Philly Soccer Page Info

PSP upgrades, new classified ads section added

Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz

So we got busy tonight.

(No, not that way, you sick puppies!)

We did a little work on the site. And we’ll be doing a bit more at some point, because we want to improve a few things, but after seeing PSP’s slow loading times recently due to increased readership (and a few other factors), we figured the basic stuff couldn’t wait.

Here’s what’s new.

New layout

We upgraded our theme (i.e. the software that determines PSP’s layout). So things look a bit different. Color and photo schemes are a bit different. Some features are different places. (Scroll to the bottom of this page to see our Twitter, Facebook and Flickr feeds.) Others are brand new. Our logo is different, as we’ve gone for the ultimate stripped down, substance over style look for the time being.

Look around, and see if things look OK for you. If you notice something that seems a bit off, please let us know by emailing me and Ed at dwalsh@phillysoccerpage.com and efarnsworth@phillysoccerpage.com or just hitting us up via the Contact page above.

We know of some changes we still have to make (some photos in the Recent Posts section are a bit blurry, for example), but there are surely some things we haven’t yet noticed. So please let us know so we can make the necessary tweaks to improve your viewing experience.

New feature: Classified ads

Scroll up to the right corner of your page. You’ll see a link for Classified Ads. Click it.

This one is pretty simple. We wanted a simple place where you all could more easily connect. A series of forums seemed logical.

  • Are you looking for players for your rec league team? Post an ad.
  • Are you a player looking for a team? Post an ad.
  • Trying to find or advertise a pickup game? Post an ad.

And so on. The most common emails we get from readers are about how to find a team, rec league, or coaching opportunity. We don’t know all the answers, but we figure many of you often do. (PSP has smarter readers than most sports sites!)

As part of this, we’ve taken down our pickup games page. It was outdated, and I didn’t do  nearly as good a job keeping the list up to date as a system of forums will probably do. So please post your pickup games there so people can find out about them.

Site loading speed

Recently, the site had some slow load times and was occasionally difficult to access during periods of high traffic. We’re hopeful that this upgrade helps address that. We also recently upgraded to a new server and compressed our vast photo library. There are a few other steps we can take if the problem continues.

If you experience slow load times, please let us know via email or the contact page.

We’re also going to look for someone with some technical expertise to pitch in as a regular tech troubleshooter for PSP when we run into these sorts of issues. Qualifications: Tech guru, knows WordPress, trustworthy and easy to deal with. Know anybody like that? Get in touch.

Anyway, look around, see what you think, and let us know.

10 Comments

  1. meh.

    • by meh I mean I appreciate all the efforts you fine lads do to make our Union experience a more enjoyable one. To that end I applaud the attempts to update and upgrade the site. My initial reaction is BRIGHT! and BORING! (style-wise not content).

  2. I dig it! Keep up the good work fellas!

  3. Looking good but a bit out of focus. What’s her name?

  4. Minor gripe. for some reason I have a harder time following the replies to articles on this. Bad color. Bad font. The light grey of the responders name is hard to pcik out. I dunno

  5. Guys- with 124 comments to date on the Chick-Fil-A piece, it seems that the new design has proven not to be a problem as far as attracting viewers. I do think that the columning, if that is the term, that has the replies getting shorter and shorter portions of a typeline, as the reply is justified farther and farther to the right makes for a difficult read.

    • Dan Walsh says:

      I think you’re right, Tim. Over the weekend, I’ll probably condense it so that it only goes 4-5 replies deep. It was originally set at 10, I sliced it down to 6, but it clearly needs to be a bit less. Thanks for observing and suggesting this.

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