# Whatcha all think of the new format?



## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

Trying to find my way around here, so far so good.


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

Correction this award stuff is crap, feels like the participation awards for kids in schools sports


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

carcajou said:


> Correction this award stuff is crap, feels like the participation awards for kids in schools sports


Juvenile.


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

Now we are just another one of VS sites. Looks and feels like all their other ones.The originality is gone. I always felt haytalk had its own thing, more of a close knit community. I hope somehow that doesn't get lost in this needless update.


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## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

It's not bad. I'm trying out the dark mode right now. Garrit says the chat/shoutbox isn't coming back.


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## Ox76 (Oct 22, 2018)

I hate it.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

New format is similar to a few other tractor discussion forums I frequent so I'm accustomed to the format. Site speed has improved.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Ox76 said:


> I hate it.


Hang in there the format will "get easier" to navigate.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

I wonder what the premium forums is? I wonder how long it will be before we will have to pay to read any of the forums.


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## RockyHill (Apr 24, 2013)

I've been able to navigate the new forum. Besides permanently losing the Shoutbox (that was a quick way to see things that didn't really need an actual topic) miss the member's location and hope it can be added under the user's name. The flag is nice but location helps determine whether comments are applicable to my situation. For example, that totally unheard of thing of baling hay at night common a couple thousand miles west of me totally changes most things. I'm probably not going to look at each poster's profile to see if their practices would help me. 

Might as well go ahead and say that I truly miss a lot of the long time members that left with the last round of censorship. Several had strong political/social/moral viewpoints and for the most part discussions were kept civil. A few times there were discussions that I would have liked to suggest everyone chill out but didn't -- still from the discussions about hay could get a good idea of their credibility.

Finally, as Cowboy Ram mentioned, what is the "premium forum"? My own personal opinion is that this forum's popularity if because of the depth of knowledge shared. This from hands on/boots on the ground/untold dollars invested in agriculture freely shared by members available to anyone with internet service. In the past members have advised, found solutions, troubleshoot problems without compensation and it is very much appreciated. 

Shelia


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## RockyHill (Apr 24, 2013)

Update, after I posted above I thought I'd put a avatar back on. Saw my "alerts" and trophy! Now understand carcajou's post. I'm too old to have received participation trophies; don't think I'm a trophy wife (I could be wrong on that), so I personally consider these trophies patronizing.

Shelia


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## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

Hey Shelia, I know it's an extra step, but if you hover your mouse over the user id just to the left of a given post, you can see location if it's populated for that user.

I too miss a lot of the users who have stepped away. Hopefully it's just for a time until the dust settles a bit.


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## RockyHill (Apr 24, 2013)

Thanks, paoutdoorsman. That helps; think I can manage that!

Shelia


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Personally, I was pleased and satisfied with the old format. I am finding that all too many web sites are constantly updating their look and feel while adding, at best, marginal functionality. 
It takes me quite a while to learn to navigate around the new site. 

I guess I'm either getting old or getting tired of having to re-learn something I already knew how to do. 

Hmmmm....getting tired of having to re-learn.

Ralph


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Website seems ok, still has that new button which a lot of forums have lost.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

paoutdoorsman said:


> I too miss a lot of the users who have stepped away. Hopefully it's just for a time until the dust settles a bit.


I am afraid Dana that the ones you would like to see stay gone will come back, and the ones that you would love to see come back won't.😟

Regards, Mike


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## JOR Farm (Aug 27, 2019)

So far new version seems to work good but I really was hoping the shout box would be back, and it's a let down not to know everyone's location ( the mouse trick doesn't work on a tablet), also I really liked seeing birthdays it made it personal which is one of the many reasons I joined.


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## clowers (Feb 11, 2011)

Not sure about this yet, I to miss the Birthday section and the shout. I also miss the weather updates from shetland


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Went to log on and it switched me to swmnhay2


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

clowers said:


> Not sure about this yet, I to miss the Birthday section and the shout. I also miss the weather updates from shetland


Shetland still does his weather updates. The shoutbox work around in the chitchat/intro section.









Shout Box Workaround


I would like to acknowledge with gratitude of those who lost their lives protecting this country in the past....and to give thanks to those that still defend this country. Regards, Mike




www.haytalk.com


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## Shetland Sheepdog (Mar 31, 2011)

clowers said:


> Not sure about this yet, I to miss the Birthday section and the shout. I also miss the weather updates from shetland


The weather reports are still being posted! 
Find them in the Chit Chat forum
Pinned at the top "Shout Box Workaround" is the topic!
 Click on latest post!


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

I guess the new format is what it is. My guess is it will prove more usable overall than the old structure, although at the cost of some features that made the old site feel a little more like home.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Starting to like the page with the latest updated post all listed together so you can just go down the line and see what is new for the day.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

It would be nice though if they could get the location back with the person posting because what people post and advice given varies quite a bit with location in the world


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

danwi said:


> It would be nice though if they could get the location back with the person posting because what people post and advice given varies quite a bit with location in the world


If you mouse over the member name, the location and a bunch of other information will pop up.


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## Ranger518 (Aug 6, 2016)

I’m not a big fan of the new format at all. I was originally hooping i would like it but using it for a while now I still hate it! I pretty much only use my phone and it has made it really hard to do. And I really really really hate when you click to read a post and you scroll down and it gives you suggested or related post at the bottom I find myself reading other post it’s stupid and absolute hat that.


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

Ranger518 said:


> I’m not a big fan of the new format at all. I was originally hooping i would like it but using it for a while now I still hate it! I pretty much only use my phone and it has made it really hard to do. And I really really really hate when you click to read a post and you scroll down and it gives you suggested or related post at the bottom I find myself reading other post it’s stupid and absolute hat that.


Absolutely. Took me a bit to figure out why topics almost 10 years old were being brought up and replied to again. Recommended reading should be deleted.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Just one other little thing after you look at something in the latest post section if you want to go back to it it disappeared and you have to go find it under its heading.


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## Ranger518 (Aug 6, 2016)

IH 1586 said:


> Absolutely. Took me a bit to figure out why topics almost 10 years old were being brought up and replied to again. Recommended reading should be deleted.


I 100% agree.


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## Ranger518 (Aug 6, 2016)

another thing I hate is I have always used the mobile version which I guess is gone becuse I can’t find it. So when you would pull up the forum it would have a little green dot next to it if there was a new post you have not read or looked at and that is gone now and I find my self missing and not reading post and reading the same post 3 times before I realize I have already read it it was so much easer before. I also don’t get email notifications when somebody reply’s to a post I have made a post in I have tried changing setting but nothing changes. It just sucks because if everybody has small issues like this Causing people to miss post or not get to respond to a post in a speedy time which is really important if somebody has hay down and is trying to get a issue fixed fast in the field. I could see the forum going way down hill fast which I would hate.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

Regarding the email notification, You should find what you need if you click on your avatar, then click on preferences; the email notifications will be a few items down.

When I am viewing post topics, un viewed posts with new content are bold; if I have viewed the post and there is no new content, the post topic is normal font.

There is no separate mobile version like there used to be. That is fine with me because the old arrangement was a pain. It was not possible to upload pictures using the old mobile format. So then the user had to choose “Full Version” which was the desktop view. The desktop version was hard to use on a hand held device like a phone. What’s worse, for some reason the desktop version on a phone was often mostly unusable due to the ad format that blocked interaction with the site. 

I have some dislikes about this current format but there have been improvements in some critical areas.


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## Ranger518 (Aug 6, 2016)

Gearclash said:


> Regarding the email notification, You should find what you need if you click on your avatar, then click on preferences; the email notifications will be a few items down.
> 
> When I am viewing post topics, un viewed posts with new content are bold; if I have viewed the post and there is no new content, the post topic is normal font.
> 
> ...


I have all the email notifications turned on I have doubled checked a few times but after the change I have yet to get any kind of email notification from jay talk. Idk.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

Ok. I turned on my email notification for content I interact with. I will see what happens. Someone else please post on this thread so I can see if it works. I am getting email notifications for Private Messages.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

One thing I noticed; if you change your preference settings, make sure you click Save at the bottom of the screen, else none of the settings stay how you changed them.


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

To many notifications turned on could get annoying.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

IH 1586 said:


> To many notifications turned on could get annoying.


No doubt. But that is a personal preference.

I see the email notification works for me as I received an email that someone had replied to this thread.

Ranger518:

Click on your avatar,
Click on Account Settings,
Click on Preferences,
Under Content Options select “Automatically watch content you interact with . . . "
And then under that heading also select “and receive email notifications"
Then at the very bottom of the page click the green Save button.


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## PaulN (Mar 4, 2014)

I have all my email notifications turned on also, yet I never receive an email.


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## Ranger518 (Aug 6, 2016)

Gearclash said:


> No doubt. But that is a personal preference.
> 
> I see the email notification works for me as I received an email that someone had replied to this thread.
> 
> ...


That’s what I have done I have every dang box checked and saved but nothing. 🤷🏻‍♂️


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

Ok. Is it possible haytalk is sending the notifications to the wrong email address? Or the emails are getting kicked into a spam folder?


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## Ranger518 (Aug 6, 2016)

Gearclash said:


> Ok. Is it possible haytalk is sending the notifications to the wrong email address? Or the emails are getting kicked into a spam folder?


I have no idea as my email is correct on my profile and I don’t have any in my spam or junk emails so IDK this happened at the same time they updated the forum so I’m sure it has something to do with that but not sure.


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

Took a little while to get used to the new format, but I like it. Besides, the main attraction to this site is the quality of the content and the great interaction between members. 😀


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

The email notification function is weird. To test it, I turned on the notifications for posts in conversations I am in, and began getting notification emails. Then I turned it off as I don’t really want it, and here if I didn’t still get one for this thread. SMH.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

I asked the administrators why the emails behave the way they do. 

In the case of Ranger518 -- it is possible that your email server sees the automated emails as spam.

Why I am still getting emails after switching that notification off -- the system will continue to send them but only on threads where there are responses while it was enabled.

Hopefully this helps somebody.


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