Version 3.5 coming soon

October 9, 2008 in Development, Updates by admin | No comments

FlashStuf will be undergoing a fourth redesign in the next two months. It’s going to improve more upon the backend of the site and include some new features.

When FlashStuf version 3 (the latest redesign) was unveiled earlier this year, there were a lot of sections and new features left unfinished– sections such as the polls and downloads were put on a lower priority so that the site could continue running as normal, with the main content still intact. This update’s purpose is to make the site complete again. Here are some of the changes that are coming.

New Features
It’s also going to be more interactive and community-driven. Users can earn points by playing games and participating in the site, raising their status.

Profiles
FlashStuf Profiles are going to be more of a way to show your activities on FlashStuf and interact with other members. The purpose won’t be to replace a profile you have on another site anymore. Privacy settings and more customization will finally be added here.

On another note, the current Favorites system has been updated, allowing you to display your favorites on the home page again. Non-FlashStuf members also won’t see the FF+ links on the home page anymore. Many more small changes like this will follow as we get closer to the redesign.

New Favorites

September 30, 2008 in Development by admin | No comments

The FlashStuf Favorites system was updated this week, with a backend that better integrates with the rest of the site. It is now less prone to errors from wrong files being added, and is much smoother in general. The new system is also going to allow for a lot more flexibility. Soon there will be an easier way to reorder you favorites, and right now you should notice an option on the Favorites section home page that allows you to set each item as public or private. You may also choose whether or not to make all of your favorites private by default.

For those who already had favorites saved, I have moved them over and you should be able to go about managing them as always. However, if you have added favorites and they aren’t there anymore, please let us know.

New High Score System

September 25, 2008 in Development by admin | 1 comment

After the site redesign early this year, several key FlashStuf features were lost. One of these was the high score system, as seen in games such as The BUTTONS! and Let’s Wait in Line. Today, the new FlashStuf high score system is finished, and you can now try it out in an updated version of The BUTTONS.

Before, it was very easy to cheat and submit scores that you didn’t really get in the game. However, the new high score system has better security so there should be much less (if any) cheaters on the score boards. Also, as a brand new feature, high scores are now linked to your FlashStuf membership. So if you log in before playing the game, you will see that the game recognizes you as a member, and submits your score by your username. These scores will then show up on your FlashStuf profile (if you choose, through the privacy settings page).

Next, we’ll be updating Let’s Wait in Line to the new high score system to make sure everything still holds, and then any developer may use the system in their game to provide high scores. More on this as things develop.

Facebook Profile Importer

September 8, 2008 in Development by admin | No comments

For new and existing FlashStuf users who haven’t already filled out information for their profile (such as your name, gender, birthday, etc.), you can now import this information from Facebook using the Profile Importer. This will you allow you to add your information to your FlashStuf Profile without having to manually type it all in. More information will be imported in the future. However, if there is anything else you’d like to see or be able to add to your profile, let us know in the comments.

Historical Polls

September 3, 2008 in Updates by admin | No comments

The polls section has been updated with an archives section to view the results of past polls. Ever since the latest redesign this section was down (and harder to update), so it has been updated and automated. We’ve also managed to keep the old poll results intact.

Soon we will be adding the ability to add comments on archived polls and even the latest poll. They might feature some historical commentary from yours truly, as well.

Improved Search

August 31, 2008 in Updates by admin | No comments

A minor update, but today many ads on the site were updated. However, most importantly, Google Search in the search section of the site was updated. It now opens in a different window, which should cause less display problems. All FlashStuf sites, even the Chicken Cheese Productions site, is included in the search results now. If you want to see this change the most, search for “slippery slide” and you’ll notice results from a variety of sites comes up.

Profiles Home Updated

August 23, 2008 in Development by admin | No comments

The mobile and full-site versions of FlashStuf Profiles have been updated to let you know when you have new comments simply by visiting your home page. It notifies you of how many new comments you’ve received, and from whom.

Adding this feature got us started on the implementation of the settings system I mentioned last week, where you’ll be able to save privacy settings and similar options. From here, forms need to be made for all three sites (FlashStuf Accounts, Profiles, and Mobile Profiles), and the layer behind to interface with the database. This is also going to open up a lot more options for where Profiles is headed and put it much further into finally becoming a fully-functioning social networking site.

Mobile Profiles

August 11, 2008 in News by admin | No comments

The other day some changes were made to FlashStuf Profiles, and plans for future features, like photos and albums, got started. First of all, the profile views counter has been fixed, so you can see how many views you have received. Now Profiles are also available in a light but full-featured version for the mobile phone. You can get to the site by going to http://p.flashstuf.com/, and any profile by going to http://p.flashstuf.com/webmaster, for example. Whereas p.flashstuf.com was previously just a shorter URL for the same exact site, it’s been moved to being the mobile site (since it’s a little shorter to type).

As the first bit of interactivity for the launch of the mobile site, you can now leave comments for others (again, on both the full and mobile site). Privacy settings will soon be launched that will let you adjust what can be posted on your profile (pictures, URLs, etc.) along with a setting for your actual profile, like private or public. Until then, enjoy and let us know what you think about the new features!

FlashStuf Mail and Firefox 3

August 9, 2008 in Tips by admin | No comments

If you use Firefox 3, you can set it up so that it launches FlashStuf Mail whenever you click an email link on the web! To do it, first log in to your account, and then paste this code in the address bar of that tab (and hit Enter):

javascript:window.navigator.registerProtocolHandler(”mailto”,”https://mail.google.com/a/flashstuf.com/mail/?extsrc=mailto&url=%s”,”Gmail”)

Click Add Application, and you’re all set! To keep it this way, simply click an email link and then pick Gmail, and check “Remember my choice for mailto links” (you can change this option at any time through your Firefox preferences).

Welcome!

August 7, 2008 in News by admin | No comments

Welcome to the Official FlashStuf Blog! Here I, and eventually others, will be bringing you the latest in FlashStuf news and development, and any other tips and tricks that you can use for the many FlashStuf sites. This is new, so I’ll more than likely be changing the style and adding more things to it soon. Enjoy!

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