Blog

December 21st, 2009 Huddler Platform Version 2.6 Release

What's New In This Release?
Primary Focus Of Release

• Per user forum view preferences
• In-page messaging tool for administrators
  

User-Facing

• Per user preference to view forum pages at full width
• By default, users view the forums with semi-variable width in A-Grade browsers (excluding Internet Explorer 6).  With semi-variable width, the forums are fixed at the minimum and maximum width points.
• A new user setting is available to allow users to select fully variable width pages in the forums which will allow forum expansion across the entire browser page with no maximum width limitations.
• This preference will apply to main forum page displaying all sub-forums, all sub-forum index pages displaying all threads in the sub-forum, and all thread pages.
  
  
• Per user preference to hide avatars in forum threads
• By default, users view all users' avatars in forum threads.
• A new user setting is available to allow users to hide all avatars in forum threads. 
  
  
• Per user preference to hide signatures in forum threads
• By default, users view signatures from other users in forum threads.
• A new user setting is available to allow users to hide all signatures in forum threads.
  

Administrator-Facing

• In-page messaging tool
  
• This tool allows site administrators to set text and link site-wide announcements and notifications which display in a module in in the right hand column of all pages (excluding user profile pages).
• The module automatically rotates announcements every 15 seconds. 
  
• Users can scroll forward and backward to view the other announcements.  Users can also choose to close out individual announcements to opt out of seeing them.  If a user opts out of all the announcements currently in the message queue up, the module will cleanly disappear from the page.  When a new message is added to the message queue, the module will reappear with any new page load.
  

December 7th, 2009 Huddler Platform Version 2.5 Release

What's New In This Release?
Primary Focus Of Release

• Infraction system with auto-private messaging and auto-banning
  
• Multi-thread and multi-post moderation tools
• Per forum moderation capabilities
  

User-Facing

• There are no major user-facing changes to the platform in Version 2.5
  

Moderator-Facing

• Infraction system capabilities
  
• Release 2.5 includes a new infraction system for moderators and administrators to issue infractions to forum violations.
• Administrators have the ability to set up infraction templates.  These templates will specify the type of infraction, number of infraction points associated, how long the infraction stays active toward the auto-ban counts, and a standard private message.
• Administrators have the ability to set up infraction ban templates.  These templates will specify when a user is banned based on number of active infraction points or overall number of active infractions.  The templates also specify how long the ban will stay in place.
• Moderators and administrators can issue infractions on a per-post basis.
  
  
• Multi-thread moderation tools
  
• These tools include the ability to select various threads from a sub-forum.  Threads can be selected on an individual basis or from a thread selection tool with specified options.  Only threads on one forum page can be selected at any given time.
  
• Threads can be locked, unlocked, moved to another forum, or deleted.

• Multi-post moderation tools
  
• These tools include the ability to select various posts from a thread.  Posts can be selected on an individual basis or from a post selection tool with specified options.  Only posts on one thread page can be selected at any given time.
  
• Posts can be locked, unlocked, moved to another forum, or deleted.

• Per-forum moderator capabilities
  
• Release 2.5 includes the ability for per-forum moderators to be set.
• This grants an individual full moderator access to a specific forum and no where else on the site.
• Per-forum moderators will be able to access the Admin Center to view only the Flagged Content report for content which pertains to their forum area.
  

Blossom Swap relaunches on the Huddler Platform

Today, BlossomSwap.com will relaunch on the Huddler Platform.  Blossom Swap is a community for backyard gardeners all over the world. 

With gardening tips, lively conversation about everything ranging from cacti to garden design, and the Seed Swap to share plants and seeds with other local gardeners, we're excited to welcome Blossom Swap to the Huddler family. 

About Blossom Swap:

BlossomSwap.com is not your average garden site.  We strive for a laid back atmosphere that encourages humor and friendship.  On this garden site you'll find an immeasurable amount of advice from experienced gardeners.  Gardeners of all ages, at all stages of gardening experience come to Blossom Swap to laugh, start lasting friendships, and to share their gardening experiences.  Over the years we have blossomed into a wonderful gardening community with members from all over the world and we look forward to every day beyond.

In a nutshell Blossom Swap encourages:

• Working with nature
  
• Saving Seeds
• Organic Practices

Whether you're an experienced gardener or just finding your green thumb, come by to check it out.

November 12th, 2009 Huddler Platform Version 2.4 Release

What's New In This Release?
Primary Focus Of Release

• Polls
• Activity stream enhancements
  
• Industry Insider bug fixes
  
• Back-end software changes
  

User-Facing

• Polls
• Polls are now available for all users to create and vote upon
• Polls can be added on any new forum thread by the original poster
• The poll includes a poll title, up to 10 choices, the ability to have a single-choice or multiple-choice voting option, and an expiration date for the poll
  
  
• Activity Stream enhancements
• User and brand page activity stream templates have been updated.  When a user or brand rep participates in a thread, the action item will specify when the user last posted in the thread rather than displaying the thread starter and the last poster.
• Bug fix: Summary view was occasionally failing to update recent content for a subset of users.  This bug has been resolved.
  
  
• Industry Insiders bug fixes
• Bug fix: Activity stream on brand page was not properly displaying old threads which had been recently tagged with the brand tag.  This bug has been resolved.
  
• Bug fix: "Is this your brand" standard banner was not being suppressed for signature-file only brand reps.  This bug has been resolved.
  

Administrator-Facing

• Bug fix: Clicking the name of a forum in the Discussion Forum admin tool did not pre-populate the content fields.
• Previously, clicking the "pencil" icon pulled up the existing data appropriately, however, clicking the name of the forum did not.
  
• This has been fully resolved
  
  
• Bug fix: Featured Item tool was pulling in home page description content from last post occasionally for featured threads.
• This has been fully resolved.
  

November 2nd, 2009 Huddler Platform Version 2.3 Release

What's New In This Release?
Primary Focus Of Release

• User-facing modifications and back-end software changes to Activity Stream
• Granular forum permissions and admin-facing Discussion Forum tool
  
• Bug fixes
• Back-end software changes
• Email template changes
  

User-Facing

• Modifications to Activity Stream
• All content in activity stream fully displays in reverse chronological order
  
• Main link for forum content goes to first new post (for logged in users)
  
• Additional action links for forum content link to "First Post" and "Last Post" in forum
  
• IE6 aesthetics have been modified
• Post edits are now fully suppressed in Summary View
• Tagging updates are now fully suppressed in Summary View
• Activity Stream settings are remembered when navigating back with browser's back window
  

• Granular forum permissions have been added
  
• Forum permissions can be set to limit user groups who can start new threads, reply to threads, view the forum name, and view the forum content
  

• Modifications to Advanced Search form
  
• Layout of Advanced Search form has been modified for easier usage
  

Moderator-Facing

• Discussion Forums tool is available to site admins to create and edit forums
  
• Site admins can now add forums, edit forum names, reorder and delete forums
  
• Currently this will be limited to creating public forums
  
• Bug fix: HTML entities no longer display in Featured Items (admin-facing)
• Previously, HTML entities were being pulled into Featured Item content
• This has been fully resolved
• Bug fix: Images are now detected by the Featured Items tool (admin-facing)
  
• Previously, the first image in the original post of a thread was not being automatically detected by the Featured Threads portion of the Featured Items tool
• This has been fully resolved - the tool will automatically detect and select the first image in the original post after the thread has been search indexed (estimated time is 5-10 minutes from posting)
  

October 21st, 2009 Huddler Platform Version 2.2 Release

What's New In This Release?
Primary Focus Of Release

• New site-wide activity stream displaying recent content from all around the site
• Industry Insiders feature release
• Private content email subscriptions added
• Back-end software changes
  

User-Facing

• New activity stream displays content from around the site.
• Variations on the new activity stream display on the home page in place of the Recent Discussions and subscription modules, and on a user's profile in place of the former activity stream, and on the new brand pages in the new Industry Insiders feature
  
• A beta version of the activity stream is available to logged-in users as an alternative to the "classic" All New Posts page
  
• Content is pulled in from forums (like new threads and posts), products (new additions to the site and new reviews), Wikis, and user profiles
• Content can be narrowed down at any time to view a subset of those content groups
• Content can also be viewed either in a detailed view or in a simplified summary view
• Some action items can be expanded to display more information - for example, in the expanded view of a thread, you might see excerpts from the most recent few posts
  
• From the home page, logged in users can filter to view all recent activity on the site or just their subscriptions
  
• Icons identify content types
• User, timestamp, number of replies, views, and other stats are displayed accordingly with different action items

• Industry Insiders feature released to give our communities access to representatives from their favorite companies and professionals being discussed on site. Additionally it's a great opportunity for generating revenue.
  
• Users who are representing commercial interests within the community need to be recognized as such. This way, their biases can be known to the community, but also they can be recognized for being authorities within their respective industries. This type of structure participation for companies provides mutually beneficial value for users (getting "Insider Information") and for companies (understanding how and where they're being discussed within these influential communities.)
  
• Each brand/company associated with a product existing on the site will have a brand tag and brand page. 
  
• The brand page will include an activity feed of content related to this brand from all around the site; this will include recent community reviews about their products, threads and Wikis tagged with their brand tag or any related product tags, etc. 
  
• A basic page will be displayed for brands who are not officially enrolled in the program
• When a brand enrolls and elects to have an upgraded brand page, they can choose to display a banner on their page, contact details (contact name, email, URL); their most popular products will automatically be displayed on the page
• Brand reps can join the site and have their accounts affiliated with the brand - this will incorporate all their site activity on the brand page's activity stream.  Reps can also upload an additional profile picture as well as their name on the brand page.
  
• Reps can also have a special signature file which will set them apart in the community indicating that they are brand reps.  The signature file can have a small logo, up to 4 links, and 150 characters of plain text.  A brand can select to upgrade to use this signature file, without upgrading to a full Industry Insiders brand page

• Private content subscriptions are now included in email digests
• In this release, users with access to any private forums will now receive updates via email for any of their subscriptions.  As with other subscriptions, these will follow the user's global email preference

• Product ranking improvements
• Average star rating calculations and the overall product rank calculations within that category have improved significantly
• Ranking should be much faster, based on new reviews and review edits
  
• Users will be able to better sort by rating

• Forum expansion/collapse preferences are now saved as a user setting
• This is now a user setting saved based on user ID
• Regardless of what browser/computer the user is using, their setting will be saved
  

Moderator-Facing

• There were no major moderator-facing changes this release.

September 30th, 2009 Huddler Platform Version 2.1 Release

What's New In This Release?
Primary Focus Of Release

• Back end software changes
• Forum nav menu enhancements
• Bug fixes
  

User-Facing

• Forum navigation/jump menu enhancements:
• Forum nav menu will now pop up the page, rather than down in the bottom page placement.
• Forum nav menu will now open with the user's forum location highlighted.
• Forum nav menu will now size dynamically to be only as wide as the longest sub-forum listed in the given area, rather than maintaining a static width
• Forum nav menu will now highlight the selected forum when the user mouses over it.
• Forum nav menu will now have a down carrot symbol next to it indicating that it is a menu.
• Forum nav menu will now have a button to return to forum home.
• Forum nav menu will now have a button to return to current forum - in some locations, this command will default to load one level up the crumb trail.
• General forum nav buttons, i.e. More Forums, All New Posts, and Mark Forums Read will highlight with a grey background behind the clickable area.
• "View First Unread," "Subscribe" and "Advanced Reply" buttons have been slightly enlarged for greater visibility
  
• Image light box performance has been tweaked
• Bug fix: Manage Email Preferences link in emails was not linking properly.  This has now been fully resolved.
• Bug fix: Wiki pages which had not been previously created were not displaying properly.  This has now been fully resolved.
• Bug fix: Signatures could not be fully deleted on the on-profile editor.  This has now been fully resolved.
• Bug fix: Image uploader on product pages in IE6 was "popping under" the page.  This issue has now been fully resolved.
  
• Bug fix: Uploading images with duplicate file names was causing the image uploader to "pop under" the page.  This issue has now been fully resolved.
• Bug fix: Some pixel trimming was occurring on Forum Nav buttons.  This issue has now been fully resolved.

Moderator-Facing

• Users' Community Profile and avatars are can now be moderated directly from the user's profile page
• Bug fix: Wording in Flagged content emails has been updated to reflect reason specified by reporter
• Bug fix: Grey screen was being presented when featuring a review on the home page using the product page tool.  This was a result of an inconsistency between the new admin tool and the on-site tool.  This has now been fully resolved.
• Bug fix: Grey screen appeared when deleting the first post of a thread.  This issue has now been fully resolved.

September 10th, 2009 Huddler Platform Release

What's New In This Release?
Primary Focus Of Release

• Back end software changes
• Redesign of forum navigation tools and forum jump
  
• Ability for PayPal integration
• Enhancements to newsletter email system
• Bug fixes
  

User-Facing

• Complete redesign of forum jump tool:  Previously, the forum jump tool was limited to a simple drop down menu of the forum and sub-forum listings to allow users to move from forum to forum from any thread or forum page.  The new tool includes all of this same functionality, now housed in a slick nested inline menu.  To access the tool, users will click the "More Forums" button at either the top or bottom of the page.
  
• Consolidation of forum navigation tools:  This release includes design enhancements to the forum navigation tools at the top and bottom of forum and thread pages.  These design changes are a result of a usability study performed in the last weeks.  The condensed tools move the content of the page up to display more content above the fold.
• Additional displays of "Where to Buy" modules for product-related content: "Where to Buy" modules with affiliate links will now display on Wiki pages, thread pages, and review pages where relevant.  In addition to providing utility to the user base when browsing product-related content, it will increase the number of affiliate links displayed to help increase site monetization.
• Ability for PayPal integration:  This enhancement allows for smooth use of PayPal for premium membership functionality within the platform.  When premium services and memberships, or special "supporter-only" deals are established, there is a well-integrated means for users to contribute money and be automatically placed into the appropriate groups and removed when their memberships expire.
• Enhancements to the newsletter email system
  
• New greeting for logged in users:  The content in the greeting module on the home page for logged in users has been enhanced to display the most recent content on the site.
• New display for email verification checks:  When a user has not verified their email address, they are presented with a message on site.  The design of this module has been enhanced.
• New display for timed messages to spur user participation:  Various timed messages are displayed on a per-user basis to encourage participation.  The design of these modules have been enhanced.
  
• Last post date added to thread search results: On search pages, the last post date will now display for thread results along with reply count and start date.
• Icons enhanced on product owners pages
• Bug - FCK editor scroll bar cannot be dragged to move (IE8 only):  The FCK editor in IE8 had a partially unusable scroll bar on inline quick replies which could not be dragged up or down.  This bug has been resolved.
• Bug - Cannot move past inline smilies in FCK editor (IE8 only): When inserting smilies into the editor, users could not click past the smilie in IE8.  This bug has been resolved.
• Bug - Issues embedding and editing embedded links in FCK editor (IE8 only):  When embedding or editing embedded links there was a bug causing the tool to get stuck.  This bug has been resolved.
  
• Bug - "Please wait" barber poll getting stuck when submitting PMs with missing required content:  With this bug, when a user submitted a private message without specifying a recipient or a subject line, the "Please wait" barber poll would get stuck on the page.  This bug has been resolved.
• Bug - Inconsistent behavior with image ordering on product pages: With this bug, there were occasional problems with changing the primary image on a product page.  This bug has been resolved.
• Bug - when editing My List, drop down was not pulling custom labels for Own It, Want It, Had It status:  Previously, the status drop down menu did not reflect any custom labeling.  The menu will now reflect the appropriate labels attached to the parent category.
• Bug - issues publishing to Facebook feed from the full page editor/Advanced Reply have been resolved
  

Moderator-Facing

• Enhancements to Spam Queue admin panel
• Enhancements to spam prevention service tool for reporting false positives
• New admin interface for featuring content on site: This new interface will control the featuring of threads, Wikis, reviews, users, and products.  From this tool, admins will be able to feature content, arrange the order, see past lists of featured content, edit display descriptions and images for featured threads, etc.  Known Issues:  Currently, there is no on-site display of featured users or products, despite the ability to select these within the admin tool.  Additionally, the tool is currently not fully integrated with the on-page review featuring tool.  From the new admin tool, there is the option to both publish on the home page and the product page.  Selecting both will allow for the review to appear on the home page, the product page, and on the full list of featured reviews.  Select to display only on the home page will not feature the review on the product page or add the review to the full featured review list.  This will be enhanced in a future release.
• Enhancements to counter system for future stats dashboard
  
• Small bug fix for the flagged content report
  

August 18, 2009 Huddler Platform Release

What's New In This Release?
Primary Focus Of Release

• Back end software changes
• Major changes to Facebook Connect handling
• Minor user and moderator interface enhancements
  

User-Facing

• Modifications to Facebook Connect experience: users with their Facebook accounts linked now have the option to publish their forum posts and reviews without being prompted in a popover.  Allowing additional site access to Facebook allows users to take advantage of enhanced interface and choose which content is published via a check box on forum posts and reviews.
• "Other Threads" module added to right hand column in thread view: when viewing a thread, a new module appears in the right column displaying "Other Threads" which have been written in the same sub-forum.
• Customization of Own It, Want It, and Had It terminology on a per category basis: product categories can now have customizable Own It/Want It/Had It labels; for example, on EpicSki.com, you can "Want To Go" to a ski resort or indicate that you've "Been There".
• FCK Editor bug in forums fixed: with this edge case bug, occasionally when engaging a thread page prior to a full load, the FCK Editor would jump to the top left hand corner.  This issue has been resolved.
• Page jumping issue on thread pages in IE6 and 7 fixed: with this edge case bug, when a user had engaged the cursor in the quick reply box and used the browser scroll bar, the page would occasionally jump to the former position.  This issue has been resolved.

Moderator-Facing

• Enhanced Flagged Content report: moderators will now be able to "close" an issue after it has been reported; when the issue was closed and who closed it will be tracked.  Any issue can be reopened at any time.  Moderators also can filter Flagged Content to view only open issues.
• Review deletion available: moderators now have the ability to delete reviews from product pages.
• Timestamps on forum post edits no longer appearing for moderators: moderator edits on any forum posts will no longer be documented with visible timestamps.
  

Right on, WSJ - The Fans Do Know Best!

The Wall Street Journal published an insightful article this week titled "Creating a Successful Online Community: The Fans Know Best," written by a pair of associate marketing professors. It's ultra-relevant to Huddler's business model and presents an opportunity to discuss the subjects we love most.  Namely, what makes an online community successful; how brands can leverage these communities to drive awareness, customer loyalty, and sales; and best practices for creating or marketing in forum communities.

"The haves are the sites where visitors like to hang out, exchanging ideas and information, chatting freely about the product or company...(whereas) the have-nots...tightly control what visitors can discuss--often, the product only--and offer few ways for them to interact."  

"Part of giving up control is also giving visitors the freedom to complain and criticize the brand, or to wax lyrical about a competitor, to their heart's content.  If a company's brand community restricts discussions, unhappy customers will simply go to one of dozens (and for many brands, hundreds) of enthusiast-run communities and vent just as much. The company loses the opportunity to gain insight from customers with potentially valuable criticisms.

Allowing customers to post criticisms and complaints is a good way to spot small problems before they become big ones. The company can respond both on the forums and by taking concrete steps to correct legitimate problems such as service issues or faulty product features.

When customers are free to say whatever they want about the brand, and draw comparisons with competitors without restrictions, this freedom results in greater degrees of credibility and trust in the information found in the community. Also, when complaints are handled well, customer satisfaction and loyalty skyrocket."

All of Huddler's partners are "enthusiast-run communities", and we firmly believe that customers should be free to say whatever they want about a product or a brand.  And, brands should be free to respond!  What better way to serve the customer than to hear the criticism, take action, and respond in the forum with a solution?  That communicates credibility and respect for the needs of the client, which in turn results in repeat purchases, positive buzz online and in word-of-mouth conversations, and invaluable insight into what customers are thinking and saying about the brand.

"Many companies have no systematic programs in place to monitor and support unofficial brand communities. Some are not even aware of their existence....But systematically tracking and engaging these communities opens up a host of potential benefits for companies. Not only will marketers gain access to some of their most devoted and influential fans here, but they will also find more ideas for innovations; sharper criticisms of existing product problems, along with ideas for fixing them; and more sincere providers of customer service."