Topic Thumbnails
Whenever you create a post, if it contains images, (like this one has an animated green checkmark GIF) the first image in the post will be used as the thumbnail image for that post.
If you go to the homepage of the Pickleballist Community Forums, you’ll see the following (click/tap to enlarge)
Notice the thumbnail images to the left of each post! That should help add some flavor to each post and create a more visually engaging hook for new community members.
Also noted that if an image has not been added to a post, the following generic thumbnail image will appear, instead of blank space:
Follow Community Members
One of the most valuable parts of an engaging social network experience is being able to follow the thought leaders, entertainers, educators, or anyone that inspires you or drives you crazy! 
This new feature will allow you to build a network of people you follow, and others who would like to follow you. Very similar to Twitter, and Instagram. Now you can follow other users, see a list of the top replies and top topics involving them, and most importantly you will receive notifications when the people you follow, make a new post!
If you’d like to keep up on the latest posts from a person in the community that you really like, then be sure to follow them!
You can follow another Pickleballist in a couple of different ways…
- by clicking on their avatar, in a discussion.
- by visiting a users profile page, and clicking the Follow button
- this can also be done by clicking their avatar, in a discussion, then clicking their name or avatar to visit their profile page
- you can also search for a member from the global search bar, and select the user you want to follow:
View Your Network
To view people that you are following or that are following you, just visit your profile page and click the
Network button.
You will then see two filters: Followers, and Following. Click either of these to see who is in your network. You can also do the same when looking at another person’s profile page. If there’s a great community leader that you enjoy following, see who they are following as well to get ideas of new community members to follow.
This is not a popularity contest! This is a way for us to follow the people who are adding valuable contributions to the pickleball community, as a whole!
CC:
Hey @pathfinders, I think you may be interested in the latest features I just added!