A few new Pet Talk features - updates added

**Paul** · 12-01-2008, 01:02 PM

   Early this morning we upgraded vBulletin, the software that runs Pet Talk, to take advantage of the numerous security patches. Hopefully, this will help keep Pet Talk safe from spammers and hackers.

   This new software also adds a few new features like user created photo albums, message tagging and social bookmarking. I will turn on the social bookmarking feature so that we may try it out. If it is too annoying we will turn it off.

      Paul

**Husky_mom** · 12-01-2008, 01:07 PM

I had seen the tags... and wondered if they were there before

...

the social bookmarking.. what´s that about?.. how does it work?...

did you checked out the photo autoresizer I mentioned before?...

**Karen** · 12-01-2008, 01:13 PM

Yay, colors works again!

**Husky_mom** · 12-01-2008, 01:19 PM

I just added a group.. but have no clue how to "advertise" it... or how do people see it

**Karen** · 12-01-2008, 01:22 PM

We are new to the "group" feature, and are not sure whether we will keep it yet. It might be like cliques at school - and we wouldn't want people to feel left out ...

No, I don't know yet how to advertise a group! Please bear with us as we explore this upgrade!

**Randi** · 12-01-2008, 01:54 PM

Husky mom, I saw your "group". And I added one just to test this out. It's fun!

I also tried to upload a picture to my group, but no luck yet. Not sure I'm doing it right, though.

**Taz_Zoee** · 12-01-2008, 02:01 PM

Ok, this all sounds like you guys are speaking a different language. Please explain groups and tags. I don't get it.

(Keep in mind this is the ONLY forum I've ever been a part of, so I don't know some things.

)

**Cinder & Smoke** · 12-01-2008, 04:55 PM

Originally Posted by Paul

This new software also adds a few new features
like user created photo albums,
message tagging and
social bookmarking.

I will turn on the social bookmarking feature so that we may try it out.
Paul

< deep sigh >

I dunno, but maybe a paragraph or two - or a least a couple of
complete sentences
about WHAT a feature is supposed to do or accomplish,
and a brief TUTORIAL on just How to DO it / USE it -
would sure be nice!!

Referencing a "similar feature" on some other web site doesn't help much if
you don't frequent the referenced web site.

"My Group" already smacks of cliques starting ... NOT a good thing!

**Karen** · 12-01-2008, 05:16 PM

We are still figuring out much of this as we go along. We hope others will also post as they find new things. This thread, for example, has a teeny blue "tag" icon to the far right of the box the thread title is in when you see the thread listed in the forum. That means someone has entered "tags" for this thread.

**Karen** · 12-01-2008, 07:33 PM

Another difference is the way attachments are displayed. Now, instead of taking you to a new window with just the full-size image, the software opens the picture in a new box, but keeps the thread open behind it, just greyed out darker. I like this, and think it is easier to understand, as I know sometimes people got confused with the old method. What do people think?

See the We caught a Moose thread for reference - she has four attachments in the first post.

**Karen** · 12-01-2008, 08:33 PM

Another new feature is that users can create albums of pictures, right here on Pet Talk! I created one - you can see it if you view my profile page, as I made it public. There are some limitations - it asks that you keep images to 600 pixels square, but this is a new way for people who don't have a photobucket account, for example to post images. When you view the album, it shows you the code you can use to post the image.

For example, this one:

is an image from my album. It's a lovely blue heron we spotted one day just hanging out - and fishing - at a little cache pond in a shopping center.

It says that it will automatically resize images that are too big "but you may have better results if you do it yourself."

**Hellow** · 12-01-2008, 08:42 PM

Thank God, Pet Talk is finally equivalent to the Ubuntu Forums...
Did you guys implement the ability to change picture dimensions with the [img][/img] tag like I demonstrated in a thread in this same forum?