The news engine that powers the news in the main columns has been upgraded, adding a host of new features and capabilities that were impossible with the old version. I haven't added all the possible new features yet, but the new columns are now online, with both the comments system and article layouts updated.
In addition, news articles are now categorized, each displaying a category icon, showing the subject to which the article relates. I will be adding more features to the news columns over the next couple of days, so keep a look out for those.
To the news posters,
Your old accounts don't work on the new columns, so I've made you new accounts and I will send you your passwords shortly via IM.
To make things easier than ever when posting news, you no longer have to bother with the linking code at all - all you need to do is add the URL into a box on the submit news page and the script will generate the link on the column automatically. You can also assign articles to a category via the category selection box which is also on the submit news page.
I will be adding more categories regularly - so if you are posting an article and can't find an appropriate category, chose the "General" category for the time being.
More news column upgrades coming soon. 8)