UrbanBaby Site Talk

Many of you have requested that we limit the number of categories that users can post to, to avoid the problem of users posting to all categories and cluttering category boards (i.e. NY Schools, Special Needs) with irrelevant posts. So, we have now set a limit of 3 categories per post. We hope that this will improve the relevance of posts on category boards while still allowing you the flexibility to address/query all relevant users.

Please continue to only select the categories that are relevant to your post, and if you want to reach the most active/largest group of users on the site, include “General Topics” in your category selection.

Please let us know if you have any thoughts or suggestions about this change.

We are aware that some users are having trouble replying to posts.  We are working on this issue and will resolve it as quickly as possible. Until it is fixed, please close and quit your browser and reopen it, as that has resolved the issue for some users. Thank you for your patience.

The thing that’s great about the UrbanBaby boards is that pretty much anybody can say anything at any time. We know that. And so we keep intrusion to a minimum, just stepping in when somebody’s trying to sell something or simply take up space. We felt that this hands-off approach was the best way to preserve the sense of freedom and openness that has made UrbanBaby such an honest, unique online community since 1999.

But that meant there was no place for us, the caretakers over here, to talk to you, the users. So when we wanted to address various problems with the boards that people had complained about (or problems that were simply looming, such as the technological platform), we didn’t feel the boards were the place to intrude and talk about mechanics. So we just went ahead and did it. (Not without planning, thinking and testing, mind you. But without a public forum.)

Well, we know better now. When we relaunched the site a few weeks ago we heard from you about not just the changes that we made, but about the changes that you want us to make, and about the need for a place where you can participate in the evolution of UB. You’ve been clear, and we’re glad, because all we want is to make the site better, and make it work for you.

So, here are our solutions to improving communication: this blog and the Site Feedback Board. On the Site Feedback Board, you can initiate any criticisms, thoughts, or suggestions that you like, and rest assured that we are reading it and will make changes based on that feedback. Here on Site Talk, we will be announcing feature additions and site upgrades, as well as discussing issues that arise about moderation, political posts, and other meta-questions.

If you just want to see what’s been going on, check the Technical Updates page for a list of ongoing fixes. If you to get some basic questions answered (”Are the boards still anonymous?”) then please check the FAQ. But we also hope that you’ll communicate with us via this blog and by posting on the Site Feedback Board. We very much want your feedback.

In the meantime, we’ve been acting as quickly as possible on the comments we’ve received since the relaunch, and we’ve made many changes already.
Please tell us what you think.

• FAQ: Answers to common questions like: how is this site moderated, why did you redesign the site, etc.
• Site Help: Answers to questions about how to use the boards, search, etc.
• Technical Updates: A list of fixes and feature upgrades we have already released, and what we are working on.
• Site Feedback Board: This is a great place to post your feedback about the site, specific things you want to see fixed, etc.