Starting today, all OpenDNS network administrators can choose whether or not they’d like to include a link to “Contact your network administrator” on the block page that pops up when users on your network try to access restricted content. Why the change? We heard from a number of you that the emails you received from the block page weren’t something you wanted to read. Based on that feedback, we decided to give you the choice of whether you wanted to receive these messages or not.

By default, we’ve left the link there, but you can turn it off by visiting the Settings tab in the Dashboard, selecting a network, and clicking on the Customization link. There, you’ll see a checkbox in the “User Feedback” section titled, “Show Contact Admin Form.”

At OpenDNS, we’re always focused on empowering our users through advanced customization options, whether it be the 50+ web content filtering categories, or incremental improvements like this one. If you have any ideas about how we can help you better personalize OpenDNS, let us know in the IdeaBank!

We’re launching a powerful new feature today. We are giving you the power to block specific websites. That means you can protect your computer, your house, your office and anything else that uses DNS from being able to service domains that you don’t want to load. Oh, and best of all: This service is totally free.

When customers started to ask for this feature we wondered who would want this. The geeks here in the office remarked that this kind of blocking would be trivial with a Linux server and some proxy/filtering software installed. Then it quickly dawned on us. (Eureka!) It’s not just mom and dad at home who have no easy way to just block an individual domain with any ease but it’s also network administrators at offices. Network administrators can now block problem domains for their entire office in a simple way without having to pay 1000′s of dollars in new hardware and time to achieve similar functionality. Does your ISP’s DNS server let you do this?

Blocking domains is really easy. Here’s how you do it:

1. Sign in to your OpenDNS account and make sure you have a network configured.
2. Go to the Networks tab in your account and click on the Settings icon () for your network.
3. Click on the Blocked domains link and add a domain to be blocked.

You can delete or edit blocked domains on that same page. When you block a domain you block what is technically called a “zone.” This means it also blocks all sub-domains. Here’s an example. If you block craigslist.org then you’ll also be blocking la.craigslist.org (Craigslist Los Angeles) and sfbay.craigslist.org (Craigslist San Francisco), etc. If, instead, you just blocked newyork.craigslist.org then the rest of the Craigslist properties would load just fine.

When you try to visit a domain that is blocked in your network you’ll see a page that looks like this:

Since this is your network, we will show your logo on the blocked page, just as we do on the Guide pages. What? You haven’t uploaded your own logo yet? Go do it now, and go block some domains!

Let us know what you think!

Can I have a drumroll please (or maybe a dancing banana)…

Today we give you shortcuts, marking the first time you’ve ever had control over how your address bar behaves. Shortcuts are a cool way to use a short word for a long address.

Shortcuts will change the way you navigate the Internet. Unlike keyword-based systems in the past, shortcuts are yours. You create them and you decide where they go.

Without getting technical, here are some examples of what you can do with shortcuts. You can make a shortcut for “mail” go to gmail.com, mail.yahoo.com, your webmail or anywhere else you’d like. You can make a shortcut go to a website, start an IM conversation, initiate a phone call, and more. Our goal is to help you navigate the Internet in the easiest and fastest way possible.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Make sure you are using OpenDNS.
2. Create or sign in to your account.
3. Set up your first shortcut for a common website you visit.

There are a few different ways to create shortcuts. You can create them in your account, you can create them on the OpenDNS Guide pages, and you can create them on any other Website using a bookmarklet.

We will continue adding new ways to improve your Internet experience and give your more control over your network.

Thanks for choosing OpenDNS. As always, let me know what you think!

ps, here’s the dancing banana:

This week, www.opendns.com got a makeover. It’s not drastic. Maybe you didn’t notice. But we’re doing three things differently now.

1. The site changes subtly if you’re using OpenDNS already.
2. The accounts system got a thorough review and upgrade.
3. We streamlined navigation, words and choices throughout.

Reacting differently

In key places, you’ll get a different choice based on whether you are using OpenDNS or not.

Homepage before setting up OpenDNS

Homepage after setting up OpenDNS

Improving accounts usability

There were some things which just didn’t work perfectly, so we fixed them. We also asked several of you for feedback, and got some helpful ideas. Thanks! In the end, we re-created the entire section. Sign in and look around.

Here’s a list of the changes in Accounts:

• New navigation throughout My Account and easier labeling for your networks.
• Custom images and Public announcements (aka, branding) are now enabled for all networks, all accounts. Fun!
• Upload a custom image in multiple formats and crop it in a nifty tool to the required size.
• Upload a custom image once; choose it for multiple networks.
• Upload up to 14 custom images per account; pick and choose per network.
• Accounts now support global preferences.

We’ll do individual posts exploring many of these new capabilities. They deserve it.

When less is more

We re-thought our tabs. At Home and At Work are now simply Get Started, since everyone enjoys the core benefits of OpenDNS. We still recognize that network managers have extra considerations when thinking about DNS.

Separately, our users now tell you, in their own words, why OpenDNS works for them. You can join them!

Please let us know what you think of the changes, either commenting here, posting in our forums, or via email.

As promised, account-less preferences were removed just now. I trust the three previous reminders did the trick, but if you have any concerns, please let us know. A free, secure account fully replaces the old preferences and opens up a lot more control and information to you. Get one now.

Told you once. Told you twice. This is the last time.

Once again, if you’ve been using account-less prefs, time to get a free account… now. This only affects a small group of people, since OpenDNS delivers a safer, faster, smarter, and more reliable Internet experience with or without an account.

But trust me that an account is going to give you even more control over your Internet experience very soon.

This is the second reminder that account-less preferences are going away. We don’t mean to nag, but since these preferences are “account-less” we have no way to contact you and ask that you go make an account.

You can check to see if you have preferences that need to be moved into an account by going to the preferences page. Note, don’t go there and set up preferences now, they are about to go away. Go make an account instead.

Many thanks to those who have already taken action. Don’t wait, get your free, secure OpenDNS account now. Seriously, it’s more awesome. Did I mention that it’s free?

When OpenDNS invited the public in on July 10, 2006, there was not yet a mechanism for controlling your DNS preferences. It only took one week for us to get started, with the introduction of account-less preferences (for single, static IP addresses only) with a quiet link at the end of a post. That feature did the job, but it wasn’t a platform for advancement.

So, on November 7, 2006, we introduced OpenDNS Accounts, which took the preference management capabilities and added:

• more fine-grained control for larger networks
• clearer verification mechanisms, including self-service for single IP addresses
• secure (SSL) registration
• support for dynamic IP addresses
• network statistics
• control over branding for larger networks
• and cranberries (my almost-funny joke for American Thanksgiving)

Accounts are the real foundation for the control we give our users.

For the past few months, we’ve supported both Accounts and account-less preferences, as long as there was no conflict. Given our growth, supporting both systems has become more challenging. Since preferences are feature-frozen, and Accounts are offering more and more features (hint: more coming soon!), the choice is clear: it’s time to retire account-less preferences.

This change affects very few users…but we’d like to make sure they know about this coming change.

The irony? If we had a way of reaching the affected users, we would have emailed them privately. But note the account-less part of account-less preferences.

Therefore, we are giving six weeks’ notice, and we will post at least two more reminders along the way.

To sum up:

1. No account required to use OpenDNS with default preferences, including phishing protection and typo correction. No change.
2. With a free, secure OpenDNS account, you may manage your preferences, get statistics about your network, post in the Forums, and more. No change.
3. On Monday, April 9, 2007, all account-less preferences will be erased. This is important for a few thousand OpenDNS customers.

If you are using account-less preferences, please get a free account now and add your network(s), whether single IP address or much, much larger.

Update: February 27, 2007 For those coming from account-less preferences, there are some differences in the Accounts system. Once you create an account, there are three more steps.

1. Add a network. You can enter a single IP, or a range of IP addresses as a CIDR block.
2. Verify your network. For a single IP network (a /32), you will be sent an email with a special link. To verify your management of that IP, click the link while visible to the webserver as coming from that IP address. For individual computers, this is probably not a problem. For a server, it may require an additional step or two. If you have problems, please tell us via the contact form within the My Account section.
   For a larger network (two IP addresses on up), OpenDNS staff will review the network. You will be notified via email when the network is verified, or if there are additional questions.
3. Manage your network preferences. Once the network is verified, you will see a wrench icon () next to your network address. Click the wrench icon, and you’ll be taken to a screen where you can manage your preferences for that network. This will be mostly familiar, though with some additional preferences.