JNice

Hey everyone ... I am thinking of putting together an Orlando Magic based site. I need to spend some time working some of the newer technologies to brush up on my skillz so I need a side project to work on. I think this would be a good one.

My question is ... what would be some cool features or things you'd like to see on a site. I can do articles, news, schedule, players ... all that crap. But what else would be cool to add?

Once (or if) it gets up I will probably do some writing for it, writing articles etc ... and I'll probably be looking for a couple of other people to do so as well. I'm going to try and keep the level of writing on it pretty high. This will almost be a possible portfolio type site for me in the future so I want it to seem professional.

I'll probably use the site to direct people towards this forum as well. I'm not interested in coding any sort of messageboard.

So if anyone has any ideas or anything ... feel free to shoot ...

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lw32

I like the idea JNice, do you think there is a big enough market out there for such a site though? RealGM has a big magic fanbase, but bbb.net doesn't and I don't venture on to ESPN's boards.

I'd suggest making it unique, news, schedules, players you can find on any website. While they're useful, they won't set you apart and won't really make people remember the site. Articles and opinionated pieces are fantastic, if they're written well and researched sufficiently. They're what will keep people coming back to the website, not to mention that they'll only be available through you.

Look at the success that draftexpress has had, there is definitely a heavy market out there on the internet for basketball sites. I've actually been looking a little into something like this from a business perspective, and I think it'd be interesting.

If you would like any help, in whatever form, I'll be glad to lend a hand. I wouldn't mind contributing at all.

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"Stanley's idea of a balanced meal is a Big Mac in each hand" -- then Orlando Magic GM Pat Williams on overweight Magic first round draft choice Stanley Roberts

JNice

At this point i'm not too worried about the size of the market. I've been to some other Magic sites very briefly and it seems like they get pretty good traffic. And most of those, that I remember, were pretty basic html sites.

And for now, I'm not looking to make any money off the site whatsoever. It is more or less for me to play with and learn a lot of the features of .NET while working on a project that actually interests me. I've actually been tossing the idea around for a couple years but recent events have sparked my interest to get caught up on the technology. And there is some new stuff out there that you can do some very cool things with. I just need to figure out how I could apply those.

In the end though, I do think it would be the writing that would make the site ... and I am interested in actually getting down and doing a little writing. I actually used to write a bit for hoopsworld way back. I'd like to set things up so I can give some people "admin" type access so they can write and submit articles right on the site...

Hmm... now the brain is going. I'm going to need to put some things down on paper. I'd like to start working on it over the next couple weeks.

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MC Hammer once said "You can't touch this!" I am THIS.

Tersk

I once had a similar idea for the Mavericks, but I realised it would flop and I couldn't HTML it.

Check www.netsdaily.com for a slight idea

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Hairy Midget

Maybe something where you review each game the Magic play, not really in a recap sort of way, but more of the point of view of a smart Magic fan.

deanwoof

that'd be nice. i'd contribute in any way i could, be being based out here in portland, it'd be hard for me to konw what's going on in Otown... pretty strange for someone to be a Magic fan since the nick anderson/dennis scott days.

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WhoRocks

You and Lachlanwood32 have already identified the main thing which is your personal writing that will set your site apart from any other. Some advice I could give you is that make sure your website looks as professional as possible, and if you can't add articles every couple of days (as I'm sure the real world keeps you busy), establish when the site is updated each week e.g. every friday or every sunday. Because it might sound corny but if you want people to care enough and keep visiting your site, you've got to show that you care yourself about its look and upkeep.

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Hairy Midget

If you could somehow make it funny AND insightful, then you'd have a great site on your hands.

JNice

I think that is the big thing ... there has to be some kind of content that is updated regularly. One new article every three weeks isn't going to get people coming back to the site.

Good stuff ... any other comments or ideas, throw them out there ... I am going to start planning this thing out some this weekend. I've got a couple months. It'd be cool to have something up by the time the season starts.

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MC Hammer once said "You can't touch this!" I am THIS.