5 replies to this topic

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Starting from today, I'll be copying the site news from the home page here, so that we can keep a bit of an archive of all the old news.

(It will also give me an excuse to post more frivolous nonsense and get my post count up!)

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From September 17, 2010:

New art gallery directory

 


We have just started a new database section of the site, which contains various

Directories of such things as art galleries in Manila, the rest of the Philippines and around the world.


So far, there is not a lot in there but any art gallery anywhere in the world is very welcome to sign-up for their free membership of the ArtBlast.com forums and place a free listing in the Directory, for their own gallery.

You can include very basic details like the gallery name, location and address only - or you can go the "whole hog" and place photos, a full description of the gallery, details of the artists represented, directions on how to get there, a link to your own website - you name it!

 

By the way, the link to the Directories is only on the home page of the site.

You will not find it in the Forums - (except here, of course!)

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The new Classified ads and Links directory modules of the Forums are now up-and-running. However, in order to prevent abuse of these facilities by spammers, any New Member will need to request an upgrade to the Full Members group before they can upload advertisements or links there.

Any Full Member can of course advertise their art for sale. There are also categories for things like Art supplies and materials, Cameras and photographic equipment, Miscellaneous ads (anything from your old record collection to the kitchen sink!) and Wanted (Items, work, friendship, etc.) Full Members are also very welcome to use the free Classifieds module for their own affiliate marketing. Same thing with the Links directory - although we are also hoping for some good quality art site links - just because members would like to recommend them!

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News update from March 11, 2011:

New software has been installed for the Gallery module of the Forums.


The new software represents the biggest upgrade that the Invision Gallery has ever seen. It has been completely rewritten to modernize the interface and to add better functionality. The cobwebs have been blasted out and there is a slick new interface that never loses sight of what a Gallery should be. Permissions have been simplified and accessibility has been improved to remove the clutter and confusion. (For example, you no longer have to be at the index page for a particular album before you will see the "Upload" link - now it can be found at the bottom of any page in the Gallery.)


Unfortunately, the new Gallery software no longer allows Members to rate their own uploads using the image rating system. (This will not usually be a problem, unless your user-name is "smb!" (It took him several hours to work-out why he could rate some images and not others... Duhh!!)

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The Forums and associated modules, (with the exception of Classifieds and Links,) have recently had their software updated to the latest versions available from Invision Power Services.

Unfortunately, the Classifieds and the Links modules are not compatible with the new Forums software and these modules have been temporarily disabled.

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My reply to a member who seemed to be mightily pissed-off at the temporary suspension of the Classifieds module of the Forums:

Quote

I would love to have the Classifieds back at ArtBlast.com and they will be - as soon as a compatible version of the software is available.

Believe me, I have put a lot more of my time and effort into the Classifieds module of the ArtBlast.com Forums than any member has spent on advertising their no-doubt excellent artworks for free. However, unfortunately, I am not versed in the arts of software development, so I am at the mercy of the developers of the software that I license here...

Anyway, ArtBlast.com is a free web site. It's also a free World, of course. And despite the time, money and efforts that I pour into my websites, if you don't like any one of them, then of course, you are more than welcome to "shove it!"