Happy Tuesday, true believers! Some of you may have noticed a slight change here at QJ.NET today. While this will be welcome (and long overdue) news to some, there's a strong chance that a lot of you hate our guts more than usual. Yes, we've finally disbanded the use of Anonymous Commenting, at least for the time being.

I hear the deafening cry of "Oh noes!" but this should be looked on as a positive step for the 'ol Q 'n J. For quite a while now, the comment section of this site has spiraled downward into chaos, filled with vulgarity, racist remarks, spam, and general knuckleheadedness that was impossible to moderate properly. The worthwhile and valid gaming discussions just got lost in the mess.

It's our goal to provide not only a source of 24/7 gaming news, but be a source of intelligent conversation as well. You all can be a smart and opinionated bunch and we want to encourage that sort of  behavior, not stifle it. 

So what do you have to do to comment? Just sign up and register. Its free, it only takes a couple of seconds, and there's a few added features that come along with being registered as well. You can select what kind of news to display on our "Blog of Blogs" page, you can choose to get daily email newsletters from your favorite section, and you can review your history of comments that you've made.

But since registration is a bit more mandatory, we would love to hear your input on what other kinds of features and abilities you'd like to have for your QJ profile, just leave a comment below or send us an email using the Contact Us form. Or you can just tell us how we've ruined your life by taking away the anonymous comments, it's up to you.

Now put down the chainsaw and go register. Just remember to set your email client (especially Gmail, Hotmail, AOL, etc.) to allow messages from "qj.net" otherwise you may not get the registration confirmation email!

*Article originally posted Sep 11, 2007 at 01:42PM

Hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to QJ.NET every day in search of the latest gaming news for your favorite consoles! No where else will you find a website more frequently updated with the latest PSP Updates, Xbox 360 screenshots, Nintendo DS news, MMORPG musings, breaking PS3 ponderings, and the latest word about the Wii. But let's face it - there's more to life than just video games!

Our goal here at QJ.NET is to provide you with up to the minute news and information on a variety of topics that might interest or entertain our readers - so here's your chance to get introduced to some of our newest blogs that you might not know about yet. So branch out with us and let us show you what you've been missing! Who knows, you might even learn something!

They're quirky, they're handy, they're revolutionary - and sometimes you just have no idea what they are. Everyone loves Gadgets, so everyone should love the new QJ.NET Gadget Blog!
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Aside from taking the world by storm, what has Steve and Co. been up to lately? Check out our Apple Blog to get the latest on the iPod, MacBook, and the latest love affair between Apple and Intel!

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Stop by our Mobile Blog to get the inside scoop on the latest phones, service plans, and accessories to make the most out of your mobile experience! The world just got a little smaller!
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Consoles can't have all the fun! True next-gen gaming is already here and it's on your PC! From real time strategy, to first person shooters, Games for Windows is where the future lies!

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The world of online gaming belongs to World of Warcraft - the indisputable leader of the MMORPG genre. Come see what over 7 million people would sell their firstborn child for!
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Not to be outdone by orcs and blood elves, there's another MMORPG in the works that could knock WoW off its throne. Set for a 2007 release, come find out why people are talking about Tabula Rasa and prepare for the invasion!

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We've saved the best for last - we love our Science Blog! Check out the latest space-faring news and get a glimpse of all the heavens have to offer. You can't branch out any further than the final frontier!
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We hope you will take a moment to explore all that QJ.NET has to offer, I'm almost positive you'll find something that'll keep you coming back - if so, remember to bookmark it, or you can always find the list of QJ.NET Blogs in the middle sidebar to the right. You can also take a look at our Blog of Blogs which contains every piece of news covered in all our blogs - there's guaranteed to be something new to read every time you visit! And we aren't stopping here - keep your eyes peeled for even more blogs that are in the works and on the way - not to mention our constant efforts to improve your experience here at QJ.NET!

Got a suggestion for a new blog? Be sure to let us know about it!

T'was the night before Christmas and all through the site, all the banners were snowing and consoles alight! As a holiday gift to all our readers, I'll end the poetry abuse right there. On behalf of the entire QJ.NET staff, I'd like to wish all of our readers a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, a cheerful Kwanzaa and any other yuletide tradition you might practice.

It has been quite a year for the gaming industry with the rounding out of the next-gen console list, and here's hoping some of you are lucky enough to find your favorite gadgets in your stockings tomorrow. But even if you don't, you can count on our fantastic writing team to keep you up to date on all the latest news and happenings over the holidays. They're sacrificing quite a bit of their own holiday time to keep the articles flowing over the next few days, so be sure to drop them a line and let them know you appreciate their unwavering commitment to keeping you in the loop! There's no rest for the wicked, and we've got that covered in spades.

Aside from sparing everyone from my pathetic attempt at poetry parody, we do have one small present for you guys in the form of a new feature! As many of you probably know, the QJ.NET Blog of Blogs is a compilation of every news story posted across the entire network, making it a one stop shop for all your news needs. But since not everyone will be interested in everything we cover, you can now make the Blog of Blogs (or as we lovingly call it, "the BoB") display just the news you want to read about.

All you have to do is register an account (for free of course) and then click on Blog of Blogs Settings at the top of the right-hand column. From there, you can select which subjects you want displayed on the BoB and voila! - a custom front page chock full of all the news you want to see!

Happy Holidays!

Those of you who frequent PSP Updates have known about MyQJ for a while, and many of you have made use of it to contribute your own stories and thoughts about the PSP to the mecha-global blogosphere. But with all the PS3 and Wii madness this weekend, it's a perfect time to announce that MyQJ is now open to all the topics that we cover here at QJ.NET. Got a horror story about standing in line for days waiting for a PS3? Find out some neat trick to do with the Wii? Positive that the Xbox 360 is still the way to go and want to tell everyone why? MyQJ is the place to go!

But what is MyQJ? Pretty much what it sounds like! We've devoted a whole new section of the network to you, our incredible online community, to speak your mind about anything regarding gaming or technology that you can think of. From news, to reviews, to opinions, to releasing your first homebrew program, MyQJ is how you can share your thoughts with the rest of the QJ Community!

So, what's the big deal? MyQJ is a new type of hybrid when it comes to user generated content on the web and giving control to our readers. For one, it is an open blog pertaining to a specific subject - in this case, gaming! Add to that our Jump it Up feature and now you've got a way for readers to rate what they're reading. And then, any popular articles on MyQJ will be copied over to the appropriate QJ news site! Everyone loves to blog, and I'm sure many of you have your own blogs and sites, but it's not always easy to get your word out to the masses. With MyQJ you have the chance to get your thoughts posted on one of the most popular and most visited gaming news sites in the world. Our audience is now your audience!

But what about the other blogs? Those will come in time, but right now MyQJ is in it's beta stage and we need to put it to the test! Will there be bugs? You bet! Will there be things you don't like? We're counting on it! But since it is MyQJ, we want it to be what YOU want, so our maddening methods will change over the weeks as we get more input and find out exactly how you guys think MyQJ should work.

So how does it work, you ask? Pretty simple, really. First, sign up and register to blog on MyQJ (for free, of course). After you've confirmed your registration email, you can head on over to the Publisher Area and start writing! After you've submitted your article, a QJ Content Manager will quickly scan your post to ensure that it displays properly and conforms to the posting guidelines, and before you know it your post will be up on MyQJ! If it gets enough Jumps, it'll then appear on a QJ front page!

Speaking of guidelines, here are the rules you should try to follow to ensure that your article gets posted quickly:

1. No profanity, racism, pornography, vulgar, or other incendiary content
   
2. No illegal links, subject matter, downloads, or plagiarized material
   
3. Body text must be 75 words or more
   
4. Article must be readable (spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization)
   
5. Article Content must be accurate to the best of your knowledge
   
6. Source link must be accurate to the best of your knowledge
   
7. Article Content must be applicable for the Blog(s) you submitted it to
   
8. If the article has a related download that is to be obtained through the source link, the download must be readily available without the need to register at another site, or perform any other actions to gain access to the download.
9. Don't spam! Please make worthwhile submissions! :)
10. Please check for duplicate stories before posting

Undoubtedly, you have questions! Not only on how things work on MyQJ, but how to use the Publisher interface and make the best articles possible! Given that we're still in beta form and things will change quickly over the coming weeks, there isn't any documentation available yet, but we do have a MyQJ Help Forum to answer any questions you might have! And our faithful QJ blogger Pranav T. has already created a short primer to help get you started! And look forward to regular tutorials on how to do things like insert hyperlinks, place images, or drop a YouTube video in. Until then, tinker to your heart's content!

It goes without saying, but even though QJ Staff will be manually scanning what goes on MyQJ, it is all about user submitted content, so who knows what will end up there. Just because something is posted on MyQJ does not mean that QJ.NET endorses the content - so user beware! This also goes for any linked downloads - if it doesn't come from DL.QJ.NET, use at your own risk!

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start blogging! And remember, MyQJ is your QJ! It is what you make it, so make it the best it can be!

Here at QJ.NET we're proud to be a hotspot and favorite internet haunt for so many gamers, that's why we're dedicated to providing you fine folks with the latest news and tidbits of interest around the clock. No matter what part of the world you hail from, no matter what sleeping disorders plague you, you can always count on us to be updating our front pages 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But its always been pretty obvious that there's been a feather missing from our cap, a big rock that we've left unturned.

It's an exciting time in the world of gaming as we all sit on the next-gen precipice, waiting to be dazzled by the new technology and innovations being brought to us by our good friends at Sony and Nintendo, as well as watching the Xbox 360 mature into its own powerhouse of a system. But there's another platform out there that is even more advanced than any of these consoles could ever hope to be. The Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 can duke it out all they want in the graphics war, but real gamers know that if you want the best graphics, physics, controls, and online gameplay that gaming can offer you don't have to wait until the end of Novemeber to get it.

That's why we're thrilled to announce the opening of QJ.NET's "Games for Windows" news site! Don't be fooled by the fancy branding (thank you, Microsoft), we're talking about PC Gaming - and it's bound to be the winner in the next-gen wars. These new consoles may try to emulate a powerful PC, but popular genres such as first person shooters and real time strategy games were born on a PC - it's their natural environment and where they play the best. Nintendo may be pushing the envelope with their unique pointing device, but any self-respecting gamer has been playing with a pointer for over a decade - it's called a mouse, people!

PC Gaming has it all - the best graphics, the best interface devices, and a huge selection of titles and the best known franchises. So how could we ignore the platform that the next-gen consoles are trying so hard to catch up to? We can't, and neither should you. So head on over to the Games for Windows site and see what's brewing on the winning platform of the next-gen gaming wars!

Yes, I know that you hardcore console folks (I'm looking at you, PSPeeps!) hate seeing this sort of stuff on your blogs, but I'm giving you warning - there's a shameless plug ahead! But we gotta get the word out on two of our newest blogs - and not just any blogs, our first game specific blogs! We all know that MMORPG's are big, and it's the nature of an online beast to have lots of news, updates, patches, mods and upgrades to talk about. These new blogs have been lurking around the QJ network all this week, but it's time to give them the proper introduction they deserve.

Okay, so that one doesn't need much of an introduction. Everyone's heard of a little game called World of Warcraft, right? Yeah, I thought so. It is the MMORPG of our times with millions upon millions of players wandering through the world of Azeroth every single minute of every single day. And that's just the beginning. With the upcoming release of the Burning Crusade expansion, things are about to get even bigger. So it's a perfect time to launch our own WoW blog to keep everyone on top of every single bit of info out there! There's no stopping World of Warcraft from dominating the globe...

...or is there? You see, there's this little gem of a game that's been in the works for over 4 years from the fine folks at NCSoft and Destination Games. At the helm is Ultima Online">Richard Garriott aka Lord British, the mastermind behind the grand-daddy of modern MMORPG's - Ultima Online. With experience and an award winning art team on their side, Tabula Rasa hopes to wipe the slate clean and knock WoW off its high horse. With a unique crossbreeding of 3rd person RPG action with alien-blasting FPS controls and tactics, it might do just that.

TR will soon be hitting the beta stage, and we here at QJ want to be in on the ground floor of what will most likely be the next big thing in the MMORPG universe. This is the place to be if you want to keep up on all the latest news, art renders, screenshots, and developments.

So there you have it - two new blogs to check out, with some pretty snazzy sneak peaks and exclusive content on the way. And a third new blog isn't far behind, and hopefully it will fill the obvious hole in the QJ Network when it comes to gaming news!

Here at QJ we've always wanted to make sure everyone has the chance to speak their mind and share their opinion - that's what a community is all about! But if you're a regular here, undoubtedly you've been a bit frustrated with out comments (or our commenters) from time to time. That's natural, but it's even more unbearable when you can't do anything about it. But times are a changin'!

Today we've unveiled a whole new comment system designed to give the community control of how comments are displayed! So how's it work? Check out the image below and I'll walk you through it!

Aside from the slick look, you'll notice that comments are threaded now. You can add a "parent level" comment just by adding a comment the old fashioned way, nothing has changed there. But in the bottom corner of each parent comment you'll see a "Reply" link. Clicking that will open up a comment entry box, and your reply will show up below the parent comment. This will make it much easier to keep related discussions grouped together. You can also choose to "Hide Replies" for any parent comment.

See the little smiley faces? They are your new best friends! See a post you like? Click the smiling face! Want to give a "1st!" commenter the boot? Click the frowning face! But what's the point? If you've chosen to have comments sorted by "highest rated" than the parent comments with the most stars will be at the top of the comment list, and the lowest rated comments will be bumped to the bottom. Take that, annoying commenters!

If you want the comments to sort like you're used to, just choose "Sort by last added" and they'll display chronologically. But you can still get rid of annoying commenters by setting your filter! By choosing a star ranking from the drop down box, it will "hide" all comments that don't have a high enough rating for your tastes. But you can still view any hidden comments by clicking the yellow arrow on the left side of the status bar.

So there you have it - power to the people! We hope that this new comment system will not only let everyone out there to take control of what they want to see, but will also encourage a positive posting atmosphere. We love hearing your thoughts, but sometimes its best to think before you type! There are bound to be a few bugs or issues, so if you see anything misbehaving or have an idea on how to improve the new comment system even further, drop us a line.

Also, for those of you who have signed up for our free Newsletter / Alert System, you'll find that you now have the ability to change your email address for your account. You can find that option in the Newsletter Settings screen!

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Update: If you are having problems using the comments, try clearing you browser's cache and clearing out any QJ-related cookies. This should fix things up.

Also, there appears to be a glitch with the star ranking - so the number of stars showing may not be accurate and may go up or down when they shouldn't. This will be fixed as quickly as possible - but the sorting of the comments is accurate based on positive/negative votes, it's the graphical display of the stars that is incorrect.

And a few criticisms have already arisen, and we agree. You can expect the following fixes soon:

• Not allowed to vote for your own comment
• Text will be sharpened and darkened for easier reading
• Sorting chronologically will put oldest messages first, newest messages last
• If you have not filled all fields, you won't lose all the text you've typed
• Comments will start at a 2.5 or 3 star rating

Thanks for you patience as we work out the kinks - consider it a beta!

Heads up, QJ readers! We've rolled out a couple new features today that should thrill and delight many of you... okay, so maybe that's pushing it a bit, but they're still cool! We know there's a few of you who just can't get enough of QJ.NET and visit us several times a day just waiting for new updates. Well now the updates are coming to you!

PSP Friendly Version!

The first thing on the list is something that has been LONG overdue and one of the features you folks have been asking for the most. How can a site that features the PSP and Mobile gadgets not have a version that supports these devices? How indeed! So we're thrilled to (finally) announce that we have a PSP friendly version of the site available! This "56k Friendly" version of the site should display just fine on your PSP, PDA, or other mobile device. It's been scaled down so it loads quickly, and even has the option of turning on/off the images.

You can access the mobile version of the site several ways! In the "QJ Blog Network" panel, just click on "PDA" next to the blog you want to view and that's it! There is also a "PDA Version" link in the Navigation panel. And since entering URL's into the PSP Browser isn't always the easiest thing to do, we've taken that into account. All you have to do is add "/pda" to the end of the sub-domain of your favorite blog - so if you want to visit PSP Updates, the URL would be: pspupdates.qj.net/pda - it's that simple!

And guess what - we haven't forgotten about the Forums either, so you can take the community with you wherever you go! At the bottom left hand corner of the forums pages, you'll find a Style drop down menu - just select "WAP Beta" or "VB Lite" and you should have no trouble viewing the forums on the go, no matter what device you're using! Both of these settings are a little different, so see which works best for you. You can also change this setting in your User Control Panel Options.

Email This!

If you're reading this, you already know about QJ, but your friends might not. At the bottom of each article, you'll find an "Email This" link - if you want to share a story with a friend, co-worker, or family member just click the link and fill out the form. The recipient will receive a version of the article via email - complete with images and links, the whole caboodle!

QJ.NET Newsletter

So your friends are getting QJ in their inbox, but what about you? Don't worry, you're not left out either! QJ.NET can now send out email newsletters to let you know when a new article has been posted. How's it work? Well first, you have to be Registered here on the front page, and then you'll find the Newsletter Settings link at the top of the far right sidebar. From there, you can select whether you want a daily update of what's been posted on our blogs, or you can choose to be notified every time there's a new update. Now you'll never be out of the loop!

Shhhhhhh... it's a secret...

My, my, my, QJ.NET has changed a lot this year, but our biggest changes are right around the corner! In a week or two, we should be tackling an aspect of the site that has been a source of complaints and grief for far too long. Most of you probably know what we're talking about. But even better than that, there's a ground breaking part of QJ.NET that we've been working on for quite a while now. And guess what? It's right under your noses and ready for wear - but you'll have to find it first! If you're not the sleuthing type, you'll have to wait until the official announcement to find out what's up. Both of these projects are part of our ultimate goal to give our readers more control and influence over what happens here at QJ! After all, in the grand scheme of things, this is your site - and we need your help to make it the best it can be!

As always, we're counting on your feedback on these new features to make them as useful and enjoyable as possible. There's bound to be some kinks and problems, so let us know what you find and what you want!

Today we're celebrating a bit of a milestone here at QJ.NET - our incredibly active forum community has managed to accumulate over one million posts! That's right, a million! Hard to believe, that is unless you've actually taken the time to visit or come looking for help. You'll be hard pressed to find a more active forum, and no where else will you get fast and helpful advice for all your PSP troubleshooting needs.

But what started out as merely a PSP forum over a year ago has blossomed into a whole gaming community. Regardless of which QJ Blogs you frequent, you'll find a whole host of people just waiting to lend a hand or discuss your favorite game, console, gadget or cellphone.

A whole lot has been shaking over at the QJ.NET Forums lately, a heap of new features, activities, games, and groups have been added since the forums first opened for business. And our busy Forum Administrator, Mysticales, is constantly hard at work making our forums a fun place to hangout and participate in our community. If you've been hiding under a rock, make sure to check out the Forum Update thread to see all the new bells and whistles that have been added!

Feel intimidated by the forums? Don't be! Our hard working staff of moderators are always on the prowl trying to ensure that our forums are as friendly and welcoming as possible - which is no small task when you're watching over a million posts a year! In fact, a new initiative has been put into effect to make sure that our forums are as flame-free as possible. With the Quick Justice Policy in effect, everyone should be able to have a grand 'ol time while visiting our forums.

And we also offer a Premium Membership option for our forums as well, for all you die hard QJ Fans! As part of our Premium package, you'll have the following perks attached to your forum account:

• No Ads on QJ.NET Blogs and Forums!
• Free Giveaways and Games!
  
• Access to the Premium Forums!
• Built in RSS Viewer to make catching up on QJ news easier!
• Ability to buy extra unlockables in the forum store!
• Unlimited cost free use of the Arcade system!
• Ability to spend Points accumulated through being active on the forums!
• Have your own forum webpage and guestbook
• Expanded Avatar and Signature options
• Discount Coupons for various online merchants, including Lik-Sang
• Coming Soon: Inferno RPG v3!
  

And there's more, too! For all the details, follow the link to see the latest and find out how to sign up for Premium Membership!

Of course, we'd like to thank our entire forum community for all they contribute every day! Whether they be old-time regulars, homebrew developers, troubleshooters, or newbies in need of help - you guys make the forums what they are. Congratulations on 1 million posts!

Hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to QJ.NET every day in search of the latest gaming news for your favorite consoles! No where else will you find a website more frequently updated with the latest PSP Updates, Xbox 360 screenshots, Nintendo DS news, MMORPG musings, breaking PS3 ponderings, and the latest word about the Wii. But let's face it - there's more to life than just video games!

Our goal here at QJ.NET is to provide you with up to the minute news and information on a variety of topics that might interest or entertain our readers - so here's your chance to get introduced to some of our newest blogs that you might not know about yet. So branch out with us and let us show you what you've been missing! Who knows, you might even learn something!

They're quirky, they're handy, they're revolutionary - and sometimes you just have no idea what they are. Everyone loves Gadgets, so everyone should love the new QJ.NET Gadget Blog!

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Aside from taking the world by storm, what has Steve and Co. been up to lately? Check out our Apple Blog to get the latest on the iPod, MacBook, and the latest love affair between Apple and Intel!

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  The line between Laptops, Cellphones, and PDA's is quickly dissolving. You can keep up on all the latest technology to keep you on the go at our brand new Mobile Blog!

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Shutterbugs unite! The Photography Blog is THE place to not only find out about the latest cameras, but to learn how to take the best pictures you can! Or, you can just enjoy the fantastic work of other photographers!

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We've saved the best for last - I love our new Science Blog! Check out the latest scientific discoveries here on Earth and beyond. You can't branch out any further than the final frontier!

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We hope you will take a moment to explore all that QJ.NET has to offer, I'm almost positive you'll find something that'll keep you coming back - if so, remember to bookmark it, or you can always find the list of QJ.NET Blogs in the middle sidebar to the right. You can also take a look at our Blog of Blogs which contains every piece of news covered in all our blogs - there's guaranteed to be something new to read every time you visit! And we aren't stopping here - keep your eyes peeled for even more blogs that are in the works and on the way - not to mention our constant efforts to improve your experience here at QJ.NET!

Got a suggestion for a new blog? Be sure to let us know about it!