The great splash page experiment of 2007!
- Thread starter Mr.Bishop
- Start date
thegreyarea
Active member
agreed
almostaskier
Active member
That's my bookmark... always hit it.
steezyjibber
Active member
jea i like not having it
Nooooo... not true! But we were presented with some pretty compelling data about splash pages.
Try reading up in google about how splash pages affect web traffic.
http://mikekujawski.wordpress.com/category/website-roi/
http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3412591
http://www.selfseo.com/story-19304.php
http://www.web-designing-india.com/splash_web_page.htm
http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum81/7339.htm
Try reading up in google about how splash pages affect web traffic.
http://mikekujawski.wordpress.com/category/website-roi/
http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3412591
http://www.selfseo.com/story-19304.php
http://www.web-designing-india.com/splash_web_page.htm
http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum81/7339.htm
I totally understand I'm just being a hardass because I've always loved the Splash page. Seeing one of the freshest images thats currently defining skiing when I hit up NS.com is always nice. Think about how many of NS' splash page images stick in your mind without even thinking twice?
Do you remember what became popular after that last splash page? I think so. That grab was completely innovative and absolutely absurd. I like the idea of having the Splash page be optional, as long as their continues to be awesome images there as usual. Hell maybe I will even like it better without the splash page in a few months.
I can definitely understand how it may intimidate first time users though. However, its obvious that NS' stats (as mentioned before) are widely effected by frequent users who have NS.com set as their homepage (like myself). Who often come online and click away from NS just because we have other shit to do. So...who knows.
Do you remember what became popular after that last splash page? I think so. That grab was completely innovative and absolutely absurd. I like the idea of having the Splash page be optional, as long as their continues to be awesome images there as usual. Hell maybe I will even like it better without the splash page in a few months.
I can definitely understand how it may intimidate first time users though. However, its obvious that NS' stats (as mentioned before) are widely effected by frequent users who have NS.com set as their homepage (like myself). Who often come online and click away from NS just because we have other shit to do. So...who knows.
almostaskier
Active member
The thing with those other splash pages is more that they're fixed things... THIS splash page changes, and sometimes to a ridiculously amazing picture, making it a really exciting part to the site, i think.
invaderskier36
Active member
i will agree
mtbakerteacher
Active member
!
breckfreeskier
Active member
I cannot sleep at night until the splash page comes back...
St.Steezy
Active member
keep the splash page! But, it can be discouraging for first time viewers and therefore I can see why you want to get rid of it. By making the first page seen the home page, its presents the content of the site right away instead of having a login page. So yes and optional splash page would be best, for the regulars they get the login page and for prospective members they will be exposed to the site content right away.
ESB
Active member
NS already has an incredibly strong community, and quite honestly, if someone can't figure out or doesn't have the desire to navigate past the splash page, all the better. Are we really going to rip the cover off of this website for the sake of a few more numbers in an advertising statistic?
The point is that NS is not a site built for the masses—it's a site for serious skiers. If someone types in Newschoolers.com and up pops a sick picture of Laurent Favre doing a sick grab they've never seen before, and they decide NOT to enter the site as a result... why should we sacrifice one of this site's most respected visual platforms just so we've got a few more clicks on the monthly traffic report from users that are probably not contributing anything positive to the site anyway? This is coincidentally the reason WHY magazines have covers: so they can quickly and effectively demonstrate to the public what is inside and appeal to their target market.
If you really want to boost numbers, try putting a naked chick on the splash page and you'll probably get the results you want. Oh wait, but that would be sacrificing our integrity.
This is a low blow Bishop, and you know it.
The point is that NS is not a site built for the masses—it's a site for serious skiers. If someone types in Newschoolers.com and up pops a sick picture of Laurent Favre doing a sick grab they've never seen before, and they decide NOT to enter the site as a result... why should we sacrifice one of this site's most respected visual platforms just so we've got a few more clicks on the monthly traffic report from users that are probably not contributing anything positive to the site anyway? This is coincidentally the reason WHY magazines have covers: so they can quickly and effectively demonstrate to the public what is inside and appeal to their target market.
If you really want to boost numbers, try putting a naked chick on the splash page and you'll probably get the results you want. Oh wait, but that would be sacrificing our integrity.
This is a low blow Bishop, and you know it.
Come on Ethan, I know you have the ability to think bigger than this.
Seriously, NS is now in a place in which we can help grow the sport of skiing overall... sure it seems cool to turn away outsiders and shun them with complexity and keep our little secret... but its short-term thinking.
Growing snowsports should be a major goal of everyone involved, because lets face it things aren't all that hot. Seems cool with all this shit in our part of it, but we need to get more people out there enjoying the slopes. Snowsports needs more participants... global warming, crazy lift tickets, etc... its really hard to get into it unless you were born into it. Why turn them away from this valuable vibrant community? It can show people just how fun and entertaining skiing can be.
I also fail to believe that the morons that we actually don't want will last long. With how harsh and critical everyone can be on here the n00bs get a lashing they won't soon forget.
Having an option to turn the splash page on gives the potential to please everyone. The random person gets dropped dead into the thick of the site with articles/videos/updates right there in front of them. Its a mainline of skiing info thrown right in your face. Long-time users know the secret of the coveted splash page, and those pesky n00bs won't even get to see it unless they're core enough. People don't know about cults, etc... there will be many parts of the site for the more "core" users to keep as core as they want. The masses will go to ski gabber, read the news, watch the videos and tune into NSTV.
My primary goal with newschoolers always has been to bring the whole world of skiing together. I want people everywhere from North America to Russia to Japan to know that there is one place they can come to feel the pulse of skiing. I want people who are inquisitive of skiing and thinking of getting into it to have their friends say "Check Newschoolers.com. You'll learn a lot there."
We all talk about saving skiing, or pointing it in the right direction, or bitch that it doesn't have the money it should... well none of this stuff happens without growth. We're just trying to take a stand and get some of that growth.
I mean really, wouldn't you rather they learned about skiing here instead of somewhere else? At least that way all the new people bide by our rules.
And if you hate the splash page being gone so much.... just bookmark it!
https://newschoolers.com/web/splash/splash/
Seriously, NS is now in a place in which we can help grow the sport of skiing overall... sure it seems cool to turn away outsiders and shun them with complexity and keep our little secret... but its short-term thinking.
Growing snowsports should be a major goal of everyone involved, because lets face it things aren't all that hot. Seems cool with all this shit in our part of it, but we need to get more people out there enjoying the slopes. Snowsports needs more participants... global warming, crazy lift tickets, etc... its really hard to get into it unless you were born into it. Why turn them away from this valuable vibrant community? It can show people just how fun and entertaining skiing can be.
I also fail to believe that the morons that we actually don't want will last long. With how harsh and critical everyone can be on here the n00bs get a lashing they won't soon forget.
Having an option to turn the splash page on gives the potential to please everyone. The random person gets dropped dead into the thick of the site with articles/videos/updates right there in front of them. Its a mainline of skiing info thrown right in your face. Long-time users know the secret of the coveted splash page, and those pesky n00bs won't even get to see it unless they're core enough. People don't know about cults, etc... there will be many parts of the site for the more "core" users to keep as core as they want. The masses will go to ski gabber, read the news, watch the videos and tune into NSTV.
My primary goal with newschoolers always has been to bring the whole world of skiing together. I want people everywhere from North America to Russia to Japan to know that there is one place they can come to feel the pulse of skiing. I want people who are inquisitive of skiing and thinking of getting into it to have their friends say "Check Newschoolers.com. You'll learn a lot there."
We all talk about saving skiing, or pointing it in the right direction, or bitch that it doesn't have the money it should... well none of this stuff happens without growth. We're just trying to take a stand and get some of that growth.
I mean really, wouldn't you rather they learned about skiing here instead of somewhere else? At least that way all the new people bide by our rules.
And if you hate the splash page being gone so much.... just bookmark it!
https://newschoolers.com/web/splash/splash/
^^^ yeah ok.. but what about thinking about something a little bigger like skier 1/2 pipe in the Olympics or in lieu of, a separate event at the same or similar time 
)
I am not letting off this one till it happens!
Sorry for going off topic. not...............
)I am not letting off this one till it happens!
Sorry for going off topic. not...............
breckfreeskier
Active member
thanks man. This really shows that you guys are able to do what is best for the site, while still keeping the users in mind. thanks again
ESB
Active member
You're right Doug, NS is now in a place in which we can help grow the sport of skiing overall; so are we going to grow the sport of skiing by sacrificing our values?
I see the splash page as representative of NS: always something unique, always something cool, sometimes provocative. The splash page is the only page on the site without any advertisements, it's the only page we can look at and say without equivocation, "THIS page is Newschoolers, this page is where skiing is at today." Rather than "hindering the growth" of NS and skiing, I see the splash page as probably the one page on the Internet that most truly "is" NS and skiing.
If increasing traffic to the site is the point of all this, I think it would be much more productive to (just for example) host a winter-long NS grassroots event tour across North America. And then put the photos from it ON THE SPLASH PAGE. That (for example) is how NS can influence skiing positively and encourage our own growth at the same time.
I also profoundly disagree with your contention that, as far as "saving skiing" or "pointing it in the right direction" goes, "none of this stuff happens without growth." Newschoolers is already front-and-center in skiing; by anyone's estimation this site is already as influential (if not much more so) than any other ski media outlet out there. What we do right now with the audience we have can, will, and already has changed skiing. And if we aggressively pursue growth without regard for our core values... well, that too will change skiing, and not for the better.
As for a splash page that we can bookmark and look at when we want to: If I want to see a dinosaur, I'll go to a museum. If it's not the first thing everyone sees when they type in Newschoolers.com, it's effectively dead. The entire point of the splash page is that everyone sees it: what we put up there instantly becomes a part of skiing. By cutting the splash page, we're not helping NS or skiing, we're taking something valuable away from both.
I see the splash page as representative of NS: always something unique, always something cool, sometimes provocative. The splash page is the only page on the site without any advertisements, it's the only page we can look at and say without equivocation, "THIS page is Newschoolers, this page is where skiing is at today." Rather than "hindering the growth" of NS and skiing, I see the splash page as probably the one page on the Internet that most truly "is" NS and skiing.
If increasing traffic to the site is the point of all this, I think it would be much more productive to (just for example) host a winter-long NS grassroots event tour across North America. And then put the photos from it ON THE SPLASH PAGE. That (for example) is how NS can influence skiing positively and encourage our own growth at the same time.
I also profoundly disagree with your contention that, as far as "saving skiing" or "pointing it in the right direction" goes, "none of this stuff happens without growth." Newschoolers is already front-and-center in skiing; by anyone's estimation this site is already as influential (if not much more so) than any other ski media outlet out there. What we do right now with the audience we have can, will, and already has changed skiing. And if we aggressively pursue growth without regard for our core values... well, that too will change skiing, and not for the better.
As for a splash page that we can bookmark and look at when we want to: If I want to see a dinosaur, I'll go to a museum. If it's not the first thing everyone sees when they type in Newschoolers.com, it's effectively dead. The entire point of the splash page is that everyone sees it: what we put up there instantly becomes a part of skiing. By cutting the splash page, we're not helping NS or skiing, we're taking something valuable away from both.
Not even remotely true.
Currently with zero links available to the splash page it is still recieving 1/3 of the number of views that it used to, so the argument of it being dead just because its not the main page is not true in the least.
I am adament that we try having the optional splash page, which I think is going to be a wicked solution. Who knows, maybe every single person will just switch it on and leave it that way and you can all laugh and be like "silly Bishop... what an idiot."
But maybe not... maybe some people will like the freedom to customize the site to their own liking, and maybe some of the quieter users will actually be happier.
Currently with zero links available to the splash page it is still recieving 1/3 of the number of views that it used to, so the argument of it being dead just because its not the main page is not true in the least.
I am adament that we try having the optional splash page, which I think is going to be a wicked solution. Who knows, maybe every single person will just switch it on and leave it that way and you can all laugh and be like "silly Bishop... what an idiot."
But maybe not... maybe some people will like the freedom to customize the site to their own liking, and maybe some of the quieter users will actually be happier.
True. But I worry that with the Splash page as "optional" it will totally take a backseat. I worry that it won't continually be updated and eventually neglected and forgotten. It won't be cared about anymore. Personally it doesn't feel right at ALL to be launched right into the site. I believe I mentioned before, its like opening a ski mag without a cover shot.
On s semi related note, fucking eh, the HOME page (post-splash page), STILL doesn't even say NS or Newschoolers.com or anything. This NEEDS to be fixed. Seriously.
On s semi related note, fucking eh, the HOME page (post-splash page), STILL doesn't even say NS or Newschoolers.com or anything. This NEEDS to be fixed. Seriously.
bigdaddytmac
Active member
Solid points, seconded.
lanks
Active member
complexity?
tearing down the splash page is an attempt to maximize visits, correct? and more visits keeps our advertisers pleased?
then how in the world does that above line of thinking make sense? if a new visitor is 'confronted' with the splash page and deems it too complex to continue browsing our website... then surely clicking on an advertising banner is far beyond their grasp. your argument is way off, bishop... if anything the splash page image serves as an all-encompassing orientation to newschool skiing and newschoolers as a whole. if anything it is the LEAST complex aspect of the entire newschoolers brand.
tearing down the splash page is an attempt to maximize visits, correct? and more visits keeps our advertisers pleased?
then how in the world does that above line of thinking make sense? if a new visitor is 'confronted' with the splash page and deems it too complex to continue browsing our website... then surely clicking on an advertising banner is far beyond their grasp. your argument is way off, bishop... if anything the splash page image serves as an all-encompassing orientation to newschool skiing and newschoolers as a whole. if anything it is the LEAST complex aspect of the entire newschoolers brand.