Ah, Technical Difficulty, How I Love Thee

The techies have had quite a day, trying to migrate thousands of bits of old site into the new and improved look and URL. If you can see this, we’re coming back on line. And if you can’t, but you can still hear me? You’re psychic, and should run straight to Las Vegas.

Guilds Still Rule – The Proof Is Named Valerie

We’re changing our name to reflect that we’re a lot more than guild hosting. But I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea – guild hosting is still a major priority for us. I got involved with this company because I believe that guilds/clans/kinships/corporations, whatever you want to call it, are the levers that move the world of multiplayer gaming. Furthermore, the intrepid cat herders that lead these groups are the fulcrums.

Talk is cheap. Employees are not cheap, and scrappy startups like GamerDNA have a hundred places to put every dollar. We aren’t in the position to hire anyone who isn’t crucial to our mission. So, let me introduce you to the proof that GamerDNA still has gaming groups at the core of our mission. She’s a programmer named Valerie. Read on!

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Patch Notes

It’s the silence before the storm of switching to GamerDNA FULL TIME:

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New homepage

If you are in the closed beta you can see this… but for those of you out there in non-guildcafe land, here is a sneak peek at the impending homepage:

A few things worth noting:

1. This screen shot is what you see if you are logged out or coming to the page for the first time. If you are logged in, you don’t see some of the join/login elements.
2. The goal of this homepage is to really communicate what the “new” site is about. While group.clan.guild hosting is still extrememly important with it’s own dedicated resources, the aspects of YOU as a gamer… your history… activity… stories… the things that make up your GamerDNA haven’t been fully explained. So this is our opportunity.
3. The goal of the homepage will change over time. Right now it has to explain the site to new members, but also our existing members… over time the content will grow to explain ourselves less, and showcase the community more.
4. Your member home (watchlist) is available from the quick links just as it always has been, but the home link in the nav now goes to this page.
5. You can see the company blog on the page… so if you want to find this content, it is easier!
6. There is an Activity strand on the page showing people who have added new games to their profile. This is a small example of a whole array of “strands” we will be building that you can embed on other sites, gadgets, facebook, etc.

So that is it for now. Work continues as we press forward for our open beta launch. A special thanks to everyone sending in feedback. It has been really helpful. Keep it coming!

Now Or Never!

Next week, we are going to bid a fond farewell to GuildCafe.com. By that, I mean we’re retiring the URL (which led many people to think we were just another guild hosting service, when really that’s just one of the many things we offer), and we’re moving to the new look. As Trapper just said to me, “We’ve come too far to turn back now!” GamerDNA is at the core of who we are, and we’re ready to get going!

Those of you who use our hosting services, do not be alarmed. Your old bookmarks will work, and redirects will work until the internet comes to an end. And we will never stop improving our toolsets and options, because let’s face it – gaming groups are the backbone of what we’re trying to do here.

But in terms of the new look, we’re standing on the edge preparing to jump. If you want to express your thoughts, concerns, and feedback about the great change of June 2008, it’s now or never. Post here in the comments, send me a PM, post in the Open Beta section of the forums, or get that carrier pigeon in the air.