Over the past five years, Team Liquid has grown beyond anything I could have imagined when I started the team almost 20 years ago. A name that I once thought simply “sounds cool” now means much more to me, our teams, our staff, our community, and our fans. Team Liquid is no longer just a clan on Battle.net or a free website hosted on cjb.net; it’s now one of the biggest and most accomplished esports organizations in the world. Every year, Team Liquid has come to encompass more teams, more games, more staff, and more ventures, and it is now a symbol that represents more than just myself and what I started with. All these different parts make up the whole that is Team Liquid, and our websites are an important part of our identity and our future plans.
After a long deliberation, and even longer planning, we have decided to rename TeamLiquid.net to TL.net. This transition will take a period of several months as we prepare everything, and the teamliquid.net url will continue to redirect to TL.net so that the community can get used to the change. Once everything is ready, teamliquid.net will redirect to the pro team’s website at teamliquid.com. TeamLiquid.net is where our community grew, and I understand that this change must be difficult to welcome, especially for those who have been here for much of its duration. Everyone here deserves an explanation, and I would like to share our reasons for doing this.
The short explanation of it is that this is a reorganization of how we name things. Our websites are dedicated to specific games and communities, and not to Team Liquid or its pro teams. This website is and always has been devoted to the StarCraft community, and it has always maintained its own editorial voice. The websites and our pro teams have always operated autonomously, and we are doing this to avoid long term confusion around the name Team Liquid. It's been nearly 20 years since I founded Liquid as a competitive clan and I fully expect for us to still be around in 2039 as a professional sports team that is hopefully rivaling some of today's major sports. In addition, this website deserves its own brand that it can call its own moving forward. As sad as it makes me as well, we really just can't continue forever with "Team Liquid" having two totally different meanings.
The confusion is understandable. I first started Team Liquid in 2000 as a StarCraft clan of world class players, and when we opened the website in 2002, we used the name and fame from the team in order to get people to check out our website in those early years. The website was never meant to represent the team, because the website was its own community dedicated to our shared love of StarCraft. However, there is no doubt that it was this site that truly grew our name in the following decade.
I would like to take this time to say something loud and clear. I owe a lot to all the amazing people who have contributed to this website over the years. Whether it is with hires, references, or other kinds of support, I always try to be there for our staff and contributors. You can find many of our former staff members in other positions within the esports industry, and we have Team Liquid staff within the larger organization who have been with us for close to a decade. We grew this site together purely out of passion and a shared hobby, and when I talk about the history of Team Liquid I always speak about the place TLnet has in it. I’m incredibly proud of this fact and I try to make sure that this is something that those who work with me on a regular basis know and understand.
Next, I would like to talk about the timing. This isn’t something we decided recently, as we had been thinking about this conceptually for a long time. We struggled with pulling the trigger on renaming TeamLiquid.net because 1.) The name is very dear to our hearts; and 2.) We did not own the domain TL.net, the only name that we felt was good enough as a tribute to the community and the site. We tried buying TL.net in 2016, but the listed price was 6 figures, and our bid for the domain was rejected. The plan was put into hibernation, because it would have felt extremely awful for everyone, myself included, to compromise on a name that we were not happy with.
Fortunately, in 2018 we received a message from the domain owner that he was looking to sell. We had the opportunity to purchase the domain for a fourth of the listed price, which was still significantly more than our bid in 2016, but we decided that the name was worth the investment. The sole reason for buying the domain is to move our site to a url that shows respect to its legacy. We have been calling the website TL or TLnet instead of TeamLiquid.net for a really long time, so by moving to this domain we are hoping that it is an accurate tribute that everyone can get behind.
Lastly, I would like to thank all the staff that worked on this renaming, and those that work every day to make sure our websites continue to be a place that people want to be a part of. Our little clan built this website; this website helped build our team; and now we have a full-time team of web admins and developers who are dedicated to our existing websites — and even building new ones. This gratitude extends to all the volunteer staff and contributors, and the members of the community both old and new. As I said earlier, our websites are part of our identity and our plans, and so we have worked really hard on this in order to get it as right as possible.
I understand that this will take some time to get used to, but I hope that I have shed some light on the whole process, and what this has meant for me especially. I only ask that you continue to support the staff, the community, and the game that we all love. StarCraft will always be special to me, and I hope to enjoy the game with this community for another two decades or more.
- Victor “Nazgul” Goossens
The renaming will take place Wednesday next week, Wednesday, Apr 10 9:00am GMT (GMT+00:00). Some downtime is expected during the switchover.
TL.net for TeamLiquid.net but you will LiquidDota.com and LiquidLegends? I would just try and make all the domains consistent with each other. Maybe TeamLiquid.net -> LiquidStarCraft. Not the best but more consistent and coincides with the rest of the name.
Free up TL.net or TeamLiquid.net for a corporate branding site or something.
Honestly the best response here is a huge congratulations! What R1CH, Nazgul, and the rest of the core staff have created for us and themselves is incredible. This change is a milestone in their careers that should be celebrated. I hope everyone, however critical you may feel, will say thank you above all else. Wether it is teamliquid, TLnet, or bluehorsies.gov I'm just happy to be a part of this community and love you guys. Thank you!
On April 05 2019 18:54 Torte de Lini wrote: Rest in Peace TeamLiquid.net
TL.net for TeamLiquid.net but you will LiquidDota.com and LiquidLegends? I would just try and make all the domains consistent with each other. Maybe TeamLiquid.net -> LiquidStarCraft. Not the best but more consistent and coincides with the rest of the name.
Free up TL.net or TeamLiquid.net for a corporate branding site or something.
edit: Julmust #1
This is a good question. LiquidStarcraft was definitely discussed as an option very early on. It was also ruled out very early on because Teamliquid.net is more than just a website about Starcraft. For many of TeamLiquid.net was our special little home on the internet which just happened to form over a common interest in Korean Brood War. It was a place where we won travian, called the Canadian consulate when Mani went missing and we all knew a certain story about a dog.... Renaming to LiquidStarcraft felt like we were throwing away that legacy and we couldn't bring ourselves to do that. Sure we have some inconsistencies across the network but we didn't feel like these issues were sufficiently pressing to overlook TLnet.
Yeah, this is understandable. I've had to correct people many times on Twitter because they'll link to the wrong handle or something, and I'd imagine "teamliquidpro" is kinda confusing to business types/laypeople.
Good idea TeamLiquipro always had a strange fell to it, congratulation on buying TL.net and let's hope it continue to grow under the new name!
Also if I may what was the previous TL website, was it a website for tiny lamps? Because I kinda want a tiny lamp collector selling his name domain for 6 figures.
On April 05 2019 19:32 Nakajin wrote: Good idea TeamLiquipro always had a strange fell to it, congratulation on buying TL.net and let's hope it continue to grow under the new name!
Also if I may what was the previous TL website, was it a website for tiny lamps? Because I kinda want a tiny lamp collector selling his name domain for 6 figures.
Thanks for the reasonable explanation for the change, I like it already. Now, what I'd really love to see next would be an (optionable) updated design for the site? As much as I've grown accustomed to the current one, it feels kinda dated, so wouldn't it make sense to ship one together with the domain migration? Of course, this is also a question about resources available, but TL sure could use a facelift imo.
Aha. Secretly this was already revealed in the top right community site links on liquiddota. Many times I wanted to go back to teamliquid.net when browsing between the two sites and ended up on the pro site when clicking on teamliquid, really had to get used to click on the TLnet link. Now I'll have to get used to it more.
Gonna miss the name a lot but the reasoning is understandable, teamliquid is a completely different brand now.
On April 05 2019 19:47 TaKeTV wrote: As I hate change in general I cannot say I am happy but I can understand the decision
Couldn't have said it better myself. Will teamliquid.net at least still redirect to TL.net?
Yes it will but not forever. From Naz's statement:
This transition will take a period of several months as we prepare everything, and the teamliquid.net url will continue to redirect to TL.net so that the community can get used to the change.
Interesting. At this point typing teamliquid.net into my browser is so deeply engrained in my psyche that it will be hard to change lolol, but I support the change nonetheless.
Also it’s so incredible to see how far TL has advanced even in the relatively short time that I’ve been around. From what I can tell, it really couldn’t have happened to a better set of guys. It always feels like justice to witness good people experience the success that they deserve and have worked so hard for.
On April 05 2019 20:28 Immaterial wrote: Interesting. At this point typing teamliquid.net into my browser is so deeply engrained in my psyche that it will be hard to change lolol, but I support the change nonetheless.
Also it’s so incredible to see how far TL has advanced even in the relatively short time that I’ve been around. From what I can tell, it really couldn’t have happened to a better set of guys. It always feels like justice to witness good people experience the success that they deserve and have worked so hard for.
Cheers Nazgul, et al.
Just type T and hit enter. There should be no website that starts with T more visited then TL anyway, so it will automatically complete it for you.
I'll miss the old site name for sure after over a decade of knowing about the site and it being what got me into competitive gaming in general with broodwar it's kind of sad to see it change, but I think changing it to TLnet is the best possible decision if it were to change as that is what many of us have referred to the site as for years in the first place.
Will the banner at the top of the site will read Teamliquid? its super iconic (especially the horses in the back) if so great I doubt the domain address affects anyone too much but please keep the banner
On April 05 2019 21:13 Shock710 wrote: Will the banner at the top of the site will read Teamliquid? its super iconic (especially the horses in the back) if so great I doubt the domain address affects anyone too much but please keep the banner
It will not be staying the same i am afraid. You will have to wait and see to what it will be on Wednesday when the changes take effect :D
Edit - The logo will always be the same and only the text will change to TL.net, but you will see it on Wednesday!
On April 05 2019 21:13 Shock710 wrote: Will the banner at the top of the site will read Teamliquid? its super iconic (especially the horses in the back) if so great I doubt the domain address affects anyone too much but please keep the banner
It will not be staying the same i am afraid. You will have to wait and see to what it will be on Wednesday when the changes take effect :D
now this I am excited for; nothing against the old banner but I love me some new design/art
Im going to miss Teamliquid.net. StarCraft always have been such a special thing for Team Liquid. I would have thought this change had happened earlier. It makes sense. But it also shows where Team Liquid came from.
On April 05 2019 21:13 Shock710 wrote: Will the banner at the top of the site will read Teamliquid? its super iconic (especially the horses in the back) if so great I doubt the domain address affects anyone too much but please keep the banner
Yes banner absolutely should stay the same not not change to TL.net
On April 05 2019 21:13 Shock710 wrote: Will the banner at the top of the site will read Teamliquid? its super iconic (especially the horses in the back) if so great I doubt the domain address affects anyone too much but please keep the banner
It will not be staying the same i am afraid. You will have to wait and see to what it will be on Wednesday when the changes take effect :D
now this I am excited for; nothing against the old banner but I love me some new design/art
The "teamliquid" part will become TLnet, everything else (e.g. horses in the background) will remain the same.
On April 05 2019 20:02 Creager wrote: Thanks for the reasonable explanation for the change, I like it already. Now, what I'd really love to see next would be an (optionable) updated design for the site? As much as I've grown accustomed to the current one, it feels kinda dated, so wouldn't it make sense to ship one together with the domain migration? Of course, this is also a question about resources available, but TL sure could use a facelift imo.
TLnet was built off of the backs of many separate volunteer coders over the years. This was great during our growth period but now the website is built on a mixture of various peoples code, held to no unifying standing, and in many cases uses dated technology. Upgrading TLnet visually first requires us to solve this problem, and that problem requires a lengthy solution that we haven't had time to address. So a visual update is not ruled out but it won't be happening this year.
On April 05 2019 21:13 Shock710 wrote: Will the banner at the top of the site will read Teamliquid? its super iconic (especially the horses in the back) if so great I doubt the domain address affects anyone too much but please keep the banner
It will not be staying the same i am afraid. You will have to wait and see to what it will be on Wednesday when the changes take effect :D
now this I am excited for; nothing against the old banner but I love me some new design/art
I dont. I would rather use the old site still :D (before the 2014..? liftup)
Plus I would love to use the normal desktop site on mobile but you have to force it by yourself so I almost never visit teamliquid.net with my phone.
On April 05 2019 21:13 Shock710 wrote: Will the banner at the top of the site will read Teamliquid? its super iconic (especially the horses in the back) if so great I doubt the domain address affects anyone too much but please keep the banner
It will not be staying the same i am afraid. You will have to wait and see to what it will be on Wednesday when the changes take effect :D
now this I am excited for; nothing against the old banner but I love me some new design/art
The "teamliquid" part will become TLnet, everything else (e.g. horses in the background) will remain the same.
On April 05 2019 20:02 Creager wrote: Thanks for the reasonable explanation for the change, I like it already. Now, what I'd really love to see next would be an (optionable) updated design for the site? As much as I've grown accustomed to the current one, it feels kinda dated, so wouldn't it make sense to ship one together with the domain migration? Of course, this is also a question about resources available, but TL sure could use a facelift imo.
TLnet was built off of the backs of many separate volunteer coders over the years. This was great during our growth period but now the website is built on a mixture of various peoples code, held to no unifying standing, and in many cases uses dated technology. Upgrading TLnet visually first requires us to solve this problem, and that problem requires a lengthy solution that we haven't had time to address. So a visual update is not ruled out but it won't be happening this year.
Not gonna lie, I’d nerd out pretty hard knowing more about the Frankenstein monster that is this site
On April 05 2019 21:13 Shock710 wrote: Will the banner at the top of the site will read Teamliquid? its super iconic (especially the horses in the back) if so great I doubt the domain address affects anyone too much but please keep the banner
It will not be staying the same i am afraid. You will have to wait and see to what it will be on Wednesday when the changes take effect :D
now this I am excited for; nothing against the old banner but I love me some new design/art
The "teamliquid" part will become TLnet, everything else (e.g. horses in the background) will remain the same.
On April 05 2019 20:02 Creager wrote: Thanks for the reasonable explanation for the change, I like it already. Now, what I'd really love to see next would be an (optionable) updated design for the site? As much as I've grown accustomed to the current one, it feels kinda dated, so wouldn't it make sense to ship one together with the domain migration? Of course, this is also a question about resources available, but TL sure could use a facelift imo.
TLnet was built off of the backs of many separate volunteer coders over the years. This was great during our growth period but now the website is built on a mixture of various peoples code, held to no unifying standing, and in many cases uses dated technology. Upgrading TLnet visually first requires us to solve this problem, and that problem requires a lengthy solution that we haven't had time to address. So a visual update is not ruled out but it won't be happening this year.
On April 05 2019 21:13 Shock710 wrote: Will the banner at the top of the site will read Teamliquid? its super iconic (especially the horses in the back) if so great I doubt the domain address affects anyone too much but please keep the banner
It will not be staying the same i am afraid. You will have to wait and see to what it will be on Wednesday when the changes take effect :D
now this I am excited for; nothing against the old banner but I love me some new design/art
The "teamliquid" part will become TLnet, everything else (e.g. horses in the background) will remain the same.
On April 05 2019 20:02 Creager wrote: Thanks for the reasonable explanation for the change, I like it already. Now, what I'd really love to see next would be an (optionable) updated design for the site? As much as I've grown accustomed to the current one, it feels kinda dated, so wouldn't it make sense to ship one together with the domain migration? Of course, this is also a question about resources available, but TL sure could use a facelift imo.
TLnet was built off of the backs of many separate volunteer coders over the years. This was great during our growth period but now the website is built on a mixture of various peoples code, held to no unifying standing, and in many cases uses dated technology. Upgrading TLnet visually first requires us to solve this problem, and that problem requires a lengthy solution that we haven't had time to address. So a visual update is not ruled out but it won't be happening this year.
as someone who hates change - Take your time!
As long as its nothing like modern websites where you have to click click click click until you get somewhere. I hate that so much.
On April 05 2019 21:13 Shock710 wrote: Will the banner at the top of the site will read Teamliquid? its super iconic (especially the horses in the back) if so great I doubt the domain address affects anyone too much but please keep the banner
It will not be staying the same i am afraid. You will have to wait and see to what it will be on Wednesday when the changes take effect :D
now this I am excited for; nothing against the old banner but I love me some new design/art
The "teamliquid" part will become TLnet, everything else (e.g. horses in the background) will remain the same.
On April 05 2019 20:02 Creager wrote: Thanks for the reasonable explanation for the change, I like it already. Now, what I'd really love to see next would be an (optionable) updated design for the site? As much as I've grown accustomed to the current one, it feels kinda dated, so wouldn't it make sense to ship one together with the domain migration? Of course, this is also a question about resources available, but TL sure could use a facelift imo.
TLnet was built off of the backs of many separate volunteer coders over the years. This was great during our growth period but now the website is built on a mixture of various peoples code, held to no unifying standing, and in many cases uses dated technology. Upgrading TLnet visually first requires us to solve this problem, and that problem requires a lengthy solution that we haven't had time to address. So a visual update is not ruled out but it won't be happening this year.
as someone who hates change - Take your time!
As long as its nothing like modern websites where you have to click click click click until you get somewhere. I hate that so much.
I like it cause that's 6 chars total for a URL, which is always nice.
Gonna join up the crowd in saying that, given that "TLnet" or "TL" was often used informally to refer to the website, this new name won't be a drastic change in my opinion.
On April 05 2019 21:13 Shock710 wrote: Will the banner at the top of the site will read Teamliquid? its super iconic (especially the horses in the back) if so great I doubt the domain address affects anyone too much but please keep the banner
It will not be staying the same i am afraid. You will have to wait and see to what it will be on Wednesday when the changes take effect :D
now this I am excited for; nothing against the old banner but I love me some new design/art
The "teamliquid" part will become TLnet, everything else (e.g. horses in the background) will remain the same.
On April 05 2019 20:02 Creager wrote: Thanks for the reasonable explanation for the change, I like it already. Now, what I'd really love to see next would be an (optionable) updated design for the site? As much as I've grown accustomed to the current one, it feels kinda dated, so wouldn't it make sense to ship one together with the domain migration? Of course, this is also a question about resources available, but TL sure could use a facelift imo.
TLnet was built off of the backs of many separate volunteer coders over the years. This was great during our growth period but now the website is built on a mixture of various peoples code, held to no unifying standing, and in many cases uses dated technology. Upgrading TLnet visually first requires us to solve this problem, and that problem requires a lengthy solution that we haven't had time to address. So a visual update is not ruled out but it won't be happening this year.
On April 05 2019 21:13 Shock710 wrote: Will the banner at the top of the site will read Teamliquid? its super iconic (especially the horses in the back) if so great I doubt the domain address affects anyone too much but please keep the banner
It will not be staying the same i am afraid. You will have to wait and see to what it will be on Wednesday when the changes take effect :D
now this I am excited for; nothing against the old banner but I love me some new design/art
The "teamliquid" part will become TLnet, everything else (e.g. horses in the background) will remain the same.
On April 05 2019 20:02 Creager wrote: Thanks for the reasonable explanation for the change, I like it already. Now, what I'd really love to see next would be an (optionable) updated design for the site? As much as I've grown accustomed to the current one, it feels kinda dated, so wouldn't it make sense to ship one together with the domain migration? Of course, this is also a question about resources available, but TL sure could use a facelift imo.
TLnet was built off of the backs of many separate volunteer coders over the years. This was great during our growth period but now the website is built on a mixture of various peoples code, held to no unifying standing, and in many cases uses dated technology. Upgrading TLnet visually first requires us to solve this problem, and that problem requires a lengthy solution that we haven't had time to address. So a visual update is not ruled out but it won't be happening this year.
as someone who hates change - Take your time!
As long as its nothing like modern websites where you have to click click click click until you get somewhere. I hate that so much.
Well, modern design doesn't automatically mean worse user flow
Also I just assume that all child urls linking to forum posts, op's, threads, etc will be compatibile and continue to work/redirect to the correct urls right?
I remember a few months back when the branding/art director for Team Liquid Pro tweeted that there was none of the light blue in the branding color scheme for the pro team for a while now and he was peeved that other orgs still used the light blue when referencing Team Liquid pro, and I thought to myself, well that must be because of the community site branding conflating with the early days of Team Liquid pro branding.
On April 05 2019 21:13 Shock710 wrote: Will the banner at the top of the site will read Teamliquid? its super iconic (especially the horses in the back) if so great I doubt the domain address affects anyone too much but please keep the banner
It will not be staying the same i am afraid. You will have to wait and see to what it will be on Wednesday when the changes take effect :D
now this I am excited for; nothing against the old banner but I love me some new design/art
The "teamliquid" part will become TLnet, everything else (e.g. horses in the background) will remain the same.
On April 05 2019 20:02 Creager wrote: Thanks for the reasonable explanation for the change, I like it already. Now, what I'd really love to see next would be an (optionable) updated design for the site? As much as I've grown accustomed to the current one, it feels kinda dated, so wouldn't it make sense to ship one together with the domain migration? Of course, this is also a question about resources available, but TL sure could use a facelift imo.
TLnet was built off of the backs of many separate volunteer coders over the years. This was great during our growth period but now the website is built on a mixture of various peoples code, held to no unifying standing, and in many cases uses dated technology. Upgrading TLnet visually first requires us to solve this problem, and that problem requires a lengthy solution that we haven't had time to address. So a visual update is not ruled out but it won't be happening this year.
Not gonna lie, I’d nerd out pretty hard knowing more about the Frankenstein monster that is this site
Some of us coders could go on and on about this...
- "teamliquid.net" the forum community will temporarily redirect to TL.net, which will eventually become the new home for the forum community. - teamliquid.com (and future teamliquid.net redirect) will be the new home of the pro site, teamliquidpro.com - The pro teams will continue to be called Liquid (or Team Liquid). - "TLnet" will functionally behave as an independent community site, entirely separate from the events of the pro team (essentially severing any connection between this community and the pro organization).
On April 05 2019 21:13 Shock710 wrote: Will the banner at the top of the site will read Teamliquid? its super iconic (especially the horses in the back) if so great I doubt the domain address affects anyone too much but please keep the banner
It will not be staying the same i am afraid. You will have to wait and see to what it will be on Wednesday when the changes take effect :D
now this I am excited for; nothing against the old banner but I love me some new design/art
The "teamliquid" part will become TLnet, everything else (e.g. horses in the background) will remain the same.
On April 05 2019 20:02 Creager wrote: Thanks for the reasonable explanation for the change, I like it already. Now, what I'd really love to see next would be an (optionable) updated design for the site? As much as I've grown accustomed to the current one, it feels kinda dated, so wouldn't it make sense to ship one together with the domain migration? Of course, this is also a question about resources available, but TL sure could use a facelift imo.
TLnet was built off of the backs of many separate volunteer coders over the years. This was great during our growth period but now the website is built on a mixture of various peoples code, held to no unifying standing, and in many cases uses dated technology. Upgrading TLnet visually first requires us to solve this problem, and that problem requires a lengthy solution that we haven't had time to address. So a visual update is not ruled out but it won't be happening this year.
Not gonna lie, I’d nerd out pretty hard knowing more about the Frankenstein monster that is this site
Some of us coders could go on and on about this...
there's so many horrific things in there...weird indenting, mixed tabs and spaces, curly braces on their own lines, absolute madness
On April 05 2019 21:13 Shock710 wrote: Will the banner at the top of the site will read Teamliquid? its super iconic (especially the horses in the back) if so great I doubt the domain address affects anyone too much but please keep the banner
It will not be staying the same i am afraid. You will have to wait and see to what it will be on Wednesday when the changes take effect :D
now this I am excited for; nothing against the old banner but I love me some new design/art
The "teamliquid" part will become TLnet, everything else (e.g. horses in the background) will remain the same.
On April 05 2019 20:02 Creager wrote: Thanks for the reasonable explanation for the change, I like it already. Now, what I'd really love to see next would be an (optionable) updated design for the site? As much as I've grown accustomed to the current one, it feels kinda dated, so wouldn't it make sense to ship one together with the domain migration? Of course, this is also a question about resources available, but TL sure could use a facelift imo.
TLnet was built off of the backs of many separate volunteer coders over the years. This was great during our growth period but now the website is built on a mixture of various peoples code, held to no unifying standing, and in many cases uses dated technology. Upgrading TLnet visually first requires us to solve this problem, and that problem requires a lengthy solution that we haven't had time to address. So a visual update is not ruled out but it won't be happening this year.
Not gonna lie, I’d nerd out pretty hard knowing more about the Frankenstein monster that is this site
Some of us coders could go on and on about this...
there's so many horrific things in there...weird indenting, mixed tabs and spaces, curly braces on their own lines, absolute madness
On April 05 2019 23:57 Excalibur_Z wrote: Just to make sure I understand:
- "teamliquid.net" the forum community will temporarily redirect to TL.net, which will eventually become the new home for the forum community. - teamliquid.com (and future teamliquid.net redirect) will be the new home of the pro site, teamliquidpro.com - The pro teams will continue to be called Liquid (or Team Liquid). - "TLnet" will functionally behave as an independent community site, entirely separate from the events of the pro team (essentially severing any connection between this community and the pro organization).
Is that right?
The first three are correct, the last one I don't agree with. While there has been some overlap in the past, the site and pro team have always been divisions of the same company. This naming change doesn't change anything for us other than the URL.
We were here first! The team should change THEIR name! I’m joking of course, but yes, it’s time to make the separation. I wholely embrace it being just TL; that’s what we’ve been calling it for years anyway
On April 05 2019 23:57 Excalibur_Z wrote: Just to make sure I understand:
- "teamliquid.net" the forum community will temporarily redirect to TL.net, which will eventually become the new home for the forum community. - teamliquid.com (and future teamliquid.net redirect) will be the new home of the pro site, teamliquidpro.com - The pro teams will continue to be called Liquid (or Team Liquid). - "TLnet" will functionally behave as an independent community site, entirely separate from the events of the pro team (essentially severing any connection between this community and the pro organization).
Is that right?
The first three are correct, the last one I don't agree with. While there has been some overlap in the past, the site and pro team have always been divisions of the same company. This naming change doesn't change anything for us other than the URL.
Maybe a better way to phrase that last point would be to say that the site and the pro side of TL have grown apart over time and that this change is more so a result or symptom of that development than a cause for such a divide.
it used to be that when people mentioned teamliquid, they meant “the community”
now you might occasionally see irl someone in a TLPro Jersey and 99% of the time they’re only aware of the team in ESPORTS.
kind of funny how that works, especially with this site’s traffic having declined so much. I think the amount of money spent on the 2 letter URL says a lot about how much Nazgul will always care about this site. it also says a lot about how much more, monetarily, the brand is worth than the site.
I think Nazgul’s message should be thoroughly appreciated for its openness; he addresses the disparity of value and the business interest in sweeping the forum to the side in favor of streamlining the brand’s online presence. more honestly than a person in his position is expected to be.
I’ve said it on twitter, but I have a weird sense of pride of being a member of this community for so long. And that the site tolerated me all the time Long after I stopped inflicting my terrible play on the SC2 ladder. It is fun to have been here back in 2011 when I was trying to get GSL matches to play on my shitty Iphone and convince my girlfriend(now wife) that SC2 was fun to watch even if you didn’t know anything about the game. Arguing with people about State of the Game.
Its been a long time and mostly fun. I never would have played Dota 2 if it wasn’t for TL. As Team Liquid goes forward as an Esports brand, we will all be able to say “Yeah. Its great. I remember when it was just a website that looked like it never left the early 2000s and filled with people who really hated Protoss.”
On April 06 2019 02:31 Plansix wrote: I’ve said it on twitter, but I have a weird sense of pride of being a member of this community for so long. And that the site tolerated me all the time Long after I stopped inflicting my terrible play on the SC2 ladder. It is fun to have been here back in 2011 when I was trying to get GSL matches to play on my shitty Iphone and convince my girlfriend(now wife) that SC2 was fun to watch even if you didn’t know anything about the game. Arguing with people about State of the Game.
Its been a long time and mostly fun. I never would have played Dota 2 if it wasn’t for TL. As Team Liquid goes forward as an Esports brand, we will all be able to say “Yeah. Its great. I remember when it was just a website that looked like it never left the early 2000s and filled with people who really hated Protoss.”
It's still filled with people who really hate protoss, that's why it's good.
On April 06 2019 02:31 Plansix wrote: I’ve said it on twitter, but I have a weird sense of pride of being a member of this community for so long. And that the site tolerated me all the time Long after I stopped inflicting my terrible play on the SC2 ladder. It is fun to have been here back in 2011 when I was trying to get GSL matches to play on my shitty Iphone and convince my girlfriend(now wife) that SC2 was fun to watch even if you didn’t know anything about the game. Arguing with people about State of the Game.
Its been a long time and mostly fun. I never would have played Dota 2 if it wasn’t for TL. As Team Liquid goes forward as an Esports brand, we will all be able to say “Yeah. Its great. I remember when it was just a website that looked like it never left the early 2000s and filled with people who really hated Protoss.”
It's still filled with people who really hate protoss, that's why it's good.
War and Starcraft never change. Honestly, it would be weird if suddenly everyone started loving protoss and hating terran.
Thank you for your openness and the detailed explanation, Nazgul. Though for me Team Liquid will allways mean the community unless it's followed by a game
On April 05 2019 19:47 TaKeTV wrote: As I hate change in general I cannot say I am happy but I can understand the decision
This. Also since the current banner is so good, I expect someone will find a way to mod it back in on the new site.
On April 06 2019 02:31 Plansix wrote: I’ve said it on twitter, but I have a weird sense of pride of being a member of this community for so long. And that the site tolerated me all the time Long after I stopped inflicting my terrible play on the SC2 ladder. It is fun to have been here back in 2011 when I was trying to get GSL matches to play on my shitty Iphone and convince my girlfriend(now wife) that SC2 was fun to watch even if you didn’t know anything about the game. Arguing with people about State of the Game.
Its been a long time and mostly fun. I never would have played Dota 2 if it wasn’t for TL. As Team Liquid goes forward as an Esports brand, we will all be able to say “Yeah. Its great. I remember when it was just a website that looked like it never left the early 2000s and filled with people who really hated Protoss.”
It's still filled with people who really hate protoss, that's why it's good.
War and Starcraft never change. Honestly, it would be weird if suddenly everyone started loving protoss and hating terran.
On April 06 2019 02:31 Plansix wrote: I’ve said it on twitter, but I have a weird sense of pride of being a member of this community for so long. And that the site tolerated me all the time Long after I stopped inflicting my terrible play on the SC2 ladder. It is fun to have been here back in 2011 when I was trying to get GSL matches to play on my shitty Iphone and convince my girlfriend(now wife) that SC2 was fun to watch even if you didn’t know anything about the game. Arguing with people about State of the Game.
Its been a long time and mostly fun. I never would have played Dota 2 if it wasn’t for TL. As Team Liquid goes forward as an Esports brand, we will all be able to say “Yeah. Its great. I remember when it was just a website that looked like it never left the early 2000s and filled with people who really hated Protoss.”
It's still filled with people who really hate protoss, that's why it's good.
War and Starcraft never change. Honestly, it would be weird if suddenly everyone started loving protoss and hating terran.
Protoss is op.
Ive been on this site for 8 years and this is complete news to me. Why has no one ever told me this before?
I regret my decision to make a joke about universal hate of Protoss in this thread of celebration. It was insensitive to the pain and suffering of those who have and still must face them and their players on the ladder.
Congratulations! It is so hard to move forward with the impact that you guys have made in the past. Some big shoes, but we know you will bring us the best Teamliquid has to offer for the future, under any name. Thank you all for your contributions. Look forward to more.
Understand the decision and congratulations. But Im still crying a bit on the inside.
This website was a major part in me growing up. Being one of the only ones in Norway even knowing about Starcraft it felt like. (Except my dad) when I found Teamliquid because of a search to find korean Starcraft vods I stumbled upon it and found my first handle, and have been checking in now and again for now 2 decades. Allways forgetting my username, forgot the email connected to the site. I probably have had 10s of different profiles created, just to discuss something random starcraft related.
This site has given me so much love (and hate) over the years. Sad to see it go. But I guess it has to evolve at some point.
Just scared the second I type in teamliquid.net and im not redirected to this wonderful blue and grey homepage, ill be devastated.. And maybe that will take away some of the great memories I have from always having this site to go to.
Its the most familiar thing for me to write on the keyboard of a pc of everything. My default so to speak.
Which was such a personal place for me to go. As my introverted personality, has actually never met a person in real life, who was here before me. Or at least as much of a part of their personal story. Thats what I get for not ever daring to go to a a LAN alone in my younger years.
I cant help but feel sad. I understand the reasoning behind the change but it feels to me that people are moving forward and away from starcraft. I get that its only natural, but still saddens me. Nevertheless lets make our new home, TL.net, very cozy and warm... just like teamliquid.net has always been
Back when TL first made a turn towards going more 'corporate,' I was one of the people who was secretly against the idea but didn't really offer any resistance. Now that TL is going to have to change the URL, I realize that I should have PREVENTED this and stopped the formation of the pro teams altogether.
As someone who has been reading/posting on this site almost every day since July 2006, it will be an adjustment. First they came for the AJAX-based chat room, then the URL, then...?
Same great site, just officially naming itself what people have already been calling it for years as an abbreviation. No sadness here =). Congrats on acquiring the domain.
TL is where I first found a like-minded community. I respect the decision and appreciate how Team Liquid has grown to be so much more than a Starcraft community site.
I'm the same as most here, very sad about the decision, and wish TL didn't take the corporate path like Micronesia said, but now that we're, I understand it.
Damn it! Why couldn't we have been our cute little community that does things together, and is nice, and watches starcraft, and branches it out to other life things, and we'd all work for the common good... And not have the community that allowed the team to grow in the first place, replace us Man, just sad really, hopefully the change won't lower the member base here too much long term, but I think it'll have an impact.
It is a pretty minuscule one all in all, makes a lot of sense to me.
Over the years wearing my glorious TL shirt has gone from the occasional bar chat with fellow SC players, to people asking me about MOBA players and getting really confused when I say I really dislike MOBAs, which has been fun at least.
It’s a minor inconvenience that Liquipedia has so many games on it, really stressing the minor, minor inconvenience of having to specify ‘Starcraft liquipedia IEM Katowice’ instead of just ‘Liquipedia IEM Katowice’
Really as long as the forums remain as they are I’m not fussed, they’re immeasurably superior to other spaces both in the user base, basic civility and sensible moderation policies.
rename TeamLiquid.net to TL.net, vs. title and banner, TeamLiquid.net becomes TLnet ... mistakes were made?, or it'll really be TLnet.net?.
i thought of having a moment, but then it was botched ... plus the announcement looks more theoretical than practical, more feelingy than reasony and more dwelling on the past than glimpsing into the future. in a nutshell, not very useful.
I always go into the site by writing “team” and letting auto-complete do its work, so this is going to be annoying for a month or so... perhaps even on the long run, mostly because you need both hands to write TL.
But anyway, it is understandable.
How long is teamliquid.net going to redirect to tl.net? I hope it is a long time, there are many many links out there that redirect to teamliquid.net.
On April 07 2019 05:53 xM(Z wrote: rename TeamLiquid.net to TL.net, vs. title and banner, TeamLiquid.net becomes TLnet ... mistakes were made?, or it'll really be TLnet.net?.
i thought of having a moment, but then it was botched ... plus the announcement looks more theoretical than practical, more feelingy than reasony and more dwelling on the past than glimpsing into the future. in a nutshell, not very useful.
On April 07 2019 05:53 xM(Z wrote: rename TeamLiquid.net to TL.net, vs. title and banner, TeamLiquid.net becomes TLnet ... mistakes were made?, or it'll really be TLnet.net?.
i thought of having a moment, but then it was botched ... plus the announcement looks more theoretical than practical, more feelingy than reasony and more dwelling on the past than glimpsing into the future. in a nutshell, not very useful.
...what?
adding the *net is an advertising artifice. you change TeamLiquid with TL[tiː el] but because it doesn't sound good, you add the net. .net is a generic top-level domain name. + Show Spoiler +
if still confusing: where is the dot in the title and the banner?
the majority of people here use variants of TLnet not TL; there are 29 TL.net, 34 TLnet and ~5 TL in this topic.
but, that is not even the point: if the new domain is TL.net(and it is), why does the topic title and the banner says TLnet(without the dot)?. that's what i asked.
On April 06 2019 21:58 ShAsTa wrote: I hope the site itself won't change as well.
There will be some very minuscule changes, all that we hope will be for the better. One part of this project was to make the left sidebar better. It's SUPER long right now, which means that forums further down won't get as many eyes on them. While we weren't completely able to fix it, we've managed to condense it somewhat. And don't worry, we didn't remove any active forums.
Other than that we're also going to update the text in the banner to reflect the change. The logo will still be there, the horses in the background too. Basically, the mindset of this change has been to change as little as possible.
On April 07 2019 07:01 Xamo wrote: I always go into the site by writing “team” and letting auto-complete do its work, so this is going to be annoying for a month or so... perhaps even on the long run, mostly because you need both hands to write TL.
But anyway, it is understandable.
How long is teamliquid.net going to redirect to tl.net? I hope it is a long time, there are many many links out there that redirect to teamliquid.net.
There is no hard deadline set for when the redirect ends but it won't be in the next few months, I can tell you that much. We're also looking into redirecting all teamliquid.net/forum/ traffic to its TL.net equivalent but I can't guarantee you that will happen in the end.
Dumbing down the sites legacy name so new arrivals can correspond shorthand TL(for teamliquid) directly to the new sites name is sad. Also search engines no longer show team liquid when you type in "tl" so that's it. Oh well the internet is no longer a hive of gamers so its understandable you must conform to them rather than the other way around.
On April 07 2019 07:01 Xamo wrote: I always go into the site by writing “team” and letting auto-complete do its work, so this is going to be annoying for a month or so... perhaps even on the long run, mostly because you need both hands to write TL.
But anyway, it is understandable.
How long is teamliquid.net going to redirect to tl.net? I hope it is a long time, there are many many links out there that redirect to teamliquid.net.
THIS!
Open brwoser -> Left hand to keyboard -> T E A -> Autocorrect Teamliquid -> Go
Year after year I'm impressed by how much respect Nazgul has for the community and liquid's origins. I'm not too happy about the change, but this is good decision.
On April 08 2019 22:25 Harris1st wrote: Open brwoser -> Left hand to keyboard -> T E A -> Autocorrect Teamliquid -> Go
Haha this is what I do too, type "tea" with left hand. Here's the beautiful thing though, as long as you visit TL enough, you can simply type "t" and it will pop up first
On April 08 2019 22:25 Harris1st wrote: Open brwoser -> Left hand to keyboard -> T E A -> Autocorrect Teamliquid -> Go
Haha this is what I do too, type "tea" with left hand. Here's the beautiful thing though, as long as you visit TL enough, you can simply type "t" and it will pop up first
Which other site with "t" would take priority over it?
Huge shoutout to how far TL has come. I no longer follow SC but still come to TL every single day. This community is incredible and I don't see myself leaving because of a simple name change.
I dedicate my 5k post to being part of the TL family.
I'm not going to lie, I don't like it. At the same time, I realize I haven't been on teamliquid.net for a while now, and in a sense it's none of my business, I wouldn't dare call myself an oldschool guy. I don't know, I always liked the connection between the forum and the teams, even if only in name. This (psychological) connection will diminish due to the change.
But these are my personal feelings. From a business point of view, I'm not surprised at all that TL wanted to do this way earlier. All I can say is: good luck!
I always open TL first thing when I go on the internet, but then I go check something else and just re-open TL after so I usually have 3-4 TL tab open at the same time. I think I have a problem
Other than that we're also going to update the text in the banner to reflect the change. The logo will still be there, the horses in the background too. Basically, the mindset of this change has been to change as little as possible. .
I appreciate the respect to the legacy of teamliquid and to it's long term users shown by Nazgul and many Admins here. That being said, i don't mind this change very much. TL.net will always be teamliquid in my heart.
As part of the move I've added a script to transfer your logged in session from teamliquid.net to tl.net so you don't have to password reset if you've been logged in for the last year . This is temporary for the next week or two. While this is in place, logging out will not work if you're logged into teamliquid.net, as the site will see this as a new session and try to transfer your login again. If this is really bothersome, you can delete your cookies for teamliquid.net to fix it.
On April 10 2019 19:15 R1CH wrote: As part of the move I've added a script to transfer your logged in session from teamliquid.net to tl.net so you don't have to password reset if you've been logged in for the last year . This is temporary for the next week or two. While this is in place, logging out will not work if you're logged into teamliquid.net, as the site will see this as a new session and try to transfer your login again. If this is really bothersome, you can delete your cookies for teamliquid.net to fix it.
That got me confused for a second there. Thanks for the heads-up I have no idea where the login/ logout button is. Never used it :D
i dont know alot of people come back to this page after years of not visiting it and then they get to the wrong one assume its dead and go away ... making it harder to be reached in my eyes i would make it tl.net and just keep the old one as well going to this page
On April 10 2019 21:12 Drake wrote: i dont know alot of people come back to this page after years of not visiting it and then they get to the wrong one assume its dead and go away ... making it harder to be reached in my eyes i would make it tl.net and just keep the old one as well going to this page
That is exactly what they will do for the next 6+ month
The changes have now been applied to the site. I wrote a change-log for the sidebar changes that was also included in the change. Please use that thread/the website feedback forum for any feedback.
Not a huge deal at all. Its really amazing how TL has grown! But I dont really understand the rationale behind this. The community is not the same as the proteam but thats not really different from a regular team having the name of a company. I. e. kt was a pro broodwar team but also an internet provider. Two different things same name.
On April 10 2019 22:25 Tal wrote: But the forum's name is Teamliquid...
I don't mind changing the URL for branding, but seems a real shame to lose the name on the front page/banner.
There’s always a silver lining. In the future when most of the veterans die off and what ‘TL’ truly stands for risks being lost forever in the mists of time we can troll in a good-nature’s manner as to the answer
On April 10 2019 22:25 Tal wrote: But the forum's name is Teamliquid...
I don't mind changing the URL for branding, but seems a real shame to lose the name on the front page/banner.
There’s always a silver lining. In the future when most of the veterans die off and what ‘TL’ truly stands for risks being lost forever in the mists of time we can troll in a good-nature’s manner as to the answer
On April 10 2019 22:43 Elroi wrote: Not a huge deal at all. Its really amazing how TL has grown! But I dont really understand the rationale behind this. The community is not the same as the proteam but thats not really different from a regular team having the name of a company. I. e. kt was a pro broodwar team but also an internet provider. Two different things same name.
Also: what about teamsolid :D
It may not make sense to the average TLnet goer... but to the average esports fan the distinction isn't so clear.
I think most people will refer to this site as Teamliquid anyway... because TL is just Teamliquid abbreviated... so I don't really think it makes a difference.
On April 10 2019 23:02 Charoisaur wrote: I think most people will refer to this site as Teamliquid anyway... because TL is just Teamliquid abbreviated... so I don't really think it makes a difference.
If that's the case then this change is working as intended. We want to change a little as possible on TL while clearing up a significant source of branding confusion elsewhere.
I've seen other people share this opinion already, but I want to concur. I'm all for the url change, but the branding/banner looks really empty, imo.
Granted, I see the problem of like, me telling a friend "Oh I saw this thread on Teamliquid". Them googling Teamliquid, and getting the pro team website.
On April 10 2019 21:58 brickrd wrote: that's a lot of words to justify a hollow rebranding that affects nothing, but congrats on making a thing different from what it was before
Perhaps the change has more meaning for others than it does for you. Understanding that is something called empathy, which is humanity's most important trait.
Well, what to say about this...? It's not a big deal for me, so if you want this to happen, then go on. But like Elroi I can't really grasp the reasoning. Yes, there is a possibility of mixing up the proteam and the homepage... but is this a big deal at all? Is there any harm from this? I think you're exchaning this "problem" for another one: now every new user will wonder what TL stands for. There can't be another answere than "TeamLiquid", which makes this brandchange not a real one but only a change in presentation.
But as said before: I can go with it - even if I think that the banner now looks a bit... unimpressive. I'll probably get used to it, though.
On April 10 2019 21:58 brickrd wrote: that's a lot of words to justify a hollow rebranding that affects nothing, but congrats on making a thing different from what it was before
Perhaps the change has more meaning for others than it does for you. Understanding that is something called empathy, which is humanity's most important trait.
to be fair, maybe you should have more empathy about people "just feeling bad" for sentimental reasons
It's a little bit sad that our good old site doesn't relate to a familiar well known esport brand anymore when we tell new people abot it. Life will go on tho
Edit: What if the url change but the banner still the same old one?
What was the original URL? I remember something with a .nl domain and in the /~monkey/ directory. That was when I first started visiting. I remember when they first bought the teamliquid domain.
I've been reading the site for years, and while I'm not a star contributor or anyone that anyone would recognize, I just want to say thank you and recognize how much hard work you all have done making this place what it is today. As someone who's seen a lot of it happen it is absolutely incredible and a testament to how great this community and this team is. Thanks everyone!
Thanks to everyone involved over the last 20 years. Teamliquiq.net or TL.net, it's just a name and the important part, the people and their awesome posts are still here.
teamliquid.net has been my starting page in any browser for the last ~15 years and I don't see any need to change that anytime soon.
GL HF with everything you aim for in the future and thank's for creating that awesome place (now) called TL.net
Thanks everyone who kept this website alive and active. I've been following it since near the beginning but don't post often. Great content through the years and some really memorable threads. While I'm also sad to see the name change, I fully support the decision and think you guys should do what you think is best (like changing to tl). Here's to many more years!
The reasons are valid, but teamliquid.net ist a brand of its own now. I would never rename it.
(Similar with Battle.Net. Yes it is not the most clear name choice and it should be Blizzard App. But usage in reality has the property of constituting meaning for a word.)
I would rather make a link to the pro site more prominent on teamliquid.net.
On April 22 2019 06:36 [F_]aths wrote: I am not sure.
The reasons are valid, but teamliquid.net ist a brand of its own now. I would never rename it.
(Similar with Battle.Net. Yes it is not the most clear name choice and it should be Blizzard App. But usage in reality has the property of constituting meaning for a word.)
I would rather make a link to the pro site more prominent on teamliquid.net.
The only time I go to the pro site is when I click on it by mistake from the dota site when I want to visit the main site. Should be easier to not confuse the sites now.
No longer having "TeamLiquid" in the banner looks wrong. Yes it actually stands for Team Liquid, but years of usage also made it a moniker for the #1 international Starcraft forum.
On April 22 2019 20:07 [F_]aths wrote: No longer having "TeamLiquid" in the banner looks wrong. Yes it actually stands for Team Liquid, but years of usage also made it a moniker for the #1 international Starcraft forum.
Yeah I would have left the banner intact if it were up to me.
This is kinda a weird situation. I agree with all the points made in the article and i truly understand them. Its just... still a change after so many years and seeing the url in the browser... It will take take to get adjusted to it. Both in using the new url and name, and the change at all. So lets hope TL.net will stick around for another 20 years and the next generation will have the same feelings when another world changer will arise.
Also, because it is said pretty well:
On April 05 2019 18:59 BisuDagger wrote: Honestly the best response here is a huge congratulations! What R1CH, Nazgul, and the rest of the core staff have created for us and themselves is incredible. This change is a milestone in their careers that should be celebrated. I hope everyone, however critical you may feel, will say thank you above all else. Wether it is teamliquid, TLnet, or bluehorsies.gov I'm just happy to be a part of this community and love you guys. Thank you!
Ah so many nostalgic memories from the old team liquid website. Romanians not getting sarcasm, the ground breaking TSL's, LR threads for tournaments and leagues, downloading pro replays in the bottom left section, the initial launch of liquidpedia, pimpest plays. Thanks for being such a big part of my highschool life!
On April 30 2019 13:17 crc wrote: Ah so many nostalgic memories from the old team liquid website. Romanians not getting sarcasm, the ground breaking TSL's, LR threads for tournaments and leagues, downloading pro replays in the bottom left section, the initial launch of liquidpedia, pimpest plays. Thanks for being such a big part of my highschool life!
EPT
no interesting story.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/R1CH/Happy2.gif)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/opHctSK.jpg)
