We recently upgraded the Supporter Blog framework running behind the scenes here, so all at RVblogz members should visit the Plugins tab in their dashboard to ensure the TypePad Anti-Spam plugin is activated. This will keep spam comments to a minimum on free travel blog accounts.

RVblogz Supporters should make sure the WP-SpamFree plugin is also activated for enhanced spam protection. WP SpamFree will also allow RVblogz Supporters to easily add a contact form to their blogs. Other premium plugins that may have been deactivated in the recent upgrade include Viper’s Video Quicktags for easy video embedding from numerous video sharing sites, Multiple Twitter Widgets, and much more. For complete details review our Supporter Blog feature comparison.

Not yet an RVblogz Supporter? Consider upgrading today to automatically remove ads from your blog and instantly increase your blog space quota to 1GB for uploading lots of photos! You’ll also gain access to the Premium Plugins available, and a Supporter Badge widget you can proudly display in your blog sidebar. Simply visit the Supporter tab in your dashboard more information.

The RVblogz Supporter Blog framework is made possible with the powerful Supporter mu-plugin from WPMU-Dev Premium.

All RVbloggerz will now notice a helpful new feature in their blog dashboard. We have just launched a comprehensive Support System to help you make the most of your blog. Simply log in to your RVblogz account and click on the Support tab to the left to access our new FAQs and Support Tickets.

We have tried to answer the most common questions regarding RVblogz account management, blog settings, options, themes, and much more. If you see an issue that isn’t answered, just send us your question or submit a new support ticket.

Support Tickets are our new way of providing direct technical support for your blog account when needed. Tickets are not intended for how to tips, but rather to address any specific issues you may have with your blog. Submit a ticket if you believe something is broken or are having technical difficulties with your blog. You will be notified by email when when we respond to your support ticket. You can then click the link provided to see the ticket and respond if necessary. All assistance will provided within the RVblogz  Support Ticket system – not via email – for clarification and archiving purposes.

The new Support tab in your dashboard is just another step in our continuing efforts to make your travel blogging experience easy and fun. And it is not to be confused with the Supporter tab where you can upgrade your RVblogz account to increase your upload space quota and enable enhanced features.

One of the biggest challenges to having a blog is battling the insane amount of comment spam. We’re doing our best to put an end to that here at RVblogz.com!

RVbloggerz may have noticed the reCAPTCHA image verification plugin we recently installed which required commenters to enter validation words before posting comments. reCAPTCHA is an amazing project that is actually helping to digitize old texts from the internet archive by having words OCR can’t recognize deciphered by blog commenters. But some consider any captcha an inconvenience.

So, we’re trying a different method now. It’s transparent to your readers but fools spam-bots, so it should stop all automated spam comments. Please let us know if its working on your RVblogz.

What’s that you say? You haven’t signed up for your own free travel blog yet? Get your free travel blog today, and we’ll make sure you no spam gets through it … one way or another!

RVbloggerz will now notice two new features in their admin dashboard – Communities and Inbox.

Our new Communities feature allow RVblogz members to create a community with a message board, Wiki pages, and news items. In fact, multiple communities can be created. They can be public or private. Simply search for existing communities that may be of interest or start your own. Make it private if you only want members you approve to join. Or, make the community public and everyone can join the fun!

But wait, there’s more. The Inbox feature is our new RVblogz private messaging system. Simply enter any RVblogz user name and send them a message. It will immediately appear in their in box and they’ll be notified by email. Notification emails can also be turned off.

Just a couple new enhancements we’re proud to announce in our continuing efforts to build community here at RVblogz.com. Join the fun today!

No, not the fish. As an RVblogz Supporter, you can easily add a simple contact form to any post or page of your blog. Just like they do it at WordPress.com! Simply activate Grunion in the plugins tab of your dashboard.

You can add a contact form to any post or page just by inserting the simple tag [contact-form] into the post wherever you want the form to appear.

It will work like this …

Readers and visitors to your blog can then send you messages directly. Emails will be sent to the post’s author. Your email address is never shown, and the sender never learns it (unless you reply to the email).

What’s a Grunion?
The plugin was written in Southern California, home of an unusual fish called the Grunion. There’s apparently  no correlation between fish and contact forms; it’s just a fun sounding word that’s geographically apropos.

Anyone can put whatever they want in the name and email boxes. How can I know who’s really sending the message?
If a logged in RVblogz member of your site sends you a message, the end of the email will let you know that the message was sent by a verified user.Otherwise, you can’t trust anything… just like a blog comment. Anonymity is both a curse and a blessing

My blog has multiple authors. Who gets the email?
The email is sent to the author of the post with the contact form in it. So each author on your blog can have his or her own contact form.

Great! But how will my visitors know who they’re sending a message to?
Just make the title of your post “Contact Mary” or put “Hey, drop John a line with the form below” in the body of your post.

Not a supporter? Visit your RVblogz dashboard and upgrade for immediate activation. Not yet blogging on RVblogz? Sign up for your free account today.