EastKentRam Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Im currently doing a piece of University coursework in connection with AFC Bournemouth in how to attract more people to their official website. Seeing as all the football league's websites are near enough the same i was wondering if people could give me their opinion on our club website. Do you use it? If so, what are the key reasons you go on it? Strengths and weaknesses of the sites? Content, layout etc What you would do to improve the site? I've got a few points myself, a key one being how Rams Player can be accessed through many accounts and how you can log onto any other clubs 'Player' through that account, surely must be costing money. I was thinking of suggesting all season ticket holders get their clubs 'Player' free? All thoughts/ideas welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny Ram Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I use it because it's dcfc's official website, the team I support Strengths - it relates to dcfc Weakness - historical news should be visible and searchable for very old items. Too much Rams Player advertising - remove it, it's a pain in the backside Good idea from you on the Rams player front as I live outside Radio Derby range and therefore have to log on to dcfc fans match chat or to Sky to find out whats happening at away games (unless I've gone to the away match) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samtheram83 Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 i have quite a few issues with our own website to be honest. 1. i find the layout over crowded. to many small boxes of info most of which are pointless. 2. too many drop downs at the top of the page with largely useless info. 3. never enough news or interviews, ramsplayer content is often late or the same as what is said on Radio Derby 4. it always takes me to the advert telling me i can get X amount of weeks free Ramsplayer when i bought it at the beginning of the season. 5. The quality of video is shocking! i appreciate being able to watch the full 90mins but it always has so many artifacts. when u change to higher res there is little to no difference in quality. often there is no commentary. 6. the reporting is awful. bad spelling and grammer, no flow, hugely over biased. I'm not very good at these things myself but mainly cos i'm lazy. If paid to write properly i would at least try harder! 7. more info and interviews from academy, reserves, highlights of their games. i think thats my rant over. safe to say i think there could be lots of improvements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackNwhites Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I hardly ever use it, unless I'm buying a ticket. Most of the news I get here, which might link me towards that site (less now that people have started posting the report in a quote) or at the BBC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randombc Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I use it every other day or so. Strengths - updated regularly - all the boxes of information gives you more information in a page, instead of clicking 'home' or 'back' every time you want to go to new page - The idea of Rams player is very good, but I do agree with a post above that the advertisements are a bit over the top Weakness - Very biased, - Would like highlights from reserve fixtures, as we don't know who's played well - Adverts in the middle of articles winds me up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Day Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Do you use it? If so, what are the key reasons you go on it? Yes, to access Rams Player, check fixtures. Strengths and weaknesses of the sites? Content, layout etc Strengths - It's the official news, confirmation of a signing, injury etc. also Rams Player is great for fans living outside Radio Derby range. Weaknesses - Too busy, feels more like a advertising tool first and the news comes second. What you would do to improve the site? I'd prefer a separate community website or page for things like charity events, kids courses etc. I'd like to go to the official site for actual news on the first team not to see if there is a "Kenyan Adventure Car Boot Sale On Sunday". It needs to be modernised and made more simplistic, take a look at Man City's site for example [url=http://www.mcfc.co.uk/]http://www.mcfc.co.uk/ , nothing overly flashing in your face, the main menu is nice and clear and easy to navigate. It's a football club the revenue should come from ticket sales, merchandise etc. not betting affiliate schemes or clickable ads. Also remove preview videos that automatically play, you get them on loads of football sites now, very annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McRamFan Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Our website is similar to a lot of other websites, which I hate. If you look at forest, leicester, coventry and cardiff they are all the same except the content. Obviously some company came along and sold the idea to the clubs because it reduces the cost of the club to design, build and run their own. The issue with that is they all look the same, function the same and have the content laid out the same. So instead of being as individual as the club there is a homogenisation and personally I think it looks cheap, and virtually never go on it. There is no spirit there. Plus it seems only to serve as a marketing tool for other companies, and as mentioned earlier it heavily promotes Ramsplayer, which I expect the revenue is divided between the club and the website owners. Another reason why I will not use the site or subscribe to Ramsplayer. For example if you compare this forum to LTLF, they are completely different in the way they look, how they are structured and how they feel to use. This forum imho has a better interface out, is fan friendly, and structured with plenty of sections for a wide variety of topics and works well for Ram Fans. However the LTLF site is a great archive of information; however the actual forum seems a little less thought out – again imho. So in conclusion, we need a DCFC site that is like LTLF for content, articles and archives; with a forum like this plus our own Ramsplayer where all revenue goes to the club. That would improve site visits and bring back individuality and drive up visits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Day Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 For example if you compare this forum to LTLF, they are completely different in the way they look, how they are structured and how they feel to use. This forum imho has a better interface out, is fan friendly, and structured with plenty of sections for a wide variety of topics and works well for Ram Fans. However the LTLF site is a great archive of information; however the actual forum seems a little less thought out – again imho. Compliments will get you everywhere! 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons//laugh' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralRam Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Im currently doing a piece of University coursework in connection with AFC Bournemouth in how to attract more people to their official website. Seeing as all the football league's websites are near enough the same i was wondering if people could give me their opinion on our club website. Do you use it? If so, what are the key reasons you go on it? Only to listen to Ramsplayer and even then I use my mates Sheffield Wednesday login. The news is crap and outdated and much prefer to get it from other sources. Strengths and weaknesses of the sites? Content, layout etc Too cluttered, doesn't give a personal feel and it is obvious it gets updated by someone who doesn't have anything to do with the club. What you would do to improve the site? Screw it up and start a fresh. I've got a few points myself, a key one being how Rams Player can be accessed through many accounts and how you can log onto any other clubs 'Player' through that account, surely must be costing money. I was thinking of suggesting all season ticket holders get their clubs 'Player' free? All thoughts/ideas welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uttoxram75 Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Its always going to be heavily biased as its the official Club mouthpiece. I only use it to check fixtures, kick off times and ticket details. Everything else I assume is to extract a few more quid out of me. Personally i would love a proper archive going back to the late 60's/early 70's. Reports of each game, attendance, etc. I would pay a small subscription to be able to access something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastKentRam Posted March 22, 2012 Author Share Posted March 22, 2012 All very helpful, appreciate it. From what i understand, Bournemouth are contracted with the company that runs all the league clubs websites till 2013 (i think) so i imagine it will be similar for other clubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McRamFan Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 All very helpful, appreciate it. From what i understand, Bournemouth are contracted with the company that runs all the league clubs websites till 2013 (i think) so i imagine it will be similar for other clubs. Hopefully they will all realise that if you all wear the same suit you all look the same, and you don't cater for the fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jourdan Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I don't really pay much attention to the club website, except to look up ticket prices and see a photo of our new signing proudly holding aloft the black-and-white scarf or the latest replica shirt on the fields of Moor Farm - the ultimate confirmation. But besides that, the output is pretty inconsequential and lacking in originality. There's nothing thought-provoking on the site in terms of match reports, interviews or analysis because the club's reporters appear to have an agenda to paint the club in an incredibly positive light rather than telling us how it is. Calling a 4-0 defeat 'a brave performance' when we've been outclassed for example. It is an insult to our intelligence much of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 The lack of scantily clad women means that I dont frequent it that often. I personally think they would gain more hits this way, although maybe blokes in shorts does it for some, in which case I apologise to them :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramshankered Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I work for a decent digital design company so I know a fair bit about making good websites. To be honest the template websites used by most these football clubs for their official sites is bleedin' awful! Just to skim the surface and talk about the homepage... Design - A mess of adverts, videos, links, sponsors and random football imagery. No focus or cohesion. Information presented in an overwhelming manner. Too many modules. Navigation - Why two main navs at the top? Why hundreds of extra links in the drop-down menu for each navigation option? It makes it very confusing for users. UX (user experience) - Sponsors seem to be the priority. Where do users even start? Copy - no clear headlines, way too many Call to actions (CTAs) My advice: Ditch it all and replace it with one header carousel and a 3-4 supporting modules - allow the information to rotate (that way you you're just revealing information gradually rather than all in one go). Simplify the navigation menu and consolidate the information so you don't have so many links / menus. That's just my initial thoughts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GboroRam Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 And it's pig slow to load. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deirdre_Barlow Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Anyone got a link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebelScum Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 I live away so I use it purely for Rams Player... which I really begrudge! As for the site itself - its sterile - same as every other club... Why? Useful for information though I suppose, fixtures, news etc. anyone else got a hangover? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamOfKansas Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 I don't understand the complaints about how they paint the picture to be all positive. That's what a team/club's website is supposed to do. Promote a positive outlook for what the club is trying to do. They're not going to bash on about how terrible we looked. If you want that it's easy to find blogs or sources with opinions independent of the club. They don't need top quality, hard hitting journalists for what they provide. Other than that; it's far too cluttered with ads and information. It needs simplification and a smoothing over because it's quite jarring to the eye and makes me immediately wanna jump to better designed websites that will stop the bleeding from my eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boycie Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 I work for a decent digital design company so I know a fair bit about making good websites. To be honest the template websites used by most these football clubs for their official sites is bleedin' awful! Just to skim the surface and talk about the homepage... Design - A mess of adverts, videos, links, sponsors and random football imagery. No focus or cohesion. Information presented in an overwhelming manner. Too many modules. Navigation - Why two main navs at the top? Why hundreds of extra links in the drop-down menu for each navigation option? It makes it very confusing for users. UX (user experience) - Sponsors seem to be the priority. Where do users even start? Copy - no clear headlines, way too many Call to actions (CTAs) My advice: Ditch it all and replace it with one header carousel and a 3-4 supporting modules - allow the information to rotate (that way you you're just revealing information gradually rather than all in one go). Simplify the navigation menu and consolidate the information so you don't have so many links / menus. That's just my initial thoughts! well, it must make money, thats all I can think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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