Friday, September 13, 2013

9/13 Quickie: Introducing The Q

How busy has it been this week?

So busy that I haven't even been able to get to my own blog to announce the launch -- last Sunday -- of a brand-new product I have been a part of creating: The Q.

You can find it at q.usatoday.com.

The value proposition and format should feel familiar to you, although the initial scope of coverage is all NFL, all the time. (For now. Cough.)

But there are some big differences from anything you might think this resembles, aside from the all-NFL focus:

*It is built not just "mobile first," but really with the mobile audience as the only one in mind. Oh, you absolutely can (and should!) check it out on your work computer during the weekdays. It will look great (and even have a few desktop-only enhancements). But the thing is really geared for consumption on the phone (so feel free to check it out on your phone at work, in addition to at home, on the go, etc.)

*There is a great team of editors, producers, developers, designers and talent working on it. I'm a bauble. The real key is the core editorial team, plus the amazing developers and designers and USA TODAY Sports staff working on it.

*You really do need to check it out, because it represents the next stage in an evolution I have been working on since the Daily Quickie launched 10 years ago, through Quickish and now The Q. There are some amazing implications for sports fans and the media industry baked into it, which I'll get into over the next few months. I'm really excited for it.

So please: Check it out. Give it a try. Tell your friends, co-workers and folks in your social network(s). It needs all the support it can get, and you're a huge part of that, as you have been all the way from the start, all those years ago.

Huge thanks for your patience here and elsewhere as I have put so much time and energy into working on it.

Enjoy your weekend. I think Alabama wins, but I don't feel particularly strongly about that. If anyone can foil Nick Saban two years in a row, it's Kevin Sumlin and Johnny Manziel.

-- D.S.