Changes coming at A Sea of Blue

by Truzenzuzex on May 7, 2008 8:54 PM EDT in News

Tomorrow morning when you go to your computer to immerse yourself in A Sea of Blue, you will find it radically different.

That's because sometime in the wee, small hours of tomorrow morning, A Sea of Blue will be migrated from the venerable Scoop platform (what you see now) to the brand new, high-tech custom bogging platform of SBNation 2.0.

This is a huge change for this site, and should be a great new experience for our members. When you wake up, there will be a lengthy post describing the new platform and many of its features. It will be fun for us all, and I am positive that our readers will really enjoy 2.0.

So get ready for an even better blogging experience, more community development tools and a cutting-edge new AJAX-based platform for us to talk about our beloved Wildcats. I think you will love it.

This post will remain on top all day today, so scroll down below for the new non-admin stuff.

Update [2008-5-8 6:17:29 by Truzenzuzex]: OOPS! Apparently, I misunderstood the date thing. Instead of being ready this morning, the new digs will be ready tomorrow morning (Friday). I somehow failed to assimilate the clarification I was sent after the original schedule. Sorry for any inconvenience, but it does give me one extra day to prepare, which is not at all a bad thing.

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SBNation

I having been using the SBNation blogging system for a few months as the Braves blog a check made the switch not long ago. Many people resist change, and probably won't like it, but I actually find it a nice system. My only complaint is that it is too generic-looking.

by jug on May 7, 2008 11:04 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Change

I am not a big fan of change, but I promise to be open-minded! ;)

by kentuckygirl0724 on May 7, 2008 11:05 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

FYI

RockyTop talk has some threads posted in regards to SBNation changes. They go through what some of the changes will be and what some of the new buttons and options will do. Pretty informative.

by kentuckygirl0724 on May 7, 2008 11:08 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

NO!

I will not read ASoB EVRER again.

I hate UK and that kid peddlin' coach!

Alright, that is a lie. I like change (in my pocket)

AJAX is the bomb.

by wilson452 on May 7, 2008 11:15 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

"AJAX is the bomb"

About that......I actually checked the link about the "AJAX-based" program and WOW, I am not even going to try and pretend that I have any idea what it is or how it works. WAY over my head. I got down to the part about "Defining Ajax" and just stopped reading. I will say however, that I will embrace the change on ASoB. I'm sure it will be just fabulous; god knows I am too lazy to go searching for another UK sports blog with the same content (though I am sure none exist) to post on. : )

As far as the change taking place in the "wee, small hours of the morning", I guess that means Ken will be forced into taking a day (night) off.
Aww, how sweet of you Tru, giving Ken a night off! : )

by BigSkyCat on May 7, 2008 12:07 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

AJAX

Yeah, I did the same and quit the same as you. Was way over my head too!

And since Ken usually has his posts up in the wee hours of the morning, he will have to change his sleeping habits for one day lol. Seems he sleeps most of the day and up all night!

by kykat51 on May 7, 2008 12:14 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Discussing my sleeping ...

... habits while I've been away heh?

Actually nighttime is the only time I can really concentrate on writing a half-way decent article. It's very difficult to research and write while dealing with my kids. I have a 1 and a 4 year old, but I'm lucky that they usually sleep until 9:30 or 10 (except on pre-school days when I'm up at 7:45). Plus I live in the Central time zone(hate it), so where I am it is 1 hour earlier than my posts notate.

I am though a night-owl. Have been for many years. It has conditioned me to be able to function with little sleep, although as I get older it becomes more taxing.

I can't believe I just wrote 2 full paragraphs on my sleeping habits :)

by Ken Howlett on May 7, 2008 11:58 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

No Wonder Lol

You have 2 young kids??

I can relate back to those days many years ago. You are right about down time after taking care of young children most of the day.

Dang I thought you were an old man LOL.

by kykat51 on May 8, 2008 12:32 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

I am if 43 is old :)-- I got started late

by Ken Howlett on May 8, 2008 12:39 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

oh my

You have lots of fun years ahead of you. It will keep you young.

My younger brother is 55 now and he has 14 and 16 yr old boys. He started late too! I am glad I got mine done and over when I was young, and even then, they never go away, lol.

Good luck!

by kykat51 on May 8, 2008 12:58 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

That's nothin'

I evidently offered to pose for the female and non-traditional Wildcat Nation. And to break my nose. For the record, I try to write inbetween jobs. My kids -- 4 1/2 and 3 -- are not delighted if I try to write about Kentucky basketball. My wife is less delighted than the children. So Ken, I feel your pain. And can't sleep, either.

The Online Home of the Big Blue Nation...

by TheFakeGimelMartinez on May 8, 2008 12:57 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Hilarious

you guys make me laugh, but I being old, am going to bed.

by kykat51 on May 8, 2008 1:01 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

LOL! It looks like we're all in this together.

by Ken Howlett on May 8, 2008 1:08 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

AJAX in a nutshell

is what makes the web page more interactive. It's the magic that makes stuff like google maps work.

If you've seen a page "update" without reloading the whole page from scratch, it's probably ajax.

by EEWildcat on May 7, 2008 10:39 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

I see I'm the 15th person to explain this

I should read down lower before replying, heh.

Hey, does the new SBNation 2.0 have Artificial Intelligence to get reply posts nested under what they're acutally replies to? ;)

by EEWildcat on May 7, 2008 10:44 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

The nesting is much the same as now.

It still goes below the comment where you hit "Reply" and indents in tree form in the same way. The really nice thing, though, is that the comment box that you type into is shown in the place it will go when you're done (rather than having you type a comment in a seemingly separate page like now). You'll see.

by hooper on May 7, 2008 11:13 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Artificial Intelligence

Judging from Hooper's response, the answer is "no", there will be no "artificial intelligence". But I thought that comment was actually pretty amusing, who says that engineering minds can't be funny! : )

And really, I think you are only about the 3rd or 4th person to explain it. At least everyone basically explained the same thing, just in a different way!

by BigSkyCat on May 7, 2008 11:28 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Geeyargh!

I missed the winky at the end of the comment! I wouldn't have responded quite so seriously.

...dumb Vols fans. What'll we ever do with us?

;)

by hooper on May 7, 2008 11:32 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Long time reader, first time poster...

looking forward to the new A Sea of Blue!
I have been on this website for over a year but this is my first comment. Love the site and its consistency toward positive UK stories.
Thanks.

GoCats UK has the greatest fans in the world!

by GoCats on May 7, 2008 11:24 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

I fear change

I will spend all of tomorrow huddled in a corner waiting for the end of the world.

by chirop1 on May 7, 2008 11:41 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Because of wilson's comment?

lol...I don't know if he meant that as good or really bad.

by kykat51 on May 7, 2008 11:57 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

AJAX

We use this every day at my place in Web development. Do not be afraid. Chances are you have been seeing it on sites for a while and didn't know it.

VERY LOOSE: AJAX allows a site to access and display more information much faster while using less bandwidth by only loading info when you "ask' for it whereas a typical site or animated Flash site is loading all of the site or large packets to be ready when you click a link to go to another page. In the hands of a skilled creative person it can replace Flash for cool animation and slick navigation tricks.

It is the bomb (good)

by wilson452 on May 7, 2008 12:23 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

AJAX

Whew! Nice to know that info.

by kykat51 on May 7, 2008 1:47 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Ok Truz

If you think it is a change for the better, I can handle that.

But please don't take away the blue format. I love the blue on this site!

Welcome GoCats! Glad to have you here.

by kykat51 on May 7, 2008 11:54 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Keep in mind ...

that this change is network driven, not ASoB driven.

With that said, I am positive that once you get used to the new system, you will like it a lot better. It is far more powerful and more user-friendly at the same time. Plus, I'll be here to help those who fell a little hand-holding is in order.

But the content of this site will be exactly what you are used to. No change to the editorial policy, ownership, etc. Just the delivery platform.

by Truzenzuzex on May 7, 2008 12:44 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Ok

I am ready for this change, especially since hooper explained more about the pages refreshing.

Thanks for the info guys.

by kykat51 on May 7, 2008 1:50 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Glad to help.

I've played on a couple NFL sites (they made the switch earlier in the year) and you'll be amazed at the difference.

by hooper on May 7, 2008 11:15 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

s/fell/feel ...

by Truzenzuzex on May 7, 2008 12:45 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

For SBNation, think of AJAX this way.

Rather than viewing a single web page, you'll be viewing a collage of "pagelets". Each pagelet will be set to autoupdate as is necessary. For example, the comments in a discussion thread will update in real-time, whereas a lot of the sidebar data may never update without a full page refresh.

For an analogy, pretend you had a dozen separate web pages loaded up and displayed on your screen at once. Now, pretend that if you wanted to refresh any one of the pages, all of the pages would have to refresh. That would take considerably longer than if you could simply refresh the one page you were interested in. That's basically what AJAX will do for ASoB and other SBNation blogs.

That's a rough idea, but it'll get you what you need to understand. But in addition to AJAX's wonders, you'll get a whole bunch of new and improved features that should give you a lot more control and freedom for viewing and interacting with the site.

by hooper on May 7, 2008 1:29 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Just wait until a live-game thread.

You'll wonder how you ever lived without AJAX.

by hooper on May 7, 2008 1:35 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

My thoughts exactly

I am really looking forward to the change.

by wilson452 on May 7, 2008 1:51 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Other Changes Starting Tomorrow

A new weekly feature: "Where Christian Laettner is Now, and How You Can Hunt Him Down." This feature will continue until the lawsuits arrive and/or some zealous UK fan mounts Christian's head over the fireplace. (Forewarded by Special Guest Writer Aminu Timberlake.)
A special AJAX-powered animated Tubby Smith head will appear on the site at random. You will be presented with two choices: A "Thank You For Making UK Better" button, and a "YOU RUINED OUR PROGRAM!!!" button. Choosing the "Thank You" button causes the Tubby Smith head to smile and dance away. Choosing the other button causes the Tubby Smith head to jump out of your monitor and EAT YOUR SOUL!
Special reports on recruiting efforts in the Bluegrass. We'll be interviewing students in Kindergardens across the Bluegrass on their hopes and dreams of verbally committing early.
A special video diary submission section. Instead of typing your thoughts out to the rest of the Big Blue Nation, hook up your web cam and tell us what you think! (Note: Due to technical limitations, the video diaries will only take submissions from persons who are completely topless from the waist up.)
Matt Jones' cell phone number will be displayed on the new site. Feel free to call him at any time.
A new SBNation blogging feature: Rival Blog Attacks! With a click of a button, you can send a Distributed Denial of Service attack towards cardchronicle.com. The more clicks, the more likely the site will be overwhelmed and taken offline. Which is the more powerful blog? Now YOU decide!
New site features 150% more Ashley Judd. (Note: Thanks to the power of SBNation 2.0, pictures of Ashley Judd will be automatically replaced for those who prefer being attracted to men. Currently the replacement filter is set to "George Clooney", but can also be set to "Univ. of Kentucky Football Players from Behind" and "Fake Gimel's Private Collection".)

The Online Home of the Big Blue Nation...

by TheFakeGimelMartinez on May 7, 2008 2:47 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Wow!

I can't wait for those!

Nobody mentioned that to me. I guess being the site owner doesn't rate ... :-)

by Truzenzuzex on May 7, 2008 4:27 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

I wanted to keep it a secret

Especially the topless vlogging. I knew you would be thrilled about that.

The Online Home of the Big Blue Nation...

by TheFakeGimelMartinez on May 7, 2008 4:50 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Hmmm. . .

Topless video diaries - I could do that, but wouldn't my man boobs disgust the audience?

C! A! T! S! CATS! CATS! CATS!

by NYCCats on May 7, 2008 4:28 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Truly.

Speaking for myself, that is. :-)

by Truzenzuzex on May 7, 2008 4:46 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

HA! HA!

NYCCats, To answer your question -- Yes, yes they would! : )
I am sure you are just kidding of course! : )

That is hilarious, FGM! I absolutely love the humor. Gee, with all these cool extra "bonus" features, I can hardly wait for the change.
You might have to censor the web cam entries though; they have the potential to scare the heck out of people. Also, I would be interested to know more about the pics that are in the "Fake Gimel Private Collection". I'm sure the ladies who read this site would be able to send you some suitable material. : )
Good stuff.....Very Funny!

by BigSkyCat on May 7, 2008 4:50 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Pixplz

For the right submitted pixplz, I would gladly break my nose and pose.

The Online Home of the Big Blue Nation...

by TheFakeGimelMartinez on May 7, 2008 4:51 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

UH....

...I thought we were already supposed to be topless when we post...

...and as we describe the UFO we just seen when we wuz up to the tank-n-tummy mart rubbin' lottos.

My point,

NO MORE TOPLESS KENTUCKY DUDES ON THE INTERNET.

by wilson452 on May 7, 2008 4:51 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Hear hear!

And no more brain-dead, idiotic songs, either (I'm looking at you, Katman2000)!

:-)

by Truzenzuzex on May 7, 2008 4:58 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Word of advice....

Unless you have a contract with a modeling agency or could very easily pose for Men's Fitness, GQ, or any other suitable men's magazine, you should not be posting topless.

My god man, what must your employees think! ; )

by BigSkyCat on May 7, 2008 5:04 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

LOL

As much as I am on this crack pipe of a site I would be topless way too much for their taste.

by wilson452 on May 7, 2008 5:39 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Ha Ha Ha Fake

You said we would know when you were back.

by kykat51 on May 7, 2008 3:33 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Let The Change Begin

ASOB is one of my favorites. I'm looking forward to it getting even better. Thumbs up here.
AG

by gkvette on May 7, 2008 4:15 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Bobby Maze

to Tennessee.

by blbskue on May 7, 2008 5:32 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

new changes

i can't wait for update. i luv Ashley Judd.

i hate C. L. and Duke

by CAT DADDY on May 7, 2008 6:38 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Hood to UK.........

Got another one!!!!!

by Chuck Alexinis on May 7, 2008 8:51 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Just saw that over at KSR

GO CATS!!!

Maze who?

DEEETROIT BASKETBALLL!!!

by davw83 on May 7, 2008 8:53 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

On the front page ...

... now.

It takes me longer to type than you guys, apparently.

:-)

by Truzenzuzex on May 7, 2008 8:56 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

OH we got Jon Hood?

Gillispie has amazed me!

by kykat51 on May 7, 2008 10:18 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

ASOB Changes Delayed...

Damn you Tru! Because of my anticipated change fearing shock state... I took off work all day today just to deal with the sure to result ramifications! Now I will be forced to cope with it tomorrow and spend all day cowering in fearful anticipation!

by chirop1 on May 8, 2008 8:27 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Sorry ...

... but look at the bright side -- now you have an unexpected day off!

:-)

by Truzenzuzex on May 8, 2008 10:14 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

All kidding aside

I am getting the hang of some of these changes already. As a complete and total internet phailure… I like the dumbed down HTML tags. It took me a year to figure out how to make things bold font on the other system… I’d hate to think how much longer I would have gone before I learned to italicize!!!

by chirop1 on May 9, 2008 8:30 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs