Navel-Gazing On The Internet
The quarter-finals of the European Championships start this evening with an intriguing match between Portugal and Germany, but I wanted to move away from Euro 2008 and discuss something else this evening. As some (or maybe more) of you may have noticed, this blog hasn't been doing itself too many favours during Euro 2008. The reports have been skimpy and have contained more errors than I would have liked. There is a reason for this - I am in the middle of building the new site that will replace this one as soon as Euro 2008 finishes. It's great timing, I'm sure you'll agree, but I want it bedded in before the start of the new domestic season, and have figured that it will take a while to iron out all the bugs in it.
It is with mixed emotions that I am going through all of this. One the one hand, there is no question that the new site will be better than this one in most respects. I've been on Blogger for over two years now, and I feel as if this site, in this format, has been taken about as far as it can go. No matter how long I spend poring over the stylesheet, I ultimately can't get away from the fact that it looks like just another Blogger template. The new site will look better, be more functional and easier to navigate. We're still looking into the possibility of recording an occasional podcast, and the intention is to expand the content of the site so that it becomes (without trying to sound too pretentious and clearly failing) a bit more than just another football blog.
On the other hand, I feel a certain amount of trepidation about the move, and there is an element of risk surrounding it. All of the links currently pointing here will become redundant, since I plan to take this site down completely in a month or two - the best of this one is already sitting on the new server, and a new RSS feed will replace the existing one. Chances are, some (or maybe even most) of you will not follow me over to the new site. Worrying times, in some ways. Still, I'm taking all of the precautions that I can, and when this site closes, you'll be given plenty of warning. It's a bit like moving house, really. You just want to be able to sit down in the new place and have it feel like home.
Anyway, in the interests of interactivity (and, yes, laziness), I would welcome any positive comments on the new site. What would you like to see on it? What would you like to see change, and what would you like to remain the same?
19 comments:
I'd like to see more ducks in football strips.
This place has been going downhill since then.
Funnily enough, I've just deleted the ducks in football kits thing from the server for the new site. I will, however, return to this theme during the pre-season.
I'm writing these down, you know. At the moment the list reads as follows:
1. Ducks in football kits.
2. ...
3. ........
4. Team photos with the heads replaced by the heads of appropriate looking dogs.
I think you're doing yourself a disservice, 200- for those of us without telly, and the money (or the time, or the liver) to go to the pub every night, your match reports have kept us up to pace with the tournament and given (what I think is) a very fair representation of the competition as a whole.
It's hard to say what might improve the new site, as the mix of features on here- during the normal season, at least- is eclectic to the point of unpredictable. It should stay that way...and keep up the politicking as well. Too many football blogs aren't making enough of a stand against some of the rubbish that fans have to put up with: you've got a platform to oppose that here, and it's been well used (the political content of WSC, which is 'legitimate media', still outstrips most football blogging.) So just keep it up, really...
PS- what consitutes an 'appropriate' dog? 'Inappropriate dogs' sounds more fun...
Largely boxers and samoyeds, I should think.
Thanks for your comments, Joe - I'm pretty certain that people will like the new site, but it requires a lot of tweaking.
I'm with Joe (about the blog that is not the dog!).
You won't belive this but I have just written a post linked to your site as an example of what I think a good football blog should be. I love your blend of analysis, which is informed and not too techy. I too have used it to catch up on matches I haven't been able to catch.
So like Joe says - don't change it too much!
I hope you are switching to self-hosted Wordpress powered site?
200% is undoubtedly my favourite football blog out there. Eclectic, insightful, incredibly articulate and well-written. Just keep up the good work. I for one will be following you over.
If you need a hand with the move (with the tables, box models etc), givvus a shout.
Webbie @ Football and Music
Thanks for your comments. To answer a few questions:
- Yes, it will be a self-hosted Wordpress site.
- No, there won't be much change to the actual mix of content that goes on here.
Thanks for the offer, Webbie - I think I've just about got it licked, but I'll be in touch if I run into any major problems!
If you were soliciting for praise, then I'll gladly step up to the plate. Nowadays 200% is the first place I turn to for football stuff; even during this Euro tournament, despite your so-called "skimpy" reports, I still need your write-up to know what to think about a game that I watched the previous night.
And as far as the regular season goes, I can only second what Joe said.
The only complaint I have is that so few of your readers deign to leave comments. That must be quite disheartening, so respect to you for keeping up the astonishingly diligent daily output despite the apparent lack of feedback.
Cheers, and fingers crossed for a smoothe transition.
Ian, i agree with Joe - i'm up to my eyeballs in two jobs at the moment and so have only been cherry picking the odd game to watch, and have found reading your match reports more entertaining and enlightening than those on soccernet/f365/bbc news etc. Sorry for being so lax about commenting, but i am reading!
PS, no. 4 is a winner.
Thank you all again for your comments (I have two IDs for Blogger, by the way - one for home and one for work, so could turn up under either). I'm not overly concerned about people not making comments - I merely take it as affirmation that what I've put forward is inarguable! Chances are that the new blog will incorporate a message board of some sort (although I'm still less than convinced about the merits of this).
A report on last night's match between Germany and Portugal will be up on here by about 6.30 tonight, by the way.
If you're needing a hand testing the new site, give us a shout; software testing is what I do for a living!
Apart from the disgraceful lack of coverage of football in the Faroe Islands, Twohundredpercent is a grand site, I'll be over to visit you at your new place.
Living in the US, there certainly isn't much coverage of anything soccer related here except the same old US-Barbados 7-0 thrashing and all the Mexican games in Spanish which I never watch.
This blog is where I turn to get all my European and British soccer news. Because of the time differences, I can't see the Euro games or EPL games live so these match reports have been very informative and excellent in keeping me up to speed. Keep up the great work and I'll certainly follow you to the new site!
I'd like to see more about Jean Pierre-Papin and Franco Baresi's time working together as Pepsi & Shirley.
And you should win things by reading
If I could add - just keep up the great work! Sometimes it feels like you are a lone voice of sanity in the madness that is modern football.
Discovered you by accident and now log on and read daily.
As I say, keep it up and good luck with the new 'look'...
Adrian
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