Lack Of Updates - April 24, 2008 You know how I haven't updated in for, like, ever? Here's what's happening.
1. I'm going to shut the button rotation down soon. It's old, I haven't updated or cleared anything out in months, and I just don't have the time and gumption anymore. :*( Sorry!
2. I still update my Warcraft Blog and am very busy with our little Friends&Family guild. We're in the hard content right now and it's exciting but takes up all my hobby time.
3. I've been working on my "real" writing which is my non-FanFiction writing. I have one book ready for a final edit and am working on a few more simultaneously. It's a series, so I can do that. >_> Writing site: eablevins.net/.
4. I'm so tired. Seriously.
+ Buttons - October 25, 2007 I added about 10 buttons and 1 rotation affiliate. Several from August had already taken their code down, and I don't blame them. Sorry for taking so long.
Reasons for rejections: trouble loading sites, lack of code, or Neo-Nazi-ism. Not. Even. Kidding.
+ Buttons, + Rotation Affiliate - July 31, 2007 Not dead, just busy. Family stuff took up all of June, church stuff and a friend moving has infiltrated July... So I had backlog for the rotation starting May 13. Crazy, huh?
Anyway, I guess a lot of applicants noticed I was being slow, b/c they took down the code... And may I say that the people with really annoying pop-ups were lucky to get in? Also, it's never a sign of a stable site owner to have moved in less than 3 months. (Yes, THREE websites had changed locations since applying for the rotation.) But they were still cool and had the code up, so I just used the new url.
Some were rejected just because of bad page design. One looked nice in general, but the links didn't work properly in Firefox, and the text didn't stay on the table background. Another had so many advertisements, I couldn't tell which was navigation and which was trying to sell me something.
Anyway, I'm really happy with most of the websites who applied. And even though I complain, I know a lot of it is my fault, taking so long. Well, I guess the pop-ups aren't my fault. I really hate pop-ups. They're so incredibly useless. Anyway, we got about 20 new sites in, and I took out maybe 3 for having broken buttons.
Oh, and to those of you who applied twice, let me assure you that I did get it. I'm just very slow. You can check these updates to see if I've put any buttons up since you applied -- because when I do buttons, I do all buttons. If you aren't in the rotation, then you were rejected for one reason or another. Please go to a nice review site, like YourSite.nu, to make sure it wasn't design-related, and feel free to apply again when you think you've fixed the problem.
Buttons Removed, Forum Down - June 29, 2007 I took down about 20 buttons from the rotation for either not having the code up or for not existing.
This purge was motivated by a woman who claimed she saw porn sites on the rotation. I'm happy to say that two site layouts may have been misleading (one used supermodel Adriana Lima's underwear shoot, and the other used Fran from Final Fantasy 12), but no porn was found.
The sites that have been waiting to be added for about 2 months now won't have much longer to wait. I've been out of town, but now I'm back and catching up on all my little responsibilities. Like mail. And bills.
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Also, you may have noticed that the forum is offline. This is just because it had more spammers than the 2 of us who visited could handle. Eventually, we'll get a real board with real spam-control. If you want to help with that, drop me an email and then use the Donate button to your left.
Sims 2 Paysite Boycott - May 25, 2007 Been dabbling with Sims 2, and there's a big issue about whether or not people can legally charge for the custom content they create (hair, clothes, etc). It's really a matter with the language in the game's terms of service.
Anyway, paysite prices are insanely inflated, and I don't really think EA Games is going to be able to shut them all down by tomorrow, or even the end of the year (if they even want to shut them down, which hasn't been determined), SO I started the Sims 2 Annual Paysite Boycott to get paysites to lower prices and be more fair to subscribers. If they want to be commercial entities, let's treat them like commercial entities.
+ Buttons - May 10, 2007 Added/changed 12 buttons, removed 4 for having broken button images. Folks, I really do only accept English sites (or sites with English mirrors) b/c it's the only way I can be sure the site fits my regulations. I know a personal/hello kitty site probably wouldn't be a problem, but rules are rules.
Buttons + Writing Site - March 30, 2007 More buttons. Some work on the writing site (new blog layout, not yet implemented; worked on agent page, etc).
Buttons - February 27, 2007 Added, like, 10 buttons to the rotation and changed a few. Deleted 2.
Joined IMVU. If you join, feel free to chat with me or leave a message on my avatar page.
Buttons + Writing Site - January 30, 2007 Cleared the buttons out of my email. YES, people, I do store your buttons away until I can upload about 10 at once. YES, this means it takes me a month or so to get around to them. I'm sorry it takes so long, but I never miss a button when the uploading time comes around, and I never forget. Don't worry about it. I got your back.
I've been working a bit on my professional writing site, my "sister domain" if you will: eablevins.net. I added a brief author page (I am actually almost done with my first book) and I'm working on a page about book agents and how to go about getting one. I'm going to try taking my own advice as soon as I finish editing.
For those of you who don't know, I write fantasy for teen girls. I will be published, because there is no other option, and I hope people will like my work.
Spam & Donation Gifts - January 10, 2007 I should say that clearing out spam in the forum is pretty much a weekly chore. That's why we're asking for donations for a new board. $10 a person from 12 more people will get a really nifty vBulletin board with better spam control and admin functions, and lots of fun things for users.
So, to encourage people to donate, I've come up with donation gifts. If you donate on either hugglebunny.com or eablevins.net, you can ask me to draw you (or a loved one) as a comic character or I'll edit a piece of your writing. See the donation gift page for details.
New Essay - January 3, 2007 New essay, sort of. I wrote it a while back but just added it. "Why Christians Shouldn't Fear Witches" in the personal writing section.
Buttons, Forums, and Comics - December 24, 2006 Added two buttons and edited one.
Looked at emoticons for the new forum I (we?) want. Thought up details for forum organization. Feel free to donate with PayPal to help us get a new forum! Details in this thread.
Added a Christmas comic. ^_^
eablevins.net - December 12, 2006 I have a new domain! Well, I have a second domain. Hugglebunny.com isn't going anywhere.
I was thinking and thinking and my dad had an extra domain name or four in his package deal, and I thought "I should have a domain for my writing work. Really, that would be the most professional thing."
So I got eablevins.net. ^_^ I'm very happy with it. I'm still working out some bugs on the skinning, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the writing blog that's still on hugglebunny, but I'll work those out eventually. For now, I'm going to go write some. I'm tired of code.
Project: Donate for New Forum - December 6, 2006 I started a thread in the forum: donate $5-10 and help us pay for a new forum with better spam support. The forum we have now is free but infinitely frustrating, and we're hoping to get a vBulletin board.
Buttons, Comics, Writing - November 28, 2006 I added some more comics since Halloween. If you join the mailing list on the comics main, you would get notices about new comics.
Added about 9 buttons. Weeded a few out.
Added a few things to my professional site: credentials and the beginning of a bibliography. I'm working on a new layout for that area that may or may not ever get finished.
Comics - November 1, 2006 A very short Halloween comic is up in Beth Comics.
Monday is my birthday. Go me!
Comics and Buttons - October 25, 2006 All of the old movies are back up on my comics site.
3 or 4 buttons on the rotation.
Button rotation people: if you're updating your information, please include the new information in the form.
New Comics - October 24, 2006 I drew 5 new comics that will be appearing on the comics site over the next few days.
Anime Reviews +5 - October 3, 2006 Whoo! 5 is a big number for the anime reviews site. For those silly people who have never availed themselves of the anime reviews, it is a review site to help Christians and parents find suitable anime for themselves and their children.
The difference between this review site and others is that these reviews are targeted toward a specific morally-based audience (as opposed to a more general audience) and are extremely in-depth. Or try to be.
Beth Comics - October 1, 2006 REJOICE! The Beth Comics site is up and fully functional! *dances* Alex spent several hours last night getting everything running. Adore him.
The Anime Reviews area should be updated within the week. I wrote a review for Boogiepop Phantom, and will write one for Those Who Hunt Elves. I also have some from other folk that I'll have to dig out and dust off. ^_^
Beth Comics - September 25, 2006 I drew two new comics and found (unpacked) my originals so I can keep up the good (?) work.
Alex is, of course, still behind on the site. But I showed him where the folder was with all the details and . . . well, cross your fingers. He might get around to it. Considering the fact that he works and I don't, I'm not going to rush him.
If you want to see the new comics as they arrive, join the update list.
Button Rotation - September 20, 2006 A few new buttons and rotation affiliates. Two dead buttons removed. Removed one site that had closed and was reopened as a porn site. Bleh.
Beth Comics Site: Delay Update - September 7, 2006 So we have the administration panel (my area) more or less working, but the site is not fully open yet.
I have put a link to the temporary page so you can look at the comic strips I've added. But eventually everything will be moved to the correct url.
Beth Comics Site Delayed - September 2, 2006 So, Alex is a total gimp. He hasn't finished the comics site, like we promised he would. Although my mom came to visit, so that threw a bit of a kink in the schedule.
He's going to try to work on it tomorrow (Sunday the 3rd).
Rotation and Essays - August 24, 2006 Two updates this week -- wow! I must be on steroids or something. (I knew those multivitamins tasted funny!)
I added about 5 buttons to the rotation. Whoo!
I updated the forum, added two moderators, and adjusted a little bit of code to foil spam-bots. This, I hope, will keep the spam under control a little better.
Alex is working diligently on the comics site. It will be ready by next Thursday, and I promise several brand new comics added to the old mix. ^_^
I will also have a computer chair by early September. My mom is coming into town next Thursday, and she promised to go chair shopping with me. As I said in the last update, I'm currently using a folding chair that kills my back.
Edits and To Do Lists - August 21, 2006 I edited the webmistress page a bit, pulling it up to date. Since I graduated Harding, I had to put all the Harding information in past tense, and I had to denote that I had my own cat. I love my cat.
I added two pages of notes to the website link on my professional writing site. The pages are on a) what to avoid in site construction and b) ways to advertise online for free.
There are a few people who've applied to the button rotation. I haven't looked at them yet. Maybe later. Sorry, guys.
I did purge a few broken buttons.
I wanted to emphasize this: if I don't know you in person, don't call me by my real name (Beth). It confuses the heck out of me, and it seems really forward, which puts me off. Call me by my online name (Iryl). I've been going by that for about six years now, so it's disconcerting to see anything else.
Alex's To Do List:
1) Finish the comics site by next Friday.
2) Fix the blog thingy so I can start posting progress reports on my professional site and personal notes on this site.
3) Make an easy way for me to back up hugglebunny.com. I'm pretty disturbed by how many sites I know that have been hacked in the past year.
My To Do List:
1) Edit the women essays.
2) Update button rotation.
3) Finish a novel so I can post something on my professional site.
4) Get a computer chair because that stupid folding chair is killing my back.
Buttons and Comics - August 7, 2006 Added 4 or 5 buttons and took about 4 off.
A few of the submitting sites didn't get in because of quality or rule concerns. No blogs, no sites with annoying blinking stuff, and no hard-to-read layouts. (I was particularly unimpressed with the music playing on the hard-to-read one. Anyone who listens to their own playlist while surfing will be annoyed by a site that makes noise.)
The Beth Comics are coming back by September '06. Feel free to subscribe to the update mailing list.
Writing and Comics - July 31, 2006 We got our cat declawed, so that is what has been keeping me so busy. That, writing, and playing a lot of Sims 2.
I've been working on a fanfiction for Disney's Sky High. In my opinion, it's turning out pretty well.
I want to edit the Women essays soon. My views on the matter have changed subtly, and I'd like to compile all three like I did for the Homosexuality essays.
I decided to draw another comic or two today -- see, I'm redrawing my doodled comics onto the computer, so it takes a while. Plus, I've really been slacking on my comic project. Lucky for you folks, Alex is FINALLY done with that stupid freelance project he's been working on since before we moved. He now has time to put up my comics site. And I'm working to make sure you have several new comics to browse.
Also, I have a new update list for the comics site. Go ahead and subscribe.
+11 Buttons - June 9, 2006 Right after the last update, I rewrote the rotation rules to make them more succinct. I also added a quality note to the requirements:
"This is by no means an elitist rotation, but I need to draw a line. There have been some sites applying that are by no means up to even moderate standards of quality. If a layout is messy (I use Firefox), very poorly organized, distinctly lacking in content, or just incoherent, I will reject it."
Apparently, at least one site didn't read the last update about how much I hate "glitter and flashing and scrolling text," so they were refused. But they also had center tags in their title tags, which shows up on the main bar. And you know I can't have that.
+28 New Buttons, -14 Old Buttons - June 2, 2006 Good heavens, what is it with people who apply to my button rotation and GLITTER? Their websites are dangerous for epileptic people. They should be reported to some sort of health council.
I accept anyone who generally follows my guidelines -- I even bend the rules a little for people whose sites pull off what so many others don't. Like, I'll just go ahead and let in a blog if it's really cool-looking.
But I'm going to have to set up some parameters of quality for this rotation, because some of them are just squeezing in by technicalities. (Particuarly blogs with "extra" stuff for the visitor. Extra meaning one quiz and three top 10 lists.)
The problem is that a) people don't read the rules already b) I'm a pushover c) if I email someone back to say they've been rejected, their email weasels into my contacts list d) I don't want to be a jerk e) this rotation wasn't made to be elitist.
But, honestly, it would not be elitist of me to reject some of the sites that have applied, with all that glitter and flashing and scrolling text. I hate all that. It's ugly, hard to navigate, and less than amateur. Allowing them in the rotation has more to do with guilt and pity than with standards.
Anyway, I don't email any applicants back anymore. Not if they're accepted, not if they're rejected. Buttons in the rotation ALWAYS show up on the members' page, it's automatic. And I always write an update when I add more than three new buttons. So people can take initiative and figure it out for themselves.
(Oh, and those 28 buttons had accumulated since April. I was just playing catch-up. I then did a check on everybody for code. The rotation lost around 14 buttons from that code-check.)
64 New Emails - May 31, 2006 We just moved to New Jersey and, after a roiling battle with an incompetant electrician from Comcast, we have internet. I have 64 new emails. Don't expect much soon, but expect a lot eventually.
Oh, and I graduated college with a 3.88 GPA and a BA in English. Except that they gave me the wrong color cord for my cap and I was yellow in the middle of a sea of white.
Professional Writing Site - May 10, 2006 I worked on my writing site -- it took a lot of the day. I want all of it to be nice, quality stuff.
Anyway, I wrote a tutorial for writers who want to develop their own websites.
I also added a link to my writing blog.
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I will be updating other stuff by June. I graduate this Saturday and we're moving May 22 to New Jersey. So I'll be busy moving and spending time with family (and my CAT!).
My parents are bringing my CAT up (love love love) from Louisiana and my brother is coming down from Minnisota. ^_^ So happy.
More Buttons - April 22, 2006 I put up quite a few new buttons. I don't even know how many I have anymore. But it's happy.
People keep applying to the rotation with blogs and non-English sites. And I have to be like, "Hey, I don't accept this stuff. I said so on the site. Thanks for not reading. Go blog in French or something." And I always feel bad if I have to reject people -- partly because Gmail puts their email in my contacts list when I reply to them and I have no clue who they are and have to delete them all every couple months. I'm thinking of just not replying to people when I reject them and let them keep the code up on their site forever.
I'm graduating in a few weeks, then moving to New Jersey. Then I'll be able to write full time. Woohoo!
Comics & Affiliates Pending - March 14, 2006 Alex is hard at work on the Beth Comics area, so that shouldn't be down for too much longer.
Since I'm visiting my parents over spring break, I won't have my rotation affiliates up until I get back home. I have 3 affiliates to put up and 2 buttons pending. It will all be up by the end of the week.
Christian Anime Reviews +5 - March 1, 2006 So I've been updating my review site instead of studying for that test that I really really don't want to study for. And my husband is home sick which makes me want to study even less.
So you have 5 new anime reviews in the Christian Anime Reviews section, because I haven't updated that part since last August and I had the wrong contact information up. Anyway. There you go.
-Topsite +Guestbook - February 24, 2006 I took off a topsite that had become a broken link and put my stagnant guestbook back up under "Site." I'm feeling pretty good about the site content now, and I think that people feel more comfortable giving me feedback in the guestbook than on the message forum. So now it's back.
Note to self: Move prayers to cute green box below updates. They get too long for the sidebar.
+ Buttons - February 17, 2006 I added buttons to the rotation, and I plan on making another Beth Comic today though the Beth Comic area isn't up so no one will see it until later. But I want to have a lot of new ones for folks when that section gets up (*hint hint* Alex, that's your job *hint hint*).
Anyway, things are moving slowly because my husband is busy at work, and I don't want to pressure him into spending the little time he has at home with his computer rather than with me. In the meantime, I'll try to do what I can for the open sections.
Also, please go to the forum, in the "God FAQ" section, and fill out a form if you are a woman and have any sort of religious affiliation. It's for a school project. I need to clock 10 hours talking to women about their personal ministries. And you don't have to register to post in that area.
Fanlistings & Button Rotation - January 13, 2006 Added fanlistings under "Site." Joined some more fanlistings.
Added a few buttons to the rotation.
Fanfiction: Study of Venus 2 - January 9, 2006 The Sailor Moon fanfic, A Study of Venus: Crystal Tokyo, has been updated! I had a chapter up here for a while that wasn't on fanfiction.net, so today I uploaded that chapter to fanfiction.net and wrote and posted a whole new chapter for the story. Rock on. My fingers are numb. Sweet, sweet carpel tunnel.
Find A Study of Venus in the Personal Writing section.
More Buttons in the Rotation - December 22, 2005 Added about 6 buttons since my last update.
Removed some automated goober spamming devices from the forum.
Otherwise, moving slowly because of the holidays and having my widsom teeth RIPPED from my skull. Trying to wrap presents while doped up. Gonna take a nap now.
Shop and Sew - December 8, 2005 I created a new page for the Shop link -- now it sends you to a page that will display the most popular 2 or 3 items in each of my stores.
I came up with a beautiful new idea for a site project, as well. It's partly for myself and partly for my mom and other relatives who like to sew and don't really understand my sense of humor or anime or anything. I want to make a Sewing Log, sort of a blog (I hate that word -- it sounds like someone is vomiting) for my sewing projects. Each project, when finished, will get its own entry. I'll post a picture of the pattern I used and the finished product, and I'll tell of any problems I had in working on it, as well as what I learned.
For folks who are groaning and going "You're never going to post any more fanfiction or comics again!" -- I have been working on both comics and fanfiction, and I should have a few new comics to post by the time Alex gets the rest of my admin area up and running. For fanfiction, I'm going to concentrate on finishing the things I've already started.
Server Change is Now - November 28, 2005 The server change ought to take effect today. I've got my dad working on it. The biggest problem will be that hugglebunny.com won't exist until my dad gets it running on Bluehost. So folks will be sent to an error page for a few hours (hopefully not longer).
PROBABLE PROBLEMS
Other errors you will encounter include: parts of this site disappearing because I haven't gotten around to putting them back up, broken links on and off this site due to the latter, and my general slowness.
Feel free to email me about any problems that you think I may not have caught. Broken links, especially. Also, if something looks like it's in the middle of reconstruction, it probably is.
Please also remember that much of the reconstruction is on the back end of the site -- which means that my speed in getting things organized is hampered by my husband's speed in getting the back end constructed for me.
AWESOME PERKS
Due to the fact that this site is being automated, you will see increases in the efficiency level of button rotation submissions, the graphics area, and general updates.
You will also see better updates in the Beth Comics and fan fiction because I am finishing my hardest semester ever and will have more free time next semester to work on new things and update old things for you.
+Essays and Server Change Pending - November 14, 2005 I added a few essays in the "Personal: Nonfiction: Academic" section. "Jesus in the Temple" and "Modesty," both of which I wrote for classes. They're not perfect, but I think they have some really good parts.
Also, the server change is pending approval. Soon, hugglebunny.com ought to switch over. When it does, you will have this layout all of the time.
Forum Move & Server Change - November 6, 2005 My dad is working on transferring hugglebunny.com from Christian Web Host to Bluehost. He's gotten a sweet family deal -- six domains for the same price this one is.
Alex is moving the forum from one server to another. No files should be lost, it will just be in a different place.
*love*
Site Automation Pending - September 9, 2005 I am working on new layouts for the site covering my professional writing ventures (EA Blevins) as well as Hugglebunny main itself. I plan to incorporate the graphics shop as a part of Hugglebunny main, and I plan to make the purpose of this site more well-known for visitors. Since it is such a huge venture for me, with all of the subsites, it will be a mess to organize. I will not go on haitus while this goes on -- I think that's silly. I'm going to work on it on a seperate test page and then make the big change all at once. This may take up to a month or so, but don't worry about it.
For the button rotation, this means that the submission form will be back up as soon as Alex is done with the automating.
New Message Forum - July 18, 2005 Brand new message forum. It's a phpbb board, so it has a great admin panel and no advertisements, plus a spiffy look which I tinkered with. Now it's uniquely hugglebunny. (I changed the icons in the Igloo template to pink bunnies.)
The new forum now has sections for the Beth Comics and Christian Anime Reviews subsites. It also has a PM system and general awesomeness.
I will be working on a Beth Comics version once the hugglebunny version is finished.
Essay Edits - June 22, 2005 Making severe edits in the writing area. I am reorganizing and rewriting several things. I am taking down all homosexuality essays in favor of one brand new comprehensive one. I am adding academic (school) essays and perhaps some personal writing.
For notifications on other areas, see previous updates.
Very Busy: Not Many Updates - June 14, 2005 Just to keep you posted on what's going on: I have a job. I work at my school's library shifting books and doing paperwork for the librarians. Unfortunately, this means that I'm usually not in a mood to sit in a hard wooden chair and update my website when I get home.
I have been writing some. As I would tell my husband, it's not anything you would recognize, but my writing takes precedence over hobbies such as this site.
And finally, the Beth comic book is due July 9, so I'm working on it when I can.
For the button rotation, this means that I will put the form back up as soon as I clear the backlogged applicants from my email and thoroughly check existing members for rotation compliance.
Sorry about the delays.
Panic Attacks: Updating Slowing Down - April 6, 2005 Hey, guys, there won't be many updates until the end of this semester (in May). This is because I've been having panic attacks lately and need to chill more. Sorry to anyone wanting me to finish fics, update the Beth Comics, or other things. I'm still working on the Beth comic book -- that's relaxing for me -- but don't expect anything in particular for a little while. I'm also shutting down the button rotation admission form until I can get my final research paper done (I am not shutting down the rotation -- just the admission form).
Button Rotation & Beth Comics - March 20, 2005 14 buttons in the rotation. I haven't put them on the members' page yet but they're rotating as we speak. Frankly, I'm just avoiding finishing my homework right now.
I'm working on the Beth comics area. I want to get a new layout for it, add some comic strips instead of just animated movies, etc. I also am working on a comic book to sell in the store.
I want to reorganize the writing area. I just wish that I had more time.
Rotations & Reviews - February 12, 2005 14 buttons in the rotation. I've been mind-bogglingly sick this week -- really bad cold. It took three days to get my temperature under 99. But Alex was really sweet and made dinner this week, forcing Dayquil on me, and generally being a complete doll.
We're watching Read or Die the TV series, so I'm going to write that up in the Christian Anime Reviews soon. Ah, and I added lots more charities to the Good Cause Rotation at the bottom of the page.
