Forrst Opens Doors to More Web Pros

Linc Wonham — Tue, 03 May 2011 02:00:00 GMT

Forrst has launched a substantial update to the popular online design and development community’s invite system.

The invite-only model the community has employed until now has helped to maintain a strong focus on creativity, says founder Kyle Bragger, ensuring that only developers and designers are able to gain access. The model has also fostered the community’s healthy growth, Bragger says.

But now with a waiting list of more than 13,000 designers and developers wanting to join, Forrst has had to reevaluate its invitation process.

“Folks who should be in the community have been subjected to increasingly unreasonable waits — sometimes up to a few months,” Bragger wrote on the Forrst blog. “To that end, we’ve re-imagined the way invites will work.”

Below is more from the blog's announcement:

“The new system will be based on votes. Everyone starts the day with five votes, and may use those votes to say ‘I think this person should be invited.’ You’re essentially vouching for them as a developer or designer. Once the prospective user receives two votes (a number we may tweak as we watch usage), they’ll receive an invite.

“This is a major departure from the way invites currently work, where users’ reputations are linked to that of the users they invite. We felt that the accountability we were enforcing tended to be a bit overreaching, causing most users to feel uneasy about using their invites on strangers. With the new system, we’re spreading out the responsibility to multiple members.

“Of course, you’ll still be able to instantly invite colleagues and friends via email, and that system has not changed — invites are still earned through awesome interaction with the community and maintaining a reputation in the 92nd percentile or higher.

“If you’re ready to start voting on users, head on over here. We’re converting over many of the 13,000 existing requests, so bear with us as you may not see that many requests over the next 24 hours.”

For more information on the increasingly popular creative community, visit Forrst.

'Net Features : creative community

Forrst Opens Doors to More Web Pros