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Started in 1995, its life began as nothing more than a sketch on a napkin, however quickly took on a cleaner 3D look near the end of 95.
Today WorldVillage is made up of several sections, serving over 200,000 unique visitors a month. There's something for everyone here at WorldVillage!
If you'd like to see more of the changes that WV had gone through, be sure to stop by the history page.
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It features an expansive community and large forum in which members can discuss saving money and share methods and coupons with others.
Launched in March of 2000 it quickly grew, having a current user base of 245,000 members as of December 2007.
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This image is taken from a sketch created during the inception of WorldVillage, about January 1995. We weren't exactly sure what we wanted to do at the time. We did know that we wanted to create a virtual world that would be entertaining and look cool. Is this sketch cool, or what? ;) |
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Ah... the
first WorldVillage created by computer. Josh Williams designed this image
according to our first specifications in February 1995. Our first thought
for the multimedia area was to call it MultiMedia Mountain. Yeah, right.
However, WorldVillage wasn't online yet, and this image never saw the
light of day (until now).
Along with the map came our first logo. Kinda sharp, hmm? |
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Josh fine-tuned the rough draft, and completed this image in March of 1995. You can see the many ideas we had for various regions of WorldVillage. The School House was still called Learning Land. Most of the concepts illustrated here have been implemented today. This image, too, never got on to the page. |
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 WorldVillage
evolved to another level when Robert Heimer sat at his Macintosh and
created this image in May of 1995. We were pleased with it, and it was the
first image to appear online when WorldVillage debuted on the world wide
web in July of 1995. However, we still wanted something more for our look,
so we sought another artist who could make WorldVillage come to life.
And our second incarnation of our logo came about as well.
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Enter Tim Stiles. WorldVillage had entered the web and began to make a splash. This image really conveyed more of the feel that we were trying to evoke. 3D, rendered, warm, fun, friendly, and yet, mature. This map appeared in August of 1995. |
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We fine-tuned the background of the map, and brought the Village Square into the picure. This image was online from October of 1995 through early February of 1996. But with the addition of two new areas, a new map was on the way.... |
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 This
rendering featured the new Internet Hotel as well as The WorldVillage
Office. Although this image was used for several months, we recognized
that WorldVillage was beginning to get a bit crowded. Plans were already
being made to remedy this situation.
The new logo finished out this new WorldVillage look! |
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And here we
were a couple months later. Tim has continued to provide top-notch images,
as can be seen from our newest rendering, which now includes our Village
Chapel, a spiritual resource for WorldVillage visitors.  As
you can see, WorldVillage acquired more land and was able to spread out
the areas a bit.
And a new, crisper logo makes it's appearance. |
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Next, the Village Square reappeared, making room for WorldVillage Chat, and a partnership with Match.com. |
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Ch-ch-ch-changes!
As WorldVillage prepared to enter 1997, a whole new look evolved, with
lots of primary colors and a fun attitude! WorldVillage KIDZ  made
it's debut, and many new features were being hatched.
The new logo topped off the new look with it's bright colors, inviting others to place it on their own home page. |
WorldVillage in 1998. |
WorldVillage in 1999. |
WorldVillage in 2000. |
Launched July 10, 2001, this layout was designed to be all inclusive and to feature several sections of the site at easy reach right off the main page. |
Lauched November 2005, this layout incorporated the launch of the WorldVillage Bloggers Network. The bloggers network quickly became a central point of WorldVillage. |
The current layout, launched December 25th of 2007 marks a major redesign of WorldVillage. |
New Site Layout - In an effort to make the site easier to use we are implementing a new optimized layout. The site will load faster and be easier to use.
New Top Navigation - Based on the popularity of various sections of the site we are changing the top navigation to make popular areas more accessible.
Email/IM Deal Links Under Every Deal - We are adding the ability to eMail or IM every deal to friends. After looking at the success of these links on sites like Yahoo News we determined it would be valuable to our members.
"Top Deals" Site Wide Rotation - Yet another way to call out to some of the best deals and ensure that people will see them wherever they are on the site.
Forum Activity Block On Home Page - The DealofDay.com forums are one of the largest coupon/deal hunter communities on the Internet and this block allows people to see the newest deals on the site and the newest posts in the Dealtalk forums in the same place.
Deal Search Function - The Deal Search function was present in some of the older versions of DoD but due to some other changes it was removed with the intention of reworking it later. The search function has been recoded and will be implemented over the coming days.
Deal Category RSS Feeds - Users can now subscribe to RSS feeds at the bottom of every category page allowing them to stay updated if they are searching for deals on particular types of items.
Top Freebies Section - We are reviving the freebies section of DealofDay due to some new partners that able to once again provide us with some great free offers. The freebies section was originally removed due to the low quality of offers our partners were providing but thanks to our new associates you will see this section up again soon.
**There are many other smaller changes and we expect this upgrade to be complete in the coming days.
InfoMedia
1005 Acadia Drive
Plano, TX 75023
Contact: Joel Comm, Marketing Director
Voice: 214-422-9738
E-mail: JoelComm@aol.com
Family-Safe Web Site Now on the Web!
PLANO, TX, October 25, 1995 - InfoMedia, creator of the National Software Review and Dallas/Ft. Worth Software Review, announces The WorldVillage, a uniquely entertaining and informative community accessed freely on the Internet's World-Wide-Web by pointing a web browser to "http://www.worldvillage.com".
Created for the home computer user, The WorldVillage offers a multitude of features for game players, parents and teachers, children, multimedia users, and Internet surfers alike, all represented with original state-of-the-art graphics.
Regions of the WorldVillage include Gamer's Zone, The School House , The Multimedia Cafe, and The Village Square.
Gamer's Zone
The Gamer's Zone offers a full range of gaming information, including an online magazine featuring reviews of the latest releases and an index of past reviews, as well as interviews with key individuals in the gaming industry, and humorous and informative articles related to the state of computer gaming. Gamer's Zone provides the top 10 shareware games available for downloading, presents product information and game demos direct from the manufacturer, and will feature some of the most original and entertaining online games the Internet has ever seen.
The School House
Visitors choosing to enter the techno-red school house will find themselves in a world of edutainment and learning. Focusing on the furtherance of knowledge, this area contains something for learners of all ages! Software reviews, interviews with industry leaders and educators, product demos, hot shareware, and message bases are only the beginning to the learning experience. Real time chat allows discussion on educational software, teaching methods, and even conversations between parents and teachers. Featuring articles by leading educators, the School House provides information for pre-school all the way up to adult education.
The MultiMedia Cafe
Click on the futuristic coffee shop and enter a world of sights, sounds, and fun! MultiMedia Land is the place to preview the latest multimedia software, download commercial product demos, chat real time about your favorite program, get tips on tuning up your machine, and experience multimedia online with a unique presentation which utilizes all the WWW has to offer!
The Village Square
By clicking on the large computer located at the entrance to the WorldVillage, visitors are transported to InfoMedia Online. Here, users can correspond with the creators of the WorldVillage, submit letters to the editor, make suggestions, and gather information on InfoMedia, InfoMedia Graphics, press releases, and advertising opportunities.
Point your web browser to http://www.worldvillage.com.
For sponsorship information or to announce new product, please contact Joel Comm at (214) 422-9738 or e-mail to JoelComm@aol.com
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