January 2007 Member Update

Posted Jan 24, 2007
Last Updated Jun 21, 2012

This week we added some new updates. Most of these changes deal with style, layout and browser compatibility. There are also some new functionality updates, including a new option in your control panel that allows you to control whether or not to get emails when anyone signs your guestbook or makes a friend request (the new option is called “Email Alerts”).

The new style is largely due to the effort of Andrew Penry.

Recently we received some helpful emails from members that were concerned that the Artistic Network website is not very user-friendly and that our member updates are often too technical. As the owner of the site, I want to take a moment to apologize for any confusing and/or pointless information I share with all of our talented members. This trend on my part is partly due to the fact that I spend so much of my time in the world of programming and logic that when it comes time to send out an email to everyone, my brain is drained of flowery words.

I want to invite any member to share with me any and all criticisms about the site; I am trying to make the Artistic Network the best arts website on the Internet. Don’t hesitate to let me know how any feature can be made better.

As some of you may know, this website is using a Content Management System that I have been working on for the last several years called Webonizer. Many of the forms on this site link to Webonizer pages, which has sometimes confused some members—the reason that the links on the Artistic Network often go to Webonizer is so that I do not have to duplicate instructions on all websites that use Webonizer. I invite anyone wanting to keep up on Internet technology (and updates relating to the technical side behind this site) to subscribe to the Webonizer RSS Feed… and I will try to focus these Artistic Network emails more on arts from here on out.

On a personal note, I want to share with all members a situation that involves free speech. I am being sued for $7 million by a company in New York for defamation. I have a large law firm taking care of the issue… and I am not very worried about the case. But the article that led to the lawsuit may be of interest to some members: Scams to Make You Feel Cool.

That’s it for this email. Again, I encourage members to share with me ideas, opinions and criticisms on making the site better. I would also like to start getting ideas on the type of information members would like in these semi-regular updates.

Take Care and stay Creative

Shawn Olson