Feb 12, 09 02:32 pm — Calling all Madvillians!
On February 15, 2002, Madville launched as one of the premiere link sharing social networks on the Internet. It exemplified the latest in technology and features that rivaled many other top sites at the time. Fast forward 7 years and not much on the site changed... until now. As brand new owners, we, Ben and Peter hope to bring more to Madville than ever before.
We are pleased to announce the rebirth of Madville.com. The site has been redeveloped from the ground up and will once again earn its place as a popular Internet destination for sharing media with others.
All data from the old site has been imported here with no loss of links, comments, private messages, user accounts, or profiles. Most features have been redeveloped in ways that will make their usage easier and more enjoyable.
Here is a quick list of things that have changed and hopefully you will agree, for the better:
Brand New Look: The site is no longer cluttered and narrow. We've redesigned the site to be faster, cleaner, and to have better placement of the features you've become accustomed to. We've incorporated AJAX everywhere, allowing you to easily interact with the site without any delay in page-loads. Try posting a comment or voting to understand we mean.
Likes / Hates: All links that you submit will appear in the ALL links section. Users can browse this section and vote whether or not they LIKE a link or HATE it. Based on the votes, comments, and other variables that are considered, the best links will make it to the POPULAR page. That's right, the users will now decide what makes it to the frontpage!
Point Changes: We've re-tallied the points earned by each member to accommodate for the following changes. Users will earn 3 points for each submitted link, an additional 7 points if that link goes popular, 5 points for each blog post, and 1 point for each comment posted.
Follow Users: The friend system has been ported over to a follow user system. Features will soon be released that will enable users to customize the site to show all relevant content submitted or commented by users that they follow, as well as receive alerts and updates quicker from those they are interested in. For now, users can quickly see if their friends are online by clicking the following tab under the online page.
Videos & Pictures: Users can now submit videos and pictures to the site. Videos from popular sites like Youtube, MySpace, Metacafe, and others will automatically be playable from our site. When submitting picture links, users will be prompted to select the picture they are submitting so that we can provide screen shots.
Top Users: Madville now ranks users in a number of different categories. Sort through top users of this site based on points, comments, and link submissions, and have fun competing with your fellow Madvillians to get the daily top spots.
We have many new features planned for release over the weeks and months. We look forward to hearing your feedback, bug reports, and ideas. With you, we hope to make Madville #1 once again!
Regards,
Ben, Peter, and the Madville.com Team
It is more than about time that Madville be updated.
The new front page is secksy.
FIRST!
A little late but points for the effort.
*chuckle*... someone had to!
Awwwww no more games?
What games?
I think he's referring to there not being a tabbed link for games. Might also not be one for games when you submit a link. I'll try submitting a game
Thats right - it seems all the game links are under "Sports"
Fixed the games issue - moved to entertainment.
At first glance I don't really like the new layout, but I'll give it a shot. It seems more cluttered to me....
WHOA! Gonna take a little getting used to, but I am down wit it. And 1 hour my ass. I was a clicky clicky fool for awhile there. How do you guys expect me to get work done waiting for something amazing to happen?
p.s. I was kinda hoping for an all access web-cam featuring Zemmy...
We stopped for lunch 
We are still working on the Zemmy cam.
And 1 hour my ass. I was a clicky clicky fool for awhile there. How do you guys expect me to get work done waiting for something amazing to happen?You weren't the only one 
@ web-cam
p.s. I was kinda hoping for an all access web-cam featuring Zemmy..."
I've seen it, it's like watching the backend of a horse barn.
OMGWTFWITHDRAWAL!!!
It took me a minute or two to get used to the new site, but so far I think I'm liking it. It seems to run much more smoothly, and has a nice, simplified look to it.
WHERE DA PRON AT????
The link category list is missing games, political, video and NSFW (off the top of my head) and submission categorization seems to bear little in common with link categories which has video.
Categories now assigned by mods upon approval?
Kind of odd.
The layout lacks some graphical design cues to keep things from looking cluttered and random, although it actually isn't cluttered and random.
Don't like the digg-esque design choice that clicking on the big bold red headline takes you to a page with just that entry on it rather than the actual story. I have a giant vote button and a TEENY little visit the link url. That last part needs some rethinking.
Hey raz, thanks for the suggestions.
We're going to make changes to the view content page so the headline allows you to visit the link, rather than having to click visit link. That should make a big difference.
When you submit a picture, video, or story, it should allow you to select a category. If not, that's definitely a bug. Are you having problems with that?
NSFW will be perm. removed from the site to keep it completely safe for work. Games are being looked into and the rest of the categories have been sorted into broader categories listed above.
Ben
NO MORE PRON?!?!?!?!?!?!/feeling dizzy
NO NSFW???? Me jockeying for a desk with my back to a wall was all for not? Umm...just like T.V., don't have to watch it...don't have to clicky the nudity at work. 
I'll have to play around but grats on the change was time. (undecided yet on likes/dislikes) I miss the latest comments being a side box with the links though.
That is all -- for now.
But yeah, now it's like the people who have spent their lives here lately, are out-pointed by people who haven't logged in for years. It's not all about the points according to my boyfriend, but they're a nice little gauge and motivator to come back and actually participate in making this a better place. Even IT it means have to *shudder* see a guys sticking his pecker in a tailpipe. If one suffers, we should all suffer. It's not a team, but a family.
Are you stalking me?
...because that would be awesome. 
I would like to see the site have less space between links because it wastes so much of the page....
Here's a suggestion for making it seem less cluttered and more organized visually. I did a mock up of a different approach to a link enntry being displayed.
http://www.bloodimage.com/madvillesuggestion.jpg
K so after I commented I was just kind of stuck there, in limbo waiting for direction on where to go, seems I have to scroll back up (perhaps a [go to top] button?
Can we no longer edit our comments?
Edit comments was temporarily disabled but that'll be something you'll be able to do. It's on our short list.
And should clicking on the link not take me to the link as opposed to the comments?
K I'm done for now. 
ack, no more posting images in blogs?
Also, having post a comment at more than jsut the top of the thread might be a good idea.
does HTML work?
Preview is always nice too.
why does the text editor nuke underscore? That's why the URL didn't resolve. I redid the image name iwthout an underscore.
allowing me to embed HTML, unless limited, is kind of dangerous. The above post should work now.
Underscore issue should be resolved. We allow very limited HTML. The mock up does look very uniform, we'll work on possibly changing the display of that when we finish rolling out the bug fixes we're working on now. Thanks!
Holy shit! It was a WTF moment for sure.
This is the first thing I looked for so I haven't explored yet. Add my name to the list bummed if the nsfw links are gone.
And wtf on the points? I was closing in on 20,000.
OK, I dig the new assortment of 
http://www.madville.com/topusers
That's bullshit.
Yeah...but take away all the stuff associated with NSFW and it's probably close....
3 comments. Now there's an active Madvillian.
He's a poster, not a commenter..
Hmm, do you allow this? If it does work, I'm not deliberately being a pain, just trying to see how dangeorus things are. If not, good, and ignore any weirdness.
Yeah, I already don't like it. Sorry but I gotta be honest.
Viewing the list of links on the old version was so much easier/better. Now to browse links I gotta click thru categories and tabs, plus all the added crap, er, features, all combine to make it a PITA.
I may be jumping to conclusions (where's my mat?) but I see myself spending less time here.
I dunno, it's kinda like coming home to find a different dog.
Yeah I just got home and started browsing (or trying to at least) and I'm none to pleased so far. I understand change is good but I hope there is still a lot to be made upon reading the feed-back.Avatars should be larger to, almost makes having/changing them pointless if they can't be seen. Plus the lack of Status which always played well to them.
We'll increase the size of the avatar on the comments page. Is this what you meant?
Awww Dubs, that's what MV has always been about, we the users making [s]demands[/s] suggestions, and the powers that be tweaking the site to everyones mutual satisfaction. 
Except for now, with many changes made unilaterally. I can see my visits falling off, too, this is too kludgy, especially when compared to what we're accustomed to.
Ya, there are a lot of changes, but Madville has been virtually unchanged since 2002, and the new owners are working with the users to make it a pleasant browsing experience for all, not just premium users. It'll take some getting used to, overall though, it's still Madville at it's core. And once Ben and Peter fine tune it, hopefully it will be all that the old site was and more. *my two cents*
You can't make everyone happy. Link listing has become un-user friendly for me. clickty clickty clickI also understand the reasoning behind the points change, but, I don't understand the weighing by yes/no clicks (which it looks like aren't getting a lot of use yet). Points were weighed by the number of clicks. I took great pride in having a fairly high count posting less links than others.Now don't call me a cry baby, and I know the points are pointless. But, closing in on 20,000 was a little personal goal I was watching. So, removing that tiny bit of joy from an old man's life, plus making the lists more complicated, well, that's just my opinion.
Hmmm, there's another bug. You can't use paragraphs in the posts.
Same with my BFF.. he worked a long time to get to nearly 30000. Figured that's a shitload of money his boss wasted paying him to post misleading pictures and videos.
if i click on a link it just takes me to another page with the link again, no actual site i cant go anywhere anymore
yep
Actually, if you look to the right of the title of a link there is a 'visit link' thingamajig. You don't have to click the title itself.
oh i actually have to click "visit link" wtf thats like 2-3 extra clicks to get 2 the page i want, + the visit link link is so tiny it took all this time to find it.
Click the "visit link" option on the front page so you don't have to do the extra clicks!
Also remember that there are some of us that don't know HTML very well. The little button thingys that helped underline/italic/bold and insert pics and urls was pretty handy. For the less sophisticated of us it'd be nice to have those back...
We'll be adding some buttons back tonight for ya 
Please add the old site back, too. This blows chunks.
I'll second that. Do pics even work?
Well I don't like the new layout and how do I get to the story in the links not the comments?
Sad to say I might be looking for a new place to get my news :(
Links:
So all links submitted will now auto approve to the All Links tab and then be given the chance to be voted to most popular?
If I understand that correctly that sucks. NO ONE is going to scroll through 100s + links to even see anything worthy of voting on. One of my biggest issues with sites is having to scroll page-after-page this is already evident with the new set up for links.
Not being directed to the link when clicking it is a waste. To be honest I preferred the old way of the link opening with the MV header at the top so you could go directly to comments without having to close the page and again click to comment.
*already stated this but; I liked being able to see the latest comments on the front page with the links
Comments:
*already stated; the edit comments is almost a requirement. (currently typing in Word to avoid pete jumping on my spelling). Italics, Bold, Insert Image, Insert URL Think they wouldnt hurt coming back. Definitely NEED a [go to top] button to try and navigate this set up.
Front page:
I dont even know where to start The Like/Hate voting in my opinion just needs to be done away with. Voting systems have been tried here time and time again, they fail.
Im not liking nor hating the renos yet, I love the idea of a face lift but hope that the site remains user friendly and that the members (active ones) that have been here for as long as the interwebs have existed continue to have some input as to how the place flows. There are a million sites out there but none that have the close-knit community MV has, even users that have stopped posting over the years are still drawn to MV on a regular basis and Im positive its not just to see links they can find anywhere.
And since its not been asked; who are you Ben and Peter? Will you be active members around here or simply the names behind the site?
Wish the best for MV. Cheers!
TC
PS - Even while typing this there have been comments made within the blog... hell if I'ma scroll the entire thing to see where though.
/shrugs
Ok and having just posted a page worth of opinions here my comment disappeared?
Glad I took the time to write it...
Bring back NSFW or old Anathema will be resurrected. You have 24 hours.
OMG! Then all hell would break loose!
Deleting my comment was not a good way to start things new owners...
lmaoYour comment is visible ya jackass. The site is still being tweaked. 
Anathema accepts no delays!
i don't suppose this is a very early april fools joke is it? I mean I was on the site around 2 and everything looked the same and now it's all new and shiny. Where's the dirt and grime that madville home?
Why are comments being deleted? or not visible? My last two comments are gone yet it shows I made them if you go to latest comments. Anathema and Joecool also have made comments without them showing?
Don't approve of them so they're not worthy of being read???
there seems to be quite a lag
No delay. Just a bug that was limiting the number of comments showing. Fixed now.
um...who ate my post?
Any comment on the technology behind this? As far as I can tell it's PHP5 and Linux
The site was developed using PHP5/MySQL powered by Linux. It uses Sphinx, a MySQL full-text search engine, for many of the results for speed and efficiency purposes and JQuery as a JavaScript/AJAX framework.
Great, another site "updated" to the point of almost total uselessness!
So I guess it's a good thing I never paid for a premium account like some people here as things associated with them seem to have gone the way of the nsfw links.
This is part of the change that Hussien was taking about don't ya see.
Of course it was.
There's one good thing. This sure got a bunch of silent Madvillians out of the woodwork.
And these work now
Nice fix.
Whoo hooo. We're working to get in other feedback from users. 
Just to test things out, I clicked hate on dozens of link. Nothing personal, just left like it.
After years of using madville, it is time to call it quits - no more NSFW category is a deal breaker. Also, everyone copying digg is ridiculous - I use digg to see the news, I use madville to browse links (not vote for my favorite stories). The site is much less organized. But, the design looks great and it is a good refresh.
Thanks for the feedback. Users aren't being forced to vote for links. We're working to implement many of the ideas users have suggested - many have already implemented since this morning's release. Let us know what you want to see and we'll do our best to appease. Thanks. 
We want our NSFW back! Having it would help set you apart from other similar sites. Now you're just a digg wannabe.
I don't know you, but your comment is very well put. SIMPLICITY is best sometimes. I would have liked to have seen some efforts to get users out of the woodwork at the old site, before moving to this one.
YOU were meant to be baned...
Oh yeah; I said it BANED!!!!
WTF? this sux... I can't glance over the headlines nearly as fast. sorry bye...
OMG THIS MAKES MAI BRANE FEEL SILLY!!!!!!!111
After using the new site for a while here is my input.
Even when not showing descriptions everything seems unnecessarily spread out. The reason I have used this site to get my news for so long is because it was easy to quickly skim alot of links in a shorter period of time without having to scroll around. So in my opinion when descriptions are hidden all the links should be packed together like they used to be.
It sounds like the link title is soon going to go directly to the link if this is the case there is really no need for the visit link button. Right now it is pretty redundant anyway to have the link title go to the comments, then have a clickable for comments.
Why is there so much whitespace in the left column? If this space is going to be used for ads soon then so be it, but if its just empty to be empty, it would be a better use of space to have the category and poster over there like it used to be. Speaking of good use of space, does the right column with top users and recent comments really need to be as wide as it is now? If this was reduced some it would leave alot more room for the link title and the other stuff to fit all on one line.
I guess I think it would look better (when hiding descriptions) to layout each link on a single line as follows:
avatar--poster--category--title--share--comments
Then when descriptions are shown a second line could be added with the vote thing and description.
In the way of bugs, I like to have my text be pretty small, so I tried zooming out (CTRL+scrollwheel) and most of the text is no longer visible since it stops lining up correctly with the background. Also since this is a big comment I find that the post comment text box has no scroll bar, so its a pain to go back up.
Anyway just my 2cents.
Hmm, you may have identified a bug. Can you tell me what browser you are using? Also, when you typed up your comment, did you notice the text box was growing as your comment grew? That is what is supposed to happen.
As for the amount of space the links take up when collapsed, we just released that change yesterday and still seeing how it does based on feedback so it may change again to be even tighter and more compact.
This type of feedback is very useful to us and we appreciate you taking the time to write it in the first place.
I am using IE7, but i checked firefox and the zooming is not an issue. Also the textbox did grow, but only to a certain point. I did some testing and sometimes it doesn't grow correctly when I type and the text is wrapped to the next line, but it does seem to help if I hit enter to do a manual line feed.
And I have to say while many of these changes came as a shock initially it is good to see people taking an active development role on a website I have enjoyed for a long time, but which has been a bit neglected for a while.
...it is good to see people taking an active development role on a website I have enjoyed for a long time, but which has been a bit neglected for a while."
^ quoted for truthery
I DON'T LIKE IT BECAUSE MY DUMBASS BOYFRIEND BANNED HIMSELF BY ACCIDENT.
He understands the need for change.... and he's not against change, but the new site just doesn't flow like the old. And yes the 'flow' is partly because he knows where everything was and could just click away, even when he's been drinking. Ya know, it's like building shelves around around your garage. Finally you have a place to unpack all your tools and and whatnot. But once it's all stored on the shelves, you're constantly looking for shit because you were used to what box/crate they were in. And for the points, yes, it brings people into play that normally wouldn't be listed for link submissions, as well as most of the top people were so far ahead that one would have to be here for years to catch up, even after some people left the site. My boyfriend doesn't like the changes, he understands them, but doesn't have to like them. Postive change is a matter of opinion... and besides, screw my boyfriend the damned whiner. Thanks for all the hard work to the people behind the scenes!
Oh yea and what happened on the profile where it used to say user number whatever to sign up. I was user 1111 and always thought that was neat.
I don't like it, it's disorganised and cluttered.
"Without prejudice
it amazes me that somebody paid money for this thing. online advertising is already in the gutter. you can't expect to make more than a pittance off this place.
For someone who has claimed to dislike Madville in all of it's incarnations, you sure visit it regularly enough.
i visit this place every 3 or 4 days, if that. if that is enough to be considered 'regularly' then i'm guilty.
We plan on acquiring AOL next. We think that has huge potential.
Interesting phrase choice, I wasn't accusing you of anything. Just pointing out an observation based on my own web surfing habits. If I don't like a site or the way it's run, I don't visit it. *shrug*
the only time i visit this place is if someone links me here (and someone linked me here because they said it was sold) or if i get one of these annoying email notifications telling me that someone replied to a comment of mine. this place is not a site i go out of my way to visit. been that way since 2004.
You can turn off notifications in your personal settings so that you don't have to receive them.
At least you were able to before, not sure now. Haven't really checked.
Yep, you can disable message notifications and comment reply notifications in there.
Curious - how can stories - or links - or whatever we call them now - be on the "Popular" page/tab when they have a negative rating? Is it just based on views? And if it is - why even have the rating?
Nope, it's based on lots of variables. The more people vote, the more accurate it'll get over time.
Oh thats nice - you ass.
Oh thats nice - you ass. madville.com is sooooo big it would be worth spamming. I have been coming around here for years and if you don't like what I post - don't look at it....I asked a question....leave at that.
Oh thats nice - you ass. guy that contributes here. madville.com is sooooo big it would be worth spamming. being an active member. I have been coming around here for years year and plugging my site and if you don't like what I post blahblahblah. - don't look at it. [check] I asked a question....leave at that. thank you for pointing out my behavior."
*fixt 
And yet - still no answer to a simple question. You keep masturbating your ego - it seems to suit you. And you do it so eloquently. I only wish I could be as clever. Well if everything else wasn't a large enough deterrent - I am sure the new group must be thrilled with you - maybe they'll give you a cookie.
If you were half as clever you would have seen a
mehhh, apparently 'links' aren't working Ben/Peter.
I simply pointed out that your question was answered.
Oh and that I like cookies.
It would also be nice to have the ablity to link to avatars again...
Boo.....the new interface is horrible! Petition to switch back!!!!
Thirded.
I won't say the old look was the best in the world - but it was functional and allowed me to look, read
I am slowly adjusting to the new layout, but every long time MVer will tell you the old layout was soooooo much easier to use and much faster to skim and get info from. It was the main reason most of of came to the site. Good links, easy viewing, and a great community...
and the site was never down.....
Games tab is back. Thanks for the feedback.
Hey guys the redone site looks pretty good. Way diff than the last time I visited here. Though I think after what, 6 or 7 years a redesign may have been in order. Good job.
ben
Welcome to the new Madville.com! We hope you like it. Feel free to post your comments, suggestions, any bugs you may find, etc., in this thread. Here's to Madville!