We have taken the time with IP.Gallery 5.0 to implement some smaller changes that help to round off the functionality of the software and bring it more in-line with the rest of the suite. While these changes individually are all quite small, collectively they help to make Gallery easier to use and more intuitive for the average user.
pInterest Integration
For those of you not familiar with this new service, pInterest is a popular new image tagging website that allows users to "pin" images from across the web to a "pinboard". They can create multiple pinboards to classify their images. IP.Gallery will now show a pInterest sharing button with the rest of the social sharing options.
Shared Media
Currently when you share an IP.Gallery image via the shared media plugin, a small box with the image details is shown, linking the user to the full image page. Here is an example (note that this example will change once our site is updated to IP.Gallery 5):
http://community.invisionpower.com/gallery/image/1854-test/
Many users have requested that we instead simply embed the thumbnail directly and open the full image in a lightbox. We've updated IP.Gallery 5 to do just that. Here is a quick video showing this in action.
http://screencast.com/t/YOlreAnC6Bi
Set as Profile Photo
In recent past versions of Gallery, members were required to create an album that they designate as a "Profile Photos Album", and then they are able to set an image within this special album as their profile photo. While functional, we have determined that the restrictions here are largely unnecessary. We have removed the "profile photo album" functionality within the software, and now members will be able to set any image they can view as their profile photo.
Hidden vs Unapproved
Keeping in line with the distinction between hidden and unapproved implemented in other areas of the suite, IP.Gallery has been updated to recognize this distinction. When an image requires moderator approval upon initial submission, it will be in an "Unapproved" state, and you can either "Approve" or "Delete" the image. After it has been approved, you will be able to "Hide" or "Delete" the image. When it is hidden, you will be able to "Unhide" or "Delete" the image. You will no longer unapprove a previously approved image. While this does not affect the functionality of the software greatly, it does serve to separate the actions.
A new moderator control panel plugin has been added to show "Hidden" images.
IP.Content
The Gallery feed blocks in IP.Content have been updated to reflect the changes in Gallery, namely the distinction between Albums and Categories. The feed blocks will be available immediately upon IP.Gallery's release, as IP.Content blocks are now part of the individual application's package instead of the IP.Content package (in other words, you won't need to wait for an IP.Content release to enable these new changes).
SEO Tweaks
We have reviewed the on-page optimization of many pages in IP.Gallery and have made small tweaks to enhance the software. We have implemented canonical tags where appropriate to point all URL variances (such as sorting changes) back to the parent page. We have made certain duplicate page titles unique and clearer as to what they represent for the page in question. We have forced the true "page title" (e.g. the name of the category, album or image you are viewing) to an <h1> tag, and have cascaded down other <h*> tags as appropriate. We have forced some of the on-page javascript and CSS code into the head of the HTML document. These small but useful changes will only serve to better clarify to search engines how pages relate to one another and what pages are the authority source for specific requests. We are listening to feedback and suggestions regarding SEO, and we encourage you to let us know if you spot something that doesn't seem right in the appropriate feedback forum.
More to come
These small changes will work towards better consistency between suite applications, and bring some minor but useful updates to existing features in IP.Gallery. We have more changes to announce yet, and hope you are looking forward to hearing about other updates to IP.Gallery 5.0. Stay tuned!