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Re: Latest Changes to Dell Community Site

brighteyzz — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:29:25 GMT

I installed VSO Image Resizer but because my image was a GIFF file (animated and moving), after resizing, the image would no longer move. Furthermore, the image came out more blurred. There was no 'Help' menu, you had to go to the website for instructions. I got bored and uninstalled it.

FOUND SOLUTION

Since the image was from Photobucket, I found that you could resize the GIFF file from within the site. Easy as. You'll notice my GIFF file of "A night on the Roxbury" is now smaller (half the size).

Re: Latest Changes to Dell Community Site

kidde — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:36:51 GMT

For years i have come to this forum for help and always find it fast, but now you can be here for hours and end up with nothing. This changes to

the community together with the bad support calls i have made over the last two years there is no help to get anymore, so no more dell computers for me. I am glad i talked the company i work for not to upgrade to dell just think 1300 new computers with the support they have these days.

Re: Latest Changes to Dell Community Site

notbernie — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:39:22 GMT

OK this new site is a disaster. I have been using this forum for at least six years and this is the worst I have ever seen it. If you really do not want to help out the end user just shut down the forum. Do not make ridiculous changes and say it is better. I did not complain with the first redesign because I could still get around, but this change is just plain awful. It will not even work in Opera or Firefox. Some people really dislike using IE.

Bring back the old site or just shut the forum down and stop wasting our time.

Re: Latest Changes to Dell Community Site

TheRealFireblade — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 17:19:57 GMT

brighteyzz:

How do I delete a post?

You can't. Only MOD's and Admin's can delete posts.

brighteyzz:

Also, how do I change the size of my media picture I inserted in the 'signature' section. As you can see, I have an image of moving heads and the dimensions are big. I want to make it smaller.

You need to resize images which you want to use as an avatar - or in a signature, before you upload it/them

There are plenty of FREE image resizers available. Just Google (i.e.) 'Image Resizer', and you'll undoubtedly find lots more of 'em.

Three which I know off the top of my head, are 'VSO Image Resizer', 'FastStone Photo Resizer', and 'PIXresizer'

Re: Latest Changes to Dell Community Site

brighteyzz — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 03:06:19 GMT

Dell - Sean

How do I delete a post? I tried clicking on the 'edit' button and then deleting the text but it didn't work. The writing pops up again if you delete all the text and click on 'post'.

Also, how do I change the size of my media picture I inserted in the 'signature' section. As you can see, I have an image of moving heads and the dimensions are big. I want to make it smaller. When I click on the media icon in 'signature', you can enter width and height (don't know if in cm or inches etc. though) but when I do this the image still stays the same. I remember the old site worked when I did this.

Re: Latest Changes to Dell Community Site

brighteyzz — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 02:59:07 GMT

Gel214th

It has been a while since I last logged on and I was shocked to see the change. I too was happy with the way the old site was. I'm gonna have to spend some time to get used to this new site.

Re: Latest Changes to Dell Community Site

williamkidd — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 03:24:15 GMT

PCgeek1:

I'd been away for a couple of months, and I come back to try and ask a couple of questions, about a "NEAR" Future purchase of a Studio 15N Laptop?

And I can't find where to post it, or the Linux Forums.

PCgeek1,

For general questions about laptops (non-XPS) --> Laptop/General Hardware sub-forum

For questions about Linux --> Linux sub-forum

In each case you should see a Start a New Thread link near the upper right-hand corner of the page, next to the Forum Information.

Re: Latest Changes to Dell Community Site

TheRealFireblade — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:00:50 GMT

DELL-Sean M:

We brought back XPS as a group with a dedicated forum (in addition to a blog, wiki and media gallery).

Whilst a dedicated XPS forum section is good to see Sean, the various sub-sections (listed under 'Media') suggest that the 'XPS Club' is primarily for desktop owners?

This is further emphasised in Chris_Mixon's thread entitled 'XPS Club Forum usage'. Clicking on the 'General XPS' link provided therein, opens a 'FAQ Desktop' page, in which most XPS PC's/XPS Desktop systems are listed.

Why are there individual/separate sections for most XPS desktops, but not a single forum section for XPS laptop owners - never mind dedicated sub-forums/sub-sections for the various laptop models?

It might as well be called 'XPS Desktop Club'

Re: Latest Changes to Dell Community Site

Thereal-dbk4297 — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:13:02 GMT

DELL-Sean M:

Gel214th

We brought back XPS as a group with a dedicated forum (in addition to a blog, wiki and media gallery). You can access from the community home page under Groups, here is url:

http://en.community.dell.com/groups/xps_club/default.aspx

Sean,

I don't quite understand the logic of what Dell has done here.

There will be no XPS tech support forum? But there will be an XPS forum under groups?

Where will a user that comes here for support of their XPS system ask a tech support question?

Like I said ... I just don't understand Dells logic here. You know of course that some customers will find the XPS group forum, and it will become a tech support forum. But it will be hidden from the new user that wants XPS support.

Re: Latest Changes to Dell Community Site

Gel214th — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 22:17:25 GMT

DELL-Sean M:

Gel214th

We brought back XPS as a group with a dedicated forum (in addition to a blog, wiki and media gallery). You can access from the community home page under Groups, here is url:

http://en.community.dell.com/groups/xps_club/default.aspx

Hello,

Thanks for the post, and the care and response.

I see it now that you posted the link.

I would not have been able to find it otherwise.

The whole navigation structure needs to be adjusted.

The links are just...too hidden. I now notice there is a Groups link in the left menu.

How about using some icons or something like that in the navigation menu in the left? Making the text bigger, or something like that.

And what's a group as compared to the main forums?

If I was just logging on to check on an XPS, would I know that I need to go into

Groups--->XPS--->XPS Forum

to get dedicated information?

From a customer perspective, what is the benefit of this navigation scheme to the customer looking for more information, probably with a problem and wanting a solution?

Who hit whom with the Web 2.0 hammer?:)

The main forum, when you actually get inside a Post, is nice. The WYSIWYG Editor for actually typing a message is nice, and the AJAX features of Preview and Options at the top appearing as Tabs is nice.

I can't find anything of worth or benefit to me with the other aspects of the site though. I already use Facebook, and Wordpress.

I understand the thinking behind the Groups and the Wikis etc. and most likely this is an attempt to expand the Dell Community site, and put some more Community into it...but the Dell Community site was also a Technical area for people to talk about their machines, issues, get solutions, share ideas etc. It was also a fantastic place to get feedback from Dell Community leaders, via the Forums

As a consumer, and a customer, I feel that these changes are too far removed from that core use and purpose, and the little extras that are added don't make up for that loss of intuitive navigation and the ability to find what I needed instantly.

I think that a fix as simple as reverting to a more usable, threaded forum system (old school if you will) and keeping the WYSIWYG improvements, and the tags etc. would do me personally a world of benefit and perhaps then I would be encouraged to explore the other avenues of the site further.

And lastly...how do I get Immediate Email notifications of a reply to a thread (there's that old school message forum stuff again...).

Re: Latest Changes to Dell Community Site

dcblueman — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:28:11 GMT

I just visited the link for HP's forums--while they have improved greatly, just the opposite has occured here. Amazingly enough, it looks like HP is using the exact search engine criteria that the old Dell forums once employed before we got this ridiculous search box and advanced search that is nowhere nearly as useful as the new HP engine.

Whoever implemented this abomination should be fired--Dell has lost a tremendous amount of goodwill in this debacle and will undoubtedly lose customers as a result of the disregard to their customers.

When buying something as complicated as a PC, the after-service support is as important as the initial purchase--something Dell doesn't understand.

Re: Latest Changes to Dell Community Site

DELL-Sean M — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:17:15 GMT

Gel214th

We brought back XPS as a group with a dedicated forum (in addition to a blog, wiki and media gallery). You can access from the community home page under Groups, here is url:

http://en.community.dell.com/groups/xps_club/default.aspx

Re: Latest Changes to Dell Community Site

Gel214th — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:56:40 GMT

Hello,

The new forum format is absolutely and incredibly *awful*.

It is a complete mess to navigate, the fact that there is now no seperate XPS makes getting support for this premium purchase difficult.

The old Message Forums and community system was one of the things about purchasing a Dell that I loved, the fact that there was an active and responsive message forum community to turn to for issues. The fact that there was a seperate XPS section with relevant information stickied etc. also helped a great deal.

Now with this horrible mish mash of listings and topics it is nearly impossible to find anything worthwhile.

I have no idea why the message forums were changed, but I can categorically say that I most probably will not be using them in their current form.I'm ..flabbergasted.

Take a look at HP's user forums here : http://h30434.www3.hp.com/psg/board?board.id=HardwareDPC

That's useful, functional and works. Or better yet, just take a look at the old Dell forum system. That was top notch.

I don't know what the idea was for this forum, what the reasons were for changing what worked, but for me:

1) Difficult to Navigate. I need a simple, Threaded message forum with relevant and sensible forum topics to quickly find the information I am looking for, or to post new information.It literally gives me a headache trying to navigate through those individual blog posts/Forum Threads/whatever they are supposed to be.

2) Does not present relevant information when found (Forum posts) in an easily navigable and readable format.

3) Forum topics are too broad making it difficult to find what you're looking for :Bring back the XPS section, the US$5000.00 I paid for my system should be enough to warrant a seperate forum for this 'high end'/'boutique' brand which will have issues that are different from the rest of Dell's lineup. There was information that should be stickied for XPS users that are not relevant to other users. What are you going to do? End up with 20 stickied topics for Laptops/XPS/ Desktop etc. etc. on the forum page?

4) Dell had one of the best Community Forums of any of the manufacturers, why on earth would one go about radically altering that??

I of course came to the forums because I was having problems, and now finding this mish mash of juxtaposed posts and arbitrary information has totally sent my blood pressure through the roof.

Please change the community forums back to a normal, navigable and relevant user interface.

Re: Latest Changes to Dell Community Site

PCgeek1 — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 06:33:54 GMT

While I've got nothing against change as a whole.

I'd been away for a couple of months, and I come back to try and ask a couple of questions, about a "NEAR" Future purchase of a Studio 15N Laptop?

And I can't find where to post it, or the Linux Forums.

Before it was fairly easy to get around in the site, but now to me at least it's next to imppossible to get past the first page. [:'(]

And these forums really gelped alot when I got my Vostro 1000 about 6 months ago.

Re: Latest Changes to Dell Community Site

dcblueman — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:16:02 GMT

Sean,

Thanks for the good news that Dell will make some positive changes. Can the advanced search be returned to us as it appeared in the old forum? It was truly useful and a valuable tool to help us find a specific solution (instead of multitudes of threads only vaguely related by key-words that didn't help someone in a technical bind).