Im guessin 9PM is moutain time. I am curious to see how the site will come out, especially since the unis were changed from green to black and blue.
It's up now and... well... let's hope they're still working on it. The new "splash/welcome" page doesn't look too bad, but the rest of it is the pits so far. They changed the background to black and (bright) blue stripes, added a header title where the text doesn't line up, and then otherwise tried to retrofit the previous design with the "black and blue" thing. I hope they're not done at this point.
10:40 and It's Up-So What? Well, it's black and blue now, and once the homepage graphic loaded, it looked cool, but it's still the same old site. How much longer do we have to see the score from the Rapids vs. Galaxy, and how much longer do we have to see the scoring stats from the playoffs???? When I saw "come back the 12th at 9:00 Korean Standard Time", I hoped to see something new in the same way the kits are new. Instead I see the same site with new colors. Enough said, the site still sucks!! Go Raps!!!
I'm a little disappointed as well. I guess that's what you get when you won't fork over the money for an actual web designer and use PR and front office people with no web experience. I hope it gets better as time goes on. The schedule page is especially hidious.
the website is getting a little better every day, which is all we can ask for. now we have a picture on the front page at least, and no more picture of CV on every page.
First, I don't think it's getting better every day. Frankly, I think it's getting worse over time. Second, I don't think that that IS all we can ask for. They're selling a product, right? Then make it look like a product people can feel good about and want to do business with. Do a search of "soccer equipment" on Google and check out the first five hits that come up. Which of these two would YOU want to do business with? http://www.epicsoccer.com/ (easy to navigate, organized into logical sections, etc) http://www.shopsoccer.com/ (amateur hour) I think the change of kit and the general makeover to this "black and blue" theme is a great time for the front office to overhaul their online presence. Just for grins, I went to http://www.mlsnet.com/teams/ and hit the "Official Site" link for every team in the league. In terms of both an appealing design and decent, up-to-date content for the fans, the Rapids site falls dead last. On the new Rapids site, I got excited for a minute there because I saw a link to sign up for RapidFire. Given that I'm one of those who emailed them about that numerous times and finally got the info from somewhere other than the Rapids (here) and someONE other than the Rapids (Greenie), I said "Hey, it's about time". At this hour, clicking on it gives you a page with "Error Occurred While Processing Request" and FAR more technical information than any self-respecting web developer wants the general public to have. Now, I know that this sort of thing is very subjective... my day job is as a software developer, so I spend a lot of time online and am perfectly willing to admit that I'm a "web snob" when it comes to what I like in a web site. I want a lot of good, current content, but I also want it to look nice while I'm reading the content. Oh, and I don't want to see error messages or details about how the server's C: drive is configured. If you're going to put yourself forward as a professional team with a professional presence, spend a little cash to lose the bush-league site. It doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. Bring back the Rapidspeak so fans can come together under an official umbrella. Make it the sort of place that (A) encourages the die-hard fans to keep coming back because of the content and the "inside connection" to the team and (B) makes the casual site visitor want to learn more, buy some tickets, and see what the product is all about. Sorry, Rik... unless you're the person responsible for the Rapids' web site, this wasn't directed at you. If you ARE that person, well... there you have it. J
oh its amateur hour, i agree. it definitely has a minor league feel to it, but at least now there is a picture on the main page and a hint that things are changing for the better. most of the tech-geek speak is lost on me, so maybe it is a total disaster to your expert eyes. all i'm saying is that seems like it is getting better every day, and given the recent site history, maybe that is all we can ask for at this point. it's obvious that the club regards the site as an afterthought, and until that changes I wouldn't expect to see nikesoccer.com. at least now we have a picture of some hot girls from an event last night, not last year.
Doeth It Sucketh???? It certainly has to reflect how important this team is to Anschutz and Company that they think so little of the importance of having a good website. I would venture to say that if we went all around futbol in American, A League, Developmental, etc., we would struggle to find a site much worse than the Rapids. I think that is what bothers me the most. It appears to be no more than tokenism. If you are going to take the time to change the teams image and kit, you would think you would want to engage the community to accept the changes. This smacks of, "Who Cares". If you want to see some good sites, check out this link, http://www.premierleague.com/fapl.rac?command=forwardOnly&nextPage=enClubListing I don't expect us to compete with the EPL, but we could at least try. I sure hope it improves!! Go Raps!!!
I'm not a Rapids fan, but I don't hate them. I wanted to check out the site, and its awful. I would be embarrased if that was my team. I like the uniforms, look like the old Connecticut Wolves shirts (circa 2002). But it makes you wonder when you look at the Chicago Fire and then the Rapids...is it the concern of Anshutz or the effort by the Rapids themselves?
I gotta think it's the Rapids themselves... AEG owns what... 4 teams? 5? And pretty much every other team in the league has a decent site... certainly more so than the Raps. I hate to say it, but it's an example of what has been mentioned in these parts before... there's a certain amount of "as long as attendance is headed up, then product be damned" attitude. It's too bad, really, because I'm sure there are a lot of hard-working people in the organization. They deserve a better site, especially with the new look and quality of the players being lined up this year.
You have been found out! If they rid the MLS of single entity owneership can you run a promo featuring Faith Hill?
I guess I am disappointed as well. I hope that the design can change, but I think it looks a bit better considering that there are pictures on the main page. Let me tell you, over a dial up connection, it takes quite a while to load completely. What would it take for them to hire a person to do the page full time? I too hope the page gets better over time. A web-site is a viewers chance to learn about soccer and just as importantly, state what kind of team and organization they have.
This Is Why!!!! When I read the post by learninsoccer, it reminds me why the website is important, and if not to AEG, at least it should be to the MLS. For the MLS to ultimately succeed, it needs to lure new soccer lovers. In the digital age, the most likely place for people to go is the internet. If you live in Denver, then logically you go to the Colorado Rapids site. Just like a first date, if what you see is boring, or poorly constructed, you probably will end it after one date. Most of us who write in are already crazy about soccer, but for the sport to succeed in the US, we need to cause our number to grow. I wish, I hope, that someone with the Rapids or the MLS will see this, and realize that it isn't just an embarassment to the Rapids and our community, but it does an injustice to soccer in general. While how the Rapids play is most important, we may prevent some fans from even attending just because the site seems to not care a lick about itself. Enough Said!!! Go Raps!! Is it April yet??????
Here's a lnk: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=33746&perpage=15&pagenumber=3 to the MLS thread, where a wider audience pretty much agrees that the Rapids website is unbelievably bad.
I was on their website today...they're making some changes and it's starting to look better. and there are a few new stories on it. amazing
At least the Schedule page is now legible. And the Rapids logo isn't floating in outer space anymore. Apparently April 26th is "Year of the Unifrom." Is that anything like a unicorn?
I found this floating out there, a comparison of the "big signing" announcement on the website from each season. It's interesting to see how the website has changed. Grimandi, 2003 http://www.coloradorapids.com/site/goal.asp?cid=253 Amokachi, 2002 http://www.coloradorapids.com/rapidsnews/2002/013002a.asp Spencer, 2001 http://www.coloradorapids.com/rapidsnews/2001/news_022101a.asp Zambrano, 2000 (closest thing to a "big" player that year) http://www.coloradorapids.com/rapidsnews/2000/news_021400.asp Limpar, 1999 http://www.coloradorapids.com/rapidsnews/1999/news_021099.asp Waldir, 1998 http://www.coloradorapids.com/rapidsnews/1998/ct031898.htm Paz, 1997 http://www.intermark.com/rapids/rp020197.html (yes, that was the "official" website at the time)
Another head-to-head comparison: now http://www.coloradorapids.com/site/goal.asp?cid=36 then http://www.coloradorapids.com/tickets/seasontickets.asp FYI, if anyone is searching for old news releases on the Rapids site, here's a great starting point: http://www.coloradorapids.com/rapidsnews/newsmain.asp
FYI for those that weren't around back then - Ed Eid is the guy that ran the website way back then. He and his wife are now involved with the CSSA (state) office and website. He is listed as the "General Manager" (of the CSSA I would presume), and she as the "Webmaster". http://www.intermark.com/CSSA/