Hmm... have to say I don't understand some of the criticisms. Isn't the number of threads displayed and the way they're ordered the same as before? Seems so to me, and the elimination of frames has solved a lot of problems I had with the old site on some of my connections. Since they added back in the "Jump to last post" and "Back to top" links, I find jumping around real easy.

Michael, there are now only 25 posts listed on the first page whereas there used to be 50. So posts do fall off the first page much more quickly than before. That is currently my primary complaint. If I'm checking the board quickly to see if there is anything I want to respond to, I don't go beyond the first page.

Also once you go past the first 25 it then list activity by date not by post so you then have to click on the date. Not an onerous task i know but somehow it was much simpler to see the thread. I liked it like that!!
I couldnt be without fodors as i have made some great friends and gotten the best advice but i dont lurk quite as much.

I use Firefox on a Mac and have no complaints about load speed.

What disappoints me is the fact that I don't intuitively grasp the value of this new organization of the page. While there may be some advantage to breaking out "Trip Reports," I don't at all see the value of "New Topics" and "Recent Popular Topics." (And what is "popularity" -- is it determined by the volume of replies, the number of different posters, some combination of those factors or...?

As a consequence, I tend to use the left-hand column of "Recent Activity" as a primary mode of navigation and I ignore most of the page. Those of us who do so are naturally disappointed that the number of topics posted there has been cut to 25.

I haven't been sure whether I should be disappointed in myself or disappointed in the new design. Maybe I am just slow to adapt and have not discovered the advantages of the new format. What I do know is that I find myself scurrying down the left-hand column and ignoring the vast majority of what is on the opening page. That leads to both a cramped feeling and a sense of dissatisfaction.

If anyone who likes the new design is willing to offer pointers on how he or she engages with the site, I'd love to read what you have to say. Maybe this is an education problem and people like me can learn some new habits.

And JamesA, please don't leave. This is such a wonderful resource because of you and others who have shared so much valuable information.

I miss the old forum...for whatever reason, I find it hard to locate a review queries. Can we all vote? Would it make a difference?

I do the same thing as marya_. I scroll down the page looking at the left side, and open the topics I want to read in a separate window or tab. The New Topics and Most Popular stuff is just wasting space...it's so unnecessary. I also miss having 50 topics listed in Recent Activity. I hope the powers that be at Fodors will fix these problems!

Hi marya and LMGSONIC; Not sure if i'm reading your post correctly, but 'recent activity' has not been cut to 25 topics. Just under 'recent activity' is 'view all of today's topics'. So it can be 25 topics, 125 topics or 225 topics, it is all there. Just one click and you have all of that day's activities. You just have to scroll down. Hope this helps. iris1745/dick

iris, the number of topics that show on the first page is now 25. It used to be 50. That's an issue in terms of how many reponses a post gets as most people look only at the first page.

I do understand how that works, Iris, and I have of course been routinely either clicking at the top of the left-hand column on "View all of today's activity" or at the bottom on "View more activity." From a page design standpoint though it strikes me as sub-par to be navigating and excavating all from the far left-hand column while ignoring most of the printed matter on the page.

It feels like living out of a small corner of one's home because the majority of the rooms are piled with junk one doesn't need. You can do it, you can adapt to clutter....but the question is why you would want to.


This isn't a rant about change. I understand that the old system was outdated and couldn't support the traffic. Most changes in web design that I have experienced have brought improvements. Still looking for them in this case. If anyone's information needs are better met by the current format, I would be curious to know. My style and habits on browsing and posting may be quirky or they may be representative of a standard way of engaging with this site. Just curious about others' experience.

I wonder what is magic about the number 25 as the number of posts that are listed without going into the archives. I liked it better when it was 50. That way threads seemed to have longer lives because people who log on only at certain times were likely to be able to catch up the next day on a thread in which they had paticipated. As noted in a prior thtread, Fodors actually has the answers to all of these numerical questions, e.g., hits, threads, etc.

Hi marya; I think everone's opinion is valid and if that is how you feel, fine. For me it is so easy, but that could be, because at 74, I just have to sit and adapt/relax. Others approach things differently. Best iris1745/dick

I'm surprised by the reports of slowness. Once things settled down it seemed about the same speed to me as before (using Firefox on a PC) and I'm posting this from Nice using my hotel's wi-fi connection, and the speed is still fine.

I now start out on my profile page, to check the threads I've already posted to, and only go to the individual boards if I have more time. For Asia I find 25 posts enough, as the rate of updating has really slowed down, but for Europe I use the date page - I do agree that 50 posts was better.

I remember Katie_H saying that 50 threads were too long but that maybe 35 or 40 would be a compromise. I wonder what happened with that idea Katie?

25 or 50 post in the left column doesn't affect me at all... I hit "view all today's activity" before I start looking. Not only do you get all of it, but I like the way it is laid out in the middle (wider) column.

I may be the only one, but I love the new posts sub-section. I enjoy seeing the threads that just came out rather than ones that have 30 postings already. The trip reports and popular threads can be nice If I'm in the mood to browse, but I also think they are a waste of prime space that might be better used. I also love having my own posts (those I started) separate on my profinle page.

The speed seems entirely back to normal on both my Mac and My Pc with IE. More importantly, I can now access Fodors on my Balackberry. I Love that!

lcuy, being able to access Fodors on your blackberry sounds dangerous to me! ;-)

Thanks to all for the comments and feedback. We're close to unveiling an alternative for the "recent activity" pages that moves out of the dated archives and breaks items up into chunks instead. I know the current format has caused some frustration for many and I can only thank you repeatedly for your patience and feedback.

I'm noting the request for items to display in groups of 50; we've also received many complaints about having to "scroll". Displaying 50 would certainly mean more scrolling--I will pass the request on though. I understand comments related to things "falling off' the top list. The new version makes it easy to quickly move through the long list.

I'm sorry to hear that the sight is still slow for many. The more traffic on the site--the faster it is in some ways. The servers have a "memory" and if a link is clicked often they cache the link so it can come up more quickly. In this way, speeds should improve throughout the day---but depending on when you sign on this may or may not be helpful. If you're on during slower times (like when it's in the middle of the night in the U.S.) it may be slower.

If there are certain actions that you are finding particularly slow on a regular basis let me know.

One night item regarding the upcoming changes---the shift to a "chunked" format will allow us to turn on a function that will read the time in your browser; and then display the threads in your time zone.

For blackberry users---we are going to move the recent activity (and the new activity links) higher up so that you come to it more quickly when you first come to the forums. I was playing around with that feature the other day.

Anyone have an iphone? The forums are really easy to use on it--I might try to convince my boss to purchase me an itouch. Just so I can stay connected to all of you more easily.

I have just added Fodor's to the "home" screen on my iPhone - the site looks great on it.

That's cool Craig!

Just re-read my message--not sure what I meant by "One night item"...meant to say "One other item".. strange.

JamesA--are you using IE 6.0?