kicking things off and more to come

This week marks the first time people outside the company have had a chance to see the site and kick the tires. We're suffering through some email server issues, so only a few people have been able to click through the verification link on the private beta emails we've sent so far. We should have that issue ironed out in the coming days as we switch some email authorizations around a bit.

While it's exciting to let other people see the site for the first time ever, it's unsettling at the same time. There is so much more to do in terms of graphic design and features to the site before the current road map is fully implemented. Also, there are likely dramatic redesigns in the coming weeks as we get feedback from the initial users. It feels a bit like walking down the street without my pants on actually. As a consumer service, I want our site to look as great as it functions, and I know we have a long road ahead on that front.

We also need content! I'll be putting tons of new content in personally, and if anyone reading this blog feels inclined to contribute, get in touch with me, and I'll happily put you to work inputting stuff to do with the kids. There are so many great things to do and places to go; we want to cover it all! Beyond the human effort, we're on the front end of developing web spyders which we expect to help with the content aggregation operations. This is software that gets our engineers super geeked up as it is a complicated endeavor, but if we're successful, it will dramatically impact our ability to maintain an excellent level of content that is dynamic and useful. Keep your fingers crossed!