New Features Tutorial #1 - Auto Save, Member Hover Card, Share Us

Jason · February 26, 2012

This is the first of a few messages in which I'll be reviewing in more detail the best new features added as part of last weeks highly successful site upgrade. These new tools make it easier than ever to use the site and stay in touch with each other, and I want to make sure you're aware of what they are and how to use them. Enough said, Let's jump right in...

Auto Save: This is REALLY COOL! Losing messages while typing due to a browser crash or other issue is a thing of the past! Every 3 minutes, the text editor saves your message as you type. You'll know when your content has been auto-saved when the lower left corner of the text editor updates with the latest auto-save time. If you accidentally click off the page, your browser crashes, or anything else happens that causes you to lose sight of what you are typing, here's how to restore your message:

1. Return to the same forum to compose a new topic/reply (where you previously were before you lost your message)

2. In the lower left corner where the auto-save details are, click it

3. Your restored message will appear instantly!

Member Hover Card: When you hover the cursor over a member's name in most places, the Member Hover Card will appear. This pop up menu offers a quick summary of the selected member - Without leaving the current page. From this menu, you can view their latest status update, post count, join date, online status, reputation, content, and more. Click their avatar and you'll be taken directly to their complete profile which contains more information. Once you're done with the Hover Card, simply move your mouse outside of the menu and it'll disappear!

Share Us: Located below each forum topic, cruise news article, blog post, and besides other content throughout the site, is a series of social network icons...Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and many others. Click the icon for the network where you'd like to share the content, and you'll be able to publish the content directly to your Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, or other social network profile. You can also send a friend a link to that page by clicking the last icon.

Why is this important? Share our forum topics, blog posts, photos, and content on your social media accounts. Not only is the link broadcast to all of your online friends when you do this, but it also helps improve our search engine rankings. Ultimately, the more people who "share" our content-rich pages, the more potential traffic and new users we will receive. If each member could "share" at least 1 of our pages each day on Facebook alone, the amount of additional exposure would be tremendous!

Stay tuned for the next installment of our New Features Tutorial.