Channel are delighted to launch the website for Time Team, the long running Archeology show on Channel 4.
About the site:
The site acts as a base for all the fans of the show to follow digs live, as they happen. During digs the team constantly update the site with videos and other interesting content about their findings. The site outputs its content to Facebook, Twitter and Youtube to keep fans informed of whats going on.
A first: Iphone friendly Youtube videos
The site includes a lot of videos that are hosted on Time Team's Official Youtube channel, and in the past this has meant bad news for viewing on devices without Flash, most notably, Iphone users.
But not to worry! Being Iphone users ourselves we didn't want to leave you guys out, so using the very latest Youtube technologies the Channel Team developed a custom solution to automatically ensure the videos display across all browsers and Iphones: A first in any Joomla based website.
Site features:
- Video archives
- Built using the brand new Joomla 1.6 content management system
- Social Media Integration with Facebook, Twitter and Youtube
- Iphone friendly
- Membership application and management system
- The Time Team shop
Social Media
The Social Media effect on this site has been nothing short of phenomenal. In the months since we first launched the page the number of "Likes" has grown to over 16,000 (at the time of counting). Unusually for a Facebook page this took absolutely no effort or cost at all - a real testament to the phenomenal long-running success of the Time Team programme, and the high esteem in which its main protagonists are held. The YouTube channel also has a large number of followers, both of which are responsible for the club's great level of memberships, and the visitors to the site.
Evolution
Since the Time Team site was initially built there has been a rapid series of developments in order to offer ever improved services to members. The first challenge was to develop a structure that allowed fans to join the Time Team club, pay for a membership so that they could be sent a variety of club members benefits by the team. Each member also needed to be sent their unique Time Team club membership number - with Tony Robinson receiving number TT0001.
A shop has since been added allowing fans to purchase Time Team goodies. These startecd with the same fleeces that the crew actually wear on site, but now includes Time Team cufflinks, mugs and other fun souvenirs. Just in time for Christmas 2011 the much vaunted Time Team trowels finally arrived and quickly went in to the shop, made in Sheffield of finest steel, with Time Team embossed in the handle and on the trowel itself, these appear to meet all of Phil's extremely stringent criteria for how a good archaeology trowel should be made.
High Points
High points for our team have probably included....
- The hilarious videos and Facebook sessions that the Time Team crew keep sending up - especially Phil's Pub & Trowel videos.
- Pete running round every old building in Falmouth in the final hours before the site went live, searching for the perfect dungeon photograph for the page background.
- The success of the Facebook page and the esteem in which the fans clearly hold the programme.
- Luke's pop-up skeleton on the home page.
- But most of all for Tim our programmer, a life-long Time team fan who actually got to visit a dig site and help with the video uploads - Priceless!
And now for the tecchie bit!
The site has been built using the latest Joomla 1.6 content management system, which we regard as one of the most versatile open sourced content management systems available, and which has been a great match for this particular requirement.
The future of Time Team:
In true Time Team fashion once a dig starts it all gets a bit hectic! The site was built in very much the same manner, with the Channel Team pulling out all the stops to design and build it within just a few days.
The site is still under development and will be evolving a lot over the coming months with more content and features, so stay tuned to see what other exciting things pop up!
So take a look and start digging! You might even find some hidden surprises...
