Introducing the new Virgin Media Community

[Kei_M]

Huzzah! 🍾

After many years (8!) on the previous iteration, we’re delighted to announce our Virgin Media Community has had an upgrade.

2011 (courtesy of waybackmachine 😊)

2014

2015

Aside from the fact that it's been a while, it’s also given us an opportunity to greatly simplify things and put everything on a crash diet 🍔;

• We’ve reduced the number of different layouts (over 20 😱) to around 5. This should mean it’s easier to get to grips with particularly for newer users.
• We’ve removed a lot of redundant background code ❌ that should speed it up as well 🏎. It also allows us to do platform updates in the future without a constant fear 😱 of something breaking.
• No more going backwards to go forwards! ⏪ There’s now a persistent navigation bar along the top on desktop view or within the menu bar on mobile view so it reduces the instances where you need to go back to a previous page to navigate the site.

Let us know your thoughts or you have any questions below 👇

[Client62]

Under two of days of looking at the forum's new layout and my eyes are quite frazzled.

The acres of unused whiteness are eye popping on a large screen.

The less of before was so much more usable.

[Roger_Gooner]

Why is the original post replicated at the top of each page of a thread? This is in addition to losing the simplicity of having a list of forums with the title of the last post, so more clicking is needed to find what I want.

[Roger_Gooner]

Another thing: in my profile's user activity it shows that my last post was on 27-09-202. What testing was done?

[BenMcr]

@Roger_Gooner It shows your last new post was last year, but your last reply was to this thread today amongst others, they're on separate tabs.

When did you last start a new post?

[Roger_Gooner]

OK, hadn't noticed that there's a distinction between posts you start and those which are replies.

[Oxo29]

I'm only new to virgin media and probably did forums ten years ago but I'd rate this at poor at best!

Once I've worked out where the forums are...I click on there and I see a topic and 6 lines of text.  Seriously is that how the view is meant to be?  

My basic idea would be like i.e outlook email with subject and maybe first line of text but on same line as topic.  Too simple? 

[ALF28]

The new community website appears to be a stripped down version with poor navigation and less information so it actually makes it much harder to use.

Perhaps it is now aimed at mobiles with a small screen size, but the older version which was better for computer screens should have been retained as an option still available.

I noticed my historic information changed slightly and the community page does not seem the same and the splitting into posts and replies  makes it more difficult to manage and the number of views is not showing.

Although it still works, it is more confusing with less historic data, so who messed up a good website that worked perfectly, was this change by Khoros or virgin media.

I would be now less inclined to use the community pages as it is not easy to use for an older person, it has changed form a good simple website to a confusing website with very poor navigation and search facility making it much harder to figure out. The top menu page now seems to mainly be for the VM website, not the community pages.

I am puzzled why such a good web site has been decimated?

Perhaps I will get used to it eventually.

note-trending topics scrolling is poor and community activity is out of date with some post from 2017?????

I manged to find my personal settings, which is the top right icon menu.

Even finding your own posts is a nightmare now. Rubbish.

[Martyn]

agreed it's much harder to use, it may look nice, but functionality-wise its not good, I can see myself using it less, maybe that's the plan all along?

I've used forums for many many years, and the display of threads is just weird on here too, definitely seems a bit OTT, forums are meant to be simple and easy to use.

Unsure why the need to go with companies like Khoros, where better software solutions out there exists for fractions of the price.

[Cardiffman282]

I don't seem able to reply to DMs. My only options now seem to be delete or flag. So sorry if you are awaiting a reply. 

[Cardiffman282]

Just worked out that the only way I can view the DM reply button is to switch my mobile browser to desktop view. Android via Opera browser. 

[IPFreely]

Genuinely awful. If anyone tested this what were they threatened with to force them to give positive feedback? 

On the upside the usability of the site now provides some irritation to warm people up for the irritation that will come later when they are unable to resolve their issues. 

[chrcoluk]

Well VM held onto a legacy design longer than a lot of large companies do.

The new forum looks snazzier, but its not as functional, harder to navigate with less useful features.  Not sure how flexible the new software is, but my suggestion would be to at least make it easier to navigate to key areas, which are likely to be the customer support areas.

[ahrbee]

I have just discovered the new forum layout. I find it totally confusing. All topics seems to have been lumped together leaving the customer to search for his or her subject of interest. Presumably, VM is able to rationalise its staff to deal more efficiently with customer queries but, from my point of view, the new 'clean' look is no compensation for the increased difficulty in use. I will think twice before bothering to use the forums in future.

[ALF28]

I have managed to use the new community website, however it is not as good as the previous old website and is therefor a backward step.

Tracking and interaction of posts is more difficult now, and the activity is not in date order, just random.

Having to observe scrolling and continually having to press load more to find anything is difficult.

There is no views info, so you do not even know if a post has been viewed and perhaps posts are answered but not responded to, although that is common, the layout of the new website with regard to navigation and ease of use could be better.

I have noticed the activity includes old posts and answered posts mixed in with new posts.

It is not logical now and more difficult to understand and operate, and historical posts hard to find now as the short cuts removed.

The old webpage  was far easier to use, and easier on the eyes.

It can still provide answers when needed  from the forum, but general discussion or community help may reduce with the new website due to a confusing website.

[Client62]

In this new format of forum I can post a response with text and and image, the text can be seen but the images vanish. I do not believe this behaviour is limited to me.

This applies to posts made under the new forum format and also to all the posts with images placed under the new forum.

As a test, below this line is one image of an RFoG connection hatch. Will it be seen ?

[Client62]

The image has instantly been stripped from the post at the point of submission.

Oddly if I open the previous post for Edit ... the image is shown.

[Oxo29]

I can see image

[Client62]

Using Edge and Firefox  I can see the image if I am NOT logged into the forum.

Using Edge and Firefox I can NOT see the image when I am logged in.

This I do not understand

In Edit Profile >>> Preferences >>>  Ignore HTML  has to be unticked to display the images.

[Dav1d]

In a word - Horrible.

Generally I would use the forums to try and help the community and highlight issues. This new format just makes it too much bother to navigate, so I will likely not use the community forums so much.

A massive backward step.

[Oxo29]

I would also add that is serves no purpose now. Proof would be my post and others regarding the Sky Cinema UHD on demand icon etc disappearing and no support from VM.  Prior to this appalling (not upgrade) change I can see VM mod help.