You can behold all that is glorious and good in the universe by visiting the beta site here:
A couple of things:
- That is a BETA site, and it has bugs. Lots of them! Many we already know about and are working to squash. You guys will find lots more.
- Cross-posting. We have a script that will pull over all diaries and front page stories into DK4 every 15 minutes. Comments will NOT carry over. Just the stories. So you don't have to double post your diary on both sites. Note, this only goes one direction -- from DK3 to DK4. Obviously, in the new site you have no diary limit, so you can write as much as you want.
- Nothing you do in the beta site is permanent. When we're ready to switch over to the new site, we will wipe the database clean and transfer everything from DK3 over to DK4 (diaries, comments, ratings, hotlists, etc). So DON'T WRITE YOUR MAGNUM OPUS IN DK4 if you want it to survive the switchover. Unfortunately, your public profile will also be wiped clean, so you'll have to rebuild that once we switch.
- Hardware. The shiny new servers hosting the beta site are not fully up to snuff. We have a fraction of the machines supporting the beta that we'll have when everything is full setup. If the beta site runs smoothly for you, then hurray. If it doesn't, part of the problem should be hardware.
- Break it. While you kick the tires and get a feel for the new joint, make sure you take note of any problems, glitches, or bugs you encounter. That's what the beta is all about. We WANT you to break it. So let us know when you hit any snags. And yes, that link to that bug report form will be available in DK4.
- Nothing is set in stone. There will be changes to the user interface and functionality by the time we make the switch to the new site. I've been actually eliminating functionality every time I see people get stuck on something. So if you have trouble using feature X, and others do as well, I may just yank, and it bring it back in future revisions once we have more time to work out the user interface problems. The design will get tweaked, the mojo formula will get adjusted, etc, etc.
- Have fun. For reals. This should be fun. Have an open mind, dig into the new site, explore its nooks and crannies, experiment with its features, click on all the links to see where they take you and what they do, take note of what you like and what you don't like. Don't be shy about sharing those impressions with us. Don't feel stupid because this feature or that feature was hard to use or find. Feel empowered to let us know so that we can make change. Pump your fist when you break something, because we won't have a solid platform until you guys help us find all the bugs.
- The big transition. We don't currently have a date for the final transfer over to the new site. We'll see how this open beta goes and proceed accordingly. But I do want to set that date soon, so expect that announcement before the end of the year.
Update: Early beta testers are already providing some great diaries on how to use the new site. Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse has a great one here.