LMO 3.0: Welcome to the New LaxMagazine.com
by Matt DaSilva | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
|
| LMO's new three-tabbed right column brings more headlines above the fold, including links to LMO headlines, external reports in "The Wire" and easy-to-navigate photo galleries. |
It’s not too often you get to surface from the fray, thump
your chest to the masses and acknowledge just how cool your job is.
Today is one of those days.
Welcome to the new Lacrosse Magazine Online (laxmagazine.com).
Exactly two years ago, upon LMO’s last major overhaul, I
reminded myself just why we see the most laxmagazine.com traffic on
weekdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. “You, like me,” I
wrote, “are looking for injections of variety into the
cube-induced comas of daily life at school or at the
office.”
Thanks largely to the customization afforded by PrestoSports and
the hustle of its dedicated staff, we’ve unrolled a new,
user-friendly format that will allow the compulsive clickers to
bounce around our site like Paul Rabil after a shot of Red
Bull.
With improved
scoreboard components and navigation, you can dish on your
favorite college or pro team almost as easily as Hannah Nielsen
keeps tabs on Hilary Bowen.
With RSS feeds up the
wazoo, you’ll get the latest scores and information delivered
to you faster than Zack Greer’s latest finish on the
crease.
We’ve added breadth to the existing depth, expanding our
content base to include 21 sections grouped into nine categories,
including exclusive destinations for player tips from the pros, separate homes for
the 2009 U.S.
World Cup Women's and 2010 U.S. Men’s Teams (both pursuing
paths to international redemption) and college lacrosse spanning
both genders and all divisions.
There’s more media in lacrosse than ever before. In fact, if
you check out our new “Features” section, you’ll
see that ESPN has extended its mammoth media arms to
televise 45 college men’s and women’s lacrosse games.
CBS College Sports (formerly CSTV), which previously hosted this
site through its first four years as part of a partnership with US
Lacrosse, is expected to announce soon a similarly robust
slate.
Yet even as lacrosse invades TV sets, blogs and social media
realms, it’s worth noting that before it was even a blip on
George Bodenheimer’s radar, Lacrosse Magazine had your back.
Now in its 32nd year of production, LM predates its owner and
publisher, US
Lacrosse.
A few highlights as you get to know our new online digs:
|
| The PrestoSports scoreboard encompasses all teams in NCAA Division I, II and III men's and women's lacrosse, as well as both pro leagues. |
Scoreboard, Kid
You’re starved for scores and we’re gluttons for
punishment.
For the first time since its 2005 inception, LMO now boasts a
comprehensive scoreboard platform, accounting for every team in
NCAA Division I, II and III men’s and women’s lacrosse,
the National Lacrosse League and Major League Lacrosse.
The 2009 NLL season, as you see, is full throttle. The 2009
Division I women’s season has one game under its belt,
Northwestern’s 24-6 thrashing of Denver on Jan. 23. Currently
in our system await results for 4,050 games scheduled, not
including those that we’ll add as the college season hits
full swing this month.
PrestoSports’ system-wide integration allows you to: keep up
on the latest scores and upcoming games; visit links to related
recaps, videos and photo galleries; view updated team pages for
both genders across all divisions; and automatically generate the
latest conference standings.
So while we’re busy developing carpal tunnel syndrome, go
ahead and bookmark your favorite teams. We’ll have them
covered.
User-Friendly Features
Rotating headlines oversee the home page and all sections,
assuring that no matter what your interest is in lacrosse, you can
find it on LMO.
Our new wide layout means you don’t have to scroll below the
fold to find the stories you want. There are more headlines in more
places, specified to lacrosse fans’ wide array of interests
within the sport.
The three-tabbed right column carries throughout the site,
including bulleted links to not only the latest LMO headlines, but
also “The Wire” – a popular section feeding links
to press releases and external media coverage – and an
easy-to-navigate landing for our expansive photo galleries.
Check out our RSS feeds
for custom syndication of your most coveted headlines.
And for those of you looking for more depth or another reason to
procrastinate, you’ll find features, blogs and commentary
underscoring the entire site.
More Interactivity
|
| View photos as galleries or slideshows using LMO's dual platform, courtesy of PrestoSports. |
One-way communication has gone the way of VHS, we know. Part of
lacrosse’s appeal is its community elements. Some of our most
popular series on LMO – like “Straight Shooters,” an advice
column featuring Matt Zash and Lindsey Biles, and “Picture This,” a running gallery of
reader-submitted photos – rely on you.
Look for more opportunities to interact with the magazine in the
coming weeks.
Whether entering raffles to win gear, answering LM’s
question of the month in “Sideline Chatter,”
participating in fan polls, asking questions for our “Give
and Go” subjects or nominating your area for LM’s new
“Zip It” feature, there will be plenty of chances
upcoming to get in your two cents.
Let’s keep up the interactivity – join the Lacrosse Magazine Facebook group.
Enhanced Multimedia Capabilities
PrestoSports’ dual-function photo gallery platform allows
you to view the best in lacrosse photography up close in a
click-and-enlarge gallery or leaning back and letting us do the
work in a slideshow.
Also, in addition to the plethora of embedded video available
virally (who doesn’t swipe video from YouTube, these days?),
we now have the platform to host original video content. Check out
the “Multimedia” section to know see what that
means.
Stay Tuned
The new digs don’t end here. Check back to LMO in the coming
weeks as we unveil new elements – including a dedicated blog
site, mobile scoreboard options and much more.
