2010 has already been a crazy and productive year at Gliffy. We’ve successfully moved our office headquarters into a beautiful new space that will surely invigorate our creative juices, and we’ve also been busy improving the quality and usability of Gliffy Online. These improvements include upgrading our server architecture, eliminating many of the rare yet complex bugs that our system and helpful customers notify us of, and tweaking our interface so that you can create more impressive diagrams with ease.

You’ve probably already noticed that we’ve vastly improved the output of our exported PNG images and the look of the published diagram landing pages. For images, the text and colors should now be accurate with what you see in the editor, and you can still export up to our 5000 x 5000 pixel limit. Also, the SVG export feature provides inline images (no more zip files) and handles all international characters correctly.

The other big improvement is with our Connector/Line tool. Our old version of the connector tool seemed to have a mind of it’s own at times. The new connector tool will now route itself in ways that you would expect, and you can make adjustments to a segmented line and those adjustments will stick when moving connected shapes. Also, you can now add rounded corners to the right-angle segmented lines. This should be ideal for Business Process diagrams or for making your flowcharts look more elegant. With a line selected, you will notice a new “Line Type” property drop-down in the Line Properties area on the top right of Gliffy. To top it off, we’ve added more connection points to commonly used shapes like rectangles, processes, etc.

Here are links to a vast list of the other bugs we’ve fixed and improvements we’ve made:

• JIRA ISSUES – SWF9B
• JIRA ISSUES – SWF9C
• JIRA ISSUES – SWF9D

We’ve got some really exciting things we’re working on in the next few months, so stay tuned!!

We’re upgrading our server hardware, and rolling out some product updates between 7PM-7:30PM PST on Wednesday February 24th. This upgrade will require some downtime of the gliffy.com website and the Gliffy Online service.

If you experience save errors during this window, please wait until after 7:30PM PST, and save again.

It is possible, according to the experts, that your website sucks.

Bruce Alderson of Warped Visions put this handy flowchart together to let you know.

Easy. It’s a joke, see? You’re website doesn’t suck. Probably.

Did you think that there was some magical elf that wandered through the woods, harvesting iPhones? That’s not 100% correct. The magical elf floats mysteriously through the woods, harvesting iPhones.

Or maybe that’s not quite it either? There may be something I’m missing about engineers, decades of development, and, according to Fast Company, innovation. Staff writer Dan Macsai put together this flowchart that illuminates how your fancy new holiday gadget sprung forth from the primordial ooze.

You’ll want to click through to see the interactive flowchart at Fast Company — it’s much nicer than the static screenshot I’ve got posted here.

click image to see interactive flowchart

I’ll see you in the nebulous future.

Not sure if it’s okay to bust out that smartphone? Let’s face it. We’re in a whole new world of etiquette these days and it isn’t always clear when to app it up and when it’s best to remain less connected.

Good thing Gizmodo teamed up with Shane Snow of Scordit to create this handy flowchart.

Personally, I think it’s always.. wait. Hold on. I’ve got a call coming in. Let me just take it quick…

‘Tis the season for many things. Taking a sick day is one of them.

While it is easy enough to actually get sick in December, sometimes you don’t want to go through all that bother just to get a day off of work. That’s why we’ve created this latest Gliffy Original: How to Call in Sick.

click image to see full flowchart

Just putting that flowchart together made me *cough cough* feel a little *cough* tired. Maybe I better go lie down. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I’m sure I’ll be at work tomorrow.

Maybe I’ll be in a little late, though…

Written by Zack Kushner

Did you get enough to eat this Thanksgiving? I sure did. I was stuffed before the main course hit the table and that’s not even mentioning the two desserts my wife made.

But, I suppose you might still be hungry. And if you’re still hungry and you like flowcharts, then of course you’ll want to check out RecipeFlowCharts.

Yeah. I didn’t see that one coming either.

On this new (and perhaps already dead) blog, an unidentified author presents recipes in flowchart form. Two are currently posted; Chicken Tikka Masala and Cheddar Broccoli Lunch Muffins.

It’s an interesting idea. Having not yet tried out either recipe, it does look like this format may actually be easier to use. I’m the kind of cook who needs a recipe and who always needs to check and recheck it as I cook. I get lost. I can’t remember when I’m supposed to stir in the almonds or when I’m supposed to brown the onions.

What do you think?

While we’re talking about stuffing our faces, here’s another flowchart from Eating the Road, this one on which breakfast cereal is right for you.

This one is getting the big love over on Digg, but I’m still squarely in the not-impressed camp. If you think this is great, please share. I’m very curious.

And three makes a meme!

Matt Gorman adds this flowchart of the Talking Heads’ song Once in a Lifetime into the mix (see earlier post). A late entry, sure, but we like what we see, Matt.

I think he forgot to add in the head-tapping, shoulder shaking, spasmodic gloriousness that is David Byrne’s dancing, tho!

It’s like Karaoke Cliff Notes. And it’s spreading.

Today we wake up to find the web awash in pop music flowcharts. The latest is Hey Jude by Tumblr I Love All This.

Naturally, this one is inspired by Jeanie’s example, charting the flow of Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart.

What’s next, I wonder? Do we have a meme? Personally, I want to see someone do this for Surfin’ Bird.

And while we’re on about Bonnie Tyler, if you haven’t seen the literal video version of Total Eclipse of the Heart, you really need to get on that.

Let us now stop to appreciate comedian Doogie Horner. You don’t recognize the name? Are you sure? Because I bet you’ve laughed at him. Or with him, maybe. Because he is a funny guy AND he makes flowcharts, which for our purposes makes him near god-like.

He also runs the Ministry of Secret Jokes, which is no laughing matter. Seriously, they’ll stab you in the eye. For fun.

I’d seen his stuff before, but a friend sent me his chart mapping out the types of Heavy Metal Band Names and I realized I better do a feature on him. All of these excellent flowcharts appeared on the Comic vs. Audience website.

Are they all actually metal bands? Well, no. This is one way in which humor is created. Watch carefully boys and girls. Doogie instructs by example. Did you maybe want to be a comic when you grew up? Luckily, there’s a chart to help with that. (Are you easily offended? Um. Maybe you should stop reading here.)

But wait! There’s more. Just because something isn’t funny doesn’t mean you can’t tell jokes about it. That would be wasting an opportunity for schadenfreude.

And last, but certainly not least likely to upset people who don’t like to hear foul language or think about the making of the love, we’ve got my favorite. Things to Say During Sex is a helpful guide on how to articulate your passion. If you’re a comedian. Try them all! Let us know how it works out for you! (Not responsible for actual results).

Doogie Horner made all these flowcharts back in 2008. Since then, he’s obviously been busy doing other things. Like stabbing people in the eye. Maybe if we all ask real nice he’ll make a new flowchart for us to post here? or at Comic vs. Audience? You can find contact info for him over at the Ministry.