Introducing the New Smosh.com
My first conversations with Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox - the guys behind YouTube and web success Smosh - were about how Smosh could be much more than two guys making videos. We imagined a unique brand responsive to the wants and needs of its youth audience, something like what they had already begun on their own, but bigger, broader, and better.
When I joined forces with them in early 2007, we had the talent and the vision to set our course and begin our journey. What we lacked were the resources to get there on our own. Enter DECA and a strategic partnership formed in October 2008 to help us along the way. Our first step with DECA was to build out the Smosh website into a destination for like-minded teens and young adults to gather, play games, consume content, and socialize with one another.
Now, after months of hard work by Anthony, Ian, and the amazing team at DECA led by Chris Kimbell, Christian Sanz, Matt West, and Jennifer McDonnell, we’re proud to present the new Smosh.com. (See the Smosh relaunch press release here.)
The first thing Smosh users will notice is the new design - it’s more polished than before, but we think the expression is still authentic to Smosh. We’ve added a carousel to our homepage, which has made the site easier to navigate and allows us to surface content more effectively. Users will also find a brand-new section of casual games that includes “Smosh Fighter,” in which Anthony and Ian battle each other.
Technologically speaking, the site will work more seamlessly, with vastly greater capacity for handling traffic driven by our announcements and bonus content. In addition, our user profiles, merchandise page, and video pages have all been improved and we have added a special section for contests.
On top of everything else, and perhaps most important, we have designed the site to accommodate our growth and expansion plans. Down the road, our audience will have the ability to enjoy more games, watch video blogs from selected personalities, participate via user blogs, and see video content from other talented creators and performers.
As one might imagine, this is a very exciting time for Anthony, Ian, and me. A lot of what we thought Smosh could be from the very beginning is starting to be realized. Our partnership with DECA and hard work on everyone’s part has made this possible.
So visit Smosh.com and enjoy the site. Let me know what you think, and if you are under 24, I just might listen.