Ever since SBNation released the SBNation United platform for their 300 and some blogs, there's been quite a bit of backlash from readers (and writers) across the network.
In efforts to find the best layout possible, the SBN crew has been hard at work in revising their format to better suit the desires of the readers.
Here's a short run-down of the changes that were released today so you know what you're looking at:
- Fanposts and Fanshots: The fanposts moved from the left side of the page to the right side of the page, and the Fanshots moved up slightly to be almost right underneath them. This is highly similar to the old layout.
- New Cover Formats: Previously, the "cover" at the top of the page only had a few options: one-up, three-up, four-up, and 5-up. There's a few new options for us editors to arrange the page now, so don't be shocked when something new pops up. The new covers are shorter, giving quicker access to the items lower on the page.
- Navigation bars at the top of the page: Instead of the massive SBNation nav bar at the top of the page and the Clips Nation local nav bar being forced below the cover, the Clips Nation nav bar now takes it's rightful place at the top of the cover and at the very top of the screen. If you want SBNation nav options, hover over the SBNation in the nav bar and they will appear.
- The River: The reverse chronological "river" of stories that aren't placed in the cover is now easier on the eyes for the reader, with pictures that are less weighted and all content aligned to the left with sidebar content on the right.
Hopefully this helps you all get accustomed to the tweaks.
We're still negotiating with Corey Maggette to see if he'll come out of retirement to do another tutorial for everyone.
Here is a separate post with an overview of the changes. You can provide feedback directly to SBNation's development team by leaving comments on that post.