New logo!!!!

[electricsnow]

GnarShredd, i agree a whole lot with what you said. I think the main thing is finding what's truly valuable here and continuing with that, instead of fixing a bunch of small things people ultimately don't even care about.

Thanks for the helpful feedback jake s. Some behaviors are hard to change...

[GnarShredd]

electricsnow, People REALLY hate change. It's crazy. I was part of a re-launch team for a big website early this year and the hate mail we got was insane. It subsided and we were all better for it in the end, but it took a few months. I'm sure we even lost some customers, but we gained even more in their place. There's always growing pains, but in the end everyone needs to think of the greater good. I'd much rather have a site that has evolved and grown and goes on another 10+ years than a site that fizzles out slowly and becomes a part of wakeskating past.

[-=AlexXx=-]

are u guys kidding me?!?! u really think a logo has anything to do with "a site that fizzles out slowly and becomes a part of wakeskating past"

[wakeskate259]

Looks like a roast beef grab to me...How about a bald eagle hitting an old toe jam death rail on a hyperlite gayte wakeskate?

[Gnarly Dancer 42]

we should just merge these forums with the wakeskate mag site


updated content, legit looking site, and good forums, the best of both worlds

[johnnyk]

rabble rabble rabble rabble

[GnarShredd]

-=AlexXx=-, Like I said, I believe it's a small piece of the puzzle but a part that needs to be included in a site overhaul. I absolutely love this site. The colors, the logo, the way the boards work, etc...I've been here since about 2003 or so (maybe earlier? I don't know, I just love this sport). I'm a fan of the old ways as much as anyone, but at the same time, i recognize the fact that this isn't exactly the most inviting site to someone new to the sport. The #1 thing that needs to be covered is content, but an updated look would do more good than harm.

[GnarShredd]

haha, just remembered posting this. Proud of my grammar for a 3AM drunk post.

[Seriously?]

[Steven M]

Wakeskating.com home page


Everyone keeps bitching about the home page so lets go through it.

This is the current view, pretty fizzle and I really don't know where to click first. It's an information overload and needs to be cleaned up a bit.



So lets start at the top left and work our way around it.



The BoardStop quick link ads.. I understand why these are here since Ed owns both, but can these at least stay wakeskate related? You do sell wakeskates at the shop right ?hyperlite and liquid force both make skates and if these links have to be here let's keep them relevant. If not skates then life vest or a rope. But not wakeboards or surf boards.

Same thing with the sector 9 ad and the liquid force wakeBOARD package ad to the right. Make that shizzle a wakrSKATE package with a skate, rope and vest. Or a skate vest and shoes.

And the boat ads on the side of the page. I understand these are carried over from wakeboarder.com where boats have a little more valued interest. But can one of the interns or BoardStop. Com workers contact oneill or any of of the wakeskate brand reps and ask them for a little advertisement money?

Oniell makes a ton of stuff from casual clothing to vest and wetsuits. Surely they can throw up an ad of any one of there wakeskate riders rocking a vest or something that BoardStop sells. Sell them on the idea of it.

If I saw an add for some oneill shirts I would be more tempted to click it and buy them than I will a boat I don't need.

And I understand ads generate some money for this site but boat ads are wrong for our demographic.

Sidebar:



The site sections... This list needs to be condensed.

Home- we are on the homepage already , Delete

Articles- fine keep it.

Guide- keep it but lets update this beach. I understand this is work. Let us know what kind of info you need so it can be updated. Also if we can get user reviews in the actually board page itself that would be cool. We already review them in the forms, just need to have it on the specific deck page itself.

Discussion forums- needs to be moved from here and have its own button that is clear and easy to find.

Features - keep bit again update it and as you already mentioned you want and need more content so work on that.

Reviews- keep it only if this will be updated with user reviews or like i said comebine it with the board guide so the two flow together.

Trick tips- this needs some work. Scrap everything that is there. Talk to Silas/Nike/Seadoo wake about using the seadoo trick tip videos. Great advertising for seadoo and Nike and great trick tip advice. Or even talk to Tad about a possible Sub/wakeskate mag collab so we are getting trick tips from some different pros/ riders. Either way updated videos are needed.

Even the kampus grip tape video, PM Ben and use the Aquarium Hardgoods video to at least keep it up to date.

History- ESnow this is all you. Ill just skip over it.

Links - either update or delete. It really isn't needed unless it will updated.

The rest of these need to be deleted. They clutter this section up.

I would also suggest making all of these hidden as a drop down menu. So hover your cursor over / click "site sections" and it's appears. Keeps the front page clean and simple with out to much information at once.


Next picture:



Media- again make this a drop down button leavin just "media" visible and update the content with in. Maybe add another section of "user videos" with some of the better produced videos being "featured". Some of the users have uploaded some awesome Internet videos.

Trick tips- again. Delete all this content and get updated trick tips with the Nike/ seadoo wake videos and make this a drop down menu to clear the clutter.

Other recent articles - cut this section and make a link under the "newest articles" section that say "view more " and have a new page with all of this shizzle. Keep all these lonk off the home page.

Bottom of the site:



Surprise surprise, more ads. And 2 of the 3 "shop for wakeSKATING gear" links are wakeBOARD items. Again keep this shizzle to wakeskate items or universal products like vest, ropes and clothing.

Right side of the page:



More BoardStop links. Again, I understand that BoardStop sales keep this site going but at least make this just a button that says "BoardStop wake shop" and links directly to BoardStop or make it a dropdown link so we don't have to see the individual brands most of which are wakeboard related.



So there are some suggestions for the homepage to help clean it up and give it a more modern look that doesn't turn away potential new wakeskates who are the future of the sport and activity we all love as well as making it more user friendly for us.

[electricsnow]

Thanks for the advice steven. I am slowly updating the gear guide--i started with remote. I still have the roadkil and entertainment series to update. I've sent ed the names of the newer brands that i need added, because i personally can't code that. And i will be posting the various trick tips by sea doo on the front page so they can be added to the trick tip section.

[Steven M]

electricsnow, no problem. Just trying to offer some advice instead of just adding to the circle jerk post of "update the homepage!! Revamp the site!! Do something!!"

Figure we need to start somewhere and first address the problem before I can be fixed. And the biggest thing I notice with the homepage the amount of information thrown at you and clutter it creates. And I've been coming here for years. I can imagine the headache this leaves someone who has never visited before and is trying to get some information on the cool new thing he saw at the lake last weekend