I don't think the work in progress comment came across right.

I meant the fact that you still tweak the site, and are thinking of
ways to improve it. Ficwad had some interesting features, such as the
ratings and the ability to reply to reviews in stream so to speak.

unfortunately, the owner basically gave up on the site and it is slowly dying.

I don't think that your site needs scored ratings per se, as you tend
to have a higher tier of writers.

I did like the fact that a reader could quickly leave feedback on the
story however, by the ranking and the descriptive term.  I know I am
guilty of not always leaving a review,  but I would almost always rate
a story.

maybe implement something similar for the authors benefit so they can
get more feedback on the story?

I am almost thinking of something like the scoring system used on
personality tests and oddly enough, a videogame I used to play.

Basically, you have say 5 values or characteristics you are rated on,
and you then have an aggregate scoring graphically represented on a
pentagon type graph.

just a thought, as I said, I really like the site, and was mainly glad
to see that you are still tweaking and refining it.

keep up the great work!

On 3/31/10, Tim Joy <jeconais@...> wrote:
>> Your stories have always been great. And inspiring. But the website is
>> a great work in progress. I've seen great sites with huge potential
>> die off *koff-ficwad-kaff* due to frustration ans inattention.
>
> Work in progress...
>
> I've pretty much reached the end of everything I wanted to do with it.
>  Do you have any ideas as to what you would like to see added?  I'm
> not really interested in things that aren't related to fanfiction - or
> would make FFA.net something it isn't.
>
> That's open to anyone - I'm willing to listen to, and debate, ideas -
> and if they're good, I will implement them.
>
> T.
>

Tim Joy <jeconais@...> writes:

>> Your stories have always been great. And inspiring. But the website is
>> a great work in progress. I've seen great sites with huge potential
>> die off *koff-ficwad-kaff* due to frustration ans inattention.
>
> Work in progress...
>
> I've pretty much reached the end of everything I wanted to do with it.
>  Do you have any ideas as to what you would like to see added?  I'm
> not really interested in things that aren't related to fanfiction - or
> would make FFA.net something it isn't.
>
> That's open to anyone - I'm willing to listen to, and debate, ideas -
> and if they're good, I will implement them.

Is the list of authors on the front page no longer supposed to be sorted
by update date? It doesn't seem to be, anyway.

Shalon Wood

Which story is out of place? It all looks correct here.

On Sat, Apr 3, 2010 at 6:33 PM, Shalon Wood <dstar@...> wrote:

> Is the list of authors on the front page no longer supposed to be sorted
> by update date? It doesn't seem to be, anyway.

Well, I see FP's update, in Feb, in the second place, while the Mar. 10
update from Deluded Musing is 7th.

Keep in mind that I use elinks, and don't have javascript; on the other
hand, they were sorted before, so I assume you aren't using js to do the
sorting.

Shalon Wood

Tim Joy <jeconais@...> writes:

> Which story is out of place? It all looks correct here.
>
> On Sat, Apr 3, 2010 at 6:33 PM, Shalon Wood <dstar@...> wrote:
>
>> Is the list of authors on the front page no longer supposed to be sorted
>> by update date? It doesn't seem to be, anyway.
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

--

> Keep in mind that I use elinks, and don't have javascript; on the other
> hand, they were sorted before, so I assume you aren't using js to do the
> sorting.

They're sorted correctly, but into three columns - so it's using CSS
to display correctly on the screen.  Not sure what I'm going to do
about this - I don't particularly want to do something for text-mode
browsers, but that maybe the only solution.

T.

Tim Joy <jeconais@...> writes:

>> Keep in mind that I use elinks, and don't have javascript; on the other
>> hand, they were sorted before, so I assume you aren't using js to do the
>> sorting.
>
> They're sorted correctly, but into three columns - so it's using CSS
> to display correctly on the screen.  Not sure what I'm going to do
> about this - I don't particularly want to do something for text-mode
> browsers, but that maybe the only solution.

Huh. I wonder why it used to work, then?

Shalon Wood

> Huh. I wonder why it used to work, then?

I changed it as part of the updates.  it used to be <li> based, but
that gave me a bunch of problems with smaller-screen devices and with
overloaded text boxes - so I switched to a column based layout so I
could do the ajax all-story loading.

T.

As I continue the (slow) addition of new authors, I'd like to welcome Tenhawk to
Fanficauthors.net.

I first remember stumbled across Tenhawk about 6 months after I'd first started
writing, and have been a follower ever since.

A lot of his other stuff can be found at www.tenhawkpresents.com, but his latest
story, a BtVS/Hp crossover is at http://tenhawk.fanficauthors.net .

Tim

On Tue, Apr 6, 2010 at 9:27 PM, Shalon Wood <dstar@...> wrote:
>
> Keep in mind that I use elinks, and don't have javascript; on the other
> hand, they were sorted before, so I assume you aren't using js to do the
> sorting.

I've rewritten the front page, and it now order properly in elinks.

T.

Seems to work fairly well.  Thanks for the cool feature.  

I've got an older Sony Libre(J) from the bad old days that I gutted and
hacked together with a US reader.  I've installed the latest ePub
firmware recently. Most of the books I've tried seem to work alright.
page #s do really weird things though on the Sony. Dunno if that's
normal as I haven't mucked about with epub much yet.  A quick look at
the format makes me want to slap someone for sure.   Format by
committee sucks.

However a couple of books I've tried seem to be missing chapters.  
They have their header, title and that's it.   I can't tell right off
where the issue is but it not client side.   I unzipped the .epub
file and looked, the .html for the top is ok, but all the chapter text
is just plain missing.  
-example: FP's years of rebellion, unzip it and look at chapter 8: Happy
birthday to me.  

iw


--- In fanficauthors@yahoogroups.com, Tim Joy <jeconais@...> wrote:
>
> After a few days' worth of hacking (well, a couple of hours a day),
> I've added EPUB support to Fanficauthors.net.

--- In fanficauthors@yahoogroups.com, Tim Joy <jeconais@...> wrote:
>
> After a few days' worth of hacking (well, a couple of hours a day),
> I've added EPUB support to Fanficauthors.net.
>
> From wikipedia:
> EPUB (electronic publication; also sometimes ePub, EPub, or epub) is a
> free and open e-book standard, by the International Digital Publishing
> Forum (IDPF). Files have the extension .epub. EPUB is designed for
> reflowable content, meaning that the text display can be optimized for
> the particular display device. The format is meant to function as a
> single format that publishers and conversion houses can use in-house,
> as well as for distribution and sale. It supersedes the Open eBook
> standard...
>
> In a more open language, it's a way of displaying stories on iPhones,
> Android, and other mobile devices, including a load of the new
> ereaders. it isn't, however, supported by Kindle, that uses a
> proprietary format.
>
> While I've tested it as much as I can, there still may be problems -
> especially as I don't have a device capable of reading them.  I've
> tried one of the examples on O'Reily's Bookworm, and run quite a few
> of the archives through the epubcheck tool.  As such, there is a beta
> flag next to the download link.  I don't normally like doing this, but
> being unable to do rigourours testing of anything other than creation
> and validation, there's not much else I can do.
>
> Irritatingly, the major problem I had was creating the container, as
> the mimetype file has to be both the first file in the archive, and
> NOT COMPRESSED.  The zip software I was using was compressing the
> file, and debugging it was a pain in the rear.  Second problem was the
> actual xhtml itself.  In order for FFA.net to be as compatible in it's
> base form as possible, I deliberately use things like the bold tag,
> rather than a style="" attribute.  The xhtml, of course, required the
> opposite, so some playing around was required.
>

Tim Joy <jeconais@...> writes:

> On Tue, Apr 6, 2010 at 9:27 PM, Shalon Wood <dstar@...> wrote:
>>
>> Keep in mind that I use elinks, and don't have javascript; on the other
>> hand, they were sorted before, so I assume you aren't using js to do the
>> sorting.
>
> I've rewritten the front page, and it now order properly in elinks.

Thanks!

Also, I noticed that several of Ishtar's fics show up as having 0
words. It seems just to be a cosmetic issue, because the chapters do
actually have something in them, but I thought you might want to know.

Shalon Wood

On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 10:38 PM, iceweazel <wahl@...> wrote:
> However a couple of books I've tried seem to be missing chapters.
> They have their header, title and that's it.   I can't tell right off
> where the issue is but it not client side.   I unzipped the .epub
> file and looked, the .html for the top is ok, but all the chapter text
> is just plain missing.
> -example: FP's years of rebellion, unzip it and look at chapter 8: Happy
> birthday to me.

I've actually found the problem -- it's non-ascii characters
(specifically smart quotes/apostrophes) in the title tag.  The worst
case, for some *strange* reason, is "Great Scott, Potter, This is
War!" by Aaran St. Vines.

Jim

> Also, I noticed that several of Ishtar's fics show up as having 0
> words. It seems just to be a cosmetic issue, because the chapters do
> actually have something in them, but I thought you might want to know.

Thanks.  All denormalised data (ie word counts etc) are now fixed.

T.

I received a suggestion for some form of related stories.  With the lack of meta
data that I have available, and my lack of faith in "crowd sourcing", a straight
related system was never going to work.  But the idea didn't go away, and after
some peculation, I decided to use the information I do have.

On every last-chapter (or stand alone chapter), at the bottom of the page,
should be a couple of stories that you might like., based on the tastes of
people who have reviewed that story.

Obviously, this feature is experimental, in beta, and likely to eat your horse. 
it also might not work, might be to expensive to generate, and open bigger holes
in the ozone layer.

For those who read everything, this will hardly be worthwhile, but for those
that don't read much, you might find it useful.

T.

Actually I have seen that too, I am on Mac OS X .5  Safari 4. Once I have signed
in under the Authors page, I click on "More Authors" and all I see depending on
my screen size is blank white and the scrool down and all the characters are
HUGE, 100 pt or more...

The tabs aren't effected.



--- In fanficauthors@yahoogroups.com, Tim Joy <jeconais@...> wrote:
>
> What do you mean by "huged up" ? browser, screenshot :) anything?
>
> It looks fine here.
>
> T
>
> On Fri, Apr 30, 2010 at 2:27 PM, Chris P <chris050987@...> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > The homepage is still huged up. Don't think it's on my side, zoom reset and
> > clearing the display options didn't help.
> > --
> >
> >
> >
> > On Fri, Apr 30, 2010 at 4:14 PM, Tim Joy <jeconais@...> wrote:
> >
> >>
> >>
> >> Fixed.
> >>
> >> T.
> >>
> >>
> >> On Fri, Apr 30, 2010 at 2:07 PM, Chris P <chris050987@...> wrote:
> >>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> It doesn't seem to work. The links aren't good. From Hogwarts Dawn, I
> >>> tried going to Sunrise Over Britain, and this is the URL that didn't work:
> >>>
> >>> http://bobmin.fanficauthors.netsunrise_over_britain/
> >>>
> >>> Missing a / there, somehow. Same thing happens to all other links.
> >>> --
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On Fri, Apr 30, 2010 at 4:03 PM, Chris P <chris050987@...> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> And even for those of us who read everything, it will remind us of
> >>>> interesting stories. :D
> >>>>
> >>>> Now let's see how this works...
> >>>> --
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>

I think they are referring to the browser expanding to take up the full screen. 
I have a widescreen monitor and don't like the look that most pages have when
viewed widescreen.  However when I went to FFA.net my browser resized.

rp2k3

--- In fanficauthors@yahoogroups.com, Tim Joy <jeconais@...> wrote:
>
> What do you mean by "huged up" ? browser, screenshot :) anything?
>
> It looks fine here.
>
> T
>
> On Fri, Apr 30, 2010 at 2:27 PM, Chris P <chris050987@...> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > The homepage is still huged up. Don't think it's on my side, zoom reset and
> > clearing the display options didn't help.
> > --
> >
> >
> >
> > On Fri, Apr 30, 2010 at 4:14 PM, Tim Joy <jeconais@...> wrote:
> >
> >>
> >>
> >> Fixed.
> >>
> >> T.
> >>
> >>
> >> On Fri, Apr 30, 2010 at 2:07 PM, Chris P <chris050987@...> wrote:
> >>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> It doesn't seem to work. The links aren't good. From Hogwarts Dawn, I
> >>> tried going to Sunrise Over Britain, and this is the URL that didn't work:
> >>>
> >>> http://bobmin.fanficauthors.netsunrise_over_britain/
> >>>
> >>> Missing a / there, somehow. Same thing happens to all other links.
> >>> --
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On Fri, Apr 30, 2010 at 4:03 PM, Chris P <chris050987@...> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> And even for those of us who read everything, it will remind us of
> >>>> interesting stories. :D
> >>>>
> >>>> Now let's see how this works...
> >>>> --
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>

Getting this error when i click on the Epub link :(

Internal Server Error

Error: rmdir(/tmp//c8c85d680ded2023224b449299374bdb//META-INF) [function.rmdir]:
No such file or directory

     in /home/fanficauthors.net/src/modules/WebService.php at line 538

#0 [internal function]: ErrorHandler::handleError(2, 'rmdir(/tmp//c8c...',
'/home/fanficaut...', 538, Array)
#1 /home/fanficauthors.net/src/modules/WebService.php(538):
rmdir('/tmp//c8c85d680...')
#2 /home/fanficauthors.net/src/modules/WebService.php(509):
WebServiceModule->deleteCreatedFiles('/tmp//c8c85d680...')
#3 /home/fanficauthors.net/src/modules/WebService.php(386):
WebServiceModule->getZip()
#4 /home/fanficauthors.net/src/modules/WebService.php(130):
WebServiceModule->makeEpub(157)
#5 /home/fanficauthors.net/src/modules/WebService.php(19):
WebServiceModule->handlePublicRequest('epub', Array)
#6 /home/fanficauthors.net/src/FanficAuthors.php(982):
WebServiceModule->request()
#7 /home/fanficauthors.net/src/FanficAuthors.php(903):
FanficAuthors->handleDefault('ws', Array, 'request')
#8 /home/fanficauthors.net/src/web.php(329):
FanficAuthors->findModule('/ws/public/epub...')
#9 /home/fanficauthors.net/src/web.php(32):
RequestHandler->handleInternalRequest(Object(httpRequest))
#10 /home/fanficauthors.net/lib/http.php(52):
RequestHandler->handleRequest(Object(httpRequest))
#11 /home/fanficauthors.net/public_html/index.php(24): httpApplication->run()
#12 {main}

the printer friendly version button doesn't seem to be working at the moment. 
when i go to it, it just has an error message.  anyone else have that?