Server move! Hiatus-ees & sporadic players, check your info!

[Rainbow Daydreamer]

From New Features:

Site Update - Over the next few days, the Code Myncis will be migrating all account information, like usernames and such, over to a fancy new system they built. They're really jazzed about it, but that unfortunately means some slowness and downtime for the site overall, so we wanted to give you a heads up and let you know what to expect once they're done:
* Usernames and passwords will work on both Neopets.com and PetpetPark.com. (They already do, but this is better.)
* During this time, you may not be able to update your account data on the site, including your password. (There will be an error message instead.)
* Our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy will have changed! You will see a message to accept the new versions the next time you log in after the maintenance is over.
* Registration will be down for a bit during this time so you will not be able to create new accounts.
* We need to fill in missing data in the new system, so you may be asked to update your email address (or your parents email address), your country, and your state information.
We hope to keep the downtime as short as possible, but please be patient with us during the maintenance!

Obviously, I'm excited (and a teensy bit apprehensive) about the Terms and Conditions update, since they haven't been altered since before the Revamp. I have a tendency to get all idealistically enthusiastic whenever something like this happens (finally going to lay down some real side account rules? going to incorporate stuff from editorials? bring a proper legal smackdown to account-sellers?) but it's probably just going to be another reinforcement of the "if you send us something, we own it thereafter" rules.

Someone on the HC today made the very good point that, since there's a lot of shuffling around involved in this and because TNT doubtless want us all to see the new policies, there's a good chance we'll all be logged out, and may be asked for more information than usual upon logging in.

We don't know what's going to happen, of course, but now might be a good time, if you're an infrequent player or on hiatus, to make sure you know all your passwords and PINs, as well as the birthdates and email addresses associated with your accounts. It can't hurt, whatever comes out of this.

[Kantark]

At least they haven't plastered the news with 'YOU ARE NOT PREPARED' this time. That's not to say I'm not a little worried anyhow :-P

I'd guess their goal is to bring the T&Cs and Privacy policy into line with the other websites in this group (maybe there's some consolidation of departments going on behind the scenes? Who knows!), rather than actually do anything useful. I'd like to be wrong.

[Pyrostatic]

They must be finally fixing the security holes and CGers crap.
Or at least, I'd hope so, for the sake of everyone. It's been a crazy summer. o_o;

[Madge]

It would be really nice if they encrypted their friggin' passwords. At least then you won't have to worry about people HACKING INTO NEOPETS ITSELF and stealing your plaintext password that way.

But I think it's more like what Kantark said. It's gonna be hardly noticeable.

[Pyrostatic]

Exactly.
But unfortunately, most likely nothing as big as the staff says it will be. =/

[Fjorab_Teke]

Holy typos, Batman! I wonder how their new Terms of Use got through - did anyone proofread it? I could understand something quick and "unofficial," but legal statements should (ideally) get a thorough check-through.

[Rainbow Daydreamer]

I've gone into full ranty detail on my blog, but in brief, I'm disappointed. You'd think the only thing that had happened in the last three years was the invention of Petpet Park (so they have to use "virtual worlds" instead of just "Neopia"). Nothing seems to have been added or clarified. They could have done so much better.

[Kantark]

Hmm, I think from pretty much the first sentence it was doomed to not tell us anything useful about the rules of actually playing the game:

Each of the Nickelodeon Virtual Worlds may have specific rules regarding how to play the games and interact on the particular site, but all the Nickelodeon Virtual Worlds share certain core principles regarding appropriate behavior.

I know this is pretty much a stock bit of legalese from any website that accepts user-generated content, and it's a necessary safeguard against spurious lawsuits, but I still love the sheer arrogant brutality of this clause:

you (and your parents, if you're under age 18) automatically grant (or warrant that the owner of such rights has expressly granted) to us a perpetual, royalty-free, irrevocable, non-exclusive right and license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, and distribute such materials or incorporate such materials into any form, medium, or technology (now known or hereafter developed or devised) throughout the universe. In addition, you warrant that all so-called "moral rights" and other rights recognized throughout the world (including without limitation, the European Economic Community) in those materials have been waived.

That it comes directly after the clause stating you can't do pretty much anything with their content is the icing on the cake.

And because this pushes all my wrong buttons I just can't let it slide:

We are always on the lookout for technical glitches that effect how the Nickelodeon Virtual Worlds work. When we find them on our end, we will fix them. Unfortunately, your home computer may cause some glitches that effect how you see our Nickelodeon Virtual Worlds--and that is beyond our control.

Effect/Affect.... jeezus, is it really that fecking hard? Argh!

I hope I never find a technical glitch 'on my end'.