View Full Version : New Look To ESPN.com
Max Power
02-18-2003, 12:39 PM
http://msn.espn.go.com/main.html
You're looking live at the newly designed front page of ESPN.com. We're introducing a lot of great features including ESPN Motion, where you'll get crystal-clear video highlights and analysis segments each day. Other cool stuff includes ESPN Search, the SportsNation poll and our new-look photo gallery.
what does everything think of this?
JamesI
02-18-2003, 12:42 PM
I guess it depends on how much is available. It seems every good link I want there is insider only.
TimmyB
02-18-2003, 12:44 PM
I never go to the ESPN.com homepage. I have the ESPN MLB page bookmarked. I read the SI guys (Peter King, Dr. Z, etc.) for my football fix... so... why slow things down at ESPN? Just get to the important stuff!
SmedIndy
02-18-2003, 12:59 PM
Annyoing. They cut down the main stories area and took out separate Magazine site content.
Gosfgiants
02-18-2003, 01:02 PM
It looks like more bells and whistles for the site. I don't think the "enhancements" really do much for me. I think that ESPN has the best sports content overall on the web, but I don't want to have to put up with the extras of live motion. I may just start bookmarking the pages I visit (MLB coverage and Page 2). I'm a big believer in the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) approach to web design.
Originally posted by SmedIndy
Annyoing. They cut down the main stories area and took out separate Magazine site content. Ditto. Hopefully when they remove their "Look at our cool new look" blurb, some of that will come back.
KCBOOMER
02-18-2003, 01:15 PM
ESPN.com has to be the internet leader in "pop-ups". Gosh, I hate those things.
WiredTiger
02-18-2003, 01:59 PM
I think they were having some problems with some of their code on the old site. I always got errors or the page wouldn't load correctly. Seems like the redesign might address that issue.
SmedIndy
02-18-2003, 02:55 PM
Originally posted by KCBOOMER
ESPN.com has to be the internet leader in "pop-ups".
Well...on family oriented sites...maybe....:D
Craig S.
02-18-2003, 03:36 PM
I'm a lot more concerned about content than presentation. I know they had problems with their previous page, but I don't know that this is the solution.
rcartman28
02-18-2003, 04:22 PM
Doesn't do anything for me, either....I just quickly move on to whatever sport I am actually interested in......
gyb13
02-18-2003, 11:53 PM
i like having some video highlights readily available like that....
Whohangs
02-19-2003, 04:06 PM
I like it at home where my machine is fast enough and I can listen and watch the video clips at my leisure. I don't catch Sports Center that often anymore, so it's a good way to catch some of the more interesting highlights/interviews from the day.
At work, I hate it, I do most of my work on a laptop that's not very powerful. I don't really want to turn on the volume and don't want to spend the time to watch the videos. I also do not want to d/l the video clips or d/l and install the software needed to run it. Yet, each time I hit the ESPN front page it takes a long time to load. Now at work I avoid the ESPN front page.
They should definitely allow the front page default to be configured on a per user basis. Frankly, I would rather they do away with the whole thing and go to a simple web page layout.
Craig S.
02-19-2003, 04:32 PM
Do they have a plain-text site? I too would prefer that at work, where I don't want to have to download anything.
WiredTiger
02-19-2003, 04:37 PM
Originally posted by Craig S.
Do they have a plain-text site? I too would prefer that at work, where I don't want to have to download anything.
http://lite.espn.go.com/index
Craig S.
02-19-2003, 04:48 PM
Originally posted by WiredTiger
http://lite.espn.go.com/index
Thanks, Glen - I knew I'd used it before.
gyb13
02-19-2003, 06:28 PM
woo-hoo! MLB has moved up the side column :D
WiredTiger
02-19-2003, 07:27 PM
Originally posted by gyb13
woo-hoo! MLB has moved up the side column :D I noticed that too. Must be almost baseball season!
Gosfgiants
02-19-2003, 07:52 PM
I'm going to revise my original assesment. While I may not want the video highlights at work, I got them working on my home machine. I was impressed with the high quality of the video. If you don't have the bandwidth to handle the video, use the lite version of the page.
Rajah
02-23-2003, 05:29 PM
Booo! Hisss!
I hate it. I deleted my espn.com bookmark and replaced it with mlb.espn.com. I can always access other sections from that and I don't have to wait for the stupid thing to load and all. I have a cable modem connection and it still annoys me to have to wait for it get around to doing its thing. I especially hate it when my computer starts playing music without my permission. If an audio ad pops up, I close the window immediately. I don't like it on espn.com either. Oh well, its easy enough to get around. Like I said, I just changed my bookmark :)
Guess I'll put this here since earlier in this thread there was mention of errors in loading the site.
For the past 1-2 weeks, I very frequently (about half the time, maybe a bit more) will go into the main espn page or any of the sub-pages, and get all the periphery loaded but no content. I then half to refresh 1-2 times and it always makes it eventually. This has only happened the past couple weeks.
I haven't heard from them yet, but wonder if anyone here had noticed the same thing.
WiredTiger
12-19-2003, 01:21 PM
Guess I'll put this here since earlier in this thread there was mention of errors in loading the site.
For the past 1-2 weeks, I very frequently (about half the time, maybe a bit more) will go into the main espn page or any of the sub-pages, and get all the periphery loaded but no content. I then half to refresh 1-2 times and it always makes it eventually. This has only happened the past couple weeks.
I haven't heard from them yet, but wonder if anyone here had noticed the same thing. I get that all the time. I also get pages where the menus and stuff are on the top but the text of the article is on the bottom.
I love ESPN's content but their site could use some work.
I then half to refresh 1-2 times and it always makes it eventually. Uhhh ... that would be 'have', not 'half'. How humiliating.
gyb13
12-19-2003, 02:52 PM
yeah, i've been getting plenty of errors lately. sometimes up to 3 to a page.
Craig S.
12-19-2003, 03:11 PM
I think that's been a problem on occasion for a long time at ESPN, but I too have noticed it increasing lately.
Gosfgiants
12-19-2003, 08:24 PM
It's a case of trying to pack to much perpherial garbage onto their pages. I, too, have had this problem. ESPN still is the best sports site on the web though.
It's a case of trying to pack to much perpherial garbage onto their pages. I, too, have had this problem. ESPN still is the best sports site on the web though.I think you guys are taking this too lightly, if this is really a widespread issue v. just between me and my ISP. I get pissed, really pissed, about the "Object not found" and other boxes that pop up regularly - even moreso than the blank screens that I must refresh to actually find content.
It's not like I'm switching to Fox, but I no longer feel like a member of ESPN Nation. I am just there for lack of a better alternative. Eventually that alternative will exist.
gyb13
12-20-2003, 01:31 PM
i hope so...
WiredTiger
12-20-2003, 02:57 PM
They do have a lite site that loads better. You sometimes miss some content but the front page works a lot better.
http://lite.espn.go.com/index
RichG
12-21-2003, 03:50 PM
It might be defaulting to "ESPN Motion" when you arrive. This can delay the site's performance even with a good connection so I try to make sure The "Top Story" tab is the default at http://baseball.espn.go.com/mlb/index
gyb13
12-22-2003, 10:47 AM
how do you make it the default?
RichG
12-22-2003, 03:30 PM
how do you make it the default?
This won't be too helpful because I remember setting my default only once:
When they first started ESPN Motion it would default as my entry point when I went to the MLB portion, I didn't like it, and was able to get it back to the old way by clearing my browser cache and it' been fine since then.
I can't find mention in a FAQ on the ESPN site other than to clear your cache and / or delete an ESPN cookie in your browser
When I installed ESPN Motion months ago it became my default. When I uninstalled ESPN Motion not long thereafter, my default became the 'top story'. That held true until recently. I can't say with certainty that they are related, but in the past few weeks, when I first started really experiencing the blank page/multi-refresh problem, I have occasionally had Motion come up as the default on my browser. I dont know why it did, but when it did (and I could see anything) I just got a still frame from some video.
I've never physically 'set' a default one way or another, and have no idea how to do it if you can, or even if you can period.
WiredTiger
12-22-2003, 04:48 PM
When I installed ESPN Motion months ago it became my default. When I uninstalled ESPN Motion not long thereafter, my default became the 'top story'. That held true until recently. I can't say with certainty that they are related, but in the past few weeks, when I first started really experiencing the blank page/multi-refresh problem, I have occasionally had Motion come up as the default on my browser. I dont know why it did, but when it did (and I could see anything) I just got a still frame from some video.
I've never physically 'set' a default one way or another, and have no idea how to do it if you can, or even if you can period. I thinked they changed something on the site. About the same timeframe my default changed and the ESPN Motion kept coming up.
gyb13
12-22-2003, 04:56 PM
i've had the same exact issue as you, skIp
SmedIndy
12-22-2003, 05:30 PM
In my new work computer I never had motion installed and it never came up until recently.
satchel
12-22-2003, 05:50 PM
In my new work computer I never had motion installed and it never came up until recently.
My experience too - I never installed it, and I never saw it until the last couple of weeks. Now it comes up as the top tab; I have to select "Top Story" if I want to see that (which I do, always). My bookmark is a link to the ESPN/MLB page - I don't care about other sports so I don't link to the front page.
Don't expect much response from ESPN about problems with their page. When they revamped their look last winter, I complained about how slow to load the site had become. They said "it's a problem with your ISP." I said, "uh, no guys, because it's slow whether I am at work or at home, day or night, I don't have this problem with other websites, and your site is also slow for a bunch of other people I know who live in different states." They basically said, "that's too bad."
gyb13
12-22-2003, 06:33 PM
truth is, until there's a better alternative, why should they care?
I thinked they changed something on the site. About the same timeframe my default changed and the ESPN Motion kept coming up.
i've had the same exact issue as you, skIp
In my new work computer I never had motion installed and it never came up until recently.
My experience too - I never installed it, and I never saw it until the last couple of weeks. Now it comes up as the top tab; I have to select "Top Story" if I want to see that (which I do, always). Ok, so I guess this is clearly an issue of ESPN changing how they manage/impose their website upon users. I guess they're trying a second wave assault to get people using Motion. I'll quit worrying about whether there's some problem on my end or that of my ISP, and just live with it. It's not that big a deal relative to many many sites; it's just a big deal when you expect more from a site and you visit it so frequently.
TGwynn19
12-22-2003, 10:04 PM
I hate that site so much that I refuse to go there. I go to CBSSportsline, and I dont care that the content is not what EPSN is. ESPN makes me miserable.
Craig S.
12-22-2003, 10:22 PM
I hate that site so much that I refuse to go there. I go to CBSSportsline, and I dont care that the content is not what EPSN is. ESPN makes me miserable.
The content is the only thing that keeps me there. I think Sportsline could come close to catching up content-wise, but ESPN has a huge advantage in that their site is associated with the most well-known sports network.
I always thought FoxSports would be a player, but they have one of the worst sites I've ever seen.
Anthony
12-24-2003, 03:32 PM
If it wasn't for the Neyer, Sickels, Gammons, etc articles I would have stopped visiting entirely upon their site redesign.
Like someone said, they couldn't care less what you think if you write them so I visit about once a week now. About the only thing that might make them consider changing the design is mass feedback but I doubt it.
Plus, the Orbitz ad they use crashes my browser if I try to have more than one window loading at a time (I'm on dial-up so when it can't load within a short period it locks everything up). Takes over a minute to load the MLB page where nothing else takes more than about 20 seconds. Absolutely terrible site.
gyb13
12-24-2003, 11:33 PM
get a google toolbar with a pop-up blocker and it'll take care of orbitz for you
get a google toolbar with a pop-up blocker and it'll take care of orbitz for youThis works very well, but I've noticed that on many sites, incl. espn, when I have the google bar active, I get a lot more 'object not found' or 'invalid object' type errors when loading a page. Sometimes I have to turn it off ... at least you can ignore the popups for a while, but the 'beep boxes' require you to press 'debug' or 'ignore' to continue.
Rajah
01-29-2004, 02:20 PM
Has anyone else seen these bandwidth sucking monstrosities on ESPN.com?
Click on a story, and suddenly your screen turns black and full motion streaming video and audio start coming in all choppy like. I don't have espn motion on this machine. I don't like my work computer suddenly making a bunch of noise. And I hate, beyond all other forms of internet advertising (yes more so than spam) streaming video audio!. Its bad enough that ESPN motion forces itself to play on my other computer when I visit the site, and I get bombarded by ads to download it to this computer. Now I get assailed with unwelcome streaming popups?
This is the kind of thing that makes me consider making a permanent switch to sportsillustrated.com.
Craig S.
01-29-2004, 03:04 PM
I noticed the same thing this morning. In fact, it threw me off because I just wasn't expecting something like that. I got rid of Motion because I didn't want to see streaming video every time I checked the ESPN site, and now they've stepped it up with the ads. They've always been a horrible site for popups (Orbitz!), but now they're getting worse.
I think other sites like SI or Sportsline hold more attraction for me lately because of what they don't have - which is a load of pop-ups.
huskerdru
01-29-2004, 04:08 PM
I noticed the same thing this morning. In fact, it threw me off because I just wasn't expecting something like that. I got rid of Motion because I didn't want to see streaming video every time I checked the ESPN site, and now they've stepped it up with the ads. They've always been a horrible site for popups (Orbitz!), but now they're getting worse.
I think other sites like SI or Sportsline hold more attraction for me lately because of what they don't have - which is a load of pop-ups.
Downloading the Google toolbar for your browser will eliminate most of the ESPN.com popups (I hardly get any anymore) - as well as popups from any other site. It's not perfect, but it helps.
SmedIndy
01-29-2004, 04:32 PM
Yes, the Google toolbar takes care of almost all but the odd Orbitz pop-up.
Yes, the Google toolbar takes care of almost all but the odd Orbitz pop-up.See my post above. Google causes me as many problems (more irritating ones at that, since I am forced to respond to each) than it solves. WHY ME???? :rolleyes:
SmedIndy
01-30-2004, 09:28 AM
Skip - you need buy Google a beer! Or quit using your Commodore 64 to access the 'Shrine!
Actually, I think the problem is all this developer stuff I have on the PC interacting with the 'errors' that would otherwise be ignored automatically - but it's ESPN especially that causes me problems.
(off topic - No Commodore 64 here, but I do have an original IBM PC, IBM PC XT, Wang WP, and Televideo terminal/modem. Bet they'll be worth something someday? Some people collect baseball cards, some ....)
Rajah
01-30-2004, 10:04 AM
(off topic - No Commodore 64 here, but I do have an original IBM PC, IBM PC XT, Wang WP, and Televideo terminal/modem. Bet they'll be worth something someday? Some people collect baseball cards, some ....)
just don't throw away old junk? :D
Endymion
01-30-2004, 01:53 PM
Actually, I think the problem is all this developer stuff I have on the PC interacting with the 'errors' that would otherwise be ignored automatically - but it's ESPN especially that causes me problems.
(off topic - No Commodore 64 here, but I do have an original IBM PC, IBM PC XT, Wang WP, and Televideo terminal/modem. Bet they'll be worth something someday? Some people collect baseball cards, some ....)
From the developer stuff side of things... I believe the Google toolbar has an option for turning off JavaScript errors that result from it's stopping of pop-ups. If you are a developer, you probably have this enabled. I would reinstall the Google toolbar and keep an eye for this option and see if it affects your ability to do development at all.
From the developer stuff side of things... I believe the Google toolbar has an option for turning off JavaScript errors that result from it's stopping of pop-ups. If you are a developer, you probably have this enabled. I would reinstall the Google toolbar and keep an eye for this option and see if it affects your ability to do development at all.That's what I suspected, but didn't know for certain. However, i cannot find the option you speak of.
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