Moonwell Dancers

It might seem an odd choice for a project, but MMORPGs have sophisticated data streams, and the in-game entities called "guilds" can be vibrant communities. The website itself serves as an online center for Moonwell Dancers, featuring forums, event calendar, and member gallery. The interesting intellectual challenge is applying Blizzard's XML feeds that provide up-to-date in-game information.

The web site is a social platform for scheduling and discussing game activities, upload screenshots of fun in-game happenings, and having a small corner of the internet to enjoy a shared experience. Custom (members-only) forums and an event calendar make it all possible, and a section tracks in-game progress on the "raids" that provide some of the biggest challenges World of Warcraft has to offer.

Behind the scenes, an administrator can ensure that the guild roster remains up to date, including all the statistical data Blizzard shares about characters. Another roster tool makes it possible to connect characters under the same website account (for privacy reasons, Blizzard does not make those connections known, but guild members can inform the web site team about their myriad characters).

There's even a bit of fun storytelling possible with the "Inky Guides" that teach guild members about our code of conduct and the fun things we do, and a clever set of cartography articles written by Prymusunum that provide a unique view of the imaginary world of Azeroth we call our (virtual) home!