Jun 30th 2008 12:08:55 pm

Having trouble figuring out how to mark a swap a sent, rate your partners, or view participants?

The yellow swap option box on all swap info pages is now located in the upper right corner of the page under the main blue links.

Some people (especially those using Internet Explorer) are still having layout issues and the right column flows below the middle column, making the yellow swap option box appear below the swap comments. That should not be happening and we will hopefully get it fixed asap. see image below for clarification.

The yellow option box is the same as it has always been, it is just in a slightly different spot. You should find all of your usual options in it.

The new layout changes should not be extremely drastic. If the site is looking terrible, try refreshing a few times. It might take a while to get the full new format loaded if you have the old version cached. We will also continue to work on the IE problems and adjust the text sizes and spacing throughout the site. Have patience.

Thanks for your help. I promise things will keep on improving!

5 Comments » Categories: General

Jun 29th 2008 09:56:55 am

Swap-bot looks different - what’s going on?

In order to improve the speed of Swap-bot we had to switch to a better web hosting service. We made the full switch to the new server on Saturday night. This switch required some slight infrastructure changes which led to a few more changes that we think are an improvement. Following is a list of the site changes:

• Faster service - Swap-bot should now load much faster and we hope to never have periods of extremely slow service like previously experienced. Sweet!
• Layout changes - In order to pay for the new hosting service we have to publish more and better ads. The new layout includes a standardized center column that allows us to show display ads in the right column. The new size of the center column is smaller for the Find Swaps and Dashboard (previously My Swaps) pages, but larger for the profile pages. This change may affect your profile layout. You may have to adjust how images flow on your profile. We are sorry for that inconvenience. (The new profile column size is 490 pixels… that info could help when making graphics.) You will also notice that the large left sidebar links have been moved to the top right of all main Swap-bot pages. There are additional links to many main site pages, including the Terms of Use and FAQ, in the new footer at the bottom of all pages. You probably also noticed our new, cute airmail mascot in the upper left corner. Yippee!
• Dashboard = My Swaps - We have changed the name of the My Swaps page to “Dashboard.” Eventually the Dashboard section will contain more info (groups, friends, updates, etc), but for now it simply contains all of your swap lists: Current Swaps, Sent Swaps (Previous Swaps), Archived Swaps, and the new Watchlist. The swap lists also look slightly different. The number of total swappers is now located in the top left corner and the beginning of the swap description is no longer shown. Also, all group swaps and private swaps now have that designation automatically added to the title.
• Watched Swaps - Due to popular demand (and because it is a great idea) you can now watch swaps. Under the sign up link for each swap there is now a link to watch the swap instead. By clicking the watch link the swap will show up under your Watchlist on your Dashboard. You will not be officially signed up for the swap, but you will be better able to keep track of those swaps you are thinking about joining. You can receive email alerts about your watched swaps (sent one week and two days before the sign up deadline) by going to “Preference” under the profile “Edit” screen and checking the last email preference box. The default is that you do NOT receive email notifications for watched swaps. Also, you will not be automatically signed up for your watched swaps. You must log in and click on the sign up link for your watched swaps in order to be officially signed up.
• Twitter - Swap-bot’s Twitter works again! If you are a member of Twitter you can sign up to Follow Swap-bot here. You will then get a tweet every time a new swap is created.

These new changes - especially to the layout - will take a little getting used to, but we think it will be worth it. All of the same site content is still here, there just might be a slightly different way to get to it. We realize there is still a lot to do and we promise to keep improving everything as quickly as we can. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

9 Comments » Categories: General

Jun 28th 2008 01:33:23 pm

I am sure everyone is aware of the “slow downs” in Swap-bot service that we have been experiencing periodically. We have been having difficulty with our current web hosting service and are in the process of switching to a higher capacity service. The final switch to the new server will happen tonight. The switch will require about 15 minutes of downtime which will occur at approximately 10 pm US Pacific time TONIGHT. I am sorry for the inconvenience, but it is necessary.

In conjunction with the switch there are some significant changes that you will notice on Swap-bot. There will be a few layout changes and a few feature additions - including a swap “watch list.” Mostly you will hopefully just notice that the site is running much quicker. More info about the site changes will be released soon. Please have patience as there will surely be a few little glitches as the changes are implemented.

Also, Travis and I are doing our best on this site. I wish we could provide the kind of service we all expect from large sites like Facebook or MySpace, but frankly, we cannot. I am extremely (disgracefully) behind on answering support email, but I am trying to catch up. I am sorry. We really enjoy running this site and providing a fun tool, but we must do it on our own terms. If it is no longer fun for you to use or visit, I am sorry. Like usual, I will suggest using groups if your want to interact with an exclusive set of users.

Ok, so thanks for your patience as we switch to the new server. It is a big job, so wish us luck!!

3 Comments » Categories: Announcements, New Features

Jun 27th 2008 01:07:24 am

I have not done one of these in a while, but here is a lonely edition of Friday Link Love:

• Swap-bot was mentioned on the blog of hip, Australian magazine, Frankie. We were also mentioned in May on TrendCentral. Press is great. Let us know if you see Swap-bot mentioned anywhere.
• For matchbox lovers, you must see Abigail Brown’s matchbox birds and creatures in boxes. So adorably pretty.
• Two fun sites created by my friends that you gotta check out: bumberstickr & hilarious.net

3 Comments » Categories: friday link love