We've been making some major changes to Owners Connect, and it's time to talk about what's actually been happening behind the scenes.
Our website has undergone a substantial rebuild. This isn't just a new design or a few updated pages. We've been reworking how OC handles its marketplace, guides, partnerships, user accounts, verification information, and internal administration.
The goal is straightforward: make Owners Connect more useful for the people running, developing, moderating, and supporting online communities.
A Rebuilt Owners Connect Website
The new website brings a cleaner layout, improved navigation, and support for both light and dark themes. We've also expanded our integration with Aethro Auth, making it easier to access OC services through a connected account.
We've been rebuilding the underlying systems as well, moving more functionality into a centralized website instead of relying entirely on Discord for everything.
Marketplace Improvements
The marketplace has received a significant overhaul to make finding services and managing listings easier.
- Improved service browsing and category organization.
- Better listing layouts with clearer provider information.
- Dedicated account controls for managing your services.
- Improved moderation and review processes for marketplace listings.
- Better visibility for verification information and developer classifications.
We've also been expanding how developer classifications are handled, including the ability to distinguish AI-assisted development from independent technical competency. Using AI as a tool does not automatically disqualify someone from developer verification.
Our focus remains on transparency, technical accountability, and helping users make informed decisions when working with service providers.
OC Guides Are Back
Our Guides section has been rebuilt as a searchable resource library, making it easier to locate information about running communities, working with developers, using OC services, and navigating common challenges.
- Search guides by topic, title, or keyword.
- Browse resources using topic tags.
- Find featured articles and recently updated information.
- Read guides through dedicated article pages.
We've also introduced a new publishing system that makes it easier for our team to create, revise, and maintain guides directly through the website.
We'll continue expanding this library with practical information for server owners, moderators, developers, and community staff.
A New Partnership System
Our partnership program is receiving some long-overdue improvements.
Owners Connect currently recognizes Official Partners and Community Partners, each with different benefits and expectations. Sponsored partnerships remain unavailable at this time.
The rebuilt partnership system includes dedicated organization management, improved website advertisement placement, and advertising performance statistics for eligible partners.
Official Partners with website advertisements can review impressions, clicks, click-through rates, and campaign performance through their connected accounts.
We're also improving how partnerships are reviewed and maintained. Being a partner should represent an active relationship with Owners Connect, not simply a role that sits unused indefinitely.
Our partnership standards remain selective, with an emphasis on established projects, professionalism, ongoing activity, and value to the wider community.
Improved Accounts and Profiles
We're continuing to bring more account functionality directly to the website.
This includes profile management, connected identity information, service listing controls, and access to relevant partnership details for authorized representatives.
Our aim is to give users greater control over the information and services associated with their OC accounts without requiring a Discord support ticket for every routine change.
A New News and Updates System
News and announcements are also becoming a more important part of the website.
Instead of relying exclusively on Discord announcements, OC can publish articles and updates through its own news section, alongside existing RSS functionality.
This gives us a better place to explain policy updates, introduce new features, publish community information, and keep important announcements accessible after they disappear from the top of a Discord channel.
Expanded Staff and Moderation Tools
Some of the largest improvements are happening in areas most users won't directly see.
We're rebuilding the OC Staff administration system to bring more moderation, verification review, partnership management, and operational oversight into one place.
This includes:
- Improved verification application records and review history.
- Expanded case management and moderation tools.
- Dedicated partnership and advertisement administration.
- More detailed website analytics and activity tracking.
- Improved administration of OC Core's anti-ping protections.
- Better internal access controls for different staff responsibilities.
Some administrative integrations are still being developed, particularly where website actions need to communicate directly with OC Core. The work is ongoing, but these improvements will help our team manage OC more consistently and transparently.
What's Next?
There's still plenty on our list. We'll be continuing to improve the marketplace, expand our guides, refine verification and developer review processes, and build out more account features.
We're also reviewing existing partnerships and marketplace information to make sure our systems reflect how Owners Connect actually operates today.
Owners Connect has grown beyond its original Minecraft-focused beginnings, and our tools need to reflect that. We want OC to be useful across gaming communities, hosting providers, development projects, and the people supporting them.
The website rebuild is a major step toward that goal, but it certainly isn't the finish line.
Take a look around, explore what's changed, and let us know if something isn't working as expected. We're still refining things, and feedback helps us identify what needs attention.
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