When I joined FR one of the main reasons was the ease of use. My first time to the site I was getting around wonderfully. Now, as an experienced browser it is going to take me time to figure this new layout out. Imagine what newbies are going through.
Most web site designers worry most about how a site looks. Ease of navigation does not really concern them because most assume that those on the net are technogeeks like them. A big mistake.
I tried the beta a few times and did not like it. So, I kept coming back to the original. Little did I know that the so called beta was the new site with no input from us, the users.
Jim Robinson, I am unsure if you are reading these posts as I have yet to see any feedback from you (none that I am aware of). If you had placed information about the beta on the original site, something like:
"Please try the beta site and give us feedback on it as it may become the new site"
you may have been able to avoid the reaction by changing a few things, especially the site navigation.
I will eventually figure all this out, but I feel the new FR is no longer newbie friendly which is important. FR must continue to grow. A couple hundred thousand users is nothing in the big scheme of things.
Re-design the navigation so the most computer, Internet illiterate can use it. This way you are pretty much guaranteed everyone will enjoy the experience.
There was a running thread with almost that exact title for quite some time prior to today!