TownRenowned Major Update

Two days ago I launched a big update for TownRenowned.

New Interface Design

This was a major refresh in the UI/look and feel department. Thanks to the feedback over the past few months I realized that the dark look was not the best idea for a website of this nature. We went with a lighter look that's easier on the eyes - Thanks again to the designer Matt Brett.

New Mapping Control

The mapping control on a town's homepage/listing now have a upgraded map control. This new control allows users to zoom the map or add/remove items from the map. The new control uses a great deal of Javascript to reposition the map as well make assumptions on the zoom level for certian situations. Hopefully it has a more fluid feel than previous iterations.

Mini-Feed

The mini-feed is now in full swing throughout the site. It now shows up on the root of the website - showing the entire networks activity, every town's homepage - showing activity for that town and on every users profile - showing that users latest actions. It now has the users profile image, icons for the activity type and links to multiple locations.

Facebook

TownRenowned now has a Facebook application. The application brings your mini-feed to your facebook profile to let your friends know your recent activity. The sidebar shows you the combined feeds of all of your friends that are on the system.

Revision System

This tool makes it easier for users to submit updates or send notes to a town manager about certain content. To the left are quick buttons to send specific messages i.e. This content is old. On the right is a form with the existing data pre-loaded. The user can make changes or re-write the information completely.

So thats it for now - still more to come soon. Please comment if you have any comment or suggestions about these features.

Feed upgrade, profile enhancement

Did a minor update this weekend, I decided to break up the links used in the feed. Now I show the user icon, link to the user profile as well as the item in question.



Now you will see a users mini-feed in their profile as well. This will give a quick history so you don't need to click through the tabs. Also you will see the launch link for Facebook just above, this is almost done - however nobody can see the application on Facebook until it gets approved. I'll blog about it when that's ready to go.




The site is now running faster - I did a performance tune earlier this week that effects TownRenowned but also DashboardThemes.com (running the same content engine). They both share the same server at the moment so this tweak should free up a massive amount of resources!

A lot of new stuff we be coming very shortly - A new template has been made and it's being integrated this week. If you have any suggestions to make TR better I'd love to hear it!