Thanks Ben.

Navjot said:

:Navjot:

Navjot said:

:Navjot:

2the9s said:

Hi everyone!

As you may know, I have been working on many changes to the software that runs prince.org. I am hoping to get these changes out and visible by mid-February, but want to give everyone a heads-up about what's involved. The changes fall into four main categories:

- Look and feel improvements
- Added functionality
- Moderation & site rules
- Limited advertising

I'll briefly discuss each area below.

Look-and-feel improvements
The new site's pages should load faster, work more intuitively, and conform to industry standards better. The layout will be more 'fluid' and respect browser font- and color- preferences. If you're not using IE6 or (better yet) a Mozilla browser such as Firebird, I encourage you to upgrade! Reading the site should be easier than ever, and a new homepage will focus on what you most want to access, easier than before.

Added functionality
From small tweaks to large features, there's a lot in store. The 'search' capability returns, you can 'subscribe' to threads, and much more.

Moderation and site rules
There's been a lot of chaos on the forums as a result of growing pains, and personality clashes. I've drafted some new rules which I hope will clarify some points. We're also going to lose the controversial Love Sex & Relationships forum, and bring on more moderators for the remaining forums. I have also completely ripped out the old moderation tools and replaced them with ones that are easier for mods to use, are totally auditable, and I think, lend to fairer moderation. Also, I will become more involved in the day-to-day moderation tasks. You will be asked to read and accept the new set of site rules, when they go into effect.

Limited advertising
I'm going to try out some Google AdWords advertising on the site. This is a big site and isn't free to keep running. I didn't mind when I had income, but I'm between jobs now and facing a lot of financial demands, and the best way to try and recoup the costs seems to be with Google ads. I know no one likes advertising--I certainly don't--but I think this is the best course of action currently. I never wanted to have ads on the site, but I think the Google ones are often not too obnoxious, and actually tend to offer relevant products.

So, a lot of big changes, and a long time coming. I'd like to thank everyone for their continued support of the org--it's quite a vibrant community, which I'm exceptionally proud to help provide. I know the changes will take a little getting used to, so please do try things out, let it all settle in, and then comment if you like, in the Site Discussion forum, or e-mail me at ben@prince.org. Looking forward to the org 3.0!

Note: if you have questions, you can ask them on this thread; but I am not going to discuss the complete new feature list yet...

Don't worry about the advertising. As long as it isn't too distracting and intrusive, then it's not a big deal. You certainly deserve to be compensated for running such a great site, so I don't have any problem with ads.

Navjot said:

:Navjot:

theVelvetRoper said:

Don't thank him you won't be authorized to post more than one janet thread by month!

Do you really have to get rid of the LSR forum?

If losing the LSR forum will get folks like Moonbeam back, as much as I dig that forum, good fucking riddens.

Here is an example of google ads on a message board.

http://www.mangydog.com/forum/

(scroll down to the bottom)

They don't look like much of a burden to me!

TonyC said:

me, neither. do what you gotta do, ben.

yamomma said:

Wow, those are probably the least annoying ads I've ever seen.

What the hell is pay pal??? Never heard of it.