I would like to propose that AD consider adding a link to the top of the page , where existing links are located so that members can click on it to open PM's. The existing link, of Edit my Account can be replaced by[bold] New Messages,[/bold] this will save members having to check their email to see if they have any PM's...it will also make the response to PM's much faster. At present we have Signed in as: gwendolin Sign out , My profile , Edit My account plus we already have My Account at top left , in BOLD heading...so I cannot see the need for 2 links to My Account (even though the new link says Edit My Account, the link takes you to the same page) This is something in use in another forum I visit (for DVD Covers only) Believe me it DOES save the hassle of constantly referring to email page.
for me, i got right under forums, i see, Advertise at AD Link to US! Private Messages Compose Private Message Search Messages List of all Updated Threads Threads without Replies i have this, idk about you
I am talking about the NEW LINKS at the top right of page where it says: Signed in as.... Sign out...My Profile...Edit My Account. An entry here showing 2 New Messages would alert you that you have , in this case 2 New Messages (PM's) hence you would NOT have to keep checking your emails to see if you have any PM's....just click on the link if you have messages. I also have this, it's standard Advertise at AfterDawn.com Link to us! Private messages Compose a private message List of all updated threads Threads without replies Search messages
The problem is that in order to do it, each page would have to execute a n additional database query in order to poll logged in user's unread PM count. In the current situation, where our server farm is already coughing loudly during the peak hours, adding a further query to every single page, even just for the users who have logged in, is out of the question. Technically, implementing this would take about four minutes to code, so that is not an issue. But until we get our (almost annual nowadays) server upgrade for this year done, this wont be happening. We have currently two Dual Xeon 3.2GHz/4GB database servers (and seven web servers) and are hoping to upgrade those to quad-core boxes some time this year, but as the process isn't one of those "just get more hardware" cases, but involves replacing the whole infrastructure, it wont happen until later half of this year. But when completed, we'll look into elements such as this requested feature (and will most likely add quite a lot of personalization features to registered members as well).
@drD, Thanks for the reply, here was I thinking it would be an easy thing to do...hopefully we can get this feature eventually, Cheers.
@dRD, would donations help speed up the process of getting a server upgrade? If so, where can the members make donations?
Answers are no and no It is not about money (that is not saying that we have plenty of cash stacked somewhere, that is to say that "ye, we're financially independent" , its about finding a good provider that can cater to our bit more complex needs with decent pricing (dedicated gigabit switch, 5-15 terabytes of transfer/month, nine servers and each server has to be able to fit to our needs -- we need few "dog slow" boxes that handle certain types of areas of our site and then we need stuff like quad Woodcrest 4GHz boxes with 16GB of memory, UW-SCSI RAID 10k discs, etc). Even when we find the server setup, the process of transferring everything over so that there will be minimal or no interruption to the site, will take about 2-4 weeks. And as far as donations go, Finnish legislation makes it illegal for companies to accept donations, only charities can accept donations. So, best way to support our site is to allow our ads to be shown and if you find some interesting advertisers or products on ads shown on our site, visit them and buy from them.
Oh, ok thats good to hear that the site is financially independent. A half-month to a month to transfer everything is pretty quick considering it does not involve site interruption, or as you said, does so with a minimal amount. Well, since I can't donate to the site I'll have to visit SlySoft and buy AnyDVD HD using the aD affiliate ID so the site gets some money from my purchase. Thanks for responding to my post. Peace
Did ye know ye can make a short cut to ye pm's on ye desk top go to ye pm page and then click on file then send then short cut to desk top the name of the short cut on my desktop is: AfterDawn.com Forums Private messages
