Beta Site #2: As mentioned below I've been working (kinda secretly) on a new website layout/design for some months now. The new 'Beta site' is now open for use, although it needs more work as of yet.

This news page will most probably not be updated, so please do refer to the new website from now on for all the latest news and information.

So what's up then? Bolding going where no-one has gone before and all that... I've completely reworked the website into a more useable format.

Over the coming week or so I will be phasing the this (old) design out completely, but rather than kill it off, the old site will be running in the background for the phasing period just incase the unthinkable happens and things go tits up.

On the official 'launch' date the old website 'as-is' will be effectively frozen. All content on the old site will be moved to the new one, so don't worry about anything going walkies in the move, we are loosing nothing and gaining a heap of new features.

The big changes are:

Forums: The subscription to my previous forum service now expires in just under 3 months. Without going into too much detail, the EZ forums, although plain and simple, weren't up the job anymore and had outlived their purpose.

User submission: To make things easier the new site allows readers to submit new links, news, feedback, and photos for the gallery.

News: The main drive (and appeal it would seem) of the website is the news pages. The new news system is sorted under sensible hierarchies. Firstly everything is sorted by categories, which is the world location i.e.: · Canada · Europe · HongKong · Japan · Taiwan · UK · USA

Then the news is sorted by type:

-ArniesAirsoft Updates
-Equipment News
-Events
-Manufacturer news
-Retailer News
-The Rumor Mill
-Skirmish Site News
-ArniesAirsoft News
-Websites updates

Not only does this make things easier to find, but people can quickly filter out news they don't want.

Design: For anyone that isn't that computer savvy, the engine is basically PHP-Nuke (a popular CMS), and the forums are php-bb. Although based on popular engines I have strived to produce something that is not only good looking, but unique, useful, functional and fast.

Additional Features:

• CountryMap - If you click on the link 'See all Countries' on the LHS you will be taken to a map that shows where al the visitors are in the world. Should anyone be online, they will be shown, and member's names are also shown on the map. Good fun and all that, not that useful though..
• GuestMap - stick a pin in the map and leave your name and location. Better than a guestbook!
• PhotoGallery - more advanced, auto generated thumbnails more categories, easier to browse.. you name it - it's better.
• Encyclopedia - currenly only contains the Airsoft Glossary, but is going to be extended (work in progress)
• Events Calendar - catalog of all events present and past. Allows reader submission of events, and events are also listed on the front page for that month.
• FAQ - I have heaps to already typed for input for this one, but I have some more work to do on it yet. Web Links - a lot of very helpfull UKAN members have helped me with inputting a large chunk of the complete links list (I have more to do). You can submit your links online, and it's all sorted, rated etc. Not a particularly new concept, but it will be the largest directory out there soon.
• Translator - been on the webpage for ages, but I've brought it into the 21st Century.
• Currency Converter - want to work out munitary values online? Use this handy gadget. Present exchange rates are also on the fornt page - automatically updated.
• Weather - well.. it's the weather. Login and set your own profile, and you get your local weather. I've keyed in over 27,00 cities worldwide, so you should be able to find your local city/town. Day and 5Day forcast available. The front page will show you your weather once you've logged in and set things up.
• UKAirsoftMap - Frank's wonderful map of UK skirmish sites.
• Chatroom - I've setup a new chatroom. I haven't had time to include chat/irc instructions yet, but the interface is fairly intuitive anyway.
• Feedback - send in any feedback you like via an online form
• Recommend us - If you want to send a friend an email to recommend the site, you can use this handy feature
• Private messages - part of the new forums, simple and easy to use
• Site Statistics - loads of useless figures, maps and graphs, but lots of pretty colours.
• Airsoft Apparel - get your own Arnie "thong" - one size (kinda) fits all.
• AvantGo - You can sign in your PDA to the website and haul around the latest news in your pocket. This has been tested with my iPAQ, but not much else, so feedback here would be helpful.

Other news- such is the wonders of these things I have setup the front page to show the headlines from the US (Airsoft Network), and from the Squad-X website.

If there's any problems, please let me know in the site errors section of the new forums.

Beta Site: I've been working (kinda secretly) on a new website layout/design for some months now. The new 'Beta site' is now open for use, although it needs more work as of yet.

At the moment a lot of the articles need resizing to work with the new layout, and a lot of relinking needs to be done. The Encyclopedia and the FAQ are unfinished, but provide an insight into what they will look like eventually. I won't bore you with endless lists of features as it should be obvious what's new. The new design features a new integrated forum, simply create one login, and you have a profile on the website, that remembers who you are and your own preferences.

There is lots more for me to do, but I do feel that the new look is ready for public viewing, and use. The Beta Site is still that.. 'beta', so please don't expect everything to work as is. I have spent a long time reworking the site, a lot of the code is written by hand, and all the work is my own. Any code that is used (however little) should be credited where needed.

I can't think of much more to say at the moment. This really has been a huge slog to get the new layout to where it is now, and only a someone that has experience with such complex websites can appreciate. Enough banter from me, please do get stuck in and try the new website out - hope you like it!

If there's any problems, please let me know in the site errors section of the new forums.

Updates? Sorry for not providing any updates recently, a few of you know that I'm hard at work behind the scenes working on something for the website, but I'm afraid most of you won't see the changes until it's done later this week. Sorry it sounds a bit cryptic, but I'm a bit pushed for time at the moment.

SOS @ UKAN: Please take a moment to check out the SOS over on the UKAN pages. Sadly there have been some recent gun related events that may trigger a 'knee jerk' anti-gun/replica reaction, and a rather sensible petition has been put forward by CJ:

"...Welcome to the UK Airsoft Network's petition to Her Majesty's Government over the worrying knee-jerk proposals to ban replica weapons. It is unclear at this stage whether their intentions will include the banning of airsoft-type guns, so UKAN is taking pre-emptive action in an attempt to stave off such an occurance. If you support the letter, please fill in your details at the bottom of the form, you details will eventually be printed off and posted, along with the letter, to the persons mentioned below. Thank you..."