| Latest Updates and Subscriber Benefits
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| Thursday, March 01, 2007 |
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Smart-Thinker UserProfile 4.3.5 Released
By Rodney Joyce @ 4:27 PM
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The latest version comes with MySpace-like MyFriends capabilities - see PokerDIY for an example (feel free to set up an account to test) or you can download a trial version here.
Enhancements
- Added MySpace-type "MyFriends" functionality with templated emails
- Added "20" records to UserSearch Control Settings
- Added ModuleID and TabID to Template Parameters
- UserSearch control enhanced to have default mode selection and more control over what is shown
- Updated "Send Message" and "Add Friend" to standard UI
- If a core user record is viewed that does not have a ST associated record this is now created on the fly so the ViewCounter is more accurate
- Improved error-handling around token replacement params
- New View: Latest Users (4.3.4)
- New Settings on UserSearch views (4.3.4)
BugFixes
- Removed Gender token from default template in case the site did not have it configured
- Change PM Integration to use pmtype and not type
- - http://www.ventrian.com/Support/ProductForums/tabid/118/forumid/5/tpage/2/view/topic/postid/12829/Default.aspx
- Fixed Show Search Text Setting persistance problem
- UserSearch now trims search text so "Rodney " is effectively "Rodney"
- Gender error trapping enhanced for different configs
- Fixed issue with dropdownlist user selection on edit profile
- Fixed bug with EditProfile token
- Fixed bug in GetRandom userID stored proc - checks User table too now for orphaned records
- Fixed Licensing Issue with Trial License (4.3.4)
- Fixed PrivateMessaging integration (no longer has settings - Template-based)
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The HomePage module is being retired from the Smart-Thinker Product Suite
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It is with much regret that I've decided to retire this module from the
suite due to a number of reasons, one of them being the architecture of the
module and the choices made to try and solve the limitations of 1 role per user.
In the end the module works on a small scale but it requires constant
maintenance every time a new version of the core is released. It is also a
potential security hazard as the core might change and expose a hole in the
module (this is a result of the module being too tightly coupled to the DNN core
to try and integrate itself with the core role/tab functionality).
The other reason is that module development is simply not sustainable. I
spend a lot of time each month supporting this module (it's one of the smallest
development efforts but consumes the most time in support due to the
architecture). I'll share some figures with you to illustrate this point: I
have between 15-25 Product Suite sales a month. Most customers purchase the $49
Silver Product Suite, which equates to just over $1000 a month of income (£500),
which is not enough to cover the cost of living in London.
I've had to be realistic with regards to how many modules a single person
(Smart-Thinker is comprised of 1 programmer, 1 CEO, 1 Analyst and a cook, but
unfortunately they are all the same person) can work on. My ultimate goal is to
make a suite of products that can emulate social networking sites like MySpace,
and the HomePage module does not fit in. I have hundreds of ideas for the
Groups, Events and User Profile module (keep an eye out for "My Friends"
functionality coming soon with the UserProfile module!) but I do not have enough
time to develop them all (even working full time). I either have to cease module
development or take drastic action to try and increase the amount of time I
spend on development.
I have fixed 2 outstanding issues in the HomePage module (child portal role
creation and the tool bar for non-admin edit roles), but this will be the last
release (4.3.2). The source will be made available to all Smart-Thinker
customers, but will be unsupported. I will not be able to dedicate time to this
module's support and questions on the Forums can be answered by other members. I
hope that by making the source available solutions will be shared and the
existing limitations of the module will be overcome.
I have opened
this thread for discussion on this subject. I apologise to all HomePage
users and I hope you understand that this is a better action than simply ceasing
module development like so many other forgotten DNN developers... |
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| Monday, November 27, 2006 |
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Smart-Thinker Referrals 4.3.1 Released
By Rodney Joyce @ 1:38 PM
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:: 0 Comments
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This module allows you to "Tell a Friend" about your site. It has a highly customizable UI and you can send from 1 to 10 referrals at once. The new email templates allow you to configure the messages at module level and you can change the layout by tweaking the settings.
Please note that this version is for DotNetNuke 4.3.5+. This module
can be seen in action on PokerDIY.com (Find live poker games and
leagues). It is used on the "Tell a Friend" page with all fields showing, and a scaled-down, simpler version is used on the "Registration Successful" page where you can just enter 3 email addresses.
You can download a free trial version for your own site here.
Enhancements
- Updated to work with DNN 4.3.5+ (e.g. Changed old references etc.)
- Source converted to 2005 WAP project (C# and ASP.NET 2.0)
- Introduction of LicenseKey for free trial version and LicenseValidation on portal limit
- EmailTemplate for Subject and Message with Replacement Paramaters allows more flexibility
- Can now select 1 to 10 emails/names to send to
- FirstName, Subject and Message now optional with settings
- Default text for Subject and Message (if visible - can be overridden)
- Localized missing language strings
- Configurable labels to change UI through settings
- XHTML improvements (Removal of uppercase HTML)
- Replaced deprecated Mail send methods
- Adheres to DNN core document "Secure Module Development" (XSS, SQL Injections etc.)
- Adheres to DNN core document "DotNetNuke Module Developers Guide"
- Updated EULA to reflect new License Agreement and Portal Limations
BugFixes
- Fixed HTML Encoding issue
Please note that the Referrals module on Smart-Thinker is the 3.x version and does NOT contain all of these features.
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Smart-Thinker UserGroups 4.3.1 Released
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This module allows users to create private or public groups of users. Groups can be public and joinable or closed to new membership. Users can search groups by Category, Country or freetext tags. If the group allows new members then they can join the group. The group owner can send Private Messages to the group or invite groups to Events. This module was based loosely on the MySpace Groups implementation.
Please note that this version is for DotNetNuke 4.3.5+. This module can be seen in action on PokerDIY.com (Find live poker games and leagues).
You can download a free trial version for your own site here.
Enhancements
- Updated to work with DNN 4.3.5+ (e.g. Changed old reference to new MS Access Data Block.dll etc.)
- Source converted to 2005 WAP project (C# and ASP.NET 2.0) inc. refactor
- Updated to use correct DNN 4.x User and Role retrieval methods
- Search by Tags or Address/Name/Summary
- View Groups by Category or Country
- Better formatted Group Detail
- Introduction of LicenseKey for free trial version and performs LicenseValidation on portal limit
- Module Settings now displays current License and Portal Limit if logged in as Host
- Implemented ISearchable on Public Groups (name, summary, city, country)
- Integration with Ventrian's Private Messages - Group Owner can send PMs to the Group
- Localized missing language strings
- Formatted ModuleConfig now online
- All User names are now DisplayName and not full name for privacy reasons
- When you create a Group you are now automatically added as a member
- Add Role now optional (Yes/No/Admin Only)
- When visible, Non-Public, Paying Roles now only appear to Admin, not all users
- Group Owner can now determine Group is Joinable or Public - not just Admin
- Add Members button on Group Detail page now
- MyGroups now only show groups that I have created or that I am a member of
- Removed Roadmap.txt from installed Documentation - available online
- Better XHTML standards - lowercase HTML, Quoted Attributes etc
- Adheres to DNN core document "Secure Module Development" (XSS, SQL Injections etc.)
- Adheres to DNN core document "DotNetNuke Module Developers Guide"
- Updated EULA to reflect new License Agreement and Portal Limitations
BugFixes
- Fixed bug - Now retrieves modules by ModuleName and not FriendlyName - (inc. Ventrian Private Messages integration)
- Fixed bug where the ModuleActions would not show if the skin did not have the correct skin objects
Note that a UserGroup is a logical, user-defined grouping, and does not affect security or access rights.
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Smart-Thinker September Newsletter
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Welcome to the quarterly Smart-Thinker DotNetNuke Newsletter.
Module Updates
Smart-Thinker UserProfiles 4.3.1 (Trial version now available for download)
View other user profiles and see upcoming birthdays. User Directory, Photo uploading and Image in Directory Search. Danish language pack available.
Smart-Thinker HomePage 4.3.1 (Trial version now available for download)
Users create their own page and can add/edit their own modules - think "MyYahoo". Your users can now have their own gallery, blog and favourite links for example. This version only creates ONE role in total. Danish language pack available.
Smart-Thinker Events 1.0.5 (Now Certified by DotNetNuke Review Program)
Bookable events with email notifications and RSVP management.
Development 80% complete on new 4.3.1 version with Trial
French language pack available.
Upcoming Developments
The top priority is bringing all modules up to the 4.3.1 version (for DotNetNuke 4.3.x) with a Trial and in VS 2005 WAP format. The next module due it the Events module with a LOT of new functionality (RSS Feeds, Export to Outlook, Better filtering, Attachments, Limited Places and a lot more). After this, the UserProfile module is due to be redesigned to take advantage of the extensible core, as well as UI templating in all modules like the DNN core FAQ module.
We also have 2 new modules planned in the next 2-4 months: the Smart-Thinker Scheduler and the Smart-Thinker Wizard. As per our blog a lot more time will be spent on DNN Development in the upcoming months.
DotNetNuke 4.x
As you may have read in our DotNetNuke Development Blog, we are not releasing any new modules or updates in DotNetNuke 3.x. As a small company, we simply cannot afford to develop, test, support and maintain two distinct lines of code. According to the recent survey on Smart-Thinker, only 1/3 of the you are still using DNN 3.x, and any code we write in ASP.NET is literally “throw away” code. Sincere apologies to those who are unable to upgrade – this was not an easy decision to make, but a necessary one.
Note that all current modules will continue to function as normal, and we will release 3.x patches of any show-stopping bugs (but they won’t have any new functionality). We are aware that there is a problem on the DNN 3.3.3+ version of the HomePage module, and this is on "To Fix" list - we are trying to find time to schedule it in.
Advertising
We've recently invested a lot of money into our own advertising and Search Engine Optimization, resulting in a Google Page Rank of 4 on Smart-Thinker, and 5 on the DotNetNuke Directory. This has also resulted in between 5-15 new users signing up a day (on target to hit the 5000 user mark around November).
We get over 2500 Page Views a day (around 250 unique visitors a day according to Google Analytics) – which means our 10 or so Banner Adverts get a LOT of exposure and traffic.
We are currently trialing text links on the Smart-Thinker Home Page (in prime view on the left - seen by 250 users each day) – it’s currently $5 a week. This link WILL send a lot of potential customers to your site. We stopped using Google Ads a few months ago as they clutter up the site and we want to have pure, useful DotNetNuke Ads on our site only.
Contact us if you would like to channel some of this DotNetNuke business to your site with a Banner Ad, or purchase a home page text link here (due to the introductory price these will be taken quickly).
Seen in Action
Do you use our modules on a public site? Get some free advertising and submit it to the “Seen in Action” section. Likewise, we’d appreciate any testimonials you have regarding our products, website or support.
Pricing and Subscriptions
You spoke, we listened: from now on we are not using automatic recurring subscriptions. We’ve had to be more realistic about our prices and we’ve had to incorporate Portal Usage into our pricing to make it fairer and sustainable. This means that if you use a module on more than 5-10 portals you will need to purchase an Enterprise License. The modules now check the number of Portals they are used on and will display a message if you exceed your licensed limit.
We also decided not to charge for version upgrades – instead the different product suites come with a period of time which you can receive patches and updates for. For example, if you purchase the Enterprise Product Suite you get ALL modules and ALL upgrades free for the next year. An added bonus is that when we release a new module you get this free as well. Once this period has expired your modules will continue to work as normal. If you renew your plan before it has expired than you receive 30% the price for the following year. Alternatively you can re-purchase a plan when it suits you.
All current, active recurring subscriptions are still valid and will be left on the old prices (at time of purchase). Consider this a thank-you for your support – you can leave it as long as you like and you are immune to our price rises.
New Licensing
Please be aware of our new License Agreement - Note that this will only apply to new product purchases and not existing, recurring subscriptions. The new licensing is based on usage and each module is licensed to be used on a maximum a number of portals.
PokerDIY – Free tools and leagues for home poker players
If you know anyone who enjoys playing poker with their friends at home or run a league then please introduce them to PokerDIY. We use all our Smart-Thinker modules to power this site and it has been well received so far. Our aim is to make it the Number 1 Home Poker League website in the next year. Now that’s DogFooding!
DotNetNuke Directory
If you have not yet seen this then you should consider submitting your site for free advertising and traffic. Our “Top Hits” website has received over 800 hits in a few months – that’s some serious revenue you could be missing out on. Get your site listed for free now. If you don’t have a website, then you can still use the Module Search or DNN FAQ to find what you are looking for.
For all queries, please use the appropriate Forum and we’ll get back to you shortly!
Thanks for your support!
Rodney Joyce (see my DNN Community Profile)
Sponsors
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