Change Log: behind the scenes at BHW

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As we announced on Monday, we updated our forum to that latest version of Xenforo (2.3.4).

This update is a relatively minor one, but it's still beneficial for overall forum stability and functionality.

Some of the adjustments made should fix some issues surrounding invalid session IDs and JavaScript functionality. There's also an immediate benefit for those of using posting on the forum, and it's that you should notice that the editor drop-downs and BBCodes should provide a smoother experience when you use them. The update also focuses on fixing several bugs and issues that could've been affecting site performance.

As with every update, if anyone encounters any issues that they feel are related to the update, please open up a forum suggestions and feedback thread or submit a support ticket using support.blackhatworld.com.
 
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Exciting update!

BHW has added a eBooks, methods and courses forum section to the Market Place!

We are currently in the process of moving a large number of eBook threads from Misc into the new section (both live and expired).

Enjoy!
 
Good day! I have 2 updates regarding the Market Place forum section!

1.) Some of you may notice 2 new forums showing up. This is correct as you have the potential of placing a BST and you need to be able to access your accepted or rejected threads.

2.) For awhile now Marketplace Sellers haven't been able to access their rejected BSTs through the DM that is set. This is now fixed.
 
Hello everyone! Today I bring to you a tiny, but very nice change to BHW. A favicon update! (i.e. the little icon up in your browser tab).

We have gone from this:


Screenshot 2025-01-07 at 16.09.25.jpg

To this:

meta-data-icon.webp

If you're not seeing it in your browser tab and you want to, you'll need to hard refresh your browser.
 
On Wednesday, 19th February between 10:00 to 11:00 UTC we will be updating the forum software. The forum will be down so this is the perfect time to plan in those important tasks that you need to do without distractions! :D

This is a minor software update of mostly bug fixes. Unfortunately, not the bug fix in regards to images we're all waiting for. :mad:

And, of course you can always stop over in this thread and tell us what you're planning on doing during downtime!
 
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I'm pleased to announce that we have survived the downtime and the forum software is updated to the latest version.

There's nothing new that came with this minor update that we're using, other than the security updates. So everything should work as normal. If you're running across a functionality that isn't working, please let us know here in the feedback channel or create a ticket for support.

Thank you for your patience and I'd suggest keeping an eye here because there should be some fun things coming your way soon(tm)!
 
Today we're going to be adding 2 brand new points to the Terms and Rules.

The first new addition will be going in Section 3:

3.14 using forum functionality outside of its intended purpose in order to game the system, operate outside of the rules, or break the software.

The second new addition will be going into Section 5:

5.3 Non-upgraded members may purchase signatures from upgraded members through the Want to Buy (WTB) section.

Then there are a few minor verbiage updates to bring terminology up to date. There was still references to PMs (left over from vBulletin days) and conversations (xenforo's term for DMs) when the currently used term is DM (i.e. direct message). This verbiage updates do not change the meaning of the rules or terms and you'll start seeing the terms updated in other areas of the forum over the next month or so.

If you have any questions about these Terms updates, please pop in a support ticket and we'll take care of you!
 
All transactional email delivery (2fa, password resets, thread update notifications, etc.) has now been resumed.

UPDATE 27/02 @08:15 UTC: email notifications from BHW are once again working, please note that you will receive all notifications from the last 40 hours over the next couple of hours. Enjoy catching up. Sorry about this issue we will be implementing a review and some changes to the 2fa process will be made.

UPDATE 26/02 @20:45 UTC: emails are still in a stopped state. We have completed the SendGrid review and are awaiting their response.

UPDATE 26/02 @11:00 UTC: emails are still in a stopped state. However, we are working with our provider to get everything back online as quickly as possible. We hope the issue will be resolved this afternoon UTC time.

UPDATE 25/02 @12:30 UTC: transactional emails have completely stopped. We are aware of the situation and are working on trying to get the mails back online.



Please be aware that these emails do exist and they will be coming your way all at once when this issue is resolved. We apologize in advance for the flood.
 
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Hello everyone! Today's change specifically concerns the Hire a Freelancer section.

The HAF section is where a forum member can seek freelancers with a specific skill they need to get a job done. They could be seeking a VA (virtual assistant), SEO expert, designer, programmer, marketing expert, etc. However over the last year HAF has become more of an advert board spamfest. So, we're going back to the basics with new Hire a Freelancer rules.

https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/rules-posting-in-hire-a-freelancer.951769/

The key HAF rule changes:

If you're posting a HAF thread:

- request a service a freelancer can fulfill
- give actual details a freelancer can act on
- use the provided template for the best result

If you're responding to a HAF:

- specify your experience
- keep it on topic (i.e. if you can't do korean SEO, don't respond)
- you can post your marketplace thread in your reply or tell them you'll DM your contact but you can no longer post your contact information in your reply
- if you do DM the user, include a link to their HAF thread to prove you're not sending an unsolicited DM

Yes, we are fully aware that it's going to cost some effort to respond to HAF threads now. Mindlessly copying and pasting will have consequences. However, we hope that this will bring value and engagement back to the HAF section!

And yes, we're working on updating WTB and the JV sections as well so stay tuned.
 
Today I've implemented an update to user permissions and groups in the admin.

In a nutshell, there are several places in the admin panel where permissions can be controlled and it was a mess. So I've streamlined all of the permissions so that any future projects (like MP2) or plugins have a solid foundation to work from.

As nothing was taken away, you shouldn't even notice that this update took place. However, please start a Feedback thread if you think you're missing something!

Happy Monday!
 
Happy Tuesday! As mentioned in last week's post about the Hire a Freelancer Rules change, the WTB (want to buy) rules change is here!

The WTB section is opposite of the HAF section. Where the HAF is where forum users can request a person who has a certain skill set, the Want to Buy section is where you can request to purchase things. A few examples of things you can request in WTB (if you can't find them in the Marketplace) is:


The key WTB rule changes:

If you're posting a WTB thread:

- request something very specific you want to buy that isn't a service
- be detailed with what you want, how much you're willing to spend, etc
- no posting outside contact information

If you're responding to a WTB:

- specify exactly what you can offer the OP
- keep the post on topic, don't just copy/paste into as many WTB threads as possible
- no posting outside contact information in your reply

The bandaid already got ripped off in the HAF section so you should already know what we're looking for.

You can read the full rules here: https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/rules-posting-in-want-to-buy.951771/
 
Today I was notified about the Live Feed not working for upgraded members. When members went to the live feed, they were being prompted to upgrade.

During Monday's permission update, this got turned off for the upgraded memberships. Sorry about that! It's turned back on and it should be working as per normal now. And this is the reason I mentioned updating permissions. There's always that one thing nobody thinks about when testing that pops up. :)
 
It's Tuesday and time for yet another update! Today we're bringing you a new Marketplace section! Account Selling & Renting Services.

https://www.blackhatworld.com/forums/account-selling-renting-services.310/

We've listened to all of your suggested feedback about this topic and after investigation, we came to agree with you guys that it's time. :) So we're working on moving all of the active sales threads that fall into this new category to the subforum. Please be patient! And of course if you think your thread should be moved and it's not, report it or put in a support ticket.

Note: we're NOT moving paid stickies, if you'd like them moved please contact Advertising.
 
Happy Monday! Today I have a tiny but mighty change.

We've already had it written into the Joint Venture rules that a user's account has to be 1 month old with 50 posts in order to start a JV thread or post. Up until today, mods have always had to police this section to make sure users weren't skipping over the rules. Now, if a user doesn't meet the posting requirements, they simply can't start a new thread or respond to a post.

Once they hit the posting requirements, they'll be able to go in and interact with the forum normally.

Note: the rules for JVs have not changed (yet). In the near future we'll release updated rules with (hopefully) better examples of what a JV is or isn't.
 
Just a quick little update to the WTB/HAF (Want to Buy & Hire a Freelancer) rules:

No WTB/HAF threads relating to the buying/selling/renting/etc of Etsy accounts. If you're looking for a Freelancer to help market your store or do other things not relating to the account itself, those are still perfectly fine.

And while I'm here, just a quick reminder to those of you using these two sections, it's been 2+ months since the rules have changed. Please read them because we are cracking down more on violations. This means short replies, generic replies, copy/pasting on every thread similar, etc are getting warnings.
 
Hello! I have two nice little Wednesday updates.

First, on Monday we had @ojsun suggest that we mark the thread starter throughout the thread. I'm pleased to tell you it was a very fast template update and from now on you'll see "thread starter" at the top of the OP's posts to the right of the date. TY ojsun for the suggestion!

Second, last month we got a few feedback threads about bots and spammers.

https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/s...es-on-bsts-immediate-ban-if-possible.1714544/
https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/please-restrict-or-ban-bots-in-the-forum.1714436/

The community team has been hard at work combating these spam/bot farms. It's hard not being able to talk about how we're combating them, but it looks like we're having some success in the BSTs. We're able to identify the spammers and get rid of them much faster.

Of course, if you see them, please continue to report them!

Enjoy!
 
Happy Monday! I have two threads I'd like to bring your attention to today!

First, as you know we have a number of forum users who like to just copy & paste a response with very little care to the OP (or their business) in the WTB/HAF sections. @SettingSun77 and @BassTrackerBoats took some time at the end of May to put together a guide on how to respond to threads as they want everyone to prosper.

I'd like to present to you The Do's and Don't's of Replying to HAF and WTB Threads.

If you're one of those users who thinks bigger and more obnoxious copy/pasted text is going to get you ahead, please take a second to read it (and avoid future warnings).

Second, I've updated the Forum Suggestions & Feedback Rules.

https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/forum-suggestions-feedback-rules-faq.1345520/

The thread has been brought up to date and the major change is a Commonly Asked Question chart at the bottom.

We encourage everyone to search the forum before adding a thread to this section since we've been getting a lot of the same thing over and over lately. Having to pause our day to answer the same thing yet again means we can't get to things like answering support tickets, reviewing newly submitted sales threads, working on Marketplace 2, answering reports, etc. So help us help you faster by simply taking a look at what's already here!

Have a lovely day folks!
 
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