Gamescribe sums it all up in a letter sent to it’s members. A copy of that email is quoted below:
GameScribe Service Update
GameScribe recently was shaken to the core when its hosting provider upped and closed without so much as a few days notice. You may have notice the site not up do to this unforeseen break in service. But this has given us the chance to do something that we feel was a long time coming. When we first started GameScribe several month ago we intended on spreading out to their games and supporting a bustling blogging community. But setback after setback has prevented us from catching on in any of our target communities. Only our baby, the EVE Community ever really got going. So we have decided to scale back, and focus on the community that has given us a meaning, and given us a reason to be here. As of now GameScribe is being re branded and will focus solely on the EVE Community and bringing the best in EVE Online Networking.
Say Hello to Tweveit Connect
We are happy to announce that GameScribe is being rebranded into Tweveit Connect. For those of you unfamiliar to the tweveit name, it is a new project that we have undertaken to bring a slew of EVE video Tutorials and learning materials to EVE Online. The main site is located at www.tweveit.com. While we were considering our options with GameScribe and working on Tweveit the idea screamed in our face, why not connect the two services and give the EVE community a goliath of a site. While Tweveit is still in its infancy, we have only 2 tutorials completed, GameScribe is developed and has a great user base. So we are now ready to unveil Tweveit Connect, you can visit the site at connect.tweveit.com. We invite you to check out the site and to please sign up to enjoy its vast features and unlock its networking potential.
I already have a Gamescribe account, why must I sign up at Tweveit Connect?
Well, that is more complicated than we really have space to explain. But here it goes. Due to the vast amount of problem GameScribe had in the past, and the number of inactive accounts, we have no real way to discern who wants to continue using the service. This give us an opportunity to scale back, free up resources and let those who would assume be done with us move on and NEVER hear from us again. Also due to url changes and other web scripting differences between Tweveit Connect and GameScribe it is not possible to transfer user accounts directly.What about all my content that was on GameScribe?
Well, to put it plainly. Due to the nature of why GameScribe was closed down(hosting provider going belly up) we have no way to recover some of the files that were there. We did manage to recover a butt load of data, but we also missed out on some of it. So once you create a new account here at Tweveit Connect you will have the opportunity to recover some if not all of your old content.Also, If you created a backup like we requested you can recover all content from that.
Thanks,
The GameScribe/Tweavit Connect TeamPS- This is the last time you will receive anything from GameScribe. All new signups at Tweveit Connect will be added to a new mailing list and this one will be destroyed. We hope to see you at Tweveit, but if not, May the force be with you !
So there you have it, GameScribe is now closed as it was in it’s old form. I have visited Tweveit and I must say, it’s a professional looking website. There is a lot of potential for this new venture. The current content is solid and useful. I look forward to seeing how this evolves.
For those of you who had blogs on GameScribe, I do feel bad for you with this sudden shutdown of you sites. I would suggest that you head over to Podlogs (http://www.podlogs.com) to setup your hosting. That way, you will still be able to use the same EVE related themes for our blogs.
I have updated the OPML to reflect the absence of the Gamescribe hosted blogs, we are now at 330 blogs in the OPML now. For those that lost their blogs and are able to create a new blog, email me at galen@eve-druid.com and I will get your new site added into the OPML download.
See you out there!!!
August 16th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
I admit I'm a cynic. They say that the failure of their hosting servicie "… has given us the chance to do something that we feel was a long time coming", i.e. setup Tweveit. But you don't just role out a whole new service – professional looking Ga'len says – in a few days after your service provider collapses. They had to have had Tweveit pretty well done before the service provider failed. And Tweveit Connect is all ready to take the old GameScribe clients – I doubt it was just set up in response to the service provider failure.
So all the Tweveit development was about done and ready to roll out, and their service provider just happened to fail at that same time? Too big a coincidence for this cynic to believe.
August 16th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
You are good to question this. But I may offer some insight, as I am the one who made the final decision. "Tweveit" it self is a Tutorials and EVE learning site, We have been working on it for about 2 weeks now. It was NEVER intended to take over for GameScribe. But 3 days ago when we received word that the hosting provider was closing down came our way we had some questions to answer. Where would we host the site now, how much would it cost to get the service back up, and were we serving our users by continuing GameScribe in its current form.
I was discussing the issues with my wife, and some friends and we came to the conclusion that GameScribe was an EVE Service, It always had been. We had never taken the opportunity or the chance to really get bloggers from other games.
So in an effort to save some money(since I already had tweveit hosted on a different host anyway) I decided that Tweveit would be a good way to scale back and bring GameScribe closer to its roots. Now im going to be completely blunt. Traffic at GameScribe was minimal, something was needed to revamp its image and bring people in. With all of the problems, and all of the issues that had tarnished the GameScribe name I felt a rebranding was the only way to shed alot of the negativity regarding GameScribe.
In short it took me about 2 hours to get Tweveit Connect setup in its current form. I am not done getting it setup completely, for example the plugin library is rather small at the moment. But the basics are there and working.
I have user data( blog posts, images, etc) from gamescribe, and I can recover a lot of it. As i stated in the email I sent out, If you wish to use the service you can regain alot, if not all off your old GameScribe content.
But to finish my response, This was not a premeditated act, it was decided in the heat of the moment, when all hell had broken loose. I dont expect all of you to understand, but it is the way it is.
August 16th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Thank you for your response and the explanation. I myself have had a hosting provider shutdown on me and without any notice I may add. It can be chaotic.
Many people have been asking me who the hosting provider was that went belly up. AnMitH sent me a separate email naming that hosting provider and they are in fact no longer operating. Whether this is due to a server problem or they are in fact closed is still in question, which is why I will not publicly name them here, not until we have something more solid as to what happened.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think we all just need to take a breath and relax and let things unfold. Re branding is always a little disconcerting, but sometimes a necessary thing to keep content focused on where you want.
August 16th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Tweveit has been up for a while now, at least a week or so.
I have to admit I do share in your skepticism given the issues that GameScribe has had in it's history, however, unless we have evidence to contradict the public statement that was released, all we have is suspicion and a set of questionable circumstances.
Personally, I really think it sucks that all these people have lost all their hard work they put into their blogs.
I would like to know who the hosting provider was, so that no one else has the same issue of everything "going belly up". It's a bit weird that the website is still up and running as of this posting (mygamescribe.com). Should we call shenanigans here?
August 16th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
"we have no real way to discern who wants to continue using the service. This give us an opportunity to scale back, free up resources"
I had a blog with gamescribe and I have to be honest, I am spitting teeth. If it was something like you had run out of RL money to afford hosting and nobody was donating I would understand. But to see what is basicly an empty clone of the old site, with a new name stuck on the front pisses me off no end.
This just seems like incompetance or laziness when it comes to a backup plan.
August 16th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Well, you have a right to be mad. But most hosts do not go belly up and most websites do not have to find a new host in a few days time. I am sure you can't understand the amount of time it takes to backup, transfer and get a currently live site working on a new server. It almost always ends badly.
If I must be quite honest, Nobody was donating, clicking on ads, or anything of the sort. The semi-dedicated server Gamescribe was on cost 78.00$ a month… All out of my own pocket. Which i was happy to pay. But We are mid month now and I ALREADY paid the 78.00 for this month. Any other host I found to take the GameScirbe site would have cost me between 50-70$ a month, but most required 3 months advanced payment. Hosting for a service like gamescribe costs big $$ compaired to personal hosting. To be honest , I did and do not have that kind of money. I make 9.00$ per hour and could barely afford the 78.00 server, and now you expect me to pay for 3 months in advance after already paying the 78 for this month? Im sorry but I couldnt do it.
The reason the new site is empty is because its new. People are signing up and getting things set up. You are more than welcome to sign up and email me and ill happily restore you old content. I cant plan for everything, even the best laid plans have faults.. I am sorry about your teeth
August 16th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
I have been a member of Gamescribe since it went to open beta. I stuck it out through the thick and thin, and in that time I have befriended AnMiTh, and helped out with a few projects, including Tweveit. What he stated before about the origins of the Connect side of it is correct to my knowledge and I don’t doubt him. I spoke to him the day he found out that the provider was going down. And I have seen a copy of an email from them about it. So I would at least like people to be respectful of my friend.
As for the Anonymous post, I have only a few things to say. I also lost all my stuff, and that was no small amount. It was my own fault for not backing it up, even though I knew the site was going down. We had ample warning to complete the 5 second process of backing it up, there was a message at the top of your GS blogs dashboard, so it is not entirely AnMiThs fault. Sure he could have sent an email out to the members, but he was frantically trying to save months of hard work that he did, alone. The whole site was set u and run by him, so do cut the man some slack. That’s really all I need to say.
August 16th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
Having lost all my stuff before due to a problem with a hoster, I can understand people's frustrations, which is why I allowed an anonymous comment on my blog and in particular, this topic. I can appreciate first hand the frustration. I can also appreciate the impossible situation of being a provider and loosing your infrastructure. No one really wins and a lot of anger gets thrown around.
So everyone, please do try to keep both sides of this issue in mind when you decide to make a reply.
August 16th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
Alright everyone, you want to post comments on my blog, keep it civil. I understand both sides of this argument and having been in similar situations and unfortunately been on both the client and the provider, I can sympathize, which is why I have allowed all the comments posted on this particular subject to be approved, including an anonymous commenter.
If you wish to continue to discuss this issue, keep it civil and identify yourself. I will not allow any further anonymous commentators on this topic, you will have to identify yourself if you wish to comment here.