The Announcements forum, as you have found, does not allow members to create new threads, only reply to them.
Thanks for noticing our additions. One, the aStore, was actually very easy. We set it up so it features items someone interested in New Orleans food, dining and cooking would find appealing.
The other, the D² ("Dining Directory" just takes up too much space on the nav bar), was a bit more work. We realized there were many places you could go online to look at lists of area restaurants, but we found none that you could directly and specifically search by any real variety of parameters. With the D², you can enter a name, street, municipality (Metairie, etc.), parish, locale (Eastbank, Uptown, Mid-City, etc.). Alternately, you can browse by cuisine, to which the majority of establishments listed have already been sub-categorized. You can also search by type of food. There is also a stripped-down, "fast find" version featured on the main website homepage,
New Orleans Eats.
Additionally, the latest and best deals from our affiliated sponsors are featured on the
Promotions page.
Purchases made through the aStore, or any Amazon link on the website or forum do generate a small referral fee that helps defray the cost of bringing you this site and forum, and at no additional charge to the purchaser. Since the links and aStore merely direct you to item pages on the Amazon website, we are not a party to the purchase transaction. You can feel confident in the knowledge that your personal information is just as secure as dealing directly with Amazon (which you actually are). We've, in fact, created a page that answers most all questions relating to the Amazon affiliate program, here:
Amazon FAQ.
