sounds great. when can we expect this update?
I'm hoping we'll be able to introduce CB5 in either August or September. Really it mostly just boils down to me being able to get back to it and spend some significant amounts of time with it. I have a test site going right now that I've used mostly just for testing design, software and features. It has helped me work through a lot of the issues that will be involved in developing the site but I'm actually thinking about scrapping it and starting a fresh new version that will be the one we actually use for CelticsBlog.
CB5 is by far the biggest undertaking we've initiated so far with CelticsBlog. Practically everything about CB5 will be brand new -- designs, software, features, functionality, usability...everything. It is in its conception something Jeff and I have been discussing for at least well over a year and a half. The story with us though is that its always about being able to make time to make things like this happen and that's still what we are up against with this new CB. CB5 will literally represent hundreds of manhours of development. It is ultra-modern and will be on par with the largest commercial (and very pricey) community web projects I've been building for over a decade now.
CB5 is like Blog meets ESPN meets SBNation meets MySpace meets Facebook meets YouTube except way more as it relates to what members will be able to do here. Naturally we have to become less dependent on the blogging format in order to accomplish all of those things. However, I have ways of doing that will not only keep blogging number one around here, but will actually expand it like dynamite. In CB5, all members will have their own blogs here -- or at least as many as want them.
In other words the challenge is to create a site that functions as a sports portal the way ESPN, CSN or CBS Sportsline might, but doing it differently in the sense that we greatly expand what members here can do in terms of blogging, having their own pages, being able to network with others and so on. CB5 will provide members practically every major service they can find anywhere else around the net except that it will all be available right here and it will be all Celtics all day, every day.
In that light one way of understanding CB5 is that it will be more member-centric than the current CB4 or anything we've had before. Folks here will be able to do and enjoy a number of things themselves not possible in the past. Member profiles will take on a new meaning to you all. They will be greatly expanded and become the hub of community here. At the same time though, we won't be diminishing our chat, commenting or forums. Indeed, those will still serve as our main community gathering places. They'll simply be more integrated at the member level and visible in new ways.
So except for a few particulars, I now know what's needed to make CB5 happen. As I said, it's just a matter of me being able to get to it. The issue there is that I'm covered up with paying work and frankly, as much as I love CB, I have a hard time turning down thousands of dollars when people offer it. Call me weak. I am wrapping up some projects right now though and hope to have at least some portion of time freed up in the coming weeks to do things for CB.
However, I have other people either waiting in the wings or mulling new web endeavor over in committee right now so I'm not expecting too much relief. What it will probably boil down to will be that I'll just have to "power through" CB5 in the wee hours. Either way, I am shooting to wrap it up at least enough that we can do an initial launch of it in August or September. It almost certainly will happen. It's just a matter of when in the short term. I hope everyone enjoys it or at least comes to enjoy it. Personally, I think CB5 is going to be a shock to this community. I also think though, it will all work out ok as folks get oriented to it and learn how to have fun with the thing.