Yesterday I described how to replace the Loading image in the Plurk response box. Previously I documented replacing the Loading image on the main Plurk timeline. In those two discussions I alluded to the fact that there was a third place where the loading image was used. This third area is in the Edit Profile page. The Loading image is displayed as the system retrieves your data from the database. In many cases this image does not even have time to load before the page is refreshed with your profile data. During times of slow response or if you lose network connectivity the image stays up much longer. After several attempts to capture the CSS element identifiers I was finally able to find it. This then is the third and last installment for replacing the Loading image.
Results tagged “image replacement” from Plurk Skins
For some inexplicable reason I have become obsessed with the loading graphic that shows Blinky the Nuclear fish. Recently I posted an entry describing how to replace this graphic on your main time line. I wrongfully assumed this fix would replace all instances of this graphic but that is not the case. The loading image shows up on two additional places within Plurk. It shows within the Plurk response box and within the window when you click Edit Profile. I had not really noticed these two probably because Plurk was going so quickly that there was not time to display the image. In the past few days the system has been running slowly allowing the images to sit on the screen longer. This was especially the case with the Plurk response window. This graphic has been hanging on long enough to pull up the editor and find exactly what CSS element is controlling the graphic. Once that was identified it became quite easy to create a CSS rule that would allow you to replace it with a unique graphic of your own.
Today the development team responsible for Plurk updated the home page which included several new features. The lower left side of the page now contains five tabs that describe various groups of Plurk users.
- Most Viewed - these are users whose profiles are viewed most often. Some of these users are very active while others are celebrities but no necessarily active in the Plurk community.
- Most Followed - these are users who are actively being followed either as a friend or as a fan. These users tend to be a little more active as they have at least had to acknowledge a friend request
- New - these are new users that have just joined Plurk.
- Random - these users have been random selected by the system to provide other Plurk users an opportunity to meet someone new that they may otherwise not see on their timeline.
- Karma - these are the top 10 users on Plurk with the highest Karma scores. They tend to be the most active users currently on Plurk.
On the lower right side of the page are two tabs dealing with Plurk messages.
- Most Responded - these are Plurk messages which have had the most active conversation going on. It's always interesting to see what subjects have people carrying on for the longest conversations. I see these are Plurk filibusters (does that make them Plurlibusters?)
- Most Recent - these Plurk messages are the ones the system has just seen started. This is a chance to get in on the ground floor of a conversation before it becomes long-winded or dies.
As users begin to theme their Plurk Profile they typically start with modifying the background image or color and slowly migrate to other aspects of the page. Before long they have a fairly unique representation of their personality or mood. They take a step back and admire their handiwork and immediately want to share it with the world. Before doing that they'll usually run through a quick check to make sure everything is just right. As new Plurk messages arrive they suddenly notice that there is a standard image that appears on the middle of their time line that says "Loading...". The excitement of a custom profile fades as they realize that this graphic is the same as ever other user on Plurk. Part of the goal of a theme is to make their profile unique so obviously having this standard image just will not do. Follow along with this post and before you know it you'll have an image that is unique just to you.
