Downgrading of Living Overseas

[echt]

The addition of Home Decoration to the Homes and Garden section has bumped Living Overseas off the list as a reader checks in. It's subsumed in the ...... bit.

Any new reader would hardly automatically check out Homes and Gardens anyway as being the natural home of those overseas, but its placing in the list up until a couple of days ago meant it had some prominence.

It's the ONLY forum dedicated to MNers abroad, so can we have it re-placed on the list, MNHQ?

[TheEnglishWomanInTheAttic]

I agree - I actually originally stumbled over the Living Overseas section by googling, not via the main MN Talk menu at all! I would never have looked under Homes and Gardens, having no special interest in homes and gardens, and have never understood why it is where it is.

There are a disproportionate number of overseas MNers judging by posts in chat etc. but most of them never visit the overseas board - probably because they don't know it exists, as it is really not intuitively located. Sometimes I think MN doesn't want to overly encourage the overseas contingent though, as all the (presumably sponsored) product tests etc. are for UK MNers, so that although they let us join in, there is presumably nothing "in it" for MN having overseas MNers... :(

[TheAccidentalExhibitionist]

Come on MNHQ! Living oversees bit is important to me too.

[Labootin]

Homes and gardens has always puzzled me slightly though irrc there was a thread about it ages ago where mnhq gave a perfectly rational explanation.


That said I didn't realise there was a topic and foumd it by accident on active topics.

i have no objection to new cushion covers and feature walls BTW.

Echt have reported your post to make sure MNHQ See it .

[Want2bSupermum]

This section is a vital resource for parents who are relocating. It is a scary prospect to move a family to a foreign country or start a family without any support near you. I has always struck me odd that this section is under homes and gardens.

Living Overseas should be under it's own section and then split into geographical regions with a general board for threads addressing issues that affect all families who relocate to foreign countries.

[Clueless2727]

I agree i found this site via google and can never remember which section it's in

[MiauMau]

I keep on wanting to check it out and forgetting how to find it, it's a bit like an easter egg hunt (minus the chocolate)
...
...
I must confess that I've never checked the home and garden threads

[Boomerwang]

It does need to be moved. I've used this site for a long time and didn't know about this area. The first place I checked was 'Mumsnet Local' for an international listing. I had to ask in 'site stuff' for this!

[LittleTownofBethleHelenMumsnet]

Evening. We've posted on the Site Stuff thread but only just spotted this one.

Here's what we said: Yep. Apols for this.

The whole Topics list needs a good shake-up and pruning and going over. When we do this, we'll do our level best to make sure Living Overseas is as visible as possible.

As you point out, echt, Homes and Gardens isn't exactly the most obvious place to look for Living Overseas. We'll def have a think about a more logical (and prominent) place to put it.

Please bear with us, though. Redoing the Topics list is a mahoosive Tech job and the Tech team already hate me for it

[TheEnglishWomanInTheAttic]

Thanks HelenMN :)

[gordonpym]

Why not name the "travel " section, "Travel & World" and move Living overseas there? Moving and living abroad is a journey after all... the exact opposite as choosing the right wallpaper

[echt]

Ooh, thanks for the swift response, HelenMN. V.chuffed after a day battling the obduracy of educational bureaucracy: We've ALWAYS done it this way..":o

[TanteRose]

i noticed that today

thanks for being on the case, HelenMN and TechTeam

[ripsishere]

I wondered where it had gone.
I agree that it is a vital bit of kit. I would be surpassed to find a country that there ins't a MNer currently or someone who has lived there in the past.

[ripsishere]

I may even be surprised.

[EdwardtheEagle]

Love the idea of sections for different countries/regions. This forum was sioooooo important to me when I had my first Dc in france

[FeijoaVodkaAndCheezels]

Don't forget that for some living in Britain is living overseas. We still need advice about overseas things too. Or just to stave off a bit of homesickness/ be reminded we aren't the only ones in this boat.

[ripsishere]

That is a really good idea. Europe/Far/Middle east/Australia etc.
I am so hungry right now, I would demolish a steak and cheese pie. Or just a steak one. Or just a cheese one. Or just the pastry.......................

[echt]

Hmmmm...pies.

[hattymattie]

Travel Section would be a great idea - I too found Living Overseas by accident.

[laptopwieldingharpy]

i think should topic n.1 of "in the club" and titled imperial blather (if she agrees)

[laptopwieldingharpy]

actually travel section would be more relevant, you are right.

[FellatioNelson]

I agree. I think it deserves a higher billing. Perhaps a topic of its own, broken down into geographical sub-sections. I think it would get more traffic if it was more visible. I'm sure plenty of overseas/expat MNers do not even know it is there.

[ISawMummyAbroadKissingSanta]

I have complained about this before - so glad it is going to be addressed!

I agree that the section and MN in general is really important for us expats, and I think we could be a useful audience for advertisers too - lots of us fly home regularly enough - who better for airlines, travel goods companies etc to advertise too?

I think the Travel section is the perfect place and agree with everything wantobesupermum says.

[LadyMargolotta]

I think Livinb Overseas needs a whole section to itself. And subsections of Europe, Asia, the Americas etc. Belgium, obviously, will need a whole section to itself, there are so many of us

[FellatioNelson]

I was just going to say the same thing about ads ISaw. Imagine if the topic were broken down into sub-sections by geography. There is a whole untouched market there. We have loads of expat forums that are chock full of advertising aimed at us, but the websites themselves are ok for basic info about the place in question but are not a patch on MN for atmosphere, freedom of speech etc. so I still come here. I only use the other ones for very specific info about where I live.