Craft Profit Calculator

You may have noticed that Palnook functions very nicely on iPads, iPhones, and Android tablets. We are designing Palnook this way on purpose. With the power of HTML5 I plan to make Palnook function very much like a mobile application, running as a native iOS or Andriod application.

As a result, and just for a fun little Saturday project, I created a HTML5 Mobile App for Apple and Android tablets. Is a simple little calculator for my wife to use to determine the pricing of her Etsy crafts. You can see the tool here:

The techniques learned here will help continue to evolve Palnook as well, create a better experience for Palnook on Tablets.

Open Registration and RC2 Lanched

Hello Everyone,
It has been a while since my last update. Hurricanes, travel, and holidays have kept me quite busy these days.

However, work had continued and I am happy to announce that we launched RC2 over the weekend. As some of you may recall from my last update (multiple groups), RC2 included the finalized design of the site. I am quite happy with the design we came up with. »Read More

Will the Vampire People Please Leave the Lobby?

Hello everyone,
Today I would like to share an interesting book, which played a small but instrumental role in the concept behind Palnook. I read “Will the Vampire People Please Leave the Lobby?” over 4 years ago. But its stories and underling message has stuck with me.

The book is made up of essays from Allyson Beatrice, a professional event planner and consultant specializing in fan events. She got her start planning events for Buffy the Vampire Slayer events.

But the book is really about the bonds and friendships she formed as a member of an internet fan group. There are some quite touching, and sometimes funny, stories which illustrate just how strong and valuable internet friendships can become.

If you want to know what Palnook’s goal is, then read this book and think what it would be like to be a part of such a close group of friends. Then come back here and sign up! (or for know you can sign up to be a part of the beta testing group by sending me an email directly or liking our facebook page).

New Google Chrome App

Hello Everyone,
I am pleased to announce that Palnook has launched a Google Chrome App. Its rather basic right now, but will provide a foundation for later Chrome Apps & Extensions. If your a Google Chrome user, be sure to check it out.

RC1 Deployed – Multiple Groups Enabled

Hi Everyone,
I’m happy to announce that we have launched the first “Release Candidate” (RC1). Here are the release notes for RC1:

Palnook RC1 Release Notes

Fixed Defects (bugs)
#53 Promote to admin not working

New Features
#54 Allow users to join multiple groups
#27 Move discussions from one category to another
#28 Delete/Archive a discussion
#31 Display discussion icon based on the discussion type
#33 If no discussions are found for “Most Recent” or a category, present the create discussion form
#41 Add ability for group leader to toggle “recruiting” option on/off

Other Changes
#51 Changes /clique to /group in the URL
#38 Switch JS files to minified versions for better performance
#39 Setup SMTP for mail actions

»Read More

Progress Report #2

Hello Everyone,
Sorry for the last of updates last week, but things have been quite busy. Here is another general update on the development of Palnook. The beta continues testing, while we work on the first “Release Candidates”. I have decided to split the release candidate changes into three groups (RC1, RC2, and RC3). »Read More

25% of Americans have no one to confide in?

Here is a USA Today article that asserts that:

“In 1985, the average American had three people in whom to confide matters that were important to them, says a study in today’s American Sociological Review. In 2004, that number dropped to two, and one in four had no close confidants at all.”

I wanted to share it because it relates directly to Palnook’s mission. This study was conducted 5 years ago, before social media turned into the craze it is today (though it was already on the rise). My vision is that Palnook will be a tool that can provide this sort of close relationships; friends our users can confide in and feel like are true friends, not just passing acquaintances.

Beta Released

I am very please to announce that the beta version of Palnook has been released! »Read More

One busy week my friends

This was one busy week for Palnook!

First and foremost, we had a name change. We have officially changed from the “working name”, CyberClique, to the true and final name Palnook. »Read More

Suggested Group Algorithm

Hello Everyone,
As you might recall from my previous post, we are now over 80% complete with the beta release. One of the main features we are focusing on right now is developing an algorithm for suggesting groups.

This is an extremely interesting exercise for us. This is were we can let our geek flag fly and get into some hardcore math theory. The algorithm itself is now finalized, and we have a prototype to test it and validate its accuracy. It’s working great, I’m very happy with it. »Read More