No, it's awful, the layout is pretty lame! And why you should have to pay to hear from your players or manager is beyond me! I refuse! Personally I think that season ticket holders should have free access to CAFC player.
I like this site, for all the differing opinions, and News Now is pretty good too.
One thing I should correct, however, are statements that recent news would have appeared on the old website quicker than has been the case on the existing site. The two things have absolutely nothing to do one another.
Whatever the club policy regarding releasing information, in its simplest sense the website is simply a mechanism for conveying that information, and that club policy would have applied equally to the old website.
It's currently club policy not to announce anything until it's been confirmed (it's worth noting the paperwork has still to be completed on the Ecclestone deal, for example, although we've put out a holding story in the meantime). This can cause problems, particularly when there are rumours galore and everyone knows someone who knows something etc, and is as frustrating to comms dept staff as supporters.
Whether this policy changes under new owners, we will have to wait to find out...
[cite]Posted By: Matt_Wright[/cite]It's interesting to read some of the comments.
One thing I should correct, however, are statements that recent news would have appeared on the old website quicker than has been the case on the existing site. The two things have absolutely nothing to do one another.
Whatever the club policy regarding releasing information, in its simplest sense the website is simply a mechanism for conveying that information, and that club policy would have applied equally to the old website.
It's currently club policy not to announce anything until it's been confirmed (it's worth noting the paperwork has still to be completed on the Ecclestone deal, for example, although we've put out a holding story in the meantime). This can cause problems, particularly when there are rumours galore and everyone knows someone who knows something etc, and is as frustrating to comms dept staff as supporters.
Whether this policy changes under new owners, we will have to wait to find out...
MW
Matt, what are the chances of us having a new manager installed by Saturday? (Off the record of course!)
I really do feel I've lost a comfortable arthritic old friend and still very much dislike the flashy usurper. I only visit for Player items, to check ticket news and to see if any fixtures have been changed. Maybe visit once a week whereas it used to be twice a day. I don't mind you being late with the news so much, that's always been the case and it's good to have one site that is not dominated by speculation.
What I don't understand though is how SLP have managerial interviews on a Thursday up on their site before it's on the OS, yet all the OS' article has is a slightly differently worded article containing the same info, a picture and ticket info at the bottom....
[cite]Posted By: ross[/cite]What I don't understand though is how SLP have managerial interviews on a Thursday up on their site before it's on the OS, yet all the OS' article has is a slightly differently worded article containing the same info, a picture and ticket info at the bottom....
I would presume because that the remit of the SLP journo is to get his piece wrote up as quick as poss to a. hit the web and get some hits, b. to be ready for thr Friday paper.
The OS guys priority on every other Thursday would be i presume the compiling and completion of the match programme to get to the printers in time.
[cite]Posted By: ross[/cite]What I don't understand though is how SLP have managerial interviews on a Thursday up on their site before it's on the OS, yet all the OS' article has is a slightly differently worded article containing the same info, a picture and ticket info at the bottom....
I would presume because that the remit of the SLP journo is to get his piece wrote up as quick as poss to a. hit the web and get some hits, b. to be ready for thr Friday paper.
The OS guys priority on every other Thursday would be i presume the compiling and completion of the match programme to get to the printers in time.
As well as managing the actual press conference, dealing with questions from the SLP and other journos, etc etc
I hardly ever used it before - don't use it now at all. The old site was OK (slow, and ponderous, prone to crashes - just like the wife's driving), the FLI sites are all, without exception, hideous. The ads are annoying, the site looks and 'feels' horrible using it, and as for the mobile version - I've had better looking shits.
I personally don't use it. Used to go on old site on a daily basis, and laugh at other clubs with their generic crappy sites full of irrelevant ads and stuff. Felt like crying when we adopted that format. I tend to source most of my news here and have only gone on OS when a hyperlink posted by someone will take me straight to the article before hopping straight out again.
Apart from the general crap design which we have no control over, the thing that annoys me most is that there's no way of telling from the fixture list whether a game is on the telly or has just been moved to an inconvenient time on police advice.
The old site was great, the new site is far too busy and it has the feel of one of the phones systems that you have to keep punching numbers to finally end up where you want to be.
Really don't like it. Use it much less. Only really go on then for ticket news and when a new article comes up on newsnow, and that intensely annoys me to as most of those seem to be links to CAFC player clips and I don't use that.
The trouble with pre formatted tenplates, is that it becomes the over riding factor for the web editor.
When I was working at the bbc the internal web editor, really only could deal with three current news items, and often had to get one of the hacks to do some research for him.
When a big story broke, all hands lent a hand , just to service the web. Stories were perhaps updated every hour!. When they went to lunch, the editor took over!. I appreciate you have a formatted design, but a lead story is generally the one the you service, obviously the manager is this week, last week it was Peacock/Spurs game,/ Parky sacking the week before.
Reports on games like the reserves have to wait!. As well as the more mundane, but equally important information like tickets,offers etc.
A lot depends on your content management system, and how user friendly/easy it is to use.
It really is not a mystic art!.
As I used to tell my colleagues, if you want to work at the coal face you are gonna get your hands dirty!
Anyway, the important news is always in print because people keep that format, just think of it as toilet paper, the most important thing for 2 minutes, then you just want to flush it away!
At least you can wipe your backside on a newspaper, never tried that with a keyboard!. Mind you the s**t some hacks right i think the comparrisson is very fair!
I find the site, frankly, messy and hard to navigate. It is just a generic fit all site which satisfies no one. To get any real news you have the use the CAFC Player which I refuse to do despite the club constantly telephoning me asking me to join up.
Used to visit at least once a day no rarely bother, very messy to look at and not very user friendly. Been a regular visitor to this site but use it more now.
Like most I've gone from once a day to very occasionally (to link to Player or check fixtures/ticket news). It's very messy - thought the old format was ideal. Also, and I know this is a bit subjective, but I don't like the fact that we use something all the others use.
I tend to use other news sources but not because of the new site, it's just that for a long time it's been the last place I'd go for the latest Charlton news. Twitter, text/email, Sky, BBC, here and Glynne's list are my main sources now.
Actually I got used to the new layout more quickly than I thought I would. It looks awful and it's much more commercially focused, but there's nothing wrong with the navigation and it certainly makes traversing other clubs' sites a lot easier. Not sure the content is any different either.
The old site was like a old armchair, deep down you know you need to replace it but it's still familiar and comfy.
"What I don't understand though is how SLP have managerial interviews on a Thursday up on their site before it's on the OS, yet all the OS' article has is a slightly differently worded article containing the same info, a picture and ticket info at the bottom.... "
I think you're confusing the SLP with the New Shopper (mainly because the SLP very rarely attends press days), but this can be easily explained by the fact that the News Shopper journalist who attends our weekly press days simply has one job - to interview the manager and then write up the quotes for the website asap. In contrast, club staff have a dual role - we are there to first facilitate all the media interviews and also provide coverage ourselves.
I'll give an example from last week. Keith Peacock had to do three TV interviews (BBC LONDON, London Tonight and Sky), two press interviews (for the daily papers and the Sunday papers) and one radio interview (jointly for BBC LONDON and BBC Kent). At the same time, BBC LONDON radio wanted to interview Gary Doherty, BBC LONDON TV were interviewing Johnnie Jackson, the Sunday papers wanted Jackson as well and the daily papers interviewed Christian Dailly.
It's obviously an extreme example because we don't play Spurs on a Sunday every week without a manager, but while we're organising all those interviews (and rushing around to various different areas of the building), we're also taping and filming them themselves for the club's website and CAFC Player. Obviously, we're keen to get information out to fans asap, but first we have a duty to ensure the media gets the coverage of the club it needs, and then we can start the time-consuming job of editing all the audio and video and writing up the stories.
Incidentally, on the subject of the SLP and to return to the club's policy regarding releasing information, Tuesday's back page made interesting reading: the SLP predicted by Tuesday morning we would have appointed Eddie Howe and Palace would have appointed Keith Hill!
Rarely use it, but to be fair I rarely used the old one. I usually rely on Charlton Life - as soon as something happens, someone will post it here. As others have said, I find it frustrating that so much stuff is on that bloody player thing - I've got two problems with this. Firstly it's not in a format I wan't - I like to read my news. Secondly, have no intention of paying for it - as a footie fan I feel I'm bled dry as it is.
"What I don't understand though is how SLP have managerial interviews on a Thursday up on their site before it's on the OS, yet all the OS' article has is a slightly differently worded article containing the same info, a picture and ticket info at the bottom.... "
I think you're confusing the SLP with the New Shopper (mainly because the SLP very rarely attends press days), but this can be easily explained by the fact that the News Shopper journalist who attends our weekly press days simply has one job - to interview the manager and then write up the quotes for the website asap. In contrast, club staff have a dual role - we are there to first facilitate all the media interviews and also provide coverage ourselves.
I'll give an example from last week. Keith Peacock had to do three TV interviews (BBC LONDON, London Tonight and Sky), two press interviews (for the daily papers and the Sunday papers) and one radio interview (jointly for BBC LONDON and BBC Kent). At the same time, BBC LONDON radio wanted to interview Gary Doherty, BBC LONDON TV were interviewing Johnnie Jackson, the Sunday papers wanted Jackson as well and the daily papers interviewed Christian Dailly.
It's obviously an extreme example because we don't play Spurs on a Sunday every week without a manager, but while we're organising all those interviews (and rushing around to various different areas of the building), we're also taping and filming them themselves for the club's website and CAFC Player. Obviously, we're keen to get information out to fans asap, but first we have a duty to ensure the media gets the coverage of the club it needs, and then we can start the time-consuming job of editing all the audio and video and writing up the stories.
Incidentally, on the subject of the SLP and to return to the club's policy regarding releasing information, Tuesday's back page made interesting reading: the SLP predicted by Tuesday morning we would have appointed Eddie Howe and Palace would have appointed Keith Hill!
MW
Yes I read with alarm this morning that splash Matt, I read it again in case I had missed something!..... then when you see that they got the NWK supporter to give some quotes it is very vague, and there are all sorts of qualifications. The writer gives the impression that he has been given the 'nod 'to break this, as they were going to press, clearly they had not!. They may as well said Beckham to be Charlton manager, if he agrees!....
So a totally inaccurate ' scoop!'...... with little 'fact' if any. I hope he apologises to you and the club!
Just to add a footnote; As of this morning no mention of Chris Powell being offered the job, despite hundreds of posts on here, and announced on BBC London news.
Surely the club could have posted that he has been offered the job, or are the bbc wrong!.
There needs to be a joined up approach to these things, as I stated , not every rumour/bit of speculation, but there is one story in town the managers job and that person or people!
After all Matt does not need to brief the SLP as they have told us it is Howe!
I think its pretty good. Still has net good content. I have noticed that my phone now takes me to a mobile version of the site, this seems to be pretty good except for the fact that when hit the news link all I get is a don't swear at matches message. Not sure if this is tailored to me specifically!
The new mobile site is very, very poor. My phone redirects to it whether I like it or not. There was a blank section on news, a big section on 'Last match' and then a big section on 'Player Profiles'.
I don't know why anyone who would visit the website from their phones would want to know about the last match played or player profiles. Surely people would prefer instant access to news and ticket/travel info on a mobile site?
Just had a thought, maybe it's not the site, perhaps it's just that everything Charlton has been depressing recently so who would enjoy reading anything official!
Reckon I'll be logging on a lot in the next few weeks to read up on our new manager!
Comments
I like this site, for all the differing opinions, and News Now is pretty good too.
One thing I should correct, however, are statements that recent news would have appeared on the old website quicker than has been the case on the existing site. The two things have absolutely nothing to do one another.
Whatever the club policy regarding releasing information, in its simplest sense the website is simply a mechanism for conveying that information, and that club policy would have applied equally to the old website.
It's currently club policy not to announce anything until it's been confirmed (it's worth noting the paperwork has still to be completed on the Ecclestone deal, for example, although we've put out a holding story in the meantime). This can cause problems, particularly when there are rumours galore and everyone knows someone who knows something etc, and is as frustrating to comms dept staff as supporters.
Whether this policy changes under new owners, we will have to wait to find out...
MW
My source tells me it already has Matt :-)
Matt, what are the chances of us having a new manager installed by Saturday? (Off the record of course!)
All other FL sites I've seen don't have the TV
I would presume because that the remit of the SLP journo is to get his piece wrote up as quick as poss to a. hit the web and get some hits, b. to be ready for thr Friday paper.
The OS guys priority on every other Thursday would be i presume the compiling and completion of the match programme to get to the printers in time.
As well as managing the actual press conference, dealing with questions from the SLP and other journos, etc etc
When I was working at the bbc the internal web editor, really only could deal with three current news items, and often had to get one of the hacks to do some research for him.
When a big story broke, all hands lent a hand , just to service the web. Stories were perhaps updated every hour!. When they went to lunch, the editor took over!.
I appreciate you have a formatted design, but a lead story is generally the one the you service, obviously the manager is this week, last week it was Peacock/Spurs game,/ Parky sacking the week before.
Reports on games like the reserves have to wait!. As well as the more mundane, but equally important information like tickets,offers etc.
A lot depends on your content management system, and how user friendly/easy it is to use.
It really is not a mystic art!.
As I used to tell my colleagues, if you want to work at the coal face you are gonna get your hands dirty!
Anyway, the important news is always in print because people keep that format, just think of it as toilet paper, the most important thing for 2 minutes, then you just want to flush it away!
At least you can wipe your backside on a newspaper, never tried that with a keyboard!. Mind you the s**t some hacks right i think the comparrisson is very fair!
Therefore I will never need to visit the OS ever again. Thank you AFKA.
To get any real news you have the use the CAFC Player which I refuse to do despite the club constantly telephoning me asking me to join up.
BRING BACK THE OLD SITE PLEASE!
This site is my first CAFC port of call now.
Actually I got used to the new layout more quickly than I thought I would. It looks awful and it's much more commercially focused, but there's nothing wrong with the navigation and it certainly makes traversing other clubs' sites a lot easier. Not sure the content is any different either.
The old site was like a old armchair, deep down you know you need to replace it but it's still familiar and comfy.
"What I don't understand though is how SLP have managerial interviews on a Thursday up on their site before it's on the OS, yet all the OS' article has is a slightly differently worded article containing the same info, a picture and ticket info at the bottom.... "
I think you're confusing the SLP with the New Shopper (mainly because the SLP very rarely attends press days), but this can be easily explained by the fact that the News Shopper journalist who attends our weekly press days simply has one job - to interview the manager and then write up the quotes for the website asap. In contrast, club staff have a dual role - we are there to first facilitate all the media interviews and also provide coverage ourselves.
I'll give an example from last week. Keith Peacock had to do three TV interviews (BBC LONDON, London Tonight and Sky), two press interviews (for the daily papers and the Sunday papers) and one radio interview (jointly for BBC LONDON and BBC Kent). At the same time, BBC LONDON radio wanted to interview Gary Doherty, BBC LONDON TV were interviewing Johnnie Jackson, the Sunday papers wanted Jackson as well and the daily papers interviewed Christian Dailly.
It's obviously an extreme example because we don't play Spurs on a Sunday every week without a manager, but while we're organising all those interviews (and rushing around to various different areas of the building), we're also taping and filming them themselves for the club's website and CAFC Player. Obviously, we're keen to get information out to fans asap, but first we have a duty to ensure the media gets the coverage of the club it needs, and then we can start the time-consuming job of editing all the audio and video and writing up the stories.
Incidentally, on the subject of the SLP and to return to the club's policy regarding releasing information, Tuesday's back page made interesting reading: the SLP predicted by Tuesday morning we would have appointed Eddie Howe and Palace would have appointed Keith Hill!
MW
"Can they get rid of the tv bit in the title? It's blocked at work. All other FL sites I've seen don't have the TV ."
We're looking into this.
MW
I think you're confusing the SLP with the New Shopper (mainly because the SLP very rarely attends press days), but this can be easily explained by the fact that the News Shopper journalist who attends our weekly press days simply has one job - to interview the manager and then write up the quotes for the website asap. In contrast, club staff have a dual role - we are there to first facilitate all the media interviews and also provide coverage ourselves.
I'll give an example from last week. Keith Peacock had to do three TV interviews (BBC LONDON, London Tonight and Sky), two press interviews (for the daily papers and the Sunday papers) and one radio interview (jointly for BBC LONDON and BBC Kent). At the same time, BBC LONDON radio wanted to interview Gary Doherty, BBC LONDON TV were interviewing Johnnie Jackson, the Sunday papers wanted Jackson as well and the daily papers interviewed Christian Dailly.
It's obviously an extreme example because we don't play Spurs on a Sunday every week without a manager, but while we're organising all those interviews (and rushing around to various different areas of the building), we're also taping and filming them themselves for the club's website and CAFC Player. Obviously, we're keen to get information out to fans asap, but first we have a duty to ensure the media gets the coverage of the club it needs, and then we can start the time-consuming job of editing all the audio and video and writing up the stories.
Incidentally, on the subject of the SLP and to return to the club's policy regarding releasing information, Tuesday's back page made interesting reading: the SLP predicted by Tuesday morning we would have appointed Eddie Howe and Palace would have appointed Keith Hill!
MW
Yes I read with alarm this morning that splash Matt, I read it again in case I had missed something!..... then when you see that they got the NWK supporter to give some quotes it is very vague, and there are all sorts of qualifications. The writer gives the impression that he has been given the 'nod 'to break this, as they were going to press, clearly they had not!. They may as well said Beckham to be Charlton manager, if he agrees!....
So a totally inaccurate ' scoop!'...... with little 'fact' if any. I hope he apologises to you and the club!
As of this morning no mention of Chris Powell being offered the job, despite hundreds of posts on here, and announced on BBC London news.
Surely the club could have posted that he has been offered the job, or are the bbc wrong!.
There needs to be a joined up approach to these things, as I stated , not every rumour/bit of speculation, but there is one story in town the managers job and that person or people!
After all Matt does not need to brief the SLP as they have told us it is Howe!
I don't know why anyone who would visit the website from their phones would want to know about the last match played or player profiles. Surely people would prefer instant access to news and ticket/travel info on a mobile site?
Reckon I'll be logging on a lot in the next few weeks to read up on our new manager!