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As the saying goes "Better Late than never", we are happy to report our Ning Data Importer is finally online! To import your Ning data you will go to import.spruz.com, login with your email address and password, and when prompted join the website. Our import website allows us to centralize information about the import process and will be used to import data from Social Go and Grou.ps in the very near future.
Once you are logged in you can click on the Ning Import link to start your data import process. Before starting make sure you have all your information exported from your Ning website.
The process of developing an import for the Ning data was a huge challenge due to continuous issues we discovered with the Ning Data files, but we are happy our development team was able to work around most issues.
At this time we also wanted to update you on the status of other features in development and update their timelines.
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Wiki - This is the replacement to the current Knowledge base feature. As many of you know it has been a long time coming and one of those items that just had to be pushed back a few times. The Wiki is a complex feature that should have a range of uses. Estimated release date 1-3 weeks
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SPL (Spruz Platform Language) and API (Application Programming Interface) release - Opening up the platform for 3rd party developers has always been in our plan, and I am happy to report that we are closer then ever with the full release of our SPI documentation, new API interface and App Library. Estimated Release date for full SPI Documentation 4-5 weeks and our API 6-9 weeks.
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Content Settings - Content settings is a new section that will be added to the Site Settings area to give you more detailed control over your website features. Content settings will allow you to control comment box features, ability to customize the sharing and rating features on Videos, Photos Etc., member file space limit settings, and more. Estimated release date 2-5 weeks.
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Content Templates - This a progression update that is in progress now. Content templates in time will allow you to control all system text within your website. This system can also be used to change the language of system text. Part of this update also includes a new setting that is soon to be added to your site settings that will allow you to control the character set your website uses to display content.
We want to remind everyone that if you encounter issues with the import tools please report the issue in the forums of our data import site.
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Community of the Week
This week's Community of the Week is HIM Addicts. It was created by Magik as a community site for fans of the Finnish band HIM..
HIM Addicts are passionate about what they enjoy, and the site reflects this. You're greeted by a high quality image that serves as both an introduction for why the site exists and a centerpiece for the rest of the design. The rest of the site's design uses the same color scheme, tying everything together to make for a great presentation. As you scroll down the page it's obvious that the community comes first, which is fitting for a website. The structure of the page is inviting, and helps users understand what to do next.
Congratulations to HIM Addicts!
There are seven more sites that will be featured until our next Community of the Week voting begins, the winner of which will receive $120 worth of free Spruz upgrades and more! If you'd like a shot at our next round of rewards post an introduction that follows the guidelines we've provided.
Suggestion of the Week
This week's suggestion comes from rwanger who would like to see the ability to allow users to subscribe to the Blog element without using RSS, automatically sending them an email whenever a new blog has been posted. Users would have the option to subscribe to the Blog feature if they like, and remove themselves at any time.
As always we want to hear what you think about each idea. If you've thought of a feature you'd like to see added to the Spruz platform feel free to post it in the Idea Room. Remember to make it as detailed as possible; all topics must be approved before they'll appear.
Tip of the Week
This week's tip by KuruptGaming x shows you how to add "spoilers" to a page on your website. The technique is often used by forums to hide large blocks of text or images, making pages load faster and improving the overall user experience.
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We have officially released our new Music feature that is now available for all premium websites. An integrated music player has always been one of our most requested features, however the added costs of bandwidth usage and being able to track that usage has always been a major obstacle to over come.
The Music Feature comes in 2 parts, a site and a profile music player.
To add the Website Music Player; go to any Element based page, enter management mode and click on Add Element. Next go to Stand Alone Elements and click on the Music player you will see in the list. You won't see the music player unless you have a website upgrade. Upgrade for only $9.95/mo to use the Music Player Feature .
To Enabled the Profile Music Player; go to your website Management Mode > Settings > Manage Settings. Next go to Stand Alone Elements and click on Member Profile Settings. On the member settings page you will notice an section that lists Available Profile Elements, Check the box that says Music Player and save changes. Now when you go to your profile and Add an Element you will have the music player. Upgrade for only $9.95/mo to use the Music Player Feature.
Top Features of our New Music Player
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Upload or Link to MP3 Files
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Share Music Across Players
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Drag and Drop Playlist Sorting
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Shuffle Playlist feature
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Auto Play setting
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Control Access Levels of who can add music
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Customize your players style with Custom CSS code.
As with past updates there may be unexpected issues or problems. Please use our support tickets to report issues encountered.
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The votes are in and your voices have been heard. The winner of our second Community of the Week competition is:
Natural Horse Network
They have won a $120 account credit to upgrade their website, a Spruz T-Shirt and will be placed on the Spruz home page for two months! We'd like to take this opportunity to thank all those that submitted an introduction and those that voted. We hope you all enjoyed this community event!
We'll be posting the next Community Spotlight this upcoming Saturday, where we'll highlight a Community of the Week, Suggestion of the Week and Tip of the Week. Once eight Community Spotlights have been posted we'll open up voting once again and allow you to choose your favorite.
The purpose of the Community of the Week competition has always been to highlight members that have put time and energy into making their community something special. We're looking forward to seeing an introduction for your site and possibly selecting it as the Community of the Week!
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Spruz would like to extend a warm welcome to actress Lisa Nova and her community, Lisa Nova Live. Lisa has made several appearances on MADtv, as well as The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
She is well known for her wildly popular YouTube persona, where she's been heavily involved since the early days of the service. Lisa specializes in comedy, creating parodies of famous celebrities, commercials, television shows, and political figures. Altogether her videos have received well over 100 million combined views, resulting in over 600,000 subscribers.
Lisa Nova's community makes use of the great features offered by Spruz, such as posting regular blog updates, allowing members to connect via the forum and uploading videos she's created. Stop by Lisa Nova Live to see how Lisa is using the Spruz platform to engage with and grow her fan base.
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