Advice for a new GM?

Drederick Tatum · 02-13-2002, 09:33 AM

A couple of questions.
1. Are there any resources out there on how to GM an online league?
2. How much html/web design do you have to know to run a good online league website (links to standings, league leaders, etc.)? Is there a good program or tool that could let a non-techie maintain a suitable OOTP league website? If not, can anyone recommend a simple HTML guide to get me started?

Killebrew · 02-13-2002, 11:51 AM

[quote] 1. Are there any resources out there on how to GM an online league? <hr></blockquote>

<a href="http://www.ootpbb.com/board/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic&f=5&t=000004" target="_blank">Aussie Mark's Playing in an Online League FAQ</a>

<a href="http://www.google.ca/search?q=cache:REwyVISPI9QC:www.statbasedbaseball. com/vesuvius/CBL/Main/Tutorial.htm+OOTP+Managerial+Tutorial&hl=en" target="_blank">Eric Wedges Managers Tutorial</a>

[quote] 2. How much html/web design do you have to know to run a good online league website (links to standings, league leaders, etc.)? Is there a good program or tool that could let a non-techie maintain a suitable OOTP league website? If not, can anyone recommend a simple HTML guide to get me started? <hr></blockquote>

You don't need a lot of knowledge for a very basic site. If you are willing to learn a little I'd suggest copying some code from a site design you like (try to pick a simple looking site) and rewriting it to fit your league. It looks like many leagues do this now and you can use notepad (or a better text editor like UltraEdit etc. ) to do your editing. There are many html editors out there: Dreamweaver is nice but pricey, MS Front Page is not great but I think it comes free with other MS software, "Hot Dog" is a webpage creation tool that has a free trial period (but IMO even Front Page is better than this one). Check Tucows or other download sites - there are a ton of different webpage design programs.

Hammer755 · 02-13-2002, 12:02 PM

[quote]Originally posted by Drederick Tatum:
A couple of questions.
1. Are there any resources out there on how to GM an online league?
2. How much html/web design do you have to know to run a good online league website (links to standings, league leaders, etc.)? Is there a good program or tool that could let a non-techie maintain a suitable OOTP league website? If not, can anyone recommend a simple HTML guide to get me started?<hr></blockquote>

Killer's links about the FAQ's are dead on, so I'll try to help some with question 2. If you have no knowledge or experience of HTML, I would suggest getting an account at Yahoo Geocities. The site is free, I believe they give you ample space for a league, and their zip file policies are reasonable (all of this is hearsay since I've never done it myself). I've seen several leagues that are hosted by Geocities, and have never heard too many complaints. The biggest reason I suggest Geocities, though, is because you don't have to know a lick of HTML. There's a tool called PageBuilder that allows you to simply drag-and-drop most items you would want, such as pics that you've uploaded, text blocks, links, buttons, counters, etc., pretty much anything you would want or need. You really don't need to link many items anyway. When you upload your OOTP3 .html files, they are already formatted to link to each other. You simply need to provide a link to the league.html file and it has built-in links to the other pages.

Edit - Corrected several typos and grammatic errors. How did I ever pass English class?

[ February 13, 2002: Message edited by: Hammer755 ]

LivnLegend · 02-13-2002, 01:36 PM

[quote]Originally posted by Hammer755:

The biggest reason I suggest Geocities, though, is because you don't have to know a lick of HTML. There's a tool called PageBuilder that allows you to simply drag-and-drop most items you would want, such as pics that you've uploaded, text blocks, links, buttons, counters, etc., pretty much anything you would want or need.
<hr></blockquote>

Funny you should mention that. I have been trying to set a page just for fun for my team in PSBL. (That way I can lessen the amount of abuse I subject you to on our PSBL message board!)
I have not found it to be very user friendly but then again, I have absolutely ZERO experience or knowledge in this stuff. I'm going to keep plugging away but I might try Killer's recommendation of MS Front Page.

-Scott

Killebrew · 02-13-2002, 01:46 PM

[quote]Originally posted by LivnLegend:
I'm going to keep plugging away but I might try Killer's recommendation of MS Front Page.
-Scott<hr></blockquote>

Just to clarify - I don't actually think much of MS Front Page

, there are hopefully many better solutions for html editing. I usually use a text editor so I'm not the perfect person to ask, but checking user ratings at Tucows.com (or other download sites) should get you some good idea's.

LivnLegend · 02-13-2002, 01:52 PM

[quote]Originally posted by Killebrew:


Just to clarify - I don't actually think much of MS Front Page

, there are hopefully many better solutions for html editing. I usually use a text editor so I'm not the perfect person to ask, but checking user ratings at Tucows.com (or other download sites) should get you some good idea's.<hr></blockquote>

ah, I shouldn't have used the word "recommendation"! I figured I'd try it however since I figured I wouldn't have to pay for it. I'm all about the free web tools. Of course you get what you pay for, right?

Drederick Tatum · 02-14-2002, 04:55 AM

Thanks for all the helpful information. With respect to the first question, I guess I should have been more specific, though: Are there any resources on how to commish an online league? I can get rules from other leagues' websites, but I don't know how to make the web page reports or do anything like that.

Edit -- actually, reading through the thread again, it looks like OOTP gives you all the html files. Maybe I'll just get a geocities account and give this a try, but if there are any other centralized commish resources, I'd love to know about them. Thanks everyone!

[ February 14, 2002: Message edited by: Drederick Tatum ]

Killebrew · 02-14-2002, 05:03 AM

[quote]Originally posted by Drederick Tatum:
Thanks for all the helpful information. With respect to the first question, I guess I should have been more specific, though: Are there any resources on how to commish an online league? I can get rules from other leagues' websites, but I don't know how to make the web page reports or do anything like that.

Edit -- actually, reading through the thread again, it looks like OOTP gives you all the html files. Maybe I'll just get a geocities account and give this a try, but if there are any other centralized commish resources, I'd love to know about them. Thanks everyone!
<hr></blockquote>

The games manual should explain how to generate the games html reports, it's very basic though: Just choose the reports you want, type in the directory you want to output the html pages, and press go. Then use any ftp program to upload the files to your website. I'd suggest playing in a league or 2 as a regular GM before Commishing as there are a lot of little things to learn, and ideally a Commish should probably already know these things. Volunteering as a league president for an existing league will help too, but I think many of the duties can be learned just by playing in seome leagues.

Hammer755 · 02-14-2002, 05:32 AM

[quote]Originally posted by Drederick Tatum:
Thanks for all the helpful information. With respect to the first question, I guess I should have been more specific, though: Are there any resources on how to commish an online league? I can get rules from other leagues' websites, but I don't know how to make the web page reports or do anything like that.

Edit -- actually, reading through the thread again, it looks like OOTP gives you all the html files. Maybe I'll just get a geocities account and give this a try, but if there are any other centralized commish resources, I'd love to know about them. Thanks everyone!

[ February 14, 2002: Message edited by: Drederick Tatum ]<hr></blockquote>

Yet again, I agree with Killebrew.

I would join a league (or multiple leagues) before trying my hand as a commish. There have been many things pop up in the leagues I've been in, and the commissioner had enough experience with OOTP to foresee the potential problem and keep it from becoming one. Things like post-season pitching rotation problems, mis-allocation of expenses in a less than 162 game season, and other issues that you wouldn't know about without some serious OOTP experience.

In any case, go get 'em champ.

USN Squid · 02-14-2002, 05:32 AM

I just read Mark's online league FAQ, and my question is will this all change with OOTP 4? It seems to me this FTP utility is going to change everything and make the FAQ outdated.

Drederick Tatum · 02-14-2002, 09:03 AM

Thanks for the picture!

"Champ, do you feel remorse for your crimes?"

"Oh, yes, if I could turn back the clock on my mother's stair-pushing, I would certainly, uh, reconsider it."

02-13-2002, 09:33 AM	#1
Drederick Tatum Bat Boy Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 7	Advice for a new GM? A couple of questions. 1. Are there any resources out there on how to GM an online league? 2. How much html/web design do you have to know to run a good online league website (links to standings, league leaders, etc.)? Is there a good program or tool that could let a non-techie maintain a suitable OOTP league website? If not, can anyone recommend a simple HTML guide to get me started?

02-13-2002, 11:51 AM	#2
Killebrew Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 3,326	[quote] 1. Are there any resources out there on how to GM an online league? <hr></blockquote> <a href="http://www.ootpbb.com/board/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic&f=5&t=000004" target="_blank">Aussie Mark's Playing in an Online League FAQ</a> <a href="http://www.google.ca/search?q=cache:REwyVISPI9QC:www.statbasedbaseball. com/vesuvius/CBL/Main/Tutorial.htm+OOTP+Managerial+Tutorial&hl=en" target="_blank">Eric Wedges Managers Tutorial</a> [quote] 2. How much html/web design do you have to know to run a good online league website (links to standings, league leaders, etc.)? Is there a good program or tool that could let a non-techie maintain a suitable OOTP league website? If not, can anyone recommend a simple HTML guide to get me started? <hr></blockquote> You don't need a lot of knowledge for a very basic site. If you are willing to learn a little I'd suggest copying some code from a site design you like (try to pick a simple looking site) and rewriting it to fit your league. It looks like many leagues do this now and you can use notepad (or a better text editor like UltraEdit etc. ) to do your editing. There are many html editors out there: Dreamweaver is nice but pricey, MS Front Page is not great but I think it comes free with other MS software, "Hot Dog" is a webpage creation tool that has a free trial period (but IMO even Front Page is better than this one). Check Tucows or other download sites - there are a ton of different webpage design programs. __________________ FOBL Capital City Metropolitans CDL Minnesota Twins

02-13-2002, 12:02 PM	#3
Hammer755 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 2,348	[quote]Originally posted by Drederick Tatum: <strong>A couple of questions. 1. Are there any resources out there on how to GM an online league? 2. How much html/web design do you have to know to run a good online league website (links to standings, league leaders, etc.)? Is there a good program or tool that could let a non-techie maintain a suitable OOTP league website? If not, can anyone recommend a simple HTML guide to get me started?</strong><hr></blockquote> Killer's links about the FAQ's are dead on, so I'll try to help some with question 2. If you have no knowledge or experience of HTML, I would suggest getting an account at Yahoo Geocities. The site is free, I believe they give you ample space for a league, and their zip file policies are reasonable (all of this is hearsay since I've never done it myself). I've seen several leagues that are hosted by Geocities, and have never heard too many complaints. The biggest reason I suggest Geocities, though, is because you don't have to know a lick of HTML. There's a tool called PageBuilder that allows you to simply drag-and-drop most items you would want, such as pics that you've uploaded, text blocks, links, buttons, counters, etc., pretty much anything you would want or need. You really don't need to link many items anyway. When you upload your OOTP3 .html files, they are already formatted to link to each other. You simply need to provide a link to the league.html file and it has built-in links to the other pages. Edit - Corrected several typos and grammatic errors. How did I ever pass English class? [ February 13, 2002: Message edited by: Hammer755 ]</p>

02-13-2002, 01:36 PM	#4
LivnLegend Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: 100% pure adrenaline! Posts: 5,624	[quote]Originally posted by Hammer755: <strong> The biggest reason I suggest Geocities, though, is because you don't have to know a lick of HTML. There's a tool called PageBuilder that allows you to simply drag-and-drop most items you would want, such as pics that you've uploaded, text blocks, links, buttons, counters, etc., pretty much anything you would want or need. </strong><hr></blockquote> Funny you should mention that. I have been trying to set a page just for fun for my team in PSBL. (That way I can lessen the amount of abuse I subject you to on our PSBL message board!) I have not found it to be very user friendly but then again, I have absolutely ZERO experience or knowledge in this stuff. I'm going to keep plugging away but I might try Killer's recommendation of MS Front Page. -Scott __________________ Excess ain't rebellion. You're drinking what they're selling.

02-13-2002, 01:46 PM	#5
Killebrew Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 3,326	[quote]Originally posted by LivnLegend: <strong>I'm going to keep plugging away but I might try Killer's recommendation of MS Front Page. -Scott</strong><hr></blockquote> Just to clarify - I don't actually think much of MS Front Page , there are hopefully many better solutions for html editing. I usually use a text editor so I'm not the perfect person to ask, but checking user ratings at Tucows.com (or other download sites) should get you some good idea's. __________________ FOBL Capital City Metropolitans CDL Minnesota Twins

02-13-2002, 01:52 PM	#6
LivnLegend Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: 100% pure adrenaline! Posts: 5,624	[quote]Originally posted by Killebrew: <strong> Just to clarify - I don't actually think much of MS Front Page , there are hopefully many better solutions for html editing. I usually use a text editor so I'm not the perfect person to ask, but checking user ratings at Tucows.com (or other download sites) should get you some good idea's.</strong><hr></blockquote> ah, I shouldn't have used the word "recommendation"! I figured I'd try it however since I figured I wouldn't have to pay for it. I'm all about the free web tools. Of course you get what you pay for, right? __________________ Excess ain't rebellion. You're drinking what they're selling.

02-14-2002, 04:55 AM	#7
Drederick Tatum Bat Boy Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 7	Thanks for all the helpful information. With respect to the first question, I guess I should have been more specific, though: Are there any resources on how to commish an online league? I can get rules from other leagues' websites, but I don't know how to make the web page reports or do anything like that. Edit -- actually, reading through the thread again, it looks like OOTP gives you all the html files. Maybe I'll just get a geocities account and give this a try, but if there are any other centralized commish resources, I'd love to know about them. Thanks everyone! [ February 14, 2002: Message edited by: Drederick Tatum ]</p>

02-14-2002, 05:03 AM	#8
Killebrew Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 3,326	[quote]Originally posted by Drederick Tatum: <strong>Thanks for all the helpful information. With respect to the first question, I guess I should have been more specific, though: Are there any resources on how to commish an online league? I can get rules from other leagues' websites, but I don't know how to make the web page reports or do anything like that. Edit -- actually, reading through the thread again, it looks like OOTP gives you all the html files. Maybe I'll just get a geocities account and give this a try, but if there are any other centralized commish resources, I'd love to know about them. Thanks everyone! </strong><hr></blockquote> The games manual should explain how to generate the games html reports, it's very basic though: Just choose the reports you want, type in the directory you want to output the html pages, and press go. Then use any ftp program to upload the files to your website. I'd suggest playing in a league or 2 as a regular GM before Commishing as there are a lot of little things to learn, and ideally a Commish should probably already know these things. Volunteering as a league president for an existing league will help too, but I think many of the duties can be learned just by playing in seome leagues. __________________ FOBL Capital City Metropolitans CDL Minnesota Twins

02-14-2002, 05:32 AM	#9
Hammer755 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 2,348	[quote]Originally posted by Drederick Tatum: <strong>Thanks for all the helpful information. With respect to the first question, I guess I should have been more specific, though: Are there any resources on how to commish an online league? I can get rules from other leagues' websites, but I don't know how to make the web page reports or do anything like that. Edit -- actually, reading through the thread again, it looks like OOTP gives you all the html files. Maybe I'll just get a geocities account and give this a try, but if there are any other centralized commish resources, I'd love to know about them. Thanks everyone! [ February 14, 2002: Message edited by: Drederick Tatum ]</strong><hr></blockquote> Yet again, I agree with Killebrew. I would join a league (or multiple leagues) before trying my hand as a commish. There have been many things pop up in the leagues I've been in, and the commissioner had enough experience with OOTP to foresee the potential problem and keep it from becoming one. Things like post-season pitching rotation problems, mis-allocation of expenses in a less than 162 game season, and other issues that you wouldn't know about without some serious OOTP experience. In any case, go get 'em champ.

02-14-2002, 05:32 AM	#10
USN Squid All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Frederick, MD Posts: 599	I just read Mark's online league FAQ, and my question is will this all change with OOTP 4? It seems to me this FTP utility is going to change everything and make the FAQ outdated.

02-14-2002, 09:03 AM	#11
Drederick Tatum Bat Boy Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 7	Thanks for the picture! "Champ, do you feel remorse for your crimes?" "Oh, yes, if I could turn back the clock on my mother's stair-pushing, I would certainly, uh, reconsider it."