IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: The online network is closing Monday, 29 Aug. and will reopen Monday, 5 Sept
It’s almost here! We’re sooooo excited!
As you may know, the online network is getting a makeover. Some of you have been following the updates and asking questions over in the Community Shift group. It’s not too late to join and pose your questions.
What next?
On Monday, 29 August, the online network will go offline around 9am and it will remain offline all week. We’ll put a notice in case folks wander in.
Over the following week, all your posts, comments, images, messages, etc., will be moved over to the new platform. Then Ann-Marie, Jess, and I will be reviewing everything with the developers and designers to make sure things are in the right place, working, and looking as it should.
On the following Monday, 5 September, you’ll come back here and voila! New online network!
What can you expect?
There will be some new and different things.
We’re making a clearer distinction between your account and your online network profile. This is because people create accounts for reasons other than to join the online network (such as to manage listings in the support and services directory and manage newsletter subscriptions).
On the general website, “Profile” is changing to “Account” and will incorporate Settings. Some fields, namely the profile information associated with the online network, will be removed or updated. We’re also adding more information about why we collect the information that we request here and what we do with it. We think it’s important to be more transparent with you. Your account will be completely private.
The bits associated with the online network such as My Story, Messages, My feed, etc., will be eliminated. The new platform has these areas built in.
Also, the email digests will stop. The new platform has new notification options.
What will you be able to do differently?
The new platform not only fixes a lot of our bugs, it also has a lot of new features such as:
- You can preview your posts before publishing them and you can save them as drafts for later (they also auto-save every few minutes)
- You can quote someone and there are reaction buttons on each post (Like, Awesome, and LOL)
- There are smileys
- You can view posts by the order in which they were posted and updated, or by category
- You can see who's online (and you can also hide if you don’t want anyone to know you’re online)
- There are titles and badges to help us identify staff from members and also helps us mark milestones
- Profiles have more information and you can post status updates
- Notifications appear at the upper right corner, Facebook-style
- There are more notification preferences to choose from, so you can receive notifications for some things, but not others (your choice)
- You can find all your posts and comments from your profile
- You can bookmark a discussion so you can find it later
- Groups have added features such as Announcements and Events
- You can edit your posts for up to 15 minutes
- You can tag users by adding @ at the front of their user name (e.g. @Cosette_BCNA). The member will get a notification and come to the discussion.
- It's friendly on multiple operating systems, browsers, and mobile devices
When you first log in, you should get a little tutorial that will show you around. You can also post your questions or give us a call. Ann-Marie and I will be around all day to help.
What could possibly go wrong?
Nothing! It’s perfect! Yeah, no, I wish.
This is a major effort involving numerous people and it’s been months in the making. We are working very hard to make this transition as smooth as possible and we’re testing everything as we progress.
Here are some potential problems we might run into:
- Logging in might be clunky or confusing at first
- Some links might take you to the wrong pages
- You might need to reset your password
- You might need to update your new profile and add a profile picture (optional)
Remember, if you need help, please don't hesitate to email us at bcnaonline@bcna.org.au or call us at 1800 500 258.
And then what?
We expect to spend our first few weeks ironing out the kinks, getting to know the new place, and helping everyone move in and adjust.
The design is happening right now and here's a sneak peek!
Comments
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Wishing the team all the best with this transition! ...No hiccups! (fingers crossed!)
Tracy
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Also, wishing you guys the best for a trouble-free transition. If it works as it should then I think it will be a much easier, friendly and interactive network with many more of the features that people have wanted. Really looking forward to it. See you on the "other side"! Excited and a little nervous for you! Thank-you for all those months of hard work. Deanne xxx
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Wishing you all a smooth roll-out - you deserve it after all the hard work!
It sounds and looks efficient and streamlined, and much more practical than before.
Can't wait to try it out in September. Congratulations all! xx Michelle
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Good luck and thanks for all the hard work. Fingers crossed for a smooth transition.
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Wishing you all the best for a smooth transition
Paula
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Woohoo!!!! Countdowns on!!! Thanks for all the hard work and dedication, looking forward to taking a spin around the new site. Here's to it being gremlin free ;-) xx Cath
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AWESOME. Awesome awesome awesome I love you all.
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Oh wow, pause to appreciate this already far superior nesting.
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It looks good so far. I think it will be a huge improvement.0
