The Southwest Observer re-launched on Sept. 1, and not only did it provide users with faster speeds, easier navigation and customized pages tailored to individual interests, but it added many new features:

• Registered users now earn points for every contribution (from posting a forum discussion to adding to the events calendar to uploading a photo) as well as for inviting friends to register as well. Each year the top contributor will be chosen to win an iPod.

  The points program rewards posts as follows:

  • Inviting a friend to join the site: 10 points
  • When your friend accepts your invitation and actually joins: 25 points
  • Posting a blog entry: 20 points
  • Posting a forum topic: 15 points
  • Taking out a free classified ad: 30 points
  • Posting an event in our community calendar: 5 points
  • Posting a recipe in our recipe section: 10 points
  • Commenting on another story, blog, recipe, forum or other post: 20 points
  • Posting a video file: 50 points
  • Posting an audio file: 30 points
  • Posting photos: 5 points per photo

  The Details

• A new program allows registered users to easily share photos, video and audio clips of such events as their child’s birthday party or last week’s block party with the rest of the neighborhood. The feature is moderated to ensure that only appropriate content is posted.
• Users have the platform to create their own Web logs on the site and update them as frequently as they wish.

Note that points are automatically awarded by the computer for all entries except for videos, photos and audio, which need to be approved by our editorial staff before points are awarded.

It is completely up to the editor's discretion to remove items that violate our user policy. If that happens, points for that entry are automatically deducted from your total.

Points can be checked in your control panel by clicking on the My Points Total link.

The reader with the most points at 11:59 pm December 31, 2008 will win an iPod from the Southwest Observer.

User points can be followed with the User Points block in the Reader Input section of every page.

For more information on contest rules, see the rules page