And then there were 2...
When I hit Virginia's site, here, I was amazed. There's just a great feel to it, like you've been there before kind of thing. You will notice under the main image the call out for Virginia Sports TV and feature stories. And these stay with you no matter where you go. For that reason, most of my analysis is actually on the Virginia Sports site, and not down into the basketball site.
Clicking into Virginia Sports TV and you get hit with an amazing visual. Wow. Even going here for basketball hits you with the power of football. Which is cool. Contrast that with Miami, where we saw football take center stage and somehow I'm more hit with the power of Virginia football. Not in a way that makes me feel like hoops is secondary... but in a way that makes me want to sit in the crowd on a Saturday!
But I dive into basketball, of course, and am hit with another great visual. Granted I'd prefer to feel the program and I'm betting I will come season time. Still, you are hit with consistency and simplicity in a good way. Again, you can check the videos below.
Going back to the Virginia home page, the following icon is on the right side (just below the fold). COOL! This is a great hub.
But when you click in, it gets even better. You get explanations. What is Social Media? And what do I get by clicking deeper?
When I click on the Wahoo Blog, I get a pretty regularly updated blog on Virginia athletics. It feels personal, not like a news feed. Granted it is all sports, but for some reason that seems to work here.
Virginia uses Twitter better than anyone we've seen thus far. Clicking on the Twitter icon takes you to an amazing directory. You'll notice no Virginia Hoops coaches here, nor any UVA Men's Basketball listed, though that one exists (image later). I fully anticipate Coach Bennett to get up and running here, and when he does Virginia will be in the mix for the top spot in the ACC.
Here's the Virginia Athletics Twitter account, with roughly 600 followers right now.
Now, if I click on the YouTube icon from the Social Media list, I get this page. I can choose to subscribe to everything and get alerted on new Virginia videos...
OR I can subscribe only to my sport of choice - see the Hoops channel below. Finally!!!
And, lastly, you can see how U Va handles Podcasts. Just as you'd expect - very thought out, very easy to subscribe and very easy to understand what you are getting. Check this image:
Just to share it, here's the basketball home page. Again, you notice consistency of features running beneath the main image, with Virginia Sports TV.
The basketball staff has a Twitter feed (here) as well, with just under 200 followers. I had to find that via Google. A small improvement that can help ramp up the followers.
That pretty much covers it. I am a huge fan of what I'm seeing with Virginia -- and look for them to ramp up the Hoops presence when the season starts. Hopefully we'll see them increase the visibility to the great Hoops stories inside the basketball section and add a little on what it means to be in the program.
Now, only one spot remains... I'll break down #1 tomorrow.
We continue our journey through the ACC in search of the best digital program. I hope you're enjoying the run through the conference with me. Thus far our journey has shown us #12Boston College, #11 Miami, #10 Georgia Tech, #9 Virginia Tech, #8 NC State, #7 Wake Forest, #6 Florida State, #5 Maryland, #4 North Carolina, and #3 Clemson.
Let's keep moving. This is when it gets really tough. But there can be only one winner.
#2. Virginia
The Digital Scouting Report
Strengths: Extremely well organized and consistent across the site. Best job of making technical seem un-intimidating. Easy to subscribe and connect. Just overall an incredible experience.
Weaknesses: Would like more of a role from Coach Bennett and his staff, via Twitter, blog, or podcast. And maybe a little bit on what it means to play in this program.
Full Scouting Report:
Clicking into Virginia Sports TV and you get hit with an amazing visual. Wow. Even going here for basketball hits you with the power of football. Which is cool. Contrast that with Miami, where we saw football take center stage and somehow I'm more hit with the power of Virginia football. Not in a way that makes me feel like hoops is secondary... but in a way that makes me want to sit in the crowd on a Saturday!
But I dive into basketball, of course, and am hit with another great visual. Granted I'd prefer to feel the program and I'm betting I will come season time. Still, you are hit with consistency and simplicity in a good way. Again, you can check the videos below.
Going back to the Virginia home page, the following icon is on the right side (just below the fold). COOL! This is a great hub.
But when you click in, it gets even better. You get explanations. What is Social Media? And what do I get by clicking deeper?
When I click on the Wahoo Blog, I get a pretty regularly updated blog on Virginia athletics. It feels personal, not like a news feed. Granted it is all sports, but for some reason that seems to work here.
Virginia uses Twitter better than anyone we've seen thus far. Clicking on the Twitter icon takes you to an amazing directory. You'll notice no Virginia Hoops coaches here, nor any UVA Men's Basketball listed, though that one exists (image later). I fully anticipate Coach Bennett to get up and running here, and when he does Virginia will be in the mix for the top spot in the ACC.
Here's the Virginia Athletics Twitter account, with roughly 600 followers right now.
Now, if I click on the YouTube icon from the Social Media list, I get this page. I can choose to subscribe to everything and get alerted on new Virginia videos...
OR I can subscribe only to my sport of choice - see the Hoops channel below. Finally!!!
And, lastly, you can see how U Va handles Podcasts. Just as you'd expect - very thought out, very easy to subscribe and very easy to understand what you are getting. Check this image:
Just to share it, here's the basketball home page. Again, you notice consistency of features running beneath the main image, with Virginia Sports TV.
The basketball staff has a Twitter feed (here) as well, with just under 200 followers. I had to find that via Google. A small improvement that can help ramp up the followers.
That pretty much covers it. I am a huge fan of what I'm seeing with Virginia -- and look for them to ramp up the Hoops presence when the season starts. Hopefully we'll see them increase the visibility to the great Hoops stories inside the basketball section and add a little on what it means to be in the program.
Now, only one spot remains... I'll break down #1 tomorrow.
Thanks for sticking with me!
Andy
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