R.I.P. official fansites!

[xxMATTGxx]

Couple of minutes ago this is the CEO (Paul) talking about fansites and what they plan to do as well:

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A SPECIAL message from [@]@PaulLaFo[/@]

I would like to thank you all for the positive energy and engaging conversation we have had by email, Twitter, Facebook and on your sites. The fansite group has been really inspiring as we push forward with new ideas and look to the community for answers to questions, which will make Habbo better.

I hope we have begun to demonstrate a new principle that we have embraced at Sulake, namely that the fansites are to be a primary source of news about what we are doing. Fansites are places where Habbos get information and a lot of extra value, and as such we think they are vitally important. As a first step we've asked Jason to be your ambassador and he's been great getting this started. But Jason needs the full commitment of the Sulake team to be useful to you, so I'm here to let you know what that commitment looks like.

1. We are going to upgrade how we present news about features, life at Sulake, new products and how we work. We have a writer on staff who will produce behind the scenes sneak peeks. To emphasize how important fansites are to us, we are going to release those pieces to you 24 hours BEFORE we put it up on any of our sites. You get the exclusive.

2. Often we publish news about the company that is meant to reach the industry at large. Sometimes it is quite corporate, other times it is about new products like Niko or Lost Monkey. Since we think our users are the focus and fansites are an important way users hear about what is happening, I have instructed our team that we will give fansites all corporate announcements 12 hours BEFORE it goes on the news wire. Literally, fansites will get the scoop and with it we will include a Q&A so you get more than just the press release. I want all breaking news about Sulake to come through fansites.

3. We will conduct regular podcasts, answering questions and giving advanced information about what we are doing. I want you to feel like you have access to Sulake builders, thinkers and leaders. We want to get to know you all, and this back and forth will make the community better. More to follow from Jason soon.

4. The term "official fansite" had value for some of you, as does the designator on your site. We don't want to detract from any value you gain from such things. We just don't want to manage an overly formal process. In short, I don't want Jason to be chasing people (or them chasing him) about badges. We are looking at a replacement badge which you can use on your fansite. More to follow on this soon from Jason. I think we will list fansites by their date of establishment because long term commitment to being a Habbo fan is important, for Habbos and for fansites. These will be posted in Habbo and also on our official Facebook pages.

How do you get to be and remain a fan site who gets the exclusive? It's pretty simple really. Be a great fan site. Engage in the discussion. Critique us. Encourage users to give feedback. Having exclusive access does not mean we expect you to be nice. If what we do does not agree with you, write your truth. People who will not remain on the list are people who try and use our community for their personal gain. It's all listed in the Dont's. I think if we are sharing good news bits and engaging in debate about our products, the number of people who don't want to abide by our agreement will be small and not occupy much of our time.

Thanks again for the energy and commitment to Habbo. I look forward to breaking some news with you all!

Regards,
Paul
[@]@PaulLaFo[/@]

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