We are now working closely with a developer to fine tune the All Oars Network. In the next few weeks and hopefully not months, you should see an expanded use of sidebars on almost every page of the All Oars Network.

The sidebars will be populated with information relevant to that page, navigation nearby, and just better usability. The first block to make its debut is the status update block which you can now see on the Network Home page. This block or slight variations will always be the first item in the right column, giving you a chance to update your status on GLRF and also to show when you have new personal messages, new notifications, when new images have been added to the Gotcha! Gallery, and when new comments have been made on images to the Gotcha! Gallery.

Now, about these damned widgets ... for several years, we have used them as a freebie from a third party website. They worked well, looked nice, albeit too colorful for some members' taste, and they helped tie the website together. Now that company, or its division, has been sold, and with no notice, all the free accounts went dark overnight. We have managed to get a reprieve for all of two weeks and then they will be gone for good on Saturday, 22 December.

We're working with the aforementioned developer to develop in-house widgets and so you should see those starting to populate the website although in a much more subdued fashion.

Thanks for your patience!