JAMM v. 2.0: The Relaunch!


 

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Happy Birthday, JAMM!! Yup, on June 25, 2006 (exactly two years ago), Patrick Jordan kicked off this site with a late night look at what he why he just had to start his own site.  Now, just in time for our second birthday, we are rededicating and relaunching the site.  As you can see, we have a whole new look, and a whole new focus. 

When I took over Just Another Mobile Monday earlier this month, I spent quite a bit of time thinking about what I wanted this site to be.  Until now, it had been a whole lot of Windows Mobile, with a smattering of other devices and operating systems.  That just did not seem like the right balance to me.  I mean, I know that is how the site got where it is, today.  Inimage But, as Patrick and I discussed on numerous occasions, the name of the site is Just Another Mobile Monday, not Just Another Windows Mobile Monday.  And so, I determined to make concerted effort to strike a better balance on the site between all of the mobile operating systems.   Sure, we will still cover Windows Mobile, but my hope is that before long, it will be just one of numerous operating systems you will find here.  Much to my surprise, much of the team here was just as excited as I was to expand the scope of the site.  Then again, Lauren has a Palm Centro and is eager to do more Palm software and hardware reviews; Thomas, Brandon, and Dan all have iPhones, so they will be bringing expanded coverage in that are.  But that still leaves Blackberry and Symbian, and we could really use some help in those area.  We are also actively seeking Blackberry and Symbian users to help further expand our coverage here on JAMM.

But mobility is a lot more than just mobile computers, PDAs, and phones.  You can expect to find coverage of cameras, video cameras, portable media players, heck even the occasional universal remote if I have my druthers.  Another area in which we are planning some expanded coverage are the Cloud applications.  You know, those virtual applications which exist (or mostly exist) online.  Watch for a regular monthly series highlighting these applications coming soon.

In addition to our new focus, we also have a brand new theme.  And I have to say, when I asked Brandon to help out with the look of the site, I really had no idea where we were going to end up.  But I think you will agree that he has done a fabulous job.  JAMM has had a number of different looks since its inception in June 2006, and I think this is the best one yet.

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The first thing you will notice is that it is a very light theme, which allows the sidebars to provide you with valuable information, without being obtrusive.  Longtime readers will also recognize the blue header as a throwback to the original JAMM theme.  I think this blue and white color scheme captures exactly the philosophy I hope to bring to the site:  expansion, without forgetting our roots.  This site is still the same JAMM it has always been, complete with our irreverent, sometimes humorous take on mobility, but updated.  To copy a phrase, we are stronger, faster, better than ever before.

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While you are over there looking at the new theme, check out the fantastic job Brandon did on the sidebars.  A lot of sites these days are moving toward tabs in the sidebars, but I think the job Brandon did with the stacking tabs, which keeps with the clean look of the site, is amazing. 

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Along with that are our new and improved advertising spaces.  I don’t normally mention advertising, but I will do it this once.  Every ad you see (at least for now) is an affiliate link.  That means if you are thinking about buying some accessories, you may want to check our affiliate ads.  Get the gear you need, and give JAMM a hand at the same time (OK, that is probably the last time you will hear me mention it).

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Back to the sidebars, I also wanted to mention our new logo, which was designed by the fantastic folks over at Talon Communications Group.   Like the theme, I think this logo impressively captures the essence of JAMM.  And you will also notice that along with the new logo, we also have a new tag line.  No more are we simply providing Mobile News, Views, and Reviews.  Our new mission is to provide you all with a practical look at mobile life (thanks to Lauren and TJ for the brainstorm on that one.)

One thing you may have noticed here is how many people were involved in creating the new look and vision of the site (and I did not name nearly everyone who was involved).  JAMM has always been a team effort.  And I have to tell you how impressed and proud I am of the team here at JAMM.  Not only is the current team the best JAMM has ever seen (save for the absence of Patrick, who will be sorely missed), but it is one of the best I have found on the Internet.  I feel that with the combined contributions of this team, JAMM can truly rise to all new levels, and I hope you all will stick around and join us for what should prove to be an eventful ride.  If you want to learn more about our team, just head on over to the About Page.

OK.  Well, enough about us.  Did I mention that it is our birthday?  And like any good birthday (not to mention a relaunch), we have some giveaways coming throughout the next week.  So,stay tuned for details on some fantastic contests coming in the next couple of days.

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  4. Relaunch Contest. Winners, Day 1
  5. JAMM Relaunch Contest Final Winners

More in JAMM | 16 Comments

16 Comments

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Ragart
Jun 25, 2008

Happy birthday, JAMM! But why are you giving stuff away on your birthday? Weirdo.


spmwinkel
Jun 25, 2008

Happy birthday! :D
GREAT sidebar, all I need is now on top of the screen at all times, I just have to click a different tab. Awesome!


Peter
Jun 25, 2008

Let’s party like it’s 2996! :D


PPCTechs
Jun 25, 2008

Hi there,

The site looks great! Happy birthday!


PatrickJ
Jun 25, 2008

Happy Birthday to us and, as Charlie would say, yay!
Great job on the refresh and refocus. Broader focus has always sounded good, and also like big fun.
Great work Doug, Brandon, Lauren, TJ, all …


dgoldring
Jun 25, 2008

Thanks, guys. :)

Ragart, it does seem weird to give away prizes at our own party. But the choices were we give out prizes to everyone…or we all show up at your house for a massive late night party…but frankly, Brandon was the only one who wanted to go all the way to Canada.

So, rather than road trip to Canada, we’ll be announcing some massive give-aways, featuring some of the biggest names in Windows Mobile software and accessories…starting tonight.

Patrick, we are all just continuing what you started, buddy. Glad you like it. :) And I think Charlie would say…
WIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRR. :)

Doug


i-bystander
Jun 25, 2008

Happy birthday, JAMM!

I like the new look. You could probably do away with the pipes on the stacking tabs, though – maybe line up the arrows for better readability?


Brandon Steili
Jun 25, 2008

i-Bystander … You sound like Doug :)

We’ve gone round and round over those stupid tabs. I love em, he loves em … but there’s always something that could use some improving on them. Anyway, in my defense – I put the tabs thing together using some handy dandy code from Yahoo. Unfortunately the CSS portion of it is giving me fits. Since I’m in no way a web developer type or a programmer type I put this whole thing together with pretty much no starting knowledge, and what we’ve got right now is the best I could do on tight time tables.

I plan on improving the tabbed area as soon as I figure out the best way to do it – so consider your comment taken under advisement and likely to be in v2.1 :)


i-bystander
Jun 26, 2008

Brandon -

I know you guys are on top of it – I just wanted to point it out so you can put it on your list. Good job! :)


dgoldring
Jun 26, 2008

Ray, consider your comments added to the list.

On the tabs, I might as well say this publicly. I am completely blown away by what an amazing job Brandon has done. No need to defend your work at all, my friend. I think it more than speaks for itself. :)

Doug


i-bystander
Jun 26, 2008

Doug -

Thanks, and there’s no doubt Brandon outdid himself. Now to fix those Sponsors and Google Ads… :)


dgoldring
Jun 26, 2008

What’s wrong with the Sponsors and Google ads?

Doug


i-bystander
Jun 26, 2008

Aaack! I had ABP turned on, so it wasn’t displaying correctly – it displays fine if I turn it off. I’m sure I’m not the only one who uses ABP… there are other ways to have ads without it getting blocked, though.

The big HUGE ad is back!


dgoldring
Jun 26, 2008

Ah. Please do not use Ad Blockers on JAMM. That is just mean. :) I really don’t like putting ads in posts or links in articles. I really tried to keep the ads as unobtrusive and relevant as possible.

Doug


i-bystander
Jun 26, 2008

Doug -

FYI: the ads on MTS are not blocked by ABP. If you follow the same format (subdomains) as what you have over there, they should display just fine. I can turn it off, but what about other readers? Oh, and please keep JAMM flash-ads-free. :)

Ray


dgoldring
Jun 26, 2008

Actually, Ray. The ads in MTS and JAMM are set up pretty much the same. Not sure what the difference is there.

Doug

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