By Caryn Dubelko, Director of Community

Our new version of Connect will allow us to develop new features and gives our members more flexibility in their page layout with a drag and drop configurable profile. While we still have all of the basic features you love about Connect, there are some items have not been able to include just yet. This is because we want to make sure they're working as they should before we put them on the site. Our team is working hard to fix outstanding errors and implement new improvements. As we make progress, I'll update you with the most current information about available features.

If you have any questions, please contact us via Customer Support. We've also prepared a list of Frequently Asked Questions that relate specifically to this transition.

Sincerely,

Caryn Dubelko
Director of Community
iVillage.com

iVillage Connect Transition FAQ:

We've made some changes to the iVillage Connect system to make things run better and to make them easier to use. While we still have all of the basic features you love about Connect, there are a few items that aren't available right now. This is because we want to make sure they're working properly before we put them on the site.

Why did you make this change?
We needed to transition to a new system in order to improve site stability and to be able to further develop new features and tools within profiles, blogs and other modules.

When did this change happen?
The new system went live on November 1, 2007. We are continuing to make additional improvements and fix any unexpected issues.

What happened to my stuff (blog entries, photos, videos)? Will I need to start over?
The intems in your iVillage Connect profile has been moved by our tech team to the new system. Your blog entries, photos, videos and groups have all been restored in the new system so you should still be able to access and share them.

Can I still use the same links to my profile?
The new system has a new domain name and link structure, so your profile (as well as your blog entries and photos) have new URLs.

I owned a group, what happened to it?
We're still working on moving groups over to the new system. Your group will be available soon, with some minor changes to the way a group works. Groups will no longer have separate forums associated with them, although you may wish to link group to a current related iVillage message board. As with profiles, the web address (URL) of your group will change to a new address.

Hey, where is my calendar?
We reached out to our community and we heard you loud and clear! Our initial release of calendar and events did not meet the needs and expectations, so we have decided to rethink how to implement this feature. As such, we have decided not to release calendars and events, but will be working hard to implement very soon. Please check back often.

I have private or restricted photos and video -- will we still have the ability to choose our privacy settings?
We respect your privacy and realize you may have items that you only want to share with friends or to remain private. On November 1, privacy settings for new content may not be available. Any previously created content with a private or friends-only restriction will be saved in our system to remain completely private until the privacy options are fully functional.

Will I be able to use rich text (HTML) in my comments?
Over the coming months we will be adding many features that greatly enhance the ability for users to customize their content. In doing so, we want to make sure that any of these rich text customizations work optimally with our new site and changes coming soon. As such, this first release will not allow HTML to be used in comments.

Will I be able to customize my profile with my own backgrounds, CSS and widgets?
You won't be able to add your own stylesheets, backgrounds or embedded HTML widgets. We are planning to offer a wide selection of styles and widgets very soon and hopefully in the future we will be able to also incorporate a "do-it-yourself" option of styling and customizing your profile.

Have a question that wasn't answered here? Please let us know by contacting Customer Support.

An Important Notice About Your iVillage Connect Account

Our new iVillage Connect system will only able to accommodate one member profile (member name) per iVillage account. This means that going forward, you may only use one member name per email address in the iVillage Connect system. If you have multiple member names tied to a single email address, we'll need you to choose your primary member name for iVillage Connect in order to set up your profile correctly in our new system. This is the member name that will become the basis of your social networking profile going forward. If you're not sure what member names are attached to your iVillage member account, please log in with your email address to view your member information: https://subscriber.ivillage.com/profile To choose your preferred name, simply let us know your preference by emailing connecthelp@mail.ivillage.com

For more information on these changes, please visit our announcement page or contact Customer Support.

The iVillage Community Team