Sphynxlair website being updated!

[admin]

Hello Lairians! The sphynxlair community website is going to be updated, possibly this weekend, to a new fresh- clean look as well as the most current forum software upgrade. Things will look a bit different and in some cases function slightly different but it shouldn't be too much for any of you to get a handle on quickly. If you have any concerns or issues after the update- upgrade, please reach out to me admin@sphynxlair.com
Tapatalk will be installed as soon as I can get it done for those that use that app. Also, some features may not work right away or may have been removed completely. For example, the "like" or "reaction" little faces will be back in the near future, but the "like" button will of course still remain.

The little icons will not be there anymore in the postbit due to that developer not being round anymore and that modification doesn't work with the newest forum software version.

Here is a sneak preview of the style change. When we are upgrading, unfortunately you will not be able to access the website so please be patient. We have our Facebook group that is available if you get the sphynx cravings. Sphynxlair

 

[Toa and Ross]

The new style looks great! @admin. I can imagine it's a lot of work for you. So good luck!

 

[Staceyxxx]

I love the new look, very fresh and up to date!

 

[Toa and Ross]

Wow the new look is very stylish! Great job @admin. I love the sphynxs"cartoon". Beautiful

 

[lealea]

The site looks fantastic! A real makeover. What a fabulous job, well done!

 

[admin]

Thanks everyone!

 

[admin]

If anyone has issues of any sort, please let me know.

 

[Silke]

Love the new look!

 

[Yoda mom]

Looks great !


Are the member country flags and the hugs and adorable etc icons goimg be available on the new site ?

 

[admin]

Looks great !


Are the member country flags and the hugs and adorable etc icons goimg be available on the new site ?

The emoji icons will be back at a later date, Im not sure if the flags are available with the new software, I will check.

 

[NinaGato]

Thanks for all your hard work. We appreciate it

 

[kaylachristine]

It looks amazing!! i love the new artwork, so cute. thanks for all that you do!!

 

[Monica]

Okay, now that I've had time to adjust to the new layout and update, I have to say...

Overall, I LOVE the new look. It's much cleaner and more modern. The navigations are more user friendly as well, and it's great to have the newest media uploads scrolling on the homepage.

However, I found one thing I dislike, and two things I miss:
1. I'm not in love with the ads that appear top, front and center on the homepage, and every other page. They are much less intrusive when viewing on a desktop, however, on the mobile site, they show up large and in charge. I don't remember them being as annoying in the older version, which probably means... they weren't. Lol.
2. I really do miss the reaction options when responding to a post. It was nice to 'adore' new kitten pics, 'hug' members who are having troubles, and 'laugh' at silly posts. Now, all we can do is 'like' a post. This is a lot less personal, and even inappropriate in instances where someone posts in the Get Well Soon or In Loving Memory Of threads! (ie: Lairian- "Boobunnybear is sick and has a horrible rash!" Monica-" ")
3. I also, surprisingly, find myself really missing the members' flags that used to show their country of origin on their profile page and their badge. It was helpful when responding with product recommendations and such. I will also admit, I used to read members' posts with an accent in my head once I saw they were from another country. This was especially amusing as certain members tend to type in their native dialect. Now we are all just from anywhere, and nowhere, all at once.

I don't know if any other members share my opinions, but I felt it didn't hurt to provide some feedback. I hope this is viewed as constructive criticisms and not as complaints. As mentioned, overall, the update is lovely. Even more so, with the addition of the stylized sphynx caricatures! I'd love to see a photo of the two feline's who inspired them.

 

[admin]

Okay, now that I've had time to adjust to the new layout and update, I have to say...

Overall, I LOVE the new look. It's much cleaner and more modern. The navigations are more user friendly as well, and it's great to have the newest media uploads scrolling on the homepage.

However, I found one thing I dislike, and two things I miss:
1. I'm not in love with the ads that appear top, front and center on the homepage, and every other page. They are much less intrusive when viewing on a desktop, however, on the mobile site, they show up large and in charge. I don't remember them being as annoying in the older version, which probably means... they weren't. Lol.
2. I really do miss the reaction options when responding to a post. It was nice to 'adore' new kitten pics, 'hug' members who are having troubles, and 'laugh' at silly posts. Now, all we can do is 'like' a post. This is a lot less personal, and even inappropriate in instances where someone posts in the Get Well Soon or In Loving Memory Of threads! (ie: Lairian- "Boobunnybear is sick and has a horrible rash!" Monica-" ")
3. I also, surprisingly, find myself really missing the members' flags that used to show their country of origin on their profile page and their badge. It was helpful when responding with product recommendations and such. I will also admit, I used to read members' posts with an accent in my head once I saw they were from another country. This was especially amusing as certain members tend to type in their native dialect. Now we are all just from anywhere, and nowhere, all at once.

I don't know if any other members share my opinions, but I felt it didn't hurt to provide some feedback. I hope this is viewed as constructive criticisms and not as complaints. As mentioned, overall, the update is lovely. Even more so, with the addition of the stylized sphynx caricatures! I'd love to see a photo of the two feline's who inspired them.

I truly appreciate your feedback! Thanks @Monica!

I have some good news for you! The "reaction" button IS coming back, when I upgraded the "style" (the website look) I also updated to the latest forum software. With that said, yesterday the forum software company released the latest version that included in the core features the "reaction" button. Before it was a paid "add on" with limited support, the new version can be seen in the screenshot of what it looks like below. And the little emoji faces can be of my choosing so it fits our group as needed. It may be a little while until the feature is out of beta mode and available fo download however. There are other really cool features coming with that new version as well as a bookmark feature, push notifications, and so much more.

The country flags is an add on and the developer says he is going to eventually update it for the newest software version, it is a free add on so he is in no rush to do so, as soon as he does I will install it here.

The Google ads have always been there but I fear they were not working correctly, hence why you may not have seen them. Our website costs money, upgrading forum software yearly, paying for web hosting monthly (and we have gotten a bit larger recently and I had to add additional disc space to handle the size), as well as server maintenance I have to pay someone to do due to my experience ends when it comes to that sort of stuff, although I only use him yearly to do this, it's also a cost I incur. And of course the time I personally spend making sure we are not bombarded with spammers and the community is running smooth without any nonsense form forum trolls and trouble makers, with the help of our fantastic moderators @Catzzzmeow and @Yoda mom of course. So when you click the ads it helps support the site which is free to all. We also offer a donation area to help support the community as well.

The 2 cat caricatures are my cats Athena and Leonidas who inspired me to create this great community, you can find them in my photo album area. Media added by admin

Hope this helps!

Admin

 

[Yoda mom]

@admin thank you Sooo much for all your dedication to the sphynxlair community

 

[Toa and Ross]

@admin I didn't realise the cat caricatures are Athena and Leonidas. I already loved the new style with the caricatures but now I love it even more!