StackIdeas

Congratulations to the Joomla team for the release of the latest Joomla 2.5 just days ago. Many have anticipated for this release and as excited as you were, we had put in the hours to get all our Joomla components ready and compatible with Joomla 2.5.

The all-new EasyDiscuss 2.0.3689 was already compatible with Joomla 2.5 when it was release weeks ago. If you haven't find out what's new in EasyDiscuss, read more in our blog post http://stackideas.com/blog/entry/easydiscuss-20-released.html

EasyBlog version 3.0.7756 is also Joomla 2.5-ready, too, if you need to start a blog in Joomla.

Of course, our components still support native Joomla versions 1.5, 1.6 and 1.7 and expect to have them around till their respective end-of-life arrives.

Go ahead and get a copy of the latest Joomla 2.5 at http://www.joomla.org/download.html

The year passed so fast and before you know it, it's Christmas again! We are in the Christmas mood and we hope you are also in jolly good spirits to celebrate this festive season.

We rounded up a few of our partners in the Joomlasphere who are also in the mood to give away discounts on some of your favorite Joomla components and templates.

More details after the jump

It's that time of the year again to splurge and reward yourself because you deserve it. What better time to also upgrade your existing Joomla! website with some powerful Joomla! components you will love!

We at StackIdeas are also in the mood to offer you the biggest, baddest sale with 40% off storewide.

If you've been anticipating to get the best Joomla blog component EasyBlog, the slick no-frills Joomla forum EasyDiscuss of the awesome SectionEx, this is the best time as to take advantage of this one-day deal!

Just make sure to use the coupon code: CYBERSTACK40

Head to our store and SHOP, SHOP, SHOP!

Our commitment to provide the best support possible to our component users has always been in the forefront since StackIdeas started. The support team are willing to go the extra mile in solving any sort of customer inquiries, be it on software or system issues -- we do it in our best endeavor, even if it is beyond our working hours.

And because of this commitment, we are proud to have gained the trust from users, like you, of what we always promised -- top quality service. Here are just some of our happy users from the Joomla Extensions Directory.

We strive to carry forth the value we so strongly hold, and to do it requires a great amount of time and energy; the resources that are always limited to us.

Read more after the jump.

We made the move to OpenTranslators just last week and so far been receiving a surge of translators looking to contribute their linguistic expertise in our Joomla components. We couldn't be grateful enough to all of you for the faith and support!

You can also be part of this all by joining OpenTranslators, the good people who co-ordinates teams of translators for Joomla components.

To be a translator, just follow the steps after the jump ...

If you had experienced an outage while accessing our website lately, it was because we were in the midst of moving to the new servers. We wanted to do this for the longest time but the recent workload got us all caught up with datelines.

And if you noticed, the site should load faster than usual now and we hope this migration effort is worthy of our investment.

Because this is a new server, there may be some technical issues that you may experience and when you're at it, please shout out to us on any weird stuff to support@stackideas.com immediately.

Meanwhile, feel free to download the beta version of the all-new EasyBlog 3.0 and let us know your thoughts. We shall be releasing the final version very very soon.

For smart users like you, we'd like to invite you to grab a copy of EasyBlog before the new price starts as soon as EasyBlog 3.0 is released.

After the initial birth of EasyBlog 2.0, we haven't been really working on additional features as we are trying to assist users to build / migrate over from EasyBlog 1.8.x and quite frankly, it wasn't a walk in the park.

We had to help users migrate their themes and revert any modifications done on the older version. It was tough and it wasn't easy but it's the best way to do it.

Moving forward...

Joomla! had recently released Joomla 1.6.2 which breaks small parts of the back end section of EasyBlog where they are no longer loading the core mootools library on pages that doesn't use them. We have uploaded a new version which will fix these issues but if you are not affected by this, you can just discard this update.

Stay tune for the next post on some teaser for EasyBlog 2.0

We are announcing to all EasyBlog users to upgrade their current PHP versions to the faster PHP5 for future releases of our Joomla! blogging component.

In the next major release (coming real soon!) of EasyBlog, we encourage all users to have at least PHP5 running in their server for smooth operation of EasyBlog. Older versions of PHP will not be able to support EasyBlog's functionalities and will stop working, causing you lots of delays and headache.

You will also expect lots of errors and exceptions running on PHP4 so if something in your copy of EasyBlog is not working, it's most probably you need to do that upgrade.

For the upcoming EasyBlog 2.0, we urge all users to upgrade their current PHP versions to the more robust PHP5.x.

Lately there has been some technical glitches happened at our merchnat provider Plimus and this had caused many of our registered users having problems in getting the component.We would like to apologize for this error and Plimus is working on solving this problem as I blog.

In normal scenario, any purchases made from our Products page will trigger an email notification that the order is received and confirmed to the user. The user then clicks on the link inside the email leading them to our Downloads page to download the component installer.

We encourage all users to report to us immediately if you are affected. So how do you know you are affected? If you dont receive the email notification AFTER 1 day, send us a report to support @stackideas.com and we will send you the installer.

In the report, please include the following:

1. Your order reference number
2. Your full name
3. Your email address

We will use the above details to verify your order manually and send you the component directly.

We hope to get the system restored very soon. Thank you for your kind patience.

Firstly, we'd like to wish you all Happy New Year 2011! It may be a little too late to wish but our heart says better late than never.

It's a brand new year and what better way to start it with fresh ideas and new approaches. We wouldn't want to call it resolution because it sounds stressful. A little bit of stress is OK but too much of it will restrict creative juices from flowing. So, yeah, in this blog post, we'd like to make a few announcements of what's coming your way, both for the company and our products.

Let me start with the StackIdeas team. Looking at the number of EasyBlog users going up month-by-month, we cant help but to grow as well. It's not easy dealing with growing number of paid subscribers with the small team we have so in the next month or so, we will be welcoming new mates in the team. They will be in charged of both development and designs so do expect more products coming in, with a little more better eye candy in them!

There will be a couple more new products we're aspiring to release this year. One of them will be a social topic sharing component and the other will also be a social-based component, potentially adding more value to your website

Our pioneer product, SectionEx will still be available for subscription. We will still maintain updates on it but it will not be as regular as EasyBlog. More time will be spent on developing new products. You know you want new stuff so we're focusing more on that. However, if you still haven't got SectionEx, check out what it does for your Joomla! site HERE.

As for our blogging component EasyBlog, it will have more features in store. Hold your horses now because we will be releasing the details soon, but not today. :)

This May 2011, EasyBlog will turn 1 and to celebrate it's first anniversary, we will be offering a special rate to all our paid users when they renew their subscription. It will be at a very awesome price but we're keeping it till a month before the anniversary to announce the actual price.

Wishing you all good in health and best of wealth this 2011!

You realized lately we've been releasing minor updates for EasyBlog. Yeah, this is also a minor but essential update before you embark on your year end holidays.

Only two fixes in this version and they are needed because while we are in the midst of getting the codes ready for Joomla! 1.6 compatibility, some codes slipped through our hands, in version 1.2.132.

To be exact, the error causes user profiles to be saved in an invalid Joomla! group ID when users save their profile in EasyBlog. After logout, the user cannot login again due to the wrong group ID.

We could not thank a particular customer enough for reporting this bug and we have already got it working smoothly back again.

However, there are 2 ways to solve this at your end - 1. Self or 2. Email support. Kindly refer to our FORUM for steps to fix it. Or, if this doesn't help, please email to support@stackideas.com so that we can assist you, soonest possible.

Head on to our Downloads page to get the fix, or click on the Download button below for instant access.

The latest build for EasyBlog is now released with version 1.2.130

It's the start of the holiday seasons and we'd like to give a final push to wrap up 2010 with a feature-packed EasyBlog release. Besides the usual code tweaks, we are also proud to mention some major new features in this version of EasyBlog.

Blogging does not necessarily need to be at your Joomla! website now because the new build enables you to blog remotely with the new XML-RPC support. To accomplish this, a new plugin is available to download and you can start blogging, remotely.

Instead of sharing your blog posts in Twitter and Google Buzz, EasyBlog is now built with the popular pinging tool, Ping-o-Matic. Every blog that you post will be automatically pinged to search engines across the globe. We are more than convinced that the more exposure your blog has, the more traffic it brings to your blog!

For team blogging, EasyBlog is enhanced with better support for teamblog avatar and increased security settings -- better privacy controls for site administrators.

Head on to our Downloads page to get the latest build of EasyBlog.

Blogs are like the diary of the future. An electronic log of the important things you want to treasure and yet desire to show the world. It is a recollection of your personal history that is accessible anytime, anywhere you want.

A blog surpasses the benefits of having a new page for a business website. You engage people with blogs because it portrays the human side of online technologies.

Here are the 5 other main reasons to start a blog:

1. Passion - Blog about the things you enjoy doing that you could go on doing without getting bored. When you find excitement in the activities you do, blog about it. Start writing about your hobbies and with your blog, you can help others who may have the same hobby as you. Once you get the hang of it, your blog could turn your hobby into a money making machine!

2. Self expression - Everyone loves a little attention and to feel wanted. The blog is the right avenue toward expressions yourself to the world. However, do not be sad if no one is there to listen to you. Just blog away and pour your feelings out. Who knows, someone from the other side of the world with a kind heart has got the ears that listen.

3. Make more friends - Blogging itself naturally creates more friends and more and more visitors to your blog start to comment on it. You will make lots of friends whom have common interests are you, lives nearby and hence, have a meet up with these new people. However, to make friends, be a friend by responding to your visitors' comments in your blog.

4. Builds business - If you have a business website, starting a blog helps to promote your products and services. The sky is the limit when your business has a blog because you never know your next biggest customer may be reading is from the other side of the world, and potentially give you the sales that you have been looking for.

5. Skills - Blogging is similar to journalism. With journalism, the world is in your hands and with it, you can write about anything that interests you. The more blog you post, the better you are, hence, the more readers you will attract. Blogging regularly makes perfect and it brings in more traffic to your site too.

When you are ready to start a blog, why not get it from the experts?

Joomla! is a great Content Management System for building powerful websites for both business and personal use. With the many extensions, plugins and addons available in the Joomla! Extensions Directory (JED) we are spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting the RIGHT application to work the way we want it in our website. However, nothing is perfect and thanks to the world of Open Source, developers and experienced users of Joomla! can easily tweak the codes and it's done!

Customers today are tech-savvy and they rely on the World Wide Web to get information and what better way to engage them by giving the kind of information they want via a blog. A blog provides a platform for the informer to push information to the uninformed be it a new product launch, a new member in the family, a n resolved issue or even announcing a special promotion.

If you already have a Joomla! website and decided to take the plunge into the blogosphere, we highly recommend EasyBlog. Because setting up a blog sounds like rocket science but fret not because EasyBlog will make it all as simple as a few clicks of the mouse.

Requirements

Your website should be running on the latest Joomla! version, at least PHP 4.3.2 and the latest MySQL database version. Layout wise, please make sure your website supports at least 700 pixels of width for EasyBlog to look and function well in your website. Once you fulfill the above criterias, you are a step nearer to create your Joomla! blog.

Download EasyBlog

We can assure you of the latest features and constant bug fixes are done in EasyBlog. Professional technical service and direct access to our technical team are also available from as low as $4.99 per month. And for the money you invest, you are ensured of the latest software version and  24/7 e-mail assistance if you are stuck.

Click HERE to download EasyBlog. You will be downloading a zipped file - just leave it the way it is and don't unzip it.

Installation

Like installing any other Joomla! extensions, you have to login to your Adminstrator panel and click on Extentions > Install/Uninstall.

Once you are in, click on the Browse button to search for EasyBlog installer files. The files come zipped when you download from our website and should have the filename i.e. com_easyblog_versionX.X.XX.zip.

If you don't have this file, click HERE to download (subscription to our support is required) Click on Upload File & Install button to install the software.

You will receive a notification that EasyBlog is successfully installed.

That's not all, you will have to tweak some settings in the backend before posting your first blog.

Please stay tuned to this blog for another post on the kind of settings you need to do to start blogging in your Joomla! website.

Halloween too soon? No way! We're sure you guys have starting wrecking your brains on what costume to get and where to shop for it. It's tough, we know, and to  make things easier, we thought of giving you an early Halloween treat!

EasyBlog for Joomla! has been loved by many since its release months ago and to spread the goodness, we are giving you a 40% discount for a limited time only.

We trick you not! It's really an out-of-this-world treat - a huge 40% off the $59 price for a copy of EasyBlog!

No way, José!.. What's the catch?!

Simple. If you haven't got a web hosting that runs on Linux, get it from Lunarpages now. Why Lunarpages? Because we love them and many of our customers recommended them of their excellent service. Their web hosting supports Joomla! CMS, MySQL databases and runs on the latest PHP 5 too - the perfect combo to run EasyBlog smoothly.

They are giving away $15-off of any of their hosting plans. Just head on to our promo page at Lunarpage and check out their range of packages.

Ok, I want it! Where do I start??

You will need to redeem a coupon from us AFTER purchasing a web hosting plan from Lunarpages.Once the purchase is confirmed, send us your username and order reference number from Lunarpages by emailing to andrew@stackideas.com. We will reply you with the coupon code for you to be entitled with the 40% discount for EasyBlog. Missing this final step could cost you $23.60 so don't forget to email us those details above.

Promo ends October 31st, 2010.

Go check out Lunarpages' hosting plans and claim your 40% discount for EasyBlog now!

Here's a sneak preview of a feature in the next build of Easy Blog.

For those of you who must have pictures in their blog post, you will soon be able to do it within your own space. With this new feature, the pictures you uploaded can be viewed and used by you only. Each blogger gets their own space to upload and insert a picture into a blog post.

By default, Joomla! allows you and your users to upload photos into a 'repository', a common folder where all bloggers can view/use each others' pictures.

This feature is not outright for the purpose of enabling images privacy but for users to have an added convenience in managing their uploaded photos. A new tab called 'Images' will reside on the tabs row for easy access, as pictured below.

Here's what it will look like but we're still working on it:

Stay tuned for more Easy Blog goodies. :)

We no longer offer SectionEx 6-month plan effective today. New users who wish to subscribe to our support can only purchase the 12-month plan from today onwards.

For existing users subscribing the 6-month plan, you may still continue using it, but if you need support, the 12-month plan will be the renewal at $24.99 for twelve months worth of support.

If you need further assistance, do drop us an email at support@stackideas.com.

Meanwhile, do check out this spanking new blogging tool for Joomla! - EasyBlog. Learn how EasyBlog can complement your social media activities HERE.