to it.

the classic site is one of the greatest sites on the web and i am willing to pay money to be a VIP member.

the new site unusable. if classic disappears i would only do VIP for free as a result of new reviews. given my preference for repeating with established friends that means i would rarely be VIP. the new site is not worth the thinnest dime i can find IMO.

my membership is now run out. i will not renew if "classic" goes away, period. i have developed other methods of screening and they work OK enough.

of course that may be cause for cheers and rejoicings in some quarters. i'm happy with that too BTW.

I like the site. It does take a little to get used to but after a short learning curve (for me), I have found it very slick and stylish. Now I don't search reviews or providers so I have no idea how good or bad those functions are. For general use it is fine by me.

I think as a whole people should be trained from birth in how to approach life as a Myers-Briggs ESTJ would.

Then the book that really needs to be written would be a best seller. It would be titled:

"Is That Your Cheese?
-Then don't fuckin' TOUCH IT!"

I really did learn everything I needed to knwo in kinder garden!

HalfHour

My computer skills are non-existant. When I found TER I was amazed at how user friendly the site was. Easy to navigate. I find the new format confusing and will probably cast my vote by not re-upping my membership when it runs out.

I'm slowly getting used to the new TER. It's like everything in the tech world, it just takes a little time.

LOL, someone else had to read "Who Moved My Cheese"

Is just a matter of getting used to it.

I usually don't post much, but I am trying to do more so I get more familiar with the new site.

The first days, I was "attached" to the old format but now, I don't even open it (unless is to use a feature I can't find on the new board).

I always related to Scurry best myself. lol