Social Bookmarking Feature

I’ve added a Links Section to FTJ which should be pretty cool.  It operates basically the same as most social bookmarking sites without some of the bells and whistles… for the time being at least. 

I may add:

• the ability to make comments on links
• list of top contributors based on score
• a bookmarking feature

Anyway… it’s another user-generated content section of the site, so it will ultimately be what YOU (the members) make of it.

New Layout

Obviously I changed the layout a bit.  I realize change is hard on everyone and calling me stupid makes it easier to cope, so don’t worry, I don’t take any offense to it.

I’m going to work on making alternate color schemes that you can mix and match to your heart’s content.  Possibly one with the old black background.

As for functionality changes, there really aren’t any major changes.  The layout is based on 966 pixels now, so if you have a small shitty monitor, you’re kind of screwed.

• There is a new photos section which shows the most recent photos uploaded.  You can also tag photos now to make searching for whatever it is you people search for easier.
• You can upload a maximum of 100 additional photos now
• I plan on adding a “links” section somewhat Digg style which should provide more content for members.
• Added ability to show only men, only women or both men and women for the most recent online members section.

That’s it for now.

Attachments in Forums

I’ve added the ability to attach a poll to a NEW post in the forums.

• You cannot post a reply with an attachment.
• You must have already created the poll rom your poll manager on your profile.

In the hopefully near future, I plan to add the ability to attach videos to forum posts.

FTJ Forums w/ Advice

For a long time the forums here at FTJ have been the #2 rated forums, in terms of total posts, on the entire Internet according to http://www.big-boards.com/.  Last week, we slipped to #3.  What’s going on?  Are you guys actually going outside more?  Have you found girls in the real world to talk to you?  I don’t know whether to be disappointed in you or happy that you’ve finally graduated from the Internet world to the real world.

Here’s some advice… it’s not safe out there.  Nothing good can come of going up and talking to a real live person.  Only denial followed by feelings of shame and inadequacy.  The damage to your already fragile egos will be substantial.  I would stick to the safe haven of the friendly forums or you’re really risking a lot.

Choosing a witty message and a good emoticon, then clicking the “Post Message” button is much easier than having your mom pick out a special outfit for you, drying the sweat from your brow, then listening to the crack in your own voice as you awkwardly ask the girl outside the video game store, waiting for her friend to finish her tan, if she wants to come by later and play WoW with you.

 And while you’re at it, recruit some new people from the outside world and show them what they’ve been missing.

Who votes for you?

Small change to the voting system… You can now decide who gets to vote for you.  Choices include… men or women.  Go crazy.

 If you specify only men or only women you probably won’t get as many votes as usual, so be aware.

 On an unrelated note, I’ve started blocking entire countries from accessing the site in an effort to eliminate most of the spam being sent.  This shouldn’t affect you unless you live somewhere in Africa.

Polls

I’m just finishing up a new section (built around an old feature) for the site that will revolve around member submitted polls.  You can try it out with somewhat limited features here.

 I plan on adding the following:

• Ability to break down polls into different categories (sports,entertainment,FTJ) etc…
• Each member will be able to create probably up to 50 polls
• Search function
• Anything else I think of or that is recommended and doable

Bye.

DNS Issues

Register.com’s DNS servers apparently were down for a while tonight which means the site was inaccessible briefly through the domain name (facethejury.com).  Although not the only reason the site goes down, if it is the reason, you can still access the site by going directly to the IP address which is http://65.175.90.205

Content with Content?

I’m mulling over a couple of ideas to add more content to FTJ.  Currently, I don’t think there is much to do on the site other than the dating concept and the forums.

One thing I would like to do is add a Links section on the site where users can submit cool/fun/whatever links to other sites/videos/blogs etc.  Members will be able to rate the links, pushing lowest rated links down, highest rated to the top, as a sort of quality control (mainly Digg.com style).  I’ll probably separate them into categories and add some other small touches.

I think at the very least, this will give people more content and something else to do on the site.  What do you guys think? Any feedback on this would be appreciated.

My site, your site

Since we’ve changed to our new format, it is easier than ever to communicate with other members as well as update your profile with new information and new photos.  With the advantages come the inevitable disadvantages of people trying to exploit the system, more often than not, to the detriment of the other members of the site.

How can you help?
It’s simple.  If you see a profile with offensive photos or content on it, use the Report Abusive/Fake Profile link directly underneath the main photo on each profile.  This notifies me of the profile and I’ll take prompt action in removing it.

If you get an email from one of these Nigerians or anyone wanting you to be part of some contest or ad campaign etc., you can use the same link to report a spammer on the site.

This method of the members controlling the content of the site is both quick and effective.

FTJ Blog Begins

I decided to start a blog as a sort of information exchange to help keep all the members informed and “in the loop” with regards to site updates, as well as get feedback and ideas for the direction FTJ will head in the future.

I’m going to use this thrid party solution for now, and expect many of the more attention loving members to quickly abuse its shortcomings, so it’s very possible I will code a custom one myself in the future that fits directly into the site.

 Anyway… I believe I’ve allowed anyone to comment right now, so we’ll see how that goes, and I encourage you to leave feedback as that’s what this is intended for.

 I’ll also use this space to make members aware of things like the irritatingly persistent Nigerian email spammers currently on the site, stupid emails I receive each day from members, and anything else that pops into my head in the future.