Hello,
I have been a member of the Carer’s UK/ Carers Connect forum for quite some time. However, I am really finding the new lay out difficult to navigate, and there seems to be no continuity in topics.
Is anyone else finding the new forum confusing?
Yes Janet ! I think a lot of us are - even us Mods are still having problems navigating our way around 
Hi Janet
It’s very different from the old format. Takes some getting used to, especially as I set it up on my laptop in dark mode (it’s easier on my eyes but makes it seem even more different!), but I’m sure I’ll get used to it eventually.
Hi Janet, I know what you mean. It takes some getting used to.
If you click on 3 little lines top right corner and then select categories - you will see sections similar to the old forum on the left of your screen and can click the section you are most interested in.
The list of posts on the right appear all muddled up and don't match the headings on the left because they are in order of recency.
Honestly? I hate it. I thought we were going to have some input into it’s design etc. but in practice, it’s been ignored. Those “little lines” for example. Experienced forum users may not what they mean, but surely we should be trying to have something accessible to those who were using any forum for the first time, and those who don’t have English as their first language? I just go to Unread posts now.
I have to go to new, latest and unread. Still miss posts. I did today to discover later that more were posted than I realised. Hit and miss
Well, I am relieved to see that I am not the only one. I hope I will get used to it.
I don’t like it and it does actually stop me from coming on so often because it frustrates me.
One good thing we can say about the forum is that we’re seeing more members posting at the moment.
Must admit I have a look at all of the icons to see what happens.
Had a chat and sent couple of private messages. Still feel it’s trial and error
Yes I thought it was just me as not that savvy on the internet but am relieved others are struggling to get used to it too.
I’m finding it difficult to navigate
Not as user friendly as the previous format one. Why they made the changes beggars any logic, obviously more money than sense. Looks like it’s more an excersize in monitoring + controlling the site more.
What about the signature element at the bottom of what was posted? Looks like that’s vanished totally.
This new site is certainly not the same or as supportive as the previous one, which is a shame as family carers need all the support we can get.
I’ve tried emailing CarersUk, not interested ; like they’re more interested wasting money.
Its not just you Butterfly, it takes some getting to used.
Unfortunately the old forum was no longer supported so a new platform for the forum had to be found.
It does get easier over time.
If you need help with anything then do ask and we’ll do our best to explain how to do it on here.
How do you mean the old forum was ‘no longer supported’? And how long has this platform been going for it to get easier over time?
I’d have thought whoever constructed this one should have created it so it is user-friendly from the get-go seeing it’s supposed to be a supportive carers forum, which seems to be in name only.
Good evening Butterfly,
in the same way that computer software, web browsers versions of Windows etc become obsolete.
There is information here that you may find helpful:
https://forum.carersuk.org/uploads/short-url/lKbmKcdpTgOLVsgvbJMtatM1SzW.pdf
I still struggle finding my way around on here and I don’t like it.
I don’t either. As I wrote a magazine for 20 years, I know that there is a lot more to page design than some realise. Why do we need a duplicate of what we are writing on the right hand side of the box we are writing in?!
In reply, Bowlingbun, it is so that you can see the text more or less exactly as it will appear when posted, within the constraints of page width. It will show effects like italics and emboldening. In the panel on the left you see the tokens, which can be useful as you compose the message, but you do not wish to be visible in the final post.
Yes, it took me a little while to get used to the new format, even though I have a background in IT, but I am getting the hang of it now.
My suggestion is that you scroll down the tips panel at the top. Look at just one new tip each time you visit and you will gradually pick up the tricks. Trying to absorb them all in one go is too much.
Meanwhile, here is my tip for now, about one of the most useful of new features.
Use the mouse to drag the cursor over some text to select it. A small box will appear saying “Quote”. Click this box and the selected text will appear at the start of a new post, stating whom you are quoting, and you can add to it. This technique can also be used to insert quoted text into a post you are already composing.
Previously, quoting a small section of text was more fiddly. You either had to do a copy and paste exercise or quote the entire post and then delete the bits you did not want. This resulted in the forum being cluttered with lengthy posts being quoted in entirety. The new format has done away with all that and we see more instances of quoting short passages onto which we wish to focus.