Testing Testing - Ok so now here's our new look (but you don't have to have it, do you hear?)

[JustinExcelsisMumsnet]

This is a sneak preview of our redesign - it's planned across the whole site but we thought we'd give you a preview of Talk so you could give us your thoughts. ETA is early in the new year (God willing).

Two things we should make clear:

First Customise talk and Mn Classic WILL STILL BE AVAILABLE so don't panic if you really hate it!

Second it's not finished yet so not everything works perfectly - it's a test site.

You might wonder why we are bothering with a redesign by the way. We have had quite a lot of feedback that newcomers find the site a little hard to find their way round at first so we are trying to simplify it. We haven't changed much overall in nine years but we've added quite a few bits and bobs on, and to newbies it can be quite daunting we think.

And one more thing - we've found in the past (and we know ourselves) that change can be disorienting but do give it a go for a wee while before you trash it completely, please? .

There's no link to it yet - YetMoreTech will post it in a minute - he wants to add more caveats before he posts it up!

Hope you like it (or at least don't loathe it) - let us know your thoughts.

(Please address all complaints to [email protected])

A couple more points:

If you have registered on MN in the last couple of months then your account won't exist on the test system. Also, if you've changed your password in the last couple of months that change won't have been reflected on the new site either.

And yes, we know the number of posts on any given thread is wrong. This is a weird boring technical thing that won't exist when we move the test stuff to the real server yada yada techno nonsense.

I can't understand why people fine MN hard to navigate, personally. I've always found it highly intuitive, especially compared with other sites I'vde visited. (Netmums, anyone?! )

New design looks OK and clear - but where is chat?

Lookin good.

hurry up, my tenterhooks are slipping!

I rather like it.

Tech i've been here since January 2005 and have never changed my password. Do you think it's because I have my Christmas name?

It's a bit busy .

It looks a bit Nutmums to me.

Sorry.

MN current is easy enough once you've discovered active convos etc. When you're new and looking through the topic list though, it's rather scary!

Even as an oldie, when I want to look at a specific board that I haven't got down as a favourite or isn't showing in active convos, then it's very tedious trying to find WHICH heading it's listed under and having to scroll through the whole page squinting trying to find it until you suddenly remember that you can use "Find..." in your browser and feel totally utterly stupid

LedodgyChristmasjumper, you should definitely use your pre-Christmas name.

I like it, change is good, makes the old version look a bit tired, although I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't been asked to notice iyswim

where are active convos?

I quite like it. I've only glanced at it for a mo. I have to say though I stuck with Mumsnet cause it was the easiest to get around, having looked at various points on bounty, motherandbaby magazine, netmums, babycentre etc which are all totally baffling to me!

Oh yes - very user friendly ...me likes!

OOh, how did that happen?

I like it, (although it took em awhile to work out I have to post under my 'normal' name, not my christmas one)

I say we all pile over and give it reet proper going over to you know fully 'test' capacity......

Oh and chat, yes hidden a bit in topics/fun and games

Surprised not under the shortcuts bit, (which I must add is a very neat bit)

right, found them, but they are VERY small

All we need now is tickers.

snoopdog: on this version or the new one?

On current version of mumsnet just below the bar at the top, second row down, first item "Active conversations"

On new version is on Threads: Active

and where and how do i search for an old message/topic/thread?

thanks rd,

slow on the uptake tonight

i blame the wine lack of sleep

Ah ok i got it wrong

so this is the new 'talk' page

I thought it was the new home page, duh.

Yes it is better, i always thought talk was a bit confusing, can you make the test smaller though, so it doesnt look like a five year old's reading book

Search Talk box in the top right.

Ahh thanks Tech. I love mumsnet any other paenting site would just change completley but we are given a choice which style we want to use.

There seem to be massive gaps where the posts don't 'wrap around' the ads, so you have to scroll halfway down the page to find them - or is that just me?

Otherwise, like it so far....

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