META - Board Apathy
Anyone else very surprised that no one seems to have cared enough to make a board post pointing out that Brian didn't turn the comments on for the most recent main page post?
I want my money back
Apathy is an apt description for how I now feel about MGoBlog.
Lately, I’ve been visiting MGoBlog significantly less often than I’d been during the days of MGoBlog 2.0.
I've been visiting here mainly to see whether bugs have been eliminated. While I wait for those problems to be solved, I’ve discovered other Michigan-related websites that offer as much, if not more, information about Michigan Wolverines sports than I’m getting now from MGoBlog.
My main “bug” now is that the site’s moderators have yet to post a “sticky” on the board that’s labeled “Priority for Fixes” or something like that, so that posters (especially some of those long-time posters who might’ve been driven away from posting comments or viewing the site due to the disastrous launch of MGoBlog 3.0), could determine (a) what the moderators and website designers consider to be the most important problems to be solved, and (b) how long they expect it will take before the problems are remedied.
SUGGESTIONS
Make a “sticky” post that would be something like a punch list that a homeowner would give to a builder when there’s more work to be done on a project.
Make another “sticky” post that would be something like a “how-to” list of ways to do things that seemed so easy on MGoBlog 2.0, but that are either harder or impossible to do on MGoBlog 3.0.
Make a “sticky” post that includes links to other Michigan-related websites. I’ve made a post that could get you started on it.
New site is just harder on the eyes. Too much white space, especially in the comment threads.
Also, what's the deal with the "tiled" posts at the top of the site? If they aren't going to auto-update, get rid of them. I liked the previous format (main page just lists all front-page posts up to the "jump"). And I could live with a front page that was just all tiled headlines (even though I read often enough that I don't usually need to go past the first link).
But this weird hybrid thing where you have 4 week old posts at the top you have to scroll past to get to the newest content? Very weird and annoying.
I'd like the tiles a lot better if they included the most recent post. Instead I have to scroll down to find out if the site has been updated.
Sure, there are other ways to find out if the site has been updated, but I don't use them and it should be obvious when you go to the site.
#mgoblogsowhite
My complaints are mostly wrt visual design, but I'm finicky about such things.
If the site stays up instead of going straight 404 during games, it will be a worthwhile sacrifice.
No one cares.
Till football season.
When the post went up, I naively assumed it would be fixed quickly so I didn't say anything; later I posted it to the bug thread. I think other people did too.
What used to be simple is now complex. That is not a good thing.
While it is true the voting is not that big of a deal, it is something the board has clearly let known they want. When the old site stopped the voting and hid the points, the torches and pitchforks came out. Brian and Co. quickly returned that feature. They know it is something the board wants. It should have been one of the minor priorities in the new site. While the content is free, site visitors are still your customers with ads, mgo donations and mgo purchases. You need to give them what they want. There is no doubt people want voting, and it should have been included in the initial roll-out.
Maybe I'm wrong, and maybe this is more a reflection of the dog days, but it seems as if there hasn't been as much user-engagement on the board since the big change. Am I wrong? Or have people been put off by the new format? Admittedly, I find it less user-friendly, and therefore don't engage as much.
Somehow they've actually made it more difficult to follow long conversations in the comments. Just look at the first page of this post for an example of how awful it is.
Should have just paid for Disqus.
Definitely. It has seemed like a ghost town at times. I'd take ridiculous "OT:" stuff just to have some more action.
The new site blows especially on mobile. There's so much fucking white space and its hard to read the comments in a way that flows nicely and feels like a conversation. Hard to get to the board too. They should have chosen something other than the yahoo.com design template. It's so basic.
I also feel like each individual comment takes up so much space. Rather than putting MGoPoints and join date under the avatar, now they're just extra lines that take up even more space in each comment.
I appreciate how much work goes into a site launch so I'm waiting to see what this thing is at the end of summer. Guessing this is the development team's first message board based on some of the pain points.
We're in the valley of despair. Know that it's real and expected. Give it some time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV54-3qcWy0
I appreciate all the hard work that went into the new site. That said, I am not enamored with it. It seems somewhat sterile to me. Confusing. Less user friendly. I may post less frequently on user generated content. The board is less accessible.
The main draw for me though, has always been Brian, Ace, Seth and the gangs unique style and viewpoints as well as their in-depth analysis. Therefore my presence here, at least on the mainpage, will continue unabated as I strive to assimilate.
I like the white space. It's very google-esque
I've been a member for years, yet I don't post much. But I used to visit the site numerous times during the day to see if anything exciting MGo-ish is happening. Not so much anymore. To my way of thinking, the new layout does not lend itself to easy browsing through messages and threads. I'm not a big loss to Brian and the crew. But that's just my "one-fiftieth of a dollar" view re the changes. (FWIW, the changes a year or so ago to TTB caused me to stop viewing there also.)
Overall, I like the redesign, but it initially felt like the blog was wearing uniformz. I think it's similar to other sites I visit, though, minus the Comments section. With a few bug fixes and improvements, I'm sure I'll get used to it.
I went from checking the board 3-4 times a day to every other day after the updates.
Too many clicks to get there on mobile and too much white space diminished my enjoyment.
I've already been told that I and my diaries don't matter so I'm just going with the flow and working on homework, etc. while I wait for next season.
Good luck CFB risk players or whatever. Do the thing.
Don’t take offense - it’s not that a good diary isn’t a great contribution to the site. The hard work and writing that go into these are appreciated. But the ratio of new message board threads to new diaries is incredibly lopsided. That’s why people want to see more message board topics than diaries. It’s all about how easy it is to FIND and ACCESS new content across the site. With all respect - keep writing good diaries and they will continue to be appreciated for what they are.
It does seem quieter around here. But, it is the middle of June and there isn’t much ‘real’ news. I’m sure people will learn to deal with the changes once football season ramps up.
The board apathy does not appear to be affected by posts discussing the board apathy. 100+ posts for this thread.
More than likely the problem is stemming from the off season more than anything.
Can't start a board post on the new website from my phone, as far as I can tell. Not that I would have anyway, because I hardly come here anymore, since they made the switch.
The new format is cluttered and unhelpful. Mlive just went to the same thing. Its horrible.
how many people don't know how to clean out their cookies and are still seeing the geocities website?