Update pages: how/where do you keep your updates?

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Chibi
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Update pages: how/where do you keep your updates?

Post by Chibi »

So, I've been thinking recently on what I should do about updates on my domain. I used to have an update journal, but it was kind of forgotten... and LJ has become really hard to use over time too (not to mention people have just jumped ship and abandoned it).

So, what to do with updates? Do you still keep an updates journal? Do you use a CMS like Wordpress and post updates on your domain? Do you just update your sites manually? Do you prefer to have one place for updates or to have each site their own updates pages? Do you prefer your updates page outside of your domain (i.e. LJ, Dreamwidth, Twitter, etc.) or do you want to have it "in-house" (i.e. on your domain)?

Feel free to link your updates pages to let us see what you've done with it! I'm hoping to reach a decision on what to do with my own updates by reading your opinions. :)
Destinie
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Re: Update pages: how/where do you keep your updates?

Post by Destinie »

I used to keep an updates blog but I don't anymore. ;o; It was last updated a year ago: http://my-vivid-sky.livejournal.com/ Which is a shame because my updates blog has such a cool name!

Now I just stick updates on the front of Love-gala and just change the date it was updated on the individual site. I kind of found it taxing to write out every little thing, especially if the update was minor. XD;
nyxmidnight
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Re: Update pages: how/where do you keep your updates?

Post by nyxmidnight »

I use FanUpdate! It's a great tiny system. I posted the updates to all my sites on my collective hub, and with the categories they get posted to the appropriate site at the same time.
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Sarah
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Re: Update pages: how/where do you keep your updates?

Post by Sarah »

I used to have an LJ for my site updates, but when I deleted my personal account I had to get rid of that one, too. Which didn't really bother me, because as you said, Chibi, LJ is dying off.

Now, I just keep site updates on-site. Depending on the site's size, updates either get their own page or just a sub-section.
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Todd
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Re: Update pages: how/where do you keep your updates?

Post by Todd »

I used to have an updates blog, too, and abandoned it.

I keep updates pages on every site except for Nightbringer and Poltergeist. Those sites have blogs on the index, and I just update there. I call out big updates for my shrines like layout changes on my main domain, Nightbringer. I call out all new additions to any site on my personal Twitter. It seems to be working for now. :)
Aku
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Re: Update pages: how/where do you keep your updates?

Post by Aku »

nyxmidnight wrote:I use FanUpdate! It's a great tiny system. I posted the updates to all my sites on my collective hub, and with the categories they get posted to the appropriate site at the same time.
That's neat! I'm not super PHP-savvy, but assuming it's pulling from the same database, could you potentially ask it to pull updates from a certain category only, so that you could create update pages for all your sites without having multiple versions of FanUpdate? :o

I had an update LJ, but as my updates have become far less frequent and LJ kinda died out, I stopped using it. I really just use my Twitter now for updates because I at the moment I don't do enough work to have updates that are that significant. XD; But if I ever create an updates page again, I'm totally going to steal some of you guys' ideas. :D
nyxmidnight
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Re: Update pages: how/where do you keep your updates?

Post by nyxmidnight »

Aku wrote:
nyxmidnight wrote:I use FanUpdate! It's a great tiny system. I posted the updates to all my sites on my collective hub, and with the categories they get posted to the appropriate site at the same time.
That's neat! I'm not super PHP-savvy, but assuming it's pulling from the same database, could you potentially ask it to pull updates from a certain category only, so that you could create update pages for all your sites without having multiple versions of FanUpdate? :o
Actually that's exactly why FanUpdate was created! Each category, in the dashboard, has its own page for easy WYSIWYG modification and a snippet of code to stick on your web site to display the updates only for that site and no other. You can compare my collective's update page with Nyx's Lounge's, for example.
Join in the Tale, in the Blight, of Conquest and Lies
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Aku
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Re: Update pages: how/where do you keep your updates?

Post by Aku »

nyxmidnight wrote:Actually that's exactly why FanUpdate was created! Each category, in the dashboard, has its own page for easy WYSIWYG modification and a snippet of code to stick on your web site to display the updates only for that site and no other. You can compare my collective's update page with Nyx's Lounge's, for example.
Ah that's super super awesome! I could totally see myself using this. Now I have something to tinker with this afternoon. xD
Mikari
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Re: Update pages: how/where do you keep your updates?

Post by Mikari »

I rarely update my sites, since they are basically finished when I post them. When I make small updates, link checks, etc. I either mention it on Twitter or not at all. Sometimes I make a note on the blog available on the sites I post at, such as Deviant Art. That's also where I list off all my art updates, though only the finished colored pictures go on Fantasy Bit. I update that one often, so it feels like it merits an announcement of those updates on the site itself. I have the date of the latest update on the index and on the gallery page, before going into the sections (pixel, digital, etc.) there's a preview of the latest art I've added.

I don't like content managers, I don't mind them on other people's sites, I just don't like them for mine. They seem to make things harder by adding an extra layer of stuff. I like how php makes it so that you can update the layout by changing just one file, etc. and wordpress and the others with having to add pages one by one seem like the long way around. Plus the reason why I still make sites rather than posting everything on archives is the freedom to design them however I want, having to work around someone else's code would feel very limited and not personal enough, so I don't see myself using one in the future. For now updating is pretty easy as it is and people can comment on Twitter (I love that site for chatting, announcements, and to be a part of everyone's gaming XD) or the other archives.
Larissa
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Re: Update pages: how/where do you keep your updates?

Post by Larissa »

I used to use an updates journal on LJ (and for like 5 seconds, DW), but these days I just have a single update page. I find it easier to keep track of than any of the alternatives I've seen or used myself over the years.

As a side note I did use FanUpdate as an update log for a particular fansite I had years ago, but ended up getting ridiculous amounts of spam. Be careful if you enable comments.
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