Response to your feedback: Here’s what I’m thinking
Okay, I’ve heard you. You like the old grids. You like the old format. You’re not thrilled with the Drudgey look of Colmesfeed, and you want the same sense of community that existed prior to the changes. I wanted an easier way to post and to make alan.com a landing page that was more informational about what I’m up to, because it makes sense to use this as more of a branding page. And I wanted the news page to be separate, but connected to alan.com. I misunderstood how important this community is to so many people. I’m sorry.
So, here’s what I’m thinking: We recreate the old alan.com, but on liberaland.com, but with the iFrames, so that when you go to a story you see the original source as you can now on colmesfeed. That also makes it easier for me since I can get content up quickly if we use iFrames. Alan.com stays as it is now, as a landing page, with the comment section and chat room. But I can’t get every piece in place as quickly as I’d like because of development time. So, here are the options:
- Go back immediately to the old alan.com and when it’s ready, move the grids to liberaland.com as the news page and make alan.com the landing page as it is now.Colmesfeed can go the way of the New Coke.
- Wait a few weeks until I can get everything in place. If we do option one, and then change the news page to liberaland when it’s ready, I worry it’s too many changes in too short a time, with alan.com flipping back and forth.
- Keep everything as it is now.
I’m leaning toward number one, but I want to make sure the community is with me on this one, and will be willing to accept the eventual outcome, pending how long it takes for development: alan.com goes immedately back to the grids, but will revert to the landing page it is now when liberaland is ready. When that happens, Liberaland will look like the old alan.com.
What say you?
Copyright 2016 Liberaland
26 responses to Response to your feedback: Here’s what I’m thinking
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Budda January 14th, 2016 at 09:59
Damn it Alan! Why do I have to confirm my email every GD time I want to post!
Alan January 14th, 2016 at 10:05
that seems like a Disqus issue
Candide Thirtythree January 14th, 2016 at 14:40
Thanks, I know quite a few of us are old farts who have enough trouble just navigating around the internet…this site is just so comfortable…when you get old, you will understand how important comfortable is LOL.
Budda January 14th, 2016 at 15:30
If it was/is, I apologize.
Budda January 14th, 2016 at 15:44
I use a phone, tablet and a laptop and all were different…and confusing.
mistlesuede January 14th, 2016 at 09:59
Hi Alan:
Thank you for hearing us. I’ve not had this experience before! I’m talking about you Huffington Post.
When you say back to alan.com are you talking about what we had right before the changes this week? If so, I would be with you on the number one option. Right now I tried reading the Alan Rickman story, and when you press on the box to go to it, it goes immediately to the story which does not load well and then you can’t come back to a comments section. Booo. This is just one example of why I do not care for the changes.
Thanks!
~mistlesuede
Alan January 14th, 2016 at 10:05
Are you doing this on mobile or desktop?
mistlesuede January 14th, 2016 at 10:36
Laptop.
I just tried it again and it is working the right way. Thanks!
mistlesuede January 14th, 2016 at 11:03
I just posted a beautiful comment on the thread and it’s on hold? Why?
Gina Bousquet January 14th, 2016 at 10:45
Just don’t keep everything as it is now, please! I feel like going back to how it was is the best option, however you achieve it. And thank you for hearing us. :)
whatthe46 January 14th, 2016 at 10:56
Thank you Alan for listening. edit to say, number 1.
eyelashviper January 14th, 2016 at 11:02
Number One sounds good, I think…
I really liked the old alan.com, but also like the page with links to other sites..
Thanks for listening!
Was not sure where to drop this link, but saw this from Salon, about the carnage wreaked by Goper governors across the country and it is very striking.
http://www.salon.com/2016/01/08/the_gops_reign_of_gubernatorial_terror_here_are_the_small_government_zealots_who_made_their_states_considerably_worse/
mea_mark January 14th, 2016 at 12:02
The only problem with colmesfeed was/is that it is too big and we lost the sense of community. Sure there were/are a few little bugs that need tweaking but the overall format isn’t bad. We just need a focal point where we can gather. Making liberaland the news page works if it posts the top stories at the top and all the other stories that are of interest in another section at the bottom. That way we get the best of both worlds, a place to gather at the top and all the other things of interest at the bottom. If it is all on at one site just separated a little it will make it easy to move around and explore more of what is going on. In addition comments made on the fringe stories will be easily noticed in a, recent comments section, that should draw attention to the fringe stories, that might turn out to be big stories.
I like lots of stories. I just want to see a small spot where we can gather and focus our attention. It would also be nice to see a sentence or two as a summary of the top stories.
Hirightnow January 14th, 2016 at 12:16
Make the articles on (the just brought back format of) alan.com link to articles containing the iframes of the story’s original page(ala ColmesFeed)…the best of both worlds.
Also, ice cream.
We want ice cream.
mea_mark January 14th, 2016 at 12:28
Colmesfeed is still there and I kinda like it’s format better except for the part that there is a lack of focus. No central gathering point. There needs to be a way to get people’s attention focused on a particular set of stories.
On a side note. I am very happy to see that I can now vote up or down on a comment from the mod board. I have been asking for that for quite a while.
Hirightnow January 14th, 2016 at 12:57
I’m not sure but I could do that from day one, but it IS a nice feature. (I’m replying from there, too).
And I kinda think that what threw everyone off was the no-frills look of ColmesFeed, vs the happy, friendly look of alan.com.
People like color, dammit!
mea_mark January 14th, 2016 at 13:04
Well it has been a while since I rebooted. I generally just sleep my computer and don’t shut it down. Reloading pages all the time uses up bandwidth and with satellite internet that is bad. Microsoft updates though forced a reboot last night so everything got reloaded.
Hirightnow January 14th, 2016 at 16:03
Ah. ATT broadband, so I use bandwidth like others use toilet paper.
mea_mark January 14th, 2016 at 13:06
More color and a bigger font that is easy to see would help that is for sure. Don’t know what the small font looks like on a tablet or phone but I bet it is not good.
Alan January 14th, 2016 at 14:38
that’s a Disqus deal
Alan January 14th, 2016 at 14:37
Chocolate
Candide Thirtythree January 14th, 2016 at 14:43
Yes please :P
Candide Thirtythree January 14th, 2016 at 14:34
I know where my friends are, they are on Liberaland, You can put that uninspiring looking list of links to different sites somewhere in the corner but keep Liberaland.
I don’t like ending up on some of those other pages, the trolls that stalk those do not usually stalk Liberaland…I don’t want to see pages and pages of vile comments…it makes my blood pressure go up!
Alan January 14th, 2016 at 14:36
Glad you’re here!
Candide Thirtythree January 14th, 2016 at 14:43
Thanks
Buford2k11 January 15th, 2016 at 09:17
I will still visit here no matter what the looks or how it is presented…it is the content that I come for, the great commenters, and sense of community is as important..thanks Alan for at least thinking of your audience…