Rollout 2010-08-13 (Part 2 of 2)

… Continued from Part 1

8)   Payment options for International bank-to-bank / wire transfer

Added new wording to warn users about making changes after their first wires and about how to avoid a delay:

9)   Pay-for-time updates

a)   New item in Employer FAQ:

b)   New popup for “pictures of pay-for-time-refunds:”

c)   How it works

For Step #5 in step-by-step instructions, added information about refund situations:

d)   In the arbitration contract, added examples of refund situations:

e)   Project postings

i)    Greatly simplified the “payment method” page and moved additional information to under “more”:

ii)   Matched the above on the Project Payment Models summary page

iii)  The Pay-for-time Rules confirmation page that follows selection of pay-for-time was shortened and updated with examples of fraud:

iv)  Simplified the pay-for-time options screen by moving all help items into expandable “?” icons:

Also changed wording of the last checkbox and corresponding help:

f)    AccuTimeCard™ overview

i)    Shortened to make the overview easier to read, placing detailed information in “how” links

(1)  On-load version:

(2)  Expanded version (with new information enclosed in green):

Return to Part 1 of Rollout 2010-08-05.

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© 2001-2010 Exhedra Solutions, Inc.

Rollout 2010-08-13 (Part 1 of 2)

Go to Part 2 of Rollout 2010-08-05.

1)   ExpertRating typing tests

a)   ExpertRating now offers two typing tests for vWorker’s virtual workers. These tests are a little different from the rest of the tests. They use a Java applet on ExpertRating’s server that makes the test interactive for the worker. The tests are scored differently also. Normally a test yields a final score between 0% and 100% with a minimum score that is considered a passing grade. The typing tests, however, are scored on gross speed (words per minute including mistakes), net speed (only accurate words), and accuracy.

b)   Two new typing tests:

c)   Since typing tests don’t have a single score, the score column on the worker’s bio page will be empty:

d)  Clicking on the typing test, which leads to the test results page, will show the three scores:

e)   Other tests will continue to display as they always have, without the new speed and accuracy numbers:

2)   Edit Project bug

Two pages had no titles, and they defaulted to “RentACoder”:

Fixed: Titles were added to these pages, and the default was changed to “vWorker” for any other pages that might have missing titles.

3)   User logon

a)   If users type in the wrong password, they see this screen:

In the URL, a parameter showed the mistyped password, which could have been recorded in a proxy log by the Internet café owner (or perhaps viewed by someone looking over a user’s shoulder) and perhaps could be used to guess at an actual password. So the password parameter has been removed.

i)    Old URL, with txtPassword:

https://www.vworker.com/Ads/authentication/login.asp?txtEmailAddress=info%40pimpernel%2Ein&blnOutsideOfVBSubWeb=False&txtReturnURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Evworker%2Ecom%2FRentACoder%2Fauthentication%2FLogin%2Easp%3FtxtReturnURL%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fwww%2Evworker%2Ecom%252fRentACoder%252fDotNet%252fSoftwareCoders%252fHowItWorks%2Easpx%253fintTabSelectedId%253d2&strPassKey=&txtPassword=XXXXXXX&cmOk=Ok&lngWId=1&txtError=Either+the+email+address+or+the+password+entered+is+not+valid%2E+Please+recheck+your+typing+and+try+again%2E++If+you+have+not+yet+signed+up+on+the+site%2C+you+can+do+so+using+the+link+above%2E

ii)   New URL, without txtPassword:

https://www.vworker.com/Ads/authentication/login.asp?txtEmailAddress=info%40pimpernel%2Ein&blnOutsideOfVBSubWeb=False&txtReturnURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Evworker%2Ecom%2FRentACoder%2Fauthentication%2FLogin%2Easp%3FtxtReturnURL%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fwww%2Evworker%2Ecom%252fRentACoder%252fDotNet%252fSoftwareCoders%252fHowItWorks%2Easpx%253fintTabSelectedId%253d2&strPassKey=&cmOk=Ok&lngWId=1&txtError=Either+the+email+address+or+the+password+entered+is+not+valid%2E+Please+recheck+your+typing+and+try+again%2E++If+you+have+not+yet+signed+up+on+the+site%2C+you+can+do+so+using+the+link+above%2E

4)   Timecard

a)   Added help links to the timecard control panel, including shortcuts to step-by-step help for employers and for workers: 

5)   Web 2.0 look and feel

a)   Changed small icons to large icons in page titles; added to all remaining pages in worker, employer, and affiliate menus. Example:

b)   Applied the same thing as above to pages like employer profiles, worker profiles, etc.

6)   Show Projects page

Now shows an enlarged project type icon to give users a large visual cue as to the type of project:

Some examples

a)   Bonus:

b)   Bulletin board:

7)   Homepage

Explicitly added the term “virtual worker” to the worker section:

Continued in Part 2 …

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© 2001-2010 Exhedra Solutions, Inc.

Rollout 2010-08-05

1)      Bank-to-Bank Wire Transfer

The list of countries that can receive bank-to-bank wire transfers has been modified.

a)      It no longer includes the twenty countries that cannot receive Payoneer payments.

b)      Countries that can receive wire transfers: Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Estonia, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Uruguay, and Zambia.

c)       Countries that cannot receive Payoneer payments: Angola, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Sao Tome And Principe, Turkmenistan, Albania, Belarus, Bosnia Herzegovina, Côte d'Ivoire, Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Lebanon, Liberia, Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Somalia, and Zimbabwe.

2)      (Back office) Bug fixes for display of cancellation fees and for grouping and order of arbitrations.

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© 2001-2010 Exhedra Solutions, Inc.

Rollout 2010-08-04

1)   Site-wide message:

a)   Added an “X” to the “Close” operation and changed wording to “Dismiss this message” in order to communicate better that it doesn’t close this section forever, it closes the current message:

b)   Added spacing around message to make it more readable.

2)   Post a project

a)   The first project posting page has been modified, similarly to the landing pages:

i)    The page and form were simplified to be easier to fill out. Wording was simplified. Additional information was moved under clickable help icons (see below).

ii)   Option buttons for “Project Type” were converted into a more compact drop-down list:

iii)  When brand new employers post their first projects, all of the project posting screens (the first page shown above as well as all pages until employers get to the confirmation page) show in “simplified mode:”

(1)   Headers and footers have been removed to keep the page simple, with no extra menus or links for distraction.

(2)   Links in tagline have been removed.

(3)   Info on contacting support for help had been added at the bottom.

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© 2001-2010 Exhedra Solutions, Inc.

Rollout 2010-08-03

1)      Homepage

a)      Bug fix: The site remembers a user’s tab once it is set, but the homepage does not show a selected default tab; this used to be handled by wiping out the user’s selection and defaulting to “employer.” This has been fixed so that the homepage no longer wipes out the user’s selection.

2)      Create account link

a)      Added a link for new users which allows a quick, one-click way to create a new account:

b)      Confirmation message changed and simplified:

3)      (Back office) Pending deposits: “Waiting on employer” type 1 and type 2 verifications typo fixed.

4)      Arbitration totals

Bug fix and change: In several spots throughout the website, we display values for the number of arbitrations lost, self-mediated, and the total arbitrations. These values weren’t always correct and used differing calculations that didn’t always agree with the others. These have been unified so that all of them use the same system. We attempted to do this a week or so back, but not all of the numbers were updated, and calculations did not take into account people who have multiple accounts rolled up into one. These issues have been fixed in this release.

a)      Employer and worker Profile pages:

b)      (Back office) Close Arbitration Checklist: Numbers synced.

c)       (Back office) There is also an arbitration list that is displayed on several administrator pages. This list was updated to show all arbitrations (as both an employer and a worker, if the user has both types of accounts and in all child accounts). The other arbitration numbers are based on whether you’re viewing the user as a worker or as an employer. Because the list shows both, the two might not always match up.

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© 2001-2010 Exhedra Solutions, Inc.

Rollout 2010-08-02 (Part 2 of 2)

… Continued from Part 1

6)      (Back office) Security upgrade: In preparing for the new developers who will be hired soon, security enhancements have been made to the code. Code security enhanced and database information even better protected.

7)      Tools page

New free video offer from West Loh added:

8)      Timecard pages

a)      Daily view: Text added to let both parties know that the screen is auto-refreshed every twelve minutes.

i)        Employer:

ii)       Worker:

9)      Show Project pages

Added new button for sharing the page with personal social networks:

10) “First” and “Last” buttons

Usability tests showed that at least one user didn’t understand the difference between > (meaning “next”) and >> (meaning “last”). Added text along with > and >> on all buttons.

11) Timecard application

Symantec incorrectly tagged the AccuTimeCard™ app as malicious software, causing problems for people who were trying to use it while running Symantec Insight. Symantec has resolved this issue.

-----Original Message-----

From: Security_Insight_Inquiries@symantec.com [mailto:Security_Insight_Inquiries@symantec.com]

Sent: Monday, August 02, 2010 5:00 AM

To: David Moore

Subject: 2102873: Submission to Symantec Insight Dispute Submission form - DO NOT REPLY

The Symantec Insight Dispute team has reviewed your recent submission to the Insight Dispute Submission form Webpage form "AccuTimeCard." In light of further investigation and analysis Symantec is happy to remove this detection from within its products. Please ensure that your machine reflects the change by running LiveUpdate.

Decisions made by Symantec are subject to change if alterations to the Software are made over time or as classification criteria and/or the policy employed by Symantec changes over time to address the evolving landscape.

Sincerely,

Symantec Insight Dispute Team

12)  Bidding pages

a)      Added a new expandable help icon with tips for making good bids and posting good comments:

b)      Confirmation on first bid or comment

When users made initial bids, the old site took them to the top of the project page. In usability testing, one user was unsure whether or not he had placed a bid, because he didn’t scroll down to view the results. The screen now takes users directly to the message summary so that they know their bids and comments are placed:

Return to Part 1 of Rollout 2010-08-02.

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© 2001-2010 Exhedra Solutions, Inc.

Rollout 2010-08-02 (Part 1 of 2)

Go to Part 2 of Rollout 2010-08-02.

1)      Project page

Rating section bug was fixed. Previously, if an employer selected a worker on a pay-for-deliverables project and then switched to pay-for-time, the following error showed:

2)      Homepage

a)      Site-wide broadcast message was moved to below the third-party press icons, bringing the press icons above the fold on low resolution screens:

b)      Right-hand side quote was shortened:

c)       Wording revamped to concise bullet-points:

d)      Buttons in employer and worker sections

i)        For new users

(1)    For new employers: Changed from “Post project” to “Try it” (for employers).

(2)    For new workers: Changed from “Signup” to “Try it” (for workers).

(a)    Link change: Before, the button went to the “signup page” which required an extra step to get to the “create account” page. Now the button leads directly to the “create account” page.

(b)   Final signup page change: Modified wording and added links to “Browse projects,” “Newest projects,” and “Help”:

(i)      Error message improved: A user who forgot to make a selection would get a cryptic error message. The site now shows a friendly error message:

(ii)    The confirmation message said, “Thanks for helping to build the future of professional programming.” This was changed to “professional working.”

(iii)   “Back to home” link gave an error. Fixed.

ii)       For existing users

(1)    For existing employers: Takes them to “Post project” (no change).

(2)    For existing workers: Takes them to “Browse projects.” Button text was changed to match:

e)      Added ability to share the homepage on Facebook, Twitter, etc. through Add to Any:

3)      Cosmetic fix: Typo fixed on PayPal option page:

4)      Security

a)      Resolved potential XSS attack issue introduced in recent change to “Forgot password” feature:

b)      Went through all other logon pages and standardized this security.

5)      Logon page

a)      Bug in change log when signing up: Most of the time, the change log properly records people’s records when they sign up. Occasionally, however, a person’s change log events ended up not showing up on their own record, or a person ended up with records that belong to another account. Though the exact cause could not be duplicated, the signs pointed to a problem in a specific section of complex code. It was refactored to be much simpler (and faster), which hopefully should fix this problem.

b)      Look and feel: Bottom of page reverted to white (from grey) background. Fixed.

i)        Old:

ii)       New:

Continued in Part 2 …

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© 2001-2010 Exhedra Solutions, Inc.