SPECIALS
Fool Site Redesign

Our New Site

As you've probably already noticed, we've made a few changes to our site, as foreshadowed in this article published just before Christmas. So why did we do it, what's changed and what hasn't?

Why change?

Our last site redesign was back in the mists of time. Well, it was actually April 1999 but it seems like a long time ago to us. While we were fond of this design it didn't give us enough flexibility in the way we could present our ever-changing offering. That's the main reason for this redesign.

What's changed (and what hasn't)?

The changes made only affect the areas of the site that sit under the Home tab. The Discussion Boards, Quotes & Data, My Portfolio and My Fool are unaffected.

The new front page allows us to present a lot more at any one time. It's also given us the opportunity to show our glorious leader wearing his favourite headgear. In case you're wondering, it is a real picture, and no we didn't have to get him drunk first. In fact he wears that outfit to work every day.

There is a new Learn and Find area designed to help you find all the answers you need relating to Online Brokers, ISAs and Mortgages and much more, and then to act straight away. We'll be adding to this area over the next few months.

On the right hand side of the front page, if you've registered, you'll see direct links to all your customised features, such as your favourite boards and your portfolio. You'll also find direct links to any replies to your messages, the busiest boards and most recommended posts. Underneath this you can subscribe to our Weekly Digest (an e-mail summarising the best of the Fool each week). We'll be expanding our range of regular e-mails in the near future so keep an eye on this area.

Previously, all our regular articles could be found under the various headings on the Home tab, namely News, Stock Ideas, Special Features, Investing Strategies, Personal Finance and Fool's School. These areas will continue to be available for a little while but we are effectively replacing them with a number of new areas.

The new Fool School area brings together all our learning resources on one page. It also includes our new Financial Health Check, a quick guide to assessing your financial situation and how to go about improving it.

If you've never invested before then pop into Getting Started. This page explains the difference between saving and investing and looks at the best way to dip your toe in the investing pool. How do you know when you should invest and what should you start with?

Building Your Share Portfolio is designed to help you as you venture beyond the realm of index trackers and make your first purchases of shares in individual companies. How do you buy shares? What does all the jargon mean? How do you choose what shares to invest in? What strategy should you follow?

Moving on, we have Strategies & Ideas. Here you can follow all our investing strategies, such as the Qualiport, Beating the Footsie and the Rule Shaker, as well as the latest Fool news and comment. This page also highlights our latest Stock Idea articles as well as other regular features like Duelling Fools.

Finally we've got a new page dedicated to all the latest market news. Here you can find our most up-to-date news and comment as well as market news from our sister site in the US. You can also find the latest prices for the main UK indices and direct links to the latest market reports from AFX.

Have you registered yet?

If you haven't, you are missing out on a number of free offers now available, including a free Motley Fool book. Registration also lets you follow your shares using our portfolio service and discuss financial issues with your fellow Fools. You can register here.

If you get lost...

Fret not. You can still find all your favourite articles using Latest Stories, which is the link near the top left of every page under the Home tab, and the Quick Find drop-down menu near the top right. You can also use the new Archive page which gives you access to practically every article ever published on our site. And of course don't forget you can always post a message on the Using The Fool Site discussion board.

If you want to keep abreast of all the latest developments on our site then make the What's New At The Motley Fool discussion board one of your favourite boards by visiting it and clicking on the heart icon at the top of the post listing.

Where Next?

If you've got any comments about the new design, please let us know on the Improve the Fool Site discussion board.