The new format works fine on my chromebook (knock on wood) and I did find the Customize your homepage button to get my threads back in first place. I was sure Dave would let us do that again.
These changes are needed to keep the site friendly to multiple devices, I think. I hope the quirks are worked out soon for everybody. There was a minor overlap of a picture and headline on my homepage after I changed the layout, but nothing I care about.

The new SW for handheld devices is terrible. It looks temporary like some engineering version that got released by mistake. I use a Samsung Tablet and now cannot go to my profile because the button doesn't work. The preview window displays the text in a single line so only the first line is visible. I tried to send an email to the staff to report the problems, took time to write the mail, and just to realize there was no Send or Finished button there.

@GitaGal
The new site layout was switched in yesterday, mid-morning. Dave and Trish are working on problems as quickly as they can.

@Donnerville
Dave and Trish are aware of the hand-held issues and are working on it.

Thank you for the info, Rick. I have another question about the interface but not related to the new release. I find it inconvenient to look through the entire forum to find threads that have just been updated because the threads seem to be listed by their creation time instead of the time of the latest update. Is this something configurable by the user? Thanks.

There is an option in your profile settings that automatically watches any thread that you contribute to.

Otherwise, the threads in a forum are listed in newest to oldest order. The time of the last post to the thread is what is listed on the right side. Keep in mind though that a forum moderator can mark a thread as 'sticky'. Doing so keeps the thread at the top of the list regardless of when it was last updated. Robin had done that with the fall swap threads. Now that the swap is over, she has removed the 'stickiness' and the threads have dropped back into the list in order.

Does that help?

Thank you, Rick. You just confirmed what I had thought. Guess that's how the SW was written. To read the threads that I have not contributed to I need to go back page by page to see which ones have been updated .

Don't forget Donner... at the top of each thread page is a clickable to 'Watch this thread'. You don' t have to contribute, but you will see it in your thread watcher when something changes.

thanks for the info, Rick!
I think there is also a site talk forum where people can ask questions?

Thank you, Rick.

Catmint20906 said:thanks for the info, Rick!
I think there is also a site talk forum where people can ask questions?

No problem Donner.

Robin there is an 'Ask a Question' option that appears in the 'Community' drop-down in the top menu bar. 'Ask a Question' is currently the last item in the list.

This site talk forum:
http://garden.org/forums/view/...
There is currently a thread on the website redesign that now has over 400 posts.

pfft, why all the chatter? (400 posts of the other thread) we can trust Dave to get it right. I have enough to keep me busy without stressing day to day about the site layout.
If anything, this attests to the complexity of these type of site redesigns, like happened at you-know-where

I haven't had time to look at it either, Sally! But I imagine one could find questions and answers there? (shrug)

umm, what other site? (looking innocent)

Anyone--
--I cannot fnd the "Watch this Thread" anywhere at the top of the page.

--I can try going to "my preferences" and seeing what options i have there.

--Is the "watch" option always there--or only if I have posted to that thread?

Right now--I go to the Forums and find the MAF and then scroll down
to the Thread i want to read. Must be an easier way....

Gita

hi, Gita. The 'watch this thread' link seems to have moved to the upper right hand corner of the screen when you're looking at a post in the thread.

When you're looking at the home page, if you scroll way down towards the bottom of the page, on the left you'll see a link that says, 'Customize your home page'. Click on that link.

The page it will take you to looks a little confusing, but all you have to do to move your watched threads up to the top of your home page is to:

(1) scroll down to one of the bottom boxes and look for a little box that says 'watcher notifications'.

(2) Click and drag that little box way up and place it in one of the Row 2 boxes.

If you put it in the left Row 2 box, it will appear on the left top of your page, and if you put it in the right-hand Row 2 box, it will appear on the right top of your page.

Robin--I cannot find the "watch this thread" yet.

I did find the 'Customize your home page'. at left bottom.
Geez! There are so many little boxes--I have no idea what to do with them.

Right now--I am trying to find a way to "watch" your reply here as there
is a lot of good info there. I do not see anywhere "watch this thread"!

Too much new....My pea-brain cannot comprehend all these changes...

I scroll down the Forums list--then find MAG--and then scroll down
to where our posts are. Long way around--but right now that is how I can
get to new replies.

I assure you, I am not the only one having difficulties here... Gita

Gita, from where you are looking at this post,

scroll upwards and look on the right hand column.

Towards the top of the page you will see a link that says either 'watch thread' or 'unwatch'.

If you are currently watching the thread it will say 'unwatch'. If you are not currently watching it, it will say 'watch thread'.

Click on that link to watch or unwatch threads.

I know I felt a little overwhelmed by all the boxes at first. But just spent some time customizing my home page, and really enjoyed it. Now my page looks the way I want it to look!

What I did to make this easier for myself is open up the NGA on 2 different tabs, one on the 'customize home page' page, and the other on the NGA home page. Then I could play around with the boxes, then click on the NGA home page and see what happened to my home page as I moved the boxes around. I was finally able to settle on an ordering that I like.

But to get your watched threads from the bottom of the page to the top, just find a little box that says 'watcher notifications'. Move that little box up a larger box in the very top row.

It's so much easier when someone is right with you directing.

You have to poke around and try things.

If you came to my library and opened up your homepage, I would try and help you make the changes. But sometimes we have to tell people, we can't always make sense of every site out there, ( and some of them have actual glitches we can't get over.)Most of the time, people just haven't read everything, or have ignored those red warnings (Address required..etc)

Robin--there is NO right hand column.
Just the "box" we type our messages in.

Sorry! Sounds like it is easy for you all that live on computers.
Me? I just have this site to bounce around in.
I think, as long as I can get on all the MAG posts--I will be OK.

I don't think most of you realize how computer-challenged i am...
My involvement with Computers is....this site. That is all.
Now--it has thrown a glitch at me and I do not yet know how to deal with it.
G.