I will be upgrading the forum from vbulletin version 3.5.0 to 3.6.0 and due to this, will have to close down the forum for I hope at most a couple hours. For the improvements to be seen in 3.6.0, please look at the post below. Thanks

Many have probably noticed the change in the banner when you enter MKF. All of you probably know that summer is over. I actually wanted to create this banner a long time ago, but only was able to start it a few weeks ago and finally get it up. So yes, I realize summer is almost over, but I still wanted a happy summer theme, so even if it only lasts until mid September, it will still have been up!

Also, I’m taking this opportunity to notify everyone that we are going to upgrade to vbulletin 3.6.0 in the next couple of weeks (starting next week). There are MANY changes in the new release (as noted below), some which are of great improvement. However, there may be a few glitches here and there, so please be patient during this time. Many thanks!

Part of an e-mail received from vbulletin:

—————- WHAT’S NEW IN 3.6.0? —————-

Many customers have been keeping track of the new features that have been added to 3.6 via the vBulletin Community Forums, but for those who have not, this is a brief summary of what’s new:

* Multi-Quote
* Linked Quotes
* Mark Forums Read With AJAX
* New Buddy / Ignore List Editor
* Options Backup And Restore
* Private Message Preview In Notification Emails
* Auto-Resize Oversized Image Attachments
* ‘Reason For Editing’ On Quick Edit
* Unique Unsubscribe Link In Emails
* Plugin Manager Sorted By Product
* Save Search Preferences With AJAX
* Infraction System (Warning system)
* Default Sorting Option Per Forum
* Rate Threads With AJAX
* IP Resolution With AJAX
* Improved Proxy Support In Session Handling
* More AJAX Auto-Completion
* Paid Subscription Permissions
* Show Threads Or Posts From Quick Search Popup
* Phrase Types Identified By Field Name Only
* LastPostID Column In User, Thread And Forum Tables
* Extensive Signature Permissions
* Uploadable Signature Image System
* Improved Image Verification (Captcha)
* Enforced Required Profile Fields
* ‘Find Updated Phrases’ System
* Pop-Up List Of Attachments In A Thread
* Validation Of Admin Options
* Product Dependencies Support
* Paid Subscription Logging And Statistics
* APC Support For Datastore
* Description Field For Scheduled Tasks
* RSS Poster Robot allows import of RSS feeds into forums
* Latest version check and product URL for products
* Receive private messages from Buddies only option
* Show private forum option per forum
* Give reputation using AJAX
* Error prevention in upgrades
* Option to disable scheduled tasks
* Parsed signature storage for performance boost
* CRON tasks, profile fields, subs, holidays now phrased
* Option to sort forums by thread creation time
* Super moderator permissions
* Welcome private message at registration
* WYSIWYG front-end editing for announcements
* Plugin execution order control
* Flexible username validation
* Private message quota warning system
* Private message admin quota override ability
* Plain-text BBcode parser
* Cache of syndication data (external.php) for improved speed
* Email logging for diagnostics
* Improved performance in datastore failure handling
* Instant view of deleted / ignored posts using AJAX
* Centralized area to view posts awaiting moderation / deleted
* Admin help, scheduled tasks, FAQ now include product support
* CCBill support for paid subscriptions
* Attachment permissions per usergroup
* List posts / threads selected for inline moderation
* Full BCC support in private messages
* Podcasting support
* Atomic flood checking
* Image verification (Captcha) for guest posting
* Thumbnail display options - border / dimensions etc.
* Copy posts using inline moderation
* Announcements show when viewing new posts
* New built-in option types
* Resume paused attachment downloads
* Better webserver logging for POST requests
* Automatically remove thread redirects after set time
* Announcement DataManager
* Persistent D.O.B cookie for COPPA
* Improved master / slave database support
* Improved RSS syndication system
__________________

July 28, 2006: Michelle made an appearance on the local Seattle Talk Show: Northwest Afternoon during Champions on Ice’s stop in Seattle. She was interviewed by Elisa Jaffe. A few MKFers were lucky enough to meet her

You can follow the discussion, reports and pictures with this thread on MKF: MKF: ‘Michelle to be on local talk show in Seattle’

August 3, 2006: A couple of lucky MKFers met Michelle at this VISA company signing event in Foster City, California. Michelle was gracious and always her shining self. The reports of zongwen and purplemkfan are a must-read, including the pictures included.

Read and discuss them here: MKF: ‘08/03: Reports of meeting Michelle at VISA in Foster City’