Earlier today we made some updates to BikerOrNot.

Don’t worry! We did not take anything away this time. We are now in the mode of adding features.

I would like to share with you some of the changes and get your feedback.

The most important change that I would like to summarize is to the Relationship Status settings.

To make things simpler all members are categorized as either Single or In A Relationship. Then, as an option, you can further classify your Relationship Status as Married, Complicated, Divorced or Widow(er). Similarly, if you are Single you can classify yourself as Complicated, Divorced or Widow(er). Again, this additional classification is completely optional.

Another change to your classification, and one that many have requested, is the ability to set a ‘Backseat Status.’ If you own a bike you can declare yourself as someone having an empty back seat and actively looking for someone to ride on the back of your bike. This will allow those looking to fill a back seat the ability to search for members who have an empty back seat. Similarly, you will be able to search for members that are looking for a back seat.

For example:
You are a guy and own a bike and have an empty back seat that you want to offer to a lady. You can narrow your search to women looking for an empty back seat. Or, if you are a lady looking for a back seat you can search for guys that have an empty back seat on offer.

Eventually this system will be integrated with events and will benefit those that want to attend and event but do not have a ride!

All of these settings are optional but will help define what you are trying to get out of using BON.

So, it’s crucial that you update your Profile Settings NOW.

This should take no more than a few minutes:

http://www.bikerornot.com/User/EditProfile (<—- Click here to update your Profile Setting)

– James

On Monday January 23 there will be an upgrade to BikerOrNot.

Some of the improvements include:

1. More privacy settings for Fan Pages

The creators of Fan Pages will now have the ability to ban any member from their page.

Links in Status Updates (both on the Home Page and Fan Pages) will be hyperlinked. You must format the hyperlink as http://www.website.com or www.website.com.

We encourage Fan Page members to attach photos to their comments and to post Youtube videos with the Attach a Link feature.

2. Top Photos

Yes! Top Photos is back. Simply click on Photos and then Top Photos to see the most commented photos on all of BON.

3. Blogs

The Blogs feature on BON is used by less than 2% of all users. Members are now using their Status Update on the Home Page to share content with their friends. So, a decision has been made to phase out the Blogs.

On Monday, January 23 the Blogs will no longer be available. If you have content in the blogs that you would like to save then I encourage you to capture that content before the Monday deadline.

If you would like to comment on any of these changes or report any bugs please visit:

http://blog.bikerornot.com/?p=283

James Plouf
BikerOrNot.com

None of your bike information will be lost but you will need to enter the Garage section and re-classify your bikes. This should only take a few minutes but will make an enormous difference in how all the bikes on BON are classified.

The old bike database was extremely fragmented and has been replaced with an industry standard make and model database that will prevent duplicate classifications.

Step 1:

To update your bike you will need to click on the the link that says: “Click here to update”

Step 2:

Select a Make and Model from the two drop downs.

Enter a description (optional).

Click Save.

Done!

You will notice a slightly different layout but with all the same features.

The biggest change is in the ‘Compose’ section. You can now send the same message to multiple people.

Another new feature is the ability to forward a message.

If you have any concerns about the new Message system please leave a comment below.

Thanks,
James Plouf
BikerOrNot.com

This is still in Beta and we encourage members to send us feedback.

If you don’t want to chat with other members you can use the Offline Mode to hide yourself from other members. This is setting is located in Account, Edit Account:

Give it a try and let us know what features you would like to see added to Private Chat.

James

Here is a summary of new features and bug fixes.

New Security Settings

You can now control who can view your Feed on your profile.

Option A: Allow Everyone to view my wall/feed. <--- this is the default option
Option B: Allow only my friends to view my wall/feed. <---- greater privacy

Birthday Setting

A. Show my birthday with year
B. Show my birthday without year (<--- best option for those that want to get birthday wishes but do not want to reveal their age)
C. Don't show my birthday at all

New Blocking and Reporting controls

You can now block/report profiles that are marked as private.

Improved Search and Friend Browsing

The improved Search now remembers your search settings and last search page. You can now click on a search result, look at a profile and hit the back arrow and be right back where you left the search. This same functionality is also available when browsing your friends list.

Thank you to all members that reported this missing feature!

Feed Comments

You now get an email alert when a member comments on your status update. The link takes you to a page where you can see the new comment.

We are still working on the new comment system and will be making some more improvements on how you can quickly browse and read notifications.

What happened to my profile page?

All of the information that used to be on your profile page can now be found on the More Information Tab.

How do I log out?

The logout link is now under the Account option on the upper left side of the top navigation bar.

Profile Background

To change the background of your profile we have added a simple feature where you can put any URL and use that image as the background of your profile.

Where is the Old Wall?

The Old Wall, although popular at one time, was becoming less and less used by members and posed an enormous security threat to members. A decision was made to phase out the wall with this update.

Again, I encourage you to leave comments and report any bugs or concerns with the new design.

Thanks,
James Plouf
BikerOrNot.com

On Tuesday September 20, 2011 we will be launching some significant design changes to BikerOrNot.

We continuously gather feedback from the BON community and try to implement these suggestions into every new design.

But as we all know, CHANGE is not always popular.

Our goals include making the site more useful, reliable, faster, and safer for the BON community.

The most noticeable change is to the individual profiles. Information is now more concise, easier to read and you’ll be able to see the feeds of each member.

We have added an Account link on the upper left side of the page. This is now where you will Edit Account setting and Edit Profile.

As always, we welcome feedback (good or bad).

James Plouf

Many members reported that their username was not remembered when they tried to login. We have decided not to make the login remember your password. This was done for security reasons. Something new that we added is if you do not logout and comeback much later you will stay logged into BON.

Another huge issue was with the albums and uploading pictures. If you still encounter problems with this please report this in as much detail as possible in the comments section. We read these and try to fix these problems as quickly as possible.

The password reminder works again so if you forgot your password just send a reminder to your email.

The worst problem reported this morning was from an AOL user. Apparently the home page would not load (just a blank page) and no chance to login. If you are an AOL user and you experience a similar issue please make a comment below.

We will continue to work as quickly as possible to get these reported issues resolved.

Thanks,
James Plouf
BikerOrNot.com