Bug fixes
- The link provided in the email from profiles requesting access to page was broken. This has been fixed.
- Group Access Pages: A member's list of special-access pages was not showing the pages they had access as a member of a group. This has been fixed.
- Store Out of Inventory Emails Issue - Multiple emails were going out notifying those interested in new inventory levels. This has been fixed. Now the system just sends out one email and dashboard notice per product availability request.
Improvements
We're happy to announce quite a few improvements to the Blog app!
Brand new administration layout
The first thing you'll notice is a more organized, cleaner layout for the Blog app. The app is divided into 3 sections: "Posts, Comments, and Settings". You can navigate between them by clicking the links at the upper right of the app near the red "X".
Comment Options
Probably the area of the most significant improvements, we've added two new options related to commenting:
- Login required for commenting - this per-post setting requires the commenter to login before commenting, ensuring that a valid profile exists.
- Comments require approval - this blog-wide setting allows you to send all comments through an approval queue before the comment goes public.
Notifications
We also added a notification system that can email one or more addresses when comments are made on your blog. The email includes the comment itself and the name of the commenter. There's also a convenient link to the blog app so you can jump right into comment moderation. Now you don't have to babysit your blog.
Tagging
Blog posts can now be tagged! Tags are a great way to organize your blog. For those who are unfamiliar, a tag is like a category or label. You can add as many as you'd like to your blog and it helps group similar posts. Readers can filter your posts through a list of tag links in your side navigation (if enabled on your page template). This option is available under the blog's Settings section.
Archived vs Unpublished
We've done away with the concept of "archived" or "not archived" for blog posts. It was just plain confusing. Now we're using a "published" or "unpublished" status. In this new model, your list of posts will show all posts together, so items that are archived or "unpublished" are easily seen inline with your published posts. This also makes it easy to separate the "Save" action from the "Publish" status.
Monthly Archives
Until now, there was no great way to keep lots of posts on your blog without them all being on your front page. Now the blog will build an archive by month automatically. Readers can filter posts by month through the new list of month links in your side navigation (if enabled on your page template). This option is available under the blog's Settings section.
Front Page Options
The front page of a blog is make or break. That's why we're giving you more options:
- Full post on front screen - currently all blogs show a plain-text summary of the blog post on the front page. You can now override this setting and show the full-length, full-html post right on your front page. This option is available under the blog's settings section.
- Post limit on front screen - you can now limit the number of posts that will show up on the front page of your blog. This keeps your blog looking tidy and readers can still access old posts through tags, monthly archives or direct link.
Post Date control
Wish you could change the date of your blog post to something other than right now? Now you can! Set a time in the past or, to prepare for the future, set a future date and time and your post will appear at the proper time.
These great new options have been setup so they have minimal impact on existing blogs, for those who like things the way they are. But for those of you who want to "upgrade" your blog, here are 5 recommended steps…
- Start Tagging - turn on tag navigation and start tagging your posts. You can even go back into old posts and tag them too.
- Archive It - turn on your monthly archive navigation.
- Full Posts - UNCHECK the option to "display blog summary" so that your full blog posts show up on the front page of your blog.
- Comment Notification - add your email address to the comment notification box. This will save you from having to check your blog for activity.
- Complete the look - If your blog doesn't look quite "bloggish" enough using your current page template, let us design a new template for you! To ask questions or get the ball rolling, give your account rep a call or email info@speakcreative.com.
We hope you enjoy these improvements.
If you have feedback for us, post it here: http://getsatisfaction.com/sitewrench