Yesterday we launched Outside Blogs beta and as expected we have discovered a few issues with the product. I would like to use this post as a place to update all of our members with the list of known issues and their current status.
Outstanding Issues:
- New issue - DNS rerouting does not seem to be working correctly. We found one bug and fixed it, but that did not seem to solve the problem. This is of highest priority and we will keep you updated. (This is the reason some custom domain names are not working yet)
- No Index tags should be placed on all sub-domain Outside Blogs. See Bob's duplicate content post for further explanation.
- Some changes on ActiveRain blog posts are not showing up on the Outside Blog
- Single sign on functionality for commenting on Outside Blogs is not always working.
- Outside Blogs need to add an email field for commenters so that they can be notified of new comments and blog owners can contact them.
- Email address of blog owner should not be displayed on Outside Blog (front page and about me page). Fix to include similar contact box as ActiveRain.
- Under blog post title on Outside Blog, authors name should like to about page on Outside Blog, not back to ActiveRain.
- Front page of outside blogs doesn't have meta-description and meta-keywords set.
- Alternative "about me" text entry field
Resolved Issues:
- Header Image not able to upload from Internet Explorer.
- Header Graphic section is suggesting that the header image should be 760x105, when the image should be 742x105.
- Link to Localism on Outside Blog is not showing correctly.
The consensus is pretty much the same across the board...worst housing market since the mid-70's; and, longer lasting. Looking back over years past, current housing prices are at 2002 and 2003 levels nationally. If you have listened to the media you would want to bury your head in the sand and wait for "better" days.
For Atlanta, the writing was on the wall in 2007. As the year progressed, we all saw the housing market slow. And, foreclosures currently continue to dominate the Atlanta market. So where does this take us? Well, if you are a pessimist you would find this really bad news. However, if you are the eternal optimist...what's not to like????? The current Atlanta market should prompt any potential buyer (or seller) to make their move. The deals are out there if you are a buyer. And, as a seller you may see a slight decline in home pricing, but what you may loose selling, you should more than make up when you buy.
On average, home pricing in Atlanta has declined less than 1% over 2007 with home pricing expected to remain flat throughout 2008. Because of our continued strong population growth, Atlanta will absorb the current inventory of housing supply. And with the speculation 2009 may bring increased interest rates, if I was on the fence....I would get off and make my move!!! 
