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New features today

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by smorty71

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Just a quick note to let you know that we have rolled out 3 new features today:

1. Username search on the People page
Now you can search for specific users by username in addition to interest and technology.

2. Posts from my Contacts
From the Contacts, People and Profile pages, you can access the new Posts from my Contacts page that shows posts (both TQ&A and Discussions) from members of your Contacts list for the past 3 days.

You can also see someone else's list.

3. Who counts me as a Contact?
From the Contacts, People and Profile pages, you can see who has you on their Contacts list.

As with the PFMC feature, you can see someone else's list.

As always, please let us know what you think. And let us know if you anything breaks.

Thanks,
sm

21 replies

by oz_media

Well done lads!

1) Fantastic, I;ll sheck it out next

2) Sounds a little redundant, but again, I'll have to have another look.

3) You read my mind, I was just thinking of that a few days ago, I didn't notice it had been requested though so I figured I may be a lone soldier on that one. Great idea!!

Thanks so much for the new toys!

Did you notice the movers@la are back again, theyve spammed a bunch of posts, you should send them your advertising rates, or a bill.

EDIT: OKAY, I've checked it all out, played the link clicky thingy back and forth and can only say, it is a brilliant work of art! It's SO well done and SO interesting and SO useful.

Even the color scheme and general page layout is really looking good, now that it is more useful and populated.

Guess YOU'RE gonna win next years Geek contest now! (no big deal, you'll never get anything for it! :D )

You have definitely topped yourselves here, kudos!

by hal 9000

What a great idea!!!!!!!!

Now if only I could have got on when this was being deployed and not some 36 hours latter. :(

Col ]:)

by oz_media

So technically you only waited 17 hours after it was deployed. Or at least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

by oz_media

Hey Smortly I know you are tryig hard but you continually post that you have added new features.

So I go to you post and see that same mug staring back at me.

Perhaps you should just accept that you are who you are and you will ALWAYS look the same.

Sorry, it's one of those no sleep days for me. :p

by willcomp

So far I like the changes. Much more convenient, and looks purty (for those outside the USofA that's Southern for pretty) too.

Dalton

by bfilmfan

Is the extra spam that is coming to mailbox a new feature also?

One of your fellow TechRepublic members has sent you a private message:

From: agoworine@...
Subject: URGENT RESPONSE
Message:
Dear Friend,

I am Barrister BAYO AGOWORINE, a solicitor at law. I am the personal
attorney to Mr. MARK CRANE, who used to work with Oil Development
Company.

On the 4th of May 2002, my client, his wife and their only daughter
were
involved in a planecrash. All occupants of the plane unfortunately lost
there lives.

The following websites could be referenced:

http://www.usafricaonline.com/ngrkanocrash.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1968616.stm

Since then I have made several enquiries to your embassy here to locate
any of my clients extended relatives, this has also proved
unsuccessful.

After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to look for any
body who will be willing to assist me in recovering the fund valued at
US12.5 million
left behind by my client before it gets confisicated or declared
onserviceable by the finance house where this huge amount were deposited.

The said finance house has issued me a notice to provide the next of
kin or have the deposited consignment confisicated within the next twenty
one official working days.Since I have been unsuccesfull in locating
the relatives for over 2 years now, I seek your consent to present you as
the next of kin to the deceased hence I have all the legal document to
back you up for the claim, so that the proceeds of this consignment can
be released to you.

Therefore, on receipt of your positive response, we shall then
discuss on how we can sharing the funds when it gets to your
account. I have all necessary information and legal documents needed to
back you up for claim. All I require from you is your honest
cooperation to enable us see this transaction through.

I guarantee that this will be executed under legitimate arrangement
that will protect you from any breach of the law.

Please you may reply to my alternative e-mail address:
( bayo_agoworine@login.cz )

Best Regards
Barrister BAYO AGOWORINE

NB: You are to forward to me the following...

1. FULL NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE BENEFICIARY
2. YOUR BANKING INFORMATION
3. PRIVATE TELEPHONE NUMBER FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS.
4. YOUR SCANNED INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT/DRIVER LICENSE

THE ABOVE INFORMATION WILL ENABLE ME APPLY FOR THE
PAYMENT INTO YOUR ACCOUNT.

by oz_media

Don't like the look of that at all. Nope, no sir, don't like it one bit! That's straight through peer mail!

Maybe they need to add some kind of confirmation step to the contact process, even one of those random generated graphics with numbers you have to manually read off and enter to authenticate yourself as a human.

Romnation uses one, simple, easy, not bothersome and probably effective for them I am sure.

by smorty71

It looks like someone is using a script to cycle through all possible user ids and then send peer mail to those who have allowed it.

We are working on a fix that will limit the amount of peer mail that anyone can send in a given time period. We're thinking something like 10 per day.

Does that sound like it might work? Is 10 too much or not enough?

sm

by oz_media

I get 3 or 4 now, mainly questions people are asking other than in Tech Q&A. One guy I VERY poliitely explained I had no answer and he would be best off in Tech Q&A, but I got a second and thord email with follow up questions.

This isn't spam, but I don't expect 10 peer mails a day from anyone, nor would I want them. Usually after ONE peer mail it moves to my online account as the address is shown now.

Can you not add a VERY simple step taht some other sites use. They print a graphic with 4 numbers that have to manually be entered before the submit can be used. It only takes a second and it seems to work as no BOTS or spiders can read....yet. I have never been deterred from using a site that has had ths system and it is really effortless, especially considering the benefits.

As I mentioned before, ROMNATION uses it on their download pages for ROMS. They actually don't have a bad site, no pop-ups and crap just a good working system.

by smorty71

Just to clarify, our first "fix" is to limit a sender to 10 mails per day. It would not prevent you from receiving more than 10 mails per day if more than 10 people decided to contact you.

This sender limit seems like the fastest way to prevent mass mailing of our members.

I agree that some sort of authentication would help, too; however, we want to close this spam opportunity as quickly as possible.

BTW, while we're kicking around ideas, would it be better if we had onsite messaging (like many other sites) so that your personal inbox didn't get bogged down with member email? It would allow for totally anonymous contact (sender doesn't ever see your e-mail address, you never see the sender's), too. Let us know.

Thanks,
sm

by oz_media

YOu bet messaging would be better, ONSITE messaging even. WOW, now I never thought to ask as I deemed it too far fetched for you to handle mail/messaging.

That would be really cool!

As for the SPAM issue, I see it working as a longer term benefit and not so much short term.
IMO:
Spammers will notice the problem after trying to spam the site and will eventually not spider it. BUT, ten people will alwasy get mail from Spammers, now I am HOPING it isn't me but it seems that BFilm fan and I both get hit, making me think it is the Top100 list that is somehow being hit first?

Theoretically, this would mean that the Top10 ranked members will get the spam as a punishment for not being ranked 11th or lower?

Is that a completely retarded theory that has you rolling on the floor laughing now? It sounds wierd even as a write it but I THINK you'll see my thoughts, whether accurate or not. Just a thought...and it was YOU that wanted to kick around ideas. :)

by house

You guys should package them in 'digests' the same way that some mailing lists work. ie - Fedora lists. A collection of notes packaged in one piece of mail.

by hal 9000

10 a day sounds OK as I've never got that many Peer Mails ever but it would limit those who are abusing the system or have been used to do the same thing.

OZ how's this today I got a message from a Peer thanking me for something that I posted last year as it helped him out no end. He didn't bother to mention what it was so I'm at a complete loss what it was all about. However as he thanked me for what ever it was that I posted it must of been some use and it does go to show that these threads never die they just hang about for others to look at when they need to. ;)

Col ]:)

by bfilmfan

I go back and see if someone else suggested a solution and usually point them towards it in about half the peer mails I get.

Most of the peer mail appears to be from college students that I get asking about what to study, how to do this, etc.

by house

The subscription to threads. These can be organized into 'digests' (or done away with altogether) imo

by bfilmfan

May I recommend that we use maxwell's Silver Hammer of Why Not To Spam Instructional Method?

I know it ain't you folk's fault. And frankly, my peer mail runs between talking about how I give my age away with old people clues and "Help! Help! I blew my system up!"

Please note that offer from House to introduce me to a redhead wasn't spam!

by smorty71

"Too far fetched for you to handle" Is that some sort of challenge? :)

Actually, onsite messaging wouldn't be a very big deal at all. We've been kicking around the idea for awhile; however, we figured that using existing e-mail would suffice. However, now that the spammers have started exploiting it, we need to reconsider.

For those members who still want to get messages sent to their e-mail address, we could add an option that allows you to forward all onsite mails to your email account.

sm

by oz_media

Unless that works in my benefit.

Actually I was wondering how that comment would be read, I meant that you guys have had issues with tryingto reduce server loads, I thought this would add a load that wasn't welcome. It seems the TR siate really doesn't want too much involvement in such issues, as noted with the Avatar uploads that aren't ACTUALLLY uploaded but linked, for security reaons as well I assume.

I just wasn't sure if you guys were willing to host the service.

But if you have that ability and are willing to do it, you most certainly have MY authorization to do so. Anyone at CNet that gives you any grief can be directed to contact me (through peer mail), and I'll lay out a nice reply for them :)

I am sure it would become EXTREMELY popular, if not one of THE most popular features of TR.

by smorty71

Messaging would be relatively easy for us to implement. It's actually a part of our forum software.

Once we get the clustering issue resolved, traffic and load shouldn't be the issue that it is now.

sm

by oz_media

"Once we get the clustering issue resolved..."

You mean you are actually going the Novell or Novell Linux route?

:D

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