DocAndersen
I get great ideas and suggestions all the time in comments and PM’s. It is the only reason honestly that, based on my PM interaction with two authors, I didn’t ask for PMs to be removed. I get a lot of great ideas in my mailbox on the site. Today I wanted to share that concept and design that was in my “inbox”. First off, if someone PMs you and tells you to do something on this site, if they are not an admin, ask them to go away. We do not currently have royals on this site, other than the one self-appointed royal.
The idea that was shared was incredibly simple. But it is also incredibly elegant. The idea is also something the admins could choose to do reasonably quickly, and it is literally to change the available categories for posting. We have had the categories (travel, technology) for a long time. I don’t recall them changing since the early days of the site when I joined. I have a couple of ideas that the idea originator and I discussed in PMs. But that said we all know there are many more categories we could consider. This list is a start. I do not think overall that it would be a significantly big lift for the dev team. It is a drop-down box, which from a coding perspective, is merely linking to a list.
I will do this just like every other version of this making the site better – the first is the call for ideas. Fire away – in the comments or in the voting talk about the categories you would like. The concept would link beautifully with the author’s review board concept. In this model, the author review board would act like the moderators did on Niume. They would select the top of the best articles in each of the categories to be featured on the landing page. Based on the code that the site has today, I suspect the would be a more significant overall lift for the admin/dev team overall.
Finally, my friend that is doing the study of the various social networks on bloggers and blogging asked me if I would consider making a change around the middle of this month. I thought I would throw this out and get community thoughts on this because it will impact all of you directly. It is quite simple. He wants me to respond to all comments on my post but then going forward to the only comment on those posts of people that commented on mine originally.
Thoughts? Like that? Hate that? I am on the fence, honestly.
This work is Copyright DocAndersen. Any resemblance to people real or fictional in this piece is accidental (unless explicitly mentioned by name.)
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Question of
would you like to see new categories on the site?
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Yes
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Question of
how about poetry?
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Yes
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Question of
women’s issues
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Yes
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Question of
short stories
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Yes
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Question of
works of Fiction?
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Yes
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Question of
add this to the author content council and it is a neat concept right?
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Yes
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Okay, well I am lost on most of the this. I trust ya’ll to tell me what to do and I will do my best to do it correctly. That’s all I can do at this point.
i will get you up to speed, it would be an honor!
I like the idea of adding poetry to the categories. Split science and nature up. Maybe ad a photography category. I like the idea of a moderation category, but not sure how that would work. I don’t like the idea of 20 views, but should go by the comments and likes. I know this might not work though. They have to moderate plagiarism, nudity, drugs, word count, and no telling what else. Just my two cents Doc.
i would give you more than 2 cents for that – you are noodling what I am noodling right now thanks!
Kim! I have been gone. Are you really back? I am so excited to see your name! How are the dogs? How are you? Where are the challenges? I am so excited I have goosebumps. Are you really here?
I am back Ghost! What a welcome, thank you so much. I just posted one of the dogs, and my new kitten!They are all doing fine, hope all is well over your way. 🙂
Q: WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE NEW CATEGORIES ON THE SITE?
Yes (6 votes) – 100%
Q: HOW ABOUT POETRY?
Yes (4 votes) – 100%
Q: WOMEN’S ISSUES
Yes (5 votes) – 100%
Q: SHORT STORIES
Yes (5 votes) – 100%
Q: WORKS OF FICTION?
Yes (5 votes) – 100%
Q: ADD THIS TO THE AUTHOR CONTENT COUNCIL AND IT IS A NEAT CONCEPT RIGHT?
Yes (5 votes) – 100%
How about a not published yet category, and put all of the unmoderated articles in there.
In that way, those that read it would sort of be doing a job for the moderators too.
If enough readers approve the article, it could then go straight on the site without moderation, at all.
We need to do something it seems to help the moderators moderate, otherwise, the site is dead right now.
I have waited another two weeks in vain, and still, my latest article is not yet moderated.
that is a great idea – so basically any article that gets say 20 views and 8 comments moves into the visible site.
those that don’t meet that bar are moderated by the admins?
that really resonates with me!!!
Yes, I was thinking of some type of number level too, 20 views and 8 comments, perhaps half of that would be enough, to know the article is worth going across automatically, especially in these lean times where views are hard to come by, and comments even harder.
i do like the idea. I would have to add one proviso though, the plagiarism check if an article is self-promoted and later fails that check, that author loses the right to publish for a time.
Yes, that check should be being run on all articles on the site, even those from verified writers.
it should be, it is not today. i find that very disappointing!
That is not a bad idea. I always thought we could use poetry, movies, and a specific history category. However, I am noticing that every time I post the views are getting less and it seems not everyone is interested in very much anymore.
part of that is the july vacation/august vacation period for many people. part of that is the lack of publication by the admin team.
Choices are always good for members here. Good job.
thanks – trying to keep things rolling along!
You are doing great, keep going.
i think i am upsetting the self-appointed royal, I got a wtf on the next post in this series!
That’s a great idea. I think the new categories would make this site more interesting.
it is originally Jaylar’s idea and a very good one I agree!
The idea is great but I don’t know how we’re going to make it happen.
it is such an easy fix for them they may do it.
i don’t know however, the silence is deafening right now.
Having other categories is a nice idea including having author review board on selecting the best articles in each category to be displayed on the landing page. Poetry and short story should be included. And Animals done away to include several categories such as pets.
Your friend’s suggestion is not bad since he’s doing an analysis but I don’t know if many will take it in good faith.
i can understand that – i stopped commenting on the 20 or 30 comments by me to one by that person. BUt you are right that is why i pushed back.
I actualy wish for things to be more narrow but then that would cause overlapping.
say, I would love to have “gaming”, “movies”…etc than just Entertainment
Or “recipes” rather than just food.
But that is just me :p
but they are so narrow today, what about changing the overall categories but still narrow?
hmm … I don’t think I get you … can you pls explain in more details?
I was just thinking that some categories can be sub-divided (narrower) while some can be combined. It will be even better if we can have the type of menu whereby we click on the broad one then it drops down the sub-categories inside …
i came to the same conclusion as you just took me longer.
big categories (writing, technology, animals, places)
for each sub categories
(technology –
AI/ML
computers
internet
and so on
is that what you mean?
Yes, Doc, that is what I mean!
i like that a lot- great suggestion!!!
The hashtags we use are also an easy gauge on certain categories to add.
that is interesting, but I don’t have access to the data needed to track that.
I don’t even think we have a political category which we do have authors that post political writings. Poetry definitely sounds good.
that’s a great idea…I like it
i agree, politics would be a good additional category!
yes politics could be a good category to add.
I write politics under ‘challenges’ or ‘culture’….not ideal
it is a good idea it breaks up the stuff somewhat
At least when I write fiction they’ll know
i would love to see computers, the internet, networks, so many categories.
but I do see alibis point of small –
what we have have top-level categories (say 10)
and you can select a subcategory from there.
That is brilliant! I support that.
will add that as an option in poll2
It makes perfect sense…