“Brand Thunder browser themes have always attracted global attention,” said Patrick Murphy, founder and CEO of Brand Thunder. “The breadth of appeal is easy to see with the visual nature of the theme, and the drag-and-drop ease of use makes allows anyone to create their own.”

BT:Engage allows users to select images from the library of graphics offered by Brand Thunder, or upload their own pictures and graphics to create the theme backgrounds. Adding buttons is as simple as typing a title and a URL. News feeds are added by copying a URL for an existing RSS feed, or using the included RSS feed generator. The combination of visual and interactive components lends itself to increased brand awareness and engagement between publisher and fan base.

Brand Thunder is the leading choice in official browser themes with more than 200 world-class brands and thousands of web publishers. Brand Thunder’s interactive themes provide an extreme makeover of the Internet browser.  They are free, lightweight active customizations that can include themes, toolbars, sidebars and other content or functionality.

About Brand Thunder:

Brand Thunder is the world leader in browser themes and custom interactive browser themes for Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Chrome. Brand Thunder formed in April 2007 to leverage the power of customization within the web browser and offer companies a compelling, patent-pending solution for creating a more persistent presence with their Internet consumer. Brand Thunder has branded the browser and extended its functionality for some of the most recognizable brands in sports, music and the Internet including: Bob Marley, CBSSports.com College Network, CollegeHumor, The Huffington Post, IGN, MLB.com, NASCAR, NBA, NFL, SONY Music, Universal Music, WeatherBug and many more. Create, find or have us build your browser theme at http://brandthunder.com.

Contact:  
Patrick Murphy, CEO
Brand Thunder, LLC
614-304-1316

###

While the music industry doesn’t look like it did in the Tower Records heyday, it’s alive and well in its current iteration of local nightclubs,  iTunes and Amazon music stores, Spotify and Pandora music streams. Here’s a collection of band and artist-inspired browser themes to show Brand Thunder’s small contribution to independent musicians, bands and the community they serve.

Themes from the Band

Nine Lies Theme

An award winning Indie Rock Band from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Nine Lies have had incredible success since their inception, realizing milestones that most unsigned bands can only dream of. Their determination and drive set them apart from the crowd, as does their guitar-forward sound with musically matched vocals and percussion. As the first band to use BT:Engage for their fans, Brand Thunder continues to be a big fan. Get more from the band at http://www.ninelies.net/ or get the Nine Lies theme.

AD – Angie Blue Music Theme

Angie discovered BT:Engage when helping with a WAR Child UK fund-raising effort. We respect any independent artist working all channels to connect with their fans, but admire them when they also commit to causes like WAR Child who is on the ground in some of the world’s most dangerous countries — helping to put children’s lives back together

Find out more about Angie Blue Music or check out the AD Theme.

Themes from the Fans

Where the bands left off, the fans are starting up. You’ll find lots of themes with an increasing focus on music acts. The successful launch of the Girls’ Generation Theme (aka SNSD) theme resulted in a host of themes from acts across Asia from their fans around the world.

EXO

EXO is a boy band with SMTOWN, the same company that introduced Girls’ Generation to South Korea. EXO comprises twelve members separated into two subgroups, EXO-K and EXO-M, promoting their music simultaneously in both South Korea and China respectively, while the EXO theme promotes the band exceptionally!

Discover more when you visit the EXO-K Official site, the EXO-M Official site or get the EXO SMTOWN theme,

2PM

SMTown doesn’t have a lock on talent or avid fans from Sourth Korea, JYP Entertainment‘s 2PM has a fan-created theme featuring the boys in the band.Get your Hands Up and check out 2PM and the 2PM theme.

Vic Zhou Theme

Originally a member of the Taiwanese boy band F4, Vic has since earned his reputation as a serious actor moving from TV dramas into feature films.

Regardless of how you discovered this multifaceted artist, you can keep up through the VicPower site or stay inspired with the Vic Zhou theme.

Music Community Themes

Songstuff

If you’re more of an aspiring artist yourself, don’t miss the Songstuff Music Community theme. Songstuff is a free songwriting, not-for-profit resource and general music resource for both fans and musicians, offering free songs and music pages, creative, technical and business information, interviews, forums, links, and artist adverts. Songstuff supports your songwriting and listening needs.

Record Company Clients

Brand Thunder’s own foray into the music-theme field started back in 2008 with the Sugarland browser theme. Universal Music Group was looking for something special to offer fans in conjunction with the launch of Love on the Inside.

We’ve since gone on to other record labels including Sony Music with artists like Jacob Latimore and Kelly Clarkson.

Interscope Records is another label featuring artists like Girls’ Generation, Greyson Chance and Mindless Behavior.

 We’re hoping you find something that will bring music to your Internet experience.

Related articles

• New MLB.com Browser Themes from Brand Thunder (brandthunder.com)
• Browser theme creator Brand Thunder acquires rival (news.cnet.com)

A cosplayer portraying Ezio from Assassin's Creed II at Sac-Anime in Sacramento, California. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When Brand Thunder turned over the keys to browser theme builders with BT:Engage, we knew lots of different communities would be attracted to it. We recognize some of the best in our weekly browser theme of the week contest. Others seem to stand out when you look at the full collection of themes that are built and offered in Brand Thunder’s Theme Gallery. (You know you can publish the themes you build to Brand Thunder’s Gallery, right?)

The following represents some of the themes we’ve discovered in the gallery devoted to popular computer and video games. I’m not sure if these were created by gamers turned artists, or artists with an affinity toward games. All I know is some of these are pretty cool themes of upcoming, current and classic games.

Take a look and tell us your favorites in the comments.

Assassin’s Creed III Theme

The Assassin’s Creed series  rewrote the book from first-person shooter to first person stalker. Cunning is as important as a quick trigger finger.

Assassin’s Creed III

Battlefield 3

BF3 is an award-winning first person shooter which garnered a lot of attention for its graphics and multi-player mode.

Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 Smoke

Battlefield 3 City

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Montreal must do something for the creative juices as it’s the playground of a killer gaming community. Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a cyber-punk thriller with an exceptional storyline and great game play.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Diablo III

Evil is apparently back with the Diablo franchise. Diablo III has fans eagerly awaiting its May 15, 2012 release – almost four years since its announcement.

Diablo III

Diablo III Game Pics

L.A. Noire

L.A. Noire brings elegant story telling and a detailed version of 1940s Los Angeles. Not the fastest pace game on the market, but one that has real depth.

L.A. Noire

Pac-man

The arcade game that defined video gaming. What more can you say about Pac-Man?

Pac-man

Mario Bros.

If Pac-Man launched the arcade video game, Mario Bros. brought it home to stay. It’s the franchise that built Nintendo.

Mario Bros. 

The Legend of Zelda

Zelda is another important franchise to Nintendo finding an avid following for this fantasy game.

Zelda Lost Woods

Related articles

• Brand Thunder’s “Theme of the Week” Contest (brandthunder.com)

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

At the start of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, there were 34 teams with browser themes. Thirteen teams  that reached the Sweet 16 offer their alma mater browser themes. Guess what it takes to be a winner? The positive energy of a connected fan base, of course! Though a talented team, good coaching and solid free-throw percentages don’t hurt either.

It’s not too late to get on the bandwagon of your new favorite team. The official browser themes of the Sweet 16 schools are all listed below. If you want to hedge your bets, you can follow all the March Madness with Brand Thunder’s Bracket Madness theme.  But don’t forget, it’s easy to switch between themes. So, install as many as you like and be ready come tip off!

SOUTH

1. Kentucky

Kentucky Wildcats browser theme

4. Indiana

Indiana Hoosiers browser theme

3. Baylor

Baylor Bears browser theme

10. Xavier

Xavier Musketeers browser theme

WEST

1. Michigan State

Michigan State Spartans browser theme

4. Louisville

Louisville Cardinals browser theme

3. Marquette

Marquette Golden Eagles browser theme

7. Florida

Sorry, no official browser theme for Florida. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

EAST

1. Syracuse

Sorry, no official browser theme for Syracuse. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

4. Wisconsin

Wisconsin Badgers browser theme

6. Cincinnati

Cincinnati Bearcats browser theme

2. Ohio State

Ohio State Buckeyes browser theme

Midwest

1. North Carolina

North Carolina Tar Heels browser theme

13. Ohio

Sorry, no official browser theme for Ohio. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

11. NC State

NC State Wolfpack browser theme

2. Kansas

Kansas Jayhawks browser theme

Related articles

• Official Browser Themes of the NCAA Tournament Teams (brandthunder.com)
• Download Themes in New Gallery (brandthunder.com)

Image via Wikipedia

It’s March. Madness is upon us.

It’s tournament time. US productivity is down while basketball viewing is up. Whether you’re a fan of women’s basketball, or you’re following the men’s bracket, there’s no better way to follow your team and keep up with the action than a browser theme.

Brand Thunder’s browser themes are brought to you by the Athletic Departments of your favorite colleges and universities. They’re free so try yours today. And feel free to change to whichever theme makes your bracket picks better.

Good luck!

SOUTH

1. Kentucky

Kentucky Wildcats browser theme

16. Mississippi Valley State/Western Kentucky

Sorry, no official browser theme for Mississippi Valley St or Western Kentucky. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

8. Iowa State

Iowa State Cyclones browser theme

9. Connecticut

Connecticut Huskies browser theme

5. Wichita State

Sorry, no official browser theme for Wichita State. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

12. Virginia Commonwealth University

Sorry, no official browser theme for VCU. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

4. Indiana

Indiana Hoosiers browser theme

13. New Mexico State

Sorry, no official browser theme for New Mexico State. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

6. UNLV

UNLV Rebels browser theme

11. Colorado

Sorry, no official browser theme for Colorado. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

3. Baylor

Baylor Bears browser theme

14. South Dakota

Sorry, no official browser theme for South Dakota. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

7. Notre Dame

Notre Dame Fighting Irish browser theme

10. Xavier

Xavier Musketeers browser theme

2. Duke

Duke Blue Devils browser theme

15. Lehigh

Sorry, no official browser theme for Lehigh. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

WEST

1. Michigan State

Michigan State Spartans browser theme

16. LIU Brooklyn

Sorry, no official browser theme for LIU Brooklyn. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

8. Memphis

Memphis Tigers browser theme

9. Saint Louis

Sorry, no official browser theme for Saint Louis. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

5. New Mexico

New Mexico Lobos browser theme

12. Long Beach State

Sorry, no official browser theme for Long Beach State. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

4. Louisville

Louisville Cardinals browser theme

13. Davidson

Sorry, no official browser theme for Davidson. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

6. Murray State

Sorry, no official browser theme for Murray State. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

11. Colorado State

Colorado State Rams browser theme

3. Marquette

Marquette Golden Eagles browser theme

14. Brigham Young/Iona

Sorry, no official browser themes for BYU or Iona. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

7. Florida

Sorry, no official browser theme for Florida. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

10. Virginia

Sorry, no official browser theme for Virginia. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

2. Missouri

Missouri Tigers browser theme

15. Norfolk State

Sorry, no official browser theme for Norfolk State. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

EAST

1. Syracuse

Sorry, no official browser theme for Syracuse. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

16. UNC-Asheville

Sorry, no official browser theme for UNC-Asheville. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

8. Kansas State

Kansas State Wildcats browser theme

9. Southern Miss

Southern Miss Golden Eagles browser theme

5. Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt Commodores browser theme

12. Harvard

Sorry, no official browser theme for Harvard. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

4. Wisconsin

Wisconsin Badgers browser theme

13. Montana

Sorry, no official browser theme for Montana. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

6. Cincinnati

Cincinnati Bearcats browser theme

11. Texas

Texas Longhorns browser theme

3. Florida State

Florida State Seminoles browser theme

14. St. Bonaventure

Sorry, no official browser theme for St. Bonaventure. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

7. Gonzaga

Sorry, no official browser theme for Gonzaga. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

10. West Virginia

Sorry, no official browser theme for WVU. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

2. Ohio State

Ohio State Buckeyes browser theme

15. Loyola (MD) Greyhounds

Loyola Greyhounds browser theme

Midwest

1. North Carolina

North Carolina Tar Heels browser theme

16. Lamar/Vermont

Sorry, no official browser theme for Vermont or Lamar. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

8. Creighton

Sorry, no official browser theme for Creighton. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

9. Alabama

Alabama Crimson Tide browser theme

5. Temple

Sorry, no official browser theme for Temple. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

12. California/USF

Cal Bears browser theme

No Bull. USF doesn’t have a browser theme. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

4. Michigan

Michigan Wolverines browser theme

13. Ohio

Sorry, no official browser theme for Ohio. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

6. San Diego State

San Diego State Aztecs browser theme

11. NC State

NC State Wolfpack browser theme

3. Georgetown

Georgetown Hoyas browser theme

14. Belmont

Sorry, no official browser theme for Belmont. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

7. Saint Mary’s

Sorry, no official browser theme for Saint Mary’s. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

10. Purdue

Purdue Boilermakers browser theme

2. Kansas

Kansas Jayhawks browser theme

15. Detroit

Sorry, no official browser theme for Detroit. Have the Athletics Dept. contact us or build your own personal theme.

Related articles

• Download Themes in New Gallery (brandthunder.com)

Feed Your Buckeye Basketball Fever Whenever You’re Online

COLUMBUS, OH – Starting March 5, 2012, download your free official browser theme from Ohio State Athletics and enter for a chance to win an autographed basketball from Thad Matta.  It’s the perfect tip off to March and the NCAA Tournament.  Show your support for both the Men’s and Women’s basketball teams right in your Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer browsers. Find the OSU browser theme at http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/multimedia/branded-browser.html.

For your chance to win the autographed basketball, look for a special button to appear on March 5^th in the toolbar, just click it to go to the contest registration page. It’s simple to enter and easy to win. You’ll also enjoy breaking news from OSU Athletics, plus instant access to videos, tickets and more – all in a theme that shows off your Buckeye Pride! The contest runs through March 19th.

The browser theme is in a simple add-on to your existing Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer browser. All your bookmarks and favorites remain the same, but it’s a world of difference for the Internet experience.

The browser theme is brought to you by Ohio State Buckeyes Athletics, CBSSports.com College Network and Brand Thunder – the world leader in custom interactive browser themes for Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer.

About Brand Thunder:

Brand Thunder is the world leader in browser themes and custom interactive browser themes for Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Chrome. Brand Thunder formed in April 2007 to leverage the power of customization within the web browser and offer companies a compelling, patent-pending solution for creating a more persistent presence with their Internet consumer. Brand Thunder has branded the browser and extended its functionality for some of the most recognizable brands in sports, music and the Internet including: Bob Marley, CBSSports.com College Network, CollegeHumor, The Huffington Post, IGN, NASCAR, NBA, NFL, SONY Music, Universal Music, WeatherBug and many more. Create, find or have us build your browser theme at http://brandthunder.com.

Contact:  
Patrick Murphy, CEO
Brand Thunder, LLC
614-304-1316

###

Perform a search for “Download Themes” and you’ll find a host of offerings for personalizing your digital experiences.

Sites like Customize.org offers a central destination for Themes, Skins, Wallpapers and Icons. Zedge.net offers themes for your mobile phone. You’ll find options for Windows 7 themes, XP themes and WordPress themes. What’s conspicuous by its absence is the option to find browser theme downloads. Especially with the meteoric rise of the Google Chrome browser and its emphasis on enhancements via its Chrome Webstore.

That’s why a few months back, Brand Thunder updated its browser theme gallery.

We wanted to create the leading destination to download themes for Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer. If you haven’t been, please give it a visit. You’ll find official themes from some of the world’s most recognized sports teams, artists, entertainers and more. Plus, an eclectic mix you get when you open up to user generated content.

Here are a few of the highlights you’ll discover.

Chrome Themes

The fastest growing browser also offers some of the hottest themes to download. There are all free, and be sure to search for Brand Thunder so you can much of what themes for Chrome you can download.

Kelly Clarkson Chrome Theme

The first Idol who has really lived up to the word, image and expectations. Now see what Kelly Clarkson brings to a Chrome browser theme.

Kelly Clarkson Chrome Theme

St. Patrick’s Day Chrome Theme

You may decide to bring some of the luck of the Irish to your Internet with this St. Patrick’s Day theme.

St. Patrick's Day Chrome Theme

Phoenix Suns Chrome Theme

If sports are more your game, you can choose from a range of professional sports teams to college athletics. Brand Thunder builds the official themes for NBA, NFL, MLS teams and many more.

NBA Phoenix Suns Chrome Theme

Firefox Themes

Firefox is where Brand Thunder got its start building browser themes and where you’ll find some of the themes that really show off the interaction of our interactive browser themes.

Weather Theme

The only browser theme that changes with the weather. Powered by WeatherBug, this theme changes based on your current local weather conditions, offers a 3-day forecast in the theme and much more.

Weather Firefox 9 Theme

Bob Marley Theme

The global appeal and timeless message of Bob Marley is represented in this browser theme. It offers a theme switcher so you can easily cycle through the different looks whenever you want a change of look.

Bob Marley Firefox Theme

Neon Lights Theme

The Neon Lights theme offers a colorful but simple theme with a subtle glowing to the lights that make this a continually popular theme to download.

Neon Lights Firefox Theme

Internet Explorer Themes

Internet Explorer remains the world’s most popular browser, but was left without much of the add-on sizzle Chrome and Firefox offered – until Brand Thunder gave it some browser theme attention. Now many of our themes have IE skins as well.

Euro Football Theme

The world’s football theme is a great way to enhance IE.

Euro Football IE Theme

Chivas USA Theme

Even if you like your football with helmets and pads, you can still get Major League Soccer themes through Brand Thunder’s Gallery.

MLS Chivas USA IE Theme

University of Kentucky Theme

You’ll also find themes you can download for many of the elite teams in NCAA Men’s Basketball. These themes are from the school’s athletics departments, so if your a fan of NCAA Women’s Basketball or other sports – you’re covered.

Kentucky IE Theme

UGC Themes

And since we offer a tool to build your own themes, we also give you a chance to share your themes with the world.

Kuomintang Theme

Taiwanese political parties have found their voice with browser themes.

Kuomintang Theme

Hello Kitty Bubbles

The Hello Kitty contingency will find much to like in the User-Submitted theme section.

Hello Kitty Theme

Age II Conquerors

Gamers and game community members are also taking their clans, fighting units and parties into browser themes.

Age of Empires II Conqueroros Theme

There’s much to enjoy when you download themes so get started now!

Related articles

• Brand Thunder Acquires BrowserNation Clients, Expands Global Reach of Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer Themes (brandthunder.com)
• New Theme Gallery Features User Submitted Themes (brandthunder.com)

Image via CrunchBase

BrowserNation Browser Themes Come to Brand Thunder

You may have read earlier in the week how Brand Thunder and BrowserNation were coming together to bring the full host of Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer browser themes to more professional teams, artists, entertainers and more.

We’re thrilled and can’t wait to get all the themes built and delivered to our new clients and their fans. The news of the event went out across the Twittersphere based on coverage from CNET and tech blogs, including:

• Columbus Business Journals
• DMXZone
• CyberSharQ
• FiveFreeApps

It’s not everyday we have such exciting news to share, so forgive us our moment to enjoy it.

BrowserNation has a beautiful product for the Firefox browser. The look and feel of these themes will change to fit Brand Thunder’s layout for Firefox. While the Firefox fan base will have an adjustment to a slightly new design, the upside is Chrome and IE users will also get to enjoy the theme experience.

More Official Sports Themes

Brand Thunder’s rich history of sports browser themes will be complemented with a host of themes across professional sports and from around the globe. BrowserNation clients that will be getting the full Chrome, Firefox and IE skin experience include the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, football clubs from Barclays Premier League Football like Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC, Tottenham Hotspur, plus other club teams like the Wycombe Wanderers, Moscow Spartak FC and Paris Saint-Germain.

Minor league sports team will be getting major league theme treatment. Indianapolis Indians, Toledo Mudhens, Toledo Walleye and Durham Bulls are some of the fans that will enjoy the new themes.

Sports fans will also have a choice of rugby teams from Bath, London, Munster and Saracens, ICC Cricket World Cup, Indy Car racing, the Red Bull Racing team, sailing and more.

More Official Music Themes

The range of music browser themes available are ramping up quickly. Brand Thunder recently released themes for artists like Kelly Clarkson, Greyson Chance, Mindless Behavior and more. Now, fans of many other genres will have a theme they can love.

BrowserNation clients include Kenny Chesney’s No Shoes Radio, a host of Latin artists including Enrique Iglesias, Selena Gomez, Shakira, Nelly Furtado, Chayanne, Diego Torres, Juanes and Marc Anthony.

Fans of a more global music scene may find upcoming themes for India’s legendary singers Mohd Rafi and Asha Bhosle more to their liking. Or the indie fans of Cheryl Cole, The Saturdays, The Wanted, DeadMau5, Danger Mouse and Everything Everything will find their own theme choices.

What’s the Theme of Your Internet?

There’s never been a better time to find the official browser themes for your favorite teams, sports or music. You can enjoy these immersive experience if you’re on Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer.

And with all this choice, if you still can’t find something you like… build your own browser theme.

Related articles

• Brand Thunder Acquires BrowserNation Clients, Expands Global Reach of Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer Themes (brandthunder.com)
• Browser theme creator Brand Thunder acquires rival (news.cnet.com)

If you’re going to be celebrating the Chinese New Year, Tet, Losar or any other lunar calendar celebration that I’m not aware of – you need to check out Brand Thunder’s dragon browser themes. It’s the Year of the Dragon and we have the browser skin for you.

3D Dragon Browser Theme

3D Dragon Browser Theme It started as a joke to release a 3D browser theme, but it has it’s fans. Sorry, we don’t have the red and blue glasses that really make this theme pop. You’ll enjoy it regardless with the classic style Chinese dragon. A great way to start off a very auspicious year.

Dragon Browser Theme

Dragon Browser Theme You may decide that a more fantasy-oriented dragon is more to your liking. This theme may have you thinking more about World of Warcraft than the Three Gorges, but like either of those destinations you’ll be transported to another place and time.

Blue Dragon Browser Theme

Blue Dragon Browser Theme is a browser theme created by one of the folks in the Brand Thunder community using BT:Engage, Brand Thunder’s browser theme creator. It’s a ethereal image of a Chinese dragon. More understated on the dragon front, but more forward on the design front.

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon

We hope you find something to like, or if you don’t, head over and create your own at BT:Engage. It’s as easy as dragging and dropping your own images into the theme creator. And it’ll be a fun way to kick off this New Year of the Dragon!

Sorry, Chrome users. These themes are for Firefox and Internet Explorer only. We’re upset about it too and are working hard to bring all our great themes to Chrome.

Please read both of them. We can really use your help with the first point. The second point is a much more subjective one. I won’t say which way to throw your support, but it’s an issue worth your time to have an informed opinion.

Share Your Blackout Details

As a small company, we test for as many scenarios as we can. There’s no way to prep for what we saw yesterday, and no way for us to understand it’s full impact. That’s why I’m asking for your help. I’ll outline some of the “known” issues or expected ones from a downed server, but if you want to share your experiences – especially if they’re not listed below – please email me directly at kevin – at – brandthunder – dot – com (substitute ” – at – ” with @ and ” – dot – ” with .). You can also make a comment in the Brand Thunder support forum.

Some things we know about:

• Toolbar buttons missing from themes – Many of the buttons are images that are pulled from our server. With the server down, the buttons won’t load. This is different from the theme image, which always has a locally saved version.
• Internet Explorer down in some instances – There was an early identification of a bug in an update that just released that required a server check. Oversight on our part that we quickly rolled back, but there may have been some instances where this was noticed.
• Installs not completing - Some of our themes are fully hosted on other sites. Examples include the Chrome Webstore and Addons.Mozilla.org. I know on Chrome, themes went through the install process fine, but the theme never loaded because of the blackout. If it’s not working now, I’d suggest uninstalling the first attempt then reinstalling. It should pull it up fine.
• Sidebar content missing – This may have been an artifact of the reconfiguration. I saw the outage today and is now working in some themes I’ve checked.

If there are other oddities, or issues you’ve identified, please share.

SOPA – The Long-Term Blackout

Good intentions don’t always make good policy. I’ll admit I’m not versed enough to talk to all aspects of the Stop Online Piracy Act, but for a company that has created an engine allowing anyone to instantly build a Firefox and Internet Explorer browser theme, and publish it to Brand Thunder’s browser theme gallery – it scares the heck out of me.

Despite the legal protections we put in place, like the user agreement stating a user has ownership of all images used in their theme, I’m sure there’s exposure somewhere. Just like with freedom of expression, there are those that will say things you don’t like. With a tool that allows you to express yourself via a browser theme and then share it out, expressions that approach the line of appropriate use will undoubtedly occur. Artistic license, satire or parody, we simply could not afford the legal costs of defending a series of challenges that can come our way.

Whether we willingly or accidentally participated in the SOPA blackout, we all got a taste of what may happen if it comes to reality.