There is a major Blog update in beta right now. It adds a few features that people have been wanting for some time.

From IPS:
New Default Style

IP.Blog has been overhauled with a fresh new style, one which feels more like a traditional blog. Additionally, it has been designed with themes (see below) in mind, so there is plenty of room for theme authors to experiment in their designs.

Themes and Custom Headers

You can now install 'theme packs' and allow your users to choose which of these themes will be applied to their blog. Using themes you can completely change the look and layout of an individual blog (to see a demonstration of a theme in use, check out Rikki's blog). Users are also able to create their own unique theme, these user themes must be approved by an adminstrator before they are publically viewable by other users. The new custom header system allows you to create multiple header images for users to choose from.

Content Block Plugin System

It's now much easier to create your own content blocks, using a new plugin system. It's now possible to define settings for a plugin that apply to individual blogs, this means that you can integrate with 3rd party widgets that require a unique username for each blog. We've also included new content blocks in this release: Twitter, MyBlogLog, Google Reader, Friends Blogs, and Recent Visitors.

Social Bookmarks

A new bookmark manager allows you to define bookmark services for your blog system. These services will allow blog entries to be easily submitted to the bookmark services that you setup. There are several preconfigured services: Del.icio.us, Digg, Facebook, Mixx, Reddit, and Stumbleupon. Please feel free to suggest any services that you would like to see included by default.

Media Integration

The new [blogmedia] tag allows you to automatically convert various media types into a more useable format. FOr example, [ blogmedia ]http://www.test.com/somemp3.mp3[/ blogmedia] would be converted into a mp3 player for the specified file. You can define any media type you like in the Media Tag manager, by default we include: Flickr Image Set, GameTrailers, Google Video, MP3 Player, MySpace Video, Veoh, and YouTube. Please suggest any additional media tags that you would like to see included by default.

Akismet Integration

It's now possible to use Akismet to filter spam for both the comment and trackback system.

Feedburner Integration

Users can now override the default rss syndication and use FeedBurner.

Other Changes:

• Edit Entry Date
• Display article count for categories
• Blog Offline Mode
• Entry author replies in comments are now highlighted
• Admins can select a 'Featured Entry' to be displayed on the blog listing

You can see it here:
http://forums.invisionpower.com/index.php?autocom=blog

Yikes!
It has been awhile, hasn't it?

For those of you that don't know this by now, I get up about an hour early every morning to take care of emails and other Site related stuff.  I generally eat breakfast while doing this.

Then it is all day at work.

When I get home, I boot back up the computer and spend an hour or two taking care of email and posts on the site.

This is every weekday.

Weekends are much the same, except I don't have to go to work.

Lately, I have been writing. I'm working on 3 different stories at the moment.  A new Psionic Corp future state (spaceship future) that I haven't titled yet; a Valdemar (by Mercedes Lackey) FanFiction that is set between Brightly Burning and Exile's Valor in that time frame where there is nothing cannon; and the Harry Potter and the Parliament of Dreams Chapter 3 rewrite. 

I am also working on eliminating problems on the Gay Authors site and designing a new look that is easy and straightforward to navigate and find things.  In the meantime, I have put some search functions in to make it easier for people to find things.

In addition to all that, I'm keeping my eye on the future.  There is some new software that I'm testing for the site.  There are a raft of software updates for the site that I will be installing this weekend.

I will be taking a break to get more achievements on my Xbox 360 though.  Hopefully, none of you begrudge me that.

One of the pet peeves of most online writers is the lack of feedback. Tons more people read than ever say anything back. That is why, as an author, I try to make sure that sure that I at least drop a little note back to someone on the latest chapter I read. I'm much less diligent with ongoing fanfiction stories though. Mostly because that is on FanFiction.net and keeping logged in on that site is too much of a hassle.

Any way, I bumped into some really high quality stories on Nifty. Unfortunately, there is no way to find all the author's work. It is spread through a couple of different categories. As it was particularly good, I sent the writer a note. I didn't hear anything back. I didn't think much about it. I figured it probably got caught in the spam filter or some such. I kind of forgot about the author, but I tripped over a new story he had written. It was, again, very good. So I sent out another message. I haven't heard back, again. Now, I must say, as an author, I always reply back when someone emails me. I check through my junk mail folder every day. I'm sure I've missed one or two over the years, but I make a strong effort to get back to anyone that takes the time to write to me. When someone doesn't, it is rather annoying.

This author, whom I'm not going to mention, by the way, would be offered a Hosted Author spot here at Gay Authors. Though, I'm not sure I'd do that now, given the sloth that the author is showing.

Myr

Wow.
Our local top 40 radio station morning DJ's son kicked down the closet door this morning. He's apparently been out for awhile, but he came out to everyone today. The local Syracuse, NY newspaper, the Post Standard, did a whole section on GLBT Youth and he wrote an article in it. I did a passing glance at the paper this morning because the roomie had it. And spotted it as something I wanted to check out later.

It slipped my mind by the time I got in the car and was driving.

But the morning sidekick on the radio brought it up. So the DJ, Ted Long, had some very nice things to say, but he said it best with "He's my son and I love him."

So, hat tip to Harry Long IV, for kicking down the closet door at my High School. I wasn't out in school. It was brutal then and from his article, not much better now. It was a very good article too. unfortunately, they don't put it on the paper's site. I will probably scan it though.

Another hat tip To Ted Long. It is always nice to see a father stand behind his son in one of the most difficult things a gay teen male has to go through. To say it on the most listened to radio show in a five county area...

http://www.93q.com/showdj.asp?DJID=15967

Myr

So, this past weekend I went to see Rambo. holy cow, was that movie ever graphic. Extremely graphic. and it was pretty good too.

This weekend sees the opening of two things I've wanted to see. Spiderwick Chronicles and Jumper.
The more I watch the trailer for Jumper, the more I want to see.
http://media.movies.ign.com/media/033/033924/vids_1.html

Hayden Christiansan shirtless is probably enough... but you also have the uber cool Samuel L Jackson in it.

Anyhoo, I will be seeing both this weekend. And a trip to see hockey as well.

As most people are aware, I am constantly testing new things. Some people may have heard of Windows Live Writer. It is a handy WYSIWYG Editor for Blogs. Gay Authors supports offline connections like Windows Live Writer:

http://get.live.com/writer/overview


If anyone is interested in setting up, let me know.

Myr

After sifting through a ton of suggestions from our resident authors, I have compiled a hitlist of things I'm currently working on. CJ has been nice enough to volunteer to go through the larger list to make sure that everything that has come up, at the very least gets addressed.

I am currently redesigning the main page. The new design that I come up with, will then be used throughout the rest of the site.
Design Criteria:
1) Easy to navigate. One of the biggest grumblings I've heard is that we have so much at Gay Authors that people are intimidated by all the possible choices. I have several ideas to solve this and we'll do some tweaking until we hit the sweet spot in balance between form and function.
2) Clean, browser friendly code. I am also working to make sure that the code updates we use are fully compatable no matter which browser you use.
3) try to comply with the guidelines for those browsing with vision impairment.
4) work to provide author posting updates in a more visual location.

There is a lot more, of course. But those are the major ones at the moment.
Comments, as always, are welcome.

It has been a while since I last posted in my blog. There is a lot of things that I am working on for the site. We've identified a number of areas we wanted to improve, based on feedback, observations and usage. Watch for those changes.

I plan on spending much of the weekend working on the site or playing xbox.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Feel free to add any comments here for site improvements as well.

Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had fun. Is it really 2008 so soon? I am really starting to feel old! I'm now only 4 months out from turning 31. Yikes! I never figured I'd get this far.

There are a great number of things that I would like to get to this year. There is just so much stuff to do. Writing, site stuff, work, looking for work...

I'm getting a little tired of the same old boring routine. But I'm not sure I want to get out of the routine either.

Ugh.

Here's to a prosperous 2008 for all of us!

To All My Democrat Friends:
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an
environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive,
gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within
the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or
secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular
persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice
religious or secular traditions at all.

I also wish you a fiscally
successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of
the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due
respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to
society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is
necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the
Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race,
creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of
the wishee.

To My Republican Friends:
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!