We’ve had this test site up and running for about two months now. And wow, we’ve really discovered a lot. We’ve learned about site functionality, as well as what you like, and what you don’t like. It’s definitely been time well spent.

So what’s the plan for future sites?

On October 1, we’re going to shut down this test. Everyone will be redirected back to the classic myembarq.com. And for a couple of weeks, it will be business as usual. Everything will look and feel the same as it always has.

However, on October 17, you will notice some changes. Because of the merger between EMBARQ and CenturyTel, we have a new name: CenturyLink. You’ll begin to see our new name showing up in advertising, on billing, and on the web portal. Don’t worry, the functionality will not change. 

In the meantime, we’re continuting to develop and test all kinds of new features that we’re pretty sure will knock your socks off! We’ll be rolling them out in 2010, so stick around for the fun.

Thanks to everyone who commented on this blog! I loved getting your feedback, and it’s helped us tremendously.

Enjoy the rest of 2009, and I’ll be in touch!

Ann Welton
Communications Manager
CenturyLink Interactive Services

Have you tried to manage your EMBARQ high-speed internet account, or your myembarq.com account from the Beta site? Well, if you have, you will have discovered that the Manage My Account feature is not functioning. No worries! It still works if you go back to the original embarq.com. So if you have questions, or just want to check on your account, go back to the classic site, take care of business, and come back here to the Beta!

We’ve discovered a small glitch in site. If you’re someone who uses the TV favorites functionality on the original myembarq.com, you may have noticed that it’s not working here on the Beta version. If you go to TV listings and select some favorites, they should appear on your home page, and right now, they don’t.

We know about it, and we’re working to fix it! Thanks for your feedback!

Hi there! You found your way to the test site. And now you’ve found your way to the Blog. So these are clear indicators that so far, we’ve designed everything pretty well. (Either that, or you’re unusually clever.) Now that you’re here, I’d like to point out some of the changes we’re testing. Please comment using this blog to let us know if we’re on the right track.

Orange you glad to see me?

I stole that from an old knock-knock joke, do you remember it? Anyway, did you notice the orange bar running across the top of the test site? I’m pretty sure you did, because that’s where you found the link to this blog. There is also a link to a private Feedback form, and a link that takes you back to the original myembarq.com. And here’s another cool feature. If you click on “How do I do that?” the bar expands, and answers the question for you. Try it!

GPS for a web site

Sometimes, there’s so much information available on a web site, that you feel as if you need a GPS device just to get around. On the classic site, there is a list that runs down the left-hand side of the page. (Web site developers call this the “Nav Bar” or navigation bar. See, you’re learning the language already!) On the test site, we’ve moved this to tabs across the top of the page.  Let me know what you think.

A communications hub

Email’s important – there’s no doubt about that! But it’s no longer the only tool we depend on to keep in touch with friends and family. Social networking sites have simply exploded in the last few years, and a lot of us find we depend on them too! We’ve designed the test site in a way that allows you to keep all your networking sites in one place. So, along with email, you’ll be just a click away from Facebook, or Twitter, or MySpace. Is this convenient for you? Will it save you some time?

More to come

We’re testing some ideas regarding the content we feature on the site. Come back in the next couple of days and read my next post. I’ll point out some things to watch for, and ask for your opinions. Until then, post a comment or two. Let’s get this conversation going!