Welcome to your new hackshackers.com! The new site makes a lot of changes that community members have long been asking for, and is the result of months of collaborative work with Hacks/Hackers organizers and members from around the world. We’ve also got an updated logo that cleverly modernizes our visual identity.

The site now includes:

• A resources page for organizers
• A directory of local groups
• A space for blog posts and community news
• A taxonomy system for finding local groups and topics
• An updated about page with our mission and history
• A style guide with the new design and logos

![screenshot of homepage] (https://hackshackers.com/content-images/news/2017/03/Screen-Shot-2017-03-07-at-5.02.54-PM.png)

Nearly 100 local groups making up Hacks/Hackers have inspired change and jumpstarted media innovation over the last seven years, but the website has been outdated for a while. When we asked community members what they would like to see in a new site, several responded that they didn’t know we had one to begin with.

So back in 2015, the intrepid volunteers of the Website Action Group put together a list of needed improvements. These included:

• A centralized repository for Hacks/Hackers information, such as tools for organizers and a directory of local groups.
• Clearer information - a lot of the content on the site was out of date or unorganized.
• Easier and quicker routes to the content users want. This turned out to be, for example, guides on how to find new members, run a group or start a new one.

![screenshot of resources page] (/content-images/news/2017/Screen Shot 2017-03-10 at 12.32.41 PM.png)

We got dozens of replies to a survey back in 2015, indicating that more than a few of us were interested in overhauling hackshackers.com. The committee debated ways to take action, including migrating the site to Github, incorporating etherpad or organizing via a Google group.

Things really rolling in earnest when Alley Interactive offered to take over the redesign as part of their mission to help media companies adapt to the evolving digital landscape.

Over the course of half a year, Alley drilled down to the group’s essence: openness, transparency, grassroots organizing, collaboration and experimentation. Designer Christa Field shared her thoughts on incorporating these elements into the new logo and web design. Developer Josh Kadis also provided a detailed account of what’s going on under the hood. The short version is, it’s a static site generated by Hugo and made user-editable by Github.

Special thanks go out to the Alley Interactive team, Josh Kadis, Matt Nadolny, Christa Field and Jaimie Olmstead; the Website Action Group, Phillip Smith, Misha Vinokur, Matt Carroll, Michael Pereira and Thomas Wilburn; the calendar designer, Peter MacRobert; the editors, Burt Herman and Samantha Sunne; and the valued hacks and hackers who offered their input.