EPT![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Hot_Bid/header.jpg)
When we started Teamliquid eight years ago, we had a vision of being the best StarCraft site in the world. Back then, this wasn't a very difficult accomplishment. What we didn't realize is what being the best SC site in the world could lead to. Teamliquid is an amazing place and it's a joy to be a part of TL's community. We have 150 staff members and nearly two million unique visitors per month -- it's all pretty surreal. For eight long years we ran this site as volunteers simply because we had a shared passion. I guess you could say we shared two passions, one being SC and one being TL. The first passion was at the base of our foundation, but the second one became more and more important over time.
After all these years of hard work and incredible dedication from our staff we find ourselves in an very interesting time. We have covered professional Brood War, ran the forums, and developed many awesome features without anyone ever being paid a penny until we ran the TSL2. Finally, we had a budget that allowed us to pay our staff who dedicated their time to our website. It wasn't very much money at all, but it was a start.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Hot_Bid/TSLworld_t.jpg)
I guess where I'm heading with this is that I feel today's layout change is a good moment to talk a little bit about TL's direction. We are still the same people that ran this site for the past 8 years. We did so because today's opportunities simply did not exist. Pure dedication has gotten us really far. Sometimes this is also a bit of a burden, because we have created this image of TL that nothing is about money and that everything we do is driven by passion. While this holds true to a certain extent even today, we are also not saints. We do the things we do because we love them, but if we could turn TL into a website with income without sacrificing its integrity or principles, then this is something that we would absolutely love to do.
With this in mind you have seen certain minor changes such as the store and advertising buttons. Today's change is not a minor one. I have always loved our layout for it's nice-on-the-eye colors, for the horses that are connected to myself and Liquid in so many indirect ways and that have become part of my daily life for the past 8 years, and for the forums on the side that allowed TL to become the great community that it is today. Some have said our site looks ugly, but maybe it is just that you need to get used to it a little to appreciate how amazing the design was.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Hot_Bid/Uniquesperday.png)
However, no matter how awesome we believe the design to be, it has also hurt us in a way. If we pitch a big proposal for something such as the TSL to a company, the first thing they will do is check out our site. The first thing they will see is blue horses, and the last thing they will see is any association with StarCraft. We may argue that these companies just have to realize how awesome TL is but unfortunately it doesn't work like that. The design though great and functional, was truthfully a bit outdated and needed a good makeover.
So why am I writing all this? What I want to tell you guys is that we will never change. We are the same exact group of people that we were before and we will continue to be that way in whatever we do. Today's design change I believe is a perfect example. It's new and pretty but it is TL all the way. Not only are the horses still there but we also added a horse logo! This may be somewhat extraordinary for a Starcraft website, but then again we have never settled for ordinary. We have always been different. Unique. We don't behave like most companies in this business or any business really. And it will always be that way.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Hot_Bid/bannernew2finalsm.jpg)
Finally, I'd like to thank the people who made this all possible. Hundreds of hours have gone into design and discussion. Many thanks to disciple and Daigomi who were always there to help out, major props to Kennigit who came up with the brilliant idea of the horses in the background, and an unbelievable amount of respect for suffeli the creator of the logo and general theme of the layout. And last but not least thanks to R1CH for always being there to wizard things up.
With this somewhat emotional message behind us, I would like to ask for understanding. Understanding of where we want TL to be. We want this site to be the biggest and the best. We want to generate financial returns so that we can run more events and start rewarding our staff better, but not at the expense of our users, principles, or style. We need you guys to support us -- not financially, but simply by understanding our ambitions and dreams and the effects these will have on Teamliquid. We need you to know that beyond these superficial things, we will never change. The horses have returned, and they're here to stay.
