Photo-illustration — ALEX MESSMER
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
A weekly look at what’s new, what’s coming on our site …
• We’re beyond delighted to announce that Alex Messmer, our enormously talented graphics guru and resident Austrian madman, will become the first full employee of the site effective Jan. 1. He’ll continue with graphics, of course, but he’ll also be our chief site administrator.
So, so many have offered to write or take pictures for the site, but Alex was the one who stepped up with what was most needed, and he did it on the very first day we went live: He gave us a visual presence, a real feel, one that went well beyond the logo that’s still atop the home page. He did that for nothing at the outset, just to help out. He was just a passionate Penguins fan living in Austria who reached out to me via Facebook late one night in July to share that he believed in what we were doing and wanted to be part of it.
Well, now he’s truly a part of it, every bit as much as me and my family.
Please welcome Alex to a place he’s already made feel like home. If you don’t, he might photoshop you wearing a blue Santa suit.
• We’re also delighted to announce that we’re putting out our first paid advertisements on other platforms and that those platforms are two independent Penguins blogs: Pens Initiative and PensNation. Thanks to both for their enthusiastic agreement. The same offer was made to other Penguins blogs, but unfortunately those didn’t work out for now. We plan on pursuing more such opportunities in the future, including with Steelers and Pirates blogs. Choosing the Penguins first was simply seasonal.
• The 327 gift subscriptions sold through Christmas curiously kept right on going through the holiday and even Friday at almost the same pace. I’ve got no explanation for that, but thanks yet again to all who bought one. If you’re interested, just click the big box below:
• More progress has been made on the custom commenting platform that will carry across from the main site to the app, and we’re nearing the point where we submit to Apple and Google. The app portion of that update will include many, many other upgrades, including fixes.
• The apps are staying steady in both stores: In the first full month, we’ve had 3,401 downloads from Apple for iPhone/iPad platforms, 1,399 downloads from Google for Android platforms.
• The number that matters most: As of this writing at 11 p.m. Friday, we’re at 7,181 subscriptions. We turned five months old on Christmas Eve, and our full-year goal is 10,000.
• I tried to hold off from working Friday but wound up instead over on the South Side for the Steelers-Bengals preview column that’s going up at the same time as this entry. I’ll cover Penguins-Capitals with a column tonight and, of course, Steelers-Bengals tomorrow.
• Thank you so much for reading and for your support.
Report: Pirates release pitcher Casey Sadler
9:58 pm Friday
Penguins, Canadiens set for important matchup
6:24 pm Friday
Robert Morris blasts Bentley, 5-1
6:23 pm Friday
Longtime relationship reunites Canada, Narduzzi
6:05 pm Friday
December 27, 2014
Saturday site stuff: Madman in our midst
by Dejan Kovacevic • Site stuff • Saturday Site Stuff
Photo-illustration — ALEX MESSMER
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
A weekly look at what’s new, what’s coming on our site …
• We’re beyond delighted to announce that Alex Messmer, our enormously talented graphics guru and resident Austrian madman, will become the first full employee of the site effective Jan. 1. He’ll continue with graphics, of course, but he’ll also be our chief site administrator.
So, so many have offered to write or take pictures for the site, but Alex was the one who stepped up with what was most needed, and he did it on the very first day we went live: He gave us a visual presence, a real feel, one that went well beyond the logo that’s still atop the home page. He did that for nothing at the outset, just to help out. He was just a passionate Penguins fan living in Austria who reached out to me via Facebook late one night in July to share that he believed in what we were doing and wanted to be part of it.
Well, now he’s truly a part of it, every bit as much as me and my family.
Please welcome Alex to a place he’s already made feel like home. If you don’t, he might photoshop you wearing a blue Santa suit.
• We’re also delighted to announce that we’re putting out our first paid advertisements on other platforms and that those platforms are two independent Penguins blogs: Pens Initiative and PensNation. Thanks to both for their enthusiastic agreement. The same offer was made to other Penguins blogs, but unfortunately those didn’t work out for now. We plan on pursuing more such opportunities in the future, including with Steelers and Pirates blogs. Choosing the Penguins first was simply seasonal.
• The 327 gift subscriptions sold through Christmas curiously kept right on going through the holiday and even Friday at almost the same pace. I’ve got no explanation for that, but thanks yet again to all who bought one. If you’re interested, just click the big box below:
• More progress has been made on the custom commenting platform that will carry across from the main site to the app, and we’re nearing the point where we submit to Apple and Google. The app portion of that update will include many, many other upgrades, including fixes.
• The apps are staying steady in both stores: In the first full month, we’ve had 3,401 downloads from Apple for iPhone/iPad platforms, 1,399 downloads from Google for Android platforms.
• The number that matters most: As of this writing at 11 p.m. Friday, we’re at 7,181 subscriptions. We turned five months old on Christmas Eve, and our full-year goal is 10,000.
• I tried to hold off from working Friday but wound up instead over on the South Side for the Steelers-Bengals preview column that’s going up at the same time as this entry. I’ll cover Penguins-Capitals with a column tonight and, of course, Steelers-Bengals tomorrow.
• Thank you so much for reading and for your support.