Wanted to give our users a heads-up about some changes scheduled to take place within
the Rivals.com Network, which will include Warchant, this week. For now, the switch-
over is scheduled for Tuesday.
When the change kicks in, the front page of EDGYTIM.com and all content pages (stories
and features) will be completely different. We've been using some of the new content
pages already and you can see an example here: https://floridastate.n.rivals.com/n...kles-
maguire-s-injury-ol-issues-lb-depth-more
Here's a quick FAQ re. the upcoming changes:
Why are the changes being made?
◦ No. 1 - The Rivals network has essentially been unchanged for 15 years. Because the
coding is so antiquated it's coming apart at the seems and was in desperate need of
an update. As many probably remember, national signing day two years ago was
an absolute disaster when the network crashed for several hours. That was a result
of underlying problems with the network and having few people that could
maintain antiquated code and software. The network has been held together by
tape and string since then and it's a daily challenge to keep it up and running.
◦ No. 2 - Mobile! When Rivals was launched around 15 years ago there was no such
thing as reading online content on a smart phone or tablet. Now, over 50% of
people that are online are doing so from a mobile device! The old configuration
(content and front page) was never designed for mobile and doesn't play nicely
with it. We tried a workaround by developing an app, which was OK for a while
but essentially hasn't worked since last summer. The new network is 100% mobile
responsive and optimized for all devices.
What will the changes mean for EDGYTIM users?
◦ For content pages, there will be a slightly different look but more importantly they will
be optimized for mobile. Everything should be much easier to read on smart
phones and tablets, and they should load faster. There will be no need to scroll
from side to side or to increase the size of the page in order to read it. And
because it's compatible with all devices and operating systems, every page should
look fine whether you are using an iDevice, Android or Windows.
◦ With the network now stabilized and with everything compatible with mobile, it means
we are one step closer to getting a working app that should be dramatically more
functional than the old one (even when it was working). Please be patient but I
plan to make getting a new app out a priority going forward.
◦ The front page of EDGYTIM will look very different.
Because there was a priority to make everything mobile friendly, we had to
sacrifice some features that have been mainstays on the front page - Twitter feed,
a video module, links to quick updates, and the look will be more streamlined
(you will need to scroll down more to find recent features and stories).
What does this mean going forward?
◦ When we finally got approval for funding to design and launch a new network, one of
the best things that happened was getting Rivals away from the constraints of
being on Yahoo's servers. For all intents and purposes, Rivals is now independent
(from a technical standpoint) from Yahoo and will no longer be constrained by
having to go through 20 layers of bureaucracy to get an upgrade or something
needed done. As a result, a lot of cool features and needed changes will come
quickly over the coming months.
◦ The new leadership at Rivals is putting more of an emphasis on listening to the
publishers which means we have more of say in the direction of the network. It
also means we have a lot of input on needed changes. With a streamlined network
away from Yahoo these changes can happen much faster.
◦ Again, it means we can finally move forward with recreating the EDGYTIM mobile
App.
◦ Yes, there will be some bugs. The new network been essentially running in the
background for over a month to weed out as many bugs as possible. But with any
major technological change/upgrade bugs, glitches and unforeseen setbacks are
inevitable. We will work as quickly as possible to get through these problems so
please be patient.
Questions, comments, suggestions and criticisms:
◦ This thread will be left open for a while to get feedback on the changes. We'll do what
we can to answer any questions you might have and to consider any suggestions.
However, if your goal is to troll, stir the pot or just or just complain without
offering anything constructive your post will be removed. You are always
welcomed to email me at edgytim@edgytim.com
I can't thank all of our loyal subscribers enough. We realize the technological side of
Warchant has been substandard the past few years and realize it's been frustrating for
many of you. It's also been frustrating on our end which is why l led the charge to get
Yahoo to get off their butts and fund these much needed changes. We've always had the
best staff when it comes to covering Illinois high school football and in the very near future we'll
have the best technology as well.
Tim OHalloran
EDGYTIM.com Founder
the Rivals.com Network, which will include Warchant, this week. For now, the switch-
over is scheduled for Tuesday.
When the change kicks in, the front page of EDGYTIM.com and all content pages (stories
and features) will be completely different. We've been using some of the new content
pages already and you can see an example here: https://floridastate.n.rivals.com/n...kles-
maguire-s-injury-ol-issues-lb-depth-more
Here's a quick FAQ re. the upcoming changes:
Why are the changes being made?
◦ No. 1 - The Rivals network has essentially been unchanged for 15 years. Because the
coding is so antiquated it's coming apart at the seems and was in desperate need of
an update. As many probably remember, national signing day two years ago was
an absolute disaster when the network crashed for several hours. That was a result
of underlying problems with the network and having few people that could
maintain antiquated code and software. The network has been held together by
tape and string since then and it's a daily challenge to keep it up and running.
◦ No. 2 - Mobile! When Rivals was launched around 15 years ago there was no such
thing as reading online content on a smart phone or tablet. Now, over 50% of
people that are online are doing so from a mobile device! The old configuration
(content and front page) was never designed for mobile and doesn't play nicely
with it. We tried a workaround by developing an app, which was OK for a while
but essentially hasn't worked since last summer. The new network is 100% mobile
responsive and optimized for all devices.
What will the changes mean for EDGYTIM users?
◦ For content pages, there will be a slightly different look but more importantly they will
be optimized for mobile. Everything should be much easier to read on smart
phones and tablets, and they should load faster. There will be no need to scroll
from side to side or to increase the size of the page in order to read it. And
because it's compatible with all devices and operating systems, every page should
look fine whether you are using an iDevice, Android or Windows.
◦ With the network now stabilized and with everything compatible with mobile, it means
we are one step closer to getting a working app that should be dramatically more
functional than the old one (even when it was working). Please be patient but I
plan to make getting a new app out a priority going forward.
◦ The front page of EDGYTIM will look very different.
Because there was a priority to make everything mobile friendly, we had to
sacrifice some features that have been mainstays on the front page - Twitter feed,
a video module, links to quick updates, and the look will be more streamlined
(you will need to scroll down more to find recent features and stories).
What does this mean going forward?
◦ When we finally got approval for funding to design and launch a new network, one of
the best things that happened was getting Rivals away from the constraints of
being on Yahoo's servers. For all intents and purposes, Rivals is now independent
(from a technical standpoint) from Yahoo and will no longer be constrained by
having to go through 20 layers of bureaucracy to get an upgrade or something
needed done. As a result, a lot of cool features and needed changes will come
quickly over the coming months.
◦ The new leadership at Rivals is putting more of an emphasis on listening to the
publishers which means we have more of say in the direction of the network. It
also means we have a lot of input on needed changes. With a streamlined network
away from Yahoo these changes can happen much faster.
◦ Again, it means we can finally move forward with recreating the EDGYTIM mobile
App.
◦ Yes, there will be some bugs. The new network been essentially running in the
background for over a month to weed out as many bugs as possible. But with any
major technological change/upgrade bugs, glitches and unforeseen setbacks are
inevitable. We will work as quickly as possible to get through these problems so
please be patient.
Questions, comments, suggestions and criticisms:
◦ This thread will be left open for a while to get feedback on the changes. We'll do what
we can to answer any questions you might have and to consider any suggestions.
However, if your goal is to troll, stir the pot or just or just complain without
offering anything constructive your post will be removed. You are always
welcomed to email me at edgytim@edgytim.com
I can't thank all of our loyal subscribers enough. We realize the technological side of
Warchant has been substandard the past few years and realize it's been frustrating for
many of you. It's also been frustrating on our end which is why l led the charge to get
Yahoo to get off their butts and fund these much needed changes. We've always had the
best staff when it comes to covering Illinois high school football and in the very near future we'll
have the best technology as well.
Tim OHalloran
EDGYTIM.com Founder
