Previous article posted for members participating in the beta testing several weeks prior to the launch of the site.

Thanks again for signing up early and being a part of the beta testing. With your input hopefully this site can be taken from an empty piece of software and turned into something that is usable and enjoyable for the community. At this stage we have really only implemented the base functionality to get the site up and running. We've got lots of ideas for new features and hopefully you will too.

The main idea behind this site is to get lots of user involvement happening and to get martial arts enthusiasts from various styles interacting with each other to help build a stronger martial arts community. To achieve all of that we need to know what you like about the site and what doesn't work for you at all. Essentially we are treating this beta test as more of a user acceptance test and you will determine the outcome of the test.

What should you do for the beta?
Well, the simplest answer for this is use the site, as much as you can over the next few weeks. Sink your teeth into as many areas of the site as you can while keeping track of what works for you and what does not.

If you find a problem or have an idea of something you'd like added head over to the Support forum and leave a post or just email community@martialartslife.net. We will look at EVERYTHING that is reported and try to resolve as many of them as possible before the site launches or shortly after.

A brief run down on current features
Home - This is generally a quick overview what's happened recently on the site. You can also add links.

Forums - Communicate with other members, share ideas and experiences. BB Code and various smiley icons are available also.

Gallery - Upload, manage and share your photos. Tag them for easier searching and comment on other member's photos.

Calendar - Add and view past and future events including tournaments, gradings, open days etc.

Clubs - Browse a directory of clubs throughout Australia, add unlisted clubs that you know about.

Articles - Read and write articles about varying topics (mainly martial arts related). Leave your thoughts and comments.

Members - View the list of currently active members, find out a bit about them and view their activity on this site.

Search - Search all of the other areas of the site.

What next?
The site will be officially launched and made available to other users on the 1st of July. From there we aim to steadily grow the site over time, growing the number of active members and by producing an extensive amount of high quality content. We would appreciate your support and help growing the community by letting as many people as you can know about it.

As mentioned previously we will be running a competition over the first month with a prize for the most active member across the whole site. There's more details to come on this. Additionally, as the site grows we will be looking for more people interested in helping out with the site as moderators and in other positions.

That's all for now. We hope you enjoy your sneak peek.

From time to time we will be publishing articles on this site discussing various aspects of martial arts and other information. The topics covered will hopefully vary greatly ranging from the history of particular styles to details about certain techniques and training/fitness informaton. We will endevour to have various special guests write articles for the site to share their wealth of knowledge whenever possible.

If you're interested in writing an article for the site or would like to suggest a particular topic please let us know via an email or private message. Additionally, you can get involved by leaving comments on the articles you read. Letting us know what you think about the information provided will greatly help to improve any future articles.