Or does anyone else find the new larger panel on the left hand side very distracting on this forum.
Im not against it - it just seems to big and slightly annoying....

I like the one on the right hand side, can't see any on the left though. I wouldn't want to see any more clutter on one page but occasionally a headline takes my eye that I go have a look at. My 2c

Yep, stars went - sorry Em. Some members who have only one star have great comments so it wasn't a balanced indicator .. the only stars that remain are all you guys (& gals)

Glad y'all like the News stuff - takes a few spins to get used to the new layout, and you'll find the extras bits are chokas with goodness & froth. There's so much going on around Aussie, so much posted in the forums that ends up lost, plus upcoming events, product releases etc etc .. couldn't handle it getting lost, so the news system was born!

Enjoy .. Lozza