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Beta test phase for the new Design Wizard

Category:

announcements

by

teamUK

@

07. May 2008 - 14:56:34

Dear bloggers,

We are almost finished working on the brand new Design Wizard and it should hopefully enter the betatest phase next week.

Voluntary testers would be very much appreciated. Whoever would like to help us out by taking part should drop us a mail at designwizard@blog.de.

This will also be the address that you should report bugs and suggestions to.

Please note though, if you change to the new Design Wizard, you won't be able to use the old one any more.

Thanks for your help,
your BCUK team.
Links:
Email notifications and performance issues

Category:

announcements

by

teamUK

@

23. Apr 2008 - 13:12:54

Dear BCUK bloggers,

As most of you have noticed, there are currently problems with email notifications. These problems are due to the fact that the majority of the biggest email providers, i.e. yahoo, hotmail, and AOL, have blacklisted us as spam.

This is incredibly frustrating, both for all of you out there in blogland and us here in HQ. We are working very hard to get whitelisted again, but this is a very time-consuming process and unfortunately there is no easy short-term solution. We apologise most sincerely, but our hands are well and truly tied. We'll be sure to keep you updated if things change.

The best solution we can offer at the moment is either to change to gmail (the notifications go directly to the spam folder - just unmark it as spam and it should be fine again) or to a smaller email provider. It would be great if the users who are receiving notifications could let us know which providers are working well at the moment.

Also, we'd like to request that users stop posting about this in the HelpBlog - we are all too aware of the issue and the flood of posts about could cause us to react slowly to a new issue.

_______________________________________________________________________

Some users are also experiencing some slowness on BCUK. There's an FAQ about it and we'd appreciate it if those of you experiencing poor performance would have a look at it here.

Thanks for your patience thus far, we really appreciate it.

Your BCUK team.
Links:
We're back online!

Category:

technical

by

teamUK

@

16. Apr 2008 - 15:11:46

With only slight delays, the platform went back online from the new data centre at 04:45 this morning.

A big thank you to our technicians, Alex, Felix, Dominic and Oli - they worked flat out all night long. Thanks also to Maria, for extensively testing while simultaneously looking after the guys.

We all met in the office at midnight, armed with coffee, Red Bull buscuits and gummy bears - everything that we needed for the long night ahead.

As we knew, any number of things could go wrong with such a complicated move. What we hadn't reckoned with though, was a disruption to the internet in the Berlin region shortly after midnight. The internet, and therefore our server was not working properly for almost an hour.

So with a delay of an hour already behind us, things finally started to move. Not for long though - a problem with the nameserver meant that the DNS updates were delayed even further.

So because of all of these unavoidable problems, we are over the moon to have been able to stick to our original timetable. Things are, as far as we can see, running perfectly.

Despite tiredness, we will remain in front of our screens, making sure that all those nice green lights don't start flashing red.

Here are some late-night shots of the team:
Links:
Another logout problem announcement

Category:

announcements

by

Rampage

@

14. Apr 2008 - 12:37:02

Just for those who are sporadically being logged out. Please answer the following questions as specifically as you can - it should further help us to sort out the problem.

Please mail your answers to support@blog.co.uk when you are finished.

1. What operating system do you use (as specifically as possible)?
2. What browser and do you use, and which version is it?
3. Do you use browser extentions, for example Google Toolbar, etc?
4. Do you have many windows or tabs open at the same time when the logout occurs?
5. Are your username and password saved, do you use autologin or do you enter your details manually each time you log in?
6. Are you logged out after a particular length of time?
7. Please describe you 'clickroute' - where exactly you were when the logout occured, where you were going to, etc.
8. Are you logged out as you go from the new design areas to the old, or vice versa? (You can recognise the 'new' areas due to the fact that they have more space at the sides, eg 'myblog' is new, but 'blogs' is old.
9. If you are logged out when you click on a particular profile or blog, please let us know which one(s).

Thanks again for your help,
your BCUK team.
Links:
New Data Centre

Category:

announcements

by

teamUK

@

11. Apr 2008 - 13:57:53

Dear bloggers,

Next week BCUK will be taking an enormous leap forward with the move to the new data centre. It's a move that we have been meticulously planning and preparing for for quite some time, and quite a hefty sum of money has been invested in it. The hardware will be provided by one single reputable provider. This new data centre in Nürnberg will finally allow us to plan, grow and develop on a much longer term basis than ever before.

For you bloggers, that means that you can come and anxiously wring your hands with us on the night of Tuesday, April 15th and Wednesday, April 16th. Our taskforce, comprising of the office admin, Oli and Felix, as well as the senior developers, Dominic, Florian and Alex, will be in the office all night, keeping things under control and listening vigilantly for alarm bells.

An internet move involves many factors, most of which cannot be simulated or tested. Can the new hardware carry the load? On the internet, there is a type of 'mail forwarding', just like when you move house. If this doesn't work properly, it could be that some of you might be seeing quite a bit of little blue mascot MO giving you nasty error messages...

Is everything where it should be? Everything has to be moved, terrabyte by terrabyte, data that would fill thousands upon thousands of CDs. Hopefully not even the tiniest bit of information will be broken or changed, let alone lost.

Sometime between 00:30 and 04:30 (British time), the team will be able to relax somewhat, but that does not mean that they can go to bed - Murphy's Law can strike even the most precisely made plans.

The new heart of BCUK will be one in which sixteen cores beat - twice as many as the current one. There will also be 33% more memory capacity, and the webservers will also be faster. As well as this, there will be more space for your media - five times more, to be specific. So soon we will be able to offer you more personal storage space.

All of us in the Mokono team would like to sincerely thank our business partners, who have supported and helped us immesurably in the recent months, especially IP Exchange, Dell, Connect, Coyote Point Systems, bismark technology GmbH and Manitu - our old provider with whom we worked closely for three years, and who always stood by us in times of crisis.

So we would like apologise and to ask for your understanding and patience, since the platform will be absolutely unusable between about 00:30 and 04:30 (BST) on Wednesday, April 16th. Rest assured that we will do everything in our power to have things up and running, even more smoothly than before, by 04:30.

Thanks for your support,
Your blog.co.uk team.

A few quick shots of our new home:
Links:
Logout problem

Category:

announcements

by

teamUK

@

09. Apr 2008 - 14:31:45

A quick message for all users who are still occasionally logged out (if you don't suffer from this problem, there's no need to read on).

In order to finally completely eliminate the logout problem, we have created a new user, teamservice. By adding this user to your friends list, we can trace your click route more easily and therefore more clearly define the criteria that cause you to be unexpectedly logged out.

Of course, adding teamservice is completely voluntary and can be deleted whenever you want.

A big thank you for all your help so far,

your BCUK team.
Links:
BCUK back on its feet

Category:

technical

by

teamUK

@

03. Apr 2008 - 17:11:35

As most of you probably noticed, performace here on BCUK has been rather slow over the last few days, particularly yesterday.

After a long night repelling the attacks of nasty spammers, we are back running at full speed. The BCUK coffee machine might never be the same again though...

We will soon be moving to a new data centre which will mean an increase in overall stability and better performance. We'll have more details about that next week, but rest assured that it will be more difficult for spammers to affect the platform in the way they did over the last few days.

So a sincere thank you to everyone for being so patient with us.

Your BCUK team.
Links:
Changes regarding co-author permissions

Category:

new

by

teamUK

@

31. Mar 2008 - 14:47:39

Up until today, it was possible for both normal co-authors and moderators to see the statistics of a blog.

From this afternoon onwards, it will only be possible for the blog owners and moderators to see the statistics.

This is particularly relevant for the group blogs, since currently all group members can see the stats.

So be sure to check your settings depending on who you would like your statistics to be visible to.

Thanks,
your BCUK team.
Links:
Recommend this post

Category:

new

by

teamUK

@

14. Mar 2008 - 15:15:05

Some of you may have noticed a small new feature here on BCUK. You can now recommend and bookmark individual posts.

Just click on 'Recommend this post'.

It will open a window like the one below, allowing you to bookmark it with various bookmarking services.

You can also send the post to directly to other user(s), and also to people who aren't registered on BCUK - just type in the username/email address, separated by commas.

As always, we want to hear what you think and also let us know if you find any errors or want to suggests improvements.
Links:
Latest research: blogging is good for you

Category:

blogosphere

by

teamUK

@

05. Mar 2008 - 15:26:43

Resent research by the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne has concluded that blogging improves your social life.

After just two months of blogging, the participants in the experiment "felt they had better social support and friendship networks than those who did not blog".

These positive feelings are not isolated to blogging alone - the use of social networking sites also can make you "feel less anxious, depressed and stressed".

This is good news indeed for bloggers everywhere, as it indicates that we are not, in fact, a group of sad nerds gathered around computer screens, but rather real human beings who can reach out to and help others, no matter where we are in the world.

The research also shows that many of those who felt an upturn in their social life had started blogging in an attempt to do so, since they were dissatisfied with their current state. This, however, doesn't mean that this news isn't as positive as we first imagined - after all, they started to try to become happier and it worked - their belief in the potential positive effects of blogging was justified.

So what about you BCUK bloggers - did you start blogging to make yourself feel better? Did it work? Let us know what you think.

Sources: TechCrunch, ABC News.
Links:
Message notification window now online

Category:

new

by

teamUK

@

25. Feb 2008 - 14:09:38

After a slight delay, we are please to announce that the new notification window is up and running.

Please note the following information:
-This window appears when you get a new message, and will remain visible until you click on something.
-When you are logged in to BCUK, this window will notify you of your new messages. For this reason, you will not also receive a notification email. Of course, this is only when you are logged in - when logged out, you'll receive the normal email notifications.
-In 'Message Settings', you can choose where you would like the notification to appear (bottom left, top right, etc)
-Of course, you can completely deactivate it if you so wish

And just a couple more handy new features - there is now an 'Empty Trash' button that allows you to delete everything in one go, as well as an improved search facility.

You know what to do with your opinions and feedback by now - let us know!

Your BCUK Team
Links:
A quick Bloscar reminder

Category:

other

by

teamUK

@

20. Feb 2008 - 11:21:19

The nominations are in and time is ticking away - you only have just over a week to register your votes.

To do so, go to the The Bloscars Blog. There you will see all the nominees. Scroll down and you'll be able to download the voting form.

Every vote counts so if you haven't voted already, make so you do before 20:00 on Thursday, February 28th.

Thanks, and good luck!
Links:
Downtime announcement

Category:

announcements

by

teamUK

@

11. Feb 2008 - 13:35:49

Dear bloggers,

Due to scheduled maintenance, blog.co.uk will be unavailable for about an hour between 05:00 and 06:00 on Tuesday, February 12th.

Apologies for the inconvenience,

your BCUK team.
Links:
Groups are now online!

Category:

new

by

teamUK

@

07. Feb 2008 - 17:03:18

Just a quick note to let you know that the group tab is now online and available for all to use.

You can now join the default groups and start posting, or form your own groups to suit your interests.

As always, let us know what you think.
Links:
Another new feature - Groups

Category:

new

by

teamUK

@

06. Feb 2008 - 16:31:13

Dear BCUK bloggers,

Once more, we are adding to the ever-growing number of new tabs to the top left of the BCUK homepage. The latest addition is the most exciting yet - from tomorrow, you'll be able to make your own groups!

Your new group will have its own blog, where other bloggers can read, write and comment on whatever topic your group is on.

Each user may create up to ten groups and join as many as he/she wants. Please note that groupblogs will be slightly different from 'normal' blogs, in that they will have advertising on them (which, of course, Pro users will not see). Also, the design options are currently limited to the default designs.

To start your own group, just click on the 'Groups' tab and then on 'Start your own group here'. You'll then have to choose one of three group types:
Open - anyone can join.
Restricted - you must be accepted by the group moderator.
Closed - you can only join if invited by a member of the group.

You'll also have to choose various privacy settings - post moderation, post visibility in recent posts list, and tag permissions.

As always, we are very interested in hearing your feedback and suggestions for improvement.
Links:
New Media tab

Category:

new

by

teamUK

@

05. Feb 2008 - 15:43:13

If you cast your eye to the top left of the BCUK homepage, you'll see a new tab - Media.

This new tab will make it easier to access all of the best media here on BCUK, as well as allowing you to browse through media by tag. So make sure you tag all of your media!

If you don't want your media to appear in this new tab, just make it friends only or private.

And if you spot something unpleasant or anything that violates our Terms of Service, flag it to bring it to our attention.

As always, feedback is very welcome.
Links:
New notification system for new messages

Category:

new

by

teamUK

@

01. Feb 2008 - 16:14:01

Dear BCUK bloggers,

By the end of next week, a small change in the notifications for new messages will be implemented.

A small window will open whenever you receive a new message. You can deactivate this on the window itself, or by going to the 'Messages' tab and clicking on 'Settings'. This window shows the sender of the message and the first few words of the message. You can then read the message by clicking on 'Read', or you can close the window and read the message some other time. It will look like this:

Please note that while you are logged in and have the window option activated, you won't receive any email notifications.

There will also be an option to choose which types of messages will have this pop-up notification (i.e. only invitations or only private messages from other users, etc).

We are planning some other smaller changes to the messaging system to improve its general usability, so your feedback (both positive and negative) and suggestions are very important.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them here, and if you notice any bugs or errors when this new feature is online, please report them in the bugblog.
Links:
New tab: Community

Category:

new

by

teamUK

@

31. Jan 2008 - 16:48:54

Some of you might have noticed that BCUK has a new "Community" tab.

You'll find lots of interesting things there, so have fun checking it out!

Best regards,

teamUK
Links:
Mediafiles will be temporary unavaible

Category:

announcements

by

teamUK

@

28. Jan 2008 - 16:00:00

Hi everbody,

Just to inform you that we'll be shutting off one of our fileservers within the next hour. That means that some of your uploaded media won't be shown but that's just temporary for about 20-30 minutes.

You might have to refresh your browser.

Best regards,

teamUK
Links:
Pimp your blog!

Category:

other

by

teamUK

@

25. Jan 2008 - 16:57:18

Bored with your blog? Pimp it with some cool badges here!
These are some of the favourites with the blog team here in HQ:

There are also lots of fun quizzes and add-ons to post on your blog, including a geek quiz (which some of us were afraid to take for fear of making it explode) and a countdown timer to count down to any special event in your (or your blog's) life.

Leave us a comment if you know of any other interesting blog add-ons.
Links: