Speak now...

Perhaps it's just a tacit acknowledgement that giving people only a single chance to speak up about their concerns doesn't really make much sense in the long run.

The same holds true for my/our work here at the British Psychological Society.

Over the past two years (yes, it really has been that long) I've been working hard behind the scenes to monitor, manage, and master the transition from the old website format to the shiny new one you can see here today, with the underlying goal being to improve both the clarity and accessibility of the information, resources, and services we provide.

And a major part of this process has involved taking feedback from society members, members of staff, and members of the public, in order to inform the design and roll-out process.

But, just because we're finally getting very close to dotting all the Is and crossing all the Ts (you'll find that very little of the old formatting and the old layout now remains), this doesn't mean we're done consulting with you, our users.

Because, let's face it, the process of updating and improving the society's digital presence and services is an ongoing (practically unending) one, and your comments and feedback are meant to play a major role in this.

For example, we're still very keen for you to continue interacting with us on social media, so please keep liking, keep sharing, and keep commenting!

After all, despite platforms such as Twitter and Facebook having a bad reputation in certain quarters (not entirely undeservedly, I might add), these services still provide a great way for us to disseminate content and to raise awareness amongst our audience, and for you to do the same.

Just remember that healthy commentary, healthy interactivity, and healthy dialogue, should always be the goal.

We also still welcome direct feedback about the website and about our online facilities, and the ways in which these can be further refined and improved, and there are now several projects in the pipeline - some big, some small - which have been directly informed and influenced by user comments and criticisms.

As an extension of this we've recently activated the comments function on our Society Review page, and would strongly encourage all our members to take a careful look at the plans currently in place for the next several months, and to add their commentary if they feel they have something to add to the process.

If the comments facility catches on and proves to be a successful endeavour - something which you, our members, embrace and will make use of - we would then be willing to consider implementing it in other areas of the site, so as to encourage further engagement and involvement on a variety of issues.

We'd also like to encourage you to register for the online workshop sessions currently on offer, as these will provide some much needed extra insight into the Society Review process.

So please, do continue to get involved and have your say, both here and in other areas of the society.

We can't guarantee we'll be able to respond to everyone directly, or that every single suggestion, recommendation, or criticism, will be followed up on (there are limits to what we can do, after all) but we still want our members to feel like they have a voice and are being heard.

And, if all goes well, this could very well be the beginning of a new age of engagement and interaction between us all.

About the author

Andrew Walmsley is the Online Content Manager of the British Psychological Website, responsible for all editorial oversight and content-management duties.

Andrew gained his MSc in Psychology from Nottingham Trent University and also works as an editor and freelance music journalist for a number of national and international outlets.