Bitmob 2.1 is here!

Shoe_headshot_-_square
Thursday, March 31, 2011

BitmobWe've spent the last few months fixing a lot of nagging issues, tweaking a few functions, and adding a new feature here and there. It's been a long, arduous process, but Bitmob 2.1 is finally here.

First of all, as it says up by our logo, we're still in alpha. That means we still have a long ways to go before Bitmob realizes its full power (we're looking for angel investors to help us get there...). That also means you suckers...er, bestest friends are testers! If you find any problems with the site, we'd appreciate it if you can leave a comment here and let us know. (Please include what browser and browser version you're using.)

OK, then -- so what did we change exactly from Bitmob 2.0? Below is a partial list, if you're interested!

 


New additions:

1. Removed the old "boost" button and replaced it with Facebook, Twitter, and other sharing functions. (Please use these!)

2. If you're writing stories on Bitmob, you should notice a much-improved tagging system with a working auto-suggest feature.

3. Added a few ways you can follow us (Twitter, Facebook, RSS) in the right column. Use 'em! (Pretty please?)

4. Added a spell checker in the Article Editor. Use it! (Pretty please?)

5. Not only can you manually subscribe to any comment thread now, but authors are automatically subscribed to the comments on any stories that they write. You can opt out of this in your Profile: Account Settings, but you probably shouldn't. Don't you want to read what people are saying about your articles?


Fixed problems:

1. You should now stay logged in if you told the system to "remember me." Note: For now, if you're logged in to http://www.bitmob.com, you might not be logged in to http://bitmob.com (without the "www"). We're working on this.

2. Date stamps now show up on the front page.

3. Now if you log in to Bitmob, you will stay on the page you were on instead of it taking you to the home page.

4. In the Article Editor, you can now pick your thumbnails (that will show up in the Mobfeed) and add additional pages (don't abuse this -- people don't like multipage articles).

5. You can save a draft of your article without closing out the Article Editor.

6. Tags are now below the article, just in case you have a huge list of 'em.

7. The Related Stories box should now have...well, related stories.

8. Adding Google Ads to your profile should work now, so you can start making some dough on your posts. Not sure what I'm talking about? See here.

9. The comment counter will continue counting, even if the number of comments gets too high.

10. On your main Profile page and on its Post Manager, the number of comments should now be accurately displayed everywhere (instead of some of them always saying zero).

11. "Subscribe to comments" should now work.

12. Fixed the awkward double-spacing in comments.

13. Your lifetime stats under your Profile: Post Manager should display properly now, with commas for them big numbers!

14. If you click on a tag, it will now show any stories sharing that tag in the correct chronological order.

15. The system navigation links (Xbox 360, PS3, etc.) now filters the appropriate stories through, either on the front page or on the Mobfeed.

3. A ton of various fixes that we don't need to go into here. A ton.


Still broke:

1. MyFeed.

2. Dan "Shoe" Hsu.

 
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Comments (26)
Assassin_shot_edited_small_cropped
March 31, 2011

Great work, guys!

It's good timing from my point of view, too, since my posting hiatus will be over soon (I think...hopefully).

Twit
March 31, 2011

Still broke... Dan Shoe... I see what you did there.

The new buttons look slick. Nice to streamline the sharing and caring functionality.

Default_picture
March 31, 2011

If it helps I'll send you a fiver, Shoe ;)

Default_picture
March 31, 2011

All very nice. The only thing I'd like fixed is the comment box. By making copy/pasting less cumbersome.

Other then that, good job.

Shoe_headshot_-_square
April 01, 2011

Thanks, guys! I hope you like the tweaks. It's weird...it was a LOT more work than what the above list looks like.

Louis: We're always happy to take donations! ;)  Though at first, I thought you wanted to send me a *liver*.

Richard: Why are you on hiatus?

Randy: What do you mean? You want actual copy/paste buttons vs. using ctrl-c or v, you mean?

Assassin_shot_edited_small_cropped
April 01, 2011

@Shoe: I've been doing some freelance work for Ars Technica, preparing for the launch of a video-game related startup company's website (they hired me as the content guy), and teaching some dance classes. It's been keeping me too busy for Bitmob (both in terms of actual time and as a drain on my creative energy).

Demian_-_bitmobbio
April 01, 2011

Next on the bug list: Fix those guys floating around in the left part of the header!

April 01, 2011

This is great news! I can't wait until Bitmob is out of Alpha. It's going to be a perfect site!

Default_picture
April 01, 2011

Call of Duty

Stuff like that Dan

Default_picture
April 01, 2011

I just realized this now, but releasing updates on April fools day not the best idea. 

Alexemmy
April 01, 2011

@Rich - You should take all of these changes away tomorrow and watch the riot that ensues.

Default_picture
April 01, 2011

Dan's broken in the same way Akuma is broken in Street Fighter 2.

Profile_pic4
April 01, 2011

Missed opportunity.  Should have called it Bitmob 4.1, in honor of April Fools' Day.

Pic
April 01, 2011

Awesome!

Any plans for a preview post option?? I really like to make additional edits after I see my article in context of the page. Eh eh?

For now I just hit post and then make edits as fast as I can, but somehow at least 12-15 mobfeeders have already hit my article :O

Xbox
April 01, 2011

Glad to see the thumbnail function is fixed - that one has been bugging me for ages.

Avi2
April 01, 2011

OH HAPPY DAYS!
Finally the tagging and thumbnail system work again! Oh it's been too long. I hope this will help my exposure from a few articles once more.

Thanks @Dan and all the wizkids behind the 2.1 programming update. I can finally start using the site as it should again.

Slick tag system and sections above as well. Kudos throughout.

Itsame_
April 01, 2011
Looks like a winner guys! Great integration of social media for the articles, though I will miss the boost button a little. Any plans to aggregate likes/tweets in the post manager for easy reference?
Lance_darnell
April 01, 2011

Looking and working great! The log-in fix is a god send! :)))

Default_picture
April 01, 2011

Wee! I logged in at the bottom and I stayed on the same page!

Default_picture
April 01, 2011

Good to see the new fixes. I'll be trying my best to post my first post this month, and with these new options seems like it shouldn't be any problems.

Default_picture
April 01, 2011

These sound like awesome fixes and improvements...  Now if only I weren't forced to look at that creepy kid's face every time I come to the page.  Ads shouldn't completely cover the page and be unable to get rid of.  It deters me from coming to the site more often...

Pax_dsi_01
April 02, 2011

Thank you for the log-in fix :)

Shoe_headshot_-_square
April 02, 2011

Keith: That would've been pretty smart, actually (Bitmob 4.1). Wish we thought of that!

Randy: Ah, thank you. Will see what we can do about that.

Rick: No plans for that anytime in the near future, sorry. :(

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone!

Christian_profile_pic
April 02, 2011

Log-in fixes are a dream-come-true. :)

But, at least for me, the Google AdSense stuff is still not working. :(

Shoe_headshot_-_square
April 02, 2011

Christian, would you mind emailing me at shoe [at] bitmob.com and telling me exactly, in painful detail, what went wrong and what browser you're using? Basically, I will copy-paste your note to some Indonesian developers, so it has to be written in simple terms that they can understand and in a way where they can replicate the problem.

Christian_profile_pic
April 02, 2011

Shoe: Sent! Hope it helps. Feel free to let me know if there's anything else I can do to help with this issue. :)

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