Shaping LTP

Today, I’m turning over the editorial to you.  We’re in a unique situation right now.  The basketball team is plummeting down the stretch and Wildcat spring football is a few days away from kicking off.  As for registering what registers, there are really two primary metrics I use. The first is comments. The more comments I see, the more I correlate that with a “good” post in that it at least sparked a good conversation (the post could be weak, but the topic can instill great banter). The second metric is site traffic. I’ve noticed a dip of late and I want to make sure we aren’t missing the boat.

So, let’s hear you. Are you tired of talking about NU basketball and the circular conversations about the next step for Carmody and the ‘Cats? Would you rather we be focusing more heavily on football? Are you liking the mix? Let us know.

PRR and I are in the middle of laying out a content calendar since many of the posts coming this spring require us to get out in front and do interviews and the like. Here are a few things in the works:

• First look series – a 12-team series interviewing likely 11 opposing team bloggers (Maine could be tough to find!). It will be a “first look” because the info will change significantly between now and the actual game date, but it’s a good starting point for us as fans.
• Football position battles – We’ll be keying in on the hot-topic positions that are in question (ex – CB, MIKE LB, OL) based on the current roster and results from spring practice.
• Purple Mafia Profiles – These are my personal fav, but they take quite a bit of time to setup and execute. I’m trying to get John Shurna, Mike Polisky, Fitz, and several other fun ones that I’ll keep under wraps for a bit and surprise you.
• Ryan Fieldhouse – We’ve seen the photos, but let’s dig in. What exactly is going in the facility and how will each team benefit?
• Occasional lacrosse coverage – Our friends at LaxPower.com have agreed to post occasionally and the next one will be in about two weeks.

We’ll of course be covering each of the four remaining B1G basketball games and the likely one-and-done B1G tournament game.  Inevitably, each game post springboards in to a “stay or go?” debate around Coach Carmody. As I mentioned in the comments of PRR’s well-written post on his view of the debate, I’ll be waiting until the day after the season to weigh in with my full blown “editorial” on the subject.

We’ve posted a poll to try and get your take on the content mix, at least for the coming few weeks, so we can be sure to stay connected with you. Thanks for your input!

KAH Interview

Be sure to check out SippinOnPurple as they posted an interview with Kelly Amonte Hiller and her personal take on this team.

Closing In?

Chris Emma of PurpleWildcats.com had promising news on 2014 OL target, J.B. Butler of Joliet Catholic. Emma’s interview suggests an offer is close and Butler was pretty clear that he believes NU is the perfect fit.  While other programs will be celebrating March Madness, you know that 2014 recruits will soon be committing, especially if the past couple of years trend continues of landing the overwhelming majority of the class before the season starts.