Over the next couple of days I will be working on the following:
- Moving the 'New Forum Topics' and 'Active Forum Topics' blocks to just above the news/articles on the front page. This will be very similar to the old site in which we had the most recent posts towards the top of the front page. This will put those blocks in a much more obvious and convenient place. Don't forget that you have the 'Recent posts' link in your personal menu, this is a very easy and convenient way to find out what is going on over the entire site. It includes all posts whether they are forum topics, blog posts, stories, etc.
- I will be working on the URL system for the site. All of our urls, to any part of the site, will include the title of the content as well as what topic it belongs to and, in some cases, the date it was posted. This works is being done to help both the user and the search bots understand the site and its information architecture. This particular item will require some down time at some point either today (Saturday, August 4th) or tomorrow.
- A help system will be put in place. Whether you will be able to see it or not is another thing. I am producing video screen captures of how to use the site. They will be organized into major functionality. Videos will include such things as how to use your blog, how to post to the forum, how to use Scribefire to post to the site (I am using it to compose this post), and many other topics.
For those of you that were interested in writing an online n scale book, that opportunity will be available very soon. The feature is called 'books' and it is a very convenient and easy way to create manuals, reports, and hierarchical (chaptered) information. It will allow for collaborative work which will allow all of us to contribute in whatever way suits our abilities and expertise (or lack thereof).
Multimedia capabilities will be enhanced over the next few weeks. Also, PLEASE start using your personal photo galleries. Fill them up with all you have. Pictures are some of the best ways to communicate this hobby to others. Please note that you can create sub-galleries if your one of those folks that likes to keep things organized and tidy. If you don't like the feature of being able to post thumbnails in the forum and articles, remember you can always right click a photo inside the gallery and get it's URL and then post it using the insert image button in the post editing interface.
Please start using your blogs to keep everyone up to date on what you are working on or what you are up to. While we like to maintain an n scale theme to our content, you can use the blogs for other types of rambling. Just be careful to keep it clean and free from politics and religion. We will delete content deemed inappropriate for our audience and this site. Other than that, have fun with it. Don't forget you can post pictures in your blog. Also, you can submit your blog to the various blog directories. I would also recommend putting your blog address into your signature both here and on the other sites you visit. all blog addresses are in the format:
http://www.nscale.net/blog/<username>
For instance, my blog is located at:
http://www.nscale.net/blog/admin
In conclusion I just want to let you know that there will be a lot more functionality and features coming your way. Just about anything is possible with this new software. Oh, and the Events calendar is coming back soon I promise.
Thanks to all of you for supporting us. We appreciate the time and effort you expend here on this site. Please post any comments on functionality that you miss or would lilke to see.
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