Community Spotlight
Community Spotlight, Week of 5-31-10

Community of the Week

This week's Community of the Week Old Time Radio. It was created The Doctor for "Anyone who enjoys old radio shows from the 20's to the 70's, uncut and some with original commercials."

 
A complaint that's often voiced about new developments in communication -- such as the internet -- is that they tend to make what we're used to obsolete. The news paper was replaced by the radio, which was then in large part replaced by the television, and so on. The internet is unique in that it has the ability to bring new life into all forms of communication, which is exactly the purpose of Old Time Radio.
 
The site allows visitors to play radio broadcasts from years past, ranging from the 20s to the 70s. They have an extensive and varied line up which includes mysteries, dramas, westerns, super hero stories, and even original commercials for that final touch of authenticity. Old Time Radio allows anyone to experience a piece of history, both those that grew up with it and those who never knew a radio could be used for more than music.
 
Congratulations once again to everyone at Old Time Radio!
 
There are four more weeks to go before the community will once again vote for the top Community of the Week! 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 fred elliot who recommends that the number of views a photo has had is displayed. He contends that it will increase community interaction, and give members a good gauge as to how the content they're uploading is doing.
 
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
 
jumpchecker has provided a quick and easy way to change the size of your navigation links independently from the rest of the site. Stop by their topic to get the CSS custom code to do so!
 
What's your opinion? Post a response or a tip of your own in our Tips and Tricks forum.
Community Spotlight, Week of 5-24-10

Community of the Week

This week's Community of the Week is Gathering Books. It was created by Mara Daradar as "a space devoted to celebrating timeless narratives written for the young-at-heart."

 
Gathering Books stays true to its purpose, and makes it clear to visitors with an introduction to help them get acquainted with the content of the site. Its well written and colorfully worded copy make it obvious who the intended audience is -- book lovers. From there the home page's clean layout draws the reader further down the page, where images are used to introduce each new article. It's interesting to note that the site owners are comfortable with introducing their users with content that bridges the purpose of the site to one that some would consider completely different in that they review a movie. The important thing is that it's still useful to the audience, and stays true to the story telling theme of the website.
 
Congratulations once again to everyone at Gathering Books!
 
There are four more weeks to go before the community will once again vote for the top Community of the Week! 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 CH Staff, who recommends that a new element be added that shows posts from a specific category within the forum. They speculate that it would make it easier to highlight important sections within the forum, and have the added benefit of introducing users to areas of the forum they might not be familiar with.
 
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
 
Tokyorose has recommended the use of Getclicky.com analytics. They tout the fact that it updates live and provides detailed information about what type of people are using the site. This information can be used for advertising or simply providing your users with a better experience.
 
What's your opinion? Post a response or a tip of your own in our Tips and Tricks forum.
Community Spotlight, Week of 5-17-10

It's time yet again for another Community Spotlight. I hope the weekend has been treating you all well.

Community of the Week

This week's Community of the Week is Black History Year Round Directory. It was created by Black History YRD as a central location where visitors could get information about the African American heritage.

 
Visitors are greeted by a well designed site that isn't overburdened by images, using them to highlight key areas on the site. Within the first five seconds you know what the site is about since it does a great job of introducing you to the purpose through imagery and music.
 
As you scroll down the page the community is featured prominently, which shows that the community is active and encourages visitors to get involved. The main feature of the website is the link directory, which acts as a controlled way of compiling websites from around the web that the African American community would find interesting. Along with this visitors can find educational information, a place to discuss the content of the site and more.
 
Congratulations once again to everyone at Black History YRD!
 
There are five more weeks to go before the community will once again vote for the top Community of the Week! 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 CH Staff, who recommends that site admins be able to set a default "Sorry to see you've left" message sent to members who remove themselves from a website. He recommends further that some sort of survey functionality be added to it, allowing the admin to correct any wrongs that may have been made.
 
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
 
The Angry Movie Dork has posted a music player he suggests you could use. It offers a lot of extra functionality than just a music player so it's well worth looking into if you want a multimedia player for your site.
 
What's your opinion? Post a response or a tip of your own in our Tips and Tricks forum.
Community Spotlight, Week of 5-10-10

I hope you've all had a wonderful week! Let's get started right away...

Community of the Week

This week's featured community is the Texas Tea Room. It was created by The Texas Tea Room (fancy that!), and is a digital hang out for musicians and anyone looking to relax.

 
When you first visit The Texas Tea Room you're welcomed by a mellow playlist of music which automatically sets the tone for the rest of your visit. Content wise a short description of what you'll find on the site is seen on the left hand side, explaining why the site was created and how visitors can get involved. The mood is further set by a slide show displaying the trailer park of the month, a quirky and fun way to show visitors that the website has regular content updates.
 
As you visit the rest of the site the mood set at the very beginning carries through to the end. Each page has a purpose that can add value while still staying true to the relaxed atmosphere. A sense of identity will keep visitors on your site longer, and get them to come back for more.
 
Congratulations once again to everyone at The Texas Tea Room!
 
There are six more weeks to go before the community will once again vote for the top Community of the Week! 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 Aareuz, who would like to see an easy to use built in option to add background music to their site. He recommends added functionality like the option to play a random song from five you select, changing the experience each time someone visits a page. Is this something you'd like to see added?
 
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
 
Wingman has posted a tip that's very important for anyone who owns a website. They suggest that anyone who uses a computer with a screen resolution higher than 1024 x 768 reduce it to that level and visit their site. 1024 x 768 is the current web standard, and anything larger can cause problems for a huge part of your user base.
 
What's your opinion? Post a response or a tip of your own in our Tips and Tricks forum.
Community Spotlight, Week of 5-3-10

After the finale of our first Community of the Week competition it's time once again for a Community Spotlight!

Community of the Week

This week's featured community is the Natural Horse Network, or NHN. It was created by DC2010 as a community site for their website about horses.

 
We all know the saying "Nothing in life is free", but with the advent of the web that notion seemed to have been put on its head. Users expect content to be free, but web owners still have to pay the bills to keep it active. Many sites have gone with the traditional approach of advertisements being displayed on their pages, but there's been a lot of interest lately in another method, which is selling products directly targeted at the site's user base. The Natural Horse Network has done just that.
 
If I were to leave it at that you might think that the creators of NHN were greedy people out there for nothing more than money, but it's most certainly not the case. A quick visit to their site will show you that they have a passion for horses. Expanding this to a business is a very natural -- and savy -- progression. If you enjoy something enough and are good at what you do why not create a community for those who are just like you. When you recommend products to them they will appreciate it as you're fulfilling a need they have. A community site (such as those made possible by the Spruz platform) provides a place for people to discuss their passions, and for you to advertise. It's a mutual relationship that both parties benefit from.
 
Congratulations once again to DC2010 and everyone at the Natural Horse Network! Stop by their introduction page for more information.
 
There are seven more weeks to go before the community will once again vote for the top Community of the Week! 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 OhioGamerz who suggests that event creators be able to upload an image for their event. He proposes that a small change like this could potentially make events and sites overall appealing to both members and nonmembers alike. Voice your opinion, be it for or against the suggestion.
 
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 posted by CH Staff is a question as well: should you discourage lurking on your site, and if so how would it be done? CH Staff believes that it can damaging to their community if they have a large number of inactive accounts as it makes it easier for spammers and those from other sites trying to poach community members. On the flip side a benefit of keeping them on your site is that it appears larger, encouraging new users to get active.
 
What's your opinion? Post a response or a tip of your own in our Tips and Tricks forum.
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