Need ideas, demands for new Silent Sports website
As is becoming more clear with each passing day, Silent Sports magazine is about to be reinvented under its new ownership.
Some of it makes me nervous and apprehensive, but one of the inevitable changes that really excites me is the creation of a new website. We now have some really talented and web saavy guys in-house – and one of them is a former ski racer who is REALLY stoked to be working on it. His first couple mockups have looked awesome and the potential … well, the sky’s the limit, as they say.
But I could use your input.
The website designers have requested that I ask readers of the magazine and users of www.silentsports.net for their ideas, wish lists, demands, pipe dreams – whatever.
I’ve already insisted that we offer an events calendar that gives you 4-6 weeks worth of listings (even further out for subvscribers), regardless of when you log-on, and organized by state and sports. I’ve even asked if we can turn around and notify individual readers of new listings near their hometowns involving the sports they enjoy most.
I intend to have the site updated daily with news and “Sounding Alarm” notices, spotlighted events for the coming week and blogs by myself and others. In fact, if there’s someone you would like to see blogging on the site (or you would like to do so yourself), let me know.
We have a forum that has been, I admit, poorly integrated and underutilized. If this component were easier to find and use, I would like to know if you would participate in the discussions there. There is also a Silent Sports Magazine Group on Facebook, but since 99 percent of the mag’s readers are not Facebook users, a more universally accessible forum would seem in order. Or maybe you feel just having the ability to comment at the end of particular articles and columns would suffice.
We’ve already heard from readers wanting searchable archives and a place to post photos, both of which I’m certain we can provide.
Anything else that pops into your head please post here or e-mail me at editor@silentsports.net.
Knowing you are an active outdoor person, I have no intention of slowing you down by tieing you to a computer. What I really want to do is to build a Silent Sports website that helps you maximize your enjoyment and time spent out there.
Thanks in advance for all the guidance you offer.
– Joel Patenaude