This year was an exciting one at PrestoSports. Lots of big news and events made it memorable, and we want to take a look back at what were some of the most significant events in our corner of the world.

Stats

Whether it was free stats entry, reading packed files, awards, the much requested opponent stats and printable box scores, or integration with NCAA and ESPN, 2011 was the year of statistics.  We've been preparing for three years for when we'd finally see the beginning of the end of Stat Crew DOS, and it's great to be a part of the race to find its replacement.  For the college market, our goal is nothing short of providing a smooth, 100% compatible transition from a DOS window to the networked world of stats entered on an iPad.  And for everyone else, it's getting access to statistics in a way that was never before possible.

Changing faces

We added a bunch of people, and it's almost like we're a real company now with almost 30 people working at PrestoSports.  Making sure we'll be ready for when we hit 50 and then 100 people, we spent the year solidifying internal structure with new employee handbooks, recruiting policies, an awesome new way to do performance reviews and increased employee use of perks like a wellness program and home internet. Generally, we just made sure our employees were as productive and happy as they deserve to be.

Web 2.0 trips

One thing I really wanted to infuse in the company this year was more of that Silicon Vally spirit of trying to change the world. There are few times in my life that I enjoyed more than when I lived in San Francisco...you could walk into a bar and meet half a dozen people convinced that their startup had the next great thing, and their energy probably convinced you that half of them were right. As Mark Zuckerberg was told, you have to get to San Francisco because that's where the action is at.

While we're not moving the company, I did send almost 10 people to Web 2.0 in the spring and fall. Our attitudes changed, and we also learned more about product planning, feature management, ways to figure out what users need, and all the trials and rigors of launching new software.

What? TWO teams in the Final Four?!?

Wow, it was beyond our wildest dreams! In 2010, we knew Butler had a chance to do well, and were thrilled with how they surpassed everyone's expectations.  But in 2011, two long-shot teams proved how veteran teams with a great attitude could compete with anyone in the country and locked up a repeat PrestoSports team in the Division I men's championship game.

And add to that, two articles in Sports Business Journal!  The sporting world is starting to notice this Cinderella.

Social media matures

We launched our storytelling team in 2010 to start to communicate with our customers, and the results have been awesome.  In 2011, our Facebook company page topped 1,325 fans and our Twitter handle reached 740 followers. And our 67 blogs this year garnered 1,008 Facebook interactions. I'm so happy that we were able to communicate with you at a level so far beyond what we ever have done before.

With 2011 about to be behind us, we're looking forward to 2012.  Certainly we expect a big fight for stats entry, and I'm looking forward to people statting basketball and football on an iPad or their browser. There is a lot on the horizon at PrestoSports.