[Wolfie]

So was using 1&1 for hosting services but came to realize that they were being a bit stingy with their resources, which was causing issues with being able to upgrade the board and add additional features to it. To give you an idea to how stingy they were being, they weren't even willing to temporarily increase the available memory so I could do a couple of things that would take less than an hour. Their settings are actually below the recommended settings for their hosting package.

As such, after reading a few recommendations about new hosts, I have decided to give HostGator a try. When I emailed them with inquiries about their services, there were a couple of drawbacks when it came to preferences BUT met the necessary requirements, one of them being the ability to increase memory allocation if it became necessary. Of course, this wasn't an issue as their settings were already sufficient enough to accomplish the tasks needed, where 1&1 couldn't do it.


That brings us to the next part of this announcement...

The board software has been upgraded...

Still from the same company and still the same product just an upgraded version. This new version obviously offers new features...

• PM's
  
  • Topic like view - Instead of a back-and-forth conversation being individual PM's, they are all grouped together so you can read the flow of the conversation and at the end, simply reply to it and it adds to the conversation.
    
  • Group conversations - Additional people can be included in a conversation so that in a way, it's like a private topic. Imagine being able to have a private conversation where 4 or 5 people are part of it, without having to send PM's to each person when you reply.
    
  • Timestamps - You can see when each discussion was last read by those included in the conversation.
    
  • Unread PM notification - when you load a page, at the top where your member information is at (the drop down menu), you will see a number if you have any unread PM's. It's somewhat noticeable so if you have any unread conversations, it should get your attention.
  
  
  
• Reputation system
  
  • Members - On a members page, you can rate a member with 1 to 5 stars.
    
  • Posts - either or depending on the post. If you feel someones post was very helpful and would like to give it some acknowledgment, you can give it a rating. If you feel that what was said was in poor taste, you can give it a rating. Keep in mind that the rating system can be configured by the administration to be on, off, only or only. Here at Dacity.Com, it is likely to be a only system, to promote positive encouragement.
  
  
  
• Status updates (somewhat like a twit post on Twitter)
  On the main board index, you may have noticed a Recent Status Updates section. As members update their statuses, this will reflect the newest updates and in a way can be used very similarly to a Twitter page.
  
  
• Easier/more organized account management
  At the top right of the page (or on some skins, it may be on the left), you will see a drop-down menu with your account picture next to it. You can click on it and you will see a few options. Click on settings and you will see a rather organized layout where you can change different options for your account.
  
  
• Facebook connect
  When enabled, members will be able to associate their account with a Facebook account and then be able to log into the board using their Facebook information. Due to a couple of concerns, this may or may not become available here at Dacity.Com
  
  
• Member Cards
  You may notice a next to members names at times. If you click it, you will get a small 'pop up card' displaying some information about them. If you click on a members name, you will go to their profile, but if you click on the button, you will get the card and even a few options to pick from.
  
  
• Visit with your cell phone
  A new skin has been made specifically for use with a cell phone. If you can surf the internet on your phone, then try visiting this site and see how it looks!
  
  
• YouTube (and other media)
  Have a video you want others to see? The use the new media tag. Simply include the URL inside of [media] and [/media] tags. For the sites that are supported, it will convert the URL into an embedded video within your post.
  
  Here is an example of it... Using [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjbpwlqp5Qw[/media] for the media/URL.
  
  
  It starts off with a rendition of a thunderstorm but leads into the song, it's worth watching. If you want to get to the song part, skip to 01:45.
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjbpwlqp5Qw
  _{Warning: Do NOT turn up your volume, it starts off with almost no sound but it does increase in volume!}
  
  
  
  
• Skin (appearance) overhaul
  While the overall layout remains the same, the skin has been tweaked to not only be more streamlined and easier to use, but also to take advantage of the new features the updated software has to offer.
  
  
• Other features
  There are actually many many more features and improvements that are not listed, many of them features that are only available or important to the administration aspect of the board. You will find many new or improved features just by glancing around the board and trying things out. As a hint, go look at peoples profiles.

Hope you enjoy the new board update!

[Wolfie]

I grabbed a couple of pages from the "Features" section of the company that makes the software runs this board.

^{This section taken from: http://www.invisionp...es/profiles.php}

Member Profiles
Giving each member some sense of ownership over their place in your community is often important in creating users who return time and time again. Profiles in IP.Board 3 are the way members can make their mark.

Mini Profile Popup
Wherever you see on your board (which is just about everywhere a member name appears), it can be clicked for a handy mini-profile popup. Send a PM, check reputation or find posts - without needing to leave the current page.

^{Example of a mini profile}

Personal Picture & Avatar
Members can upload a personal photo to represent themselves throughout the community, as well as an avatar image to represent their posts. Expand the choice of default avatars by installing additional avatar packs!

Custom Profile Fields
You can create addtional profile fields, that members can fill out to tell others a bit more about themselves. These profile fields may also be set to hidden, so that only administrators and moderators can see them, as well as configured to show on the registration form.

Profile Comments
Allow users to leave comments on the profile pages of other users for all to see - naturally, moderators and the profile owner both have full control over content posted, or can disable comments completely if they prefer.

^{Example of profile comments}

Activity Overview
The profile page shows an overview of everything that user has done in your community, including recent topics, posts, blog entries and more.

[Wolfie]

^{This section taken from: http://www.invisionp...interaction.php}

Member Interaction
Users can do more than simply post topics! IP.Board 3 has features that allow for deeper interaction between members, in order to promote good content and build better relationships - what a community is all about.

Reputation
Users can rate posts up or down, earning the author of that post repuation points. Users can earn badges and titles for having a good reputation, encouraging high quality posts across the board.

Topic Rating
Topics can be rated one to five stars, so users can identify the topics that others rate highly - or poorly!

^{Example of a topic rating}

Personal Conversations
Personal conversations allow members to send messages directly to other members, out of public view, in a topic format. Other members can be invited to existing conversations - or remove themselves, if they so desire.

Calendar
IP.Board features a full calendar application, enabling members to post events for others to see. In addition, for members who specify their birthday, birthdays will be highlighted on the main calendar.

^{Example of a calendar}


Friends & Ignored Users
Members can add each other as mutual friends, enabling quick communication and being highlighted in each others' profile. And, for those situations where problems arise, members can choose to hide all content from particular users by adding them to their ignored list.