no, I didn’t mean it in the sense that it was a blog. It was a forum albeit with blog like software. It’s just that it got to the point that it wasn’t a workable solution to fix it. And the alternative was to use a tried and tested forum software. A bit like how you can build your own website, or blog, but in many cases it’s easier to not reinvent the wheel and just use a program that people are familiar with as your platform.

Honestly- since you mentioned emperor’s new clothes- I don’t think the change is for our sakes. I think that the change makes it easier for their techs to fix bugs, or even to outsource that part entirely. So ultimately a time or cost saver. My workplace has changed software programs twice in the last five years for this reason and the refrain of “oh you guys will love all the new changes” was very similar. Doesn’t matter that no one wanted a change. It was about the bottom line. So protests don’t matter much, and they know new site users won’t know any different.

The way I see it- At the end of the day, it’s a free forum. It’s not like we’ve got bargaining power to begin with.

Right, and some of us clearly established that LONG ago. So maybe it's best to just stop trying to claim that its in our service, or otherwise defend it? And that could include not saying things like, "The old forum wasn’t a forum."

It is what it is, the change HAS been made, and I'm sure many of us will continue to provide responses on the appropriate threads to make it better. Telling me what I should think, or what I should like, doesn't help. Psychology 101: People have a right to feel what they feel.

I mentioned above that part of what drew me to Fodor's in the first place was it's format; I was also drawn by the interests of its members. I hope that not too many leave in the face of this transition.

At least Fodor's is now technically ahead of Trip Advisor again. That's a relief.
Of course, I am wondering if the private messages here are really private. I know that at TA quite a few members were banned because of things that the thought police mods read exclusively in private messages.

You can disable both seeing photos and private messaging in My Settings . . Options

Yes, TA mods could read your PMs. Best way around that was to exchange emails via PM if it was someone you "knew". Also, Thorntree had a stalker for a while. I don't want a PMfeature on a site with super secret mods.

No matter what the software, Private Messages are NOT private. Anyone in admin can read them. If you want to keep PMs private, you can choose to share a private email with someone.

Fodor's original User Interface (UI) was a serious reason I enjoyed posting there. I know how to navigate well in vBulletin, but I do NOT enjoy the visual.

Regardless of what you think about Rick Steves, his forum is a delight. Easy to read, easy to participate, and best of all, great moderation. If you have a question or a problem there, someone with an actual name writes back to you. They have been remarkably helpful. It's now my favorite travel board. The UI is somewhat similar to the former Fodor's. They are definitely not using vBulletin. Like every board, they have a few very smart regulars. RS can be a great place to find seriously expert travel information.

Trip Advisor is the worst. They have contempt for their customers, and they're laughing all the way to the bank. And their spending a ton of money on useless TV commercials. If only they would spend some of that money on investigating fake, shill members and offering better customer service.

I absolutely hate changing forum pages, which you don't need to do at Rick Steves. I prefer to scroll and have all information on one page. It makes searching for words SO MUCH EASIER.

Wow, I’m not telling people how they should feel.

If I was going to do that: some people should feel a little less paranoid. Or just not communicate their super secret squirrel thoughts online.

"I absolutely hate changing forum pages, which you don't need to do at Rick Steves. I prefer to scroll and have all information on one page. It makes searching for words SO MUCH EASIER."

My settings - Edit options - Infinite Scroll

Gee, what will some of you say when Rick Steves decides to modernize his forum?

@ marvelousmouse: It was not my intention to say that YOU had told me what to feel – the paragraph break was intended to separate my comment to you from a more general rant about the way several posters (many of whom are, I’m sure, well-intentioned) have approached the concerns that some people express about the new format. In retrospect, I can see that it must have seemed that my comment was directed to you, and I apologize for failing to provide an unambiguous segue.

Anyone else having trouble getting the 'search' function to work?

If by modernize, you mean vBulletin, listen to this very loud laugh.

RS is plenty modern for me. Imbedding photos and video can be helpful, but too many people get carried away with that feature. When precise information is needed, Instagram-style forums are not the answer. Most people don't know how to resize their photos. They take up a ton of bandwidth. When people re-post a photo in a quote, the page turns into a DISASTER.

RS has no ads. LOVELY! Did I mention they have fabulous, thoughtful moderators. No trolls allowed. No turning a thread into a CHAT BOARD. Lovely.

If RS ever decided to go the vBulletin route, I suspect people like me would post less and less. That's the unfortunate risk with major UI change. Some people enjoy the changes, while others are turned off by them. I happen to love smart change, especially in the way of design. That's not what we have here. vBulletin is butt-ugly, OLD design. A 1975 AMC Pacer.