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If you didn't read http://www.shockernet.net/sn/viewtopic.php?t=20200 where Shockband explained that he is stepping down as owner, this might be a bit confusing, so go check that out first.
If you have read that, then you will see that Shockband has given me ownership of ShockerNet, so I wanted to do sort of an introduction to you all first, and then give a short outline of some things I plan on doing with Shockernet.
I graduated from Wichita State in 2007, I was a marketing major. My family had season tickets as a kid, so I've been a life long Shocker fan. I was lucky enough to have gone to school during the height of the program in the last 20 years, and was at all the games in the student section during 2006. I consider myself extremely lucky to have been a student during this time. I'm excited for this season, and the future of our program under Coach Marshall. I own http://ShockerHoops.net which is a blog and information site. I created it after noticing that Shocker basketball really didn't have a presence in the blog world, other than ShockerNet and The Eagle's coverage. I own a gaming website, as well as administered another gaming forum on the side. So I have experience in websites, and message boards, so when Shockband asked if I wanted to take over ShockerNet from him, I felt I could handle the job well. I think ShockerNet and ShockerHoops compliment each other well, as they are two very different sites but at the same time very similar in content.
My plan with ShockerNet is to keep everything the same fundamentally. I'm not coming in and changing how things are ran. Royal and Shockband both are staying on as Administrators, and I told them they can do as little or as much as they want to commit. They are a staple to the forum. I have been working behind the scenes with the other Staff members to see what we can do to make the forum a better experience for all the members, and we've had some great discussion on some ideas.
The first thing that I wanted to work on was the forum software that ShockerNet uses. Currently SN runs on phpBB which is a great software, but slightly dated, and I think it is a time for a facelift on the board. I have purchased and installed Vbulletin 4.1.7 and will be switching over to this in the coming days. It is quite a step up in forum software, as the administration panel is more indepth, more technical, and the actual forum itself is just so smooth and clean. It also allows for social media integration, which allows you to sync your SN account with your Facebook account. Facebook integration is optional per user, it is not required. So if you don't want to, you don't have to. It also makes registration a bit more streamlined for the people who want to register with their FB account.
Secondly, I wanted to incorporate ShockerHoops and ShockerNet but still keep them separate. So I'm affiliating the two sites, with links on both sites to each other. They go hand in hand, a blog with a message board. I will keep it all separate though, with different domains and servers, it works better this way for now. If anything were to happen with a merger, it would be ShockerHoops into ShockerNet, not vice versa. ShockerNet is a great brand, an established brand, with a great history.
Overall I want to keep moving ShockerNet upwards, and keep the forum a friendly, helpful, informative place for all Shocker fans. It is such a great resource for everyone interested in Shocker athletics, and even the university in general. It helps out of town Shockers keep in contact with the program, and the other fans, and that is what ShockerNet is and will always be about, the fans.
I'm excited to be the new proprietor of ShockerNet, I'm looking forward to where we can take it.
If you have read that, then you will see that Shockband has given me ownership of ShockerNet, so I wanted to do sort of an introduction to you all first, and then give a short outline of some things I plan on doing with Shockernet.
I graduated from Wichita State in 2007, I was a marketing major. My family had season tickets as a kid, so I've been a life long Shocker fan. I was lucky enough to have gone to school during the height of the program in the last 20 years, and was at all the games in the student section during 2006. I consider myself extremely lucky to have been a student during this time. I'm excited for this season, and the future of our program under Coach Marshall. I own http://ShockerHoops.net which is a blog and information site. I created it after noticing that Shocker basketball really didn't have a presence in the blog world, other than ShockerNet and The Eagle's coverage. I own a gaming website, as well as administered another gaming forum on the side. So I have experience in websites, and message boards, so when Shockband asked if I wanted to take over ShockerNet from him, I felt I could handle the job well. I think ShockerNet and ShockerHoops compliment each other well, as they are two very different sites but at the same time very similar in content.
My plan with ShockerNet is to keep everything the same fundamentally. I'm not coming in and changing how things are ran. Royal and Shockband both are staying on as Administrators, and I told them they can do as little or as much as they want to commit. They are a staple to the forum. I have been working behind the scenes with the other Staff members to see what we can do to make the forum a better experience for all the members, and we've had some great discussion on some ideas.
The first thing that I wanted to work on was the forum software that ShockerNet uses. Currently SN runs on phpBB which is a great software, but slightly dated, and I think it is a time for a facelift on the board. I have purchased and installed Vbulletin 4.1.7 and will be switching over to this in the coming days. It is quite a step up in forum software, as the administration panel is more indepth, more technical, and the actual forum itself is just so smooth and clean. It also allows for social media integration, which allows you to sync your SN account with your Facebook account. Facebook integration is optional per user, it is not required. So if you don't want to, you don't have to. It also makes registration a bit more streamlined for the people who want to register with their FB account.
Secondly, I wanted to incorporate ShockerHoops and ShockerNet but still keep them separate. So I'm affiliating the two sites, with links on both sites to each other. They go hand in hand, a blog with a message board. I will keep it all separate though, with different domains and servers, it works better this way for now. If anything were to happen with a merger, it would be ShockerHoops into ShockerNet, not vice versa. ShockerNet is a great brand, an established brand, with a great history.
Overall I want to keep moving ShockerNet upwards, and keep the forum a friendly, helpful, informative place for all Shocker fans. It is such a great resource for everyone interested in Shocker athletics, and even the university in general. It helps out of town Shockers keep in contact with the program, and the other fans, and that is what ShockerNet is and will always be about, the fans.
I'm excited to be the new proprietor of ShockerNet, I'm looking forward to where we can take it.
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