You’re on the pitch with the crowds chanting; a huge trophy is presented and you hold it aloft to the sound of the cheering fans… OK, so your Sunday morning kick-around doesn’t match the glory of the 1966 World Cup but, with Windows Vista, you can manage your team to victory.
Managing a sports side used to be a feat of organisational excellence that’s not for the faint-hearted – just look at Sir Alex Ferguson. Organising a team of players armed with a noticeboard and a handful of pins can be a real headache, especially as one false move can leave your best goalkeeper or star tiddlywinker stranded at the wrong game at the wrong time. However, times have changed and now setting up and running a team is simplicity itself. And, as a result, sporting glory is only a step away.
So throw away that ancient noticeboard and take your tactics online. Set up an official web site for your team, enabling players to access the latest information and news. Many local sports teams have dedicated web sites now but they cost a monthly fee to host, and require time and knowledge to set up properly.
If you don’t want to go to the trouble of setting up a dedicated web site, but want the benefit of posting selections and notices on the internet, set up a team blog. Blogs are easy to update and free to use. You can even add intensive photos and videos on the more expensive hosting packages.
The boss’s blog
There are dozens of blogging options on the internet, but none will serve your purpose better than Windows Live Spaces. Not only do you get an excellent blog service, but you can also control the appearance of the page.
To get started you’ll need to sign up for a new Windows Live ID. If you already have one, set up a new one to give you a dedicated Windows Live Mail address for team business.
When you sign up for a Windows Live ID, you can then access and edit your team’s space. It doesn’t have to be a bland page conveying match fixtures and team information – you can turn it into a social place, post pictures and videos, and encourage the team to add their own comments. This brings players closer together, which is great for morale.
Once you’ve created your space, you can publish news in the blog space, which forms the middle of the page. For example, if practice has been arranged (or cancelled for some reason), you can write a quick post about it, and then it’s up to the players to check it to find out where they need to be.
Team members can also subscribe to an RSS feed, so they’ll be automatically notified of team news in any way they choose. This could include having news emailed to them in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 or on the Windows Vista Sidebar. There’s even a button on Windows Live Spaces that does it all for them, so they’ll have no excuses for not turning up!
Publishing to your space is simple, but you can make the process even more straightforward by using Microsoft Office Word 2007. The latest version includes a feature where you can easily publish to your blog. To do this, select New Blog Post in the New Document menu, enter the user name and password for your space and you can use Office Word 2007 to write your posts, saving stacks of time.
Of course, not everyone has Office 2007, so Microsoft has released a new web-based program called Windows Live Writer. This new service enables you to publish to your blog from your desktop, in a similar way to Word 2007.
Think of Windows Live Writer as a massively simplified version of Word 2007, which enables you to enter tables and charts to track payments and performance tables. You can take advantage of these tools to show weekly charts of the top goal-scorers, wicket-takers or tiddlywinkers. Windows Live Writer also enables you to add maps and gadgets to your posts to really bring them to life.
Windows Live Spaces offers more than just text and picture options. Each part of the space is split into modules that can be added or deleted at the click of a button, so your page can be as simple or complicated as you like.
If your sport relies on the weather, you can use the Windows Vista weather gadget to check the forecast. Most gadgets in Windows Vista are available for your space as well, so you can display a forecast on the main page.
Keeping in touch
Using Windows Live Mail is a great way to keep in touch with your team, and there’s even a plug-in that lets you couple your mailbox with Office Outlook 2007. This means you can do even more from the comfort of your Windows Vista desktop without using web-based applications. You can download the latest beta free of charge from Microsoft Download Centre.
Included with Outlook 2007 and Windows Live Hotmail is a fantastic calendar application that’s perfect for organising your team. However, this function goes much further than simply recording dates for matches, practices and social events. You can share calendars with other members of the team through Windows Live Mail, so they have no excuse for a poor attendance record! Check out our three-step guide on page 93.
There are lots of other ways to reach the dizzy heights of success by using your PC. If you use Microsoft Office Excel 2007 you can use a spreadsheet to track performances. This is an easy way to help pick the team, and you can make clear graphs and charts to show how well people are playing. You can even post these to your team space to provide an incentive to those who could do better. A bit of competitive spirit could provide just the impetus you need for a winning streak.
Create a team space
1. Sign up. First you need to sign up for a Windows Live ID, which only takes a couple of minutes. Just go to Live, click Sign-in > Sign up and you’re good to go. You’ll then be presented with a button to Create Your space.
2. Address. Next you have to choose part of the unique address of your space, which will be added to the space’s URL. Choose one word that’s easy to remember, so your space will be easily found by the team.
3. Design. When you’re happy with the look of your space, you can also change the colours and appearance. Click Customize to add modules and choose themes for the page – usefully, there are even several sports ones available.
4. Edit. As soon as you’ve chosen your address, you’ll be taken to your blank page. The space will automatically be in edit mode, ready to make any changes. Each module can be dragged around the page, or deleted at will, and gadgets can be added at the click of a button.
5. Blog. To add a blog click Edit your space and the blog section will become manageable. You can then choose to add a new post, and the rest is up to you. Remember that you can use new features in Microsoft Office Word 2007 and Windows Live Writer to cut out this part completely.
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