Any chance of a new club website?!

[foreverUTB]

Revamp of kit, revamp of shop....any chance of a revamp of club website? Find it very bitty and not easily navigated and it's even worse on a mobile device

Remember Jim Phipps commenting on it on twitter a while back but can't find it now. Think he said it had been raised by a few people but not seen any changes.

 

[S5Blade]

I think a few people have asked Jim and we are tied into a contract with the FL so theres nowt they can do about it at present

 

[Bladesman]

When does that contract run out?

 

[SwissBlade]

When does that contract run out?

2067

 

[S5Blade]

2067

You sure? I thought it was 2073

 

[Bladesman]

More chance of the football league becoming extinct than us getting a new website then.

 

[SwissBlade]

You sure? I thought it was 2073

I was close then! I knew it was sometime before my 'undreth birthday

 

[Bladesway]

I'm not sure I can bring myself to care. No, I tried but I still don't.

 

[Grecian2000]

I'm not sure I can bring myself to care. No, I tried but I still don't.

Too right, there's 25 kit threads to get stuck into first.

Why's my fucking season ticket not arrived anyway.

 

[Bladesway]

Why's my fucking season ticket not arrived anyway.

You can get season tickets for that sort of thing now? Well I never

 

[Foxy]

It's been discussed again and again, bit until the contract expires (it was a ridiculously long one) we're stuck merely giving feedback and hoping it's taken in by the providers.

 

[Pinchy]

It's been discussed again and again, bit until the contract expires (it was a ridiculously long one) we're stuck merely giving feedback and hoping it's taken in by the providers.

Not that stuck. Just get to the Premiership!

 

[Kenilworth]

I'm not sure I can bring myself to care. No, I tried but I still don't.

Deary me Bladesway - someone fucked your cat or summat?
You've been a reight mardy arse with the last few comments, feller. You OK?

 

[Bladesway]

Deary me Bladesway - someone fucked your cat or summat?
You've been a reight mardy arse with the last few comments, feller. You OK?

I'm good thanks for asking, just wishing for a time when we talked about something better than the colour of the shirt or the state of the club website. I understand pre season banality but this season seems to have gone to new lows. Just need a "selfies" thread and a few more "crayon your own kit" threads and we have all boxes ticked.

 

[Kenilworth]

I'm good thanks for asking, just wishing for a time when we talked about something better than the colour of the shirt or the state of the club website. I understand pre season banality but this season seems to have gone to new lows. Just need a "selfies" thread and a few more "crayon your own kit" threads and we have all boxes ticked.

OK Ebenezer - only 5 weeks to season kick off. Keep yer chin up til then eh?

Did you want to start the selfie thread?

 

[JohnDenver]

No need.

http://www.s24su.com/forum/index.php?threads/members-photos.271/page-16

 

[Bladesway]

No need.

http://www.s24su.com/forum/index.php?threads/members-photos.271/page-16

See, its all there if you look for it.

 

[Sharpestblade]

New site definitely required. I've stopped using it. Hope they aren't paying much for it. I've got no idea why you would sign up to a long contract on a website. It's hardly rocket science building a web site and shop.

 

[super_pig]

this site wipes the floor with that generic crap that is the SUFC website.. tag the ticket sales onto this site and you've about cracked it i reckon .. foxy??

 

[Berkshire Blade]

People use it as a stick to beat the club with when its a league wide thing. Personally i don't see what else they could add. Does the job. Sure its not the prettiest layout but its very low down on my list of priorities and i hope the clubs!

 

[Foxy]

New site definitely required. I've stopped using it. Hope they aren't paying much for it. I've got no idea why you would sign up to a long contract on a website. It's hardly rocket science building a web site and shop.

It was around the time of the ITV Digital saga... at the time, pretty much all football league clubs went for it.

 

[Ted Danson]

New site definitely required. I've stopped using it. Hope they aren't paying much for it. I've got no idea why you would sign up to a long contract on a website. It's hardly rocket science building a web site and shop.

Because PTV offered the FLI a shed load of cash which I assume filters down to the clubs, they dont just own the website but they control all digital imagery of the clubs name and branding. So the blades make a guaranteed anual income from the site even though its shite. PTV make shed loads by supplying substandard template driven sites to all except about 7 clubs I think and then taking the advertising revenue.

The only way around it as I see it is if we were to make our own site but they try to bargain with PTV to place their adverts on it as frequently as they are now. I could see that becoing ridiculous though as we would probably end up paying to use our own badge or something stupid like that.

 

[Bladesway]

t's hardly rocket science building a web site and shop.

It is if you are most people. My guess is the club doesn't employ a web developer and as its core business is playing football that is about as far as you can get from IT. Unless it was what we had Ched lined up to do when he came back?

I'm all for giving critisism out where its due but the fact that our club doesn't have the bestest, quickest, most brilliantest website on earth really shouldn't rock anyones world. If we brought in a team of developers paying a shedload of cash out I would be more concerned because money should go into the first team, not a bloody web site.

 

[Ted Danson]

It is if you are most people. My guess is the club doesn't employ a web developer and as its core business is playing football that is about as far as you can get from IT. Unless it was what we had Ched lined up to do when he came back?

I'm all for giving critisism out where its due but the fact that our club doesn't have the bestest, quickest, most brilliantest website on earth really shouldn't rock anyones world. If we brought in a team of developers paying a shedload of cash out I would be more concerned because money should go into the first team, not a bloody web site.

For a company the size of United to not have a decent website is criminal in this day and age, we're supposed to be promoting an aspitational brand and we're left with an identikit piece of shite thats just basically an advertising board. A GSCE student could do a better job. You certainly wouldnt need to pay thousands to better that

 

[Bladesway]

For a company the size of United to not have a decent website is criminal in this day and age, we're supposed to be promoting an aspitational brand and we're left with an identikit piece of shite thats just basically an advertising board. A GSCE student could do a better job. You certainly wouldnt need to pay thousands to better that

But when you (and all other FL clubs) are contracted in to what most people deem acceptable (I don't have a hatred of it as you do) where is the genuine need to change it? I'm flipping through it now and while it could be better granted its not show stoppingly bad and it does a job. You talk about building an aspirational brand (management bollocks talk alert!!!) but actually isn't it far more aspirational a brand if the actual product is good.

As someone said, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig.

 

[Ted Danson]

But when you (and all other FL clubs) are contracted in to what most people deem acceptable (I don't have a hatred of it as you do) where is the genuine need to change it? I'm flipping through it now and while it could be better granted its not show stoppingly bad and it does a job. You talk about building an aspirational brand (management bollocks talk alert!!!) but actually isn't it far more aspirational a brand if the actual product is good.

As someone said, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig.

Agreed aspirational brand is management bollocks but if it applies to anything then I think a football club is as good a candidate as any. you cant deny theres a huge amount of brand building involved in football and it is required, it made Man U the richest club in the world because they used this management bollocks branding idea. Considering the relative costs i.e you could get a decent site done for the price of even Chris Porters wages for a week it just seems ridiculous that any large company/brand wouldnt want atleast a unique website that they had complete control over.

As for whats bad about the site:

layout
navigation
content
not consistant across browsers
google advertising
looks like a quater of other footy sites

just to start.

It may be that ludites like you will accept any old shit as long as it loads up but the majority of people these days are quite tech savy and can tell a bag of shit website when they see one. As a brand we should be aspiring to be at the cutting edge of technology, you might as well say that the piggy stadium is fine as its there and you can sit in it but from everyone elses point of view its abit of a laughing stock of a rust bucket with a condemend stand etc.

 

[Selly]

Agreed aspirational brand is management bollocks but if it applies to anything then I think a football club is as good a candidate as any. you cant deny theres a huge amount of brand building involved in football and it is required, it made Man U the richest club in the world because they used this management bollocks branding idea. Considering the relative costs i.e you could get a decent site done for the price of even Chris Porters wages for a week it just seems ridiculous that any large company/brand wouldnt want atleast a unique website that they had complete control over.
.

No you couldn't.

 

[Ted Danson]

No you couldn't.

Well I hope your right, I know how much a website costs but I dont know what Chris Porters on

 

[bricktop]

I'm good thanks for asking, just wishing for a time when we talked about something better than the colour of the shirt or the state of the club website. I understand pre season banality but this season seems to have gone to new lows. Just need a "selfies" thread and a few more "crayon your own kit" threads and we have all boxes ticked.

I'm going for a shit.

 

[Bladesway]

Agreed aspirational brand is management bollocks but if it applies to anything then I think a football club is as good a candidate as any. you cant deny theres a huge amount of brand building involved in football and it is required, it made Man U the richest club in the world because they used this management bollocks branding idea. Considering the relative costs i.e you could get a decent site done for the price of even Chris Porters wages for a week it just seems ridiculous that any large company/brand wouldnt want atleast a unique website that they had complete control over.

As for whats bad about the site:

layout
navigation
content
not consistant across browsers
google advertising
looks like a quater of other footy sites

just to start.

It may be that ludites like you will accept any old shit as long as it loads up but the majority of people these days are quite tech savy and can tell a bag of shit website when they see one. As a brand we should be aspiring to be at the cutting edge of technology, you might as well say that the piggy stadium is fine as its there and you can sit in it but from everyone elses point of view its abit of a laughing stock of a rust bucket with a condemend stand etc.

My point is that brand building and being aspirational actually got us into this shit hole in the first place. Chengdu, Ferencvaros, Perth Glory, some club in Brazil, one in Belgium all to build the brand. Fancy directors of this and that came and went costing us shitloads of cash but adding nothing to the product. Had we invested more in the right players we would probably have stayed up (long chat about whose fault that is blah blah), had we stayed up then brand positioning and revenues streams would have increased, but never would a kid in China wear a Blades shirt over a Man United or Chelsea one. We have a brand yes, but you have to be sensible about the market you are looking at. We weren't. Europe in 5 years etc etc etc. The product should be invested in first, the marketing and all that shite should be there to compliment a good product. If you are shit, you can tell the world how great you are via fancy communications but when what they see is shit, they will laugh and move along.

If you actually read my post rather than spitting bile back in my general direction I did say it could be better. For all the reasons you state above its just a template driven site similar to all the other template driven sites. It isn't consistent through all browsers, it does look like most other sites (because they all use the same company etc etc)

I think you possibly see yourself as the majority in this. I don't think most people give a shit what a Website is and how it is built, what methods of SEO they employ, whether its flash, html or template based they just want it to work for their own particular need.