Miscellaneous Forum

Hi Guys,

I promised a few folks that I'd post a rough road map to the developments that are coming. I'll focus on the things that you'll see that you'll care about and not on the things going on in the background technically. Just be aware that there is significant work going on in the background. I also don't want to give away all the surprises, so I might be a little cryptic about somethings. Please note some things are going in order a certain way because they have technical dependencies (I can't do this, until I do that)

In any case, it will give you a little snapshot of what's coming up.

Here's a rough outline. As we go farther down the timeline dates are less exact pending estimates. Could be longer or shorter by a little bit.


Next up
- Sign up layer
- verified emails


November/December
- Next phase of bulk photo uploader
- New comments (separate threaded comments on intro, travelogues, single tips etc.)
- New Forums
- notices and alerts
- things to do, etc. have gps mappable locations
- travel guide curation tools


January/Feb
- new page/tip creation first phase
- extended badges
- new messaging system (retiring email)
- Groups

More stuff TBD
- new types of pages to make...timelines, lists, galleries
- ranks and ratings new system


There is a ton more stuff under the hood and some stuff we can't reveal yet, but that should give you a rough estimate.

Please let me know if you have particular items you're wondering about...

Lots to do, but it's damned exciting...like 2000 all over again. Same feeling of innovation and creative energy.

Too much to process for now Mr. G but

Will be looking forward to these as usual with great excitement as they come

You guys are on a roll! Thanks.

I hope a new Search capability will be in the list somewhere...the Search feature has always been a problem on VT, as I find it easier and more profitable to use an external Search engine like Yahoo.com on the VT site rather VT's own Search.

Bill

Just an idea:

We could have a MAG brainstorming session at Paris.

All MAGnuts together :)



PJ

When e-mail gets retired, will we still be able to have saved messages that we have saved with the purpose of retaining useful travel information? If not, will we at least be able to save them in our personal travel guide?

<<Please let me know if you have particular items you're wondering about..>>

anything about the database fixes?

Very exciting!

Great news all round :-) Thanks!

Search is definitely a big interest for me and one that I'm eager to get in. Just depends on where it falls.

For database, yes, the database tool is being worked on now. I can add a new location, but can't move anything with content. When we redo the content creation, we'll be able to add that.

Mail...when mail goes away, we'll have a message system internally like facebook or other sites. You'll be able to do all and more that you can with email, but it won't be external. Less spam, and issues, because email is hard to support. You won't lose your messages except probably stuff that is in the trash.

Thanks G! Sounds exciting!
As for the mail thing: will we get folders? Will we be able to save more than the ? 20 mails we can put into the save box now?

Yes...you'll be able to have many many messages. Folders are tbd...not sure exactly. It won't be email at all..just messages

Thanks G! But still private, yes? I mean only between sender and addressee(s)?

Of course...it will probably be something like FB (but better) or similar messaging systems.

While this isn't exactly the place to put them, I do have two things I would like to suggest for future developments:

+ In cases where two tips are extremely closely related (for example, when one runs out of characters in a tip and must continue in a second tip, or one attraction is located inside a second attraction - such as a museum or garden located inside a city park) it would be nice to be able to indicate on the tip somehow that there is a related tip or a continuation tip.

+ It would be nice to be able to label tips as research tips, especially now that the most recent tips are featured prominently on the location page. As an example, when you wrote your tip about The Nines here in Portland, it was basically a research tip about the hotel as a reminder for the next time you visit our city. I've done a few similar tips that are essentially just repositories of information about certain things that I hope to do some day. Such tips should probably not be featured as the latest information about a place, as they are really more for sharing among VT members and friends and for an individuals own personal use. A tip labeled as a research tip would be marked in a certain way so that it would be clear that such a tip isn't based on an actual travel experience (just yet), but the check box could be easily unchecked if the tip were to become an actual travel experience.

good points. Now read your first sentence :) (I'm just kidding you)

awesome, two thumbs up!

I don't know how the FaceBook message thing works. So, I wonder with VT's new messaging system, how will we go about answering travel questions, we're now being asked through our e-mail, in detail?

Will we have to go off VT and into our own e-mail accounts to communicate this type of information?

No. It's very simple. It's just like email except it's just within VT.

Thanks! That's a relief!

All the other stuff looks fantastic too!

What does "Sign up layer" mean please?

sign up layer means, you can sign up in a layer on the page where you are then continue doing what you're doing, you don't have to go to another page to do that stuff...

Oh I get it - I usually stayed signed in all the time (except when away from home, naturally) so that didn't occur to me!

We're talking about sign up, not sign in here :)

It's all looking pretty terrific to me thanks G.

Carole.

the photo library sounds interesting. kudos.

I have been testing it. Very useful! :)

luckyyyy!!! :-)

how about the update of locations?

I can update new locations now, but I can't merge or delete stuff that already has content. That will come towards end of year or early next.

If you have a location you need added, drop a note to feedback@virtualtourist.com. Sometimes I can't add a location, though.

The developments are getting cooler and cooler, I can't say more until I see them all :D