User:TheNewPhobia/Nick.com

Nick.com is a website owned and developed by Nickelodeon in October 1995. The website serves mainly as an online portal for Nickelodeon content, and offers online games, message boards, and individual websites for each show it has broadcast.

Nick.com has received positive critical reaction, receiving various awards including a Webby in 2003. Positive praise has also been received because of the steps taken by the website to protect user privacy.

History
Nick.com was launched by Nickelodeon in October 1995. Initially the website was available only using America Online's internet service. The website was later available to all internet service providers and became a strong promotional tool for Nickelodeon. The website's popularity grew and in March 1999, Nick.com became the highest rated website for children aged six to fourteen years old. Nickelodeon used the website in conjunction with television programmes which increased traffic. Nick.com also maintained a high level of respect for user privacy during the growth of the wesbite.

In January 2000, develepers started discussing expansion of Nick.com to make it an even more desirable website for children to visit. Mike Skagerlind, the website's general manager at the time said "But we felt strongly that it could be a lot more. We basically wanted it to be the main place that kids go to on the Web." On June 3, 2000, the website redesign began. The interface was revamped and to make it more appealing to children and the most significant development was the use of Flash for animated graphics and buttons.

In 2001, Nickelodeon partnered with Networks Inc. to provide broadband video games for rent from Nick.com. The move was a further step in the multimedia direction that the developers wanted to take the website. Skagerlind indicated that over 50% of Nick.com's audience are using a high speed connection which allows them to expand the gaming options on the website. To accompany the broadband content, TurboNick was created. Initially it was a popup panel which showcased broadband content on Nick.com. Turbo Nick was revamped and relaunched on July 1, 2005 as a sister website for Nick.com. The new website expanded on clips and content on Nick.com to provide full length Nickelodeon television shows.

Reception
The critical reaction for Nick.com has been mostly positive, with the website winning numerous awards. In 1999 teachers.nick.com was awarded a Beacon award in the Education section. The awards reward excellence within the cable industry. The website has received two awards from the Broadcast Designers Association, getting a bronze award in 2001 and a silver in 2002. In 2003 Nick.com received a Judge's Choice Webby in the Television section of the awards. Nick.com also received positive attention for its privacy policies. In 1999 Nick.com received the first Internet privacy seal from BBBOnline, a subsidiary of CBBB that assesses privacy issues online.

Design
Before 2000, Nick.com's design was mainly images and image maps allowing navigation through the website. Then, in June 2000, the website was expanded and redesigned with Flash-animated buttons and advertisements.

Nick.com's design has changed repeatedly since then, with the website's current design making use of sidebars, web banners, and Adobe Flash.

Nicktropolis
Nicktropolis is a service provided by Nickelodeon on Nick.com. It is a virtual community that uses isometric 3D graphics. It allows the user to play games, watch video clips and explore locations based on Nickelodeon television shows. The service was launched January 30, 2007.

TurboNick
TurboNick is a sister website to Nick.com that provides streaming videos of full or partial Nickelodeon episodes. Originally TurboNick was a part of Nick.com, showcasing broadband content such as video clips and games. On 1 July 2005 TurboNick relaunched in its current format. TurboNick UK does not offer the same ability to watch entire episodes, but offers short clips from Nickelodeon TV shows instead.

New Game of the Week
On January 6, 2006, Nickelodeon launched New Game of the Week, which is a service that showcases an Adobe Flash game based on Nickelodeon content. The first New Game of the Week was Jimmy-Timmy: Co-Pilot Chaos, based on Jimmy Neutron and Timmy Turner from The Fairly Odd Parents. When the service was launched, Nick.com had over 228 million game plays in the same quarter which was partially attributed to New Game of the Week. A new game is showcased every Friday.