Welcome to the new updated ForumsSnowJapan regulars will know that every so often we like to update things both on the main site and the Forums. This time round the Forums have seen a fairly major update with quite a few visible changes both large and small as well as some considerable changes in the background that give us more control and flexibility over how the Forums are run.
Below is a rundown of most of the changes, in no particular order, but you will probably find some more small changes as you look around and get used to things. Please note that you will need to be registered and logged in to take advantage of most of these changes, so if you aren't a member yet please do register:
http://www.snowjapanforums.com/ubbthreads.php/ubb/newuser.htmlWe hope you like the changes.
Things look a little different:The most immediately obvious change is the look of the Forums. While they do initially look a fair bit different, most things are very similar to how they were before.
The Chat Box / Statistics information is now on the left hand side of the screen, but we can easily change this if needed. Please see separate
Poll thread for your feedback on that particular issue.
New Posts more visible:We have changed things so that threads with new posts are more visible and displayed in bold. This makes it easier to notice what is new on the Forums when you return.
Active Topic Previews:If you take a look at the Active Topics section (on the main menu bar) you will notice that there are some changes in the way the data is displayed as well as a new addition that shows topics on the Forums that do not have any replies yet - see 'Unanswered Posts'.
'Full Reply' - New Buttons and Options:In the New Topic / Full Reply page you will notice that there are a number of changes including the following:
- more smilies have added;
- media video tags have been added making it easier to add videos from Youtube, Google, Yahoo and MySpace;
- list tags now support list=(circle|i|I|a|A|1|disc|square);
- the order of the icons has been changes;
- image positioning supported.
New smileys:When you post a new thread or post a reply on the Forums you will notice that a lot of additional smileys are now available - some new ones as well as the return of some familiar faces.
User List:The 'Member List' has had a bit of a revamp in terms of both looks and functionality.
Page Numbering:The page numbering code has been adjusted making it easier to jump around forums/topics.
Hover Over Text:When you put your mouse over subjects on the main forum index/main pages, hover text will appear that shows the first section of content for the subject. (Some browsers may not support this feature).
Please note that you can turn the Hover Over Text feature off if you do not like it. (My Stuff > Profile).
Watch - List:You can now set your 'Watch List' notifications to only notify you when a new topic is created (instead of for every post).
New Footer Options - Display / Colour Schemes:At the bottom of the page in the footer bar there is now an option to change the display settings. We have also added a few different 'looks' for the Forums that totally change the way the Forums look. Please have a look around and choose your favourite from the following:
- snowjapan: the main default colour scheme for the Forums;
- snowjapan-dark: a much darker version with lots of black;
- snowjapan-blue: more blue and more red
- snowjapan-no-color: for those who like black and white. (Some people have commented that this might good for using the Forums from work, but we certainly would never encourage such things!)
- snowjapan-largerfonts: displays the default colour scheme with larger fonts.
New Footer Options - Language (English / Japanese)At the bottom of the page in the footer bar there is now an option to change the language settings. We have added a few language sets in addition to the default English language with support for UK English, Aussie English (can you spot the changes, it's just for fun!) and also Japanese to help some of our Japanese members. Change this setting to change the text that is used for the main menus and navigation parts of the Forums.
Search - Options:It is now possible to just search the body of a post, excluding the subject. There is also a simple one row Search box available from the top Search menu.
New Style E-mails:Emails are now sent out in html format (ie. they look much nicer).
New look Private Message E-mails:The Private Message emails are now sent out in html format (ie. they look much nicer) and also now include the relevant content as well as a link direct to the PM message online.
E-mail a post:When emailing a post, you will now get the option of emailing just that single post or the post and all of it's replies as well.
Private messages:It is now possible to email a Private Message to yourself (if you really want to!)
Feeds:If you go to My Stuff and click on Feeds, you will find a list of RSS feeds of any of the Forums.
My Buddies:Buddies make a reappearance, but now with more functionality - you can now check multiple users and then launch a PM to all selected (within set limits).
The Who's Online Island:The 'Who's Online' data display has changed and it now includes color codes for Mods and Admin to make them stand out a bit more.
Private Messages & Chat Box automated permissions:New members will now need to post 20 messages on the Forums before they can send/receive Private Messages - the system is now fully automated. This means that people who have 20+ posts will be automatically be able to use these functions (unless their account have been restricted for some other reason).
Message List OptionsThe View Messages (PMs) page has been enhanced to additionally include emailing of multiple selected PMs as well as deletion. (See the bottom of the PM page).
My Stuff menu positionYou can now change the position of the 'My Stuff' menu - either to remain as a drop down or as a left navigation menu. (See your Preferences setting page).
New page names:You might notice that the URL of each page has changed to include the topic title. This will not affect existing links to the thread which should remain intact.
'My Stuff' on the leftYou now have the choice of having the My Stuff menu appear on the left hand side instead of just a drop down. (Try it! Go to Preferences and look for 'Do you wish to have the 'My Stuff' menu as a left navigation menu?')
Posts in the last 24 hoursWe have added some new data to the Forums Stats info on the right hand side of the page - it shows the number of new posts made to the Forums in the last 24 hours. This number does not include posts made in the Chat Box.
Top posters (last 7 days)We have added some new stats on the right hand side, this time showing the top Posters in the last 7 days. This number does not include posts made in the Chat Box.
Average daily posts (last week)We have added some new stats on the right hand side, this time showing the average number of posts on the Forums in the previous week. This number does not include posts made in the Chat Box.
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PLEASE NOTE:The permissions system for these Forums has been totally revamped. This basically gives us a lot of flexibility and does not affect members directly. However, it means that regular members will need to post at least one new message on the Forums in order for their Private Messages to restart. Members will also need to have posted over 20 messages to use the Chat Box.
This updated involved a considerable change to the code that runs the Forums. As such, they will likely be some issues and fine-tuning needed over the next few days as we see people using the Forums and troubleshoot any problems. Please bear with us as we do this. If you encounter any problems or strange things going on please either send us a PM or send us an email ( editor@snowjapan.com ) trying to be as clear as possible when explaining what you are experiencing.Thank you!
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