Newsletter for May 15th, 2008
Codename "Feathered Friends"
1. Newsletter EditorialHello and welcome to another edition of the newsletter. It's been three weeks since the last one, but we will be shifting back to a twice-monthly schedule very soon. I'm going to try to introduce a new random section into the newsletter with each edition, just to keep you on your toes. This time we lead with a special section on some cool new websites, including a sparkling new re-launch of Gizmo's Tech Support Alert newsletter.
On the software front, after a long period of dormancy, during which I was focused on earning a living, you can expect to see some substantial updates to my software programs in the coming weeks and months. I'll be initially focused on adding features to my
Find and Run Robot (FARR) plugin interface, in recognition of all the amazing work that plugin writers (especially czechboy and ecaradec on the DC forum) have been doing. If you haven't taken a look at the program yet, now might be a good time - and feel free to make a post requesting a new plugin or feature.
Lastly, the mods and I feel that this is a good opportunity to remind everyone that we take the issue of fake-post spamming on the forum very seriously. We recently caught someone pretending to offer unbiased advice in response to a planted question, which in fact was just an attempt to get people to buy a product for which they receive a commission. You can read the thread
here and see how the issue was dealt with: we identified the the culprit and filed a complaint against them to the company whose product they receive a commission. While we welcome company representatives to post on our forum, consider this a reminder that we have a strict policy requiring users to disclose any financial relationship with a product when posting about it.
2. Website Discovery SafariIn this newsletter, we're focusing on some fun new sites that have been mentioned on the DonationCoder forum recently.
3. Your Input RequestedA warm welcome to all the new members who have joined over the last month. Here are some good topics on which to make your debut post. Don't be shy, just jump right in, we are always happy to hear from new people.
4. DonationCoder.com Software and IssuesThings are just starting to warm up on the software development side at DonationCoder after a slow period. Expect serious updates to some of our programs in the coming months, and some new program surprises as well..
5. Mini-Reviews by MembersMini-reviews are a great resource for people researching software solutions and may be found on the dedicated
Mini-Review Board. Please remember to acknowledge the efforts of the reviewers with a few donationcredits if you find their reviews interesting and/or helpful.
6. Fun, Games, and HumourOne of the things that makes the forum a nice place to hang out is that there is a good balance between serious expert discussion and just plain silly fun (and everything in between). There are always a few truly sublime discoveries posted by DC members each month, and this month was no exception.
7. Living RoomThe Living Room section of the forum is where we discuss general issues that don't really belong in the other, dedicated sections. It's kind of a catch-all section -- lots of website discoveries and recommendations, etc. This makes it a great place to explore - you never know what you're going to find!
8. General Software DiscussionAlmost half the posts on the forum fall into the category of general software discussions, questions, recommendations, etc. This is one of the most active sections of the DC forum and a great resource if you're trying to solve a software or hardware related problem. We get so much traffic on this board that we've split the recent content into to sections in the newsletter - genearl software and specific software discussions.
9. Specific Software DiscussionThis section of the newsletter draws attention to some of the standout discussions about specific programs that have been started since the last newsletter.
10. Developer's CornerA pretty thin set of posts in the Developer's Corner section this month -- why is that? Remember that this section isn't just for computer programmers, it's for entrepreneurs of all kinds to discuss the issues involving creating things and running a small business.
