CAB

The record

v1.59.3

What’s changed

CAB Meetings grows most Saturdays. This is the running account of what has been added, changed and fixed since the site went live.

  1. 1.59.3

    Latest

    The word matches its definition

    Fixed

    • The daily word is now always shown with its own definition and pronunciation — a word with no dictionary entry of its own is skipped, rather than paired with a near-match (so “liberalist” no longer borrows “liberalism’s” meaning).

  2. 1.59.2

    Clearer word definitions

    Changed

    • The daily word now prefers Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary for its clearer, plainer definitions, falling back to the Collegiate Dictionary for less common words.

  3. 1.59.1

    A sharper Word of the Day

    Changed

    • The daily word now draws its definition, pronunciation, audio and example sentence from Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary — clearer and more reliable than the previous free source.

  4. 1.59.0

    A word a day, and roles for every meeting

    Added

    • The Word of the Day now appears on its own every morning, chosen automatically — with its meaning, pronunciation, an example sentence, synonyms and a quick way to remember it. A Word Master can still write or schedule a word for any day, and theirs always takes precedence.
    • Every meeting now comes with a Co-host role — second in command, there to admit people, reset the room, and step in if the host has to drop off.
    • A catalog of meeting roles the founders keep — Co-host, Timekeeper, and any others you add. The host of a meeting, or a founder, picks the roles it needs from a dropdown and can remove one just as easily; mark a role a default and it is added to every new meeting.

    Changed

    • The “Draft with AI” helper for meeting notes now runs on a new provider, so it drafts reliably again.

    Fixed

    • Fixed “Draft with AI” quietly doing nothing; a failed draft now says so plainly.

  5. 1.58.0

    Small comforts throughout

    Changed

    • Friendlier “nothing here yet” messages across the site — the member directory, your notifications, the calendar, and your hosting lists — and a live “searching…” state in the search box.
    • Accessibility improvements: a “skip to content” link, clearer keyboard focus, and better screen-reader labels on menus and dialogs.

  6. 1.57.0

    Your draft is kept if you leave

    Added

    • When you are writing a rambling or adding topics, your text is now saved in your own browser as you go — so if the page reloads or you come back later, your draft is waiting, with a note to discard it if you would rather start fresh.

  7. 1.56.0

    Say what you can speak on

    Added

    • Add a few topics you can speak on or want to practise to your profile (like “leadership, storytelling”). They show as tags on your profile and in the member directory, where anyone can click a tag to find others who share it — a simple way to connect, and to find a mentor.

  8. 1.55.0

    A month-at-a-glance calendar

    Added

    • A Calendar page showing every meeting month by month, in your own time zone, with who is hosting and how many are coming. Page between months, and — when you are signed in — filter to just the meetings you are hosting or attending. Reach it from the homepage and your Hosting page.

  9. 1.54.0

    See your Podium practice add up

    Added

    • Podium now keeps a private history of your practice: each time you finish a speech it is saved with the topic, the mode, and how long you spoke — plus your words a minute and filler count when the coach is on. See it on Podium and your dashboard, and delete any entry.

  10. 1.53.0

    Choose exactly which notifications you get

    Added

    • A Notifications settings page where you can turn any kind of notification on or off for each way it reaches you — email, push, or the in-app bell. Everything stays on until you change it, and the weekly-email and Word-of-the-Day-reminder switches now live here too.

  11. 1.52.0

    Search anything, from anywhere

    Added

    • A search box in the header — press ⌘K or Ctrl-K, or just “/”, to open it — that jumps you to any meeting, topic, member, rambling, or Word of the Day, and to any page on the site. You only ever see what you are allowed to: members and member writing appear once you are signed in.

  12. 1.51.0

    Hosts can edit their own meeting

    Added

    • If you are hosting a meeting, you can now edit its details yourself from your Hosting page — the announcement, the picture, the theme, the format, the time, and the room — without waiting on a founder. Changing the time still tells everyone who has committed. Cancelling a meeting and choosing who hosts stay with the founders.

  13. 1.50.0

    Mentoring between members

    Added

    • You can now say you are open to mentoring other members, from your profile. Founders can pair a mentor with a member who would like one, and both of you see the pairing on your dashboard.

  14. 1.49.0

    Use the Word of the Day in a sentence

    Added

    • On each Word of the Day, members can now share a sentence using the word and read one another’s. It is just for members, and the founders can quietly tidy it if a sentence needs hiding.

  15. 1.48.0

    Badges for showing up

    Added

    • An attendance streak and badges on your dashboard that recognise turning up for meetings. Some badges are earned automatically as you attend, and founders can create their own and award them by hand. Your badges also appear on your member profile.

  16. 1.47.0

    A weekly email about what’s coming up

    Added

    • A short weekly email with the next meeting shown in your own time zone, the Word of the Day, the newest writing, and a nudge that new topics are in the bank. It goes out once a week, and you can turn it off any time from your profile settings.

  17. 1.46.0

    Add a meeting to your calendar

    Added

    • Every meeting page now has an “Add to calendar” button that saves the meeting to your own calendar app, at the right time in your time zone. If you have offered to attend, the file carries the private join link; otherwise it links to the meeting page.

  18. 1.45.0

    Podium grows: record yourself, a pace coach, and speech outlines

    Added

    • On Podium you can now record yourself as you speak and play it back straight away. The recording stays on your device — it is never uploaded or saved anywhere.
    • An optional pace coach shows your words a minute and counts filler words (“um”, “like”, “you know”) as you speak. It is off until you turn it on in Podium’s settings, and it uses your browser’s own speech recognition.
    • Signed-in members can prepare and save speech outlines on Podium — a title, a hook, a few points and a call to action — and keep a list of them to practise with.

  19. 1.44.0

    Podium — practise thinking on your feet

    Added

    • Podium, a new page for impromptu speaking practice: spin a thoughtful topic and speak on it — off the cuff, or after a few minutes to gather your thoughts. An optional timer shows green, amber and red as your time runs down, the way the table topics run on a Saturday. It draws on a bank of over a thousand prompts in each mode as well as the club’s own discussed questions, you can narrow them to a category, and you can share one with a friend.

    Changed

    • The main menu now leads with Podium, and Ramblings moved into your account menu — the avatar at the top right.
    • Founders can nest one menu link under another to make a dropdown, from Menus & navigation.

  20. 1.43.0

    Your country and time zone are yours to share

    Added

    • A profile setting to show your country and time zone to other members. It is off by default, so nothing about where you are appears in the member list unless you turn it on — your time zone is still used to show you meeting times either way.

    Changed

    • On the front page, hovering a host photo now shows their full name rather than their country.

  21. 1.42.0

    Buttons show they are working

    Changed

    • When you press a button that saves or sends something, it now shows a small spinner and will not take a second press until it is done — so a slow moment no longer looks like nothing happened.

  22. 1.41.0

    Comments, richer

    Added

    • Each comment now shows the writer's round photo.
    • The comment box has an emoji picker and a GIF picker, and you can react to any comment with a thumbs-up, heart, laugh, wow, sad or angry.

  23. 1.40.0

    Topics stay fresh until the day is done

    Changed

    • A meeting topics now appear in the public bank six hours after the meeting begins, rather than the moment it starts — so nobody reads them before or during the meeting, and the question stays fresh on the day.

  24. 1.39.0

    A clearer meeting editor

    Changed

    • The meeting editor now has a clear "Topics to be discussed" section of its own, and the helpers are called "roles" rather than "jobs". The note about the host is tucked to the foot of the roles list rather than leading it.

  25. 1.38.0

    Comments on ramblings

    Added

    • Members can now comment on a rambling and reply to each other, up to three levels deep. The writer is told when someone comments, and you are told when someone replies to you.

  26. 1.37.0

    Topics for a meeting that has passed

    Added

    • A host can prepare a past meeting topics even if none were sent beforehand — add or paste them from "Your hosting", then publish them straight to the bank with one button, no review needed. A founder can publish them too.

  27. 1.36.0

    Every meeting has topics and a theme

    Added

    • A meeting now has a "theme" — its title — that the host or a founder can set right from the topics screen, whatever the meeting format.

    Changed

    • Every meeting can now hold a set of topics, not just impromptu ones — so a group discussion can carry a list of topics too, and the paste box is available on all of them. A meeting theme is set on its own now, rather than being taken from a single question.

  28. 1.35.0

    Topics in a batch, and after the day

    Added

    • A host can now paste in a whole list of topics at once, one per line, instead of adding them one at a time, and they are sorted into categories automatically.
    • A host can add topics to a meeting after it has happened; these go straight onto the record and into the topics bank, no further review.

  29. 1.34.0

    Your hosting, in one place

    Added

    • A "Your hosting" page and dashboard card for anyone who hosts: the meetings you are down to run, and the ones you have run before, split into Upcoming and Past. Open an upcoming meeting to prepare its topics and talk them over with the founders.

  30. 1.33.0

    Joining, unblocked

    Fixed

    • Fixed the join form turning some people away — a request could fail over the time zone your device reports, or because you had already RSVPd to a meeting as a guest with the same email. Registering now simply picks up that guest RSVP.

  31. 1.32.0

    A tidier meeting editor

    Changed

    • The meeting editor reads in two columns now — the picture sits at the top of the details, and the host and jobs are gathered beside them.

  32. 1.31.0

    A first draft, on request

    Added

    • Founders can now draft a meeting note with one click AI and shape it from there, instead of starting from a blank box.

  33. 1.30.0

    The front page, richer

    Added

    • A meeting's picture now shows on the front page, and the host appears with their photo beside their name.

    Changed

    • A meeting's note can now be written with headings, bold, lists and links, and it reads across the full width of the front page.

  34. 1.29.0

    The word always stays fresh

    Changed

    • The Word of the Day now turns over on India time, so a new word goes live at the start of the day there.

    Fixed

    • The Word of the Day now always shows the most recent word. On a day without its own entry it keeps showing the latest one written, instead of leaving the space empty.

  35. 1.28.0

    A byline beneath the post

    Changed

    • Each rambling now credits its writer in a card beneath the post — their full name, photo and how many posts they have written.

  36. 1.27.0

    Meanings at a glance

    Added

    • The Word of the Day archive now shows each word's meaning beside it, so you can read down the list without opening every one.

    Changed

    • A rambling's sidebar now always shows the writer — their photo, name and how many posts they have written — so the space beside a lone post is no longer empty.

  37. 1.26.0

    Ramblings, room to read

    Added

    • A rambling's page now shows a list of other posts alongside it, so there is always somewhere to go next.

    Changed

    • On a wide screen a rambling now uses the width of the page — the writing sits in a comfortable column with its pictures and video shown larger, rather than tucked into a narrow strip on the left.

  38. 1.25.0

    A little more to a word

    Added

    • On a wide screen, each Word of the Day page now carries a tidy card beside the definition — the word's first letter set large, its part of speech and pronunciation, and a QR code to open or share the page in person.

  39. 1.24.0

    Fewer stray drafts, and an editable changelog

    Added

    • An administrator can now write the Word of the Day as well, not only the appointed Word Master.
    • Founders can edit this changelog from their dashboard — plain fields for the version, date and notes, no code to get wrong.

    Changed

    • On the front page the Word of the Day now sits neatly in the sidebar, and its headings — Meaning, Pronounced, Sentence and the rest — show in bold on both the widget and its own page.

    Fixed

    • Clicking “Save draft” more than once no longer creates several copies of the same post — the extra clicks are ignored.

  40. 1.23.0

    Short share links

    Added

    • Sharing now hands out a short, tidy link instead of a long address, and the QR codes carry the short link too. The same page always gives the same link.

  41. 1.22.0

    The welcome, out of the way

    Changed

    • The newcomer welcome is now a friendly pop-up that a visitor can close, rather than a panel fixed to the top of the front page. Once closed, it stays away for a day.

  42. 1.21.0

    An easier welcome

    Added

    • New visitors get a “welcome” panel on the front page with the quickest ways in — continue with Google, fill in the join form, or just RSVP the next meeting as a guest — plus links to how CAB works, the topics bank and the About page.
    • New members get a “Getting started” checklist on their dashboard that tracks real progress — add a photo, say a bit about yourself, set your time zone, come to a meeting — and tidies itself away once you are set up (or you can dismiss it).

    Fixed

    • On the volunteer sheet, the time zone shown beside a meeting now follows your own clock, matching the time — it no longer showed the meeting’s home zone beside a time already converted to yours.

  43. 1.20.0

    A brighter volunteer sheet, share links, and QR codes

    Added

    • Share buttons on meetings, member profiles, ramblings, topics and the Word of the Day — one tap to share the link, or copy it.
    • A QR code on each meeting: scan the front-page one to open the meeting on your phone, and scan the one on the meeting’s own page to jump straight into the room.

    Changed

    • The volunteer sheet was redesigned as a set of meeting cards — the topic up front, a progress bar of jobs covered, and the host shown with their photo and name.
    • The notifications page was refreshed with clearer unread cues and an icon for each kind, and the dashboard card that opens it is now called “Notifications”.

  44. 1.19.0

    Word of the Day

    Added

    • A Word of the Day now leads the front page — a word or phrase shown large with a note about it, changing each day. It has its own shareable page, and a full archive you can browse by year, month or day.
    • An administrator can appoint a member as the group’s “Word Master” from their member card. The Word Master writes the words — saving drafts, lining up days ahead, and publishing when ready — and single words are looked up in a dictionary automatically for a definition and pronunciation.
    • The Word Master gets a gentle in-app nudge at 4am their own time on any day that still has no word, and can switch those reminders off whenever they like.

  45. 1.18.0

    More of the site’s words, in your hands

    Added

    • Content Management now covers far more of the site’s wording — the front-page headings and notes, the footer blurb, the tagline, the sign-in panel, and the intros on the Volunteer and Members pages — grouped by where they appear, each editable in plain text or rich text.
    • A new founder-editable “How CAB works” page. Add it to any menu from Menus & navigation to show it in the site’s navigation.

  46. 1.17.0

    Founders arrange the menus

    Added

    • Founders can now manage the site’s menus — the links along the top, in the footer, in the mobile menu, and along the bottom of the installed app. Drag to reorder, rename, hide, or add your own link (a page on the site, or a link to anywhere else), and choose who each link is shown to. It lives under a new “Menus & navigation” screen.

  47. 1.16.0

    A warmer welcome, and never a dead end

    Changed

    • The sign-in and join pages were redesigned — a two-panel layout with the CAB owl and what the group is, “Continue with Google” up top, and “Ask to join CAB” as a clear button.
    • The footer got a refresh, and in the installed app the top bar is slimmed down since the bottom tabs now carry the navigation.

    Fixed

    • In the installed app you could get stuck on the sign-in or join page with no way back — those pages now carry the app’s bottom tab bar like everywhere else.

  48. 1.15.0

    A more app-like home-screen app

    Added

    • When you add CAB to your home screen, it now feels like a native app: a bottom tab bar (Home, Topics, Ramblings, You), a back button, and smooth slide transitions between pages — with safe spacing around the notch and home bar. In a normal browser tab nothing changes.

  49. 1.14.0

    Content Management

    Added

    • Founders can now write the site’s pages in a rich editor — the About page, the two membership messages, the offline notice, and an optional welcome on the front page — under a new Content Management screen.

    Changed

    • The About page is formatted rich text now, written in Content Management rather than as plain text on the appearance screen.

  50. 1.13.0

    Richer profiles, and your own clock

    Added

    • Ramblings can now carry a featured image, a YouTube video, and one of your galleries — with drag-and-drop for the image.
    • Format the longer “about you” on your profile, and the note on a recommendation, with headings, bold, lists and links.

    Changed

    • Every date and time on the site now shows in your own time zone — the one you set on your profile first, your browser’s next, and Washington, DC if neither is known — not just the meeting clock.
    • Your galleries and ramblings are reached from your dashboard now, each with its own card.

  51. 1.12.0

    Member profiles

    Added

    • Every member now has a profile page of their own, with a longer “about me”, links out, a birthday and other dates, and the books, films, songs and places they recommend.
    • Photo galleries — titled sets of pictures on your profile.
    • Ramblings: the group’s blog. Write your own posts in a rich editor, keep them as drafts or publish them to the group, and read everyone else’s in one feed.

    Changed

    • Names in the member directory now link through to each member’s profile.

  52. 1.11.0

    Announcements, kept

    Added

    • A News section that keeps every announcement, each on a page of its own.
    • Founders can write announcements in a rich editor — headings, bold, lists, quotes and links — and attach the meeting’s invitation graphic.

    Fixed

    • Opening an announcement from a notification now shows the message itself, instead of dropping you on the homepage.

  53. 1.10.4

    Replies reach a real inbox

    Changed

    • Notification emails now reply to hello@cabmeetings.com, so anything you send back reaches a monitored mailbox.

  54. 1.10.3

    Email you can reply to

    Changed

    • Notification emails now come from a friendly hello@ address and welcome your reply, instead of a silent no-reply.

  55. 1.10.2

    A cleaner email

    Changed

    • The notification emails were redesigned — a rounded card, a softer greeting, and no repeated site name stacked above it.

    Fixed

    • Some emails greeted you with a stray double full stop after your name.

  56. 1.10.1

    Faces on the roster, tidier notifications

    Changed

    • The list of who is coming to a meeting now shows each member as a face and a first name, with their country on hover.
    • Opening a notification with "Take a look" now marks it as read.
    • When a host is chosen, everyone else who offered is told who is hosting that meeting.
    • The About page now labels the founders with a heading.
    • Clearer wording once you have committed to a meeting.

    Fixed

    • Turning down an offer to host could show a bare "not allowed" page even though the offer had already been answered — it now explains instead.

  57. 1.10.0

    Friendlier corners and this changelog

    Added

    • This changelog, so you can see what has changed and when.
    • Warmer, on-brand error pages when something goes missing or goes wrong.

    Changed

    • Unread notifications now stand out clearly from ones you have already read.
    • The "install as an app" prompt can now be quietened for a day, or turned off for good.

    Fixed

    • The profile page could show a raw status code instead of a plain "your details were saved" message.
    • Approving a member or offering to host could flash a bare "not allowed" page even though the action had already gone through — it now explains what happened instead.

  58. 1.9.0

    A dashboard, a notifications centre and your own colours

    Added

    • A card-based dashboard that points you at whatever needs your attention.
    • A notifications centre that keeps every alert you have been sent in one place.
    • Upvoting a topic in the bank, so the group can say which ones are worth returning to.
    • A colour-theme switcher in your profile, with five palettes to choose from.

  59. 1.8.0

    A suggestion board and a country picker

    Added

    • A public suggestion board where anyone can propose the site's next feature and members can upvote it.
    • The founders now appear on the About page, with their photos.
    • A searchable country picker with flags when you fill in your profile.

  60. 1.7.0

    Meeting pages, rooms and announcements

    Added

    • Every meeting has a page of its own, with a picture and the room it is held in.
    • Founders can pick from a list of rooms for each meeting.
    • Founders can post an announcement to the whole group on demand.

    Changed

    • Notification emails are now written in the site's own hand, to match the rest of it.

  61. 1.6.0

    Navigation that fits your screen

    Added

    • A slide-out navigation drawer on a phone.
    • An avatar menu on a desktop for the members-only shortcuts.

  62. 1.5.0

    A new look

    Added

    • An About page telling the story of the group.

    Changed

    • A full re-skin: a warmer five-colour palette and the Domine and Google Sans typefaces throughout.

  63. 1.4.0

    Reminders and everyday resilience

    Added

    • A day-before reminder to every member, and an hour-before reminder — with the join link — to everyone who has committed.
    • Nightly, verified backups and a watch on the live site.

    Changed

    • The endpoints that send mail or create accounts are now rate-limited against abuse.

    Fixed

    • A rejected or suspended account can no longer RSVP its way to a meeting link.

  64. 1.3.0

    An app on your home screen

    Added

    • The site can be installed as an app, and still opens to a friendly screen when you are offline.
    • Web-push notifications, so an alert can reach your device even when the site is closed.
    • Founders can change the site's name, wording and icons from a single appearance screen.

  65. 1.2.0

    The topics bank

    Added

    • A public bank of every topic the group has discussed, browsable by category.
    • Members can talk about a banked topic in comments beneath it.

  66. 1.1.0

    Running the meetings

    Added

    • Founders can create, edit and cancel meetings, and adjust a single Saturday without touching the rest.
    • A volunteer sheet where members put their name down for a job and founders say yes or no.
    • An in-app inbox for the answers and changes that concern you.
    • A topic slate for each meeting, worked out between the host and the founders.

  67. 1.0.0

    CAB Meetings goes live

    Added

    • A homepage built from the real record of every numbered meeting since the group began.
    • Guests can RSVP straight from the page, and confirm by email.
    • Members can sign in with a password or with Google.
    • An approval queue where founders welcome new members.
    • Member profiles, photos and a directory of who is here.
    • A founders' record of every decision, kept for the group.