I’m sorry if this is not the right place but I can’t find a thread where we can all discuss about the new website, and I did want to express my feelings. I was also disappointed when I saw the new Nameberry plateform. I, sadly, missed the announcement (but I do understand that updates needed to be made). I feel very sorry because I know you work really hard to make this place perfect.
If I can give my opinion about the new website:
I’m definitely sad that we lost our signatures. It’s something that I enjoyed reading while scrolling down on the different threads
The titles and answers on a thread don’t seem separated (the lines are too light and thin) + everything is sooo white. It looks impersonal and sad. It’s harder to read/follow a conversation because of the structure.
It doesn’t indicate when a topic contains a poll?
These 3 are the most important in my opinion. Then, I don’t really understand what the little rounds next to the titles are for because it’s not the kind of information that I need or find interesting. I, personally, think it’s pointless… but it’s the only thing we see because it has colors. There are no pages. So if you want to find an old thread you apparently have to remember the date or scroll down forever? And, you can’t make the answer area bigger (which was so convenient).
The first time I came on Nameberry, I didn’t have to read any instructions / tutorial to post my first topic, but this time -even if I have been here for years now- I had to because I felt so lost. It’s harder to find by yourself how to open a poll, and I still didn’t figure how to vote. I don’t understand how to use the categories (it tells me " There are no more [name_u]Baby[/name_u] Names topics" like if there were only 13 threads and that’s it) and, I also don’t know how to use colors for my text.
Now, I do like the new emojis, the fact that you can quote really easily a part of a text, and the “last visit” limit!
I’m sorry to hear you’re disappointed with the new interface It is a big change and of course we welcome your feedback on it.
As you say, updates did need to be made, but it’s important that people feel able to express their views on it.
I’m going to address your points one at a time.
Signatures, very unfortunately, could not be brought over because modern forum platforms just don’t have them as standard, this one included. But I see you’ve filled out your profile and user card already. I know it’s not the same, but people have been really making the most of that feature so far, which is great to see (check out @leafsgirl44’s, for example).
I’m sorry to hear you’re finding the structure difficult to follow. The white will be mitigated somewhat when we get the name autolinking working again.
It’s not a technical solution by any means, but writing “poll” in the topic title would make this clear if the author really wanted it to be (I find people often do this automatically anyway, so we’d frequently get thread titles in the old Forums like “[name_u]Poll[/name_u]: [name_u]Poll[/name_u]: Which brother for [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m]?”)
The circles next to the topic titles tell you different information about your interactions with that topic.
A blue dot means that the topic is new (posted less than 2 days ago), and you haven’t opened it.
A blue circle with a number inside shows the number of new posts that have been added since you last viewed a topic
If you want to find an old thread, the easiest way is to use the search bar at the top next to your avatar. You can search topics, posts, users, or categories, and click “options” at the bottom to refine your search even further.
By “answer area”, do you mean the text editor where you can write your replies? You can make it bigger by clicking on the two arrows icon in the top right corner of the text editor (picture below). Clicking this enlarges the text editor to full screen. This happens automatically on mobile. You can then click the down arrow, also in the top right corner, to minimise it again.
To vote in a poll, you just need to click on the option you want to vote for.
If you click on a category from the homepage, you should be taken to a scrolling feed of every topic in that category, in order of which was last posted in (exactly the same default order as the old Forums). If you were only seeing 13 topics and then a “There are no more [name_u]Baby[/name_u] Names topics” message, it sounds like you selected “[name_u]New[/name_u]” in the tabs along the top?
The “[name_u]New[/name_u]” tab shows you all topics that have been created in the last 2 days, and that you haven’t opened. If you want to see a list of all topics in that category, you just need to leave it on the default “Latest” tab, as shown in the picture above.
I’m glad there are some aspects you like! Those are some of my favourite new features too
Please feel free to ask me any other questions you may have. The “All About Nameberry” category is the best place to post them, because then others are more likely to see and learn from them too.
Signatures, very unfortunately, could not be brought over because modern forum platforms just don’t have them as standard, this one included. But I see you’ve filled out your profile and user card already. I know it’s not the same, but people have been really making the most of that feature so far, which is great to see (check out @leafsgirl44’s, for example).
Thank you! I like the idea!
I’m sorry to hear you’re finding the structure difficult to follow. The white will be mitigated somewhat when we get the name autolinking working again.
I think that’s the hardest adjustment for me. I will get used to the new forum and how it functions, but not sure I will get used to the all-white screen (even with the name autolink) . I will really regret the colorful forum.
It’s not a technical solution by any means, but writing “poll” in the topic title would make this clear if the author really wanted it to be (I find people often do this automatically anyway, so we’d frequently get thread titles in the old Forums like “[name_u]Poll[/name_u]: [name_u]Poll[/name_u]: Which brother for [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m]?”)
Oh okay! I’ve never wrote “poll:” in the title because the poll icon made it clear already. I guess I will do it from now. I love polls and they are usually the threads I open first.
The circles next to the topic titles tell you different information about your interactions with that topic.
A blue dot means that the topic is new (posted less than 2 days ago), and you haven’t opened it.
A blue circle with a number inside shows the number of new posts that have been added since you last viewed a topic
Thank you! What about the circles on the right with the profile pictures? What are their purpose?
If you want to find an old thread, the easiest way is to use the search bar at the top next to your avatar. You can search topics, posts, users, or categories, and click “options” at the bottom to refine your search even further.
Thank you, I will try. I hope it makes it easier when we search for a specific thread. Not sure how I feel about it yet.
By “answer area”, do you mean the text editor where you can write your replies? You can make it bigger by clicking on the two arrows icon in the top right corner of the text editor (picture below). Clicking this enlarges the text editor to full screen. This happens automatically on mobile. You can then click the down arrow, also in the top right corner, to minimise it again.
Yayyyyy, perfect! Thank you [name_f]Katinka[/name_f]!
Those show the avatars of the people who have participated in a topic. The avatars you see will be either the most recent posters or the most frequent posters, if there are more participants than fit in that space.
The avatar furthest to the left (or top left on mobile) is the original poster (OP), and the one at the end (furthest to the right, or bottom right on mobile) is the latest person to reply. If the OP is also the latest to reply, there will be a blue halo around their avatar at the top left.
This is a super handy guide for getting to grips with what the various symbols mean. It’s not Nameberry-specific, but it explains the basics of the platform really clearly
heyyyyyyyy I’m so glad we switched!! I quit using the forums because it was so glitchy with the ads but I’m definitely back now. NaNoWriMo uses Discourse so I already know my way around!!
(didn’t know what other thread to put this in and I can see some people don’t like it so just know that at least one person is glad we switched)
This is my first time using this website, and I find it a little confusing. The ads also annoy me but I guess that is what a free site is all about! It would be nice if it was a little organised for easier use. In saying this, I have enjoyed using this site so far!
@CoralineB02 [name_f]Welcome[/name_f] to Nameberry!
Please do let us know if you have any specific suggestions on how we could make the site easier to navigate for new users. We’re always open to feedback
[name_m]Hi[/name_m], I’m not sure where I’d ask about this so I’ll just put my questions here - [name_m]How[/name_m] do you look at your own title card? and is there anything I can do about the last letter of my username being cut of in the forums?
Figured out the first question, but would really like my h back
No, I’m afraid there is a limit to the length of usernames that are allowed by the platform, and yours must have been one letter too long. Sorry about that!
Please note: you must be aged 13 or over to participate on these forums.
Glad you found your way here 
It is a big change and of course we welcome your feedback on it.
. I will really regret the colorful forum.
