Enhanced News and Welcome Message Editing Tools

eteamz today released some significant enhancements for site administrators. The most critical communication tools for creating and updating your site Welcome Message and News have just become a whole lot easier to use.

Until now, a site admin was able to use the tools to enter simple text, but anything beyond the basics required at least a small understanding of some HTML details. Our PLUS admins did have a tool we call "EZ Mode" that provided tools to aid with some of these extras, but it was not always reliable, or compatible with some of today's newer browsers.

We went out and found a really great WYSIWYG (that's What You See Is What You Get) editor and incorporated it into eteamz. The best part about it is that we're making this new editing tool available to ALL of our admins, whether subscribers or not. If you're like most other eteamz admins, you will probably welcome the chance to stop worrying about putting in those <b> tags, and trying to remember how to make a link work right. You're able to stylize your text (bold, italic, underline), align your text and insert and update links with ease!

 

For our PLUS subscribers, we have also added several additional tools to help you easily add some real life to your sites. You can choose special fonts and colors for your article, add bullet or numbered lists, insert tables, images, even embedded flash movies for your own slideshows or videos. And of course, PLUS admins will be able to work directly with the HTML for the page to add advanced features like certain scripts or additional tags that can really spruce up your site.

So check it out. Log in to your site, or build a new one today to check out these new features. 

Comments

[Ellen]

It's great that the new ezmode can be used in all browsers, however, it has really made it more difficult to work with.
I like to use the html mode and then "sometimes" use the ezmode, usually with tables. Now I don't really have a choice. My admin page goes straight to the ezmode and my webpage looks nothing like I set it up for.
Using the HTML or "expert mode" as it is called now, opens up a new window, which is NOT easier to use and I still have to update in the ezmode.

I'm finding that these new and improved changes are taking me MORE time to add info to my website than ever before!!!!!
Why not give us a choice to edit in the same window and use one editing mode or the other, but not both.

I've been with eteamz since 2001, spent a lot of money on websites and in my opinion, these are the worse changes ever!

Also, while I'm at it......the new log in takes more time and logging us out after 40 minutes is very inconvenient too.

Please don't ruin a good thing.

[Luis]

I have to agree I am having the same issues. I know the improvemensts are meant to help. The old system was one of the reasons I chose eteamz instead of the others provided sites. I have lost many key things that took seconds to use. With the changes I have lost many unretrievable data. Especially since I control Two different team sites

[John]

I was under the impression that as a plus account I would have the option of using or not using the EZ mode welcome "enhancement".
It is not working as advertised and as such my web page will have to be completely redesigned. This is not the right way to treat your users !

[John]

Hi Guys,

When I use the raw HTML option it is modifying my HTML code and as such is breaking my java scripts. Compare my two sites www.deepcreekbaseball.com which is working and www.dchsbaseball.com which is not working. The format and basic HTML code is about the same, But in the dchsbaseball welcome admin panel is the new one, where as the welcome admin section for deepcreekbaseball.com is still in the old format. In the deepcreekbaseball site I am still able to paste my html code directly in the welcome area as code. on the dchsbaseball site I am not, if I paste it directly in the welcome area it is taken as text. If I use the html button when I update it is modifying my code. What am I doing wrong ? I feel as if I keep sending e-mails and message board updates but you guys don't understand what I am saying or I do not understand what you are telling me to do(click on the html button and everything will work as before). Who can I talk to ? At some point I can't help but feel a real conversation could clear all these questions up for me.

[Kevin G]

This new 'brand' of eteamz has really made things more difficult for the 'not so smart' web guy like myself. It takes more than enough time just to run a team and gather stats and why not. I loved the old way and don't see this new ver. helping me out in any way other than more time in front of screen.

Help us old guys out who don't have the time to learn everything.. give us the option of choice if at all possibe or make it really easy.. my marquee is gone , ext , ext .. C&P would be nice.

Thanks!!

[Scott]

I thought it was just me. It's a little reassuring to read these comments from other users. I haven't done much updating on our sites for a while. When I went in today, it was so frustrating! Screens kept switching from EZ to HTML. Changes I made disappeared or came out unexpectedly. I had to do things over and over and still couldn't get all things to work correctly. After what should have been a brief session of updating, it has me wondering whether I will be able to continue as my association's and team's volunteer (read "not very technical") webmaster. It was very frustrating and far too time-consuming. I appreciate the desire to improve and offer better tools that is behind this change. But it ain't pretty out here right now!

[Ian]

Remember New Coke in 1985? If it's not broke, don't fix it.......

[Dorenda Phillips]

I've been with e-teams since 2004 and i have two websites with eteams. I absolutely HATE these new "enhanced" changes! My HTML does not work properly; logging in takes too long; cutting me off after 40 minutes....and one of my websites takes "hits" in threes making me believe that I have more hits than I actaully do. What in the world was eteams thinking? As for me, I'm seriously thinking about going elsewhere. Eteams....can you save yourself?

[ROCIO VASQUEZ]

I hate the new updates you have done!!!!!! It is so frustrating to try to update my welcome page the html sucks!!! Give us the choice to change back!!

[Gary Lane]

The ezmode is not a great editor. All of my javascripts are broke and I have no idea how to fix them. Eteamz needs to restore to the old version or seriously consider refunding a whole lot of money.

[Paul Lambert]

Well that's it. Eteamz has just taken all the fun of building my team web site for me. I used to enjoy adding scripts for effects, and so did all the kids and parents, but now with your "Great!!!" changes my site looks terrible. I can't get the scripts to work at all. Did you all investigate the downfalls of this change, or is there some underling reason why this happened. Could there be a reason why you all don't want us to add our own scripts.What a bad improvement this was. Tell me it's temporary. PLZ

I beg you to give us all back what we had, and not this new nonfunctional HTML option.

I guess I now have go and find a new Web Host.
Very frustrated Paul A. Lambert

[Janna E]

Since you have made this change, I am not able to keep my site up like I had it.....I am not able to add my scrolling banners, slide shows or even attach the videos.....please change it back.....I have devoted countless hours to keeping my girls sites up and now this has just made things "HORRIBLE"! At least give us the option to use the system or not!

Thanks

[Paul B]

This has been a disaster. Ever since the changeover, I have been unable to update nmy news or welcome message without crashing. Support does not reply to my e-mailed questions, and there is no human being with a phone number I can talk to. My team has won two tournaments in a row, parents are sendng me photos, and I cannot update my site. It's been a frustrating few weeks -- and I'm making no proigress on solving the problems, despite all the blogs I am referred to.

[Joe B]

Can someone here recommend a competitor's offering to replace eteamz? I know there are some other ones out there.

This whole mess with "ezmode" and html is the final straw.

Please post if you've successfully "jumped ship" to another site so we can call benefit.

Thanks.

[Mark B.]

I thought I was losing my mind.....now I know that I am just another frustrated member. Switching to the HTML mode that I was used to, doesn't display the HTML code in the same lines and spaces that I was used to. Each season I have cut and pasted HTML code that I saved in a Word document so that I didn't have to recreate it every season (just update the info within). IN other words, now the HTML code that I have to edit looks like the code I see when I right click on a site and view the source code. Lots and lots of extra lines and spaces, which makes it more difficult to follow. GIVE US THE OPTION, DON'T FORCE US TO RELEARN, LET US PLAY WITH IT AND DECIDE, WHEN WE HAVE THE TIME. FOOTBALL SEASON HAS STARTED AND I AM NOW WAY BEHIND IN GETTING EVERYTHING IN PLACE. HELP!!!

[wolcott]

Absolutely brutal. My countdown scripts no longer work - all the scrolling messages are gone. Two years of work. The look and feel are gone. Didn't this come up when you worked with user groups to make the changes? Please put it back!

[John]

These changes have made everything more difficult. I have been with eteams for since 2002, and the reason I chose them was because it made websites easy for computer idiots like myself. I cannot update anything on my welcome page and it is so frustrating. Let the customer decide what we want!!!

[Mike O'Connor]

Dear Frustrated EZ-Mode Victims:

If you find another sports website replacement for Eteamz please forward me information on it. There is another website called "www.leagueline.com", that I've briefly looked at...still looking for another website.

Has anyone gotten any response from eteamz personnel on our request to run our websites with the good old fashioned html mode?

I had one of the best websites in the world recently until eteamz destroyed its functionality with its recent false advertised "enhancements"...

Signed,

Fed-up and Looking Elsewhere!

[Cindy]

I'm very disappointed in these changes. I used to enjoy working on our website, now it has become a very frustrating experience - it is very difficult to get pages and links to look and work the way I want them to. In my opinion, it would be easier to build a website from scratch than to work around the new changes on eteamz. Either you allow html to be used normally, or you don't - this "in between" mode is absolutely ridiculous. Please go back to the way things were, or at least give us the choice of using the new mode (or not).
Thank you.

[Mark]

I work on our Scout Troop's site, and I have logged in after a summer of downtime to find this bizarre new WYSIWYG editor getting in my way. The few hours of work I was expecting to have to do are now turning into days.

Is there a way to bring back the old mode, turn off the new mode- something?

If not, I will have to recommend to our pack committee that we move our site.

Please note I am a web programmer by day, and the programmers in our shop run the gamut- some of us like to work with tags directly and some of us swear by Dreamweaver. The point is, there is no one size fits all solution. By forcing this change on us, it sounds like you are trying to jam all of us square pegs into a round hole.

[Dave DiCarlo]

I am glad to see that I am not the only one having difficulties with this change. Making updates is very difficult and it takes way to long to try and figure out this new welcome page. I used the basic HTML formating and that's what I want to go back to. Our organization just went from the free site to the plus site in the beginning of the summer. What a mistake. If they don't allow us to go back to the HTML that we used, we won't be renewing and we'll be looking elsewhere for a new support site.

[Ken]

Why have you forced me into your 'EZ' mode? I did not ask for it, and you did not notify me that it was going to happen without an option on my part. For a business who claims to have been around for over 20 years it would appear that you have learned zero in that 20 years about customer service. I know all of your technogeeks think they have done the world a great service by assuming that we could not handle basic HTML and giving us precanned, object oriented microsoft-like menus, and for those who can't do HTML those "improvement" should be an option. IT SHOULD NOT BE FORCED UPON A CUSTOMER. Try asuming you DON'T know what is best for us rather than arrogantly ramming your creation down our throats withou so much as a "what do you think?" Is ACTIVE.COM an agency of the federal government? I was sure they were the only ones who were capable of a combination of naive, and arrogant.

[Ken]

Why have you forced me into your 'EZ' mode? I did not ask for it, and you did not notify me that it was going to happen without an option on my part. For a business who claims to have been around for over 20 years it would appear that you have learned zero in that 20 years about customer service. I know all of your technogeeks think they have done the world a great service by assuming that we could not handle basic HTML and giving us precanned, object oriented microsoft-like menus, and for those who can't do HTML those "improvement" should be an option. IT SHOULD NOT BE FORCED UPON A CUSTOMER. Try asuming you DON'T know what is best for us rather than arrogantly ramming your creation down our throats withou so much as a "what do you think?" Is ACTIVE.COM an agency of the federal government? I was sure they were the only ones who were capable of a combination of naive, and arrogant.

[Mike]

This new HTML mode is terrible. Apparently it does not allow you to enter tags. So if any of your home page html code contains a it is now broken.

[Mike]

Huh apparently this blog can't deal with tags either - that previous post specified span tags. :(