News Update: Sports Page

[Mrs.McCall]

I don't think this is a fantastic idea. Many of the reports are not at the quality that perhaps they should be and I feel that maybe the department should focus more on quality reporting than quantity reporting.

I'm not saying it's awful but some of the reports posted could perhaps do with improving and I feel a sports page isn't really needed. We had one before and it wasn't popular because sports is such a wide variety it'll end up extremely sparce and would require 3/4 sports dedicated reporters in order to be needed.

Just my 2 cents

[Pyroka]

The Sports section is obviously a risk, with what happened last time it was on Habbox. However the News Team is almost double in size as to what it was back when the Sports section last existed, and I may be wrong but, the department is soon to grow bigger because of this addition. Quite a few News Reporters have been asking for this, with Alex3213 wanting to cover the Golf (I think, something like that), and I wanted to do a bit of football. I even remember one of the General Managers saying they wouldn't mind posting the odd article when the Sports section is back either. I personally am going to try and post 2 articles per week in the section, along with 2 in both Habbo & Entertainment as to not neglect other parts of the news coverage Habbox has.

Obviously HxSS is on right now so alot of us reporters are busy participating in that, so initial judgement of the Sports section being a bad idea is quite premature. Obviously it's a new News Manager whose never dealt with the Sports section concept before, we could be in for a new take on it. Plus, I'm pretty sure the other 10 or so News Reporters would have a bit of say in how they want the Sports section to be like too.

Thanks for your opinions though Joey!

[Mrs.McCall]

I can see the merits of it but when a decision is made like this you have to consider the long term longevity of the section because there's nothing more embarassing than having a section go dead. Sports news is very rare, unless there's a major competition, to generate mass interest. I understand that there is clearly a demand in the department from what you have said but would it not have been a smarter move to have reporters slowly post more sports news and then, if demand was there, start the category.

I understand huge events like HxSS suck up a LOT of reporter time and perhaps it is a bit premature but Bolt wanted opinion so I figured I'd throw mine in.

[Amberr]

I think Sports news could be good, it's something different I guess and if the reporters enjoy it and it pleases some people then I don't see any harm in it... If news reporters are into sports then i'm sure some of their readers might be too. Also i think saying that articles lack quality isn't really fair.

[Pyroka]

Yeah I completely agree, and it's happened before when I was a News Reporter under Adzeh's reign. However, that was then and this is now. When you look at the size of the news team, and how little Habbo post in terms of articles compared to back in 2006/7/8, the Sports section will be used by News Reporters, for either their main reporting section or for when they're one short of the minimum article limit. Regarding your comment on Sports News being very rare, we just have to look at sites like http://www.skysports.com/ with their news section. Another idea could be to post the results of Football matches on Habbox. I mean, why should users need to navigate to different sites when they can just get their fix here?

It's this sort of innovation which, in my opinion, is why Bolt wanted to bring back the Sports section. He's never done it, the reporters are itching to get their hands on something new, and the general public are going to be the ones who'll benefit in the long term. Regarding your suggestion on slowly introducing Sports news, the problem in that is that there is no other place for Sports on Habbox.com right now, so trialling it like that would've been impossible. I understand that the decision to introduce a Sports section had alot to do with the Entertainment section, as the two are both independent from Habbox's main news section, Habbo. The Entertainment section is almost never left without a post per day, so with that in consideration, the Sports section should *hopefully* go the same way.

If at first it doesn't go to plan, I assume the News section will see one or two dedicated Sports News reporters! Which is never a bad sight, seeing new blood in the department is always a refreshing change. With you being an experienced former News Manager, I think I say for everyone that the input and feedback is greatly appreciated.

And on my own personal note to this news, I think that the comments system will come into its own and reflect how many users find the Sports News a necessary section for Habbox.

[Martin]

I can kinda see where you are coming from, but I think it's unfair to judge something before it's really had chance to start. I don't think 'Starting' the category at a specific time makes much difference really, since it's still very new, and the announcement was made just to make people aware of what's happening.

As Ryan has said, there are quite a few reporters keen on writing such news, and there are also other reasons behind this:

• We have a fairly large team at the moment, with reporters that have different styles of reporting and different tastes.

• Habbo News isn't as frequent as it once was. The international side of things disappeared, leaving us just reporting from one hotel. This means the Habbo output itself has decreased slightly, meaning less articles became available.

• Our entertainment section also started off fairly slow, but over time it's becoming more frequently updated, we have reporters putting in so much effort into this section which is lovely to see, and various weekly columns have started to develop there.

• Staff Interviews section is doing fine now, so that's nothing to worry about.

• I've had a few people say that they would be interested in seeing sports news on the site. It's been long debated whether we should have the section, and general management was in agreement to it.

Not everyone may be into entertainment news, and sports news may appeal to some people. We like to ensure we are offering something for everyone, and it's just something extra we can work on really.

With a lack of articles, and spare time on reporters hands, I felt it would be nice to try out sports, and see how it goes really.

As a manager, I like to keep reporters happy and doing what they do best. Trying out new things (may not be completely new, but it is for me), is always going to be risky, but overall I don't think it's a huge concern for the department.

Whilst you say quality is low on articles, this is something we are forever working on, and it's something which will always crop up from time to time. News is a department which sees reporters come and go, and getting them to that perfect quality always takes time. I'm really happy with every single one of my reporters at the moment and they all do a really hard job in keeping their articles to a good quality. Compared with some sites our news isn't too bad in my view, but it's something we will continue to improve on.


Your feedback is appreciated though, and it's always good to hear suggestions on things. In this case I think its simply a case of seeing how it turns out, and not writing it off after just one article.

[Nuxty]

Well I have to agree with Martin on this one. Entertainment was exactly the same during it's launch and eventually got more and more recognition. I think that the section will be fine as we now have enough reporters to ensure that each section has the right amount of attention. Habbo being our first priority.

Onto the quality side of things, all of the reporters including myself have now all been on the team for atleast three months or over or we have worked in the department in the past. We are all aware of the standards the site has of the department and we are also aware of what our readers are interested in.

I can understand your concern about the section but it is very early yet and it is something that didn't work in the past but we must give it a chance to kick off before we jump in with judgements! I know for a fact news management plan the sections and really do look into if things are work having etc. So I am sure it will all be fine!

[Mathew]

I've never read a Habbox News article - BBC can give me real-life news along with Sports... and Habbo give me the news articles when I log in.
I've just never really seen a point to getting news second-hand which may have been changed (by mistake) by a Habbox reporter, or possibly been made bias at some point along the way.

A wish you the best of luck with a Sports category - I suppose you have to try it before you rule it out... but it does seem a very large task considering the amount of sports, matches, fixtures, etc.... not to mention we are supposedly an international fansite --- so how do you decide what to cover? Skiing? Basketball? Rugby? Baseball? American football?

[Nixt]

At Mathew, we recognise that not everyone wants to use Habbox as their resource for News, however the fact is that there are people that do and indeed will read the sports news. As Martin has said it is not something we expect to pick up immediately and we are not expecting it to be an instant hit, but with proper dedication and enthusiasm it will lift off as did the entertainment section.

It's also worth noting that with the up and coming v6 (I know we keep falling back on it) the interactivity Habbox.com will offer will make the news more prominent if that is what users choose and I feel this will in itself improve the popularity of all the news from Habbo through to Sports.

Whilst I understand your points, Joey, regarding the fact that there is "nothing more embarrassing than a section going dead" - I am inclined to disagree. I am not saying a section going dead is anything to be happy about, because of course it isn't, but it also isn't the end of the world and if you are not willing to try anything for fear of embarrassment then the Department (and this goes for any department) will never progress and never improve.

I think both Pyroka and Martin have summed up everything else I would have said pretty well.

[AgnesIO]

I sort of agree with Joey here.

I read a news article the other day (first time I went on habbox.com in months), and the standard of the news report on top, so everyone could see it easily, wasn't very good.

When I read a news report I don't really want/expect to see 'I think the changes do this, that and the other' as that is being bias. It also reads quite badly for anyone who has ever read a news paper in their lives :L