THIS CONTENT IS COPYWRITED, REDISTRIBUTION OF IT (including copy/pasting it to a message board, forum or bbs) IS PROHIBITED AND COULD RESULT IN LEGAL ACTIONS - feel free to quote up to 1 paragraph providing a source link to http://www.49ersparadise.com is included
Setting out to write the history of 49ers Paradise, I tried to come up with a word or phrase that would describe how this site has evolved. This seemingly easy task took days, until I decided to extend my search to other languages. Essentially my goal with 49ers Paradise is to be the number one 49ers site on the web; this strive for excellence is summed up well by the Japanese word kaizen (translates to continuous improvement). I believe it is this philosophy that has allowed 49ers Paradise to reach the level it is at today and to allow 49ers Paradise to thrive in the future.
49ers Paradise is about to enter its 4th official season on February 27th 2000 thus I believe this is a good time to explain where 49ers Paradise has come from and where it is heading At the time 49ers Paradise was starting out there were very few 49ers sites on the net. Spike's site was clearly the best, and the sites starting out with mine or slightly there after were 49ers Webzone, The 49ers Zone and Luca's 49ers Page.
My first task was to come up with the title. I needed a name that would catch attention and encourage fans to stop by. My alias in 49ers chats has always been 49ers_champ thus I came up with 49ers Champ's Incredible Fan Paradise. I have since shortened the name to 49ers Paradise for obvious reasons. In late 1996, when I was 14 and finally utilizing the internet (mainly for 49ers information) I decided to create a 49ers web site so that I could meet other fans, and to provide up to date 49ers information to the fans. I felt that I could provide in-depth commentary about the team even at my relatively young age.
After learning HTML the language of the web, I created the first edition of my site. It had a red background with yellow text and contained a main page with an introduction, schedule, trivia, pictures and every game preview and outcome on the main page. As my knowledge grew I was able to spruce up the page with backgrounds and internal links. It did not take long for me to realize the downfalls of having such a large main page thus I created the second edition. This time I used a simple frame design, but also maintained a non-frame version for browsers that were not up to date with the ever-evolving web.
The third edition of 49ers Paradise was created in approximately March 1997. This page used tables and featured a black background with a beige column on the left with the site menu located there. As my knowledge of HTML increased even more I came up with the third edition of 49ers Paradise. This time the page had a big red header with vertical lines on the left side, a light brown menu column, bordered by a red vertical line that seemed to extend from the title at the top. This red line had sub titles extend from it and was modified to allow for quicker downloading time.
Near the end of the 1998 season 49ers Paradise took on another whole new look. The fifth edition featured the same concept of subtitles extending from a vertical line (this time the line was golden in colour and each subheading was a different menu item- the menu was also shifted to the right side of the page.)
In early 1999 I developed the sixth and present edition of 49ers Paradise. This version has been designed to provide the quickest download time, as well as extreme efficiency in updating that insures 49ers Paradise is always up to date. This design also provides easy navigation between the over 150 pages that now comprise 49ers Paradise.
Now that you know the history behind 49ers Paradise I want to tell you a little about the future of this site. Firstly the theory of kaizen remains a priority. With this in mind I assure you that I will continue to provide all the services currently offered by 49ers Paradise including the multiple daily updates even during the off-season. I also intend on keeping 49ers Paradise a one-person production; meaning complete dedication, direct communication and constant updates. At this point in time there are also no plans for a seventh edition of 49ers Paradise due to the current high level of efficiency while browsing and updating. There are however plans to make the site faster and more efficient while increasing in size. It is my pledge to continue to use the most advanced technologies to provide the fastest, most efficient, and best 49ers site on the net. 49ers Paradise your best ticket to everything 49ers.
New February 2001
Ok, Ok, I know what you are thinking... In the above paragraph I distinctly said that there were no plans for any further changes in style of 49ers Paradise... Well there weren't, but things change as you can most definately tell from the new and improved version of 49ers Paradise. So what happened? Well 49ers Paradise kept growin in size a planned, new features were constantly being added to the site, and I had to find a more efficient way to let all the visitors know about the site. So along with the a server switch the permits me to have more space, is substantially faster and more reliable (at least so far :]), came the seventh edition of 49ers Paradise. That edition switched the site to a three column format, with the right column decorated in red and gold. Along came the off-season though, and I found room for even more improvement. Thus I created the eight version of 49ers Paradise. This version was even faster than the two previous versions and is substantially better looking. It is the current version of 49ers Paradise, and changes the right most column into a much simpler, cleaner look.
New May 2001
Yet another make-over to 49ers Paradise. The new look features a much cleaner header area, as well as being less graphic intensive. As a result, the site loads even quicker than before, and is much more eye pleasing. The new look marks the ninth addition of 49ers Paradise and a change to the 49ers Paradise logo, something that has been the same for quite some time now. I will continue to tweak the site to better it's performance and ease of use. I'm always looking for suggestions and ideas, so please don't hesitate to send me your thoughts.
The future of 49ers Paradise still looks great! The Kaizen philosophy still applies, and I intend to contine to make 49ers Paradise the ultimate 49ers site. I hope to continue adding interactive features, and news features to provide the absolute best in 49ers coverage. Recently I have started The Demons' Den too, a site dedicate to the XFL SF Demons.
New September 2001
With the fall of the XFL, came the end of The Demons' Den. 49ers Paradise however, lives on stronger than ever. A recent redesign of the main page offers more features in more convenient location. Amazingly I have been able to keep the file size to the same size as the previous version, but thanks to a greater knowledge in computers I have been able to accelerate the download process. The new look features a great new header graphic next to the Paradise Shop, and a much more expansive Hot Off The Press section. The 49ers Paradise Fan Press and News Archive have been merged to for 49ers Paradise Press in the right hand column with the Current News and NFL News along with the poll and mailing list. A series of smaller sections at the bottom of the page highlight some of the more prominent areas of 49ers Paradise.
New April 2002
49ers Paradise has continued to improve the look and function of the site. Combining the ebst of the last two versions of 49ers Paradise, I have created a faster loading, and more expansive site.The more eye pleasing look, shrinks the Paradise Press section and moves it to a more prominent area on the site. Increased white space removes clutter from the site making it more eye pleasing. The bottom rightsection of the page now includes pertinent information about the latest happenings at 49ers Paradise. The site menu has also been moved back down to the bottom of the page, making it more eye pleasing, and allowingit to match the rest of the site. The vastly improved 49ers is faster, more eye pleasing and offers more information than the old version.
Earlier this year I have re-designed the NFC West Network to meet the realignment of the NFL. The new network page, and sites in the network offer a great opportunity for everyone to get information about theopponents that the 49ers face most often in a NFL season.
The Paradise Shop also received a major over-haul expanding to three pages of merchandise.
49ers Paradise continues to improve on a daily basis. All of your help in this ongoing community development is greatly appreciated. I assure you that 49ers Paradise will not rest in bringing you the best 49ers coverage on the net!
New January 2004
Welcome Back!
Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, you have waited long enough. After much hype, even more calculation and the possible hard work, 49ers Paradise is proud to let you all in on the secret.
No, unfortunately the rumors were not true. Jerry Rice is not set to chat us up here any time soon - nor is any other 49er past or present unfortunately (though if anyone happens to have a connection feel free to contact me), nor is 49ers Paradise merging with 49ers.com or Terrell Owens new site. 49ers Paradise isn't getting a new URL either... not for the time being anyway. I don't have prizes to offer with more trivia either, and man I wish I could get to the games and the draft. I have not partnered with 49ersfanclub.com either and I certainly do not have the money to buy the 49ers (though if the York's keep running the team into the ground... who knows :-? )
No none of that is true, though I am impressed with the hype that this event did generate. Next to some of those rumors, this event may seem somewhat insignificant in the light of some of those rumors. But as the format of this article may suggest, I am pleased to announce that 49ers Paradise is officially back. Yes, you head me right. All the features that you had grown to love prior to the site switching to primarily a forum only site, are updated and back (some with a few changes). In addition the forum that currently exists is being further integrated into the site to take the 49ers Paradise Community to the next level.
As if that was not enough... I have also been working extremely hard to bring more fresh and original content to the community. As such, I have unfortunately had to part ways with some of the older Corner Writers who no longer have the time to maintain their work. Before I go any further, I do want to thank them for their dedication and hard work over the years. But with every coin, there is two sides, and as such I am pleased to announce a writing team that I am extremely excited back. Of course, I will continue writing articles (I have not written in a while as I have been dedicating a whole lot of time to bringing back 49ers Paradise). Veteran writer Sydney, who works way harder than he is ever given recognition for is remaining with the site and will continue to bring you his thorough and original content. Trevor and James are also back, vowing to write more with the new format that allows them to post their articles in a much easier way. New to the writing team is Derick aka D-roc who many of you probably know as a guy with nothing but 9ers on the brain. Rounding out the team Nate aka 2winspapa aka SuperBowlWinspapa who will be writing under the moniker The Farthest North 49ers Express, Nate's passion for the team is congruent with his loyalty to the site. I am so incredibly excited about the talent on this writing team. I truly believe it will re-affirm 49ers Paradise as the best 49ers site on the web!
Some of you may not have experience the old version of the site, and certainly have come to grow and love the new forum style. Rest assured the forum will be kept in its entirety and even added too. As you enter 49ers Paradise, I encourage you to look around, and settle in. After all, 49ers Paradise is "A Place Any 49ers Fan Can Call Home".
- To a long and prosperous 49ers Future,
Bryan
This page will be removed in a day or two, in the mean time, feel free to enter the site by either clicking on "Main" at the top of the page, "Forum" to go directly to the forum, or try the link below! Please also be aware that some parts of the site are not quite active yet, like the first articles of each writer, but they will be shortly, so keep you eyes open for them!
The new site is much more user friendly and has a new user interface. Among the highlights is the movement of the corner writer content to the top of the page as the primary content to the page. The forum has now been fully integrated into the site, and articles are now posted directly into the forum. The draft field and clash of the week have been moved to the index page.
April 5 2004
49ers Paradise has undergone some cosmetic and functional changes. The main index page has added a black background, and updated the 'tabbed' header look. Also a drop down CSS JavaScript menu has changed the navigation on the main page. 49ersparadise.com was purchased and a phpbb2 forum was installed and formally introduced to the site.
June 30 2004
49ers Paradise has updated it's main page, and the forum. The forum now has more secure "new post" indicators that do not appear to vanish, as well as a .js RSS feed. The main page now incorporates cgi coding to update the HOP articles and the Top Story article, which has been brought back to the site. The forum rss feed is on the main page now too. As such the following cosmetic changes have occured. A smaller header graphic, the addition of a 'tips and tricks' section. Removal of unnecessary spacers. The addition of a more 'bold' gold colour to highlight 'what's new'. The Top Story section is now the top left part of the content, to its right, is the Paradise Press section, to it's right is a small column with the standings, poll, amd mobile information. In the next row are the HOP articles, the forum active topics, and the chat Iframe, followed in the next row by the Draft Field / Clash Of The Week and the Site Notes. The Extra points section has turned into a java scrolling ticker to supply just the headlines.
August 15 2005
Much has changed to 49ers Paradise in the past year. All of the changes to the site this year have been to shift to a CSS based site, and to improve google rankings. 49ers Paradise at one point this year was on the first page for google and MSN for the word 49ers and the second page of yahoo. The changes made to the site have also been to save bandwidth and make the site more user friendly.
Towards the start of last season 49ers Paradise went back launched a primarily white site. These sites had an oversized header, with a “chequered” background. The three column design featured the HOP on the left most column with lots of stories. The middle colum had a section for the Paradise Press in a div switcher, followed by area for hot news, the forum RSS Feeds, a Who’s Online in the chat section, the Draft Section, and Schedule in a 4x3 table format. The right most column had the standings, paypal donate button and other information about the site.
In early 2005 49ers Paradise renovated again. A primary white background remained, as did the over-sized header - but the site was “boxed in” a dark red box. The biggest change in this site was to add a “Div Flipper” to ‘clean up’ the look of the site. The flipper flipped between the HOP, Paradise Press, Forum, and Training Camp/Draft/Game Day sections. A permanent count down was added to the top right of the page, and using SSI and PHP the countdown changed to an automatically updating score script on Friday-Monday. In the summer of 2005
, I worked to freshen up this latest version of 49ers Paradise with an improved header graphic and other cosmetic changes.
June 28th 2006
In Spring of 2006 49ers Paradise took another giant leap forward with a complete re-design of the site. The latest version of the site was a bit of a throwback to the format that made the site famous. A white on white colour theme was used as the basis for latest generation of 49ers Paradise with very light tone colours. The site once again moved the Paradise Press section to a prominent position and the podcast feature was fully integreated into the site. Meanwhile 49ers Paradise added a quick link toolbar at the top of the page, and added a multi-media section to the site. The multi media section boasts audio, video, and book reviews and has taken off to be a very popular portion of the site. Also 49ers Paradise has further skimmed down the graphics on the site to provide a cleaner look, that loads faster than ever before.
September 6 2008
Welcome to the future of 49ers Paradise!
It is with great pleasure that I announce that after more than two years of some very hard work, the release of a new version of 49ers Paradise is finally here.
This revision of Ôdise (as it has become affectionately known) brings with it some major enhancements that should improve you fan experience greatly! I will detail these changes below, but before I do, I want to say thank you.
If not for the faithfulness of all of you, Ôdise would not be where it is today. Already, this site has exceeded the expectations I had for it when it began in Winter of 1996. Along with the amazing community that has been built here, the site has also been recognized by: The NFL, The 49ers, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, CBS Sportsline, ABC, The Press Democrat, The San Francisco Chronicle, AskMen, Support Our Niners, Hooked on The Niners, as well as quite a few past and present 49ers players, and many other sites. All of this would not be possible if not for each and every one of you.
In particular I feel it is vital to thank the site staff members who have picked up my slack tremendously over the past two years so that I could dedicate what little free time I have to building the future of 49ers Paradise. I am so looking forward to getting back into posting and broadcasting more regularly!
Over the past two years revisions to the site have been fairly minor. The site expanded the width of the main page in September of 2007 (the largest design change until now over the past two years) to keep pace with changes in technology, and to bring some new features such as the Ôdise widget and podcast to the forefront. Additional features were added to make the draft experience more pleasurable. The forum, and chat room saw regular upgrades. The ability to syndicate 49ers Paradise grew with added RSS feeds. And of course the amount of staff working on the site grew to bring better and more current content to the site including the Game Day Experience section which provides an ultimate look at every 49ers home game. There were some other minor changes and additions made to the site as well but to list them all would be cumbersome.
Today I am pleased to unveil 5 major enhancements that promise to revolutionize your 49ers Paradise experience.
1) An overall change to the site design
2) A revamped Hot Off The Press section
3) The introduction of the 49ers Paradise Blog: 49ers Blitz
4) A new group of staff ÔContent CoordinatorsÕ
5) Membership / Subscription Options
I will now go into more details on each of the above, and welcome your comments below, by e-mail, or by personal message.
An overall change to the site design
If you are reading this, you will have already noticed the updated look around Ôdise. There may still be a few minor kinks to work out (and if you notice any please bring them to my attention), but for the most part, this fresh new look is fully operational. In generating the new face of Ôdise, I focused on keeping true to our history and maintained a white on white theme. I also wanted the site to appear ÔcleanÕ and ÔunclutteredÕ despite being loaded with information. It was imperative that certain aspects of the site were easily accessible, including 49ers Blitz, and the Paradise Press as well as the Hot Off The Press, and Forum. Throughout the site I have utilized a new drop down navigation system, as well as some other neat drop down features like the 49ers Schmap & Schedule (mouse over the standings on the main page). Of course, as always, I have aimed to minimize the download time of the site and this version of Ôdise should compare well with its predecessor.
Overall, feedback on the new look has been quite satisfying. I know that sometimes change is hard to get used to, but hopefully this revolution is intuitive and you will all be surfing Ôdise like proÕs in no time.
A revamped Hot Off The Press section
The HOP section of 49ers Paradise has always been a center piece of the site. For the first time in the siteÕs history it has been moved from the focal area of the site (in favor of the 49ers Blitz Blog). Have no fear though, the HOP is only one click away (check out the menu on the left side of the main page).
More importantly, the new HOP provides extended title and source information, and due to some new back end software it will be updated far more rapidly than ever in the past. To increase browsing speed, all HOP articles will now open in a new window. In addition we have removed the top 49ers Paradise frame that often caused problems with passwords on the external article sites.
We continue to offer a free set of usernames and passwords for our visitors to view some of these restricted articles. As well, the Ôstrike throughÕ feature of previously read articles has been enhanced and remains a valuable tool to assist in reading the HOP.
The introduction of the 49ers Paradise Blog: 49ers Blitz
49ers Blitz is a brand new feature to 49ers Paradise, and one that I believe will be the new center piece of the site. This section will help further merge the forum with the rest of the site. It also will assist the HOP in providing some additional external links to news, audio or video at times.
The Blitz will be lead by a team of ÔContent CoordinatorsÕ. This staff will help to provide regular and exclusive content to 49ers Paradise by way of Blog type posts. This will help bring more exclusive 49ers content to our fan base, and do so more rapidly than anything the site has utilized before. All of this content will be open for comments (which we of course welcome), and the Blitz will also be accessed easily from a prominent spot in the forum. I believe the Blitz will grow to be the ultimate place to talk 49ers football! The Blitz will coincide with the Paradise Press section you have all grown to love to date. It will also assist in highlighting the best of latest Podcast episodes.
A new group of staff ÔContent CoordinatorsÕ
I am very pleased to welcome our Content Coordinator staff. Some of these specialists have occupied other positions at 49ers Paradise before, and some not. All however share one thing: an undying love of the 49ers. The breadth of this group will bring a variety of perspectives and opinions to the 49ers Blitz. This diversity should make for an entertaining and active blog, and your participation will ultimately lead to an even higher caliber of conversation at Ôdise.
Membership / Subscription Options
(Please read the ENTIRE message to fully understand this decision and how it affects you) The future of 49ers Paradise depends heavily on the sustainability of 49ers Paradise and hence to enjoy Ôdise to the fullest, visitors will need a paid membership / subscription. This is a brand new concept to 49ers Paradise, and one that I am not jumping into without much thought and considerable discussion. This is not a decision that I have taken lightly.
Each year 49ers Paradise has a donation drive to help support the site. As the site grows, simply relying on donations alone is not sustainable. In the past, 49ers Paradise has also utilized some minor text based ads throughout the site. These adds contributed to the year-over-year increase and changes that the site under goes throughout the year. Whereas the donations provided a base to continue the site on an Ôas isÕ basis. Changes to the way Google ranks sites have already significantly curbed the revenue stream available from text based ads.
49ers Paradise has always made it a priority to minimize any and all commercial influence on the site (if you are still receiving pop ups on 49ers Paradise, you are accessing from a very old URL. Please update your bookmarks to www.49ersparadise.com NOT www.49ersparadise.cjb.net). Before deciding to implement paid membership, I considered adding other forms of advertisements to the site. I believe this would have greater negative results on the overall experience than paid subscriptions and previous research has also left me unconvinced that more ads would provide any significant revenue at all.
Every penny raised by 49ers Paradise goes directly back into improving the site. This includes all donations, any purchases made through the 49ers Paradise Store, and any advertisements. Obviously, subscriptions will go directly towards financing the site as well. It should be noted that should subscriptions not grow at a fast enough pace, that donations or alternative advertisements may still be required.
The growth 49ers Paradise has had over the past 12 years has already far exceeded my expectations. This growth brings with it plenty of positives. However, growth also means that some negative issues creep up as well. I am convinced that the paid subscription requirement will not only help to provide a sustainable and positive level of growth on the site, but that it will help curb the negative aspects of growth as well.
For a long time now, a small minority of visitors supported the site for the majority of readership by way of regular paid donations. This small minority in some case provide several hundred dollars per donor per year. This is often on top of other services they provide to the site. It is highly unfair that such a small minority has to support such a large fan base.
Subscriptions should help spread the financial burden of running the site on to the entire fan base. At the very least, the subscriptions should help reduce the total funds required by the small minority who do contribute throughout the year. I have purposely kept membership costs to a minimum to make it affordable for every fan. Even the most expensive membership option can be had for less than a coffee a day. All fees are collected and secured through PayPal. I continue to be thankful and appreciative of every dollar received.
To view the costs and features of each membership option, please click ÔSecure DonationsÕ in the left menu on the main page or check out the drop down menu on the main page titled ÔSupport & MembershipÕ. Please note that 49ers Paradise will begin membership requirements as of October 12 2008 and that those who are truly in need may petition for free membership.
To re-iterate, this is not a decision that I made easily. It is what I believe to be the best way to sustain a bright future for 49ers Paradise. Subscription costs are extremely reasonable.
November 2 2009
It is great pleasure that today, I am able to announce the formal release of the 'next version' of 49ersParadise.com. Yes folks that's right, the new version of the site has now been fully tested, and all the main features have been completed. I am really excited to share these changes with you, and hope that you enjoy them as much as I have been anticipating them. This release marks what I believe to be at minimum the 18th major overhaul to the site since its inception in 1996. As always, although I do test the site thoroughly to make sure it works in all browsers on Mac, Windows, and Linux, I do invite you to let me know if you encounter any difficulties, and always recommend you run the most up to date browser your system will allow.
Since releasing the past version of the site in Septemember 2008 I have listened to your feedback and re-designed, and improved the site based on the quality opinions of the community. I thank you for your continued interest to help make 49ersParadise.com the best place on the web. I have always prided myself on making 'Dise (as it has affectionately become known) "A place any 49ers fan can call home". With that in mind, I want you all to become involved. Many of the changes made to 'Dise recently were made with that too in mind.
In the past I have usually launched major site changes all at once. The pace of growth over the past year, and my desire to bring the best 49ers coverage to all of you, had me roll out a series of features since July of 2009, culminating in this final piece of the puzzle on November 2nd. I am sure there will continue to be minor tweaks and improvements along the way (some of which I am still working on), but the significant improvements to the site have now been accounted for.
Now the run down:
1) The forum has received threesignificant improvements: a) the shoutbox, no dubbed the "Huddle" has been made wider, and separators have been added between comments. The typing area has also been expanded to make it easier for all of you to see what you typing. To comment you must be a member of the site, you do not however require a paid subscription. You can now also access the Huddle from any page on 'Dise (more on that later). I look forward to having you involved. b) You will hopefully notice that at the bottom of each topic there is now a "share" button. This button will allow you to quickly share the topic you are reading on facebook, twitter, Yahoo, and many other social media networks. It also allows for quick bookmarking and emailing of the topic. I encourage you to make great use of this button to help grow the network of 49ers fans who visit this site. c) Earlier this summer, I launched a new set of forum rules to help make the administration of the forum easier, and the conversation better. Thank to all those who have adapted so readily to these enhancements.
2) Heading into the start of this season the membership options have been streamlined, and in some cases, offered reduced pricing. In addition non-subscribed users can now read the forum (but not exclusive content). These users are served some banner advertisements instead, and I do hope that they choose to upgrade their accounts to take full advantage of the site.
3) Twitter - over the summer I added a twitter feed from 'Dise. I am working very hard on taking this feature out of Beta status, and are hoping to do so before year end. 49ersParadise.com is also networking with key 49ers media and players via twitter, and working to bring this information to you all in one spot (more on this later)
4) Facebook - 49ersParadise.com recently created a home on facebook, and I appreciate all the fans who have joined in support of the site thus far. I am hoping to grow our facebook home, so please continue to visit, participate, and share 49ersParadise.com across facebook. This is a great way to get involved with other 49ers fans.
5) A major over-haul to the main page of 49ersParadise.com. Recognizing that the Blitz Blog has been a tremendous success, and that the Hot Off The Press articles still deserve quick and easy access, I have created a new design theme for the main page of 49ersParadise.com. Upon arriving at the site on most occasions you will be served both the Blitz and the HOP. I believe this will make it easier for all of you to get the new you want fast. On game day, you will automatically be served the Game Week tab to get all the scores from the NFL quickly and in real-time, along with the crucial 49ers injury report. I believe the overhaul to the main page makes great use of the space without over crowding the design.
6) The final major tweak to the site has been the creation of the Clubhouse Community Bar, available on all non-forum pages of 49ersParadise.com including the main page. This bar will stay stuck to the bottom of your browser window, and allows quick access to the community around 'Dise. I hope to continue to enhance the features available in this bar.
Right now, you'll notice that the first button, provides you with the latest posts available on the forum, a great way to get a glimpse of the conversations and hot topics about the team. This new button made the "Forum" tab on the main page redundant, and hence it was eliminated. That button is followed by a twitter button which provides the latest tweets from 49ers media and players. The facebook button follows, allowing you to quickly become a fan of 'Dise on facebook, or visit the facebook page. The next button is for the 49ers Live gallery also introduced this year - and the Game Day Experience section. There is also a connection to Flickr from this button so that you may view the 49ersParadise.com photos via the flickr site. I encourage you to become a friend of ours on Flickr. I have moved the easy to use RSS links to the next button to help keep the footer of the site clean. These RSS feeds make following 49ersParadise.com really easy via your favorite news readers. The 49ersParadise.com Fantasy Football Leagues and Pick'Em competition have grown to be a great part of the community. You can now access these Fantasy games, and keep up with the games (even if you are not involved) via the next button. The 'Dise widget has been moved into the next button. This widget is available for nearly any desktop of website, and a great way to help share the content on the site.
On the far right of the bar is a red or green helmet depending on your logged in status. This button will also let you know if you have any new personal messages in the forum, and provides a quick link to unread posts and replies. Finally, the Tailgate button let's you know how many people are visiting 49ersParadise.com at a given moment, and provides direct access to the Huddle Box, and the live chat room. I hope you all utilize the Tailgate feature to really get involved and keep the community growing strong.
As I am sure you can tell, a great deal of work has gone into not only improving 49ersParadise.com, but also into enhancing the community around the site. It is your efforts that will make these other communities a success, and so I encourage you all to get involved. There are so many ways you can enjoy 'Dise, and so many ways you can share this joy with others. I hope you all look around, and take advantage of some of these great new features and enhancements.
I could not go on without thanking all of you who visit regularly, and who contribute to the site in so many ways. In particular, I want to thank the site staff who administrate, moderate, and write for the site. Of course, there are many community members who are veterans of the site, whose opinions I rely on and count on to help keep the community strong. A sincere thank you to everyone.
A note on compatibility
I thoroughly test 49ers Paradise in a variety of computing environments (a variety of versions of Mac OSX, Linux, and Windows utilizing a variety of versions of different browsers). From what I can tell, and as is always my goal, 'dise runs very well in all major operating environments. The site does perform best in the latest stable versions of each of these browsers, and hence I do recommend upgrading your systems if you are not running the latest software. This is a 'best practice' to keeping pace with the web, keeping your systems clean, and to best utilize sites like 'dise.
I thank you for your time in reading this verbose message. I am of course interested in your thoughts regarding any or all of the above.
Thank you for remaining faithful to 49ers Paradise. Bryan
January 2011
A little over a year ago, 49ersParadise.com underwent a major overhaul. At the core were improvements to the overall design, forum, and social networking capabilities of the site. Today, I am pleased to announce the next generation of 49ersParadise.com just in time (albeit a few weeks late) to usher in a new coach, and hopefully a winning era of 49ers Football. With this new design, 49ersParadise.com continues to bring our community to the forefront of the site; at the same time - emerging technology around touch screen computing has strongly factored into the new design.
On the main page of the site you will notice that the Huddle is easily accessible, and designed to allow you to easily chat with members throughout the site. This feature has moved from the Clubhouse Community Bar and moved it to an even more prominent position. 49ersParadise.com has similarly moved most of the features from the Clubhouse Community Bar to one of two areas, either: a) the new forum tab, that allows direct access to the entire forum right from the main page of the site; or b) the new community tab, which highlights 49ersParadise.comÕs connection to social media including: facebook, twitter, flickr, and fantasy football. These community elements, along with the RSS links are also available in varied ways in the site header and footer.
The overall design goal remains to offer a ÒcleanÓ, fast-loading, and full features 49ers site. In this latest iteration, I have strongly factored in touch screen computing to our design decisions. I recognize that more and more people are visiting the site from a mobile device. Although I continue to fully support m.49ersparadise.com designed for small screened devices, I am pleased to be able to support a full browsing solution for the iPad, Galaxy Tab, and similar devices. You should notice larger ÒbuttonsÓ to accommodate for easy touch gesturing. As always I aim for an overall design that is pleasing to the eye, quick to download, and built around solid clean code. I believe I have once again accomplished this task.
The site has been tested to provide consistent performance on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, and Symbian. Although I test a variety of the latest web browsers on each platform, if you notice a quirk or two, or have any comments at all - I welcome and encourage your feedback. This is also a good time to remember to upgrade your browser :)
I could not go on without thanking all of you who visit regularly, and who contribute to the site in so many ways. In particular, I want to thank the site staff who administrate, moderate, and write for the site. Of course, there are many community members who are veterans of the site, whose opinions I rely on and count on to help keep the community strong. A sincere thank you to everyone.
Thank you for remaining faithful to the 49ers, and 49ersParadise.com
January 2013
It is with great humility and pleasure that today, January 5th 2013, I launch the next version of 49ersParadise.com. I have always strived to build a community of kaizen (continuous improvement) and that “any 49ers fan can call home”. This next step in our evolution is designed to further both of those notions, while still holding true to the roots of ‘Dise. We remain fast loading, clean code, full of all the features you have grown to love, and compliant across all operating systems, browsers, and the likes (if you notice differently let me know please!). Two years ago I sensed a transition in web development to a more touch friendly environment - and we moved 49ersParadise.com in that direction. Today, we continue to move towards a touch-based environment, but also have taken the community aspects to a whole new level. Two years from now (or sooner), I hope we look back at these changes with the same fondness.
In all honesty, this remodel was supposed to be finished at the start of this season, but working 3 jobs, and supporting a young and growing family pushed the project completion date out. I thank you for your patience as I challenged myself with new coding experiences, and advanced my understanding of what ‘Dise could be - to bring you fans the best 49ers environment possible. I am happy to be able to have been able to cram through the 49ers bye-week and get this done before our first playoff game! That being said, the secondary pages on the site still need to be updated, I am aware of this and will make the tweaks as time permits. In addition, there will be minor tweaks to clean up some of the code further to bring even faster response times. This too will take place over the coming weeks!
49ersParadise.com has taken to a tiled layout, that is the biggest cosmetic change you will notice. The tile border colors have been chosen intentionally to help you fans become comfortable with the site.
Gold - 49ersParadise.com’s Extra Point
Dark Red - 49ersParadise.com’s Forum
Black - 49ersParadise.com’s Hot Off The Press
Dark Blue - 49ersParadise.com on Facebook
Red - 49ersParadise.com on Google+
Light Blue - 49ersParadise.com on Twitter
Pink - 49ersParadise.com on Flickr
If you have not figured it out yet, this is the biggest change to the community... complete integration with the wider networks of which 49ersParadise.com is a part of. This will allow me and the staff to bring all you fans even better coverage. Expect great conversation topics on Facebook, free short articles and hangouts on Google+, and gameday and huddle conversations to take place on Twitter. Of course, continue to send your 49ers photos to gallery@49ersparadise.com to be added to our Flickr gallery. The site is now truly the centerpiece to the entire ‘Dise community, and the 49ers community at large.
I strongly recommend getting a twitter ID if you do not have one yet. This will allow you to participate in conversations that formerly took place in the Huddle, and now will follow the hashtag #4NP. A google+ ID will allow you to take part in live video chats which I hope to hold all year, especially during the games!
All of this would not be possible without all of you in this community, and all of the staff who help keep the site running smoothly. We are in our 17th season of covering the 49ers and are very proud to be the oldest 49ers fan site on the net. That would not have happened without your donations and our subscribed members. Thank you. We do need 5 new subscribers to bring the site to the break even point. If you can afford to help sustain the future of 49ersParadise.com in this way I would encourage you to do so by clicking here and following the simple instructions. As little as $3 a month can go a long way. This also helps keep advertisements on the site to a minimum. Thank you again for all of your support fans. Now let’s go get that 6th Super Bowl!
September 2013
It’s with mixed emotions that I announce the next version of 49ersParadise.com to open the 2013-2014. Yes, as the 49ers continue their Quest for 6, 49ersParadise.com continues its question for “kaizen” - continuous improvement. Why then all the mixed emotions? Well, it comes down to this … I believe this version of 49ersParadise.com is a big step in the right direction. I think it offers more to the entire community, has better browser compliance, more solid back-end code, and is far more inline with the design principles 49ersParadise.com has always stood for (clean and fast-loading). At the same time though, I recognize that there some shortcomings of the previous version of 49ersParadise.com. It did one thing very well - it brought together many aspects of a very wide 49ersParadise.com community. But, it was not as clean and intuitive as I would have liked. It is rare for me to launch two major overhauls to this site in less than 12 months, but as I engaged with all of you, and heard your feedback loud and clear, it was obvious I had to do something.
I have thought long and hard about this. The previous version of 49ersParadise.com took us to a place I never thought possible - and it laid the groundwork for what I now present to all of you. For that, I am still partial to it - even while acknowledging its shortcomings. Today, I am proud to present to you a version of 49ersParadise.com that I think offers all the community blend benefits of the prior version - while encompassing all of your feedback on making the site easier to read, cleaner, faster - just like the history on which this great community has been built. I am so thankful to all of you who have taken the time to help me understand what it is that makes 49ersParadise.com “a place any 49ers fan can call home”. I hope I continue to do you proud!
On to the good stuff… what’s new? what’s different? Aside from cleaning up the site and making it easier to read, I have taken some major steps to improve the site’s performance and interact-ability on mobile and touch screen displays. Those of you who visit 49ersParadise.com from a touch screen, but choose to use the full browsing version instead of m.49ersParadise.com are sure to enjoy this a great deal.
The highlight of this version has to be the way in which news is presented on the main page. For a long time now, 49ersParadise.com has recognized that it is the conversation that is the the best part of the community. It has the latest news, it has the most knowledgeable opinions, and it has the ability to maintain our interest. So we have leveraged the technology built in the prior version to present you - the reader, with different mashups of the 49ersParadise.com community. Want it “ALL” … use that tab to get all the 49ers news from all the different connections to 49ersParadise.com. Choose “Paradise Press” to just zero in on the Extra Point or Blog Blitz. The “Social” option connects facebook, twitter, and google+. Of course, if you just want to view a certain category of news, you can do that too. Choose “Hot Off The Press”, “Forum”, “Twitter”, “Facebook”, “Google+” to get just that type of content. Brilliant! Of course, you’ll find very intuitive guide colors to help you stay on track of sourcing all the latest and greatest 49ers news!
It remains super easy to interact with 49ersPardise.com. Jump into a twitter conversation with #4NP, Huddle about anything, or join us in the forum, on facebook, or google+ - we’ll be pleased to have you in every way!
Of course, I want to re-emphasize how thankful I am to each and every one of you. You are my guide to making 49ersParadise.com the best place it possibly can. I appreciate all of your support, and would suggest to everyone, to become a subscription member for sa little as $3 / month to get the most out of your 49ersParadise.com Experience - and for a limited time we are offering a special promotion to new and existing subscribers.
Special promotion:
For a limited time, 49ersParadise.com is giving away 49ers merchandise for each new subscriber of the “Red” or “Gold” package … and for existing members, if you refer a new subscriber, you both benefit from the give-a-way! Just have the new subscriber mention you as a referer when they send me their username after subscribing. There has never been a better time to become a 49ersParadise.com susbcriber! Subscribe Now! and get some 49ers SWAG.
August 2016
Entering into our 21st season, we are not only the longest running 49ers fan site, but we are also welcomed by a fresh look and feel to 49ersParadise.com pushing us much further down a path we began in 2004. About 12 years ago, we were among the first websites, let alone 49ers sites, to offer our community the ability to follow us on their mobile devices. For many, this meant a Palm Pilot, or perhaps a Pocket PC. Obviously we've seen a massive evolution in the way all of us interact with content on the internet... mobile phones, tablets, and even computers are leaps and bounds ahead of where they were ... or even where it was imagined they would go 12 years ago. Through this journey, we have made a constant emphasis to ensure our community could get the best of 49ersParadise.com regardless of the screen they were accessing from. Along with a "clean" design, fast loading pages, and a community first feel, this has been part of the foundation of each iteration the site has taken.
Today, at least 3 years of effort in the making, we have built our first "mobile first" version of 49ersParadise.com! I am excited to put this milestone behind us, so that we can focus on bringing the best community together again for this season. That means that the site is designed for optimal viewing on mobile screens, and we have taken the best practices of mobile browsing to the power of our larger screen views. We are very confident that our entire community will benefit from this change... making it easier to get your 49ers coverage wherever, whenever you want. And we did it, without sacrificing anything that makes our home great. Our home page is using the latest web technology to load faster than ever before. It is at least 10x faster than the last version of our site. It's clean, plenty of whitespace, and if I do say so myself, absolutely beautiful. There's also a hidden "Easter Egg" that I'm excited to see people's reaction too!
We've simplified the navigation, simplified the content, and brought the best of it up front. The "Press Section" leads with the ever popular Hot Off The Press section, after many years of taking a back seat to Paradise Press. The two are now in harmony. In our "Live" section you can follow along on twitter, facebook, and have your photos sent to gallery@49ersparadise.com show up live in our feed. In Trending, we track the latest happenings in the forum.
We've given the "Huddle" shoutbox an especially important role, it will be accessible on every page of 49ersParadise.com over time, and easy to get to no matter what screen you are on, or what you are reading. The dialogue will benefit our community as it always has!
We've also let the color green filter into the site a bit more. No, green is not a 49ers color, we are well aware... but it plays very nicely off the palm tree logo that has been a part of 'Dise for a very long time. It is also the color of the football field, and seems to fit well in this new design.
Over the coming month, we will bring the refreshed look into the secondary pages on the site. We also have a similar refresh planned for the forum... Thank you as always for your continued support. This community would be nothing without you. I appreciate any and all financial contributions to help sustain our future, please become a subscription member for as little as $3 / month.
Setting out to write the history of 49ers Paradise, I tried to come up with a word or phrase that would describe how this site has evolved. This seemingly easy task took days, until I decided to extend my search to other languages. Essentially my goal with 49ers Paradise is to be the number one 49ers site on the web; this strive for excellence is summed up well by the Japanese word kaizen (translates to continuous improvement). I believe it is this philosophy that has allowed 49ers Paradise to reach the level it is at today and to allow 49ers Paradise to thrive in the future.
49ers Paradise is about to enter its 4th official season on February 27th 2000 thus I believe this is a good time to explain where 49ers Paradise has come from and where it is heading At the time 49ers Paradise was starting out there were very few 49ers sites on the net. Spike's site was clearly the best, and the sites starting out with mine or slightly there after were 49ers Webzone, The 49ers Zone and Luca's 49ers Page.
My first task was to come up with the title. I needed a name that would catch attention and encourage fans to stop by. My alias in 49ers chats has always been 49ers_champ thus I came up with 49ers Champ's Incredible Fan Paradise. I have since shortened the name to 49ers Paradise for obvious reasons. In late 1996, when I was 14 and finally utilizing the internet (mainly for 49ers information) I decided to create a 49ers web site so that I could meet other fans, and to provide up to date 49ers information to the fans. I felt that I could provide in-depth commentary about the team even at my relatively young age.
After learning HTML the language of the web, I created the first edition of my site. It had a red background with yellow text and contained a main page with an introduction, schedule, trivia, pictures and every game preview and outcome on the main page. As my knowledge grew I was able to spruce up the page with backgrounds and internal links. It did not take long for me to realize the downfalls of having such a large main page thus I created the second edition. This time I used a simple frame design, but also maintained a non-frame version for browsers that were not up to date with the ever-evolving web.
The third edition of 49ers Paradise was created in approximately March 1997. This page used tables and featured a black background with a beige column on the left with the site menu located there. As my knowledge of HTML increased even more I came up with the third edition of 49ers Paradise. This time the page had a big red header with vertical lines on the left side, a light brown menu column, bordered by a red vertical line that seemed to extend from the title at the top. This red line had sub titles extend from it and was modified to allow for quicker downloading time.
Near the end of the 1998 season 49ers Paradise took on another whole new look. The fifth edition featured the same concept of subtitles extending from a vertical line (this time the line was golden in colour and each subheading was a different menu item- the menu was also shifted to the right side of the page.)
In early 1999 I developed the sixth and present edition of 49ers Paradise. This version has been designed to provide the quickest download time, as well as extreme efficiency in updating that insures 49ers Paradise is always up to date. This design also provides easy navigation between the over 150 pages that now comprise 49ers Paradise.
Now that you know the history behind 49ers Paradise I want to tell you a little about the future of this site. Firstly the theory of kaizen remains a priority. With this in mind I assure you that I will continue to provide all the services currently offered by 49ers Paradise including the multiple daily updates even during the off-season. I also intend on keeping 49ers Paradise a one-person production; meaning complete dedication, direct communication and constant updates. At this point in time there are also no plans for a seventh edition of 49ers Paradise due to the current high level of efficiency while browsing and updating. There are however plans to make the site faster and more efficient while increasing in size. It is my pledge to continue to use the most advanced technologies to provide the fastest, most efficient, and best 49ers site on the net. 49ers Paradise your best ticket to everything 49ers.
New February 2001
Ok, Ok, I know what you are thinking... In the above paragraph I distinctly said that there were no plans for any further changes in style of 49ers Paradise... Well there weren't, but things change as you can most definately tell from the new and improved version of 49ers Paradise. So what happened? Well 49ers Paradise kept growin in size a planned, new features were constantly being added to the site, and I had to find a more efficient way to let all the visitors know about the site. So along with the a server switch the permits me to have more space, is substantially faster and more reliable (at least so far :]), came the seventh edition of 49ers Paradise. That edition switched the site to a three column format, with the right column decorated in red and gold. Along came the off-season though, and I found room for even more improvement. Thus I created the eight version of 49ers Paradise. This version was even faster than the two previous versions and is substantially better looking. It is the current version of 49ers Paradise, and changes the right most column into a much simpler, cleaner look.
New May 2001
Yet another make-over to 49ers Paradise. The new look features a much cleaner header area, as well as being less graphic intensive. As a result, the site loads even quicker than before, and is much more eye pleasing. The new look marks the ninth addition of 49ers Paradise and a change to the 49ers Paradise logo, something that has been the same for quite some time now. I will continue to tweak the site to better it's performance and ease of use. I'm always looking for suggestions and ideas, so please don't hesitate to send me your thoughts.
The future of 49ers Paradise still looks great! The Kaizen philosophy still applies, and I intend to contine to make 49ers Paradise the ultimate 49ers site. I hope to continue adding interactive features, and news features to provide the absolute best in 49ers coverage. Recently I have started The Demons' Den too, a site dedicate to the XFL SF Demons.
New September 2001
With the fall of the XFL, came the end of The Demons' Den. 49ers Paradise however, lives on stronger than ever. A recent redesign of the main page offers more features in more convenient location. Amazingly I have been able to keep the file size to the same size as the previous version, but thanks to a greater knowledge in computers I have been able to accelerate the download process. The new look features a great new header graphic next to the Paradise Shop, and a much more expansive Hot Off The Press section. The 49ers Paradise Fan Press and News Archive have been merged to for 49ers Paradise Press in the right hand column with the Current News and NFL News along with the poll and mailing list. A series of smaller sections at the bottom of the page highlight some of the more prominent areas of 49ers Paradise.
New April 2002
49ers Paradise has continued to improve the look and function of the site. Combining the ebst of the last two versions of 49ers Paradise, I have created a faster loading, and more expansive site.The more eye pleasing look, shrinks the Paradise Press section and moves it to a more prominent area on the site. Increased white space removes clutter from the site making it more eye pleasing. The bottom rightsection of the page now includes pertinent information about the latest happenings at 49ers Paradise. The site menu has also been moved back down to the bottom of the page, making it more eye pleasing, and allowingit to match the rest of the site. The vastly improved 49ers is faster, more eye pleasing and offers more information than the old version.
Earlier this year I have re-designed the NFC West Network to meet the realignment of the NFL. The new network page, and sites in the network offer a great opportunity for everyone to get information about theopponents that the 49ers face most often in a NFL season.
The Paradise Shop also received a major over-haul expanding to three pages of merchandise.
49ers Paradise continues to improve on a daily basis. All of your help in this ongoing community development is greatly appreciated. I assure you that 49ers Paradise will not rest in bringing you the best 49ers coverage on the net!
New January 2004
Welcome Back!
Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, you have waited long enough. After much hype, even more calculation and the possible hard work, 49ers Paradise is proud to let you all in on the secret.
No, unfortunately the rumors were not true. Jerry Rice is not set to chat us up here any time soon - nor is any other 49er past or present unfortunately (though if anyone happens to have a connection feel free to contact me), nor is 49ers Paradise merging with 49ers.com or Terrell Owens new site. 49ers Paradise isn't getting a new URL either... not for the time being anyway. I don't have prizes to offer with more trivia either, and man I wish I could get to the games and the draft. I have not partnered with 49ersfanclub.com either and I certainly do not have the money to buy the 49ers (though if the York's keep running the team into the ground... who knows :-? )
No none of that is true, though I am impressed with the hype that this event did generate. Next to some of those rumors, this event may seem somewhat insignificant in the light of some of those rumors. But as the format of this article may suggest, I am pleased to announce that 49ers Paradise is officially back. Yes, you head me right. All the features that you had grown to love prior to the site switching to primarily a forum only site, are updated and back (some with a few changes). In addition the forum that currently exists is being further integrated into the site to take the 49ers Paradise Community to the next level.
As if that was not enough... I have also been working extremely hard to bring more fresh and original content to the community. As such, I have unfortunately had to part ways with some of the older Corner Writers who no longer have the time to maintain their work. Before I go any further, I do want to thank them for their dedication and hard work over the years. But with every coin, there is two sides, and as such I am pleased to announce a writing team that I am extremely excited back. Of course, I will continue writing articles (I have not written in a while as I have been dedicating a whole lot of time to bringing back 49ers Paradise). Veteran writer Sydney, who works way harder than he is ever given recognition for is remaining with the site and will continue to bring you his thorough and original content. Trevor and James are also back, vowing to write more with the new format that allows them to post their articles in a much easier way. New to the writing team is Derick aka D-roc who many of you probably know as a guy with nothing but 9ers on the brain. Rounding out the team Nate aka 2winspapa aka SuperBowlWinspapa who will be writing under the moniker The Farthest North 49ers Express, Nate's passion for the team is congruent with his loyalty to the site. I am so incredibly excited about the talent on this writing team. I truly believe it will re-affirm 49ers Paradise as the best 49ers site on the web!
Some of you may not have experience the old version of the site, and certainly have come to grow and love the new forum style. Rest assured the forum will be kept in its entirety and even added too. As you enter 49ers Paradise, I encourage you to look around, and settle in. After all, 49ers Paradise is "A Place Any 49ers Fan Can Call Home".
- To a long and prosperous 49ers Future,
Bryan
This page will be removed in a day or two, in the mean time, feel free to enter the site by either clicking on "Main" at the top of the page, "Forum" to go directly to the forum, or try the link below! Please also be aware that some parts of the site are not quite active yet, like the first articles of each writer, but they will be shortly, so keep you eyes open for them!
The new site is much more user friendly and has a new user interface. Among the highlights is the movement of the corner writer content to the top of the page as the primary content to the page. The forum has now been fully integrated into the site, and articles are now posted directly into the forum. The draft field and clash of the week have been moved to the index page.
April 5 2004
49ers Paradise has undergone some cosmetic and functional changes. The main index page has added a black background, and updated the 'tabbed' header look. Also a drop down CSS JavaScript menu has changed the navigation on the main page. 49ersparadise.com was purchased and a phpbb2 forum was installed and formally introduced to the site.June 30 2004
49ers Paradise has updated it's main page, and the forum. The forum now has more secure "new post" indicators that do not appear to vanish, as well as a .js RSS feed. The main page now incorporates cgi coding to update the HOP articles and the Top Story article, which has been brought back to the site. The forum rss feed is on the main page now too. As such the following cosmetic changes have occured. A smaller header graphic, the addition of a 'tips and tricks' section. Removal of unnecessary spacers. The addition of a more 'bold' gold colour to highlight 'what's new'. The Top Story section is now the top left part of the content, to its right, is the Paradise Press section, to it's right is a small column with the standings, poll, amd mobile information. In the next row are the HOP articles, the forum active topics, and the chat Iframe, followed in the next row by the Draft Field / Clash Of The Week and the Site Notes. The Extra points section has turned into a java scrolling ticker to supply just the headlines.
August 15 2005
Much has changed to 49ers Paradise in the past year. All of the changes to the site this year have been to shift to a CSS based site, and to improve google rankings. 49ers Paradise at one point this year was on the first page for google and MSN for the word 49ers and the second page of yahoo. The changes made to the site have also been to save bandwidth and make the site more user friendly.
Towards the start of last season 49ers Paradise went back launched a primarily white site. These sites had an oversized header, with a “chequered” background. The three column design featured the HOP on the left most column with lots of stories. The middle colum had a section for the Paradise Press in a div switcher, followed by area for hot news, the forum RSS Feeds, a Who’s Online in the chat section, the Draft Section, and Schedule in a 4x3 table format. The right most column had the standings, paypal donate button and other information about the site.
In early 2005 49ers Paradise renovated again. A primary white background remained, as did the over-sized header - but the site was “boxed in” a dark red box. The biggest change in this site was to add a “Div Flipper” to ‘clean up’ the look of the site. The flipper flipped between the HOP, Paradise Press, Forum, and Training Camp/Draft/Game Day sections. A permanent count down was added to the top right of the page, and using SSI and PHP the countdown changed to an automatically updating score script on Friday-Monday. In the summer of 2005, I worked to freshen up this latest version of 49ers Paradise with an improved header graphic and other cosmetic changes.
June 28th 2006
In Spring of 2006 49ers Paradise took another giant leap forward with a complete re-design of the site. The latest version of the site was a bit of a throwback to the format that made the site famous. A white on white colour theme was used as the basis for latest generation of 49ers Paradise with very light tone colours. The site once again moved the Paradise Press section to a prominent position and the podcast feature was fully integreated into the site. Meanwhile 49ers Paradise added a quick link toolbar at the top of the page, and added a multi-media section to the site. The multi media section boasts audio, video, and book reviews and has taken off to be a very popular portion of the site. Also 49ers Paradise has further skimmed down the graphics on the site to provide a cleaner look, that loads faster than ever before.
September 6 2008
Welcome to the future of 49ers Paradise!
It is with great pleasure that I announce that after more than two years of some very hard work, the release of a new version of 49ers Paradise is finally here.
This revision of Ôdise (as it has become affectionately known) brings with it some major enhancements that should improve you fan experience greatly! I will detail these changes below, but before I do, I want to say thank you.
If not for the faithfulness of all of you, Ôdise would not be where it is today. Already, this site has exceeded the expectations I had for it when it began in Winter of 1996. Along with the amazing community that has been built here, the site has also been recognized by: The NFL, The 49ers, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, CBS Sportsline, ABC, The Press Democrat, The San Francisco Chronicle, AskMen, Support Our Niners, Hooked on The Niners, as well as quite a few past and present 49ers players, and many other sites. All of this would not be possible if not for each and every one of you.
In particular I feel it is vital to thank the site staff members who have picked up my slack tremendously over the past two years so that I could dedicate what little free time I have to building the future of 49ers Paradise. I am so looking forward to getting back into posting and broadcasting more regularly!
Over the past two years revisions to the site have been fairly minor. The site expanded the width of the main page in September of 2007 (the largest design change until now over the past two years) to keep pace with changes in technology, and to bring some new features such as the Ôdise widget and podcast to the forefront. Additional features were added to make the draft experience more pleasurable. The forum, and chat room saw regular upgrades. The ability to syndicate 49ers Paradise grew with added RSS feeds. And of course the amount of staff working on the site grew to bring better and more current content to the site including the Game Day Experience section which provides an ultimate look at every 49ers home game. There were some other minor changes and additions made to the site as well but to list them all would be cumbersome.
Today I am pleased to unveil 5 major enhancements that promise to revolutionize your 49ers Paradise experience.
1) An overall change to the site design
2) A revamped Hot Off The Press section
3) The introduction of the 49ers Paradise Blog: 49ers Blitz
4) A new group of staff ÔContent CoordinatorsÕ
5) Membership / Subscription Options
I will now go into more details on each of the above, and welcome your comments below, by e-mail, or by personal message.
An overall change to the site design
If you are reading this, you will have already noticed the updated look around Ôdise. There may still be a few minor kinks to work out (and if you notice any please bring them to my attention), but for the most part, this fresh new look is fully operational. In generating the new face of Ôdise, I focused on keeping true to our history and maintained a white on white theme. I also wanted the site to appear ÔcleanÕ and ÔunclutteredÕ despite being loaded with information. It was imperative that certain aspects of the site were easily accessible, including 49ers Blitz, and the Paradise Press as well as the Hot Off The Press, and Forum. Throughout the site I have utilized a new drop down navigation system, as well as some other neat drop down features like the 49ers Schmap & Schedule (mouse over the standings on the main page). Of course, as always, I have aimed to minimize the download time of the site and this version of Ôdise should compare well with its predecessor.
Overall, feedback on the new look has been quite satisfying. I know that sometimes change is hard to get used to, but hopefully this revolution is intuitive and you will all be surfing Ôdise like proÕs in no time.
A revamped Hot Off The Press section
The HOP section of 49ers Paradise has always been a center piece of the site. For the first time in the siteÕs history it has been moved from the focal area of the site (in favor of the 49ers Blitz Blog). Have no fear though, the HOP is only one click away (check out the menu on the left side of the main page).
More importantly, the new HOP provides extended title and source information, and due to some new back end software it will be updated far more rapidly than ever in the past. To increase browsing speed, all HOP articles will now open in a new window. In addition we have removed the top 49ers Paradise frame that often caused problems with passwords on the external article sites.
We continue to offer a free set of usernames and passwords for our visitors to view some of these restricted articles. As well, the Ôstrike throughÕ feature of previously read articles has been enhanced and remains a valuable tool to assist in reading the HOP.
The introduction of the 49ers Paradise Blog: 49ers Blitz
49ers Blitz is a brand new feature to 49ers Paradise, and one that I believe will be the new center piece of the site. This section will help further merge the forum with the rest of the site. It also will assist the HOP in providing some additional external links to news, audio or video at times.
The Blitz will be lead by a team of ÔContent CoordinatorsÕ. This staff will help to provide regular and exclusive content to 49ers Paradise by way of Blog type posts. This will help bring more exclusive 49ers content to our fan base, and do so more rapidly than anything the site has utilized before. All of this content will be open for comments (which we of course welcome), and the Blitz will also be accessed easily from a prominent spot in the forum. I believe the Blitz will grow to be the ultimate place to talk 49ers football! The Blitz will coincide with the Paradise Press section you have all grown to love to date. It will also assist in highlighting the best of latest Podcast episodes.
A new group of staff ÔContent CoordinatorsÕ
I am very pleased to welcome our Content Coordinator staff. Some of these specialists have occupied other positions at 49ers Paradise before, and some not. All however share one thing: an undying love of the 49ers. The breadth of this group will bring a variety of perspectives and opinions to the 49ers Blitz. This diversity should make for an entertaining and active blog, and your participation will ultimately lead to an even higher caliber of conversation at Ôdise.
Membership / Subscription Options
(Please read the ENTIRE message to fully understand this decision and how it affects you) The future of 49ers Paradise depends heavily on the sustainability of 49ers Paradise and hence to enjoy Ôdise to the fullest, visitors will need a paid membership / subscription. This is a brand new concept to 49ers Paradise, and one that I am not jumping into without much thought and considerable discussion. This is not a decision that I have taken lightly.
Each year 49ers Paradise has a donation drive to help support the site. As the site grows, simply relying on donations alone is not sustainable. In the past, 49ers Paradise has also utilized some minor text based ads throughout the site. These adds contributed to the year-over-year increase and changes that the site under goes throughout the year. Whereas the donations provided a base to continue the site on an Ôas isÕ basis. Changes to the way Google ranks sites have already significantly curbed the revenue stream available from text based ads.
49ers Paradise has always made it a priority to minimize any and all commercial influence on the site (if you are still receiving pop ups on 49ers Paradise, you are accessing from a very old URL. Please update your bookmarks to www.49ersparadise.com NOT www.49ersparadise.cjb.net). Before deciding to implement paid membership, I considered adding other forms of advertisements to the site. I believe this would have greater negative results on the overall experience than paid subscriptions and previous research has also left me unconvinced that more ads would provide any significant revenue at all.
Every penny raised by 49ers Paradise goes directly back into improving the site. This includes all donations, any purchases made through the 49ers Paradise Store, and any advertisements. Obviously, subscriptions will go directly towards financing the site as well. It should be noted that should subscriptions not grow at a fast enough pace, that donations or alternative advertisements may still be required.
The growth 49ers Paradise has had over the past 12 years has already far exceeded my expectations. This growth brings with it plenty of positives. However, growth also means that some negative issues creep up as well. I am convinced that the paid subscription requirement will not only help to provide a sustainable and positive level of growth on the site, but that it will help curb the negative aspects of growth as well.
For a long time now, a small minority of visitors supported the site for the majority of readership by way of regular paid donations. This small minority in some case provide several hundred dollars per donor per year. This is often on top of other services they provide to the site. It is highly unfair that such a small minority has to support such a large fan base.
Subscriptions should help spread the financial burden of running the site on to the entire fan base. At the very least, the subscriptions should help reduce the total funds required by the small minority who do contribute throughout the year. I have purposely kept membership costs to a minimum to make it affordable for every fan. Even the most expensive membership option can be had for less than a coffee a day. All fees are collected and secured through PayPal. I continue to be thankful and appreciative of every dollar received.
To view the costs and features of each membership option, please click ÔSecure DonationsÕ in the left menu on the main page or check out the drop down menu on the main page titled ÔSupport & MembershipÕ. Please note that 49ers Paradise will begin membership requirements as of October 12 2008 and that those who are truly in need may petition for free membership.
To re-iterate, this is not a decision that I made easily. It is what I believe to be the best way to sustain a bright future for 49ers Paradise. Subscription costs are extremely reasonable.
November 2 2009
It is great pleasure that today, I am able to announce the formal release of the 'next version' of 49ersParadise.com. Yes folks that's right, the new version of the site has now been fully tested, and all the main features have been completed. I am really excited to share these changes with you, and hope that you enjoy them as much as I have been anticipating them. This release marks what I believe to be at minimum the 18th major overhaul to the site since its inception in 1996. As always, although I do test the site thoroughly to make sure it works in all browsers on Mac, Windows, and Linux, I do invite you to let me know if you encounter any difficulties, and always recommend you run the most up to date browser your system will allow.
Since releasing the past version of the site in Septemember 2008 I have listened to your feedback and re-designed, and improved the site based on the quality opinions of the community. I thank you for your continued interest to help make 49ersParadise.com the best place on the web. I have always prided myself on making 'Dise (as it has affectionately become known) "A place any 49ers fan can call home". With that in mind, I want you all to become involved. Many of the changes made to 'Dise recently were made with that too in mind.
In the past I have usually launched major site changes all at once. The pace of growth over the past year, and my desire to bring the best 49ers coverage to all of you, had me roll out a series of features since July of 2009, culminating in this final piece of the puzzle on November 2nd. I am sure there will continue to be minor tweaks and improvements along the way (some of which I am still working on), but the significant improvements to the site have now been accounted for.
Now the run down:
1) The forum has received threesignificant improvements: a) the shoutbox, no dubbed the "Huddle" has been made wider, and separators have been added between comments. The typing area has also been expanded to make it easier for all of you to see what you typing. To comment you must be a member of the site, you do not however require a paid subscription. You can now also access the Huddle from any page on 'Dise (more on that later). I look forward to having you involved. b) You will hopefully notice that at the bottom of each topic there is now a "share" button. This button will allow you to quickly share the topic you are reading on facebook, twitter, Yahoo, and many other social media networks. It also allows for quick bookmarking and emailing of the topic. I encourage you to make great use of this button to help grow the network of 49ers fans who visit this site. c) Earlier this summer, I launched a new set of forum rules to help make the administration of the forum easier, and the conversation better. Thank to all those who have adapted so readily to these enhancements.
2) Heading into the start of this season the membership options have been streamlined, and in some cases, offered reduced pricing. In addition non-subscribed users can now read the forum (but not exclusive content). These users are served some banner advertisements instead, and I do hope that they choose to upgrade their accounts to take full advantage of the site.
3) Twitter - over the summer I added a twitter feed from 'Dise. I am working very hard on taking this feature out of Beta status, and are hoping to do so before year end. 49ersParadise.com is also networking with key 49ers media and players via twitter, and working to bring this information to you all in one spot (more on this later)
4) Facebook - 49ersParadise.com recently created a home on facebook, and I appreciate all the fans who have joined in support of the site thus far. I am hoping to grow our facebook home, so please continue to visit, participate, and share 49ersParadise.com across facebook. This is a great way to get involved with other 49ers fans.
5) A major over-haul to the main page of 49ersParadise.com. Recognizing that the Blitz Blog has been a tremendous success, and that the Hot Off The Press articles still deserve quick and easy access, I have created a new design theme for the main page of 49ersParadise.com. Upon arriving at the site on most occasions you will be served both the Blitz and the HOP. I believe this will make it easier for all of you to get the new you want fast. On game day, you will automatically be served the Game Week tab to get all the scores from the NFL quickly and in real-time, along with the crucial 49ers injury report. I believe the overhaul to the main page makes great use of the space without over crowding the design.
6) The final major tweak to the site has been the creation of the Clubhouse Community Bar, available on all non-forum pages of 49ersParadise.com including the main page. This bar will stay stuck to the bottom of your browser window, and allows quick access to the community around 'Dise. I hope to continue to enhance the features available in this bar.
Right now, you'll notice that the first button, provides you with the latest posts available on the forum, a great way to get a glimpse of the conversations and hot topics about the team. This new button made the "Forum" tab on the main page redundant, and hence it was eliminated. That button is followed by a twitter button which provides the latest tweets from 49ers media and players. The facebook button follows, allowing you to quickly become a fan of 'Dise on facebook, or visit the facebook page. The next button is for the 49ers Live gallery also introduced this year - and the Game Day Experience section. There is also a connection to Flickr from this button so that you may view the 49ersParadise.com photos via the flickr site. I encourage you to become a friend of ours on Flickr. I have moved the easy to use RSS links to the next button to help keep the footer of the site clean. These RSS feeds make following 49ersParadise.com really easy via your favorite news readers. The 49ersParadise.com Fantasy Football Leagues and Pick'Em competition have grown to be a great part of the community. You can now access these Fantasy games, and keep up with the games (even if you are not involved) via the next button. The 'Dise widget has been moved into the next button. This widget is available for nearly any desktop of website, and a great way to help share the content on the site.
On the far right of the bar is a red or green helmet depending on your logged in status. This button will also let you know if you have any new personal messages in the forum, and provides a quick link to unread posts and replies. Finally, the Tailgate button let's you know how many people are visiting 49ersParadise.com at a given moment, and provides direct access to the Huddle Box, and the live chat room. I hope you all utilize the Tailgate feature to really get involved and keep the community growing strong.
As I am sure you can tell, a great deal of work has gone into not only improving 49ersParadise.com, but also into enhancing the community around the site. It is your efforts that will make these other communities a success, and so I encourage you all to get involved. There are so many ways you can enjoy 'Dise, and so many ways you can share this joy with others. I hope you all look around, and take advantage of some of these great new features and enhancements.
I could not go on without thanking all of you who visit regularly, and who contribute to the site in so many ways. In particular, I want to thank the site staff who administrate, moderate, and write for the site. Of course, there are many community members who are veterans of the site, whose opinions I rely on and count on to help keep the community strong. A sincere thank you to everyone.
A note on compatibility
I thoroughly test 49ers Paradise in a variety of computing environments (a variety of versions of Mac OSX, Linux, and Windows utilizing a variety of versions of different browsers). From what I can tell, and as is always my goal, 'dise runs very well in all major operating environments. The site does perform best in the latest stable versions of each of these browsers, and hence I do recommend upgrading your systems if you are not running the latest software. This is a 'best practice' to keeping pace with the web, keeping your systems clean, and to best utilize sites like 'dise.
I thank you for your time in reading this verbose message. I am of course interested in your thoughts regarding any or all of the above.
Thank you for remaining faithful to 49ers Paradise. Bryan
January 2011
A little over a year ago, 49ersParadise.com underwent a major overhaul. At the core were improvements to the overall design, forum, and social networking capabilities of the site. Today, I am pleased to announce the next generation of 49ersParadise.com just in time (albeit a few weeks late) to usher in a new coach, and hopefully a winning era of 49ers Football. With this new design, 49ersParadise.com continues to bring our community to the forefront of the site; at the same time - emerging technology around touch screen computing has strongly factored into the new design.
On the main page of the site you will notice that the Huddle is easily accessible, and designed to allow you to easily chat with members throughout the site. This feature has moved from the Clubhouse Community Bar and moved it to an even more prominent position. 49ersParadise.com has similarly moved most of the features from the Clubhouse Community Bar to one of two areas, either: a) the new forum tab, that allows direct access to the entire forum right from the main page of the site; or b) the new community tab, which highlights 49ersParadise.comÕs connection to social media including: facebook, twitter, flickr, and fantasy football. These community elements, along with the RSS links are also available in varied ways in the site header and footer.
The overall design goal remains to offer a ÒcleanÓ, fast-loading, and full features 49ers site. In this latest iteration, I have strongly factored in touch screen computing to our design decisions. I recognize that more and more people are visiting the site from a mobile device. Although I continue to fully support m.49ersparadise.com designed for small screened devices, I am pleased to be able to support a full browsing solution for the iPad, Galaxy Tab, and similar devices. You should notice larger ÒbuttonsÓ to accommodate for easy touch gesturing. As always I aim for an overall design that is pleasing to the eye, quick to download, and built around solid clean code. I believe I have once again accomplished this task.
The site has been tested to provide consistent performance on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, and Symbian. Although I test a variety of the latest web browsers on each platform, if you notice a quirk or two, or have any comments at all - I welcome and encourage your feedback. This is also a good time to remember to upgrade your browser :)
I could not go on without thanking all of you who visit regularly, and who contribute to the site in so many ways. In particular, I want to thank the site staff who administrate, moderate, and write for the site. Of course, there are many community members who are veterans of the site, whose opinions I rely on and count on to help keep the community strong. A sincere thank you to everyone.
Thank you for remaining faithful to the 49ers, and 49ersParadise.com
January 2013
It is with great humility and pleasure that today, January 5th 2013, I launch the next version of 49ersParadise.com. I have always strived to build a community of kaizen (continuous improvement) and that “any 49ers fan can call home”. This next step in our evolution is designed to further both of those notions, while still holding true to the roots of ‘Dise. We remain fast loading, clean code, full of all the features you have grown to love, and compliant across all operating systems, browsers, and the likes (if you notice differently let me know please!). Two years ago I sensed a transition in web development to a more touch friendly environment - and we moved 49ersParadise.com in that direction. Today, we continue to move towards a touch-based environment, but also have taken the community aspects to a whole new level. Two years from now (or sooner), I hope we look back at these changes with the same fondness.
In all honesty, this remodel was supposed to be finished at the start of this season, but working 3 jobs, and supporting a young and growing family pushed the project completion date out. I thank you for your patience as I challenged myself with new coding experiences, and advanced my understanding of what ‘Dise could be - to bring you fans the best 49ers environment possible. I am happy to be able to have been able to cram through the 49ers bye-week and get this done before our first playoff game! That being said, the secondary pages on the site still need to be updated, I am aware of this and will make the tweaks as time permits. In addition, there will be minor tweaks to clean up some of the code further to bring even faster response times. This too will take place over the coming weeks!
49ersParadise.com has taken to a tiled layout, that is the biggest cosmetic change you will notice. The tile border colors have been chosen intentionally to help you fans become comfortable with the site.
Gold - 49ersParadise.com’s Extra Point
Dark Red - 49ersParadise.com’s Forum
Black - 49ersParadise.com’s Hot Off The Press
Dark Blue - 49ersParadise.com on Facebook
Red - 49ersParadise.com on Google+
Light Blue - 49ersParadise.com on Twitter
Pink - 49ersParadise.com on Flickr
If you have not figured it out yet, this is the biggest change to the community... complete integration with the wider networks of which 49ersParadise.com is a part of. This will allow me and the staff to bring all you fans even better coverage. Expect great conversation topics on Facebook, free short articles and hangouts on Google+, and gameday and huddle conversations to take place on Twitter. Of course, continue to send your 49ers photos to gallery@49ersparadise.com to be added to our Flickr gallery. The site is now truly the centerpiece to the entire ‘Dise community, and the 49ers community at large.
I strongly recommend getting a twitter ID if you do not have one yet. This will allow you to participate in conversations that formerly took place in the Huddle, and now will follow the hashtag #4NP. A google+ ID will allow you to take part in live video chats which I hope to hold all year, especially during the games!
All of this would not be possible without all of you in this community, and all of the staff who help keep the site running smoothly. We are in our 17th season of covering the 49ers and are very proud to be the oldest 49ers fan site on the net. That would not have happened without your donations and our subscribed members. Thank you. We do need 5 new subscribers to bring the site to the break even point. If you can afford to help sustain the future of 49ersParadise.com in this way I would encourage you to do so by clicking here and following the simple instructions. As little as $3 a month can go a long way. This also helps keep advertisements on the site to a minimum. Thank you again for all of your support fans. Now let’s go get that 6th Super Bowl!
September 2013
It’s with mixed emotions that I announce the next version of 49ersParadise.com to open the 2013-2014. Yes, as the 49ers continue their Quest for 6, 49ersParadise.com continues its question for “kaizen” - continuous improvement. Why then all the mixed emotions? Well, it comes down to this … I believe this version of 49ersParadise.com is a big step in the right direction. I think it offers more to the entire community, has better browser compliance, more solid back-end code, and is far more inline with the design principles 49ersParadise.com has always stood for (clean and fast-loading). At the same time though, I recognize that there some shortcomings of the previous version of 49ersParadise.com. It did one thing very well - it brought together many aspects of a very wide 49ersParadise.com community. But, it was not as clean and intuitive as I would have liked. It is rare for me to launch two major overhauls to this site in less than 12 months, but as I engaged with all of you, and heard your feedback loud and clear, it was obvious I had to do something.
I have thought long and hard about this. The previous version of 49ersParadise.com took us to a place I never thought possible - and it laid the groundwork for what I now present to all of you. For that, I am still partial to it - even while acknowledging its shortcomings. Today, I am proud to present to you a version of 49ersParadise.com that I think offers all the community blend benefits of the prior version - while encompassing all of your feedback on making the site easier to read, cleaner, faster - just like the history on which this great community has been built. I am so thankful to all of you who have taken the time to help me understand what it is that makes 49ersParadise.com “a place any 49ers fan can call home”. I hope I continue to do you proud!
On to the good stuff… what’s new? what’s different? Aside from cleaning up the site and making it easier to read, I have taken some major steps to improve the site’s performance and interact-ability on mobile and touch screen displays. Those of you who visit 49ersParadise.com from a touch screen, but choose to use the full browsing version instead of m.49ersParadise.com are sure to enjoy this a great deal.
The highlight of this version has to be the way in which news is presented on the main page. For a long time now, 49ersParadise.com has recognized that it is the conversation that is the the best part of the community. It has the latest news, it has the most knowledgeable opinions, and it has the ability to maintain our interest. So we have leveraged the technology built in the prior version to present you - the reader, with different mashups of the 49ersParadise.com community. Want it “ALL” … use that tab to get all the 49ers news from all the different connections to 49ersParadise.com. Choose “Paradise Press” to just zero in on the Extra Point or Blog Blitz. The “Social” option connects facebook, twitter, and google+. Of course, if you just want to view a certain category of news, you can do that too. Choose “Hot Off The Press”, “Forum”, “Twitter”, “Facebook”, “Google+” to get just that type of content. Brilliant! Of course, you’ll find very intuitive guide colors to help you stay on track of sourcing all the latest and greatest 49ers news!
It remains super easy to interact with 49ersPardise.com. Jump into a twitter conversation with #4NP, Huddle about anything, or join us in the forum, on facebook, or google+ - we’ll be pleased to have you in every way!
Of course, I want to re-emphasize how thankful I am to each and every one of you. You are my guide to making 49ersParadise.com the best place it possibly can. I appreciate all of your support, and would suggest to everyone, to become a subscription member for sa little as $3 / month to get the most out of your 49ersParadise.com Experience - and for a limited time we are offering a special promotion to new and existing subscribers.
Special promotion:
For a limited time, 49ersParadise.com is giving away 49ers merchandise for each new subscriber of the “Red” or “Gold” package … and for existing members, if you refer a new subscriber, you both benefit from the give-a-way! Just have the new subscriber mention you as a referer when they send me their username after subscribing. There has never been a better time to become a 49ersParadise.com susbcriber! Subscribe Now! and get some 49ers SWAG.
August 2016
Entering into our 21st season, we are not only the longest running 49ers fan site, but we are also welcomed by a fresh look and feel to 49ersParadise.com pushing us much further down a path we began in 2004. About 12 years ago, we were among the first websites, let alone 49ers sites, to offer our community the ability to follow us on their mobile devices. For many, this meant a Palm Pilot, or perhaps a Pocket PC. Obviously we've seen a massive evolution in the way all of us interact with content on the internet... mobile phones, tablets, and even computers are leaps and bounds ahead of where they were ... or even where it was imagined they would go 12 years ago. Through this journey, we have made a constant emphasis to ensure our community could get the best of 49ersParadise.com regardless of the screen they were accessing from. Along with a "clean" design, fast loading pages, and a community first feel, this has been part of the foundation of each iteration the site has taken.
Today, at least 3 years of effort in the making, we have built our first "mobile first" version of 49ersParadise.com! I am excited to put this milestone behind us, so that we can focus on bringing the best community together again for this season. That means that the site is designed for optimal viewing on mobile screens, and we have taken the best practices of mobile browsing to the power of our larger screen views. We are very confident that our entire community will benefit from this change... making it easier to get your 49ers coverage wherever, whenever you want. And we did it, without sacrificing anything that makes our home great. Our home page is using the latest web technology to load faster than ever before. It is at least 10x faster than the last version of our site. It's clean, plenty of whitespace, and if I do say so myself, absolutely beautiful. There's also a hidden "Easter Egg" that I'm excited to see people's reaction too!
We've simplified the navigation, simplified the content, and brought the best of it up front. The "Press Section" leads with the ever popular Hot Off The Press section, after many years of taking a back seat to Paradise Press. The two are now in harmony. In our "Live" section you can follow along on twitter, facebook, and have your photos sent to gallery@49ersparadise.com show up live in our feed. In Trending, we track the latest happenings in the forum.
We've given the "Huddle" shoutbox an especially important role, it will be accessible on every page of 49ersParadise.com over time, and easy to get to no matter what screen you are on, or what you are reading. The dialogue will benefit our community as it always has!
We've also let the color green filter into the site a bit more. No, green is not a 49ers color, we are well aware... but it plays very nicely off the palm tree logo that has been a part of 'Dise for a very long time. It is also the color of the football field, and seems to fit well in this new design.
Over the coming month, we will bring the refreshed look into the secondary pages on the site. We also have a similar refresh planned for the forum... Thank you as always for your continued support. This community would be nothing without you. I appreciate any and all financial contributions to help sustain our future, please become a subscription member for as little as $3 / month.
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Thank you for your support of 49ers Paradise. Please remember that 49ers Paradise is offered on an "as is" basis. We make no guarantee of 100% access and recognize that there may be times when the site is down, or inaccessible. We strive to keep the site running on as reliable a basis as possible but will not issue refunds or transfers of membership under any circumstances. Donations may still be required to support the site. Topics or posts may be deleted or moderated at our discretion. Accounts may be banned at our discretion, you are encouraged to read the forum rules before posting.
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Black - $3/month
Includes:
- Account Authorization
- Ad Removal
- Ability to read posts and topics
- Ability to read exclusive content
Red - $6/month
Includes:
- Account Authorization
- Ad Removal
- Ability to read posts and topics
- Ability to read exclusive content
- Ability to reply to posts/topics/exclusive content Gold - $10/month
Includes:
- Account Authorization
- Ad Removal
- Ability to read posts and topics
- Ability to read exclusive content
- Ability to reply to posts/topics/exclusive content
- Ability to start new topics
Thank you for your support of 49ers Paradise. Please remember that 49ers Paradise is offered on an "as is" basis. We make no guarantee of 100% access and recognize that there may be times when the site is down, or inaccessible. We strive to keep the site running on as reliable a basis as possible but will not issue refunds or transfers of membership under any circumstances. Donations may still be required to support the site. Topics or posts may be deleted or moderated at our discretion. Accounts may be banned at our discretion, you are encouraged to read the forum rules before posting.
Petition for free membership
To cancel you regular monthly payments click the appropriate link below:
End Subscription