Updates

Alpha 0.01

In OpenPaper's first alpha version, we have added all the basic features of our website. Below, we list everything that you need to know about the first maintenance round:

A posting platform, with the ability to add a post title, a post image, the description or body of the post, the category, and the location that you made the post. These additions were super necessary for user engagement, and we hope it keeps the site fresh and simple.

When viewing posts in detail, we've added the date that they were posted, the title, the author, the author's page, the optional image, the content of the post, the category at the top, the location of the post, and, if the author is authenticated (logged in), then you can see the post changelog for future updates and footnotes.

We've also added post recommendations based on past user history and interests, liking, commenting, sharing (links), and deleting comments. The comments include the date of posting, the user, and the content of the comment.

On the home page, you can see the author of the post, the title if there is one, the content, the image if there is one, the location, the current views, likes, and first comment of the post. You can share the post with a link or keep scrolling. We've created pagination to avoid that annoying infinite scroll. Infinite scroll is extremely addictive and creates unnecessary stress on the OpenPaper nano server. Every few posts, you will see an ad. Ads are currently restricted to local ads from the state of North Dakota. On the first ad of every page, you can see the ad options, including why you were targeted with that specific ad, and a button to like that specific ad for future targeting.

On the side of the home page, you can see an image ad, if there is one on the site, the trending section, which holds titles or contents of a post with their view count and the creator of the post. Below the trending area, you can see the current Alpha version banner.

On the People page, you can search for users (the first result will be a registered Ad account). Below that, you should see the top accounts, trending accounts, recent accounts, and people you may know.

Events is currently not a feature. It will redirect.

News currently doesn't aggregate news. It shows the three major news companies, trusted by OpenPaper. There is an on-site viewing area.

Stories are like Snapchat, but for reading. If on mobile, tap on the center or right to move on to the next story. Tap on the left to hiccup the last story. This is an infinite feature and will repeat stories unless the site keeps adding posts.

The Marketplace was created for users to buy and sell popular products. By clicking on Marketplace, you can access the latest store listings, as well as a few ads, here and there. Each listing comes with a price, a title, an image, a description, a street to purchase from, and optionally a location and phone number. It will have the item's condition and whether it is a one-time buy or a recurring listing. We do not offer a messaging platform, so currently, you must place a phone number or email in your post to get a sale with a client.

Currently, you can create a Marketplace listing by adding in your title, your content, your image, your price, and your location. There is also a quality setting. On the right, for desktop users, you can see updates to your post and how your listing may appear to others. You can add up to 5 images.

We added weather functionality. Since this site is shared among all users, you can add your location, or browse public additions. By deleting a location, it will delete for the public as well, and someone will have to repost it.

The About page describes the site and its rules.

The Careers page is useful for those interested in helping launch and scale and market OpenPaper to the world.

The Business page is useful for learning why local businesses would benefit from advertising with OpenPaper. It explains our mission, our targeting strategies, and our concept of targeting, CPM, and categories.

Ad Tracking explains our ad tracking policies and what we collect or will collect in the future. Keep in mind that there is no inclusion of the following statements: this feature is not added, this feature will be added, or this feature is deprecated.

In the top right, if you click the dropdown, you can see four options. At the bottom, you can see a reporting button. Use this to contact us by email with any bugs, problems, or issues not presented in this update documentation.

In the profile, which is only accessible if you create a free account, you can see your username, your email, your image, your banner, your bio, title, employer, credential, gender, city, address, hometown, and personal links. In your real Profile page, these things aren't all visible. By looking at your Profile, you can see what is visible to the world and what isn't. People who haven't made a post will not have a public account, and their pages will not be pushed to the Feeds.

The Ad process is very simple. You read the Documentation, read the pricing strategies, wait a few business days, get registered, and post your listings. Usually, OpenPaper will meet up with the marketing team of these brands or the executive team, to discuss future collaborations and current ad targeting strategies.

Other than this, OpenPaper is simply waiting for user feedback to improve their ad targeting, their post algorithms, their events, their subsidiaries, and their fan relations. By using OpenPaper's first alpha, you are supporting the dream and giving our team hope. Thank you for all you do, users.

Alpha 0.02

In OpenPaper's second alpha version, we have added replying to comments, a new 'Blog' section, a new Programming Challenge (news about that will be posted as a OpenPaper Homepage Post), and we've even added notifications. These notifications help you see what you can do to improve your profile, what other people you like to look at have been posting, and who's work to read next. We've added a notification symbol so that you know when something is new... and we've even dismissed the possibility of moving OpenPaper to Desktop -- nobody has time for that!