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Adjustments and New Features
Tue Oct 19 2004

RSS/ATOM feeds are now available for the last 20 updated diaries - I have restricted it to 20 presently in order to guage the load on the server. Individual diaries will be able to have their own feeds shortly, but I'm busy working on some massive changes to the Friends Only Management interface and don't want to spend too long on RSS and ATOM feeds just yet.

I haven't yet decided whether RSS feeds will be available to all diarists or just Plus users, or restricted in some way. I dunno yet - but I'll think about it :-)

Now for the adjustments - I have made a change to the logging procedure for diarists hits to eliminate the bots and spiders. This has a couple of beneficial effects... Not logging their hits will reduce database access (inserts) reasonably significantly as we're being hit by a couple of robots every second. It'll make the hits table smaller ( 2 hits a second from robots equates to 160,000 hits a day ) so the 'Show My Hits' scripts should soon start running a lot quicker. The Show My Hits scripts will show far more relevant statistics to you, instead of being cluttered with bunches of robots. And finally, over the next week or so, the Top Ten Diaries panel on the front page will show a much fairer representation of the real Top Ten Diaries.

Watch out for the new Friends Only Management coming soon :-)
13 Comments
  • From:
    Energy (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Oct 19 2004
    OK, I'll be the first to admit that I don't know. What is RSS and ATOM?
  • From:
    Calichef (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Oct 19 2004
    Hey Steve, if you don't have the 20 diaries for RSS/Atom feeds set yet, I'd like to volunteer! Pleeeeeeeaaaaasssseeeeee!!!!
    ~Cali
  • From:
    Calichef (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Oct 19 2004
    Ok, I've just re-read this entry and now know myself to be a complete idiot. Can I just have my dunce cap now? I'll sit in the corner like a good girl. I promise.
    ~Cali
  • From:
    CzarTiriban (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Oct 19 2004
    Sounds like some exciting changes are ahead. I'm looking forward to see what you've been cooking up.
  • From:
    SPACEGlRL (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Oct 19 2004
    I like the changes... but I have to comment about the Friends page. Will you bring back the name links? I'd gotten into the habit of opening my friends page, clicking the name, and being whisked away in a new window to their diary. It would be awesome to have that back.

    Thanks for all you do!
  • From:
    Eliezer (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Oct 19 2004
    Could we modify the RSS feed of the last 20 diaries to include the diarist's name? Just tried it out, it just lists the entry titles. Diarist names would be nice to see along with it, maybe as a "prefix".

    Also - having some issues diplaying the non-English UNICODE characters in my RSS feed title bookmarks. Will have to play with this some more. I just see the raw SGML entity characters (e.g. &#21780), instead of what it's supposed to represent.
  • From:
    1cutebird (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Oct 19 2004
    Hi Steve,
    Your New Manage Your Friend's List is unfriendly in the way you can't just click on the title of your friend's diary and go to their diary. So every time you have to go to the home page to search them.
    HELP! This isn't at all user friendly.
  • From:
    MeanDonnaJean2 (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Oct 19 2004
    "RSS/ATOM feeds are now available...Individual diaries will be able to have their own feeds shortly...I have made a change to the logging procedure for diarists hits to eliminate the bots and spiders."

    Waaah? HUH? Atoms are feedin' logs to the robots 'n spiders?....is THAT whatcha said??? ;-)

    What the heck is all that stuff about, anyway!!!??? Can ya give this IDIOT a SIMPLE explanation of all the above...pleeeeeeeze?
  • From:
    Waterspriteflying (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Oct 19 2004
    Well, at least I'm not the only one who doesn't understand the RSS/Atom stuff. (You did write about it before, and I did try to figure it out, but....)

    I do like the way you're always thinking of ways to improve the sight. Are you compulsive/obsessive by any chance? LOL

    Have a good time or trip wherever you're going, and I do hope it's for pleasure.

    Hugs,
    Ani
  • From:
    InStitches (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Oct 20 2004
    I like the new format for managing friends, but I did prefer the look to be more in keeping with my diary's look. :)

    I can live with the new look, but would really like to see a Return to My Diary link added. Currently, the only link is to DD's home page. This is fairly inconvenient as I sometimes work on one thing and then another within my diary.

    Enjoy your holiday. You truly have earned it.
  • From:
    Labyrinth (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Oct 20 2004
    I have NOOOO IDEA what you are talking about. So I just enjoy whatever features or changes you do knowing you know best. A little adjustment here and there did me fine as I was used to the old manage friend format. All thing's fine so far.

    You have a nice break wherever you're going, Steve. :)

    ori:)
  • From:
    Eliezer (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Oct 21 2004
    Check the Hamiko Support forum for an explanation of syndication of diaries, using RSS and ATOM feeds.

    In a nutshell, if you have an RSS or ATOM aware browser (like Firefox), you can create special folders in your browser's bookmark's that dynamically update with links to whatever's been syndicated (i.e. has an RSS feed).

    So - currently, I have special folder that always updates with titles and links to the 20 most recent diary entires on DD, instead of having to visit the Dear Diary main page to get that info and view them from there.

    Once individual diaries have their own RSS feeds, you'll be able to subscribe to people's diaries, and create special live booksmarks in your browser that list all their diary postings and links to them. It'll be able to dynamically refresh when there's new postings for that diary, and show you what entries you've read and haven't read. Very cool, once you start using it.

    This is made possible by the site creating a special syndication file, in XML format, which contains all the information about the entries, their URL's, etc. that your browser then reads to create the special dynamic bookmarks.

    That XML file, with all this important info, is called the RSS feed.

    RSS and ATOM are just two different formats you can use for the syndication feed XML file.

    (RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication).

    Hope that give a rough idea.

    Do a search on RSS for more info, and give it a whirl with the Firefox browser.
  • From:
    MangoRain (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Oct 21 2004
    thanks for the new friends-only thingy it's a real boon :)