Site Update 04/2010

3 Major updates to the site this month. This first is around the user registration process and profiles. The second is the introduction of CGI Radio. The third is our new User Points system.

Registration / Profile

As a site gains in popularity and becomes increasingly visible on the web, it will inevitably come to the attention of the bots, spammers and a host of nasty programs. The intention of these programs is to harvest email addresses and / or post links to dubious products or sites. It's my responsibility, as site editor and webmaster, to protect our users. So far, we've been fairly successful, although the process of registration need manual intervention (i.e. admin approval), there's been no incidents.

As technology evolves so too does the bots and spammers. They become better at bypassing security, the trick is to try and stay one step ahead. Increasingly they were bypassing our security measures at registration, the old software just wasn't up to the job. So, we took the decision to install something completely new.

So, what's the implications?

Well, we haven't had a single bot or spammer bypass the security measures yet. Unfortunately it means the old profile system is gone and avatars are gone. All the other site functions are still there, just you won't see your avatar around the place when you leave a comment or a forum post. 

Also, the new software is leaner, so the site should generally run a bit faster.

CGI Radio

We took the decision some time ago to try and stream music on the site, we're a clubbing and music portal after all. We've tried various online radio stations, it's about time we tried it ourselves! A little investigation revealed that it's actually quite straight forward to set up and reasonably cheap (which is a bonus!).  So, yesterday, when we registered our shoutcast server, CGI Radio was born!!

So, what can you expect?

Initially it will be myself and Noel doing a weekly show. I believe in playing music that you love listening too, so our shows will be mostly funky soulful house, deep house and nu disko!

We don't plan on ignoring the other genre's, so as we expand and get more people involved, we'll try and cover all the bases. Watch this space!

Our first live broadcast should be in about 2 weeks time.

User Points

What are user points?

Simple. A registered user gains points for using the features of the site. Logon on, you gain points. Post in the forum, you gain points, invite a friend, you gain points etc etc...

You can see a list of you recent activates and the amount of points you've gained by clicking on "User Points" under the community tab in the main menu. It's also the same screen your redirected to when you logon on. Keep an eye on your total!

The idea is about rewarding our users for using the site. More active users get more points.

So what can I do with points?

Well, we're not sure yet is the honest answer. The idea is to implement a point shop where users can exchange points for a t shirt or a guest pass or maybe for the chance to interview a well know DJ... something like that.  We haven't fully decided yet and we have to work out the cost, in points, for these items. Again, watch this space!

Gar

Site Editor