We’re thinking about merging this section, what do you think?

[MichaelMumsnet]

Hi all,
We’re doing some work on making the Talk boards more useful and user-friendly for both regular and new users. After looking at some stats for the site, we think we could boost activity on the whole by merging some of the lesser used sections.

We’re proposing to fold the topics in this section into the Childminders area.

This should increase the number of topics in the section - and hopefully lead to more posts and responses to members.

What do you think?

So what would the section be called?
Childminders, Nannies and other Childcare Options
It's a bit of a long topic name.

Why do you think Childminders (one specific type) shouid have a topic, but others don't even get a general childcare topic?

Very bad idea, unless you follow NannyNick's suggestion and list all possible childcare options, so those who need childcare (but don't necessarily want a chiidminder) know where to look.

Also, IIRC, the childminder topic was primarily for childminders (and perhaps childcare staff in other settings to talk about it from the staff/set up/admin POV. I hope you consult them about a significant change to likely users, before their topic is invaded by parents

If you’re going to do that you might as well have one large section. Personally I think it’s fine as it is.

@AuntieStella it is already primarily parents posting and I have no problem with that. I’m happy to help them. Nannies, nurseries and Au pairs also have their own sections at the moment so I think just dumping it in the childminders section as a free for all makes the individual ones pointless.

I think I’m confused as to what they are doing!

I think MNHQ are considering going back to what we had before, which was one board called Childminders, nannies, au pairs etc. and another board for nurseries. Not sure why discussion of nurseries was separate but it always seems to have been the case, least for past 14 years.

Childcare options covers a much broader scope than childminders does. Childminders, nurseries, pre schools, nannies tend to be posted on by people wanting specific information, whereas childcare options is more about general advice.

Thanks Georgie !

Just one Childcare topic with all childcare related posts in it.

@ChildminderMum

I’m not entirely sure that’s the case. There’s no mention of merging the nursery section. I suspect that’s less to do with clarity of organisation than volume of traffic.

Can we be completely honest for a moment, please?

This is a commercial,for-profit site. It keeps going by generating money: not saying there’s anything wrong with that, as it would close if it didn’t. It does mean that it has to direct its efforts towards known income streams. Crudely put, that means pushing enough viewers past the ads on each page.

I would get there is sufficient click-traffic to make the 'nurseries' board worthwhile, but less so for the rest of the childcare section unless it’s all brought together in one board/page.

....at said, merging those boards comes at a price, as I think it will lead to more confusion and frustration.

What we have now is four different boards for four specific categories of childcare, plus one for comparing, mixing and matching, and everything else. There are problems with it, but not problems that are solved by merging. Some people will always post in the wrong area,; some people don’t bother to figure out the difference between a registered childminder and a babysitter, or even an unlawful one. For heaven’s sake, some people will always post childcare adverts directly under the warning, telling them not to post childcare adverts!

None of these things will get better as the result of merging boards. They will, in all probability get worse.

I'd also vote for just one "childcare" topic. Having "childminders" as some kind of default is confusing.

Childminders should be merged into Childcare Options, not the other way round!

Won’t it be equally confusing to have a 'childcare' topic then a stand-alone 'nurseries' topic?

If there’s a logic for putting childcare in one place, then the same logic surely says you put it all in one place.