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Within the next week or so, mobile app support for Forum Runner will be removed. I don't think this is going to affect many people, if any at all. However, if you are using the app to access SoccerShouts, you will soon find that you are no longer able to do so. While I dislike removing any options people may choose for accessing the site, Forum Runner appears to have ceased active development over a year ago. For security, I do not like to have abandoned code running on the site. For mobile access, I always recommend Tapatalk. You can download the app for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. Visiting the site directly from a mobile browser will also work and doesn't require an app.

General Policy Update, April 2018 Registration is no longer required to view posts and links on the site. Therefore, we no longer need the old policy regarding accounts registered to access content and immediately requesting deletion. To request an account deletion, please open a new with your delete request. Posting into an existing thread will almost certainly go unnoticed. Most deletion requests will be processed within 48 hours, but may take as long as one week. I am the only person who handles deletion requests, so if your account has not been deleted after a week, contact me directly through the messaging system.

As of today, SoccerShouts is now running from a different server. Hopefully the process came without issues, but if you notice anything out of place please let me know and I will see about fixing it as quickly as I can. So why the move? Well, SoccerShouts was running on our own server until today. It was somewhat costly, and fairly unnecessary based on the size of the site. Running our own server was a snap judgement a couple of years ago when we had a lot of trouble with a previous host. But along with that came extra costs, and the headaches of running a server (backups, updating software, etc). Now that I think I've found a very competent host, I'm convinced it will be far easier to let someone else handle the server admin tasks, as SoccerShouts can continue running just as before. If you run into any issue with things loading, try emptying your cache and reloading the site. That should clear up any issues with things it might still be trying to pull from the old server.

So far Q4 is looking to be a pretty uneventful time as far as developments go. Right now, things are running pretty smoothly, so I can't find much reason to change things when all is working well. That's not to say nothing will be done however, as minor tweaks as the months progress is something that is always happening. A major new overhaul is planned for next year thanks to a major software version update that will take place around that time and I hope to be able to provide some information leading up to the changes. Pursuant to this announcement, staff and Premium members will find that the old skin Classic has been updated and once again made available for use. While I didn't originally intend on bringing it back, our recent increase in Premium memberships was encouragement to return it as a perk for those who are supporting the site. Here's a preview in case anyone forgets the Classic skin or never seen it in its original form.

The second half of 2013 will see a number of functional changes to the site. Updated today was the removal of the Training & Coaching section. Kit Bag will continue to exist and has been moved into General discussion. Tournaments category has become unused as UEFA 2012-2013 has now been moved to archive status. This will condense the layout a bit more. In mid to late June, there will be a day with scheduled downtime while the forum is taken offline and a major version upgrade is performed. As a result of the upgrade, there will be some small changes in functionality. A couple of skins will be departing us at that time, but some new ones will be making an appearance. I will have more details on that as we get closer to the upgrade. On Sept. 1, the image gallery will be shutting down. The goal is to focus on our strengths and the gallery is not one of those. If you have uploaded images that you have not backed up elsewhere, you should retrieve a copy by the Sept. 1 shutdown date. After such time the image content will be irretrievably deleted.

In keeping with the new pattern of quarterly update threads, here are the updates so far for Q1 2013. Also, Luke wouldn't stop bugging me to actually announce things, which I always forget to do. SoccerShouts Diet To better focus our efforts on active areas, the Kit Bag was shifted back to being a subforum of the Training & Equipment board. The Italian and Around the World discussion boards were wiped and all posts moved to a shared Other Teams and Leagues board. The Prime skin was also dropped. This affected exactly 0 members and no one was using it. A new skin is currently being worked on with a hopeful release date by the end of the month. Latest topics are still shown on the sidebar, but latest posts have been dropped. For similar but expanded functionality, just use the View New Content link at the top of all pages. Trim your links One of the newer features added was a Shorten URL link added to the top of all pages. Clicking that link will allow you to make a short link out of the current page you are viewing, or any link of your choosing. A number of shortening services are available, such as bit.ly and tinyURL. Sometime this quarter we also have plans to launch our own branded service which will be added to that menu. Ads Just a small change to the ads so far in that logged in members will no longer see the ad that jumps around on the board index. In the near future, I have plans to test adding a block size ad within the first post of a topic but again this will be limited to guest viewers only. As always, Premium subscribers see no ads at all. Post Points Posts are awarded for creating new threads and replies. Creating a popular topic also rewards you, as you get points on replies to threads you create as well. Currently points are broken down as follows: New Topic: 1 point Replies to discussion threads: 0.5 points Replies in video threads: 0.05 points Points awarded to topic creator for replies: 0.5 points Some boards have slightly different point values, such as a large bonus for creating an Intro thread, and Word games which does not award points. These points can be used as an alternative to spending money to get a premium subscription. In the Points Store, you can get a month of Premium for 200 points. The system has only been in place for a week and some members already have 25+ points, so nothing impossible. Certainly not as the site grows and more posting takes place. Other Thoughts A huge thanks to Luke for a very generous donation this month. This money is being used for the new skin, getting the URL service started, and a well funded ad campaign to help promote the site.

Okay, so we're not in the 90's anymore. It was a fun time, we had the Animaniacs, Super Nintendo and AOL. Then again, some of you may not have even been born then, or old enough to remember that stuff. So it got me thinking, why do we still have limits here like everyone is still on dial-up? As of today that is going to change. 50kb avatars? Try 350kb (500kb for premium members). 80kb signatures? Let's say 400kb for everyone. Upload space for attaching files is growing too. Because a few megs of space doesn't go very far anymore. Profile background images have also received a bump from 150kb to 600kb (850kb Premium). If you don't already have a custom background on your profile you can add one from your control panel. These limits are effective immediately, while supporting documents like the Posting Rules will be updated shortly to reflect the changes. So, time to break out those animated pics. No more trying to squeeze every last byte out of an image just to post it.

SoccerShouts Updates for Q4 2012 I seem to do a pretty bad job whenever I create a monthly updates thread. The last couple of "monthly" threads I ended up posting to for a full month or two past when I should have created a new thread. So, I figure I will try a new format here and see if I do better by creating a quarterly thread. So far this month we've had a few updates. New Modern theme Classic and Create skins were just updated for compatibility. Classic also got a slightly new layout. All skins are now showing our social bar, which allows for one click access to our Facebook, instant page translation, and site chat with your online friends. The gallery categories were updated to combine Player and Team images. Member graphics/portfolios can now be created as private folders. Topic hover preview, previously only available when viewing the list of topics in a forum, now works on the board home when highlighting threads. Video forum threads now include a thumbnail preview. These images are drawn from the first graphic used in the thread. When viewing posts, you can now highlight and selectively quote from a post. Similarly, @mention is available and will notify the person mentioned. In user notification preferences, you can now opt to be notified if your posts or topics are edited/moved/deleted by a moderator. That's it so far, but we will have more to come, as we are in a constant state of development. In the future I am still looking to start a monthly member spotlight, add tutorials on how to get the most out of the forum and its extensive features, have even more themes, and a redesign on the main page. If anyone else has any ideas, let me know. I'm determined to make SoccerShouts the best and friendliest soccer community and feedback from our members can help make that happen. -Bill

TOS MATERIAL CHANGE ANNOUNCEMENT AUGUST 30, 2012 We have always been open about changes that affect our users. For many years now, we have operated with nearly the same Terms of Service since the original SoccerPulse opened in 2002. While there have been minor material changes, these Terms have not been significantly modified in this entire time period. In 10 years though, the web has changed considerably. How we do business online, and our expectations of the companies that operate online have also shifted in this time. As a result, we too have had to reassess our practices. For the first time in those 10 years are making sweeping changes to our Terms of Service. Much of the details on how your account is handled on the forum, and our rights as Operators to handle accounts and posts remain the same. The prior requirement of logging in every 6 months or having at least 5 posts to prevent account deletion has been removed. User accounts will be kept indefinitely, or until management decides to run a manual removal. All user requests to have their account closed will continue to be honored. Posting in English requirement has been removed from the TOS and will be moved to Posting Rules. The rest of changes are basically to cover the sites liability on your data, and the limits legally we could be held responsible. We’ve also outlined our policy on copyright complaints and how we handle them. This stuff is exceedingly boring to read, but we still suggest you do so, and if you have any comments/concerns to address them with us. The current Terms can be found here, or at any time by clicking the Terms of Service link at the bottom of every page. Best Regards, Bill Linkfield Owner/Developer SoccerShouts.com Addendum: Your continued use of this site acknowledges acceptance of these revised terms. Any user who wishes to no longer be bound by this agreement can contact us and your account will be removed from our systems.

Ah July. The weather is getting hotter and the air conditioner is cranked up, so what better excuse to stay in and get some work done? The month has really just begun, so I only have a few updates to detail so far, but I will keep this thread updated with any changes throughout the month. A new skin is on the way. As of today, staff were given access to preview and test the new skin. Attached below is a screenshot preview to take a look in the meantime. New Members are no longer restricted from using the PM system. There are still fairly tight controls on the number of PMs that can be sent daily. Standard rules apply with restrictions being lifted after making 5 posts and being moved into the regular members group. This change was made so that even new members to the site have more options for communicating with other members and staff. As registrations are checked against two separate databases for known spammers, our spammer registration rate has dropped to practically zero. As a result I see no reason to continue restricting members who may have a legitimate use of the PM system. In the past week, a few forums were shifted around, and admin Rahul has temporarily hidden the Training and Coaching section while the content and organization is reworked into a more condensed format. Lastly, a small change was made to the tag chart to allow more popular tags to also stand out with a larger font size.

Earlier today a set of updates to the software that runs this site was performed. Here's a rundown of at least some of the changes affecting users. New warning points system With the recent update, the system upon which warnings are issued has also changed. We have moved from a “3 strikes

Today is the launch of our newest skin, Classic. Classic is a theme that is a bit more basic than our last skin, Create, but it is also a bit more clear where some functions are concerned. The skin was previewed on our Facebook page about a week ago while still being edited, though only a few minor things still had to be changed since that time. In addition to being a revival of the red/grey found in our original SS 1.1, it will also be the replacement for that theme. As I announced back in August I would eventually be ending support of and removing SS 1.1. Hopefully this is an acceptable alternative. Let me know what you think, and as always let me know if you find any bugs I missed in testing.

We are now supporting Forum Runner for Android and iPhone/iPad devices. The Mobile Apps page has been updated with links to this application for supported devices. In addition, we continue to support Tapatalk for Android, iPhone, Windows Phone 7 and Blackberry devices. Links for these applications can also be found on the Mobile Apps page. For other devices, or for those who do not prefer to run a forum-reader app, you should see our mobile skin automatically when you visit from your mobile device.

There has been a change to the Terms of Service. This posting acts as notice of these changes. What has changed: Account Deletion policy New terms: Members are required to log in at least once every 6 months or make at least 5 posts on the forum. Accounts that do not meet these requirements will be deleted. This replaces the former requirement of logging in at least once every 3 months or making at least 2 posts. This system is now automated. Accounts will be contacted by email at the address registered with the forum at the 3 and 5 month mark with a reminder of this policy, and will receive a confirmation mailing after 6 months that the account has been removed from our systems.

We have a nice new forum software running, so it seemed like the right time to launch a new skin. Introducing our newest skin, "Create". This new skin is a nice step up from our previous skins. With Create, you can do just that. SoccerShouts is your forum, so why shouldn't it represent your personal style? Along the top toolbar, you will see a little picture icon next to "View New Content." Click this, and you will see a background selector slide out with a number of different backgrounds to choose from. None of them your style? Just enter a URL to your own image and have your own unique design. Enjoy. Let me know what you think, or upload a screenshot of your custom SoccerShouts look. One word of advice: Nothing too white. Some text may be unreadable on overly white backgrounds. Also, the old skin will still be around if you really liked it. I will continue to support that skin on the site for at least the next 12 months. Just head down to the Change Theme link at the bottom of the board and select SP v1.1 for the old skin. Edit (Aug 20): Fixed a permissions issue that was keeping some groups from accessing the old skin. Should be available to all registered members with 5 or more posts now.