It Looks Good For ANN's Phase Three Launch!
Update: The chance of a weekend
switchover is finally looking pretty solid. ANN's Phase Three
upgrade worked great right from the get-go... but recent upgrades
in Microsoft's SQL Server, especially the most recent service
pack, created SERIOUS server issues... which seem to have been
resolved--and have been stable for several weeks.
Enough of the excuses...
We've been holding our breath for several weeks now, hoping
against hope that the newest update of the most widely read DAILY
aviation news service might be ready for prime-time. Well; it
finally appears that this baby is ready for take-off.
We've been checking it and testing it rigorously,
looking for trouble... and if anyone can find trouble, it's
us.
So far, so good.
So... absent any last minute hiccups, we're going to switch over
to the latest version of Aero-News some time this weekend. Mind
you; what you may see this weekend is NOT all we have in store for
you... but the next step in a massive
commitment to serving you in ways we think will greatly
impact your involvement in the world of aviation. We're being very
careful about this... and as each new facet of Phase Three shows
its ability to work correctly, it'll be followed by the next.
However; do be advised that as we switch over to the new site,
there may be some service interruptions while the changes
propagate through the net. Give it a little time and we'll
do our best to make the process as speedy and painless as we
can.
To say that this has been a tough program is an
understatement, in that we have built an updated and far more
capable content management system that does amazing things in
places you'll never see, and a highly capable front end that will
be able to grow with us for quite a while.
ANN's Phase Three site is a much slicker, adaptable, highly
customizable, FASTER loading, easier to use news-site. It has some
INCREDIBLE new bells and whistles.
We're really excited about the ease with which newsletter
subscribe and unsubscribe functions can be executed, the much
smoother registration process, the incredible customization aspects
we've incorporated, and the way we're going to be handling imagery
from here on out. For those of you with high-speed connections,
we'll have plenty of great imagery for you to enjoy... but the
default presentation will show them ALL in thumbnail form (which
you can change to suit your preferences and have it show up that
way every time thereafter), requiring only a quick click to enlarge
them in their own sub-window so that you can enjoy all the
detail that you desire... but only for those images that interest
you.
It's a REALLY extensive upgrade.
We hope you'll enjoy what we've built, and keep helping us build
the most widely read DAILY aviation news site in the biz. Mind you;
we have REALLY aggressive new capabilities coming up... which we
will unveil gradually, so as to make sure that each one works
properly before adding anything else to the
system. You're going to get a BIG kick of our new
Aero-NewsAlert system, much-enhanced special event
coverage, upgraded E-Vent calendar, real-time news presentation,
photo galleries, FREE multi-picture classifieds and much more. I
think you're really going to like what we have in mind.
That ain't all.
Over the next few weeks/months, ANN will be shifting to a
full 24/7 real-time news format so that we'll be
getting the right stuff to you even faster than
ever.
For the moment, the weekend coverage we added
several months ago has been VERY well received, and we will be
offering unique and separate versions of our Propwash newsletter
for each day of the week, as well, instead of combining the 2 days
of the weekend editions. There are a number of other newsletter
upgrades in the works, as well. Keep your eyes out, it's going to
be an interesting ride...