AnybodyOutThere

A lot of work went into our newest version and we’re very excited about it. Some of the changes are hard to miss for anyone who has visited the site more than once. Others, however, are of a more behind the scenes nature. Here’s a peek at what we’ve added to improve your AnybodyOutThere experience.

1. Design changes :
We’ve given the site quite a drastic facelift. Posts are now divided into a User information bar; a Post bar and an Action bar making it easier to find what you’re looking for.

1 : Profile picture – click this to view the user’s profile

2 : Username – click this to view the user’s profile

3 : Feedback from other users – thumbs up or downs given by other users

4 : Age range – this gives you an idea how old the user is  

5 : Country - this tell you where the user comes from

6 : Last activity time - this tells you how long ago the user was active on the site

7 : User information bar -here you’ll find information about the user. This includes their username; number of thumbs-up or downs; age and country

8 : Post bar -  here you’ll find the user’s post

9 : Action bar -  here you’ll find several options for responding to the user’s post. You can comment. Flag the post as inappropriate. Or click on one of the tags associated with the post and see other posts with similar tags.

10 : Let’s Talk button – click this button to send a chat request to the user

11 : Comment button - click this to comment and view other comments on a post

12 : Flag -  click this to flag a post as offensive or inappropriate. Help us fight the trolls!

13 : Tag -  these are the tags our system auto-tagged the post with. Click the x to the right of the tag to remove the tag

2. Untagging posts :
We’ve had some feedback about our tagging system. It’s a work in progress. And sometimes does produce some amusing results. You can now untag your post by clicking the x to the right of the post. If you feel the tags aren’t relevant, untag your post.

3. Flagging :
We have a no-nonsense policy when it comes to trolls and general abuse on the site. And while we do our best to weed out the disruptive users it’s impossible to do so alone. We need you! This feature we added, gives you the power to flag posts which you find inappropriate.  It gives you control over you community. To flag a post, simply click the flag in the Action bar.  Once a post has be flagged a certain number of times it will be removed.

We want to thank all of you for being part of the AnybodyOutThere community. You are, after all, what makes the site what it is. And so if there are any features we can add to make this feel more like home, don’t be shy. Send your suggestions to: support@anybodyoutthere.com  or for those of you on twitter you can send them to @anybodyoutthere.

The latest addition to the AnybodyOutThere bag of tricks is the comment system. This is something a few users have already suggested and I’m very excited about it. Now you can react to a post instantaneously without having to wait for the other user to accept your conversation request.

Here’s what the comment system will do for you:

1.  It’s a drive-through for opinionated people : If you’re strapped for time but have an opinion and would like to voice it, the comment system makes doing all that simple and easy. Think drive-through style.

2.  Now that’s someone worth talking with:  Because the comment system is public it exposes you to users you may not have had the chance to speak with. What I like about the comment system is that it gives you a good sense of a user from their comments and how they interact with other users publicly.

3. Become part of a discussion: Simply by making a comment on another user’s post, you’re becoming part of a much larger conversation which is open to other users.  Let the debating begin!

To make a comment on someone’s post all you need to do is click the comment button on the post.

Once you have typed your comment into the comment box, click the comment button to add it to the discussion.

You’ll be notified every time someone comments on your post or replies to a comment you have made.

Happy commenting

I’m the non-techie member of the AnybodyOutThere team which means that often I experience the site as a new user would. One of my favorite features which is really useful, user-friendly and is something techies and non-techies alike can appreciate is the dual search/post button. You’ll thank me for pointing this one out, I promise: P

The dual search/post button  is perhaps one of the most overlooked features on the site. Anyone who has posted something has used it. But I do wonder how many people know that the same button can be used to refresh or go back to the search results. All that from one tiny little button, pretty impressive.

This is how it works:

1. To post something
Type your thought, topic or question into the text box on the top bar.











2. Find relevant people to talk with
Click the search/post button and the algorithm will process your post and help you find relevant people to talk with.

To talk with someone click the Let’s Talk button next to their username.

3. Refresh results
Click the search/post button but don’t edit your post. This will refresh your search results. And don’t worry, it won’t repost your current post.

4. Go back to the search results
You may notice that when the search/post button refreshes your search results it takes you back to the search page. This page gives you the option to filter your search. You can decide to filter the search according to relevancy, most recent or users’ ratings, see below.

But it doesn’t end here. You can also begin a new search. Just click the Filter results button and decide on the criteria according to which you’d like to search, see below.

It’s as easy as that. Now you have the power to search and post with the click of just one button. Happy clicking.

PS As cool as ‘dual search/post button’ sounds let’s face it, it’s kinda geeky. If you come up with another name, let us know. It is your button after all and so only fair that you name it