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Myr

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  3. Myr

    External Newsletter Discontinued

    By Myr,


    News Archive
    After dropping back from 2 years of weekly newsletters to monthly updates in 2019 on our outside email newsletter, we have decided to stop using the outside service altogether after the final newsletter which will be sent on Sunday, July 28th.  Going forward, we'll be sending emails with the news members want and need to know directly from Gay Authors! If you wish to receive the occasional email newsletter from the site, then please go to your Notification Settings and chose one of the two boxes highlighted here: 

    This news is in this month's newsletter too for anyone who misses this blog. Moving forward, we'll be able to bring you site news, tips, announcements, games, and more specialized updates quicker and easier from GA!  We think it will be far more useful to send out emails as changes and things happen on the site for GA members, plus it keeps all your notifications here from one place.
    Don't forget to share this with your fellow members, especially if you know they like to keep up with all the site news and changes (use at mentions in the comments, share this blog, shoot them a pm now!) and let's get everyone to change their notification settings so they're ready for the switch! 
  4. Myr

    Stories Archive Software Update

    By Myr,


    Technology Archive
    Hello everyone!  It is that time again.  The Stories Archive software on Gay Authors has been updated.  We've had a whole lot of bug fixes and a couple of new features added.
    IMPORTANT NOTE: Stat's are Rebuilding for the next few days.  You'll know when it's done because not every story will be ranked #1 with 0 views.
    New Features
    Site level Story view statistics are now available.  We have been collecting timestamped story/chapter views since Jan of 2018.  That is just shy of 26,000,000 story/chapter views that have a timestamp associated with them.  NOTE: for privacy sticklers, no personal data is collected here.  You can now go over to the new Story Stats section and see what people have been reading, set the time frame and the genre and show the list. Story level statistics are now also available.  You can click on the story in the site level list and see the details of views by chapter in the time frame you choose. My Stats.  Authors will be able to quickly see how their stories are doing with views. This data is broken down into All Members, Members or Guests.  Administrators also have the option to view Premium Member group views. (again, no personal information here).  This allows you to get an idea of what people are reading, if you want to make sure there is more of that available.  (This is exactly what we are doing with Premium Member group views... what do Premium Members like reading?  Get more of that.) Series and World link embedding now works properly.  That is, if you place a link to your series or your World into the editor, such as your signature, it now properly formats like a story link would. We now have the ability to allow a chapter to be edited without the story being edited.  This is important to authors that would like to be able to fix typos in their Anthologies without the system throwing a hairball about editing stories in restricted categories. Stories only reputation is now visible on your author page to just the author and Staff.  This will show you how close you are to leaving the moderation queue through promotion. Bug Fixes
    Story widgets now obey settings for devices.  Which is to say, when you view the site on desktop, you'll get more information visible.  If you view the site on a mobile device, then we reduce the menus down to the bare minimum to improve the speed Review links in notifications are no longer broken.  This was patched onto the site a while back and this is the official fix.  Links to your reviews in a notification should work properly. Automatic Link Title should simply add a number to the link title if a story with the same automatically generated link exists. Should this remove the confusion when everyone names their story the same thing and the system previously gave you an error. We can now properly delete chapter comments again.  There was a bug preventing us from doing it. Leaderboard function is going to be what it is for now.  It's quirky from a programming standpoint and the minor issue we're experiencing is not currently worth the cost of trying to work around it. Goals widget should now be usable on Mobile devices Weird bug where the Promoted Author banner was not showing properly to members/guests has been fixed. Miscellaneous notification bugs fixed. Multi-author approval system for World's and Series should be working properly now, where the author can improve instead of requiring an admin to do so. Story Update activity Stream, is no longer showing unpublished stories. I am working on a FAQ entry for using the story stats. That will be up soon.
  5. Myr

    Story Stats Feature Information

    By Myr,


    Technology Archive
    The system has gotten all the story level stats built and it is still working on the chapter level.  I have written two quick FAQ entries for this for those that are interested in the feature.
     
     
  6. Myr

    Reading History

    By Myr,


    Technology Archive
    We have added a new feature on the site... Reading History.

    This is a special collection that you have to opt-in to use.  It shows you the last 50 stories you've read for 30 days. (stories will drop off the list if they are there over 30 days.  The oldest will drop off if you have more than 50).  The history is not public. Only you and staff can see it.  As you can see from my screen shot, it also shows you the last chapter you've viewed and gives you a link to it.
    The plus sign allows you to add a story to a collection directly from your reading history, if you want to save it long term. The red X box allows you to delete the story from the history. 
    IF you want to remove the entire history and stop tracking, go to "Manage" and then choose "Delete Collection".
    I know a lot of people have been asking for this and I thank everything for their patience is getting it implemented. 
    Happy Reading!
  9. Myr

    All Stories Updated in 2019

    By Myr,


    Reading Archive
    Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories
    The Singing Cup by Rigby Taylor Geist by CassieQ Wide Open Spaces by Renee Stevens Romance is Real... or Just False Advertising by Cia Deal or No Deal by Valkyrie Heartache & Terror by quokka The Passenger on Platform Six by Drew Payne A Leg to Stand On by Valkyrie Harbinger by Cia Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories
    Our Christmas Cookbook by Valkyrie Spirit of Fire by Stellar Ripper Christmas by Carlos Hazday Chasing Toshiro by CassieQ He Kalliste by Aditus Semi Charmed Life by CassieQ Geist by CassieQ Squall Line by CarlHoliday Rest in Peace - Songs for the Dead by Mikiesboy Beyond the Binary by Valkyrie Judgement Day by Headstall Singer by Carlos Hazday Cynical Faith by Cynus Little Things by Mikiesboy Merry Christmas by Headstall Elixir by Comicality Forever Together by Aditus Zugrexamok by Valkyrie Denied by Cia The Thousandth Regiment by AC Benus The Searcher by Mikiesboy Hymenaios, or the Marriage of the God of Marriage by AC Benus Kabal by Aditus Tragic Genius by Cynus tim's poetry workbook by Mikiesboy The Tower, and other pieces by AC Benus Love Looked at Me and Laughed and other poems by AC Benus Shuffle off to Buffalo by Cole Matthews Paleo Prompt by Parker Owens Aria Graice by Nephylim Overheard by Comicality Zero to Hero, a Guide by AC Benus Romance is Real... or Just False Advertising by Cia Dolphin Delivery by Carlos Hazday Deal or No Deal by Valkyrie Hail to the Chief by Carlos Hazday The Easiest Thing in the World by AC Benus Twin Stars by Cia Perseverance by Valkyrie Afterglow by Comicality Goodnight, My Angel - Georgeotown Book IV by Carlos Hazday Gone Fishing by Headstall Reflection: Commemorating PULSE by Mikiesboy Voyageur by Parker Owens A Hell of a Mess by Aditus Good News, or Paul's Letter to the Romans by AC Benus GFD: Ashes Lie by Comicality Our Bar by Headstall That One Moment by Comicality Flashpoint by CassieQ Himmelszelt (Canopy of Heaven) by Aditus Of God and Angels by Mikiesboy GFD: Dark Web by Comicality Lonely Pride by Cynus Double Take by Comicality David and Jonathan by AC Benus A Leg to Stand On by Valkyrie Thirty Daze in April by Parker Owens April Musings by Valkyrie Poetry Book by Dolores Esteban Limerick's loony bin and other crazy sh% by Aditus GFD: Blood Money by Comicality Finding Joy by AC Benus GFD: We Are Many by Comicality GFD: King's Order by Comicality Valentine’s at Benders, and other holiday tales by AC Benus GFD: Body Disposal by Comicality GFD: Lost In Shadow by Comicality Leopard Hunt by Graeme Changes, Again by Mikiesboy The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 9 by Comicality Confessions of a Diabetic Cat by Cole Matthews Irreverent Tales by AC Benus My First French Kiss by AC Benus Not a Poet—Maybe a Thinker by Aditus The Poetry of D/s by Mikiesboy Harbinger by Cia So Weeps the Willow by Cole Matthews Borrowing a Flower Stall by AC Benus Bliss by CassieQ Slocked Affections by AC Benus My LIfe: In Pieces by Mikiesboy Recently Updated 'Classic Author' Stories
    All I Want.... by Dabeagle Gift of Human Kindness by Ronyx Thirteen Candles by Altimexis After Alex by Mike Arram An Abomination"s Love by comicfan Maybe Later by comicfan What’s Cooking in NYC by Altimexis Funny, You Don't Look Jewish by Altimexis Alike in Dignity by Mike Arram Hide and Seek by Mike Arram Wide Open Spaces by Renee Stevens The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation Book 3 by Bill W Shifting Horrors by Bill W Family by Dabeagle Afterglow by Dabeagle The Cajun Asian by Altimexis Henry in Finkle Road by Mike Arram Rich Boy: Inheritance by dkstories Yankee by TheZot Diplomatic relations by TheZot Bullying Starts in the Home by Altimexis Henry in High Politics by Mike Arram Reminiscing About the Future by Altimexis Henry in the Outfield by Mike Arram Rich Boy: Growing Pains by dkstories Panic! by Dabeagle Nathan and the Chav Prince by Mike Arram A Mourning Storm by Ronyx The Heart of Oskar Prinz by Mike Arram Life Changes by comicfan Terre Nouvelle by Mike Arram Candy & Kisses by Dabeagle Apple of Her Eye by Ronyx The Right One by Dabeagle It's Not Easy Being a Tree by Ronyx Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories
    My journey through pain by albertnothlit Special Occasion Stories by Caz Pedroso Family Ties by Thorn Wilde Guarded by Wayne Gray The Right Timing by lilansui Before the Fall by Thorn Wilde Shaken by northie In My Head by Thorn Wilde Torturous Love : Version 3 by Sasha Distan Abattoir Boy by Sasha Distan Storms by Thorn Wilde Count On Him by northie n counters by northie Prompt's for 2019 by Caz Pedroso Rebellion Rising by lilansui Silverwolf by Wayne Gray Morning by northie Bluegrass Symphony by Wayne Gray Never Too Late To Explore by northie Fleeting Eternity by Wayne Gray Misentrope by Puppilull Blackmail In The Night by northie Sauna Sunset by Thorn Wilde Soul Music: Love Sustained by northie Black & Blue by Thorn Wilde Hubris: Devon by Thorn Wilde Keep Quiet by albertnothlit Hubris: Alan & Matt by Thorn Wilde The Morgan Lore by lilansui Shamrock Lite by albertnothlit 11:50 From Seattle by Thorn Wilde Tales of the Underground: Blinded by Aceinthehole Hubris: Patrick by Thorn Wilde The Witcher is Kind of Gay by Thorn Wilde Can't Lose for Winning by Thorn Wilde Severely Moonstruck by Thorn Wilde Recently Updated 'Author' Stories
    A Lame Journal of a Wantbe Artist by Another Gay Writer George & Jim by JimSqu Sunbelter Sometimes With Reality by D.K. Daniels Menorah by AusGlitterati Storm of Suspicion by JC Phelps Family Ties by Thorn Wilde Short Stories - Inspired by prompts. by Talo Segura You're the Star Atop My Christmas Tree, Charlie Boone! by Geron Kees The Singing Cup by Rigby Taylor Adonis & Jaz by StevieVRoyal Search the Skies on Christmas Eve by lomax61 November Falls by Bndmetl Under the Guise by BDANR 300 Letters by Sebastian Bauer Camp Echo by Talo Segura The Right Timing by lilansui Before the Fall by Thorn Wilde A Familiar Story by Yeoldebard I Will Sing for You by Arran You & I by D.K. Daniels A Family for Christmas by TimmY92 The Poetry Inside the head. (Anita's Collection of poetry and other short stuff) by Anita Samandra What is normal? by PhillMakracken Bad Dinner Company by ValentineDavis21 Dancing Bare by Rigby Taylor The Christmas Elves by Michael White Potter Walking in Circles by PhillMakracken In My Head by Thorn Wilde Ron's New Job by JimSqu Sunbelter Storms by Thorn Wilde The Preacher's Kid: High School by FlyOnTheWall My Vacation in Slovakia by Ivor Slipper Jack and The Christmas Tree by Michael White Potter Case Studies in Modern Life by Drew Payne Lost Soul - The Ox by Mancunian Transcending The Stars by AusGlitterati Life of the Party by Yeoldebard Camp Echo - The Missing Chapters by Talo Segura Stroking the Flame by lomax61 Naked Calendar by lomax61 Adermoor Cove: Dissolved Girl by ValentineDavis21 Lighthouses by ValentineDavis21 Story Prompts, Articles, and Ramblings by Jason Rimbaud The Old by Anita Samandra A Decision for Jarren by kbois The Big Empty by jamessavik Is That A Monster in the Closet, Charlie Boone? by Geron Kees Umbereth by MrM A Fox's Love by Yeoldebard A Devilishly Clever Trick by Rigby Taylor Raise the Darkness and Weep by S.L. Lewis Saint Fury by David R. Ryan A Knight To Remember by chessdude Self-Portraits by Richie Tennyson The Roads That We Explore by S.L. Lewis Sanctuary from Harm by quokka Jacob Matthews by Trees Are Awesome Adermoor Cove: Atonement by ValentineDavis21 Wake Me Up Inside by lofie Charming: Once Upon a Time by Superpride Missing by Stannie Rebellion Rising by lilansui The Order by btaoc1963 Bound By Blood by Superpride The Charmed Life Of Danny Murphy by Marty Forget to Remember by Starrynight22 Adermoor Cove: Here to Stay by ValentineDavis21 NB Drama by quokka Those Cerulean Eyes by Arran Just shorts by Fantasyboy69 Milo by Talo Segura The Whale by Katya Dee Jack Deveraux's Story by Mancunian Prompt Me, Prompt Me by S.L. Lewis The Sound of Starting Over by KD_stories Book of Venoms by ObicanDecko Tall Man Down by RichEisbrouch Jimbo by Mac Rountree Soul Talk by Wolffang Spark & Stone by Laura S. Fox Fragments of Sean by Marty Blueblood 5.1: Red Alert!! by R. Eric Heart by AusGlitterati No Anchovies by Ivor Slipper Splinter by Fantasyboy69 Snowflake: A Love Story by MrM Love, Lance by AusGlitterati Job Vacancy by quokka Snowfalls, Fires and Family by S.L. Lewis The Tribuo by Katya Dee As They Say by D.K. Daniels The Calculus Connection by Arran A Game of Heaven by Yeoldebard The Boys of Summer by Mac Rountree The Party of the Third Part by Geron Kees Oceania by quokka Chris in Highschool by Luiz Shorts and Prompts by Defiance19 Adermoor Cove: Donovan Road by ValentineDavis21 River Cruise by quokka Life on the Swan by quokka The Summer of the Firefly by James Carnarvon Genie in the Flames by Wicked Witch Blueblood 2: The World by R. Eric Watchword by Noah Quoth the Raven by AmosLee1023 The Best Four Years of Adam Becker by oat327 Adermoor Cove Part 3: Many Sleepless Nights by ValentineDavis21 PeterLefun Poems by Peterlefun The Partner by Lenny Bruce Adventures of Devon Carlton by quokka A matter of tact by Lenny Bruce The Dreamtrap by Katya Dee NB Huon - Afterlife by quokka Through the Darkness by Warrior1 Adermoor Cove Part 2: Love Hurts by ValentineDavis21 Tom and I by ObicanDecko Freshman Year by Wesley8890 Adermoor Cove Part 1: The Rainbow Beret by ValentineDavis21 Light My Roamin' Candle, Charlie Boone! by Geron Kees Wolf Pack by Yeoldebard This Is What They Call Love by Xfighter1984 Debts by Katya Dee Winning the Lottery by Zenith Heartache & Terror by quokka Exquisite Corpse and Other Collaborations by MacGreg Slothin' It by Pmsingtiger Unexpected Journey by quokka Long Road by quokka Ferociously Adorable by David R. Ryan Where there is a will by Timothy M. Diego’s Dance with Death by Timothy M. The Barnstable Chronicles: The Prodigy by FlyOnTheWall Broadswords by Disjecta Membra Sauna Sunset by Thorn Wilde Family Struggles by Dahawk The First Lock by Katya Dee The Pick of the Bunch by Ivor Slipper Cuddlefish by HinderToyBL By Any Other Name by Geron Kees The Sock Drawer by Doctor Oger The Weigh Down by KD_stories Pieces and Fragments by MericCotton Dead Ringer by Defiance19 Black & Blue by Thorn Wilde A Tattoo for Lex by kbois My Multidimensional Love by Pmsingtiger The Passenger on Platform Six by Drew Payne Sneaking Off by Ivor Slipper Posing for the Pack by Pmsingtiger Nineteen by AusGlitterati Tuesday Staff Meetings by Thirdly The Visitor by Rigby Taylor Hubris: Devon by Thorn Wilde His Story by Drew Payne The world she left behind by TimmY92 Adam by Doug Spencer The Voice is back by Kitt A way of life by TimmY92 The Choices We Make by Jason MH Timothy’s Terrible Prompt Stories by Timothy M. With Trust - A Conclusion by GabrielCaldwell Marty's Shorts and Flashes by Marty Hubris: Alan & Matt by Thorn Wilde judgement call by MericCotton Morning Toast by FindThySky Specter's Gamble by Katya Dee Furville by Yeoldebard Lost Gays in the Savannas by BASILB All Alone by quokka Lost - Two Timer series by keyisfake Messed Up. by LonelyBoi01 Between the Shadow and the Soul by Jason MH The Two Endersons by MericCotton My Faceless Encounter with Ashur by Thirdly Mekaias and Norian by JujuTheDruid A Touch of Blue by JujuTheDruid Dissonance by MacGreg The Acquittal by Jdonley75 Those Days by D.K. Daniels Indian Ocean Drama by quokka The Married Rat by RichEisbrouch Blowing Me, Blowing You. by Ivor Slipper The Morgan Lore by lilansui Unexpected Gift by Lee Marchais 11:50 From Seattle by Thorn Wilde Aussie Pioneers by quokka Hubris: Patrick by Thorn Wilde The Wedge in the Doorway by Jason MH Marty's Poetry by Marty The Tell by Simon Iskander Love is Blind by Nick Brady Goofus and Gallant by Atheugorei Sweetheart, West Virginia by Superpride Noah and Jordan by Ethan Survival by quokka The Journey of Jacob and Kyle by podiumdavis Hero Wanted 2 by Superpride The New Solare by Thirdly The Scarlet F by Another Gay Writer Swimming - Senpai no Shirushi by Roe St. Alee There's Always Room in My Heart, Charlie Boone! by Geron Kees A Walk Along the Promenade by Drew Payne Always by FlyOnTheWall 0's and 1's: Bk2- Web of Conceit by W_L The Witcher is Kind of Gay by Thorn Wilde How Familiar by AusGlitterati The Process of Learning by MacGreg Admirer X by AusGlitterati Half-Full by Emanon Tomorrow's Shadow by MericCotton Tennotaru by gor mu Can't Lose for Winning by Thorn Wilde Neighbors by Starrynight22 The Boot by Mancunian Star Light, Star Bright by Geron Kees Box Shaped Heart by Laura S. Fox The Storm by Nick Brady Poetry Prompts by MacGreg Life's Revised Expectations by kuragari129 Young, Gay and Scared by grahamsealby Second Chances by MericCotton Misunderstood by Marty Blood Call by Geron Kees Solace by Disjecta Membra To The Stars by AusGlitterati Honeybunch, New Mexico by Superpride That Call You Don't Want by jamessavik Severely Moonstruck by Thorn Wilde The Tragedy of Yinx by JujuTheDruid Completely Unexpected by Frankie What about me? by C.T. Piatt Recently Updated 'Poet' Stories
    The Short Stories by Valkan Smith Poems of K by c081huang
  10. Myr

    2019 GA Year in Review

    By Myr,


    News Archive
    As we head into Gay Authors' seventeenth holiday season, and the end of the decade, I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on our community in this past year.
    With that in mind, first and foremost, I want to thank all of you for making Gay Authors what it is.  We wouldn't be here without our authors writing stories, our readers reading those stories, and everyone talking together about those stories.  That is the root of our community, and that focus is what we should keep in mind as we ride the roller coaster of life.
    I'd also like to make a special call out to all of our Premium members.  For a long time now, advertising has fallen well short of meeting the expenses of running Gay Authors.  Premium Membership Subscribers keep Gay Authors open for everyone and allow us the luxury of constantly improving the site for everyone.  So thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Without you, we wouldn't be here.  If you would like to join this group, you can click on Premium on the menu in the Store tab.
    New Authors
    Over this past year, we were very happy to have three authors promoted to Signature Author:
    Carlos Hazday  Mikiesboy Parker Owens We've also recognized an author as a Classic Author:
    Mike Arram Last, but certainly not least, we also added a new Promising Author:
    Northie    
    New Features:
    We also added some major new features this year aimed at making the quality of life improvements for readers and authors both. 
    Collections - All members can now create collections of stories to keep to themselves or share with the rest of GA members.  We also added the option to create Curated Collections.  We'll be adding one of those soon for everyone.  You can find collections on the Stories page.  https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/collections/ Reading History - Ever accidentally close your browser or forget what story you were reading last week?  Gay Authors now has a Reading History option that not only keeps track of what the last few dozen stories you were reading were, they tell you the chapter you last viewed too!  This is a completely opt-in feature.  You must turn it on to use it.  It is technically a special collection so if you click the collection link above, you can turn on your Reading History there. Reading Stats - This feature was requested for a long time by authors.  We have always tracked views on stories and chapters, but they were not time-bound.  Meaning, the longer the story was on GA, the more views it would have.  It wasn't that useful.  The Reading Stats feature allows you to set a time to see what people are reading recently.  This helps give authors an idea if a promotion you did works or what kind of topics/genres are popular at any given time.  There are tons of sorting/filtering options to crunch the data as well. https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/reading-stats/ Story Goals - Feedback is the lifeblood of an author.  Since most online authors are not getting paid monetarily, feedback is the only way they know they are hitting their mark.  We added Story Goals to help give a visual kick to people to remind them to write comments and reviews.  The goals appear in various places on the site and give a good show of activity in the Stories system.  The goals, current and historical, can be found here: https://gayauthors.org/stories/goals/ Tons of small fixes and additions - We continue to add and enhance the Stories system to help give authors and readers what they want.  We've tracked down and corrected a few of the more burdensome bugs this year and have hopefully put them behind us for good.  In the background, we've added some additional enhancements for authors and the various ways we categorize stories that will be put to good use in the coming year. Site Blogs and Anthologies:
    Classic Author Feature - Thank you to @Cia for the hard work she does with graphics and feature blogs for our Classic Authors.  There are a lot of story gems out there from our 17 years of being online and she helps bring them to the service to get the attention they deserve. CSR- Can't Stop Reading - Thanks to @Cia again for the work she does in writing up the blogs and promotions to highlight authors all across the site.  The whole blog is worth hitting the Follow button on so you can keep up to date with all the up and coming stories as well as the classics. Anthologies - A special thank you to @Renee Stevens and her team for all their help in getting our Anthologies going this year (and every year).  Also, a special thanks to the authors that took the time to write and submit the 27 stories in this year's anthologies. Prompts - A special thank you to @comicfan for the weekly prompts.  Lots of authors have fun week after week with them. Articles - A special thank you to @Comicality for the weeks of articles early this year.  They helped promote a lot of discussion around important writing topics. He'll be back in 2020 with more articles for our discussion pleasure. Ask An Author - A special thanks to @Carlos Hazday for his work with "Ask an Author".  These interviews are always a fascinating insight to our family of authors here at GA. Author Guess Who - A warm thank you to @Renee Stevens for her "Author Guess Who" features, which provide a series of clues to see how much members know about their authors. Story Reviews - A great big thank you to the review team,  for their 15 story reviews and 1 special review they completed this year. Weekly Wrap Up - A very special thanks to @wildone for his great efforts and our weekly wrap up blogs.  He adds humor and links to all the fun that goes on each week here on GA. So, once again, Thank You Everyone for making Gay Authors what it is.  Thank you to the Staff and Teams for all that you do behind the scenes for your fellow members.  The jobs are sometimes thankless things we toil away at, but I'm sure the members appreciate it.  I know I do.  Without all of us working together, we couldn't keep doing this year after year. 
    To all who celebrate:
    Merry Christmas!
    Happy Hanukkah!
    Blessings this Winter Solstice!
    Happy Boxing Day!
    Happy Kwanzaa!
    Happy Festivus for the Restivus!

    Last, but not least, I wish you the very best of a New Year!
    Myr
  11. Myr

    Story Archive Updated

    By Myr,


    Technology Archive
    We've updated Stories again!
    Story Collections All members will now have the ability to create a list of stories List can be public or private List can be ordered or unordered. The feature also allows for Curated lists of stories to be created by the staff.  For example, we can create a "Gay Author's Classics" collection of stories.  Or any number of other options. Review link added to Last Chapter of Completed Stories On the last chapter of a story with a status that allows reviews, there is now a link to the review section on the table of contents page. Lock link title from edit on publish for Author Upon publishing a story, the link title will be locked.  (link title is usually generated automatically and this reduces confusion when editing stories) Automatic Story Status Update Stories will now be automatically set on hold if an author stops showing up on site for a set period of time and the story has had no updates. Stories will now be automatically set to abandoned if an author stops showing up on site after a set period of time Category Enhancement Story data for entire category displayed under the category name.  Similar to series/worlds. Story of the Moment Widget Random story link to further highlight stories on different areas of the site Quality of Life Enhancements For authors, when you visit the series page, your buttons will be "Add Series" and "My Series".  Same for worlds and collections. Otherwise, it'll show "add story" and "my stories" like always. For members, "Add Collection" and "My Collections" will appear on most pages stories are listed. "Premium Stories" link was moved to the top of the right-side menu.  Premium Stories pays the bills and keeps us open... just saying.  
     
  12. Myr

    Anthology Flashback - Fall 2014 - Scars 4 of 4

    By Myr,


    Anthologies
    October is upon us and it is time for another month of Flashbacks!  But first, authors, please make sure you are working on the anthologies due November 15th!  (see above)
    Without further ado, here are the last 5 stories from Fall of 2014:  Scars!
     
  13. Myr

    Anthology Flashback - Fall 2014 - Scars 3 of 4

    By Myr,


    Anthologies
    October is upon us and it is time for another month of Flashbacks!  But first, authors, please make sure you are working on the anthologies due November 15th!  (see above)
    Without further ado, here is part 3 of 4 of October 2019's Anthology Flashback.  We are going back to Fall of 2014 with the them of Scars!
     
  15. Myr
    October is upon us and it is time for another month of Flashbacks!  But first, authors, please make sure you are working on the anthologies due November 15th!  (see above)
    Without further ado, here is October 2019's Anthology Flashback.  We are going back to Fall of 2014 with the them of Scars!
     
  16. Myr

    Anthology Flashback Fall 2013 Part 4 of 4

    By Myr,


    Anthologies
    We are bringing back our Anthology Thursday features! Each month, we'll do a flashback to a previous Anthology.  During that month, we'll feature each of the stories from that theme.
    This month, we're jumping back to the Fall of 2013 and the theme of Pandora's Box.

    The final set of 5 stories:
     
  17. Myr

    Anthology Flashback Fall 2013 Part 3 of 4

    By Myr,


    Anthologies
    We are bringing back our Anthology Thursday features! Each month, we'll do a flashback to a previous Anthology.  During that month, we'll feature each of the stories from that theme.
    This month, we're jumping back to the Fall of 2013 and the theme of Pandora's Box.

    The third set of 5 stories:
     
  18. Myr

    Anthology Flashback Fall 2013 Part 2 of 4

    By Myr,


    Anthologies
    We are bringing back our Anthology Thursday features! Each month, we'll do a flashback to a previous Anthology.  During that month, we'll feature each of the stories from that theme.
    This month, we're jumping back to the Fall of 2013 and the theme of Pandora's Box.

    The second 5 stories:
     
  19. Myr

    Bug Fixes and New Goals Widget

    By Myr,


    Technology Archive
    We have posted a new version of Stories on the site.  Things are going well so far. It correct a number of small issues.  We've also added the ability to put up a goal box for feedback items.
    You'll see it on various points on the site.

    Be sure to do your part in hitting our goals to give Authors more feedback! 
  20. Myr

    Anthology Flashback Fall 2013 Part 1 of 4

    By Myr,


    Anthologies
    We are bringing back our Anthology Thursday features! Each month, we'll do a flashback to a previous Anthology.  During that month, we'll feature each of the stories from that theme.
    This month, we're jumping back to the Fall of 2013 and the theme of Pandora's Box.

    The first 5 stories:
    Please help us out by reading and reviewing these stories.
  21. Myr

    Forum Consolidation and Club Clean Up

    By Myr,


    Technology Archive
    As part of keeping up with changing times, we have done a consolidation of forums and clubs and have removed stuff that was not getting enough use.  This will hopefully consolidate our active content into less places as well as making the "Fluid View" of the the forums more useful.

    The changes we've made:
    Clubs
    o    Closed Fanfiction Club and moved topics to Writer's Circle - Specialized Fiction Forum
    o    Closed Sci-Fi Writers Club and moved topics to Writer's Circle - Specialized Fiction
    o    Closed Fantasy Writer's Club and moved topics to Writer's Circle - Specialized Fiction
    o    Closed Marketing Club and moved topics to Writer's Circle - Opportunities
    o    Closed Tech and Science Geek Clubs and tag topics with 'tech geeks'  and moved into The Lounge
    o    Closed Premium Content Authors.  New calls for Premium Content will appear in Writer's Circle - Opportunities
    Forums
    o    Sports Forum - tag all topics from last year "Sports" and moved into The Lounge and remove forum
    o    Video Gamers - tag all topics "gamers" and moved them into the Lounge and remove forum
    o   Moved Writing Community Category to number 2 slot under GA Community
    o    Moved Teen Spot to Community Fun and Games at bottom
     
     
  22. Myr

    Stories Software Update

    By Myr,


    Technology Archive
    First thing this morning, I applied a new Stories Archive software update.  This was a minor update that was mostly focused on bugs.
    Added new feature on forum posts that shows how many Stories you have reviewed and how many story/chapter comments you have made Added "Story Review Guidelines", "Story Comment Guidelines" and "Chapter Comment Guidelines" feature that pops up a box when clicked that can offer general site guidelines for posting comments and reviews.  If you click on them currently, you'll get "Coming Soon" Added a story-only reputation count, that is currently only showing to staff.  We're working on getting that changed so that it shows to staff and the author.  This directly affects those in the story moderation queue and the automatic promotion out of it.  When browsing by World, Series, or Story, miscellaneous media items will no longer appear in the list.  Only banners for promoted author groups will show. The "Featured Story" that the staff pins on the first page of the story listing, will now properly not cover the story search bar for non-author groups. On stories where there are many Authors, Editors and Beta Readers, they will now be listed alphabetically.  (Main Author is always listed first and additional authors are alphabetical) Unpublished chapter count where dozens of chapters were listed as unpublished is now corrected. The meta data on stories should now correctly reflect published chapter data not everything.  (error was seen where it would say there are 10 chapters, but only 6 would be visible) Miscellaneous bug fixes. The only major feature still in the pipeline are the Statistics.  We've been collecting them since Jan 2018.  There are more than 18,000,000 hits since that time. The release of the new forum version that required a lot of rewriting, delayed it.  There are also a number of bugs, some of them very stubborn, that we're still working on.  Some of this is caused by the default behavior of the underlying software that we have to work around.  (double notification thing on reactions, for example)
    Stay Tuned and be sure to follow this blog.  It helps me track how useful people find these posts.
  23. Myr

    Editor behavior change

    By Myr,


    Technology Archive
    We have changed the way the editor behaves due to the difficulty in maintaining the code for it.  It used to work that when you hit "return" it would go to a new line.  Now when you hit "return" it goes to a new paragraph.
    Example:
    This is a new line from Example
    This is a new paragraph.
    If you would like a new line, instead of new paragraph, hit shift-return.
    This was part of what caused the double space error you see in some stories.  Now, some posts will seem oddly spaced.  It should fix itself going forward as people get used to the format.
  24. Myr

    Forums 4.4.2 and other changes

    By Myr,


    Technology Archive
    Today, we are upgrading the site to the latest version of the forum software.  While there are not going to be a lot of visible changes, there was a ton of things changed under the hood that is geared towards making the site faster loading and to operate better on mobile devices.  It is going to take a few days to sort through the various settings and getting things operating properly.
    I'm going to post here several times as we go through this process.
    Some changes that have occurred prior to the upgrade:
    Today's birthday's widget has been removed.  Due to the ongoing privacy issues and trying to comply with various rules and regulations on the topic, as well as to make it simpler to maintain the code on the site, we have removed the "Today's Birthday" widget.  When you are on the main forum page, this will no longer be displayed. We have removed the require for you to enter your birthday.  Also to make it easier to comply with privacy rules, we've removed the birthday requirement.  However, so we can still comply with laws regarding minors, you are required to enter your current Age.  Teenagers MUST have their exact age.  We have added a bunch of fields to the profile for links to various social media sites.  Feel free to drop a link to your content. More will be coming today.

    Well, we now support Giphy, the animated Gif place.  Often times, we can't express our feelings in text and this is one way to do it.  The "GIF" box in the editor will pull up a search box for you to select from.
    Most of the front end stuff has been minor tweaks with the vast majority of changes geared to makes things fast and snappy. 
    An important change:  We can now control the devices widgets show on.  In order to speed up mobile devices, a lot of the widgets will be turned off on mobile, thus requiring less to load.
     
    Please report any bugs you encounter here or in the help forum and we ask for patience if you experience any.
  25. Myr

    Server Software Updates

    By Myr,


    Technology Archive
    I have done some updates on the underlying server software today.  If you were around while I was doing this, the site was going up and down like a yo-yo.   A reboot and a couple of services restart later and I think we are up and running. Everything I tested seems to be working and all the big red warning flags I was getting have cleared.  
    (for the technically inclined, we went from PHP 7.0 end of life version to PHP7.1.  I had to get the extensions right and update the caching system. bleh. I hate command line linux)
     
    In theory, we should be good.  If you bump into a hairball, be sure to post below with as many details as you can so I can reproduce the issue.
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