My cricket blogging project Russ’s Cricket Corner has gone through a great deal of ideation and change since I pitched the concept in Week 4. As mentioned in the above Beta video, the concept is a news and opinion blog for young online cricket fans, with the utility being its ability for fans to interact and share their opinions with one another on a range of platforms.
Here are some of the iterations and changes I have made in the last six weeks, with the goal being to tailor my content more directly to my target audience and provide the platform I’ve been aiming to create since I first came up with the idea.
Using Less Platforms
Early on in the ideating process for this DA I pledged to use a wide variety of social platforms to reach users, however I have decided to stick with what I know and what can be easily accessed for readers. My fan-based Twitter allows me to post into a broad network, while my personal Twitter to a more personalised group, while Reddit into a more specific base, while my blog is something I’ve learnt to use effectively and can be used to collate everything I’ve done so far.
Focusing on one Particular Event
I was burning myself out trying to cover everything I could while not focusing on my audience, which resulted in me choosing a specific future event to direct my content toward. This change was made in response to my initial testing and observation once I began publishing articles. The articles I am posting now impose less pressure on me as they are not as time-bound and remain relevant, as well as being more subjective and creating discussion, the aim of this DA.
Embedding Videos and Media
When I first began posting I was using images from wherever I wanted, but made the decision in the prototyping phase that I must only use images I have permission to use, and instead embed videos and links to allow for more information to be conveyed through the pieces in a range of formats. I also started using my own visuals I created myself after receiving some feedback after the pitch, and hope that this combination of strategies have made my articles more enjoyable to readers.
Use of Reddit
Reddit has turned out to be a saving grace for my DA as it has grown my confidence in online posting and allowed me to make meaningful connections with readers and fans. While Twitter is useful to interact with other pages, Reddit has allowed my content to be seen by specific people who wish to comment and are genuinely involved with the content I post, and by monitoring Reddit I begin to get a better idea of what posts are most sought after by readers.
Overall I believe my Digital Artefact has been able to directly address the problem identified and provide a platform that reflects the social utility I set out to create. The tournament begins in a week, so I will be looking to revamp my pages and kick off more discussion to further this utility as my content becomes more relevant to a greater number of readers.
Russ Haylock Sportswriting 