Tag: site news

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Site News: November 2015

MESSAGE BOARD/FORUM STATUS
The message board/forum (LINK) has not taken off like I had hoped. This was one of the aspects of the new site that I had most looked forward to having, but for whatever reason(s), it seems to have been forgotten. One reason may be that the new site launched right when my football season began, so I have not been able to devote a ton of time to posting and discussion. However, it is something I would like to promote, and I do appreciate discussion of various topics (sports, music, movies, books, even politics and religion as long as people are respectful). What do you think could be done to promote discussion on the forum? Now that you’ve had a few months to settle into navigating the site, what suggestions might you make?

RANDOM NOTE
I have continued to forget to note this, but I was really excited in the spring/summer of 2014 when I was contacted by a national college football preview magazine to write a feature on Michigan football. Lindy’s Sports was doing their annual Big Ten football preview, and they wanted me to scope out the offensive line for what would turn out to be Brady Hoke’s final season. I wrote the piece, had their editor make a few suggestions, and . . . then got the rug pulled out from under me. Lindy’s decided not to run the magazine. I was given a “kill fee” for my work, which meant I got 50% of what I had originally agreed. I wasn’t too concerned about the payment, though; it was more the publicity that the site would have received. I never set out to be a journalist, but it would have been cool to published in Lindy’s, which I used to buy from Borders in Ann Arbor every year.

Welcome to the new website!

After years of procrastination and then a couple months of waiting impatiently, this is the new website. Thanks in large part to some generous donations and some people who know a thing or two about website programming, Touch the Banner is now on WordPress and moving in the right direction. I’m glad to be here, and I’m glad you’ve found me. Please bear with me a little bit as I get my feet under me, but most features are ready to go. A few things have changed:

• Offer Boards: The format of the current and future offer boards has changed. They are all included in the drop-down menu at the top of the page. While they are no longer arranged by position, the format is improved, neater, and more informative. Furthermore, you can see highlights, links, and important notes about each player by clicking on the player’s name. (The 2016 Offer Board is still under construction as I create profiles for all 233 offers so far.)
• Message Board: I have added a message board feature to the site, which can be found under the title of “Forum” at the top of the page. I hope that we can all use this to discuss Michigan- and non-Michigan-related topics. This is a feature that was not available on Blogger, but I think it has been sorely missing as the site has grown over the past few years.
• Sign-in: Blogger was a bit of a free-for-all for random commenters and anonymous posters. Now everyone has a chance to sign in, remain signed in, and discuss topics with at least a tiny bit of accountability. This should also help us keep track of conversations.

I thank those of you who have been reading over the years and those who might just be discovering the site. If you have tweaks or suggestions for me, please let me know. I’m proud that I have built a site from nothing in 2008 to one that gets about half a million hits per month, but there are always ways to get better.

Site News: Launch date (plus a mid-day serving of Jourdan Lewis)

Jordan Lewis (image via Maize and Blue News)

In site-related news, the tentative launch date of the new website is June 7. Thanks to those of you who have contributed to the efforts. If you would like to donate, please use Paypal (on the left sidebar) or do some shopping through Amazon (LINK).

In football-related news, a video popped up on Scout of cornerback Jourdan Lewis working out against various guys at Belleville High School (LINK). One of the guys is former Detroit (MI) Cass Tech quarterback Jayru Campbell, who is headed to prep school after squandering away his college opportunities.

Site News: Message board suggestions?

I will be getting together with the web developer in the near future, and we will be working on a message board forum for the website. I have asked questions in the past about what you as readers/commenters want to see on the new website.

Today I want to be more specific, if possible. The Wolverine (and other Rivals message boards) just rolled out a new forum format; some people are pleased, and others are disgruntled. The most experience I have with a message board is at MGoBlog, which functions well but has a few glitches.

• What message board formats/features do you like best? You can leave links to other forums in the comments so I can check them out.
• Are usernames sufficient? Or are avatars necessary?
• What are your thoughts on upvotes/downvotes? So far it seems I have had more people railing against voting on comments than people in support of it. I am indifferent as of now.
• Other thoughts/suggestions?