This web site will be for sports fans, particular the younger generation of fans in their teens and the 18 to 45 age range. The site is for sports fans of all ages, but it will appeal more to teens and younger people who are constantly active on social media, since it is social media focused.
The site will serve two main purposes. The first purpose is to make fans feel as close to their favorite team and players as possible. The site will provide fans with a one stop team content experience. Under the current system, when fans want to access social media content and web content such as articles, highlights, scores, and stats, the fans have to go searching in a number of places to find all that content. If a fan wants to access a team's Twitter page they have to log on to Twitter. If the fan wants to access a team's Instagram page they have to go elsewhere and log on to Instagram. Finally, if they want game breakdowns, scores, and highlights they have to go searching again, this time on to the team website.
But Team Connect eliminates the need for all that travel around the web because the content that used to be found in a number of different places is now available at one home. Team Connect combines the content fans crave: social media posts, game breakdowns, scores, highlights, and stats all in one place. All of the team's social media feeds are embedded in one page on the website. From Facebook and Twitter to Instagram. When fans are done interacting on social media, they can click on another page on the site and read articles and game breakdowns from their favorite team writers. Finally, if they want to impress their friends with their knowledge of the team they can find the latest scores and stats on another page. Simply put, Team Connect is the only site fans will ever need to get closer to their favorite team.
Team Connect's second purpose is to serve advertisers and deliver new streams of revenue to the team. By embedding all social media content into the site, traffic that normally goes to the social sites will now be coming straight to the Team site. Advertisers will be incentivized to sponsor these pages, and the team will capitalize in areas it did not used to make money.
The target audience for Team Connect is sports fans of a particular team. While the site will work to attract fans of all ages, the main audience is teens and young adults in their 20s and 30s, the age range most active on social media.
For feedback on my idea and what the site needs, I reached out to four people I either currently go to school with, or people I previously went to school with who are now working in the sports media field. I felt these four people would be tremendous resources because not only are they sports fans themselves, but they work in the industry as well.
Questions asked to the group:
What type of information or what elements do you as a sports fan find is absolutely critical to include on your favorite team's website?
What information or elements should I steer clear of or limit?
While no one here is disputing the value of highlights, in today's world of social media and limited attention spans, highlights are a great resource for fans who want the quick story of the game.
However, I would push creative video, such as your feature stories, more than the highlights. Creative features are a great way for fans to connect on a deeper level with athletes. Promote creative video as much as you can, after all, it's where you spend the most time and resources you should want as many people watching your work as possible!
As for highlights, focus on the story behind the game. Because your work for the team, you have the luxury of unlimited access that other reporters and producers do not have. Bring us up close and personal with the players, inside the locker room, with the coach during the big huddle.
What else comes to mind that I should be aware of?
Something to think about: While I think the site is a great idea and it should deliver more traffic to the site by combining social media and the team site, when visitors access the embedded social media feeds, what is stopping them from leaving your site and accessing the content on the native social site, since that is always an option for the user when it comes to embedded content? In order words, how do you keep people on your site, since that's where the money is?
These sites are examples of both good and bad features that I'm considering or staying away from for the final design.
Based on the responses from the people I asked for help, I have chosen to include the following content areas:
Details about the content of the proposed pages are outlined above in the content section.
The media aspect is still a work in progress and I'm still deciding what to do. I know I'll be able to make example social posts for the social feeds, but I do not know how I'll make sample videos and pictures. But obviously, media is a huge part of a real team site, so it is important to think about.
For the colors, I'm taking a page out of the Yankees' book. I want to use dark colors that will allow me to bring some color and life to the site, without overpowering it and taking away from the content.
Black for the top of the page
A Dark blue navigation bar
Gray for the background
The follow is the outline of the proposed pages and content.
Page created by Brendon Baker
Last updated on July 1, 2018