The FandomDesktop SEO test will start this week
Hello friends,
This week, approximately 300 wikis on the network will be
defaulting to FandomDesktop as the user experience as we test the
design’s impact on search engine optimization, which is the process
of improving the quantity and quality of traffic to web pages. The
Community team has been working with the admins of these wikis
ahead of time to get them prepared and they have been informed that
they'll be part of the test set, so if we didn't reach out to your
community then no action is needed on your end!
The results of this test will help us to make adjustments that will
maximize search performance on Google and other search engines, the
#1 source of readers for your wiki content. For more on why that’s
VERY important, check out t…
This Month at Fandom - May 2021
Hey gang!
Another month has passed and woah it was a big one! We ramped up towards the first deployment of FandomDesktop, which is now in an opt-in period, and launched a new Twitch series called The Downstream.
Let’s dive into May 2021…
- 1 FandomDesktop Preparations
- 2 The Downstream
- 3 Big Data for Big Fun
- 4 Editors of the Month
In May, we published two additional blogs about FandomDesktop changes, preparing editors and admins for the new design, which went live for opt-in exploration this week!
The blogs in question focused on the fully-designed Theme Designer and Creator Tools with a preview of what comes next (cough MAPS cough).
While this was also on Tuesday and, therefore, not actually in May,
it’s worth noting that FandomDesktop brings a new Cust…
Project Pride Edit Marathon
It’s June! You know what that means, it’s a time to celebrate PRIDE! We want to celebrate all of the fantastic, diverse editors and readers we have on the Fandom platform together.
What better way to celebrate than another editing marathon, this time about LGBTQIA+ characters and content! If this sounds like fun to you, dear reader, then read on for the hot details!
Before we go on, though, we want to highlight Wookieepedia Pride: an in-wiki project to highlight LGBTQIA+ characters in the Star Wars universe.
From Thursday June 3 to Wednesday June 9, we will be leading an effort to organize and focus editors on contributing to LGBTQIA+ wikis. Each community selected has its own specific needs, but the project’s focus is to have fun and collaborat…
FandomDesktop: A New Experience Has A New Customization Policy
As we continue transition our platform’s communities onto our new Unified Community Experience (UCX), you are now getting the chance to design and test how your community will look.
For many of you, beyond the basic theme and color pattern of the
wiki, there will be other things to test and redesign. Tweaking
your wiki’s appearance often goes well beyond the defaults and into
the realms of deeper customization.
As we will explain, with the rollout of the UCX, we are today also
rolling out an updated Customization Policy - the rules for how and
what you can customize in your community. Based on your feedback
from the previous version of the Customization Policy, there are a
few areas we believe we are able to offer a more open approach.
Howe…
The FandomDesktop opt-in is now LIVE
Hey gang!
I am pleased to announce that FandomDesktop is now LIVE for opt-in exploration! During this time, logged-in users will be able to switch from Oasis or Hydra to FandomDesktop as their wiki experience through an opt-in toggle, found in an on-site banner and in user preferences. They will also be able to switch back to their respective legacy experiences from their user preferences.
The purpose of this period is to let editors and admins get used to the new design and, especially, for admins to prepare their communities for full migration, which will come early this summer.
Please note! Initially, your wiki will have default theming for both Light and Dark mode. Don't freak out! It just means your customizations haven't been applied yet.…
Announcing The Downstream
Hey gang!
This Friday, May 28th, Zoe Catfu and I will be hosting the very first event of a series we’re calling The Downstream.
After Community Connect this year, you made it clear that you wanted more opportunities to hear from us in different ways beyond blog posts and on-wiki communication. The Downstream is a Twitch stream that extends our coverage from Community Connect, giving you updates on major initiatives like FandomDesktop, the Fandom brand, and Fanatical. Join us for conversations with the Product Design team, the Marketing team, the Fanatical team, and more!
When? Friday, May 28th at 8am US Pacific (click the link to convert to your timezone!)
Where? Fandom’s Twitch channel
A Deeper Look at Creator Tools and What's Next
Hey gang!
As promised in the introduction to FandomDesktop back in March, we’re continuing our More Is More approach to previewing what’s coming for Fandom and Gamepedia users. More transparency, more design thinking, more in-depth looks at what is changing before the rollout.
Today, we are looking at the creator tools that our Product team will be able to improve or build once FandomDesktop is live.
- 1 This is a huge milestone
- 2 What’s coming
soon?
- 2.1 The Editor
- 2.2 The QuickBar
- 2.3 Keyboard Shortcuts
- 3 What’s coming after that?
- 4 One more thing…
- 4.1 Interactive Maps
It’s wild to think that by the time FandomDesktop rolls out and completes a majority of the work we began with the Unified Community Platform, it will have been almost two years since we first …
A Deeper Look at Theme Designer on FandomDesktop
Hey gang!
As promised in the introduction to FandomDesktop back in March, we’re continuing our “More Is More” approach to previewing the changes coming to Fandom and Gamepedia for desktop users later this Spring and into the Summer. More transparency, more design thinking, and more in-depth looks at what is changing before the rollout.
Today, we are looking at how Theme Designer is leveling up with FandomDesktop with new features, better performance solutions, and more customization options to bring your community’s identity to life.
As part of the UCX project, we’ve rebuilt Theme Designer from the ground up as a stronger feature to enhance the new experience. In other areas of the UCX, we’re focused more on optimizing existing features for t…
This Month at Fandom - April 2021
Hey gang!
It is said that April Showers bring May Flowers and while that may be true, we are certain that April Showers bring This Month at Fandom - April Edition, so let us observe our monthly ritual and debrief on the month that was April 2021.
- 1 A Deeper Dive into FandomDesktop
- 2 Meeting Fanatical
- 3 Cool April Data
- 4 Editors of the Month
After revealing FandomDesktop for the first time at Community Connect in March (over Brandon’s birthday!) and then more widely a few weeks later, we spent April taking a deeper look at different core components of the wiki platform receiving changes with the new design.
Derek Hart, manager of the Product Design team, joined us for his third Discord Ask Me Anything session on April 13th, answering questions about h…
A deeper look at Navigation on FandomDesktop
Hey gang!
As promised in the introduction to FandomDesktop back in March, we’re continuing our More Is More approach to previewing the changes coming to Fandom and Gamepedia for desktop users later this Spring and into the Summer. More transparency, more design thinking, more in-depth looks at what is changing before the rollout. Today, we are looking at how navigation is evolving with FandomDesktop.
- 1 Community on Top
- 1.1 Navigation Always Within Reach
- 2 The Creator Toolbox
- 3 Going Global
- 4 What about search, profile, and notifications?
- 5 Change Gives Rise To Opportunity
Local community links will be the first ones at the top of the screen, a change for both Fandom and Gamepedia so that top priority navigation affordance is given to communities. The gl…