Gaming Group eyes web-site overhaul
Pub Date: 2/1/2007
Representatives of the Montana Gaming Group met with Missoula web-site developers Pyron Technologies in Butte Jan. 11 to discuss changes and improvements sought by the group for its site.
Pryron's Kevin Leavell met with Craig Rice, information technology manager for Town Pump, which is a contributor to, and partner of, the Gaming Group, and with Cole Boehler, whose Butte company provides content and administration for the site and who also serves on the Gaming Group board.
Continental Communications also produces the Montana Tavern Times.
At its last meeting, the Gaming Group asked Boehler to work with Pyron to develop a proposal to upgrade the site's content management system to improve efficiency and reduce investments in labor and, hence, costs'; to update the look and design of the site'; to improve the site archive and its organization'; to enhance the "search this site" function'; and to improve search engine optimization.
Boehler was also asked by Gaming Group Chairman Rich Miller to discuss with Pyron the need to provide a "spam filter" as apparently the Gaming Group's web site e-mail address has been "harvested" by "spammers." Boehler also asked Pyron's Leavell to consider the commercial potential of the site to see if income can be generated, within carefully proscribed and approved parameters, to offset costs.
Leavell said he will work with engineers and estimators at Pyron to develop a proposal that can be presented to the Gaming Group.
Leavell said Pyron has already developed their own proprietary content management system called "Live Edit" which could be the solution. Rice said Town Pump now utilizes Live Edit and is pleased with its "functionality and efficiency."
Leavell said a major consideration would be determining how to "migrate" the Gaming Group's current web-site content to a new system. The site features almost 400 articles with illustration on Montana gaming and liquor issues.
The new content management system could also provide a discussion forum module that would, of course, be subject to close monitoring by a moderator.
Boehler and Rice agreed a forum is an interesting notion with some potential, but clearly had the potential for problems, too. Leavell was asked to address this in a proposal for consideration by the full Gaming Group board.
Leavell said his proposal would also make recommendations on the best ways to organize the site archive and enhance search functions using date, subject, keywords or by some combination. He said these functions are built into the Live Edit system.
Leavell also suggested the Gaming Group site is "one-dimensional" and could benefit from audio or video capabilities. Boehler said he thought such applications would be quite limited, but asked Leavell to include this option in a proposal.
Ways to automate or simplify the basics of search engine optimization were discussed with Boehler noting site visitations had been steady through October of 2006, but had suddenly and inexplicably jumped to over 1,100 per month in November and December, and were on pace to top 1,100 visitations in January 2007.
Leavell said he thought possibly the site had reached several benchmarks for maturity and seriousness "had proven itself" and that search engines were moving the site up in their browser listings.
While Leavell said he would proceed diligently with developing his proposal, Boehler noted the Gaming Group would probably continue with the status quo at least through the 2007 legislative session.
No future meeting of the Gaming Group had been scheduled at press time, but the board is likely to meet again during the next two-to-three months.
Source: The Montana Tavern Times, Feb., 2007, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.