Really excited to reach out today with an update about your forums. To cut to the chase, we’re undertaking significant work to upgrade and re-design the platform to be a space that better supports you and your needs.
I’m aware there have been some announcements like this in the past, which haven’t resulted in the change you were hoping for, and we appreciate that can be very disappointing.
However, while there is always the chance that things don’t work out as planned, this time around we are confident that we’ll be able to deliver significant improvements to your online experience. This has us really excited here at Beyond Blue and we’re so happy to start sharing with you more about what we’re working on, how we’re working on it, and when you’ll be seeing changes.
What we’re working on
Simply put, we’re setting up a brand-new technology platform to power these forums. We’re working with a great technology partner, who specialise in forums, to deliver a more modern experience with improved features (many of which you have been asking for for a long long time).
In setting up this new technology, we have a lot of work to do to make it align to your needs, to make it a safe space and to make it really valuable to you. But at the end of this process, we hope to launch with a fresh, modern website which looks and feels like a warm, supportive space, and which allows you to really get the most out of your interactions here.
To say we’re excited about this, truly is an under-statement 🙂
How we’re working on it
We know we cannot do this without your input and feedback. Beyond getting deeply acquainted with the existing feedback you’ve provided in these forums, we’ve also set up a ‘community group’ with seven of your peers to support this project. At the moment, we’re meeting weekly to talk through a range of questions, workshop out ideas and ensure we’re really representing community need with the work we’re doing.
From this point on, we’ll be using this space in the forums to provide updates on the work that’s in play, to get your feedback and comments and really bring you along this journey.
While we know we won’t get everything right the first time with this work, we know that involving you along the way, will help create a much better outcome in the end.
Please look forward to seeing more posts (hoping to update you all weekly) in this space!
When you can expect changes
At this point, we’re hoping to deliver the new platform in 2022 and are working hard to reach that goal. We’ll of course be updating you along the way if that changes.
Given we’re moving to a brand new technology platform, a lot of changes will come all at once, and this could be a bit of a shock when you log-in. We’ll be doing our best to share sneak-peeks of the platform as we’re working on it, so you can see ahead of time how things are shaping up and to help smooth that transition.
Although there will be new things to learn and explore, we’re confident that the platform will provide much improved functionality and really improve your experience overall.
Interacting with this thread
We would love to hear your thoughts, feedback and questions! While we can’t respond super quickly to all questions, the aim is to send answers to any questions we’ve received weekly on Fridays - so be sure to check back in then
Next week, we’ll share some early updates on some of the new features that are coming with this platform and start talking about what we’re currently working on.
Thank you so so much for your support and we’re so happy to be finally making improvements to this space for you.
Kerlia- welcome! Yes, I'm echoing others but this forum is free and it always will be.
mmMeKitty- I love that you are so passionate and keen about the new forums. I've been helping out behind the scenes and am so excited for it to go live. It's been a long time coming!
We don't have a date yet but will keep you all updated.
I hope everyone has been able to answer all of your questions 🙂
We are really excited to be launching our new Forums platform on Tuesday 5 July. The new platform will allow this community to continue to provide support to each other while we make a range of improvements along the way.
An important element of this will be the introduction of notifications via your profile as well as e-mail if you would like to use it. The look and feel of the Forums have also been significantly updated.
As we make the move from our current forums to the new one there will be a period of time where the forums will be ‘Read Only’ and you won’t be able to make new posts or reply. This will be from 9am Monday 4 July and we expect the Forums to be back up with full functionality by Tuesday afternoon.
We apologise for any distress this may cause. These works are important to ensuring that we provide the best possible experience for you while using the Forums into the future.
If you need support while the Forums are not available, the Beyond Blue Support Service is available 24 hours/7 days a week on 1300 22 4636, via webchat or email at www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support.
In the instance of emergency, immediate risk of harm to self or others please go to your local emergency department or phone 000.
Thank you for your understanding as we continue to improve the Forums experience for you.
Sophie_M & those working in the background, thank you for the well-timed notification of when the change over to the new Forums platform will begin. I'm also glad for the heads-up about the limited access on Monday & into Tuesday, before the new platform is made fully available. 😺
8:15 a.m. & I feel like a countdown has begun! 😺I feel bothe excited & nervous.
I wonder how others feel about knowing they will not be able to post for this short time? Suddenly not having a choice about whether or not to post has me feeling a bit anxious. It feels weird feeling this way. So I wonder has anyone had feelings arise in the lead up to this day?
