As you’ve probably already noticed, the Community has a slightly updated look. That’s because, as part of our drive for continual improvement, we’ve updated the website to give you an improved interface as well as refining existing and creating new features.

So what’s new I hear you ask…

Interface

The look and feel of the site has been slightly updated and the width of main content area of the site has been slightly increased. You will notice that the user area in the top right of the website now shows your avatar at all times when logged in. The user area contains shortcuts to edit your profile, log out and access help. You can upload an avatar, link to one on the internet, or select one from several generic designs, in the edit profile page. We’ve also added a “quick links” menu option that gives you access to some lesser-known site features like viewing who’s online, posts you’ve not read, your forum subscriptions and the member directory.

Your Dashboard

Your dashboard is designed to give you a single location where you can access to the things on the Community that are important to you, such as your latest forum posts, your latest blog posts and comments, your friends, your files and your conversations.  Access your dashboard from the main navigation bar.

Member Directory

It’s now easier for you to find other members in the Community. You can browse the member list or search for users by their username or email address, as shown below. You can access the member directory from the “Quick links” menu option.

Conversations

Private messaging has been replaced with “conversations”. You can start a conversation with anyone in the Community, and messages between you and the other person are stored in an instant-messaging style format. You are alerted of new conversations by email as well as in the user area, where the number of unread conversations is displayed in bold. Of course, conversations are private and only visible to you and the person you’re having the conversation with.

Friends

You can now add other Community members as “friends”. Doing so causes your friends activity to be logged in your dashboard. For example, if you were to add me as a friend, you would be alerted of any posts or comments I make, or of any changes to my profile, in your dashboard. You can access your friends list from your dashboard or from the user area.

RSS Subscription

You can now subscribe to our blog, individual blog categories, blog comments or forums using RSS. RSS is a great way to keep informed of the latest posts on the Community – you can use a variety of free RSS readers such as Google Reader and modern versions of Outlook also incorporate an RSS reader. To use RSS, simply click on the RSS logo, as shown below.

We hope that you like the new look of the site and find the new features useful. If you would like to ask any questions about the upgraded site or new features, use the comments box below or email us at community@gaelquality.com.