Site updates: new functionality, Patreon, possible new positions

Lots of site stuff to talk about again. Please bear with me!

New site functionality

This post has been a looooong time coming. Since we put up the new version of Nintendo Everything towards the end of October, we’ve been working hard to bring in additional functionality/features as well as improvements. That’s finally been done, which is great, since this all nearly killed me. Let me talk about what’s new!

First, Nintendo Everything now has an account system (see the “Register” link at the top right of the page!). We disabled registration years ago, but if you happened to have created an account, I believe you can still use it. Of course, you can go ahead and make a new one if you wish.

I do want to mention that site accounts are different from Disqus accounts, which are used for comments. I realize it’s not the ideal solution, though I felt like keeping the two separate was the best course of action. For one thing, having comments used by NE directly puts more strain on the site. Second, I didn’t want you guys to feel like you’d be “losing” comments that were previously made here. I will say that if having one account for the site and comments is something you guys want, I’ll definitely look into that.

Let’s talk about what you can actually do with a Nintendo Everything account. Here’s the rundown:

– Say that you’ve purchased a game (own it)
– Say that you’ve completed a game
– Like any post on the site (via the homepage, individual posts)

With the first two, I kept games owned separate from games beaten – meaning two different things – for a couple of reasons. Even if you’ve bought a game, that doesn’t mean you’ve finished it. Also, I know that some folks beat games and then trade them in.

How do you go about saying that you’ve purchased and/or finished a game? Well, there are two ways. This centers around the idea of wanting to make the site more connected.

We’ve completely overhauled NE’s games page listing. After many years, which I admit was extremely overdue, you can search for a game. Better yet, you can narrow them down based on their platform, genre, developer, and publisher. This can all be done by mixing and matching, and not having to refresh the page! Give it a look here – I think you’ll like it. Naturally, it’ll be updated with more games over time.

Now that the site’s features are done, we’ve also brought back the “Related Game” area. For posts about a particular game, you’ll see relevant information about it on the sidebar as well as links to mark it as having purchased/beaten.

As for likes, its purpose is sort of two-fold. Depending on how many of you use it, it could be a way to see what sort of posts are enjoyed the most/are popular on the site. It can also be a way for you to keep track of posts that you’d like to revisit in the future.

All of this information can be viewed in your profile. You can see every game you own and finished as well as each post you’ve liked (plus counts for each).

Aside from new features, we’ve made what I feel are several improvements based on feedback. You can now collapse/expand posts (individual or all). Text has been made smaller. The news tip form now gives confirmation that it’s been sent (and doesn’t automatically refresh the page). Lots of other little things that should make things better.

I’d say that we’re mostly done in terms of working on the site. To be honest, I seriously need a break from it all. I was very involved with its development and fixing various issues myself, which isn’t really something you see too often from someone running a website!

If you notice anything that seems off, definitely let us know. I don’t think we’ll be expanding NE with additional functionality beyond this since I like our blog format and I don’t want us to become bloated with unnecessary features. However, in the future, I’d like to make things even more connected so you can easily see who has liked an individual post. Same thing goes for individual games (owned/completed).

Patreon

I usually try to have our Patreon updates ready to go during the first weekend of a new month, but I’m unfortunately a week late. I’m very much sorry for that! Now that the new site is finished, I hope to have everything back on track in time for January.

For the month of November, the blue Yarn Yoshi amiibo was our giveaway. I’m happy to announce that Robert Doughan is the winner! I’ll be in touch soon to arrange the sending of your prize.

As for this month, with all of the hype surrounding Smash Bros., we have a copy of the 3DS version to hand out to one of our Patreon members. So long as you’re pledging $5+ by the end of December, you’ll be automatically eligible.

As always, I’m extremely appreciative to each one of you who are helping us out on Patreon. Every contribution means a great deal to me!

If you’re wondering why our Patreon is necessary, you should give this post and this post a read. You can also read a slightly more succinct explanation on our Patreon page here, and you can check out the various rewards we have going on.

Possible new positions

Last bit of site news to talk about! And this one is kind of difficult to articulate my thoughts on.

So. I sort of want to bring in additional staff, but only if I feel that it’s right. Normally when I mention something like this, we’re trying to fill an immediate need. That’s not really the case here. Even though there are spots that could be filled (and I do want to fill!), I only plan on doing so if I feel we have perfect fits.

Since that’s out of the way, the positions we have open are for news and reviews. For the former spot, these are the times we’re looking to fill:

– 9 PM PT – 12:05 AM PT / 1:05 AM PT (ending time is flexible)
– 12 AM ET – 3:05 AM ET / 4:05 AM ET (ending time is flexible)
– 5 AM in the UK – 8:05 AM in the UK / 9:05 AM in the UK (ending time is flexible)
– 6 AM in Europe – 9:05 AM in Europe / 10:05 AM in Europe (ending time is flexible)

There are no requirements for news – we’re just looking for the most qualified person. We are also looking to find someone who can assist us Mondays-Fridays, so that’s something to keep in mind. Additionally, this is a non-paid position.

Regarding the reviewer position, there’s obviously no amount of time you’ll necessarily be responsible for. However, we’re specifically looking for someone in the United States. We’ll provide you with review copies, often before games launch. This is also a non-paid position.

If you’re interested in joining the team, tell us which spot you’re going for, and I’ll follow up from there. Reach us through the contact form here.