In the last couple of weeks we saw the launch of several successful specialized torrent trackers such as TheGeeks and SceneVids. Here’s yet another niche private torrent site that’s shown a lot of promise for the short period of time it’s been online; Creative-Bits (CB). CreativeBits is a BitTorrent tracker dedicated to tracking templates, graphics, fonts, E-books, video tutorials, content management systems (CMS), Flash & Photoshop content, software, etc. In short, it’s a torrent site that’d come in handy for software engineers, web developers, web designers, graphics designers and even to students of pretty much any field related to information technology. CB is one of the handful trackers that cater to this particular niche, other similar sites being GFXnews, Torrent Script (now defunct) and TemplateP2P (which is not a tracker but a DDL forum). CB is currently accepting new members and there’s recruitment going on in their official IRC channel.
During the initial stages of the project, CreativeBits went through an extended beta testing period of nearly two months. The site is built on a customized version of Gazelle codebase and has been functioning smoothly since their public launch early September. Although it’s only been a couple of weeks since CreativeBits officially launched, several major changes have already been made based on user feedback. For instance, CB is now a ratio free tracker. Quoted below is a news post explaining in detail the the changes made recently:
We have some changes for you guys today, and they are outlined as follows:
- We have gone Ratio Free! We asked you guys how you felt about it, and the majority of you want it, so here it is. We're currently working on an HnR background system, and you will be notified when it's fully in place. Please take note: That doesn't mean we aren't keeping HnR logs right now, because we are. Please seed everything you snatch for at least 72 hours. The content is very small, we hope our users can show some spirit and seed for longer.
- We have a new Bonus Points System. I said in a thread earlier that we wouldn't have this, but it was input so points can be gathered in case we figure out a use for them in the future. You earn 1 point every hour for each torrent you're seeding, and the base items on the bonus page will change over time.
- User class requirements have changed as well. Member class must be on site for 4 weeks and have 10 uploaded torrents, while Power User class must be on site for 6 weeks and have 25 uploaded torrents. We believe this is easy to accomplish due to extremely small filesizes and abundant content.
- A couple other behind the scenes things for staff, like category editing and such.
We hope you guys are excited about these changes, and we'll be delivering content more steadily from now on. So download what you want and seed away, collect those points in case we offer something special in the future!
As you might be aware, CreativeBits is yet to have an open signup – their preferred mode of recruitment so far has been through IRC interview on the official invites channel. As of 26/9/2010, the number of registered users on CB stood at 175 – this isn’t a lot but still it’s a respectable number for a three week old niche tracker. CB hasn’t been shy on building their torrent index though – at last check it indexed nearly 650 active torrents (and they are not common content you’d usually find on General/0Day trackers either).
Although some might brand CB an E-learning tracker, educational material isn’t what this site is all about. A detailed explanation on the type of content you can find on this tracker is given in the following forum post by hxck (SysOp):
We are striving to be the place to get anything you need to be creative. Whether you want to create a Word Doc or a Web Site, a Video or Flier, a Blog or a Forum, we will have it all. The site is all about creativity and the resources it takes to be digitally creative. We're planning on having: Fonts, Vectors, Templates, CMS (Content Management Systems), eBooks, Video Tutorials, Flash files, & all the Photoshop resources you could ever want. Although, that won't be all we offer. We will also have Apps, eBooks and Comic Books available to you, and we hope you enjoy the variety!
Some of the torrents already indexed on CreativeBits can be seen in the screenshot below:
Naturally, you’d by now be wondering how to get into this tracker. Like we said before, signups are currently closed – the only way in is via the IRC interview (or if you get invited by a friend). If you don’t know anything about coding/development/web design/graphics design, etc. you might find the interview to be hard. CB staff are looking for candidates who will actually use the site instead of collectors. Interview channel details are given below:
Site Name: CreativeBits
Server: irc.omgwtfhax.net
Invite Channel: #CB-Invites
Direct Link: irc://irc.omgwtfhax.net/cb-invites
Please make sure to follow instructions in channel topic. If you are new to IRC, please read this brief tutorial on how to join a channel.
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