For the past few months we've been working on upgrading TheCatSite.com by creating a brand new shiny platform for the site!
I'm excited to let you know that the big day has arrived! Today, Tuesday April 11th we begin making the final switch and soon you'll get to see the new TCS in all its glory!
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All of the sections that you know and love on TCS will be carried over to the new platform. We'll still have the articles, reviews, galleries, cat pages and the forums.
You'll be able to post threads, reply, send private messages, upload images and generally do everything that you're used to doing here today. There will be some subtle changes which I hope you'll see as improvements. Don't worry though - there will be illustrated tutorials to follow as well as help and support from our team!
The site will be getting a long-awaited facelift too! Our logo and color palette remain the same, but the overall design will be lighter and easier on the eye.
We're upgrading our terminology as well to match the current standards on online forums. Only a couple of changes to take in -
Purraise is our internal feedback system where members vote for posts - oops, messages! - and other content items. If you're not familiar with it yet, you can read all about purraise here. On the current platform, purraise is visible per content item, but your overall purraise score is visible only to yourself and the moderators.
On the new platform, purraise scores become visible to all. Again, this is just TCS catching up with current web forum standards and shouldn't be a problem as everyone has very positive purraise scores!
If you've been a member for more than six years, you probably remember that we used to have banner-sized images of our cats in the signature area, fondly known as "siggies". Losing the siggies was painful to many, so I'm thrilled to announce The Return Of The Siggies!
If you had a graphic signature before, it's going to show up again once we make the switch. Otherwise, you'll be able to create one and upload it to your signature. I'm sure our more graphically-inclined members will be happy to lend a paw and help others create pretty cat siggies again!
On Tuesday, April 11th, 10am PST we'll be freezing the site, leaving just a single thread open in a temporary new sub-forum titled "Site Upgrade". You'll be able to browse everything on the site, but won't be able to submit new content anywhere but in that thread.
Why? Because at that exact time, we'll be generating a backup of the data on the site. Anything added after that point won't be moving to our new platform. We'll all get to chat and address emergency cat issues in the "Site Upgrade" thread, but none of that will be moving to the new site. It'll be like writing on ice...
There will be a LOT going on behind the scenes on that day! Once the data is fully backed up, we'll be pouring it into the new platform. Once that's done, we'll be pushing buttons, flicking switches and spreading a bit of internet fairy dust and voila! The new platform will miraculously show up on your screens. Same web address as before - www.TheCatSite.com - brand new platform with all of our content there.
How long will that take? Hopefully no more than a few hours but possibly up to a day or even two. We're working as hard as we can to keep the interim period as short as possible and will provide constant updates in the "Site Upgrade" thread which will be live in the Cat Lounge forum.
A lot of work goes into making the transition as painless as possible for you, our members. I realize that most of us prefer to avoid change - much like our kitties - so we're going to try and make this a smooth transition by providing tutorials and around-the-clock support via email, social media and of course here on the site. I believe the new platform is actually more intuitive to use, as it reflects current standards in forum software. I hope you'll agree once you give it a try.
Although we'll be doing our very best to iron out all problems and bugs prior to launch, I'm sure that once we have thousands of members using it some issues will show up. We rely on your continued help, support and patience to help us find these bugs and squash them as soon as possible! There will be a special Site Help section dedicated to the move where you'll be able to report any issue and problem - big or small - and we'll do our best to resolve that.
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Not much. You will be able to login with the same username and password as before. Just keep your paws crossed for a smooth upgrade!
We've been a community dedicated to cats and good cat care for 16+ years now. We've changed platforms several times in the past, and some of you have been around long enough to remember that. There's always some amount of confusion as members climb the learning curve of using a new platform. Hopefully, that curve won't be steep and we'll all be here for each other to make sure TCS remains the amazing online community that it is!
I'm excited to let you know that the big day has arrived! Today, Tuesday April 11th we begin making the final switch and soon you'll get to see the new TCS in all its glory!
View media item 417747
What will the new platform be like?
All of the sections that you know and love on TCS will be carried over to the new platform. We'll still have the articles, reviews, galleries, cat pages and the forums.
You'll be able to post threads, reply, send private messages, upload images and generally do everything that you're used to doing here today. There will be some subtle changes which I hope you'll see as improvements. Don't worry though - there will be illustrated tutorials to follow as well as help and support from our team!
The site will be getting a long-awaited facelift too! Our logo and color palette remain the same, but the overall design will be lighter and easier on the eye.
Same features - new names!
We're upgrading our terminology as well to match the current standards on online forums. Only a couple of changes to take in -
- Posts will now be called "messages". We're going to be posting messages to threads from now on.
- Private messages will now be called "conversations". When you send someone a new private message, you'll be starting a conversation.
Purraise becomes public
Purraise is our internal feedback system where members vote for posts - oops, messages! - and other content items. If you're not familiar with it yet, you can read all about purraise here. On the current platform, purraise is visible per content item, but your overall purraise score is visible only to yourself and the moderators.
On the new platform, purraise scores become visible to all. Again, this is just TCS catching up with current web forum standards and shouldn't be a problem as everyone has very positive purraise scores!
The siggies are back!
If you've been a member for more than six years, you probably remember that we used to have banner-sized images of our cats in the signature area, fondly known as "siggies". Losing the siggies was painful to many, so I'm thrilled to announce The Return Of The Siggies!
If you had a graphic signature before, it's going to show up again once we make the switch. Otherwise, you'll be able to create one and upload it to your signature. I'm sure our more graphically-inclined members will be happy to lend a paw and help others create pretty cat siggies again!
How will we be making the change exactly?
On Tuesday, April 11th, 10am PST we'll be freezing the site, leaving just a single thread open in a temporary new sub-forum titled "Site Upgrade". You'll be able to browse everything on the site, but won't be able to submit new content anywhere but in that thread.
Why? Because at that exact time, we'll be generating a backup of the data on the site. Anything added after that point won't be moving to our new platform. We'll all get to chat and address emergency cat issues in the "Site Upgrade" thread, but none of that will be moving to the new site. It'll be like writing on ice...
There will be a LOT going on behind the scenes on that day! Once the data is fully backed up, we'll be pouring it into the new platform. Once that's done, we'll be pushing buttons, flicking switches and spreading a bit of internet fairy dust and voila! The new platform will miraculously show up on your screens. Same web address as before - www.TheCatSite.com - brand new platform with all of our content there.
How long will that take? Hopefully no more than a few hours but possibly up to a day or even two. We're working as hard as we can to keep the interim period as short as possible and will provide constant updates in the "Site Upgrade" thread which will be live in the Cat Lounge forum.
Will it hurt?
A lot of work goes into making the transition as painless as possible for you, our members. I realize that most of us prefer to avoid change - much like our kitties - so we're going to try and make this a smooth transition by providing tutorials and around-the-clock support via email, social media and of course here on the site. I believe the new platform is actually more intuitive to use, as it reflects current standards in forum software. I hope you'll agree once you give it a try.
Although we'll be doing our very best to iron out all problems and bugs prior to launch, I'm sure that once we have thousands of members using it some issues will show up. We rely on your continued help, support and patience to help us find these bugs and squash them as soon as possible! There will be a special Site Help section dedicated to the move where you'll be able to report any issue and problem - big or small - and we'll do our best to resolve that.
View media item 417748
Is there anything you need to be doing now?
Not much. You will be able to login with the same username and password as before. Just keep your paws crossed for a smooth upgrade!
We can do it!
We've been a community dedicated to cats and good cat care for 16+ years now. We've changed platforms several times in the past, and some of you have been around long enough to remember that. There's always some amount of confusion as members climb the learning curve of using a new platform. Hopefully, that curve won't be steep and we'll all be here for each other to make sure TCS remains the amazing online community that it is!
