You can now send a photo along with your message.  Just click the ‘attach photo’ link at the bottom of the message window.

This feature update should also fix a bug which was preventing messages being sent.

We’ve just fixed a bug, whereby visiting your inbox (for instance, via clicking a link in an email notification) would result in no messages being seen.  Now, your messages should always appear when you visit your inbox.

There’s currently a bug in uploading photos and making then your profile image. Sorry, folks.. Hope to have this fixed by Tuesday.

UPDATE: The issue seems to be resolved.  But, to be honest, the issue seems to be intermittant.  If you’re having problems uploading your images, please send an email to invervegas@invervegas.com

We’re pleased to announce that Invervegas.com is now open.  Welcome to all the new students to Invercargill… We hope you can use Invervegas.com as a way to connect to your fellow alumni and to help learn a bit more about the city.

The website is still in beta phase, so there will be a lot of limited functionality for a little while.  Things may break, and things may look weird.  But, rest assured: We’re working hard to make it awesome.

So tell your friends… Invervegas.com is here!

Invervegas.com: Help & FAQ

How do I contact Invervegas.com?
If you want to reach us, send an email to invervegas@invervegas.com

Can anyone see my pictures?
Yes, unless you set them as being ‘adult’ images.  You can change this when you upload the photo. 

Why does the website break all the time?
Because the site is still ‘in beta’, things might not function as expected.  ‘Beta’ is the term used for when something is still pre-release and has a couple of problems to be fixed.  Eventually, all the bugs will be worked out, and lots of new features will be added.

Can I log-in using Facebook or Twitter?
Yes, and no.  We’re working to establish these features, but at the moment they are still ‘works in progress’.  Watch this space.

How many photos am I allowed to upload?
You can have a maximum of 20 photos.

I want to complain about something I’ve read on the website.  How do I do that?
You can start by sending an email to invervegas@invervegas.com.  We’ll review the content in question and see if it breaches our standards.  Please remember that sections such as the messageboards are open, uncensored forums:  If you don’t like what you’re reading, the best thing to do is close your browser.  We encourage free speech, and openly sharing opinions without judgement.

With just a few weeks to go before the site opens completely to the public, I’ve decided to start beta-testing with a few folks to find any bugs on the site.  Also, it’s a way to get a feeling for what people think of the site, and what functionality needs to change to make it better.

Remember, the website does have bugs, because it is not finished.  And as such, there are a lot of features not integrated yet.  If your first thought is “there’s not much here”, then you’d be correct… Because it’s “coming soon”.  Soonish.

So if you want to have a look behind the scenes, email kazz@invervegas.co.nz to get your beta-test code.

I love the quote from Brett McKenzie in this article: (there’s) only so much time you can spend in New York before you wake up and think ‘Take me to Invercargill’.

Here’s the truthful backstory to Invervegas.com: The website has actually been in development for almost a decade (even if most of that has been within my head). 

It has had several incarnations over the years: In 2003 it was a way to get info on local nightclubs.  In 2004, it was a gossip-style blog about the city.  And in 2005, it became more of a blog about my own life.

At the start of 2010 I began working on what would become a major overhaul of the idea of Invervegas.com, and unfortunately it’s become such a part-time project that 12 months have gone by and nothing has gone online.  Already, at this late stage, I find myself rushing to get the thing out the door!

But, the time has come to put something online.  The site will grow, and modify, and you’ll see things change.  The design may drastically alter over time, and features will come and go.  But I guess like all good websites, it has to start somewhere.