diff --git a/app/models/aspect.rb b/app/models/aspect.rb
index feeec4af1..4979a96f0 100644
--- a/app/models/aspect.rb
+++ b/app/models/aspect.rb
@@ -10,9 +10,9 @@ class Aspect < ActiveRecord::Base
 
   has_many :aspect_visibilities
   has_many :posts, :through => :aspect_visibilities
+  
+  validates :name, :presence => true, :length => { :maximum => 20 }
 
-  validates_presence_of :name
-  validates_length_of :name, :maximum => 20
   validates_uniqueness_of :name, :scope => :user_id, :case_sensitive => false
 
   attr_accessible :name, :contacts_visible, :order_id
diff --git a/app/models/aspect_visibility.rb b/app/models/aspect_visibility.rb
index a0fd0ec3b..cfb6d0d92 100644
--- a/app/models/aspect_visibility.rb
+++ b/app/models/aspect_visibility.rb
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@
 class AspectVisibility < ActiveRecord::Base
 
   belongs_to :aspect
-  validates_presence_of :aspect
+  validates :aspect, :presence => true
 
   belongs_to :post
-  validates_presence_of :post
+  validates :post, :presence => true
 
 end
diff --git a/app/models/comment.rb b/app/models/comment.rb
index 694a6d935..7beaef490 100644
--- a/app/models/comment.rb
+++ b/app/models/comment.rb
@@ -25,9 +25,9 @@ class Comment < ActiveRecord::Base
 
   belongs_to :post
   belongs_to :author, :class_name => 'Person'
-
-  validates_presence_of :text, :post
-  validates_length_of :text, :maximum => 2500
+  
+  validates :text, :presence => true, :length => { :maximum => 2500 }
+  validates :post, :presence => true
 
   serialize :youtube_titles, Hash
 
diff --git a/app/models/contact.rb b/app/models/contact.rb
index 64512044d..00b6dde9f 100644
--- a/app/models/contact.rb
+++ b/app/models/contact.rb
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ class Contact < ActiveRecord::Base
   validates_presence_of :user
 
   belongs_to :person
-  validates_presence_of :person
+  validates :person, :presence => true
 
   has_many :aspect_memberships
   has_many :aspects, :through => :aspect_memberships
diff --git a/app/models/invitation.rb b/app/models/invitation.rb
index 4875c521e..77cf2139d 100644
--- a/app/models/invitation.rb
+++ b/app/models/invitation.rb
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ class Invitation < ActiveRecord::Base
   before_validation :set_email_as_default_service
 
  # before_create :share_with_exsisting_user, :if => :recipient_id?
-  validates_presence_of :identifier, :service
+  validates :identifier, :presence => true
+  validates :service, :presence => true
   validate :valid_identifier?
   validate :recipient_not_on_pod?
   validates_presence_of :sender, :aspect, :unless => :admin?
diff --git a/app/models/like.rb b/app/models/like.rb
index 16e3475f6..d3f144988 100644
--- a/app/models/like.rb
+++ b/app/models/like.rb
@@ -20,7 +20,8 @@ class Like < ActiveRecord::Base
   belongs_to :author, :class_name => 'Person'
 
   validates_uniqueness_of :target_id, :scope => [:target_type, :author_id]
-  validates_presence_of :author, :target
+  validates :author, :presence => true
+  validates :target, :presence => true
 
   after_create do
     self.target.update_likes_counter
diff --git a/app/models/mention.rb b/app/models/mention.rb
index bc253fe89..2c2acd85b 100644
--- a/app/models/mention.rb
+++ b/app/models/mention.rb
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
 class Mention < ActiveRecord::Base
   belongs_to :post
   belongs_to :person
-  validates_presence_of :post
-  validates_presence_of :person
+  validates :post, :presence => true
+  validates :person, :presence => true
 
   after_destroy :delete_notification
 
diff --git a/app/models/message.rb b/app/models/message.rb
index a2a05b933..16cde59a2 100644
--- a/app/models/message.rb
+++ b/app/models/message.rb
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@ class Message < ActiveRecord::Base
 
   belongs_to :author, :class_name => 'Person'
   belongs_to :conversation, :touch => true
-
-  validates_presence_of :text
+  
+  validates :text, :presence => true
 
   after_create do
     #sign comment as commenter
diff --git a/app/models/person.rb b/app/models/person.rb
index e859c688b..6abdd14fc 100644
--- a/app/models/person.rb
+++ b/app/models/person.rb
@@ -39,9 +39,11 @@ class Person < ActiveRecord::Base
 
   before_destroy :remove_all_traces
   before_validation :clean_url
-
-  validates_presence_of :url, :profile, :serialized_public_key
-  validates_uniqueness_of :diaspora_handle
+  
+  validates :url, :presence => true
+  validates :profile, :presence => true
+  validates :serialized_public_key, :presence => true
+  validates :diaspora_handle, :uniqueness => true
 
   scope :searchable, joins(:profile).where(:profiles => {:searchable => true})
   scope :remote, where('people.owner_id IS NULL')
diff --git a/app/models/post.rb b/app/models/post.rb
index 0aad95f20..91f811241 100644
--- a/app/models/post.rb
+++ b/app/models/post.rb
@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@ class Post < ActiveRecord::Base
   has_many :resharers, :class_name => 'Person', :through => :reshares, :source => :author
 
   belongs_to :author, :class_name => 'Person'
-
-  validates_uniqueness_of :guid
+  
+  validates :guid, :uniqueness => true
 
   def diaspora_handle
     read_attribute(:diaspora_handle) || self.author.diaspora_handle
diff --git a/app/models/profile.rb b/app/models/profile.rb
index 77341a8a9..162d04cb3 100644
--- a/app/models/profile.rb
+++ b/app/models/profile.rb
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ class Profile < ActiveRecord::Base
 
   acts_as_taggable_on :tags
   extract_tags_from :tag_string
-  validates_length_of :tag_list, :maximum => 5
+  validates :tag_list, :length => { :maximum => 5 }
 
   xml_attr :diaspora_handle
   xml_attr :first_name
@@ -29,9 +29,10 @@ class Profile < ActiveRecord::Base
 
   before_save :strip_names
   after_validation :strip_names
-
-  validates_length_of :first_name, :maximum => 32
-  validates_length_of :last_name,  :maximum => 32
+  
+  validates :first_name, :length => { :maximum => 32 }
+  validates :last_name, :length => { :maximum => 32 }
+  
   validates_format_of :first_name, :with => /\A[^;]+\z/, :allow_blank => true
   validates_format_of :last_name, :with => /\A[^;]+\z/, :allow_blank => true
   validate :max_tags
diff --git a/app/models/request.rb b/app/models/request.rb
index af97fc7ea..2e412fc86 100644
--- a/app/models/request.rb
+++ b/app/models/request.rb
@@ -11,8 +11,10 @@ class Request
 
   xml_accessor :sender_handle
   xml_accessor :recipient_handle
-
-  validates_presence_of :sender, :recipient
+  
+  validates :sender, :presence => true
+  validates :recipient, :presence => true
+  
   validate :not_already_connected
   validate :not_friending_yourself
 
diff --git a/app/models/user.rb b/app/models/user.rb
index 733de5159..10fef5322 100644
--- a/app/models/user.rb
+++ b/app/models/user.rb
@@ -18,9 +18,8 @@ class User < ActiveRecord::Base
 
   before_validation :strip_and_downcase_username
   before_validation :set_current_language, :on => :create
-
-  validates_presence_of :username
-  validates_uniqueness_of :username
+  
+  validates :username, :presence => true, :uniqueness => true
   validates_format_of :username, :with => /\A[A-Za-z0-9_]+\z/
   validates_length_of :username, :maximum => 32
   validates_inclusion_of :language, :in => AVAILABLE_LANGUAGE_CODES