Hi there! Big news from AppAholic!

I’d like to unveil to you, the brand new Tech site, Tech Rant.

http://techrant.appaholic.co.uk

For a while now, I’ve always found interesting stuff that isn’t freeware, and felt unable to post it on AppAholic, and so created Tech Rant, a new website with the same theme as AppAholic. Also, Id like to welcome you to some new members of the team, joining to write for Tech Rant! Right now, Tech Rant is formed of 7 geeks in total (including myself), who each have their own special area of tech. Mostly they will write articles relating to their subject, but also they will write articles about other subjects, from their point of view.

As the name suggests, there WILL be lots of RANTS. The topics chosen so far, include Software, Coding, Windows, Hardware, Linux, Mac, Money and Gadgets. Sadly one author had to leave about a month ago, and so I will be taking up the money area along with software.

It’s taken me since March this year (8 MONTHS!), to build up the back end and front end of Tech Rant. The reason for this is I wanted to get it right. Not that AppAholic isn’t right, but I could foresee lots of problems and issues with a multi author blog. I had quite a few ideas, and sometimes I’d spend days searching for the right wordpress plugin or other solution until I found it. For some of the awesome new features Tech Rant brings, keep reading!

Among the biggest improvements to the site is the new navigation menu under the header image. Now Tech Rant will feature some main categories, I decided It’s about time the navigation was made easier to use! You can also look at each geek’s profile and see a list of their posts. The profiles are still in beta stage, and I have plans to upgrade them rather quickly. Tech Rant has been on hold for such a long time, and the Authors are all ready to start posting quality content!

Another new feature that Tech Rant brings, is the improved tabbed sidebar. One of the comments I would often get, was the sidebar is too cluttered. I accepted that, and now, the clutter is reduced! The tabbed widgets allow for automatic compression and de-compression of sections of the sidebar, also allowing the user to click the different tabs to open sections they want to see! Also note the footer bar, newly added. This includes a new chat box, called PlugooMe, enabling you to either chat directly to me via my normal messaging client, or leave me a message, which will be emailed to me. The Meebo Me tab, may also be used, however I won’t often be on Meebo. Thought I’d keep it none the less. The rest of the footer bar has some space left for expansion and new features!

The site now LOADS FASTER! I got complaints from the authors and my friends, that the site loaded really slowly. Not just Tech Rant, but AppAholic too! I took a few weeks, trying different methods and plugins, and finally found a balance that works, and improved the loading time of both sites quite a bit!

So, enjoy the new site! There is some content there already, so have a browse and see what you think! We can’t wait to read your comments! Oh yeh, and if your expecting a reply to your comments, you can now get follow up emails of new comments by checking the box under the submit button.

There are still some differences between Tech Rant and AppAholic. I deem this the first release as such, so be kind. Any problems or errors or complete screw ups, please do let me know.

Lots more news and updates to come regarding Tech Rant in the next few weeks! Exciting times!

Cheers

Relequestual