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Introducing the Millennium Group Homepage - a central hub for the modern Millennium fan

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  • Elders (Moderators)
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After a private beta testing period, I'm pleased to announce the launch of our latest feature for fans of Millennium, Chris Carter's critically acclaimed television series, The Millennium Group Homepage.

Long time fans of Millennium will remember one or two fan created homepages over the years featuring the Millennium Group's Ouroborus logo, and whilst this one is no different in featuring the mystical symbol, the aim with our new version has been to make the page as genuinely useful as possible, whilst of course keeping in tradition with series.

Whilst the basic idea is to have the homepage function as an Internet browser homepage as per the request of our forum members, its also perfectly okay to bookmark the page and use it at any time.

Currently the Millennium Group Homepage has the following features:

  • Millennium Group logo with 'Welcome Frank' message and accurate 'days remaining' countdown message in tribute to the Millennium Group network log in screen as seen series.
  • Options to personalise the welcome message, the days remaining countdown timer and as an extra treat, select either the standard Group logo (Ouroborus) or the hacked Owl version depending upon your allegiance!
  • Ajax-powered Google Internet Search using the Google Search API, which means you can perform multiple Google searches without ever leaving the page and narrow your search to Web, News, Images, Blogs, Video (Youtube) and Books, even when flicking through the pages of results. Google currently limit their Search API to a maximum of 64 results, this is not changeable but should be more than enough. Also, there is a small issue with the Blog search results being limited to one page, this is awaiting a bug fix from Google.
  • Built in ajax-powered RSS import - to fetch, display and keep you updated with the latest topics from TIWWA Millennium Message Board (our forums), the latest news articles from our main website M-TIWWA and latest news from the BacktoFrankBlack.com campaign.
  • Options to smoothly open and close the various parts of the page depending upon your personal preference.
  • Integration with Millennium - Thisiswhoweare.net - Search our main website and if you prefer you can narrow your search parameters to episode transcripts, profiles (episode, cast, crew and character), our Music Guide, articles, reviews and more.
  • Please follow the Privacy link at the bottom of the page for privacy details.

Your settings to personalise the page are stored in cookies on your local computer for 31 days (due to increase shortly), so its personalised every time you open your homepage unless the cookies are removed or expire. However you can change the options as many times as you like.

Unless you personalise the page, the welcome message is set to Frank (Black) and the days remaining currently match M-TIWWA, which is the amount of days remaining to the popular December 12, 2012 (the often quoted and supposed end of the Mayan calendar).

As the page has a permanent link, we are able to update the page with improvements without the need for users to download new versions. Simply bookmark the page or set it as your browser's homepage.

Whether you use it for fun at home, college or work, or find it genuinely useful, the new Millennium Group is ready to be bookmarked and can be found permanently at https://millennium-thisiswhoweare.net/millennium-group-network


View the original article at millennium-thisiswhoweare.net

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  • Elders (Admins)

FAQ - (This post will be updated as and when required)

Where can I post comments or ask a question?

Please use this topic!

Can you show me a demo?

Sure, here you go!

 

Where is the download link?

This isn't a download like a screensaver. You just point your browser to https://millennium-thisiswhoweare.net/millennium-group-network and you can bookmark it (add it to your favourites) or if you want, set it as your homepage.

I already have a home page?

No problem, if you still want to use this, just bookmark it on your browser's favourites bar. Then one click will take you to the homepage, where it will still work.

It seemed slow to display first time I used it?

The first time you visit the page, it may be a bit slow as it downloads the necessary Javascript files. However, next time you re-visit the page, your browser will use the cached files on your computer so it will be almost instant. I have GZipped and minified the source HTML5 page and the CSS3 style sheet to decrease loading times.

Can I personalise the name and countdown?

Yes! You can set your preferences in the Settings Panel. Set the name and date separately using the options available.

Can I change the Ouroborus Millennium Group symbol?

Yes, you can select either the Ouroborus (default option) or change it to the Owls version, as seen on hacked Millennium group computers during the episodes Owls and Roosters. You can change it as often as you like, and the page will remember your preferences.

How does it remember my settings?

When you enter your name or count down date, the page will store them in cookies (small text files) on your computer. Next time you visit the page, it will check for the stored cookies and if found, will use them to display your name and set the date for the countdown, and any other saved settings. By default, unless you change it, the page welcomes Frank and the date is set for the end of the current year. It used to be  December 12th 2012.

How long does it remember my settings?

(Updated 9th June, 2009.)

All personalisation cookies are currently set to expire after 1 year, the countdown date cookie is now set to expire after 5 years. I discovered reports of some browsers not liking cookies which last a long time for security reasons. Each time you change a setting, the cookie restarts a new period.

How do I delete cookies?

You can reset the page which removes all associated cookies from the Settings Panel. You can also use the options in your web browser to delete or clear them at any time, see your browser's help files or website for more information.

My settings are not remembered when I return to the page?

Its possible that you have not been back to the page since you last changed it and during that time the secure cookies storing your preferences may have been deleted from your browser, expired or somehow got corrupted.
Just enter your preferences again and if after closing the browser and returning to the page they have been lost again, please let us know.

What about privacy?

Your privacy is maintained and assured as much as is possible. Your personalisation settings are stored on your computer and are not tracked.

  • Searches via the Google Search option (labelled Millennium Group Search) are anonymously logged by Google for statistical usage reporting. No searches are personally identifiable.

We maintain a Privacy Policy which contains further information.

Will new features be added? I have a suggestion!

Please feel free to make any suggestions in this topic! New features and improvements may be added on an ongoing basis.

Can I share the page with a friend or on a website?

Yes of course! Feel free to post the link to the page on any website, its free to use for everyone.

Which browsers does it support? Why doesn't the audio show graphically in IE?

The homepage has been tested and works fine on Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Internet Explorer 8. Smooth scrolling when opening and closing the sliding panels may be affected when using Chrome. The new Millennium Grouo-style voice audio waveform pattern  added in 2017 doesn't show in Internet Explorer due to lack of support in that browser, but you can still play the actual sound. This is because it uses the wavesurfer.js plug-in which runs on good browsers supporting Web Audio, including Firefox, Chrome, Safari (desktop and mobile) and Opera. It seems to work find on Edge as well.

What is the minimum screen display resolution?

The page has a Responsive, fluid design which means it will stretch out to make use of whatever screen size you have. It has been tested at 1280x1024 and 1680x1050 (brilliant!) and 1920x1080 (even better!). At 1024x768 the Ouroborus logo is a little cramped. Later versions improve the layout so that elements float better on smaller displays.

Known issues:

Blog Search

The Google Search API currently has an unresolved bug, which prevents the search results page links from working on the Blog Search tab.

This has been reported and when Google address the issue the page will reflect the fix instantly.

Above issued seems to have been resolved by Google as of July 10th 2009.

 

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I think you can all see, from the project itself and the level of thought and effort that has gone in to this, that this is something deserving not only our praise but our thanks in the process. I have had the pleasure of using this for a few days, I have shared my comments about how effective it is as a tool to access everything you could ever need in relation to Millennium but it has major plus points beyond the confines of our beloved franchise. Here's my thing, dispense with Google or Yahoo or whatever and give this a try, just for general browsing purposes, Blogs especially, and I am sure you will see the merits of it. Then, for the icing on the cake, have a go at using it for a Millennium relayed query and it is quite simply is the most impressive way of accessing information you can think of.

From one handy hub you can find MM images, browse the web for related Blog entries, keep abreast of all the latest from M-TIWWA, TIWWA and B2FB, you can search for videos, easily access books on related topics and subjects and much, much more besides. Heck it was probably something like this that the Millennium Group themselves used, only joking of course.

Major kudos to Graham for such a fantastic tool and one which must be essential for every fan, new and old, of the series. I'm done with countless tabs and windows, viva the MM Group Homepage.

Eth

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  • Elders (Admins)

Thanks for the excellent and supportive feedback Eth! I'm glad you found it genuinely useful and I agree, I think a modern Millennium Group may well have an integrated page something like this one.

In fact I bet they would include their database search facilities on anyone who bought 'flagged' books too! I don't think Frank was too happy about that! I bet its not in Amazon's Privacy Policy!

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Guest Thomas

I LOVE it! The personalization features are great and I like every visit.

Thank you so very much for the countdown feature. I just set mine to a birthday.

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