Welcome back!!! Whats new for 2019
Posted: Feb 02, 2019 11:32 pm
Well, after a little break to get my thoughts in order on what to do with the web site, I made the decision to restructure a few things and make a few changes to hopefully make every ones experience a lot better and easier to use.
With the 10th anniversary coming up for the web site, and all the work I have put in to it over the years, closing up shop and moving on was not an option so here are some of the things that have been done and some of the new things that have been added.
* Updated the entire forum software to the most current up to date version. That took a little bit as the software was a bit behind on updates but it went pretty smooth and all is in working order.
* Updated and edited the theme to work with the latest forum software.
* Updated a lot of the plug-in/extension that make the web site experience much better.
***NEW***
* You are now able to register or log in using your Facebook information so no more remembering usernames and passwords if you choose not too. To seamlessly log in via Facebook, both your email addresses on both the Forum and Facebook must match, if not you will need to supply some additional info the first time you use the Facebook login option.
* You are now able to log in using either your Username or your email address that is associated with your account. That will be good if you ever forget your username.
* Email digest of current active topics and new topics right to your email inbox. You can opt out of this in your User Control Panel if you wish (EDIT: Currently disabled due to email delivery issues but it is being worked on).
* Added information on adding a shortcut/icon to the web site on your home screen of your mobile device for one easy click access to the web site. That can be found in the Hydrostreamforums.com Knowledge Base or by simply CLICKING HERE.
* Added a few How Tos for getting around the site and making your experience easier and more enjoyable. They can be found by clicking on the FAQ link at the top of the page (in the drop down on mobile) and looking in the 'Features and Tech Support' section. You can also find some of the How Tos by going to the Hydrostreamforums.com Knowledge Base (Also can be found in the drop down menu at the top of the page) as well.
Also, many people have asked how they can donate to the site or they wish they could easily donate to the site. The donate option has always been here and available. The link can always be found at the top of every page (in the drop down on mobile devices) or by Clicking Here. Its always been there since day one.
Also, we have talked about installing TapaTalk so you can use the TapaTalk app to access the web site and that is still very much an option but I also feel it would take away from the large amount of additional content that is here on the web site as it would be just forum functionality only and nothing more and with the web site already being VERY mobile friendly we didn't see TapaTalk as a necessity. As much as we would love a stand alone app like the social media platforms, that is just not possible nor will it ever be with the content the web site provides. While the main focus is a forum first, we offer a lot more content than just a forum and that's where things like TapaTalk would fall very short.
So with all of that, that is all I can think of for now but as I get a few more things done, I will add them to this post and post updates here.
Also, a HUGE shout out to @AdamDK for keeping things in order and keeping me on my toes both here and in the Facebook group. You have been a HUGE help and I can't thank you enough.
Hope you enjoy and if anyone has any questions, problem, or anyway I can make your experience here better, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know, either reply here, via PM, Email me, or message me on Facebook, or if you know where I live, drop on by. My door is ALWAYS open to my fellow boaters!
Another quick note, all inactive accounts (accounts not registered after signing up) older than 6 months old will be deleted. Even if you have zero posts, as long as you activated your account when signing up, your account WILL NOT be removed. Only account that have never been activated.
With the 10th anniversary coming up for the web site, and all the work I have put in to it over the years, closing up shop and moving on was not an option so here are some of the things that have been done and some of the new things that have been added.
* Updated the entire forum software to the most current up to date version. That took a little bit as the software was a bit behind on updates but it went pretty smooth and all is in working order.
* Updated and edited the theme to work with the latest forum software.
* Updated a lot of the plug-in/extension that make the web site experience much better.
***NEW***
* You are now able to register or log in using your Facebook information so no more remembering usernames and passwords if you choose not too. To seamlessly log in via Facebook, both your email addresses on both the Forum and Facebook must match, if not you will need to supply some additional info the first time you use the Facebook login option.
* You are now able to log in using either your Username or your email address that is associated with your account. That will be good if you ever forget your username.
* Email digest of current active topics and new topics right to your email inbox. You can opt out of this in your User Control Panel if you wish (EDIT: Currently disabled due to email delivery issues but it is being worked on).
* Added information on adding a shortcut/icon to the web site on your home screen of your mobile device for one easy click access to the web site. That can be found in the Hydrostreamforums.com Knowledge Base or by simply CLICKING HERE.
* Added a few How Tos for getting around the site and making your experience easier and more enjoyable. They can be found by clicking on the FAQ link at the top of the page (in the drop down on mobile) and looking in the 'Features and Tech Support' section. You can also find some of the How Tos by going to the Hydrostreamforums.com Knowledge Base (Also can be found in the drop down menu at the top of the page) as well.
Also, many people have asked how they can donate to the site or they wish they could easily donate to the site. The donate option has always been here and available. The link can always be found at the top of every page (in the drop down on mobile devices) or by Clicking Here. Its always been there since day one.
Also, we have talked about installing TapaTalk so you can use the TapaTalk app to access the web site and that is still very much an option but I also feel it would take away from the large amount of additional content that is here on the web site as it would be just forum functionality only and nothing more and with the web site already being VERY mobile friendly we didn't see TapaTalk as a necessity. As much as we would love a stand alone app like the social media platforms, that is just not possible nor will it ever be with the content the web site provides. While the main focus is a forum first, we offer a lot more content than just a forum and that's where things like TapaTalk would fall very short.
So with all of that, that is all I can think of for now but as I get a few more things done, I will add them to this post and post updates here.
Also, a HUGE shout out to @AdamDK for keeping things in order and keeping me on my toes both here and in the Facebook group. You have been a HUGE help and I can't thank you enough.
Hope you enjoy and if anyone has any questions, problem, or anyway I can make your experience here better, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know, either reply here, via PM, Email me, or message me on Facebook, or if you know where I live, drop on by. My door is ALWAYS open to my fellow boaters!
Another quick note, all inactive accounts (accounts not registered after signing up) older than 6 months old will be deleted. Even if you have zero posts, as long as you activated your account when signing up, your account WILL NOT be removed. Only account that have never been activated.
