Saw this on the GD board, but thought I would share here.

I really like the way the message boards work on the new site.

Took a quick look... I did like the new 'look'...

But WHY WHY WHY... do they have to move things around on the site?? geez..  I believe things are moved so folks feel they 'got something' for the money...

As for the message boards... nope, did not care for the new layout/function.

Oh well... the only thing that is certain, is change.

Maybe I'm just bored having stared at the same old UI for the last decade but I kinda like it actually. The discussion thread UI's might take some getting used to but I think over time I'll get acclimated to them.

Exception being.....it doesn't look like any changes have been made to the reviews themselves. All the same silly categories and classifications, many/most of which aren't at all useful and just clutter up the screen & review submission process.

We need less tabs, less keystrokes, less mouse-clicks and...LESS pull-down menus. Get it TER? Too much pointing and clicking, please streamline the path to information. And please fix the hellish state of the review-submission process.

Thank you

This MB now functions more like most others.

You may as well forget about enforcing the one ad per week rule.  Because all a lady or a friend has to do now is 'bump' the ad back to the top.

The input issue is linked to the inextricable clunkiness of TER reviews.  I have never seen anyone post that they love the review format and wouldn't change a thing.  No one says, "It's so easy to write reviews!"  But the database of 651,369 reviews is pretty much cast in stone.  I can't imagine the data there being ported to a new format.  Of course, TER could use a new format going forward, but I don't think the company is ready to give up its iconic format.

Overall, I like the new layout. - this post is being submitted directly from the beta site and I belive it will be visible in both the old and new layouts.  They layout seems much cleaner and more intuitive than the old format.  

The new tab system really takes advantage of some of the web standards - like tabs, mousover menu popups, etc.  This should make it easier to navigate once you get used to the new layout.  Hey - no one likes change.  But maybe this new layout will make it easier for them to change the other things - like review input, etc.  

One thing I don't like is the new Message board Summary.  Yes, the board now looks like every other board. It's called commonality. This will make it easier for anyone with experience on any message board to use TER message board.  I think this is a good thing.  But one of the aspects I like most about the current TER boards is how all topics are listed in a chain - and you can very quickly follow a conversation just by looking at the titles.  In fact - this new layout will essentially kill the EOM post because you won't be able to read just titles.  This should be changed.  In addition - you can click on one post in a thread - and get a page with all the titles in that thread.  I would like to see the new message board expand the views out so that they are viewable like the current board.    

The organization of standard items like contact us, site map, about us, etc.  is now standardized like most other sites on the web - located at the bottom.  I think it will be easier for old and new users alike to navigate the site.