Future Sawmill Content

7,536 Views | 38 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by ACUCattitude
SFASawmillGuy
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Obviously the Sawmill has not panned out as me, Isaac, and the other founders originally planned. And even though my role has pretty much become the Twitter guy, I want to gauge what you guys think the future of the Sawmill should be?
Should it remain just a forum and Twitter account or should we try and pick up with the articles again. And if we do would you like to see it be from the students or the alumni?
Ljacks&Longnecks
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I very much appreciate the Sawmill forum, the discussions, tidbits of info we might not otherwise get....people with the same rooting interest, sharing anticipations and disappointments etc. It gives some connection to fellow fans that I wouldn't likely otherwise have 225 miles away.
The premium content would be a very nice addition ( or re-addition) and would be a benefit to the site BUT only if it gets actual follow thru this time. Once Issac moved on to real life responsibilities the Premium part collapsed and repeated promises of new content coming ended up empty promises. I wouldn't care if it was student or alumni if the articles came in on a reliable timeline. If you can't assure the product will come then best to remain a forum and twitter based account.
I'll be here regardless.
nacluth
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I think the forum is definitely the heart and soul of the site, but original content would be great however it can come. The student led content that we have had in the past wasn't as good as the content Isaac was putting in originally, but it was better than what we have now.

Personally I would prefer any content that has the highest probability of interaction with coaches/players. But, any new content would be great.
cboothe09
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Not against a little content and more than just game write ups...Don't care where it comes from
BigJack85
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I agree with Nacluth in that the forum is certainly the most important piece of the site. Regarding content I think we could get student driven articles and have some group function as an "editor in chief" lol lol. I guess what I'm saying is that some new content, like 2 or 3 articles during football season, maybe 4-5 for basketball and 1 or 2 miscellaneous articles. I don't that we be hard to pull together . The real "bump" would be editing and quality control.
SFASawmillGuy
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Real life did throw a wrench in it for a lot of us. That's the reason I can only run the Twitter. I really do not have time to produce articles or edit. Which is why we would need to basically "restaff" the Sawmill. I honestly could not tell you what happened to our last writer, as he just kind of fell out of contact, so I would be looking for a lot more consistency and someone willing to make a commitment.
SFA Jack Fanatic
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I believe that Nacluth has offered to provide occasional content. Am I right, Ryan, or did I dream that?

And I remember Matt saying several months ago that he would welcome articles written by Sawmill readers. I assume that none was ever submitted.

Personally, the forums definitely need to stay, and supplemented by occasional content if possible. But whatever is done, we don't need to be lied to again the way we were a little over a year ago by Isaac, being told that new content was coming, causing some of us to continue our paid subscriptions, but no content ever was provided. That resulted in throwing good money after bad.
SFASawmillGuy
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In fairness Isaac did not mean to lie or anything. Life got in the way. He's got a family now and sometimes you don't know how big of a SFA fan you'll be as an alumni compared to as a student.
Me, Isaac, and a few others all consistently wrote articles. Hell we were quoted in national publications and even traveled to March Madness with the team.
I'm still around but in less than a week I will have a little one to take care of as well so the Twitter is all I can manage.
We do need more people on board if we want to try and push out some new content though.
SFAJack_76
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I appreciated the content when it was real insight as opposed to game recaps. I can get game summaries elsewhere, although our web site is not much. The forums are great. I appreciate the diverse opinions and observations. Hope it continues. Not fond of the premium charge, but if that helps keep it going, I am okay with it.
SFAJack_76
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SFA_03 said:

In fairness Isaac did not mean to lie or anything. Life got in the way. He's got a family now and sometimes you don't know how big of a SFA fan you'll be as an alumni compared to as a student.
Me, Isaac, and a few others all consistently wrote articles. Hell we were quoted in national publications and even traveled to March Madness with the team.
I'm still around but in less than a week I will have a little one to take care of as well so the Twitter is all I can manage.
We do need more people on board if we want to try and push out some new content though.
Congratulations on the addition to the family!
TallTexan
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SFA_03 said:

Obviously the Sawmill has not panned out as me, Isaac, and the other founders originally planned. And even though my role has pretty much become the Twitter guy, I want to gauge what you guys think the future of the Sawmill should be?
Should it remain just a forum and Twitter account or should we try and pick up with the articles again. And if we do would you like to see it be from the students or the alumni?


I'll say this to start off, I've appreciated the Twitter content this season. Great work there.
TallTexan
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A couple thoughts.

I think what we all miss on the premium or even the "let's put up an article to update the front page" side is insights. Yes, Isaac is an incredible writer and spoiled us, better than 90% of college sportswriters for fan sights out there.

But there might be a good way to get some insights without us needing to be excellent writers. We could ask Ivey, Boone, and a coach on occasion to do an Ask Me Anything. We could try to get a few Q&A articles.

Another thought is "what level is PineLog's sports coverage at?" Could we partner with them for some articles etc like local newspapers do with the AP. I doubt too many of us hang on PineLog's every word, but it could give their writers more of a long form option to expand that game summary into a longer piece. Or heck. Just a game summary for comment purposes.

I do love the forums and that is worth it for me to support. We do get insider info from some of yalls connections to the school. We have a place to congregate, etc. I check this site nearly as often as I check twitter.

If I had to suggest a future direction, and I'd be happy to help out, I'd probably suggest the direction of Barking Carnival or GoodBullHunting. Maybe the guys there do get paid a stipend or something but few are professional writers. They're IT managers, professors, marketing guys, old grads and new grads.

I believe what gives them a more professional feel is the regularity of the content. The All Caps preview comes out every week. I think they have the short Sunday Morning Optimist review, etc.

Similar to hkw NacLuth does basketball game threads. I would love to try my hand at an article every now & again, and then maybe try more regular content.

But I think if we built out a regular schedule were people with some writing talent put together a preview, or post game, or AMA on a semi regular basis, that would be a huge addition to the forums side.
TallTexan
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Two more potential partnership options, maybe we could do a thread with a link to Partyn Me Alex podcasts when they drop. It's pretty cool that we have an SFA fan podcast and that could help drive traffic to their podcast & to here.

Also, I'm not exactly sure how Charis & Evan are part of the athletic department, but maybe we could do a few "the game in pictures" threads. They do excellent work.
djsfw57
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Love the forums, but I absolutely HATED paying $ and getting nothing at all. I wouldn't make that mistake again. Once bitten, twice shy. I felt like I had been taken advantage of, and that left a horrible taste in my mouth.
SFA, Class of 1979
BigJack85
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I'm paying for the premium because I believe it's the only thing keeping this forum alive. Don't want to be like sammie with a dead forum.
PurpleOut
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Staff
We'll always have the forums, I'll make sure of that. Even if the Sawmill died off completely I still own the LumberjackFans.com domain (and run that Twitter account) that points here right now.

Unfortunately we all knew this would happen eventually. This isn't a slight against our Sawmill staff, but it's the reason I never did any articles or anything bigger around LJF.com. It's almost impossible if you A) aren't in Nac to be where the action is, or B) have a real/demanding job. It's a great idea, but not very feasible unless you have a staff in town.

Students are the best option in my opinion, but there will be a lot of turnover and unknowns there. But it's better than nothing. But do think we should also let any of us contribute as well when available.

I think any possible partnership is always a good idea. I can chat with Alex and Jaclyn to see if they're interested.
BigJack85
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Ya. The forum we have is the best in the conference. Not saying much, but something we can be proud of. From what I can see ACU, Lamar, McNeese, Sam and UCA have legit fan forums. The balance of the SLC is pathetic in terms of digital support. For that matter, in person fan support. At minimum let's put new front page content on the website.....
nacluth
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The number one thing for the continuation of the website is the ability to change the front page and featured article. I have asked for this permission to be shared many times. If we have no website rotation then it's dead.

I have been updating the data in the backend of the site until this football season. I'll get back to it by basketball season, but the website is dead.
BigJack85
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Ya. Whoever controls those credentials, PLEASE PLEASE spread out some of the authority so we can at least have an updated front page and an occasional story. Like 4 or 5 a year.
SFA Jack Fanatic
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nacluth said:

The number one thing for the continuation of the website is the ability to change the front page and featured article. I have asked for this permission to be shared many times. If we have no website rotation then it's dead.

I have been updating the data in the backend of the site until this football season. I'll get back to it by basketball season, but the website is dead.
I don't understand why the site owner (is it Issac??) is not giving someone else the authority to make slight changes to the website. What the heck is wrong with that??? If that is not allowed to happen then let's just wave goodbye to The Sawmill and go back to Matt's Lumberjackfans forums format. The current Sawmill has been dead for well over a year anyway.
nacluth
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I updated the front page and poll. I can do some simple rotation of the site now that Matt figured out a way to get me a couple more privileges. The biggest problem that I'm going to have moving forward is quality photographs to update the site with. I don't feel comfortable just ripping pics from SFA without their permission. I have a couple contacts within SFA press, so maybe I can get us some pics from time to time.

If anyone else has any helpful advice, I will take it.
cboothe09
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For pictures just reach out to the SID's or the Pine Log. As long as you give photo credit I'm sure they won't mind...
SFASawmillGuy
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Good stuff. I'm glad we're working to keep the Sawmill going.
BigJack85
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nacluth said:

I updated the front page and poll. I can do some simple rotation of the site now that Matt figured out a way to get me a couple more privileges. The biggest problem that I'm going to have moving forward is quality photographs to update the site with. I don't feel comfortable just ripping pics from SFA without their permission. I have a couple contacts within SFA press, so maybe I can get us some pics from time to time.

If anyone else has any helpful advice, I will take it.


Awesomeness, Nacluth. A new front page, what a help.
BigJack85
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Just getting a few things updated makes a real difference. Especially for me and I'm not even a contributor. I see it as a sign of a healthy fan base. Axe 'Em Jacks
nacluth
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Ok I got the football schedule updated as well as basketball schedule and roster. I didn't do the football roster - mainly because it takes forever and we're almost done with the season. I'll try to keep that stuff current through the season, but my job is taking up more of my life while I try to survive like everyone else is.
BigJack85
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nacluth said:

Ok I got the football schedule updated as well as basketball schedule and roster. I didn't do the football roster - mainly because it takes forever and we're almost done with the season. I'll try to keep that stuff current through the season, but my job is taking up more of my life while I try to survive like everyone else is.



SFAJack_76
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nacluth said:

Ok I got the football schedule updated as well as basketball schedule and roster. I didn't do the football roster - mainly because it takes forever and we're almost done with the season. I'll try to keep that stuff current through the season, but my job is taking up more of my life while I try to survive like everyone else is.
Thanks. Good luck keeping up with the basketball schedule, if it is anything close to being like the football season.
PurpleOut
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Staff
Man I hadn't seen that old LJF logo in years!

I can work on the images for you.
nacluth
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Thanks Matt. I found this pic in the bowels of the site. Figured it would work.
TallTexan
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It looks great. Thanks for the work.

One thing I would suggest is seeing if your basketball previews & corresponding threads, and the Football previews & corresponding game thread can be shared as "articles" on the front page of the site.

That's what passes for content on most other sites and you guys do great, insightful write-ups.
nacluth
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Sure. We can do that. Anyone that wants to try their hand at an article can email me at my username @yahoo.com. Between my wife (freelance editor) and I, we can make sure that they are cleaned up and ready to post.

Until we generate content, we can always post the game threads.
BigJack85
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TallTexan said:

It looks great. Thanks for the work.

One thing I would suggest is seeing if your basketball previews & corresponding threads, and the Football previews & corresponding game thread can be shared as "articles" on the front page of the site.

That's what passes for content on most other sites and you guys do great, insightful write-ups.


Peyton, you should write some content.... "cheers in the background"....
TallTexan
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BigJack85 said:

TallTexan said:

It looks great. Thanks for the work.

One thing I would suggest is seeing if your basketball previews & corresponding threads, and the Football previews & corresponding game thread can be shared as "articles" on the front page of the site.

That's what passes for content on most other sites and you guys do great, insightful write-ups.


Peyton, you should write some content.... "cheers in the background"....


I'll do my best as soon as this dang kitchen project is done.

I'll rank all the fast food meals I've eaten in Palestine in the past month, for starters.
SFA Jack Fanatic
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BigJack85 said:

TallTexan said:

It looks great. Thanks for the work.

One thing I would suggest is seeing if your basketball previews & corresponding threads, and the Football previews & corresponding game thread can be shared as "articles" on the front page of the site.

That's what passes for content on most other sites and you guys do great, insightful write-ups.


Peyton, you should write some content.... "cheers in the background"....


Are those cheers or tears? JUST KIDDING! The Texan puts some pearls of wisdom on us every now and then. I think that's a great idea!
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