Some new features our users should be aware of...
Two new functions are now available for all blogs at Pixy.
Both of these are available as simple macros which can be added to blog page templates. Also, the methods behind the macros are available to create a custom display of the entries. You can read more about these functions and see live demo's of each on our wiki. Just check-out the following articles:
For those who are using our template language, we are in the process of updating our wiki with more example code and improving the reference library.
For all blogs at Pixy we have updated the standard social bookmarking links which are included in some themes. We have now moved to using AddThis as our preferred social bookmark tool. You can see an example of the default bookmarking links below:
To add these to your blog, check-out the #showSocialBookmarks() macro. Also, check-out addthis.com to find-out how to change the default links displayed.
Finally, our featured photographer blog is back. After a long break this months photographer is the excellent Richard Hollingworth of 635 Images.
A few new features are now available for all blogs at Pixy. Bloggers can now make backups of their photos, uploads, entries & comments using our new export feature. This combined with our existing import feature gives bloggers a standard way to move their data around the many different blogging platforms out there.
Using the Moveable Type Import Format bloggers can make a backup of their entries & comments to a text file which can be easily imported to a number of blogging platforms including MoveableType, Wordpress and Blogger. Also available through our export feature is the backing-up of photos, uploads and watermarks. These files can now all be downloaded as Zip files. These features are all available through the admin area; 'Blog > Import' and 'Blog > Export' pages.
It's now possible to make backups of almost all the content in your blog. Next-up will be the ability to back-up & restore blog themes.
- Pixy team
A few weeks ago we updated the Pixy system to a new version (3.6). Here are some of the changes which were included in the update.
Pixy users may have noticed some changes when uploading new entries. As part of the recent system update we've switched to using a new media server for the storage and delivery of photos and uploads. This means the page loading times for your blogs at Pixy have been improved, and it also allows us to expand as the number of images uploaded to Pixy grows.
The process of moving to the new image server hasn't gone as smoothly as hoped. We switched to using the new server at the end of last month and came across a number of problems with slow uploading of images. We've been working tirelessly to fix these and we have now installed a second update which resolves most of the reported problems. However we still have a problem with the watermarking feature, so until that is resolved the watermarking of images has been temporarily disabled.
Most users will have noticed a small change after saving a new entry; there is a delay while the images load. Previously when you uploaded a new image, the thumbnail resizing and watermarking operations were done at the same time. This meant that it took longer to publish an entry. Now when you save a new entry just the file is uploaded (and a quick check to see if it's an image file) then another process takes care of the resizing and watermarking. The initial upload is much quicker than before, and you can choose to navigate away from the page as the images are processed in the background and your entry will be updated.
While the initial upload is quick, the image resizing and watermarking is currently taking two or three times longer than it should. We're working on resolving this and once completed the whole uploading time will be much quicker.
Two more previews of your photos are now created from new uploads. One at 300px another at 1600px. These can be used on your blog by editing your page templates.
We've added a new editor to be used while editing page templates. Now with the CodeMirror editor your page templates are nicely formatted and syntax highlighted making it easier to customize your blog. This is now enabled by default. You can revert to the simple text editor in your sites Preferences > Settings.
That's not all from the 3.6 update... there's another whole bunch of features. But first we need to get the new media server and uploading working smoothly and then we'll start to roll-out the rest.
If anyone finds a problem, let us know in our bug forum. Got an idea for a new or improved feature? Checkout out feature request forum.
More to come soon.
- Pixy Team
We started updating the Pixy system this morning (GMT). The update has been mostly completed, but we are still waiting for all the images to migrate to their new server (about 90% complete so far). We don't envisage any further disruption to our service, but it will take a good few of hours to complete moving the images. So if you have photoblog with us then there's a chance some of your images won't show... but don't worry, they'll be back soon.
Follow us at Twitter for regular updates.
We will post news article shortly regarding the changes in Pixy 3.6
UPDATE (Sunday 28th)
UPDATE 2 (Monday 29th)
UPDATE 3 (Tuesday 30th)
If anyone finds a problem, please let us know.
We were contacted just before the end of last year by longtime PixyBlogger Jeffrey Paul with a proposition to provide an extended trial of PixyBlog for his digital photography students in Great Falls, Montana. We were more than happy to help and have provided his students with a trial account for the duration of their course.
The new semester has just started and the students are now beginning to use PixyBlog. A few have started to upload their photos. We're excited to see how this trial goes and the work produced by the students. Of course, please leave comments. We have some great photographers in our community, and I know that we can all help, learn and improve our photography together.
We've had enquiries before from the colleges, schools and teachers about using PixyBlog for their students, but this is the first ever trial. We would be interested in working with other educational institutions on similar projects, simply contact us if you have a proposal.
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