Forum confusing?

I’ve Spent the last fifteen years or so on various forums and I have never found one that’s as confusing and incongrous as this oneIs there an iddiotd guide anywhere my opening post doesn’t seem to exist>…

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Hi @rodbargee, :wave:

A warm welcome to the forum. :slightly_smiling_face:

The forum may look a little confusing to you as a newbie, but I can assure you it is not as scary as it may look. When you first sign up to the forum you are given a choice to follow some instructions by our automated chatbot - this is intended to help familiarise you with the forum. However, if you didn’t find this helpful, you can always check out our forum tutorial videos for more help.

If there’s anything in particular that you’re having an issue with, please let me know and I’d be more than happy to help you out. :relaxed:

Best wishes,
Reah
Forum Community Manager

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Hello @rodbargee
I was just going to look for a link to the tutorials but Reah got there first! I have to say I only really came to the forum around the time it changed to its current guise. I found it very confusing and even now can’t say I personally find it very user friendly I’ve just got used to it I guess. I am however aware that because I don’t find it user friendly ì don’t use it fully either which is a shame. Anyway welcome and good luck, the tutorials will help get you started.

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It is confusing and not user friendly. There shouldn’t be the need to have a video tutorial to post or reply to comments.

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The forum is designed for technically competent /savvy youngsters.
Unfortunately the people with Parkinsons rarely fit the category and often have dexterity problems.
The old forum needed no tutorials and was easy to navigate…
Money wasted.

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Have to agree that this is not user friendly. I am in my 70’s but am a carer for my husband who has Parkinsons. I worked on system testing for financial and insurance systems and wrote programs to interrogate systems as well as writing spreadsheets with macros etc so I believe I can call myself computer literate but I don’t like your website as it is.

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Hiya redbargee,I have just replied to one of your postings! the ‘get help using the forum’ I only found it because you had pressed the reply button from something I had commented on before and the notice came through to me (it was NOT the reply button highlighted in BLUE) If you press the spyglass near to your name/logo it will come up with search, type in ‘get help using the forum’ it should take you to that particular entry. If it doesn’t then I don’t know much about the forum either…HaHa
Sheffy

Welcome. Couldn’t agree more @rodbargee, the forum is not at all user friendly as I’ve said elsewhere on another thread months ago (which I won’t be able to find). It’s horrible. The fact that help videos are needed is good evidence to show it’s not intuitive. It puts me off posting and viewing more and I suspect the same is true for others. Something simple like phpBB with forums, threads and posts would work much better I believe.

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Hiya,

Agree with all comments, not a good website at all. I hardly use it. It is impossible to find anything. Also, patronising comments by Parkinson’s administration are not helpful. Other Parkinson’s websites much more informative.

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Trouble is with Parkinson’s Administrators they live in there London HQ Bubble, where everything is how it should be not as it is. For example go and see your GP for advise, here in the real world majority of GP’s know nothing about Parkinson’s and even tell you that as more than one has told my wife. It’s a postcode lottery what care is available. As my Wife has to travel 75 miles to Newcastle to see a consultant as the the one in Carlisle 8 years ago was elderly Care Dr with an interest in Parkinson’s. My wife was only 51 at the time. By the way the care from Newcastle is excellent.

If you need advice speak to your Specialist Nurse or Consultant.

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Agreed, being back old version!

Hi @GentechE1,

I’m really sorry you feel this way. We try to offer the best information and support to members on the forum, however, we understand that the reality of what many of you face can be really complex which is why we advise you to contact our helpline service for more support on a one -to- one level and often times, I will liaise with my wider team to decide on the best course of action on particular issues.

We also understand that many people struggle with finding GP’s that fully understand Parkinson’s and If you would like help in raising issues with your clinic, our helpline and local adviser service can help you talk through your wife’s options and rights as a patient.

I hope this information helps in some way. :slightly_smiling_face:

Best wishes,
Reah

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Hi @Lindsay @Pcyc @k800mer , :wave:

Firstly, I am disappointed that you’re still experiencing challenges with using the forum and as I’ve mentioned before, I’m happy to help you in any way I can.

We created the platform for people with Parkinson’s and when we updated the forum a few years ago, we consulted with members from the forum at the time and invited them to test the platform - they all agreed that the forum was user friendly. However, we understand that some may find it more challenging than others (particular new members to the forum) which is why we created the forum tutorial videos as a helping hand to anyone that may need it.

We certainly do not intend to come across as patronising and my apologies if this has ever been the case - we only endeavour to support you in the best ways possible.

Finally, it may be helpful for you to know that you can contact our dedicated feedback team who can address your comments or complaints so please feel free to email them at [email protected] or call 020 7963 9324 if you wish to share your feedback on the forum

Best wishes,
Reah

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Hi all.
I am one of those annoying middle of the road people, so I agree with some of this and some of that. When the forum first changed, it took me a bit to find my way, but I kept searching till I found my way. As I do not venture far, I found my route and stuck to it. As long as no Road Ahead Closed signs appear, I am ok. However, I can understand the trouble others might have, and can only hope they do not give up. If there is someone who understands forums better than I do, perhaps they could make some suggestions to admin, that might help. I am sure they do their best for us, but of course, if you are in a job, you can forget initial difficulties and think things are obvious that others find confusing. (Hopefully not as confusing as what I have written!). Good luck all. X

I would like to echo what ElleMac has said. Took me a while to get used to the forum and I have always had good help from the admin when I have asked. I hope that you benefit from being here as I have and I wish you well

I alsoI do not find the forum very user-friendly.

anything in particular that I can help with

I have only just joined this website i am a little savy too but i find this site hard to navigate. Iv just joined {tonight]. I may not return because i dont find this site comfortable to use. SORRY

Hi @jazzshampoo, :wave:

Welcome to the Parkinson’s UK website. :blush:

I’m sorry to hear that you find the forum hard to navigate. Can I ask what exactly are you having issues with? I’m happy to help you in any way I can. Also, we’ve created a few short tutorial videos to help our members out which you ca find here: How to use the forum - Tutorial videos!

Best wishes,
Reah
Forum Community Manager

If even those who say that they can navigate the website had trouble in the first place as they say then it is not user friendly, they have just spent time learning their way around it.