JULY BETA ANNOUNCEMENT

It's beta time! The web team has busy working on an updated look and new features for Last.fm, and now it's time for subscribers to have a play and kick the tyres.

So, after CAREFULLY READING THE NOTES BELOW, subscribers are invited to use this group's forums to tell us what they think and to report any bugs. We still have a lot of work to do before this new version goes public, but we can't do it without you! Have fun...

BETA RELEASE NOTES:

* THE BETA SITE IS A WORK-IN-PROGRESS
Nothing you see is in its final form, so don't panic. If something is broken, let us know. If you hate something, let us know. If you love something, set it free...er, let us know.

* THE BETA SITE USES THE SAME DATABASE AS THE LIVE SITE
Anything you do or post on the beta site will also appear on the live site, so be careful when sending those secret confessions of love to non-subscribers! (The one exception is your friends list, see below.)

* WE MAY NOT SUPPORT YOUR WEB BROWSER YET
Be sure to check our browser compatibility list.

* CHUNKY CHUNKY IMAGES
We are currently resizing many images in-browser, which means graphics may load more slowly and look a bit rough on some systems. We will further optimise all our images before the beta goes public.

* WE'RE REDEFINING FRIENDSHIP
The new version of Last.fm changes the way friends work: we're switching to the more traditional model of sending friend requests which are then accepted or declined. Here's what this means for the beta:

1) Any mutual friends (you added them, they added you) from the old site are now your friends on the beta site.
2) One-way friendships have become friend requests that are currently pending.
3) Due to database issues, ANY FRIEND ACTIVITY ON BETA WILL NOT AFFECT THE LIVE SITE and will be wiped once the beta is complete, our apologies. We'd still love for you to test the beta's friend features, don't be afraid to try them.

* SO WHAT'S NEW, ANYWAY?
That's for you to discover! But there's a new dashboard, more radio modes, recent tracks editing, more real-time info on your friends and neighbours, and I've heard a rumour about a light switch...

YAY!

w00t!!!!