[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"What if I don't know the exact screenname?"

The only option would be to copy a persons screen name then paste it in the search box.

[Texaggie79]

Ok, enough of the chatting.

It's time

[Goldsters]

I like the new look. Usability needs tweaking though, which is expected considering the daunting task of balancing organization and simplicity in such a huge forum.

A few specific things I would do ASAP:

1. Link Free Republic to the home page (http://www.freerepublic.com/) on every page.

2. Create a site map/clarify "topics" vs "forums".
I think there's a bit of confusion with the topics page linked on the upper right and what I assume are considered "forums" on the left. (Campaign 2002, General Interest, News/Activism, Religion, VetsCoR)

It appears that the topics are not "subtopics" of individual "Forums", but an alternate categorization method of all posts, site-wide...?

If so, I'd put a link to "Topics" with the link to "forums" on the left. And to make it more intuitive, I'd say "List by Forum" or "List by Topic".

3. On the posting form, you allow people who are starting a new thread to type in topics or select them from a list. I'd at least say there that "the topic must be already established"... I'd probably force they use the selection method to avoid problems of typos.



(I've read most but not all the posts on these threads, so if this has all been said before, I apologize...)