The Big ChangeAs you should know, on Monday, June 8, Buffalo.com will eliminate Spotted and YourHub. We will be replacing those projects with MyBuffalo.com, a social network that will combine the most important functions of the Spotted and YourHub sites (photos, videos, blogs) with a dynamic social network.
You will be able to make more robust profiles, add friends, message users, use better video tools, upload audio tracks (any podcasters out there?), share content directly on Facebook, MySpace and 20 other popular social sites, and much more. It's a powerful tool and it will be a lot of fun to use - and will eventually stretch into every aspect of Buffalo.com.
What about my stuff?All Spotted, YourHub, and Buffalo.com email users will automatically be given an account on MyBuffalo.com. Behind the scenes, we are currently in the process of transferring all of your Spotted and YourHub content over to the MyBuffalo.com site.
Keep an eye on your email, too - I will be emailing you your new MyBuffalo.com username and password in the near future. When I do so, I will put up a note on the intern blog.
But the bottom line is that your content will not be lost, and you will be able to access it with your own MyBuffalo account.
Is this going to look/feel just like Spotted and YourHub?No. It will take some getting used-to. We are still hammering out gallery functionality on the photo section, for example. There is no "admin" section, like We Spotted, either. MyBuffalo.com encourages interactivity and connections between users - it's not as much of a "stop, stare, click" site like Spotted and YourHub.
Anyhow, we ask for your patience and open-mindedness as we introduce the new site.
How about the internship program - will that still exist?Yes. However, we feel that it is time to make some changes.
In the past few months, Deanna and I have grown increasingly concerned with some of the problems we've seen at the site. We have seen an overall increase in apathy - fewer sign-ups, a decrease in the quality of galleries, and - quite frankly - a little bit of attitude directed towards us, our collaborators, and the venues at times.
As we bring in the new site, we are also bringing in new standards. Since we are starting a new project, we also want a fresh start to our internship program.
And how will you change the program?Glad you asked.
1.) First of all, some of the old standards apply - 2 events a month, 60-40 on "smile for the camera" for photographers, 3 quotes per story for writers.
On the new side: A MAXIMUM of 60 photos per event. Photographers will be required to include a 100-200-word event summary in their blog after an event (written in your own voice; it doesn't have to be "newsy," but a brief summation of the event). Writers will be required to post 5 photos from their events.
2.) A 30-day limit on requesting events. A common complaint has been that the "big" events are claimed up too quickly. We will honor the current requests we have received, but beginning June 8, we will only accept event requests from activities coming in the next 30 days.
3.) The events list will be shorter. You are welcome to find events that are not on the list, but Deanna and I will be selecting the Top 20 events each week that we would recommend considering...no more massive, sprawling, esoteric events lists. I will miss writing them!
4.) "Interns" are now known as "contributors." Semantical, perhaps, but a change nonetheless.
5.) We reserve the right to remove contributors from the program for failing to meet any of the standards above.
6.) I also can not stress enough that a.) contributors must follow media instructions at events and b.) contributors are not to "book" their own events. We will immediately remove a contributor from the program for failure to comply with these particular guidelines.
7.) Term limits. As of the relaunch, all contributors will be 6-month terms. After 6 months, we will perform an joint evaluation with you, and as a group we will determine whether we all want to move forward.
Lot of rules, man! Well, we are going to be doing more recruiting and we want everyone to be on the same page - the new contributors and veteran contributors will need to use the same playbook.
When we relaunch on Monday, I will send you a formal list of these guidelines. If you do not agree to the guidelines and would like to exit the program, please let me know.
And finally...I don't want to come off like Johnny Rulebook. I am genuinely pleased with a lot of what I've seen at Spotted and YourHub. But I also think we have a real opportunity to revitalize the program and make MyBuffalo.com one of the biggest Web successes not only in Western new York, but in the entire nation. I'm serious - it could be that big.
I want you to be a part of a site we can all be proud of, and I hope you stay with us during this exciting time.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me immediately.
