I'm all for change and progress, but it also needs to be done with the "customer" in mind. In this case I find cloud tags (for instance) to be a feature that clutters my screen, but doesn't contribute to my visit. In general I found the largely empty strip along the left side of the screen to be a claustrophobic experience.
Keep trying, but talk to us - give us a chance to offer feedback and suggestions.
In the absence of a majost sticky announcement, I find redundant threads to be no surprise, and perfectly acceptable. There was a bit of a management fumble in this instance.