New Forum Features Released!

[shriekingviolet]

Big forum updates today folks! After a few months of working on them, we're finally ready to release our new projects:

• Swap Feedback
  
• Link Engine
  
• Community Gallery
  

Swap Feedback is a sort of review engine that enables people to leave feedback for their swap transactions. The forum has gotten so large that we understand that some people might feel less secure selling and swapping here than they might have when we were a smaller community. Now people will have a way to keep better tabs on the swap histories of others. We hope this new feature will give our members a feeling of additional security here.

 

The rules for the Swap Feedback are as follows:

Please be honest and polite, and leave meaningful feedback. Rude or false feedback may be deleted. Someone who repeatedly created rude or false feedback may have his or her ability to edit or create feedback revoked.

 

In the "comments" section, mention:

• The item(s) swapped/sold/etc. You don't have to go into great detail, but something like "I swapped with JoeUser for his bottle of Enraged Bunny Musk" or "I sold several decants (Rose Red, Snow White, Nuclear Winter, Sugar Cookie) to JoeUser."
   
  
• The affiliated dates -- "fast" and "slow" are relative terms, and it'd be more meaningful for other users to see that when you say "fast", you mean that you paid two days ago, and received the item(s) today! An example: "We finalized the details of the swap on 6/1/06 and the bottle arrived on 6/3/06."
   
  
• Do NOT leave identifying information. Real names, addresses, etc are not allowed. If the user wanted their location or country of origin public knowledge, there are slots in the profiles at the forum for that. If those profile slots are not empty, they are published in the "snapshot profile" on the upper-right hand corner of their swap feedback page. You CAN mention that it was an international swap, and use their forum handle.
   
  
• You will not ponder about the circumstances of the other party. An acceptable comment: "I ordered on 5/2 and didn't receive my package until 6/8 with no communication from the seller." An UNacceptable comment would be something like: "This stupid b**** f***ing promised to send my f***ing oil on 5/4 when I ordered on 5/2 and I didn't get anything JUNE!! June for Christ's sake!! WTF! I bet the b**** doesn't have cancer - I bet she's just a money grubbing whore." (Thanks to evanesce for these examples!)
  

Disputed feedback will be made invisible while the parties work things out. If we feel this is being abused (that is, that someone is repeating negative feedback for the sole purpose of hiding it), we may make them visible. As long as rules are broken, we will not otherwise become involved in disputed feedback.

 

While this feedback area is primarily for swaps/sales/circles arranged here on the forum, we allow leaving feedback for transactions arranged off of the forum (such as eBay auctions or other online communities). We know many of you swap and buy in multiple places.

 

The Community Gallery is a place where members can store images for use here at the forum. You can upload and link avatars, sig images, and other pictures to use in your posts or it can be used as your own online photo gallery. Most members will start out with about 500kb of space, with additional space available for "purchase" with reward points. See the guidelines section regarding reward points for details.

 

The rules for the Gallery are as follows:

Images that are not work safe must go in the "NWS Album". Since there's really no warning before viewing an image whether or not it's work safe until it's too late, all NWS images must be placed there by directly uploading into the album. Please report any out-of-place images to the moderator in charge of the gallery (parrot_suspect) via PM.

 

Otherwise, images can be uploaded at your discretion, keeping in mind that images are generally available to the public via the gallery, and that the moderating staff can view all galleries (even the ones made private).

 

Images cannot be hot-linked. This isn't so much a rule as a statement of fact; we've set it up so images in the gallery can only be hotlinked here at bpal.org. Feel free to use your member gallery to host your avatar.

 

 

Lastly, the Link Engine is a place for members to share their favorite links with other members. Think of it as a collective bookmark list. At this time only members with 50 posts or more are allowed to add links (though people with less can still view, rate and comment on links), though this may change in the future.

 

The rules for the Links Area are as follows:

We welcome links to virtually any content that fits within the listed categories. As on the forum, please mention it when adding links whose content is potentially not safe for work or contains spoilers. This is best done both in the description and adding "(NWS)" or "(SP)" to the title of the link.

 

Everyone is welcome to add links to their businesses, blogs, and so forth. In the interest of full disclosure, please mention your affiliations in the description.

 

Please be honest and polite when describing or discussing linked sites.

 

If we have a topic discussing what's being linked, please add that to the description!

 

Any specific complaints about linked sites should be reported to the links mod team, headed by LiberAmoris. Things that might warrant reports would be inaccurate descriptions, lack of disclosure, lack of notice regarding spoiler/not work safe content, etc.

 

Complaints about a company linked here should be addressed in the "Buyer Beware" thread and mentioned in the link's comment section. If the company has an existing topic, feel free to add your complaint there.

 

 

Also, not sure how many of you noticed, but on Wednesday (I think) I installed a new hack on the forum that allows you to choose which emoticons appear for you on the "clickable smilies" box on the post/reply screen. This should give everyone the easiest access to the smilies they use the most. To access this feature, click the "Favorite Emoticons" link at the bottom of that smilies window and a popup window should come up that'll allow you to select/unselect different smilies. (if it doesn't launch the pop up the first time you click it, try refreshing the page and try again).

 

 

I think that's all! If anyone has any comments or questions feel free to contact quantum spice or myself. Enjoy!

[ipb]

Something SV didn't mention about the feedback engine is that there are links in everyone's profile (under the "Information" section) that go straight to that person's feedback.