There's already been a lot done in April, so I'm just going to keep a running update thread for the entire month. Some of these changes, not everyone is going to like as they involve some design differences. However, where possible, I am making accommodations.
This list is ordered from newest update at top to oldest at bottom:
Better User Profiles
Profiles are now a one-stop shop for everything you want to know about a user! Their portfolio is now very easy to view, and you can also easily view their last three blog entries. Soon enough, you'll also be able to see their last five posts and users will be able to pick which friends appear in their profile.
Chatty McChat Chat
If you haven't noticed already, you can now choose from a hundred different status messages in the chatroom, letting everyone know you're away, writing, cleaning, relaxed, angry, etc.
There is also a new chat skin called the Sci-Fi skin. It is not a new chatroom! It's the same but just with a different look. With the Sci-Fi skin, you can upload your own wallpaper by going to Options in the upper left hand corner.
Choose Your Style Header On Template
Don't like the black? No problem. Go to My YWS ->> My Preferences. You'll find an option to change the header back to the old style under template change. This will only change the top header images; it will not change the border and it only affects default. The drop-down menu also does not change.
Shakespeare Insults & Update To Story Theme
Check out the new Shakespeare insults! With 125,000 combinations, you'll never run out of insults to impress your friends!
Story theme generator has also been updated to correct typos and make it more useful. Both of these generators now use Ajax so the page doesn't refresh when you click the button.
Both are accessible via the Community button at the top then 'Downloads and Games' on the drop down menu.
YWS Is Now xHTML certified!
Not a big deal, and meaningless to most. What it does mean for you is that YWS now appears the same no matter what browser you use. So what you see in Firefox is what you get in Safari.
http://yourdomain.youngwriterssociety.com
This is big! Every user now has their own subdomain on YWS. It links straight to your profile, to which some changes will be made shortly. Namely, your portfolio and the last few of your blog posts will be directly accessible from your profile. This should make it such easier to share your work with your friends.
However, if you have a space in your name, it does not work. Thus, if and only if you have a space in your name, you can message me to remove it. I will only remove spaces; no username changes.
To find out how the trick is done, visit my new blog at http://blog.nathancaldwell.com.
Design Changes
If you're using Default (the normal YWS), you'll notice some design differences. Namely, the border is now white, the header images are in black, and the logo is blue with the YWS sword and pencil (image by Bobo!).
Along with that, a lot was streamlined or even removed to speed up the site. Before, many IE users had to wait 10 seconds for YWS to load, which is two seconds too long (seconds matter a ton). Now, it's almost instantaneous.
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