Quick update on what we’re doing/have done to improve blog page-loading times:

 Bakomatic, our home-grown platform that powers our blogs, Inside Guide, classifieds and a few other things, is pretty complex. It not only powers about half of Bakersfield.com but also most of our other local sites (including Bakotopia, Tehachapi News, Raising Bakersfield, etc.). So there’s a lot of pushing and pulling going on 24-7.

 We made several changes last week to ease the pounding on our database. Load times have improved dramatically, but there have been some downsides to those changes. For example, we turned off our Bakomatic metrics tools, which means all new blogs read “0" views or comments even though they are getting traffic (we know this because we use two other independent tracking services – plus there are comments on some of the posts; duh!). We’re planning to implement another change on Monday that will allow us to restore those page counts without degrading performance.

 A second downside is that while your posts or comments should be published online, the headline of your post or comment might take a few minutes to surface in separate feeds (for example on our homepage or on the Recent Blogs page). That’s another thing we’re working to fine-tune without degrading performance.

Anyway, thanks again for your patience, your ideas and your support. 

--Logan Molen

larger view

If you love prep football, you’ll want to check out a new feature for us this year: student-produced video game coverage.

Each video is shot and edited by students from participating schools. We’re averaging about three videos per week, and fresh videos are posted a few days after Friday games. We’d love to have more participation, but I can say that the videos we are getting are wonderful. I’d encourage everyone to check them out.

And our Snap! Football galleries are back for a second season, thanks to our Snap! sponsor, AJ’s Tuxedo Junction. So far, we’ve posted 55 galleries and more than 2,600 photos featuring students, parents,  teachers and alumni from 14 local high schools and Bakersfield College. If you’ve been to a local football game this season, you might have been Snapped! Check it out.

Finally, we’ve made it easier than ever to buy Californian photographs, through our Bakersfield Pictures section. And prep sports photos are among our most popular purchases, with proud parents and grandparents buying prints, or having photos reproduced on a variety of items such as playing cards, puzzles, mugs, and more. These make for great holiday gifts. And there’s much more than just prep sports available; we also have classic landscapes and iconic local images.

And as an incentive to get you shopping, here’s a reward for reading BdotCOM: We’ll take 20% off any order of $20 or more placed before Oct. 31. All you need to do is enter the coupon code “BdotCOM” when placing your order.

--Logan Molen

 

New & Improved Inside Guide to Bakersfield
 
We’re in the process of upgrading the Inside Guide and today we launched lots of cool new features:
 
New Business Profile pages:
The business listings have a fresh new look! It’s easier to find out what other reviewers think. Plus, 
we have a new map feature where you can get directions and find other nearby businesses. 
New Category Pages:
Now, you have a page to learn about businesses in each category! You can browse businesses by:
-         Recent reviews
-         Top rated
-         Recently added & updated listings
-         Business Name
-         Map
New Business Inbox:
Business owners that have claimed or listed their business have a new inbox on Bakersfield.com 
that gives them a dashboard of all recent activity on their profile.
New Business claiming process:
We’ve streamlined the process to let business owners claim or list their business for free on the 
Inside Guide. If you are a business owner that would like to set up a free listing, click here!
 
Happy Reviewing!

-- Ryan Pedigo

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