Blogware has now been upgraded to version 1.21. If you have a Blogware blog, you don't need to do anything to take advantage of this upgrade as it is automatic. If you don't have a Blogware blog, you should sign up for a free trial.

Here are the changes in this release:

RSS Headline Component
A new type of component has been added to Blogware for displaying RSS Headlines. Through the Favorites Tab in the Publisher's control panel, blog owners will be able to create RSS headlines to be used as components (similar to favorites today).

For each component, blog owners will be able to specify a URL to an RSS feed (valid RSS v0.91, v1.0, v2.0 and ATOM v0.3 feeds) via the Publisher Control Panel. Each component can display one feed.

Once a blog owner has added it to their layout, Blogware will display the contents of the feed as a component in the blog. By default, the latest ten feed items will be displayed. This can be manually configured to display between one and twenty items on the edit screen of the RSS Headline creator.

Enhanced Search Component
An enhanced search component has been added to Blogware. When this component is used in a layout, visitors to the site can choose to search the current blog, or all blogs. By selecting "All blogs", it will search the Technorati weblog index. This will present a search result set from the Technorati index for the keyword in question.

Cosmos link
Blog owners can now enable the ability to see all links to their weblog, regardless of their source. Trackbacks only includes weblog sources, but not other types of sites. By enabling "Cosmos" in the Blog general settings (under posting defaults), a Cosmos link will be shown next to trackbacks and permalinks in postings. Clicking this link will show the Technorati link Cosmos for the post.

Pings Streamlined
The current list of "sites to notify" in the publisher control panel has been replaced with a single checkbox labeled, "Publicize new posts". If selected, Blogware will automatically inform all sites of new posts made by the end user. (This includes existing notifications like Technorati, Blo.gs, etc.)

General Bug Fixes

• Fixed bug where email addresses were case sensitive in valid "From:" fields for m-blogging.
• Made terminology consistent (i.e. Username/User ID and Nickname/Display Name).
• Documented syntax for areas in the Publisher Control Panel where we accept multiple email addresses.
• Owner is not notified of comments if that option is turned off.
• Fixed Photo Album manager so editing a photo does not change a custom sort order. User is now brought back to the proper location upon changing an existing photo.
• Fixed user info so that "friends info" only displays to friends and not public
• Clarified import instructions on import/export blog page
• Added scrollbar to file manager list of uploaded image files
• Restricted users to creating categories only for areas that they are allowed to post articles to.

ICANN, the organization responsible for all Internet domain names will institute a new domain transfer policy which takes effect on November 12, 2004. This affects all domain names, regardless of which registrar they are registered through or transferred to. Detailed information on the new policy can be found at http://www.icann.org/transfers/ Since the above information is dry and technical, I'll try to give a clearer indication of the new policy, the changes from the old policy, and what it means to domain holders. I'm not promising it won't be dry and technical but hopefully it will help.

Current Transfer Policy 
Currently, if you want to transfer your domain to another registrar, you contact that registrar (or a reseller of theirs) and initiate the transfer. That registrar is known as the gaining registrar. The registrar you are transferring your domain away from is known as the losing registrar.

After you initiate the transfer with the gaining registrar, they may require you authorize the transfer of your domain to them which you must approve. Then, the gaining registrar sends a request to the losing registrar to transfer the domain. The losing registrar then sends you a request to you to authorize the transfer away from them to the gaining registrar. Also, the losing registrar may deny the transfer away request.

If you approve this request from the losing registrar, the domain is transferred to the gaining registrar and the transfer is complete. If you deny this request from the losing registrar, the transfer is canceled and your domain remains with the losing registrar. If you don't approve OR deny the request from the losing registrar then the request will time out after seven days and the transfer will be canceled and your domain remains with the losing registrar.

New Transfer Policy 
The most important changes in the new transfer policy are:

• After the gaining registrar's authorization request is approved by the domain owner, the losing registrar is not required to send an authorization request to authorize the transfer away from them.
• A non-acknowledgement of the losing registrar's transfer authorization will now result in the domain tranfer being approved after five days with no acknowledgement.
• Transfer authorization messages are in the same format, regardless of the registrar.

Additionally, the losing registrar may also deny the transfer away from them only for one of the following nine reasons:

• Evidence of fraud
• Uniform Domain-Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) action
• Court order
• Reasonable dispute over the identity of the person authorizing the transfer
• Domain name is on hold due to payment owed for a previous registration period
• Express written objection from the domain name holder
• Domain name is in "Lock" status (Registrars must provide a readily accessible and reasonable means for name holders to remove the lock status. Contact your registrar for assistance.)
• Domain name is within 60 days of initial registration

This policy was enacted to prevent the losing registrar from denying a transfer request without a valid reason and holding a domain "hostage".

Why This Is Important
The change to the policy removes one step of authorization that used to be required and now only requires that the domain owner authorize the transfer with the gaining registrar. This makes domain transfers a quicker, easier process. However, one potential downside to be aware of is that a malicious registrar (or their reseller) could initiate a transfer request for your domain and hope you accidentally approve it thinking it is from your current registrar.

Please read all domain transfer messages carefully. Domain transfer authorization messages are now standardized. The gaining registrar and the losing registrar will both be clearly listed. If you have any questions regarding a domain transfer message, please forward the message to support@adaptivehostingsolutions.com and we will be happy to help out.

Changes to Domains Registered Through Adaptive Hosting Solutions
To prevent accidental transfers of domains registered through Adaptive Hosting Solutions/Tucows (formerly Host Orlando), we have "locked" all .com, .net, .org, .us, .biz, and .info domain names. The .tv, .co.uk., and .org.uk registries do not allow locking a domain name.

Domain locking prevents your domain from being transferred and prevents the DNS servers from being updated. This protection has been around for most domains for over a year and we have been defaulting newly registered domains to locked for about six months.

If you need to make DNS changes or transfer a locked domain, you will need to unlock it using the domain management system at http://www.adaptivehostingsolutions.com/domains/

Domains Registered Through Other Registrars
If your domain is not registered through to Adaptive Hosting Solutions/Tucows, we suggest you enable locking for your domain to prevent accidental transfers.