A former nantan once said, “if you build it, they will come.” Having used the national F3 site for a few months, I found some things I thought could be improved upon. When AP – the Metro admin for the f3nation website – mentioned regions might need to split into separate sites to handle ever-increasing numbers, I took the ball and ran with it.
This site is the result of over 4 months of trial and error. After asking a few of the past and present board members to give it a whirl, our new nantan gave it the seal of approval and suggested we go live with the new site on the first of the year. I thought it best to introduce the site early so that it would not be too overwhelming when you went to read your January 1st back blast and worried the hangover was worse than you thought when you couldn’t find it on f3nation.com.
The plan is to have ALL F3/Isotope men re-register on f3isotope.com and use the new site beginning on January 1st. I will have AP set the national site to redirect to this site when going to isotope.f3nation.com to encourage back blasts in 2016 be posted here instead. Why are we doing this? Here are some exciting reasons to embrace the change:
- Easier to share website with FNGs and others: f3isotope.com. Simple.
- One sign-up to rule them all. Register on site and opt in to newsletter and Slack at same time.
- Naming a new FNG? Check the pax list to see if the name is already taken.
- Need to get in touch with someone? Email and Twitter links for everyone!
- Optional email lists: subscribe to receive targeted info for church groups, board members, CSAUP activities, etc. Opt out if no longer interested.
- User tags. Never mis-type pax names in back blasts again. Tags allow you to see events you participated in or let you know that a friend needs an EH after missing a few weeks.
- Workout calendar: no more managing separate signup-genius and doodle accounts. Site’s calendar handles Q signup for all workouts. Or just use it to choose where you will post today.
- No more wondering how to post a back blast. Click “Post Backblast”. Only the information needed is presented.
- Phone friendly. Site designed to look good on computer screen or smartphone. Even posting a back blast from phone a feasible option.
- Customizable. With our own site, we have more control of future enhancements. Got an idea? Let us know.
Of course, with change, there is always going to be some things that cause problems. Here are a few things that may upset you:
- You have to re-register. This site is independent from the national site so data is not shared between the two.
- User tags do not support #TheStandard attendance in pax list. This information will need to be added in body of back blast instead.
- Posts made before 1/1/16 are still on f3nation.com. If you want to view a post made prior to 2016 you will need to visit the former site.
- The F3 smartphone app is not compatible. It was designed by an F3 member in SC as a gateway to the national site only.
- Some early reports of problem with site design on Windows phones. I have not been able to reproduce problem but will figure out a solution if it persists.
Despite a few flaws, I think the new site is worth the intial headache and frustration. I invite current F3/Isotope pax to go ahead and register now to begin acclimating to the new interface. Feel free to peek in the nooks and crannies and send questions or suggestions for improvement. It is highly likely something obvious was overlooked, or that there is a bug that has gone unnoticed before now. I trust that the pax will seek out the weaknesses and contructively provide feedback just as they do when watching the six in the gloom.
Thanks for embracing the suck of change by adapting and overcoming. Aye!