SocialEngine version 4.0.1 is now available for download from the client area. We highly recommend updating, it includes a huge batch of bug fixes addressing many commonly reported issues. To upgrade, just download the package from the client area and use the built in package manager. You can find a complete changelog included in the zip file. Let us know what you think!

There's lots going on here at SE central, so we'd like to take a minute to share some exciting new features that we're working on for the upcoming release of SocialEngine 4.1, as well as some other announcements:

1. Membership billing: This is one of the most frequently requested features so we're glad to announce it will be offered as a free upgrade to all SE4 clients. Utilizing the existing "Member Levels" feature of your site, you'll now have the ability to bill members and provide them with access to premium content and functionality. This adds a whole new method of monetizing your social network and monetizing is key to a website's success. The billing is handled by 2checkout.com, an excellent payment processor which handles debit/credit payments from all parts of the world and even allows for Paypal payments.

2. Automatic package downloader: We're working on making SE upgrades simpler. With SE 4.0, we started by adding a new package manager that simplifies installing mods and plugins. Now, we've added an optional automatic package installer that will let you pull packages and most upgrades directly from our servers, drastically simplifying the process. Of course, you can still optionally use the old method of installing packages yourself if you prefer.

In other news, we're finishing up the SocialEngine 4.0.1 upgrade and should have it released in the next couple days. It includes a huge batch of bug fixes that we've been addressing in response to your feedback so keep an eye out for that. We know many of you are waiting on the SE3->SE4 upgrade script. We really appreciate your patience as we finish writing and testing it and hope to have it ready in about 2 weeks.

Lastly, we're working on a full Ning importer that will make migration from Ning to SE a breeze. This will work with the "full export" that Ning is now providing its members. It's currently in testing, so keep an eye out for that as well.

As you can see there's lots going on so stay tuned, we'll have many more announcements as SocialEngine 4 continues to grow.

For those interested in SocialEngine development, we've just released a Software Development Kit (SDK) to help build the standard distribution packages for SocialEngine 4. This simple system allows you to easily package and deploy your mods. You can learn more and download the SDK on our knowledgebase.

Using the SDK, you can create a basic package skeleton, build a package from an existing source, or manipulate existing packages. To submit your mods, visit our community add-ons section. We look forward to seeing your creations!

Wahoo! The day has finally come. We've just released the long-awaited 4.0 version of the SocialEngine platform along with compatible versions of all our official plugins.

Our team worked on SE4 for over a year to completely redesign the platform from scratch. The new system is built on the popular (and open source) Zend Framework to make customizations and further development much more straightforward. We've also completely restructured the platform's core to improve stability and make it more extensible for all kinds of network creators, individuals to enterprise. Our new drag-and-drop CMS and package manager opens up all kinds of possibilities for third-party mods and plugins. The list of changes and improvements is long, so we'll be posting blog entries with highlights of the new features over the next few weeks to help you discover SE4's awesomeness.

In the meantime, we are glad to answer any questions you have. If you're ready to get your new license of SE4, you can visit our order page to get started.

Reminder to SE3 clients: The SE3 to SE4 upgrade package is not yet available, but you do have free access to download SE4 from the client area. We hope to have this ready within about a month. If your current install doesn't have many users or much data stored, consider starting fresh with a new installation of SE4 instead of upgrading. Also, remember that you'll now be using your email address to login to the client area. If you have trouble logging in, we'll be glad to assist you.

The second release candidate of SocialEngine 4 (RC2) is now available for download from the client area. We've addressed many of the reported issues and recommend installing or upgrading from RC1. Note that when upgrading from RC1, you can now use the package manager to upgrade your source code the same way you would with plugins. For more information see the included readme file. As always, please send us your feedback so we can continue improving SocialEngine.

The first SocialEngine 4 release candidate (RC1) has been posted and is available for download from the client area. This latest release includes many important features and bug fixes so we highly recommend installing or upgrading. We've been working hard on the finishing touches of SocialEngine 4 and we hope to have the final release ready in the next couple weeks!

The third beta of SocialEngine 4 has been released and is available for download from the client area. This should fix a majority of the bugs preventing installation and general use (and adds some cool features too). As with previous betas, we recommend a clean reinstall if possible since there are many moving parts between the beta versions and having everyone on the same page makes bug reporting more consistent. Speaking of which, please continue to report bugs as you find them. We're getting closer to a final release!

We recently released SocialEngine 4 Beta 2, available for download from your client area. If you had any issues with the initial release, we recommend a clean reinstall. If you do install the new beta in the same directory as the old one, make sure to remove the /application/settings/database.php file.

Please send us bug reports (and some virtual love if you'd like) through the email provided in the client area so we can continue improving SocialEngine. Thanks for the great feedback so far!

UPDATE: We recommend waiting for the final release of SocialEngine for use on any production websites. There will be an upgrade path from the beta to the final.

Good news! SocialEngine 4 Public Beta has been released. If you're a current client, you'll find the download links are now available from the client area in a big conspicuous yellow box. The installation instructions are contained in the zip files, along with some other helpful information to get you started.

Keep in mind that this is an early release intended mainly for testing. That means you can expect bugs and updates in the coming weeks as we iron out the the kinks. We won't be providing support for the beta and strongly recommend that you wait for the final release if you plan on using it on a production website. However, you CAN use the beta to start working on your new layout and theme, as there won't be drastic changes from the beta theme to the final version.

We'd like to thank everyone that helped us out on the preview. It's been an amazing experience developing SocialEngine 4 with your help and everyone had a hand in helping shape the face of SE4. We're proud of the end product and hope you love using it as much as we've enjoyed making it. I guess what we're trying to say is that we love you. In a purely platonic way of course, but it's love nonetheless.

It's late here and it's been quite a day finishing up the Beta so we're all going to head home to catch some sleep but let us know what you think and we look forward to bringing you the full version soon!

- SocialEngine Team

UPDATE: No public demo available quite yet but as soon as the beta stabilizes we'll work on setting one up. UPDATE: SocialEngine 4 Beta 2 has been released. (May 20, 2010)

Aside from SocialEngine 4, we've also been busy designing a brand new website that's easier to use, makes information more readily accessible and, if we may say so ourselves, is pretty sexy. As we put the finishing touches on it, here's a sneak peak of everything you need to know:

Client Area: Once the new sites launches, you'll no longer need to login using your client key. Instead, you'll login using the email registered to your client account. If you're an SE client, now would be a good time to make sure you know the email you registered with since that will be the only way to login once we make the switchover.

If you don't know your registered email, you can easily look it up by logging in to the client area and clicking on "edit my information" on the left-hand side. We'll also be sending out an email to all clients before the site launches to the email addresses we have on file.

The new client area will put everything you need right at your fingertips. The single login will consolidate all licenses, downloads and support tickets and neatly organize them so they're readily accessible.

Community Section: The vastly improved community section now features ratings for mods and plugins, featured mods and a cleaner interface to navigate the vast array of third party products.

Support Section: The support section now consolidates the FAQ, knowledgebase and tutorials to make it as simple as possible to get the information you need.

The SocialEngine 4 public beta has been set for release May 12, or in about 2 weeks. The release will be available to all SocialEngine clients and anyone is welcome to help test the new platform at that point. This will also give developers a chance to familiarize themselves with the new codebase as we inch closer to the final release. We'll post more details as the date approaches.

Again, if you're a current client, you'll have access to this release, no request necessary. If you have questions about SE4 and the upgrade, the following FAQ posted a while back should answer most of them.

On an unrelated note, for the many Ning network creators looking to migrate to SocialEngine, we just finished an import script that completely automates the process. Click here to learn more.

NOTE: If you're a Ning network creator looking to migrate to SocialEngine and have a full export on hand (the kind you get with an "account termination and export") , please get in touch with us using our contact form. Thanks!

We're happy to announce the release of SocialEngine 4 alpha to a select group of developers and testers. This will provide developers with a head start in upgrading their mods, as well as providing thorough testing of the script before the beta release.

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support, we really appreciate the kind words we've been receiving (and the occasional pizzas). This is one step closer to the release, thanks for your patience!

Due to popular demand, we've extended the prerelease discount for a limited time. If you're planning on purchasing SocialEngine, take advantage of this discount which grants you access to SocialEngine 3 and SocialEngine 4 once released.

To redeem the discount, please proceed to our order form. After selecting your items and clicking on 'Continue to Checkout' please look for the text "If you've received a promotional discount code, please click here" located at the bottom of the page. To redeem the discount, simply use the discount code: prerelease

Thank to everyone patiently waiting for the release of SocialEngine 4. We're working hard on finishing things up and the release is just around the bend, so thanks for hanging in there with us. It will be well worth the wait for one of the best social networking scripts on the market today.

In light of the upcoming SocialEngine 4 release, we're happy to announce a week long $30 discount on the purchase of a SocialEngine license. Those of you who have been with us for a while know that we don't run discounts very often, so we encourage you to take advantage of the savings all this week. The discount will be valid today through April 9.

How to redeem the discount
On our order form, after selecting your items and clicking on 'Continue to Checkout' please look for the text "If you've received a promotional discount code, please click here" located at the bottom of the page. To redeem the discount, simply use the discount code: prerelease

As a reminder, all clients will receive a complimentary upgrade when SE4 is released. We have not yet set a release date; we're working on the finishing touches and we will publish more information shortly so stay tuned.

- The SocialEngine Team

We've had several emails lately inquiring whether a particular company is an official reseller of ours or whether it's legal to purchase a license from other third party locations.

We wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone that our website, SocialEngine.net, is the only legitimate and legal source of SocialEngine licenses. Any other venue selling or reselling SocialEngine licenses is fraudulent.

Aside from missing out on the great support and software updates from the SocialEngine team, running an unlicensed version of SocialEngine is illegal. If in doubt, please don't hesitate to contact us regarding the legitimacy of a license or to report a reseller.

SocialEngine 4 is shaping up to be an amazing social platform. As we work on finishing up development, we wanted to remind everyone that all current clients will receive a complimentary upgrade when the final version is released. If you are not yet an SE client, now's the time to jump on board since you'll be receiving both versions for the price of one!

We do not yet have a release date set, however we are working as quickly as possible and hoping for a final release within 2-3 months. For commonly asked questions regarding SE4 and its upcoming release, please review the following news release.

Thanks for your support and stay tuned!

-SocialEngine Team

SocialEngine version 3.20 was released recently to address several important issues. Please refer to the changelog for a full listing, but the patches include:

- Fixed input filter to allow for advanced features in FCKeditor
- Fixed several PHP 4 compatibility issues introduced in the last release
- Fixed a logout bug related to the use of tokens
- Fixed issue related to memcaching and sessions

To upgrade to the latest version, simply login to the client area, download the SocialEngine core and follow the instructions in upgrade.html.

We've been busy chiseling away at SocialEngine 4 and are working on getting it completed as quickly as possible. The best estimate we can give at this point is a downloadable beta within the next 2 months and a final release within 3 months, although these dates are subject to change as quality is always our highest priority.

Thank you all for your continued support and as always please let us know if you have any questions or comments using the contact form on our website.

- The SocialEngine Team