Welcome!
We just beefed up the community aspect of Metal Review! There's quite a few new things to look at and click on, but don't worry, all of your posts/threads/avatars/points are still in the same spot you left them.
I guess you could say we are in a BETA phase with this release that I'm calling "Metal Review 6.5". For the first time in 7 years, I have decided to lighten things up and widen the overall layout of the site. If this catches on, I'll convert the rest of the website to this layout. Onto some of the new features already...!
You now have your own personal "Dashboard" - click "My Dashboard" in the menu above. This is a one-stop view of everything that's going on. You can view your conversations (which used to be private messaging), view comments others leave on your profile page, leave your own announcement and of course your bio/avatar. "Friends" are more interactive. You actually have to accept/deny a friend's request.
The forums are layed out in a new format. The most active threads show up top. You can still change the way they show up/sort.
I want to start out with these limited community features. In the near future, we will be introducing a media gallery, blogs, and mini-communities (groups).
I'd like to hear your feedback. Shoot me an email whether it's good or bad.
Cheers,
Matt Brown
matt@metalreview.com