UPDATE: Guys it seems that they started to make the transition and found a few errors that weren't going to be immediately correctable. Rather than having things be unstable until they could get it finalized they went back and are making the changes on the backend while the current front page, etc. are still up and running.
Sorry for any issues today (we had a lapse of about 10 minutes where things were shaky) but again we want the first introduction to the new information to be a good one and are doing our most to make sure that is how it plays out.
ORIGINAL: Wanted to give our users a heads-up about some changes scheduled to take place within the Rivals.com Network, which will include SoonerScoop, this week. For now, the switch-over is scheduled today at 5pm eastern/4pm central.
When the change kicks in, the front page of SoonerScoop.com and all content pages (stories and features) will be completely different. We've been using some of the new content pages already and you can see an example here: https://oklahoma.n.rivals.com/news/all-star-stock-market
Here's a quick FAQ re. The upcoming changes:
Why are the changes being made?
◦ No. 1 - The Rivals network has essentially been unchanged for 15 years. Because the coding is so antiquated it's coming apart at the seams and was in desperate need of an update. As many probably remember, national signing day two years ago was an absolute disaster when the network crashed for several hours. That was a result of underlying problems with the network and having few people that could maintain antiquated code and software. The network has been held together by tape and string since then and it's a daily challenge to keep it up and running.
◦ No. 2 - Mobile! When Rivals was launched around 15 years ago there was no such thing as reading online content on a smart phone or tablet. Now, over50% of people that are online are doing so from a mobile device! The old configuration (content and front page) was never designed for mobile and doesn't play nicely with it. We tried a workaround by developing an app, which was OK for a while but essentially hasn't worked since last summer. The new network is 100% mobile responsive and optimized for all devices.
What will the changes mean for SoonerScoop users?
◦ For content pages, there will be a slightly different look but more importantly they will be optimized for mobile. Everything should be much easier to read on smart phones and tablets, and they should load faster. There will be no need to scroll from side to side or to increase the size of the page in order to read it. And because it's compatible with all devices and operating systems, every page should look fine whether you are using an iDevice, Android or Windows.
◦ With the network now stabilized and with everything compatible with mobile, it means we are one step closer to getting a working app that should be dramatically more functional than the old one (even when it was working). Please be patient but we plan to make getting a new app out a priority going forward.
◦ The front page of SoonerScoop will look very different. Here's an example: Nebraska's front page. Because there was a priority to make everything mobile friendly, we had to sacrifice some features that have been mainstays on the front page - Twitter feed, a video module, links to quick updates, and the look will be more streamlined (you will need to scroll down more to find recent features and stories).
What does this mean going forward?
◦ When we finally got approval for funding to design and launch a new network, one of the best things that happened was getting Rivals away from the constraints of being on Yahoo's servers. For all intents and purposes, Rivals is now independent (from a technical standpoint) from Yahoo and will no longer be constrained by having to go through 20 layers of bureaucracy to get an upgrade or something needed done. As a result, a lot of cool features and needed changes will come quickly over the coming months.
◦ The new leadership at Rivals is putting more of an emphasis on listening to the publishers which means we have more of a say in the direction of the network. It also means we have a lot of input on needed changes. With a streamlined network away from Yahoo these changes can happen much faster.
◦ Again, it means we can finally move forward with recreating the SoonerScoop mobile App.
◦ Yes, there will be some bugs. The new network has been essentially running in the background for over a month to weed out as many bugs as possible. But with any major technological change/upgrade bugs, glitches and unforeseen setbacks are inevitable. We will work as quickly as possible to get through these problems so please be patient.
Questions, comments, suggestions and criticisms:
◦ This thread will be left open for a while to get feedback on the changes. We'll do what we can to answer any questions you might have and to consider any suggestions. However, if your goal is to troll, stir the pot or just or just complain without offering anything constructive your post will be removed. You are always welcomed to email us at our emails listed below.
We can't thank all of our loyal subscribers enough. We realize the technological side of SoonerScoop has been substandard the past few years and realize it's been frustrating for many of you. It's also been frustrating on our end which is why we led the charge to get Yahoo to get off their butts and fund these much needed changes. We've always had the best staff when it comes to covering Sooner sports and in the very near future we'll have the best technology as well.
Carey Murdock
SoonerScoop.com co-Publisher
cmurdock@soonerscoop.com
Josh McCuistion
SoonerScoop.com co-Publisher
josh@soonerscoop.com
Sorry for any issues today (we had a lapse of about 10 minutes where things were shaky) but again we want the first introduction to the new information to be a good one and are doing our most to make sure that is how it plays out.
ORIGINAL: Wanted to give our users a heads-up about some changes scheduled to take place within the Rivals.com Network, which will include SoonerScoop, this week. For now, the switch-over is scheduled today at 5pm eastern/4pm central.
When the change kicks in, the front page of SoonerScoop.com and all content pages (stories and features) will be completely different. We've been using some of the new content pages already and you can see an example here: https://oklahoma.n.rivals.com/news/all-star-stock-market
Here's a quick FAQ re. The upcoming changes:
Why are the changes being made?
◦ No. 1 - The Rivals network has essentially been unchanged for 15 years. Because the coding is so antiquated it's coming apart at the seams and was in desperate need of an update. As many probably remember, national signing day two years ago was an absolute disaster when the network crashed for several hours. That was a result of underlying problems with the network and having few people that could maintain antiquated code and software. The network has been held together by tape and string since then and it's a daily challenge to keep it up and running.
◦ No. 2 - Mobile! When Rivals was launched around 15 years ago there was no such thing as reading online content on a smart phone or tablet. Now, over50% of people that are online are doing so from a mobile device! The old configuration (content and front page) was never designed for mobile and doesn't play nicely with it. We tried a workaround by developing an app, which was OK for a while but essentially hasn't worked since last summer. The new network is 100% mobile responsive and optimized for all devices.
What will the changes mean for SoonerScoop users?
◦ For content pages, there will be a slightly different look but more importantly they will be optimized for mobile. Everything should be much easier to read on smart phones and tablets, and they should load faster. There will be no need to scroll from side to side or to increase the size of the page in order to read it. And because it's compatible with all devices and operating systems, every page should look fine whether you are using an iDevice, Android or Windows.
◦ With the network now stabilized and with everything compatible with mobile, it means we are one step closer to getting a working app that should be dramatically more functional than the old one (even when it was working). Please be patient but we plan to make getting a new app out a priority going forward.
◦ The front page of SoonerScoop will look very different. Here's an example: Nebraska's front page. Because there was a priority to make everything mobile friendly, we had to sacrifice some features that have been mainstays on the front page - Twitter feed, a video module, links to quick updates, and the look will be more streamlined (you will need to scroll down more to find recent features and stories).
What does this mean going forward?
◦ When we finally got approval for funding to design and launch a new network, one of the best things that happened was getting Rivals away from the constraints of being on Yahoo's servers. For all intents and purposes, Rivals is now independent (from a technical standpoint) from Yahoo and will no longer be constrained by having to go through 20 layers of bureaucracy to get an upgrade or something needed done. As a result, a lot of cool features and needed changes will come quickly over the coming months.
◦ The new leadership at Rivals is putting more of an emphasis on listening to the publishers which means we have more of a say in the direction of the network. It also means we have a lot of input on needed changes. With a streamlined network away from Yahoo these changes can happen much faster.
◦ Again, it means we can finally move forward with recreating the SoonerScoop mobile App.
◦ Yes, there will be some bugs. The new network has been essentially running in the background for over a month to weed out as many bugs as possible. But with any major technological change/upgrade bugs, glitches and unforeseen setbacks are inevitable. We will work as quickly as possible to get through these problems so please be patient.
Questions, comments, suggestions and criticisms:
◦ This thread will be left open for a while to get feedback on the changes. We'll do what we can to answer any questions you might have and to consider any suggestions. However, if your goal is to troll, stir the pot or just or just complain without offering anything constructive your post will be removed. You are always welcomed to email us at our emails listed below.
We can't thank all of our loyal subscribers enough. We realize the technological side of SoonerScoop has been substandard the past few years and realize it's been frustrating for many of you. It's also been frustrating on our end which is why we led the charge to get Yahoo to get off their butts and fund these much needed changes. We've always had the best staff when it comes to covering Sooner sports and in the very near future we'll have the best technology as well.
Carey Murdock
SoonerScoop.com co-Publisher
cmurdock@soonerscoop.com
Josh McCuistion
SoonerScoop.com co-Publisher
josh@soonerscoop.com
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