A week ago we decided that it was time to create a new home for The Heritage Portal. The goal is to bring you the same great content in a more streamlined way. Below is a quick summary of the changes and improvements we have made.

Property Changes

The property section was popular but at the same time the selection process was controversial and time consuming. We have decided to remove the dedicated section but properties will still be featured in the notices and articles sections of the Portal from time to time.

Professionals Directory and Resources Sections Moving

One of the frustrations people had with the old version of the Portal was having to go through the Directories menu to find Professionals. In the months ahead we will be creating an independent website to make finding experts a breeze. The Resources section works very well with the Professionals Directory so this will be moving as well. We will keep you in the loop with progress.

New Threads Section

Projects, Sites in Danger and various discussions will be part of a new Threads section. Better categorisation and filters will make it much easier for visitors to find what they are looking for.

Improved Categorisation

We have added a number of filters to each section to make it far easier to browse content. For example, on the old Portal you could only search the Articles section by category. It is now possible to filter by Article Author, Category and Location.

Improved Commenting

We are now using a third party system called Disqus for commenting. Disqus is attractive and easy to use. All you need to do to start commenting is to login using one of your social media profiles or sign up directly with Disqus.

Better Looking Newsletters

We will be using MailChimp to send out our weekly newsletter. MailChimp is trusted by hundreds of thousands of websites to deliver quality mail. A massive bonus is that the newsletter will look great.

Content Addition Changes

Initially all content will be added by the administrator in order to ensure high quality. Please email through any news or issues. Previously anonymous users could add events, notices and start discussion threads. Spammers took advantage of this from time to time. Anyone can add comments via Disqus (see above).

If you have any questions, suggestions or general feedback please email admin@theheritageportal.co.za. Please note that it will take us some time to bring archived content across from the old version of the Portal.