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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.