Scott Carter: A New Voice For The Gator Nation
Sunday, September 26, 2010 | Football
By Emily Arthur, UF Communications
Most followers of University of Florida sports know about GatorZone.com. They know that it's the athletic website for the school and the place to go to when curious about team rosters, media guides, schedules and statistics. Recently, however, the website has been redesigned with the intention of increasing its presence within the world of social media. Along with that change is the introduction of Scott Carter, the new senior writer for GatorZone.com. His goal is to provide the fans with a more personal perspective into Gator athletics.
“I want fans to get really solid information and to trust the information they're receiving,” Carter said. “As we go along, we can become more of a news source too.”
Carter is eager to develop the already existing fan base of the website and has been impressed with the dedication of the audience.
“The folks who have been here have been doing something right,” he said.
The improved GatorZone.com includes more features and columns and is another chance to share with the public several of the stories from a variety of UF student-athletes that haven't been told.
“I think it's an opportunity to provide fresh content from inside of the athletic department, from the people closest to the players and coaches,” Carter said.
Among with the features are the introduction of a daily blog and the use of Twitter. These new additions will enable fans a greater opportunity to feel more connected to the Gators and to the community of The Gator Nation.
“Twitter will be a little more personality-based and I'll have my voice more in that,” Carter said. “The daily blog is a place where it can be a more comment-based and personal with the fans. It's really about the fans having the chance to feel more involved.”
He explains how the new GatorZone.com will preserve the originality of the website and how the innovative features will be catered to the rapidly-growing population of Internet users.
“What you'll see on the front of the site are traditional news and feature stories. The blog will be a little more personal and conversational,” Carter continued. “People love giving their opinions and I think that's what the Internet has taught us. It's given fans the chance to be more involved.”
One particular aspect that truly gets fans connected is the “Cover It Live” feature on GatorZone.com. This is a tool where people can enter the site to blog about a Gator sporting event while it's happening. Its purpose is to bring fans into the site during the competition to interact with other fans.
“It went well during the USF game and it's something that I think we're going to keep doing,” Carter acknowledged. “A lot of people can get involved, even if they aren't at the game. We want to get the message out that we're doing it a little differently now. If people are watching the game from home, it's a way for them to get involved and be connected. It's a personal touch and is a lot to offer the public.”
It was during his tenure at UF's College of Journalism and Communications where Carter, who earned his bachelor's degree in the spring of 1995, realized that he wanted to be a sportswriter. While attending Florida, he wrote for The Independent Alligator and began to chase his dream. After graduation, he bounced around several small papers across the Sunshine State before he was hired by the Tampa Tribune.
“I covered the Tampa Bay Rays and the Tampa Bay Lightning for six years and then spent four years in Tallahassee to cover FSU,” he said.
After returning from Tallahassee and spending the next 10 months with USF, the opportunity for the GatorZone.com senior writer arose and brought Carter back home to his alma mater, where he is excited to be and is looking forward on what is to come.
“It's great to be back here with the Gator program. The interest here is at an all-time high for sports and with the way the Internet is, more people have access to that information,” Carter said. “Any writer wants to have an audience and I will always have one here.”
Having a passion for sports and a love for the energetic atmosphere, Carter is pleased to be back in The Gator Nation.
“It's a neat opportunity for me professionally and personally,” he said. “It's really cool what they're doing up here.”
Having only been on the scene with the Gators since the second week of the season, working with GatorZone is still a fresh endeavor and in addition to Carter being back in Alachua County covering his school, he is still transitioning to the website.
“While I'm still learning, I'm still trying to create my voice in the site,” Carter stated. “To me, it's all about the stories and getting them out there. I'm happy to be back in Gainesville.”
