I need ideas - Help!

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Ok, so I have this crazy cool opportunity to run a website for the manager of the LA Dodgers, Don Mattingly. I ran his site for him once, years ago, and it has been down for about 4 years. I recently got his permission to re-launch. I went with C5 because of the flexibility, but now I am having creativity issues.

This is by and large a fan site for Don Mattingly, but it is his official site. I need to figure out what is best to offer the community.

Here is what it needs to be:

- Engaging to visitors and fans
- Sharing with Twitter and FB on auto-pilot if possible

My ideas so far:

- I will have memorabilia available soon, so a store is already in the works
- I was thinking of a blog, or forum, or both for fans to interact and discuss games, spring training, etc.
- Information on charities that Don is involved in
- Future signings and events

Bam, that is where my ideas stop. I need this site to be cool, help me!

So far I have the $55 Mailing List add-on and Slate for my theme. I want to stick with Slate, but am open to everything else. Please give me ideas to make this site cool!

Shannon

 
admin replied on at Permalink Reply
The website in question is here by the way:http://donmattingly.com/

Ranked 3rd in Google already, nice.

I agree with your decision to stay with slate, you've paid for a pretty good theme and it's responsive (looks good regardless of available screen size). You'll start to get a better feel for the layout once you add in some more relevant content.

Definitely start writing a few articles or get a blog going as that's going to be how you attract your target audience. A friend of mine started a youtube soccer channel that took a little while to take off, but one week an article got featured by a major sports news website and his channel just took off.

Check this add-on out to get a basic forum started, there is also an upgraded version if you're after more features:http://www.concrete5.org/marketplace/addons/basic-forum/...

If you want to get a blog going there's also a heap of blog tools on the marketplace.
http://www.concrete5.org/marketplace/addons/simple-blog/...

Good luck !
sdamos replied on at Permalink Reply
Thanks Alex. Good recommendations. Do you think I need a Blog AND a Forum, or would a Blog suffice?

I would also need blog posts to hit the new Facebook Page and also go to Twitter.

More ideas please.
sdamos replied on at Permalink Reply
Also, I am new to Blogging. A forum could mean trouble if I turn users lose, but can I also allow them to blog and create articles in given categories themselves or would that be a bad idea? Can any of the blog software addons allow me to review each blog submission by users and approve or deny?

I would hate for it to be only my articles that make the blog, that seems a bit boring to me. :)

Any post though I need to have the capability for users to share it out and I would want it to go straight to my twitter and facebook page when posted.
12345j replied on at Permalink Reply
12345j
admin replied on at Permalink Reply
http://www.digitalfaq.com/editorials/websites-blogs/comments-vs-forum-posts.htm

http://socialmediatoday.com/SMC/197532...

Did a little reading on blogs vs forums, The articles above are probably worth a read.

Sports forum websites have historically been the target of some pretty bad trolling, using a blog and then employing the guest-blogger add-on that 12345J posted would be a pretty good solution to that issue though.

But saying that, a forum would probably promote more of a sports community discussion feel for your site, rather than news discussion.

Perhaps some baseball tipping ?
mkly replied on at Permalink Reply
mkly
I think you need a section dedicated exclusively to moustaches
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_73exSt_W91A/SSPKKgsuBuI/AAAAAAAAAJU/ysfWK...
sdamos replied on at Permalink Reply
Very as it sounds, I bet fans would actually enjoy that! :) Sounds like a good drop down menu under Biography and Career Statistics!

More ideas!