Webmaster's blog

The design and layout upgrade is continuing smoothly. We have completed several more steps toward our final objective. We welcome your feedback on the new design.

Simplicity

Our design goal is simplicity. The new navigation is more standard with drop down navigation. Hopefully all menu items are properly labeled and easy for you to find. If you have any trouble please contact us, or comment on this post. To help you find quickly find what you want we have setup two side bars on each side of the screen.  read more »

Logo

For the final upgrade our navigation system is changing. Some menu items will be at the top of the screen while others will remain in their present location. We apologize for any inconvenience.

We have added a calendaring system to Family Cluster. A new tab is now available at the top of the page.
Creating calendars is easy as always, simply go to your actions menu, click create content, and select event.
Your options include:  read more »

Hopefully this new system is a little more user friendly than the system you had to use when we first got started. Prospective users will either click the create new account in the login/create new account block or click a link from an invite they received.
The create account screen is improved by having the user type in a username, email address, and create a password. (I know this caused some confusion when I had the system create an auto generated password.)  read more »

Beta 3 is coming along smoothly. The following upgrades/changes have been implemented. There are still more upgrades and changes to come in the next couple of weeks.  read more »

Beta 3 planning is underway and your input is valuable so ...

Attention! Attention! Please make at least one comment to this post.

What's planned

Here is what I have planned so far:  read more »

It's an exciting day here at Family Cluster as we roll out Family Cluster Beta 2.  We would like to thank each and everyone of you who took the time to report bugs, suggest features, and ask for help.  Believe it or not, we were able to improve the site considerably by those of you who asked, "how do I ...", type questions.  We owe you a debt of gratitude.Now on to the changes:Menus / Navigation There are two menus available for navigation:  Primary links (pages to visit and read) and the Actions menu (things to do)  read more »

By request (see this thread), an address book has been added.  Address books will be contained in the user profile, located in My Account. Profiles are private so they are only viewable by relatives.  Currently the profile includes the following:  read more »

The way Family Cluster handles subscriptions/notifications has changed.  (See this thread)  read more »

A new link, Family Setup Request, is in the control block.  If you would like to add a family to Family Cluster, all you need to do is fill out the form.  (Note:  You must be a registered user and logged in to use the form.)

There is a new link, Invite Relatives, in the control box located in the left column of the screen.  This is a handy feature to help your relatives discover Family Cluster.

Instructions

1. Click the Invite Relatives link.
2. Type in the email addresses of your relatives.
3. Type a quick message.
4. Click send.

Additional Details

You can track your invites by clicking the Your Invitations tab on the Invite Relatives page.  There you can see three things:  read more »

Recently we updated the security level to ensure that all pictures / files remain private and are not accessible via indirect methods.  The security update was a success and the site is secure.  However, because of the increase in security we have found that thumbnails and the pop up display of the images are currently not working.  We do not have an estimated time of repair.In the mean time you can still upload photos the normal way; however, the pictures will display at 600x600 pixels.  Maximum file size is 600kb.  read more »

Many of you will need to adjust the time in your account settings due to daylight savings time.  To access your time settings go to Edit tab of My Account. 

Family Cluster's file system was updated today.  If you experience any bugs with files, including images, gallery posts, and regular file uploads, please notify us through the support forum.

The following new features have been added.  Please report all bug reports.  If you have any feature suggestions we welcome your recommendations.PollsPolls can now be created for your families.  To create a poll click Write in the navigation and select Poll.  You can write in your question and options then click Submit.  read more »

Family Cluster has a signature feature that allows you to attach predefined text to the bottom of all your posts and comments.  This can be updated in your My Account page settings.  (My Account - Edit)If you have been using the signature feature then you have noticed that your signature is automatically added to the body box when you are writing a post or comment.  This is no longer the case.  You will not see your signature until you have published your post or comment.  read more »

The menu system has been updated and here is the basic overview.At the top right of the screen are the following:SearchYou can type in a word or phrase to search the site.  Normal search strings apply (eg: quotations, AND, OR, etc..)After your first search you will be given the option to conduct an advanced search.HomeThis will take you back to the front page of the website.ReadNew menu item that will allow you to view unread and recent posts that have been posted to Family Cluster.  read more »

Obviously we all have families that need our attention.  A fact of life is that we get distracted a lot, from kids wanting our attention to the phone ringing, we all have to stop what we are doing.  Because of this I felt it was important to add a draft feature so that you can save a post and return to it later.Like always, I will add this feature to the help book when I get a chance.  Here are some quick instructions.  read more »

People love photos and Family Cluster believes one of the best ways to stay up to date with family affairs is to see current photos.

Imagine, you walk into the supermarket and pass by a man or woman who looks at you funny. 

You stop and ask, "Do I know you?"

The person replies, "Duh, I'm family, and we trade comments about posts on Family Cluster every day."

To which you respond:  

With photo gallery you can make sure you recognize those closest to you.  read more »

Help text will be added to the help book soon, but here is a quick tutorial to get you started.

I know for some of you the wait has been long but we are pleased to present the Family Cluster website.  Together we can create a true family friendly community on the Internet.  Helping bridge the gaps that our modern society has created.

Family Cluster - Helping Families Stay Connected

While more features will be available in the future here is a list of available features that are currently offered:  read more »

• Anonymous users may browse the site, read all public posts, including blogs and forums, and voice their opinions by contributing their comments.
• Registered users can join their families and participate in password protected communication with one another.  Registered users can also create forum topics, create both private and public blogs, upload photos, and participate in all discussions.  Oh, by the way, registration is free.  Register Now!