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Dagblog...What's it Good For?

by Genghis 11/13/2008 - 7:11 pm   |

The elections are finally over, and the world is starting to seem normal again. Kind of. We also have two new long-awaited bloggers, so I felt that it would be a good time to meta-post. When we started dagblog, we didn't have a clear idea where it was headed. Mostly, we wanted a forum to express ourselves and our wacky ideas about the world, but it was never meant to be just for us. We hoped to bring in a number of talented writers with diverse interests and ideas to share the space. Though we vaguely imagined that the writing would be sophisticated and snarky but not pretentious, we decided to let the brand and direction evolve organically. That has been happening, and it's been a pleasure to witness.

Some developments that have surprised me:

  • Readers. I wasn't sure whether we would have any readers not obligated by familial bonds, and I definitely wasn't expecting the level of participation what we've received from you all. I love the discussion threads. (So much more enjoyable than the shouting matches I'm used to at TPM cafe.)
  • Addictiveness. We originally discussed writing 2-3 posts per week. I thought that it would be a stretch for me. As it turns out, I've sometimes had to slow down in order avoid clusterposting (like clusterbombing but less deadly). I'm going to have to ease up a bit because I have way too much work to do, but I hope that the new bloggers will help take up the slack.
  • Politics. I knew that we'd be heavily focused on politics through the election, but I underestimated how much it would dominate our attentions. I'm looking forward to more posts on other subjects.

But that's enough out of me. I wrote this post to hear from everyone else, particularly readers and new bloggers, though the others will surely speak their minds as well. Where do we take this thing? How do we make it better? Are there other categories that you would like to see represented? Are there technical "features" that annoy the hell out of you? Who has the best avatar? (My vote is Orlando.) Is it all just mental masturbation?

Howdy bloggers, I like the nice, long thread you have going now but if there was some way we could throw out quick thoughts/funny ideas (sort of like the sidebar at TPM) that would be pretty cool. Many times I have a thought I'd like to share but it's not really worth creating a whole new blog post. **In regards to the politics - I'm pretty sure it's going to move into the background (though we'll probably soon be concerned with a glut of recession/depression columns). But considering it took up 80% of my brain capacity I think you were all well within your rights to write about it 80% of the time. **It's also not really clear that there is more to the column. Would it be possible to add a "read more" under the initial cut off part of the post? I'm also not too keen on registering to comment on a post. I sort of feel like we dissuade new participants. For example, when I first learned about this blog and I wanted to make a comment I didn't see it as worth the hassle of registering. Sure, that speaks very poorly about me, but still I can't imagine that isn't holding a lot of new readers back and possibly making this blog seem more exclusive. We're keeping readers out of the conversation and probably losing retention by those not being actively engaged. Though your point about shouting matches is valid, I still think it's a problem you address in the later stages of a blog when many of the readers are already "pot-committed." **That being said, it's a good blog and I thank you for letting me be a part of it. P.S. I am saddened I lost out on "Avatar of the Year"

by Mortimus 11/13/2008 - 7:40 pm

You haven't lost yet. That was just my vote. But to me, you're tied for second with SarahPalinGrrrrl.

Your point about registering is a good one. The problem is that without registration, we'll get a lot of comments from spambots. I can possibly put in a graphical are-you-human check. I'll see how hard it is. The other option could be to have bloggers moderate their non-registered comments.

There is a "read more" link under each post, but it's not very obvious. Perhaps I can make it more prominent. Unfortunately, I don't think that there's an easy way to show it only when there's more to read.

I like the quick thoughts idea, though there's not a lot of room in the sidebar, and it might be hard to implement. I could probably create a "microblog" option that would appear on the main page but would be smaller than a regular post--no pic and none of the stuff on the bottom. BTW, what do you think about the share links at the bottom of each post on the how page? Too much clutter? I can easily set it up so that those only show when you view the whole post.

by Genghis 11/13/2008 - 8:11 pm (re: Mortimus)

Anonymous comments are now enabled (with spam protection).

by Genghis 11/14/2008 - 1:41 am (re: Genghis)

Definitely try to make the 'read more' more prominent if you can. The blog software does a real good job of cutting off a blog post that often it's not clear whether there's more to read or not.

Im not sure what I think about a microblog - that could cause more confusion than it's worth, though a quick thoughts section is interesting (that's one reason why I started my weekly 'Questions' column - just a culmination of topics I'm thinking about during the week but didnt individually deserve their own post).

Spam comments suck. I agree registering definitely limits posters (and thus the interactivity of the blog - one of the best things about blogging) but so far im digging the civility and contribution of our readers. so i have mixed opinions.

i'm really loving our new contributors, and I think the topics will begin to broaden out now that the election is over. though unfortunately, i fear i'll be writing about an economic depression for years to come Cry

 

by Deadman 11/14/2008 - 1:45 am (re: Genghis)

Prominent "read more" is done. Anonymous commenting, as noted above, is done. By spam comments, I meant automated spambots--I put in a math test for that. As for annoying humans (and trolls), if we're invaded, we can always go back to forcing users to register.

by Genghis 11/14/2008 - 2:00 am (re: Deadman)

Nice job, G. I love the immediate action!

by Deadman 11/14/2008 - 2:30 am (re: Genghis)

Nice

by Mortimus 11/14/2008 - 10:42 am (re: Genghis)

There's still hope for you! Although I appreciate the honor, Orlando in a dress (you did get that it is still Orlando, just after she goes through the change, right?) is only a place holder. Bwak has designed a lovely new avatar, just for me. And it will be up shortly! 

As for Dagblog, I'd like to see a new category on human rights and/or news of the world, or something like that. My own interests are very much focused on international culture. I truly don't like politics all that much (and totally don't listen to those who tell you I have anger issues around politics--it's so not true),

by Orlando 11/13/2008 - 8:35 pm (re: Mortimus)

Missed that one. It's too small to recognize Tilda Swinton, and it's been too long since I saw the movie. Great dress though. Any significance to switching from XY Orlando at TPM to XX Orlando at dag?

I'd like a news category myself. "Human rights" seems too specific for a title and "News" too generic. Maybe "News & Current Events?"

by Genghis 11/13/2008 - 8:54 pm (re: Orlando)
For the topics, whatever you think, jefe. I started with Orlando the boy at TPM because it seemed like a good idea to be gender neutral. But I've never been very good at hiding myself, so that mystery didn't last too long. I used Orlando the girl here because, as I mentioned, the site needs a little tarting up. (Although I do appreciate Deadman giving it the old college try.)
by Orlando 11/13/2008 - 9:05 pm (re: Genghis)

I added "Current Affairs." Work for you?

by Genghis 11/14/2008 - 5:22 pm (re: Orlando)

Aha. Mystery solved.

by Orlando 11/14/2008 - 5:40 pm (re: Genghis)

Technical note: There is a bug that causes carriage returns to be removed, as in Morty's comment above. Unfortunately, it's not easy to fix. If you don't see the editing buttons at the top of the comment textbox, that means that carriage returns will get eaten. Usually, if you refresh the page, the buttons will appear, and everything will work fine.

by Genghis 11/13/2008 - 8:16 pm

I hate partial/teaser feed, though I'd put up with almost anything to follow the Khan (I said almost, ok?).

Did you use a blogging platform like Wordpress or Typepad, or RoR from scratch?

On a related note, I learned a bit about Django from a recent project. Tough competition for RoR.

by GeofhrisKhzn 11/14/2008 - 11:13 am

And how about comment feed? It's essential for a long discussion thread.

by GeofhrisKhzn 11/14/2008 - 11:32 am (re: GeoffreyKzhn)

Your wish is my command: http://dagblog.com/crss. I'm not quite sure where to put this. Maybe I'll create a feed page with all the feeds.

by Genghis 11/14/2008 - 2:13 pm (re: GeoffreyKzhn)

It's drupal. Typepad isn't there yet, and wordpress is best for individual bloggers. I have to spend some time with Django. But let's not geek out this thread any more than necessary.

The only thing that bothers me about drupal are the themes. Most of them are ugly as hell, and this was the best simple one I could find. Wordpress sites look so much prettier.

by Genghis 11/14/2008 - 1:33 pm (re: GeoffreyKzhn)

Good old PHP, huh.

I actually like the minimalistic theme. Content is king.

The only thing I miss is your flashing collar.

by GeofhrisKhzn 11/14/2008 - 10:49 pm (re: Genghis)

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