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Something Different
My first try at posting a blog entry with the new interface.
*crosses fingers*
I've been thinking for a while now that this place is heading in a different direction from where I had hoped it would go. Which is fine, it's not my place. And I'm not planning to yell "TPM SUX!!!" at the top of my lungs and stomp away forever (good thing for Josh, as I'm sure the loss of my occasional random comments would devastate the TPM empire :-)
But I do think to myself that this isn't what I had in mind. And there seems to be a group of people here who also had something different in mind. Many of us spent a lot of time around the Cafe Management table doing the meta thing back in the day.
So the thought occurs to me... maybe some of us should get together and do our own blog thing?
Easier said than done of course. But I just thought I'd throw the idea out there.
Comments (13)
You might want to check out this thread.
February 6, 2008 6:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
The thought was thrown out there earlier today. By me. (Trouble-makers, we are...)
I wouldn't want to abandon TPMCafe, but I don't want to lose touch with any of the fine bloggy people who usually post here, either.
February 6, 2008 6:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't understand what it is that you don't like about the new format. Would you care to explain?
Just curious.
February 6, 2008 7:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
For me, it's not just format, but editorial decisions and whatnot, that have made this a different place from what it was initially.
The post Eric links to above does a pretty good job of describing what irks me about the new format, though.
It's not necessarily bad, just not what I'm looking for.
February 6, 2008 7:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Check out the other thread...
February 6, 2008 8:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks, Eric and cscs. I'll direct my comments over there.
February 6, 2008 7:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually I had read through the other thread before asking.
I am admittedly a bit dense, but the complaints I understood were that it was difficult to track one's posts and comments, so as to check back into the conversation and the original post seemed to lament to increase in posting.
Perhaps I misunderstand.
You all do know that if you click on the "your profile link" you will find a complete list of your posts and comments, with links with which to check back into the thread, don't you?
February 6, 2008 9:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just so you know, the stated system as it is meant to be is not very functional at all at present. You might think it's working for you because you aren't experiencing problems doing what you want to do, but I assure you you are not getting the audience you think.
The profile links are not working for many people, see the most recent Bugs thread. Also, even for those who can access them, if they have been long time members, they have not gotten recent comments lists since the switchover, what shows when they can get it, is some of our oldest comments, from like 2005. Seems to be no rush to fix that, so few have even been able to check out whether it will help them navigate like they want to or not.
For an up close and personal example, when I clicked on your name, I didn't get your user page or a list of your posts and comments, I got an error message. When I click on "Your Profile" (my own) I get the same error message.
You should also realize that the increase in posting is not really a benefit to anyone without the Recommend function working, and it's not. So far all your writing efforts scroll off the single page where most people would see it in under a day (and it's difficult I imagine for many to find even that single page.) Few are going to click on something at the bottom of that page that says its an "archive" of a whole week, though they might if it was instead if it was something like "next 10 posts."
It all looks like there's lots of work to go to get it to work even like it's supposed to.
February 6, 2008 10:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
nascar, I answered you on this topic in response to your recent comment on Tom Wright's old thread.
February 6, 2008 10:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
nascardaughter, fwiw if you see this I posted a reply to your comment on Tom's "Congress Matters" thread, way down now in the queue from, I don't know, a day or two ago.
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/02/congress-matters.php
February 6, 2008 11:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Checked out Eric Stepp's offer and
he has a beautiful new empty forum all set up with lots of nice discussion categories ready to go and one can start one's own categories as well. It has lovely time-tested software with a text editor that works, no bugs that I can see, fast posting, instant gratification. You register right on the site, no email rigamarole involved, takes seconds. Emma Zahn and I have now posted there. I have much experience using that software in the past, and I found it is very easy and intuitive for most people to learn to navigate.
Home page here
if that link doesn't work (they don't seem to be working here all of a sudden) here's the url
http://projectlucidity.com/forum/index.php
and I just started a discussion there that I would love to have input on here.
If that link doesn't work here's the url
http://projectlucidity.com/forum/index.php?topic=10.0
February 7, 2008 2:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
P.S. nasccar: it has an member messaging system, too, I remember you asked about that on a thread or in a blog post.
February 7, 2008 2:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks, everyone, for pointing out your replies on other threads, and for the pointer to Eric's forum and stuff.
I'm a little lost around here...
February 7, 2008 2:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
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