diff --git a/.settings/org.eclipse.core.resources.prefs b/.settings/org.eclipse.core.resources.prefs
index 91295c109e5f5b067be02b15d096d0ae8196628b..a4eb737e4ff52bd9cc1bdf00db56ccc2ad278cd1 100644
--- a/.settings/org.eclipse.core.resources.prefs
+++ b/.settings/org.eclipse.core.resources.prefs
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
 eclipse.preferences.version=1
-encoding//VIPSWeb/local_settings.py=UTF-8
 encoding//common/util.py=utf-8
 encoding//forecasts/models.py=utf-8
diff --git a/VIPSWeb/settings.py b/VIPSWeb/settings.py
index f03643ff30b80b9984417c7a964c71790c60da37..5366f8dfcac09ea244872b70e160d1798a9aa3f2 100644
--- a/VIPSWeb/settings.py
+++ b/VIPSWeb/settings.py
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ TEMPLATE_DIRS = (
     # Put strings here, like "/home/html/django_templates" or "C:/www/django/templates".
     # Always use forward slashes, even on Windows.
     # Don't forget to use absolute paths, not relative paths.
-    os.path.join(SITE_ROOT, 'templates')
+    os.path.join(SITE_ROOT, 'templates'),
 )
 
 TEMPLATE_CONTEXT_PROCESSORS = (
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ INSTALLED_APPS = (
     # 'django.contrib.admindocs',
     'tinymce',
     'forecasts',
-    'messages',
+    'vips_messages',
     'organisms',
     'information',
     'cerealblotchmodels',
diff --git a/VIPSWeb/templates/index.html b/VIPSWeb/templates/index.html
index 44d448bc1adf984d992670ae3d7817b407cc6473..e39ad706e508fedecbb109243339c0788de710ce 100644
--- a/VIPSWeb/templates/index.html
+++ b/VIPSWeb/templates/index.html
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@
 							{% for message in messages_by_tag|lookup:message_tag.message_tag_id %}
 							<tr>
 								<td class="dateCell">{{ message.date_pub|date:"Y-m-d" }}</td>
-								<td><a href="{% url 'messages:detail' message.message_id %}">{{message.heading}}</a></td>
+								<td><a href="{% url 'vips_messages:detail' message.message_id %}">{{message.heading}}</a></td>
 							</tr>
 							{% endfor %}
 						</tbody>
diff --git a/VIPSWeb/urls.py b/VIPSWeb/urls.py
index fd1a58dfd67f0d53ff4e17d9c600910596a56401..6c7bfd964171ef7469e7487cc013341a82324fa2 100644
--- a/VIPSWeb/urls.py
+++ b/VIPSWeb/urls.py
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ urlpatterns = patterns('',
     # url(r'^admin/doc/', include('django.contrib.admindocs.urls')),
 
     url(r'^forecasts/', include('forecasts.urls', namespace = "forecasts")),
-    url(r'^messages/', include('messages.urls', namespace = "messages")),
+    url(r'^messages/', include('vips_messages.urls', namespace = "vips_messages")),
     url(r'^organisms/', include('organisms.urls', namespace = "organisms")),
     url(r'^information/', include('information.urls', namespace = "information")),
     url(r'^blotch/', include('cerealblotchmodels.urls', namespace = "cerealblotchmodels")),
diff --git a/VIPSWeb/views.py b/VIPSWeb/views.py
index 5c0228dc63481937036b279186bf4066ae082760..218f0f74272798ef3239950bf8e309285e7faa8a 100644
--- a/VIPSWeb/views.py
+++ b/VIPSWeb/views.py
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 from django.shortcuts import render
 from django.conf import settings
 from django.utils import translation
-from messages.models import Message, MessageTag
+from vips_messages.models import Message, MessageTag
 from organisms.models import CropGroup
 
 def index(request):
diff --git a/messages/__init__.py b/messages/__init__.py
deleted file mode 100644
index e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index d26ac3f78a907baef15f25ded39ddf58e875b679..006a05f2b9e01b5504d4186bd967460d73194c53 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 
 # Please add requirements here
 # Read docs for how this works: http://www.pip-installer.org/en/latest/cookbook.html
-Django==1.6.1
+Django==1.8
 Pillow
 requests==2.0.1
 django-tinymce
diff --git a/vips_messages/__init__.py b/vips_messages/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..0658db543a4ccd2225828dd6084faba1ee97eb46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vips_messages/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+default_app_config = 'vips_messages.apps.VIPSMessagesConfig'
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/messages/admin.py b/vips_messages/admin.py
similarity index 100%
rename from messages/admin.py
rename to vips_messages/admin.py
diff --git a/vips_messages/apps.py b/vips_messages/apps.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..23e0313e280360642afc1faf0099a5cf884359ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vips_messages/apps.py
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+from django.apps import AppConfig
+
+class VIPSMessagesConfig(AppConfig):
+    name = 'vips_messages'
+    verbose_name = "VIPS messages"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/messages/forms.py b/vips_messages/forms.py
similarity index 100%
rename from messages/forms.py
rename to vips_messages/forms.py
diff --git a/messages/locale/bg/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo b/vips_messages/locale/bg/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo
similarity index 100%
rename from messages/locale/bg/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo
rename to vips_messages/locale/bg/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo
diff --git a/messages/locale/bg/LC_MESSAGES/django.po b/vips_messages/locale/bg/LC_MESSAGES/django.po
similarity index 100%
rename from messages/locale/bg/LC_MESSAGES/django.po
rename to vips_messages/locale/bg/LC_MESSAGES/django.po
diff --git a/messages/locale/bs/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo b/vips_messages/locale/bs/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo
similarity index 100%
rename from messages/locale/bs/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo
rename to vips_messages/locale/bs/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo
diff --git a/messages/locale/bs/LC_MESSAGES/django.po b/vips_messages/locale/bs/LC_MESSAGES/django.po
similarity index 100%
rename from messages/locale/bs/LC_MESSAGES/django.po
rename to vips_messages/locale/bs/LC_MESSAGES/django.po
diff --git a/messages/locale/nb/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo b/vips_messages/locale/nb/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo
similarity index 100%
rename from messages/locale/nb/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo
rename to vips_messages/locale/nb/LC_MESSAGES/django.mo
diff --git a/messages/locale/nb/LC_MESSAGES/django.po b/vips_messages/locale/nb/LC_MESSAGES/django.po
similarity index 100%
rename from messages/locale/nb/LC_MESSAGES/django.po
rename to vips_messages/locale/nb/LC_MESSAGES/django.po
diff --git a/messages/models.py b/vips_messages/models.py
similarity index 100%
rename from messages/models.py
rename to vips_messages/models.py
diff --git a/messages/templates/messages/detail.html b/vips_messages/templates/messages/detail.html
similarity index 100%
rename from messages/templates/messages/detail.html
rename to vips_messages/templates/messages/detail.html
diff --git a/messages/templates/messages/index.html b/vips_messages/templates/messages/index.html
similarity index 98%
rename from messages/templates/messages/index.html
rename to vips_messages/templates/messages/index.html
index 77a5881aa9d2e68c52664904be7e9ca316860d6a..b14f4d7c1d67b33b5f0ecc9549b57a66a530229a 100644
--- a/messages/templates/messages/index.html
+++ b/vips_messages/templates/messages/index.html
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@
 		leadParagraph: "{{ message.lead_paragraph | escapejs }}",
 		body: "{{ message.body | escapejs }}",
 		createdBy:"{{ message.created_by }}",
-		url:"{% url 'messages:detail' message.message_id %}"
+		url:"{% url 'vips_messages:detail' message.message_id %}"
 	} {% if not forloop.last %},{% endif %}
 	{% endfor %}
 	];
diff --git a/messages/tests.py b/vips_messages/tests.py
similarity index 100%
rename from messages/tests.py
rename to vips_messages/tests.py
diff --git a/messages/urls.py b/vips_messages/urls.py
similarity index 96%
rename from messages/urls.py
rename to vips_messages/urls.py
index 47dacdc6e1752898ea346e88e47e70cb1e17040b..3cdbcb9a72936ae664a2461ae8551e0f1d9fc40c 100644
--- a/messages/urls.py
+++ b/vips_messages/urls.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 
 from django.conf.urls import patterns, url
 
-from messages import views
+from vips_messages import views
 
 urlpatterns = patterns('',
     # ex: /messages/                   
diff --git a/messages/views.py b/vips_messages/views.py
similarity index 94%
rename from messages/views.py
rename to vips_messages/views.py
index 3e708593d5aad36d5ad864a6f2800877f46f6581..64b2e2285c6e999fe121cfd622a6f2c3035560a5 100644
--- a/messages/views.py
+++ b/vips_messages/views.py
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@
 from django.shortcuts import render
 from django.utils import translation
 
-from messages.models import Message
-from messages.forms import MessagePublishedDateFilterForm
+from vips_messages.models import Message
+from vips_messages.forms import MessagePublishedDateFilterForm
 
 def index(request):
     messages = None