How to overcome external JS issues?

For many times now, Blogdrive have chosen to insert an additional text into all blogs and pages "informing" users they are upgrading servers. Sure, we should actually be grateful that they are in fact "informing" us, which under normal circumstances, they don't.

Blogdrive automatically inserts this line of code into the end of all files stored on Blogdrive. Including CSS and JS files.

<p align=center>Upgrading servers.
We'll be back up in a few of minutes.
We are currently storing submitted entries
for later processing.</p>

Now, let's not let the issue of "informing" users of downtime. The issue I'm facing now, has to do with Blogdrive, automatically inserting additional text into my .js files, making them obsolete and not working. I use lotsa external javascript files which are hosted on Blogdrive. But whenever they insert this tags, all my blogs would fail to execute.

So the solution to this problem, without informing Blogdrive of the problem (as they are always too "busy" to pay any attention to a Magnum (plan 4) subscriber such as myself), I simple insert a double slash at the very end of all my js documents.

It does the trick, wonderfully. By inserting a double slash, I basically "comment-out" the auto-inserted code.

Oh, how genius of me to stop a war, not get angry fix the small problem.

Four secret Blogdrive goodies that you should never know

While we are constantly complaining about how much Blogdrive can improve, let's take a moment to be reminded of all the good stuff we have here on Blogdrive that you shouldn't have known.

If you are reading this article right now you should turn off the lights and make sure there's nobody behind you. If you are discovered to have obtain these information, an assassin will be sent to murder you.

1) Built-in search feature - Search your own blog with the blogdrive's built-in search feature, it's originally only available for subscription blogs but if you use a GET method on your url, you'll get a free (temporary) feature. However, it only search your blog titles.

2) exceed your bandwidth - for free accounts, an allocated amount of 50mb monthly bandwidth can be exceeded even without any upgrades. If you have a subscription blog, your allocated monthly bandwidth will be higher but again your files will not fail to load in the event that you exceeded it. So, what are you complaining about? (please note: you can't store more than what you should)

3) store HTML / CSS / JS documents in your filemanager with .jpg extensions. Okay, this is supposed to be a techy hack but it works.

4) the amazing Seige - this isn't just a goodie thingy but the coolest lad I've ever known on Blogdrive. He's smart, brilliant and above all massively fantastic. Oh, did I mention that he's got a great sense of humour?

Do you have other ideas or suggestions?

Tags: blogdrive secrets goodies

Friendster and Blogdrive

Gah, I hate that friends service. It just isn't my cup of tea to camwhore all day long. Besides, I hate to see other people more sexy than my sexy self. No room for competition.

The fundament power that drives these online social networks so successfully is non-other than social sex. Of course not directly, you can't expect them to "produce" a massaging hand out of the computer screen to give you any pleasure. It's more of a dating thing, they promise you sex and it's all up to you to bring it back home.

Friendster offers you an online profile, testimonials (from your friends), a kick-ass friends network, blog (typepad), personal messages, and other mini-and-cool-but-not-so-rare features such as css editing of your profile page.

I must say, the part I love most about friendster is the friend's network. It shows you who you connect with other people if they aren't immediately your friend. It's one of the best way to get a date make new friends.

Then there's the testimonial part to boost yer ego. You write something good about others, they'll write you back in return. The more testimonials you have prooves how likable you are and the more number of friends you have tells how popular you are.

Friendster makes it easy for you to stalk update on your friend's current affairs, much like how some personal blog works. It even allow you to stalk learn more about that hottie you met last week in the bar. (talk about privacy)

Brilliant, isn't it? Wait there's more. Friendster even allows you to blog. You hear that? Blogging, on Friendster. That's even more brilliant than sleeping naked. (right)

It does have some limitations which really isn't that much to complain about. To make custom templates is pretty tough there, it's all CSS. You have to find out all the classnames before you can come up with a CSS hack. But, I guess that's just about the only limitations.

Summary of what I like about Friendster:
1) Friends network
2) Testimonials


What can Blogdrive learn from Friendster?

Duh, the Friends Network. Blogdrive currently have profiles enabled for blog owners and there's also the tagging feature. Honestly I don't know what the tagging feature can really do other than a form of measurement who have seen your profile (or blog in some cases)

The new feature ideas would probably be something like this:
1) You are able to add Friends on your profile page,
2) You can see how other people connect to you,
3) You can leave a quick testimonial on the profiles page,
4) Personal Messages,


How would this benefit Blogdrive?

A wider userbase. Currently there are only around 300000 signed up accounts on Blogdrive including the abandoned/deleted account. That's a very small percentage in the world of online social/community. Wider userbase would also mean greater traffic and that would add to the bandwidth cost and server overload problems. But that would really depend on what they want really.

Note: Everything said here, just like everything else in this blog are my personal comments and observation and doesn't represent the views of our beloved Blogdrive.

Tags: Blogdrive, Friendster, Social Networking, Blogs, Friends Network,