Site changes

In order to keep up with the times a few changes to the site have been made. First CloudFlare is being used to help secure and accelerate the site. CloudFlare also enables IPv6 support. This will be yet another performance increase for mobile site users.

In addition to that due to recent security breaches I decided to ditch the "promotion" buttons. The Facebook and Google+ promotion buttons are no longer on the site. Since the Google fonts used were not securly shared those have also been removed. All in all this should result in a significantly faster load time to the site due to the CDN and reduction in content that needs to be downloaded.

If you notice any issues with the site or performance after the changes please let me know.

The purpose of this church is to be the institutional incarnation of Love on earth.

Really encouraging post by Natalie Briscoe about recent turmoil at UUA. Sort of, it is really about why we should be optimistic.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10208899020456212&id=1336081554

Avoid Network Solutions

I have been working on transferring my wife's domain name away from Network Solutions. The level of service they provide is simply pathetic. I decided to do a Google search and I am not surprised to find that others have had terrible service with Network Solutions. If you happen to be looking for a domain registrar avoid them, avoid them for any and all services. The way they drop services on people transferring out is simply poor practice. Keep in mind if you do go with their services then you might be facing expected down time in the future.
Being in web development for over 15 years I have transferred many a domain name as business needs change. I have used multiple registrars. Network Solutions is the worst I have experienced by far.
I like DirectNic, never had an issue, cheap, good service. But would love to hear other recommendations.

Get your heart rate going

One of the abilities that I have added to UUpdates Is the ability to rate sites that are being aggregated. Previously the site only had the ability to filter/ignore posts from certain sites.  Someone suggested that it might be useful not to entirely block certain sites, but rather it would be good to have a way to designate certain sites so that they could view updates from only their favorites, most sites or if they wanted to review all the posts on the site depending on how much time they had to peruse the site.

By default when you log onto the site you will see an indicator saying that you are viewing sites you have rated 3 stars or higher:

You will also find (again, you must be logged in) the ability to rate each site as each post from a site is displayed, or in the list of sites.  Just hover over the hearts and click to indicate your level of interest in that site.  In this example I have rated the Interdependent Web as 5 hearts:

Other sites you might not be as interested in.  So those sites you can rate 1 or 2 hearts and they will not appear by default when you visit the site.  You can always check back on sites and change their ratings.

In a hurry and only want to see the content you really love?  Just click the filter to only show the sites rated as 4 or 5 stars.  Log in on your phone, tablet or any device and all your selections come with you.

Hopefully this wil prove to be a quick and easy way to be more selective about the content you follow.

Anonymous, not exactly

I have not tried to stay anonymous, certain things would give away my identity, but I certainly have tried to keep a low profile.  I declined an offer to be interviewed by Peter Bowden of UU Planet because I know how I get tongue tied in front of a camera.

On of my favorite hymns says:

“If you cannot sing like angels, if you cannot speak before thousands, you can give from deep within you. You can change the world with your love.”

Yep, I am not the kind of person who can speak before thousands.  But fortunately there are other ways to contribute.  That is why I set up UUpdates.net. it is my labor of love.