Site Stuff
December 31, 2014
Editorial cartoon by Joe Wos — PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
The good folks at Pittsburgh City Paper asked me to contribute the sports segment of their 2015 predictions, and I was happy to do my small part.
Above is the wonderful headlining cartoon by Joe Wos. If you have a chance to pick up a copy, there’s much more, including an entry from Pirates voice Greg Brown. It’s a fun package.
December 29, 2014
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
A look at the week ahead on the site …
• Monday: The weekly Steelers PATs feature will be up at 4 p.m.
• Tuesday: Tuesday 12 Qs will take place at 2 p.m.
• Wednesday: Morning Java video will go up first thing, and it’ll be about Steelers-Ravens in some form. Also, I’ll cover Penguins-Hurricanes that night.
December 28, 2014
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
I’m not generally big on predictions. This is a news/commentary site, not one aimed at betting or being Nostradamus. And far more often than not, when I make a prediction, it won’t come to pass for the simple reason that most predictions don’t: The future is very fickle.
But man, sorry, I can’t let it slide that this site put into print that the Steelers would go 11-5 and make the playoffs, particularly since that was greeted with laughter, derision or both.
December 27, 2014
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.
December 26, 2014
Photo-illustration — ALEX MESSMER
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
So since we’ve had this wonderful little influx of subscribers this month — 327 in gift subscriptions alone, and thank you for that! — I thought this might be a nice time to welcome newcomers and share a little about what happens here.
On a weekly basis, you can expect:
• Extensive on-location, inside-the-room coverage of the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, including travel to all Steelers road games, plus key Penguins and Pirates road games.
• 4-5 full-length columns, written mostly in the traditional newspaper style, albeit with links, locker-room videos and other online-specific elements.
• Immediate reaction to breaking news in the News/views format.
• The Tuesday 12 Qs, a live chat session that tackles your questions, no holds barred.
• The Friday Insider, our most popular feature, collects information gleaned throughout the week about all of our teams, then spills it all out.
• Our videos go beyond the column accompaniments, now including a Morning Java video commentary each Wednesday and a one-on-one interview each Thursday.
• All podcasts of all TV and radio appearances are accessible here.
• Our commenting platform, which is on the verge of a dramatic upgrade, will still count as its strongest asset a robust, knowledgeable and passionate community of Pittsburgh sports fans. We’d love to have you join us not just in reading but also participating. Click any post, then scroll down. Only your very first comment has to clear moderation. All the rest go up immediately.
• Our state-of-the-art mobile apps, which also will be getting that commenting upgrade, are free to subscribers. Just choose Apple or Android and download away. Click app support if you need help.
If you ever have any other questions, large or small, about the site or how to use it, please don’t hesitate to email us at [email protected]. We’ll be happy to fix it, but we do ask that you email rather than reaching out through other means.
Once again, welcome to all, and thanks to existing subscribers for your support and for adding so many friends and relatives. Hope this helps the newcomers feel a little more at home.
December 25, 2014
Dali, Marko, Dara and the only Kovacevic who couldn’t be bothered to dress up. — DALI KOVACEVIC
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
Here’s wishing, for you and all those you love, the most blessed and blissful of holidays.
December 24, 2014
Photo-illustration — ALEX MESSMER
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
Look at it this way: No one will know if you were late with gift shopping or shipping.
As of midnight Tuesday, we’ve sold 265 of our new, personalized gift subscriptions — which now have automated fill-in forms, as well as custom cards created by our resident Austrian madman Alex Messmer — in the month since we began. And I can tell you that includes a huge percentage coming in the past couple days alone.
If you’re interested, just click the big box below:
My wife Dali and daughter Dara are processing all the gift subscriptions, ensuring that they’re emailed only when you want. This way, no surprise is spoiled. Just be sure, please, to specify that date on the automated form.
Thank you again for the incredible support on this, and merry Christmas to one and all!
December 23, 2014
Photo-illustration — ALEX MESSMER
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
Early this afternoon — during Tuesday 12 Qs, actually — we crossed 7,000 paid subscriptions. Today is our exact five-month anniversary, and our full-year goal from the outset has been 10,000, so we’re well on our way.
Thanks to all of you, from those who signed up on the very first day to those who just joined today to everyone who has added to the roll by buying a gift subscription. The latter has been huge for us.
Merry Christmas!
December 22, 2014
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
A look at the week ahead on the site …
• Monday: The weekly Steelers PATs feature will be up at 4 p.m.
• Tuesday: Tuesday 12 Qs will take place at 2 p.m.
• Wednesday-Friday: Off. For real. No videos. No columns. No Friday Insider. Been kind of eyeing this for a while now, as the first real chance since the site’s launch to connect a couple of free days.
December 20, 2014
Photo-illustration / ALEX MESSMER
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
A weekly look at what’s new, what’s coming on our site …
• We’ve promised for a while that we’d offer some less expensive items at the DK on Pittsburgh Sports Shop, and they’re here a week before Christmas in the form of coffee mugs, mousepads and 8GB flash drives, all available for less than $10.
We don’t make much at all off the merchandise — 10 percent, to be precise — but it’s another way of getting the site’s name and logo out there, and no harm can come from that.
