IUSportCom, the only student media site on campus exclusively devoted to coverage of sports and entertainment, is pleased to unveil a new look for the summer, as well as a new editorial staff for the remainder of 2011. The site, which operates in conjunction with the Sport Communication program in the School of HPER, focuses on providing students with real-world experience in digital and multimedia sport content creation.
Dr. Galen Clavio, the publisher and faculty adviser for IUSportCom, says that the new-look site should be well-received by students and IU fans across the country.
“It’s definitely a huge visual upgrade over what we’ve been working with in the past,” said Clavio. “But it should also be a significant upgrade in terms of functionality. As a user, you can do a whole lot more with the site now than you ever could before, and I think that will help us serve our current audience while also building new connections.”
Part of that functionality includes new drop-down menus that should make finding stories and information on particular sports that much easier, as well as a “Blogs” section, which collects all of the opinion pieces written by students into one place.
The Spotlight section is another new element, highlighting the emerging and important stories at IU and elsewhere in the sports landscape. These stories appear in the main window when a user loads the page.
Another new element for the site is the “Reviews” section, where our writers give you the breakdown on the latest sports-related movies, video games, and other products.
qually exciting to IUSportCom is the announcement of our new editorial staff for the remainder of the 2011 calendar year. IU doctoral student Matt Zimmerman has been named Executive Editor of the site, while senior Courtney Cronin steps into the Managing Editor position for the first time.
“Both Matt and Courtney have been with the site since the very beginning in management roles, and I’m thrilled to have both of them back,” said Clavio. “They have been the main reasons why IUSportCom has grown to the degree that it has over the last 18 months.”
Also returning as an editor is junior Samantha Dewig, who steps into the role of Field Video editor.
“Sam has been one of our most prolific content producers over the last couple of years, and she’s done a great job as an editor for us during the past year,” Clavio said. “We are looking to expand our video presence considerably, and I’m glad we’ve got Sam in a position like this where she can really help to shape the development of coverage and of our younger staffers.”
Joining the IUSportCom editorial staff for the first time are senior Josh Bowles (Social Media Editor), senior Ben Baroff (Copy Editor), junior Tricia Whitaker (Digital Video Editor), and junior Tony Adragna (Audio / Podcast Editor).
“Each of these folks has made an important contribution to IUSportCom so far in terms of content produced. Now I’m looking forward to seeing them in leadership and planning roles as well,” Clavio said. “All four of them bring a great deal to the table in terms of ideas and work ethic, and we feel fortunate to have them as part of our managerial staff.”
The expanded editorial staff, together with the greater functionality of the web site, should allow for a greater level of high-quality content that is more easily accessible than ever before.
“We’ve got a lot of cool and exciting plans that we’ve talked about already, from regular live video and audio webcasts, to regular Internet chats at selected IU sporting events, to on-site blanket coverage like we used during the athletic department’s Social Media Day earlier this year,” said Clavio. “Having this particular editorial staff gives us the ability to cover a lot of bases at once, and that’s pretty exciting to think about.”
For more information on IUSportCom, or to contact the site, click on the “Content” menu above. IUSportCom’s twitter account is simply @IUSportCom, and the site Facebook page can be followed at this location.
