November 24, 2014
That’s 6,000
Photo-illustration — ALEX MESSMER
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
We just signed up our 6,000th subscriber, on our exact four-month anniversary.
Full-year goal: 10,000.
Thank you, again and again, so much.
Site stuff
Site Stuff
November 24, 2014
Monday planner: Bye-bye, bye
“Obviously.” — Photo-illustration by ALEX MESSMER
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
A look at the week ahead on the site:
• Monday: The Steelers say bye-bye to the bye by returning to practice on the South Side. I’ll cover that, as well as the Pitt football availability that precedes it. Material will follow on both fronts. I’ll also wrap up my guest-hosting stint on 105.9 the X, 3-6 p.m., in place of Mark Madden.
• Tuesday: Tuesday 12 Qs will take place at 2 p.m., shortly after Mike Tomlin’s press conference.
• Wednesday: Steelers vs. Saints preview column in the morning. Penguins host Maple Leafs by night at Consol. Column to follow.
November 22, 2014
Saturday Site Stuff: Introducing … our store!
Photo-illustration — ALEX MESSMER
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
A weekly look at what’s new, what’s coming on our site …
• We have a store!
No, for real: The brand new online DK on Pittsburgh Sports Shop offers outerwear, sweatshirts, T-shirts, caps, scarves, bags and blankets bearing the logo of the city’s fastest growing site and app. And that’s just what’s in there now. Very soon, we’ll add mugs, mouse pads, flash drives and more.
November 17, 2014
Monday planner: Music City and more
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
A look at the week ahead on the site:
• Monday: Flying to Nashville well before sunrise, thanks to Southwest’s new nonstop service out of Pittsburgh. A Steelers-Titans preview column will publish upon my landing at BNA. And of course, much, much later in the evening, there will be the usual full-scale treatment on the game itself from LP Field.
• Tuesday: Tuesday 12 Qs will take place at 1 p.m., also from Nashville. And later that day, a new Steelers PATs will revisit the game in greater detail.
• Wednesday: A column featuring our first hard focus on Pitt basketball, though I strongly suspect the subject matter will have broader appeal. This day also should mark the debut of the new Morning Java video feature.
November 15, 2014
Saturday Site Stuff: Return of Morning Java
Photo-illustration — ALEX MESSMER
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
A weekly look at what’s new, what’s coming on our site …
• The Morning Java feature will return this coming week, and it will be in video form. Every Monday-Friday, a brief commentary will be posted at 6 a.m., one that will cover some topic not already being taken up in a column.
This will afford a chance to maybe expand beyond the Pittsburgh boundary on occasion, as well as a chance — in all candor — to cut down on some of the typing.
Here is the amazing intro by our own Alex Messmer:
November 13, 2014
Speaking today at Point Park … and pumped
An ominous sign of things to come today inside Lawrence Hall at Point Park University. — DEJAN KOVACEVIC
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
I’ll speak to students at Point Park University today — 1 p.m., Lawrence Hall Ballroom — and I’m not going to lie: I’m really looking forward to it.
For one, when those involved are coming up with a full Facebook page dedicated to the event, an article in the university newspaper or excessively flattering signs like the one above, it’s easy to get pumped. I’ve heard first-hand from students — faculty, too — who, like me, are anticipating a fun conversation on what this site is all about and what, if anything, it might mean for the future of the business.
For another, given the solo nature of this venture, I don’t really discuss the thing much outside the house. That’s very different than when I was with a newspaper and everything was discussed. So trust me when I say I’m looking much more to hearing what you have to say than what I will.
Finally, I’ve got great respect for the university, for those I know there, for the ambitious and classy way it’s expanded and enhanced an entire edge of our Downtown, as well as the fact that the school still teaches real journalism. Something to be said for that. Truth be told, and I’ve never confessed this publicly, my preference when graduating Gateway was to go to Point Park. Parental influence steered me to Duquesne, and getting an actual job steered me off the Bluff in a hurry.
My sincere thanks to the Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media & Marketing for the invitation.
November 10, 2014
iPhone, iPad apps are out!
Photo-illustration / ALEX MESSMER
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
The iPhone and iPad app for this site are available right now in Apple’s iTunes Store. It’s free, and your subscription here carries over there. I’ve created a special page with instructions.
We already had, of course, our Android app on Google Play.
November 10, 2014
Monday planner: All this and hoops!
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A look at the week ahead on the site:
• Monday: This week’s Steelers PATs will be up at 3:30 p.m.
• Tuesday: Tuesday 12 Qs, live from the Steelers’ South Side HQ and right after I cover the Mike Tomlin press conference. Should be much to discuss.
• Wednesday: Column on the Pirates’ offseason, including Russell Martin. That night, I’ll be moderating a forum about sports and concussions for Allegheny Health Network with a panel that includes Merril Hoge, Neil Walker and Pierre Larouche. I’ll probably wear a tie.
November 8, 2014
Saturday Site Stuff: An app a day …
Photo-illustration — ALEX MESSMER
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
A weekly look at what’s new, what’s coming on our site …
• Our Android app went live late Wednesday night, and it brought 708 downloads on its first day, as well as contributing to our biggest subscription week since our launch week in July.
To say this is exciting for the site’s future is an understatement. Studies show that apps create a powerful connection between user and content. Our hope is that people accustomed to reading on apps become more frequent readers of what’s here, even as we also hope that those who never tried apps will give this one a chance. Either way, it’s all about retention. That’s why the app is free. The site has had an above-and-beyond first 3 1/2 months, but retention will be priority No. 1 at some point. And that, by our way of thinking, comes in part from offering the product on as many popular platforms as possible. Today, it’s the app. Tomorrow, it might be something else.
November 6, 2014
Android app available now!
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Android app for this site is available right now on Google Play, much to my surprise. We had thought all along Apple and the iPhones would be first, but it turns out Google’s approval process is much, much faster.
I’ve created a special page to help anyone wishing to download and use this app.
My thanks again to Brisk Mobile for their exceptional professionalism but above all for the finished product. Easy to see why they’ve done work for Disney and NBC, among others.
