First of all WELCOME! to all of our new members - whether you have signed up to volunteer or simply to participate in the greater conversation, each and all of you are important to the future of Couchers.org.
Big News:
Baby Alpha is now available to be tested. Check it out here!
A few things to note:
- This platform is in a very early stage so it is incomplete. It is being made available for testing purposes.
- This is NOT the design of the final platform (thank goodness!)
- Bugs are to be expected (but not the bedbugs kind of bugs)
- And all the information you enter may be deleted before launch - so detailed profile sections and friends you make will have to be repeated for the real, live, public version (basically don’t get too keyboard happy).
This is exciting. We’re quite proud of how much the volunteers have been able to achieve in just a couple of months. And in due time, we’re going to have a free to use functional platform that’s full of features AND backed by non-profit status. We’re always redeveloping the platform, taking into account all feedback and bugs reported, so you can check back in whenever you like to see any new features, upgrades, and bug fixes.
Currently, the app is briefly taken down every time we do an upgrade, so don’t be surprised if you’re logged off at random times - we’re working towards a zero-downtime upgrade process which will be used before the proper launch.
Help out by poking around and reporting anything that’s not working. You’ll be the one using it, so take this opportunity to give feedback and share what would work best for you. Everyone on there is very friendly and open - so just type a random name and connect with someone who pops up!
Oh and FYI - better to use a desktop/laptop rather than your phone!
If you’d like to help build it, simply send us an email (community@couchers.org) and we’ll reach out to you as soon as we can.
The forum is really kicking off now. No matter what your opinion or experience is, the discussions are helping us all understand different features and aspects of couch-surfing, as we take on new perspectives and ideas. Meeting people from all over the world, with all different types of backgrounds, it is certainly eye-opening. You don’t have to participate in every discussion, but there could be one where your own input could change the whole outlook.
So thanks for reading, check out Alpha, and keep giving us your ideas. Oh, and invite your friends!
See you around guys!