The 470 class, the Olympic equipment for the Men's and Women's Two Person Dinghy events at the London 2012 Games, has launched a new website at www.470.org.
With a focus on presenting the 470 sailors, the launch version of
www.470.org is the first stage of implementation of the new website. Featuring a vibrant design to reflect the "blue" environment in which sailing takes place and the environmentally friendly "green" profile of sailing, the website has new content, significant layout updates and innovative functionality.
External media, such as video, social networks and photos are integrated into the site to give a cohesive experience for the user and avoid jumping between different web platforms.
The home page provides a simple navigation structure and highlights the latest information from the world of 470 Sailing, including current news, results, photos, video and rankings data, profiles sailors through our "This Week's Hero" feature and a subscriber sign-up for our new monthly newsletter 470 E-Times. The Events Calendar provides enhanced event location information and a new online entry system has been introduced for the 470 Championships.
The global spread of the 470 Class is showcased through the interactive 470 World map, which in future will link to National Class Association microsites to profile their activity, sailors, results, events and more. A new membership system enables National Class Associations to submit annual activity reports, manage contact details and pay annual fees online.
As well as an enhanced user experience, the website will also provide an ideal platform for the 470 Class partners around the world to promote their services.
Commenting on the new website launch Stanislav Kassarov, 470 Class President, said, "The 470 Class is delighted with the new website. It represents our fresh approach to showcase the 470 Class and reflects our long-term strategic plan to invest in technology and set a benchmark in the promotion and administration of an Olympic Class. As well as modernising the design, we wanted to update the content and functionality of the website to fulfil the expectations of our sailors.
"Over the last year we have conducted informal research and the results have influenced the new website design and content. Sailing is in a competitive market - and our sailors deserve a professional web presence. This is the first step; we are continuing to develop and refine the website to meet our needs now and in the future."
The 470 Class has partnered with SailRacer.co.uk to deliver the Class' web presence, and a number of new elements will be coming online in the next months, including:
Sailor Profiles
Results and Sailor Archives
Statistics and Race Records
Comprehensive and searchable Photo Gallery and Videos
E-Commerce Opportunities
National Class Association microsites
and more ….
An objective of the 470 Class is to reduce duplication of content and eliminate the manual population of third party sites by automatically pushing out data. Coming online during May 2010, third parties will be able to easily embed 470 widgets on their own sites to take filtered content, with the option of taking RSS feeds for those sites suitably equipped. Our priority will be to encourage 470 teams, National Class Associations, sponsors and media to utilize this functionality.
Follow the 470 Class:
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/pages/470-Olympic-Sailing/194919699300
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/470Sailing