Garner Civitan Pop Warner

News Detail

15

Aug, 2023

Pardon Our Dust

Hi there!

You've probably noticed a major website theme change overnight. Or maybe you haven't. Either way, I did change the template/theme for the site in the late hours of the night. It's something I've been wanting to do ever since I got under the hood of this thing!

Like a lot of sports league sites, this one has a fixed selection of templates to choose from, and they tend to almost, but not quite exactly, suit the purpose for which they are to be used. The old theme had sections that we'd just never have a use for, such as one for listing the open/closed status of multiple fields, or the social media section that never worked. They weren't removable, either. And that theme lacked Spaces of Multiple Uses (think: Room of Requirement, for all you Potter fans). So every area had pretty much one use, and many of them were not at all the types I needed them to be.

THIS template, though....the calendar is readily visible without being in-your-face. The News isn't oddly strung under the slideshow like some strange necklace. And best of all....there are four very nifty, very versatile boxes in a spot that is just prominent enough to make them extremely useful. I set some up as direct download links for documents, and used one for just another photo display. I can use those spots to link internal pages and external websites, too. The announcement banner that can appear at the top of the home page is also much larger on this template, which grabs attention better when needed.

What's NOT changing is my usage of the first photo slot in the slideshow for practice cancellations. Any time we cancel practice, I will post a bright red notice about it in that spot. I'll also activate the announcement banner at the top of the homepage. These notices, as well as one on our Facebook page, are posted within 10-15 minutes of the decision to cancel being made. So THIS is the most reliable spot to find out if practice is cancelled (no cranky algorithm to fight with). We usually make the decision no later than 5pm, in order to allow everyone time to adjust their plans.

So. There will likely be additional, less obvious changes to the site in the days and weeks to come, as I continue to evaluate what we need and what we don't from this site. Suggestions are welcome.

Thank you,

Julie Scalsky
Registration & Media Director
Garner Civitan Pop Warner

Website Manager

Home of the Garner Trojans!

News Detail

15

Aug, 2023

Pardon Our Dust

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