Hello Squids! Today we are excited to announce the (re)launch of Squidboards. Nearly a year ago, TheRapture launched a beta version of the site on free forum software. Over the last month we've been working on a big update to the site with new features and functionality through the Xenforo forum software. Several users on the previous version of Squidboards asked for features similar to Smashboards and we are excited to launch with very similar functionality. Before going further, the team behind the new-look Squidboards
@AlphaZealot - As the owner of Squidboards and Smashboards, he'll mostly be handling the business end of things. Follow him on Twitter here.
@TheRapture - General Manager of Squidboards, you know him as the man from the E3 Invitational and the voice of Splatoon. Follow him on Twitter here. TheRapture will be writing another article introducing himself and some of the endeavors to look forward to with the new site.
@Warchamp7 - Head admin of Squidboards and Smashboards, Warchamp brings years of experience in front end web development. You may be familiar with his work with OBS, Project M, ESChamp, and of course, Smashboards. Follow him on Twitter here.
New and Old Features
Personalization - Let's cover the obvious first. You'll be able to go (right now...) to your preferences to personalize your profile. You can do everything here from setting your avatar (including uploading your own image), setting up your signature, and setting your personal details. You can control privacy settings, notification settings, and more from this dashboard. Spend a few minutes here as this can make your experience on the site much better while also giving you the chance to make sure your account and identity are secure.
The Shoutbox - Rapture placed a shoutbox on the beta version and it returns to Squidboards! Check out the shoutbox and begin chatting with other Squids today.
Conversations - Okay, this is a feature every forum has, but you can enter into personal conversations with other users if you'd just like to chat or ask a question. You can find and start new conversations by mousing over the mail icon by your username.
Tags and Liking - You can tag other registered members by placing a @ symbol in front of their name. If they have a Squidboards account, it will pop up a chance to link! This is very useful for the next point. In addition to tagging, you can like other members posts - this is also useful for the next point.
Alerts - One awesome feature of Xenforo is that you get to know when people tag you in post or like something you've written. The flag near your username at the top of the page will automatically update whenever someone has interacted with you via liking a post, responding to a thread you're watching, tagging you with the @ symbol, or if they've started a personal conversation. This is a one-stop shop to make sure you don't miss an interaction on the site.
News Portal - Much like the beta site, we've got a news portal! Unlike the beta site, this is much easier to update and is fully integrated with the Xenforo forum software - which means when you comment on articles it's all under one account.
Smashboards Login - Just like you can login with Twitter or Facebook on many sites, with Squidboards, we've allowed the ability to login with your Smashboards accout! Just click 'Login with Smashboards' and you're set!
Guides - We've made it extremely easy to make guides! While the section is currently empty, once Splatoon launches in full force, you'll be able to make a guide on how to use your favorite weapon, how to navigate a map, or how to do...whatever you feel people need to know!
Fully Responsive - This site is fully responsive. It will work and scale to all devices, from Android phones, iPhones, to tablets and PCs. Mobile watch support such as the iWatch may be an issue, though.
Premium Features - We are already hard at work on getting some additional Premium features setup for what is a fair price. Right now the list includes adding ink to posts for personalization, increased signature and avatar limits, the removal of ads, and more! We'll add more features (name changes will be among them) as things continue to roll out.
Moving Forward
If you haven't left by now, you're probably wondering what your reward for reading all of this will be. Well, we're pleased to announce two contests to kickstart the site.
First contest is for a copy of Splatoon - to win, all you need to do is make 20 QUALITY posts before the launch of the game on May 29th. There will be only one winner but chances are your odds are better here than anywhere else!
Second contest is for a white Gamecube controller - we'll roll out the details once Splatoon releases but the early information is that it will involve people who make guides!
Wrapping up, during the next few weeks and months as people settle, we'll be installing a news team, a writing staff, moderators, super moderators, and maybe even an administrator or two. If you're interested in any of these things, start a personal conversation with @TheRapture to get the ball rolling. We'll also be making more updates and adjustments to the site as new features are rolled out and we can access needs.
@AlphaZealot - As the owner of Squidboards and Smashboards, he'll mostly be handling the business end of things. Follow him on Twitter here.
@TheRapture - General Manager of Squidboards, you know him as the man from the E3 Invitational and the voice of Splatoon. Follow him on Twitter here. TheRapture will be writing another article introducing himself and some of the endeavors to look forward to with the new site.
@Warchamp7 - Head admin of Squidboards and Smashboards, Warchamp brings years of experience in front end web development. You may be familiar with his work with OBS, Project M, ESChamp, and of course, Smashboards. Follow him on Twitter here.
New and Old Features
Personalization - Let's cover the obvious first. You'll be able to go (right now...) to your preferences to personalize your profile. You can do everything here from setting your avatar (including uploading your own image), setting up your signature, and setting your personal details. You can control privacy settings, notification settings, and more from this dashboard. Spend a few minutes here as this can make your experience on the site much better while also giving you the chance to make sure your account and identity are secure.
The Shoutbox - Rapture placed a shoutbox on the beta version and it returns to Squidboards! Check out the shoutbox and begin chatting with other Squids today.
Conversations - Okay, this is a feature every forum has, but you can enter into personal conversations with other users if you'd just like to chat or ask a question. You can find and start new conversations by mousing over the mail icon by your username.
Tags and Liking - You can tag other registered members by placing a @ symbol in front of their name. If they have a Squidboards account, it will pop up a chance to link! This is very useful for the next point. In addition to tagging, you can like other members posts - this is also useful for the next point.
Alerts - One awesome feature of Xenforo is that you get to know when people tag you in post or like something you've written. The flag near your username at the top of the page will automatically update whenever someone has interacted with you via liking a post, responding to a thread you're watching, tagging you with the @ symbol, or if they've started a personal conversation. This is a one-stop shop to make sure you don't miss an interaction on the site.
News Portal - Much like the beta site, we've got a news portal! Unlike the beta site, this is much easier to update and is fully integrated with the Xenforo forum software - which means when you comment on articles it's all under one account.
Smashboards Login - Just like you can login with Twitter or Facebook on many sites, with Squidboards, we've allowed the ability to login with your Smashboards accout! Just click 'Login with Smashboards' and you're set!
Guides - We've made it extremely easy to make guides! While the section is currently empty, once Splatoon launches in full force, you'll be able to make a guide on how to use your favorite weapon, how to navigate a map, or how to do...whatever you feel people need to know!
Fully Responsive - This site is fully responsive. It will work and scale to all devices, from Android phones, iPhones, to tablets and PCs. Mobile watch support such as the iWatch may be an issue, though.
Premium Features - We are already hard at work on getting some additional Premium features setup for what is a fair price. Right now the list includes adding ink to posts for personalization, increased signature and avatar limits, the removal of ads, and more! We'll add more features (name changes will be among them) as things continue to roll out.
Moving Forward
If you haven't left by now, you're probably wondering what your reward for reading all of this will be. Well, we're pleased to announce two contests to kickstart the site.
First contest is for a copy of Splatoon - to win, all you need to do is make 20 QUALITY posts before the launch of the game on May 29th. There will be only one winner but chances are your odds are better here than anywhere else!
Second contest is for a white Gamecube controller - we'll roll out the details once Splatoon releases but the early information is that it will involve people who make guides!
Wrapping up, during the next few weeks and months as people settle, we'll be installing a news team, a writing staff, moderators, super moderators, and maybe even an administrator or two. If you're interested in any of these things, start a personal conversation with @TheRapture to get the ball rolling. We'll also be making more updates and adjustments to the site as new features are rolled out and we can access needs.
