Once upon a time I found the Harlequin blogs a fun place to come, read the posts, make the occasional comment, and get support from people I have never met in person, but have come to be as close to as those I know in my personal life.
The Harlequin site even gave me the opportunity to meet people who live in my personal backyard(so to speak), that I would never have met otherwise. These people I do consider friends, and look forward to when we have our lunches/dinners/booksignings/whatevers! We plan for just a couple of hours, and before we know it the day is gone, but the fun is continuing.
Now, I come to the blogs, and have difficulty finding people who last year I looked forward to reading, much like a child anticipating a new puppy for Christmas. My spirit for the challenge is long gone. I now just feel blah about participating.
It saddens me that when I do think there are people who are my "friends" and I haven't read their blogs in a bit to see comments that are degrading be they nasty comments that someone didn't leave a review(as has happened to me in regards to my audio reviews), a religious, or perhaps a political comment that has nothing to do with the context of the review.
I wrote a blog entry and was "spoken" to because people thought it was rude, and since I didn't intend it to be rude, and even said so in that post I took it down, so as not to continue to offend people, but I guess that as things grow and expand not everything or eveyone can be montiored, and therefore rudeness is considered the norm.
I'm sure this entry will again get me spoken to, but I felt the need to speak my mind, and hope that some people see it, and comment. If it forces me to leave the challenge either forcibly or volunitarily I hope my teammates and others who might have enjoyed my reviews and blog entries understand.
Sandi
Outside of a dog a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. Groucho Marx
Re: Once upon a time
Hey Sandi,
I haven't been posting much lately due to business in my own life, and I find the new blogs, while great in a lot of ways, a little harder to keep track of the way I did last year, when I could visit once a week when I was busy and scan the whole blog of one of my friends. It's a little harder to build mini-communities without seeing a list of the blogs and team blogs (even though I wasn't on a team, it was fun to see the members supporting each other).
But I have always enjoyed your reviews. I think I know which post you were talking about being "spoken" to about and I was one of those people who spoke to you...I remember you clarifying about not intending to be mean, and I believed you. Sometimes it's hard to tell online, when you don't have a person's facial expressions or tone of voice.
So I just want to apologize if that was the start of your low feelings about the community here. I'm not up on current events here at eHarl but I really appreciate you making this post. It's good to be reminded that we're meant to (I feel) be supportive of one another and not to jump to conclusions (in my case) or rudeness.
Lady A,
Again i'm not trying to point out any one person.
I felt that you handled your concerns with me politely, as did the official people who sent me private emails. I do however feel that not everyone is moderated, or if they are it's only on occasion, and they're laughing off not only official concerns, but maybe private ones too.
Sandi
The Born Readers
Outside of a dog a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. Groucho Marx
Ah, Sandi ....
I think I remember your post and I'm not sure if I commented or not, probably not 'cus I sometimes like to put my foot in my mouth and that can be uncomfortable! LOL .... though I remember laughing and loving your sense of humour
unfortunately, we are dealing with "written" words, and we don't get to "see" the expressions or "hear" the tone behind the words ..... sure wish the smilies were less of a pain to access or we could type them like on the old site .. they are great tools for toning down a sentence that could be taken the wrong way
there have been only a few "comments" made by some that I've found not quite right ... but then I don't read everything so I'm sure I'm missing some ... I generally just read past them ... I'm really trying not to get my foot in my mouth ... though sometimes my fingers get away from me and I just type and type and type and type LOL .... and then sometimes I live to regret it .... ah, and then life is suddenly much more colourful! LOL ... though I don't think I've ever been mean or nasty in anything I've commented on, perhaps just "strong" ..... sigh, yes, wish the smilies could be typed .... I'd put a wink in there so you know that I'm laughing at myself ..
... clicking on the smilies to have a box open to then have to find the one I want 'cus they look the same, and then click again ... only to repeat the process if I want more than one smilie ... sigh .... can't be bothered as I type, I'm a typist not a mouse clicker .. sigh (my mini rant LOL)
I think Jayne was mentioning on one of the posts that they are working on some sort of "central" blog page or listing ..... if so, that may make things easier for you ....
I don't have alot of free time, so I'm actually finding this format better for me ..... I have a routine of checking the "Most Recent Blog Entries" via the "Blogs" homepage to see what everyone is talking about (favouriting the discussions I want to follow or have commented on) .. and then checking the "Book Challenge" .... of course, checking "My Favourites" for the forum discussions I like to follow to see if there are any new entries ... and then I use the "Tags" to check the teams .... as I'm here a few times throughout the day, I check the "Recent Posts" too to see what I missed ... and if I haven't seen a member in awhile, I'll look them up on my "Friends list" to see what they're up to
for me it's a routine .... as I do have the opportunity to come in here fairly often (laptop at home which is always on and near me, and computer at the office) ... my only real beef is the pain it is to access forum discussions ... far tooo much clicking involved and I don't have time
Sandi, I really don't think that "rudeness is the norm" here ..... out of all the forums I've participated in, this is one of the most accepting and friendly .... I rarely have time to participate on any other "reader" site, so this ones home to me ... but as in any home, sometimes we have off days and it may show from time to time
and you're right .. the site is huge and it's hard to have every single comment moderated ... so I think when we read something that isn't right, we need to email one of the hosties to draw it to their attention and let them decide what needs to be done if anything ... I've only done that once myself, and that was last year .... and yes, there have been comments made this year, that I perhaps could have emailed on, but I didn't as I was sure others would, and those comments that I noticed were dealt with in the thread .... as I said I may have missed the ones you are thinking of
okay .... I just previewed this and I've written a book it seems ... so I'll say quickly now .... please hang around, though I don't comment often on reviews, I do try to read as many as I can ... and I've always tried to read yours .... so I'd miss them
~~ KatherineT ~~ I'm a Harlequin Addict, and I'm proud of it!
~~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Book Challenge Blog
msrb
I am pretty new so I don't know much about past events/controversies. I do know that everyone has been very helpful and supportive to me here.
I hope you decide to stay with eHarlequin. I would like to believe we all have the best motives no matter what blog/comments we post. Despite my age I am a little naive, sometimes.
Angel
"I can fix a bad page, but I can't fix a blank one." Nora Roberts
www.angelinabarbin.blogspot.com
Re: Once upon a time
Sandi: Thanks for replying...I didn't think your post was specifically about me (that would be pretty arrogant of me!) but I wanted to make sure you knew I was sorry for jumping to conclusions in the past. In addition, I should have privately emailed you with my concern rather than posting it in public, so I apologize for that.
A double standard in moderation must be frustrating and I'm not sure how I'd deal with that either...Katherine's suggestion (about emailing the hosties) is probably best...so I'll just second everything she said
<--especially that it takes too long to add smileys!
(Thanks too to Katherine for the tips about how you stay up to date on the blogs here. I haven't been around enough this year to build my own routine, so I will gladly "borrow" yours!)
Changes
Hi Sandi,
Don't be discouraged, things take time to adjust to with any change, and there's still plenty of time to change the set up and evolve the blogs and boards to reflect changes that you'd like to see. One of those that will be implemented most likely by June/July is that central list of bloggers you would like to see. That should help turn your experience around for the better.
We're a tad short staffed and the site has varying priorities regarding digital strategy, and by the site I mean the WHOLE site of which community is just a part. We're actually working on what we refer to as a nip/tuck to be implemented on the main site and things we'd like to see here in Community have had to take a back seat for a bit. Ebb and Flow, give and take but we'll get there.
As to the double standard in moderation I'm not sure I agree that this exists. We have 8 hosts who moderate the boards and I would say that although we're dealing with 8 different personalities they each read and respond to the messaging in our community with an extremely high level of professionalism and maintain the standards and guidelines for participation equitably. When issues and problems arise, they consult me if they feel they need to, but always advise me so that I am aware of potential problems. A lot of times problems stem from the nature of online communication and misinterpretation, as Sadhbh mentioned...we miss those physical cues like facial expression etc. And sometimes we discover that problems just go away once we start talking them through.
So here's the thing. We're going to get that master list up soon which solves only part of your problem. I'm concerned when you say you aren't happy here. Can you please email me so that we can take this offline and discuss privately?
Jayne
Community Manager
"We cannot really love anybody with whom we never laugh"—Agnes Repplier
Hi Sandi,First, sorry
Hi Sandi,
First, sorry that you're frustrated, but trust me, after a minimum of eight years on here (5 or so as a regular member) I well understand how that can happen.
Second, as you may recall from of our previous discussions, if people email and point out to us that a post is offending them, and we feel that it is warranted, we will speak to the author.
However, we respect your right to your opinion, even when we disagree with it, so we wouldn't force you to leave just because you speak your mind. (We may edit or delete your post if it's particularily inflamatory but you wouldn't get booted for it, not unless you ignore numerous warnings.)
I want you to know though, that there is no double standard.
It is quite possible that a post or two has been unintentionally overlooked. This happens for a few reasons.
First and foremost as you've noted, the community has grown considerably in recent months, and along with the improvements we're working on, we're still feeling our way as to how much space each host can reasonably cover within the expansion. We do have lives outside of here.
We're also trusting everyone to act like responsible, respectful grown ups. This has always been a site where people are free to express themselves however they like as long as they stay within those (and the pg13) guidelines.
Also, we've all stated, on many occasions, that words can be easily misunderstood without facial expressions or tone of voice, etc. so every post needs to be read with more than one pair of eyes. (so to speak) Which is why we implemented the emoticons to start with. (For those who want to shortcut the emoticons you can type things like *grin*, j/k, *wink* etc.)
Remember, everyone is free to email one of us at any time and point out a post that they feel is questionable. In fact, we encourage you to do so. We would rather scold someone in a private setting than in public for everyone else to see.
We want our members to feel at home, and it is a testament to the fact that you do, since you obviously feel free enough to say what you think.
Add some SPICE to your life.
Sandi, I'm fairly new to eharlequin...
...and therefore still trying to navigate and find my groove here. However, I feel compelled to say that I haven't come across one blog or forum entry that I've considered to be blatantly rude or offensive. I think everyone has been very friendly and helpful. And I love the down-to-earth connection with authors as well as the readers. To me eharlequin has opened up a door that may not have been accessible to me otherwise. Where I live we have no writer's critique's or support groups - not even a local library reader's group. So, actually, I consider myself priviledged to participate on this site.
I'm not sure what your past issues have been, but I am sure, with patience and time, they can be remedied.
I appreciate the very diplomatic and thoughtful way that Jayne and Lorie have given you their replies. Also, from the other supplies I've read, everyone is ready to offer you support. Their concern alone should help to alleviate some of your distress.
Hope all goes well for you!
You know, I was thinking
You know, I was thinking when I was making supper (and yes, I did stop working long enough to feed my kids)
We typically do our "speaking to" off the boards so unless someone is going around asking everyone if they've been scolded, or others are gloating that they've gotten away with something, this is all supposition.
Even among us hosts, unless we send out an email advising one another of a potential problem then we don't discuss who has spoken to whom.
We could always devise a "naughty" list... and everyone we have to discuss a situation with would be put on this list and said list then could then be posted... otherwise there is no way for everyone to know who has been chastised and who hasn't.
And who'd like to be scolded on the boards and publibly humiliated? I know I don't appreciate it.
Add some SPICE to your life.
Just wanted to say....
I'm out of town, and my eyes are hurting from sitting by the pool making sure the kids didn't kill one another. I will read and respond to comments when I return home.
Thanks for being patient with me!
Sandi
The Born Readers
Outside of a dog a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. Groucho Marx
Hi Sandi!
I know what you mean about the difference in the sense of community this year as compared to last year. I've been much busier than usual this year so I had to sacrifice my blogging time. The changes haven't bothered me as much because I just didn't have the time. But I have missed the friends I made last year.
I was pleased to read about the proposed changes and I do hope you will stay to give them a try. I always enjoyed your blog and appreciated your visits to mine.
I'm a firm believer in the freedom of speech and here in this site, if it is within their guidelines and I don't like it - then I just don't read it.
Take care & know you have friends who appreciate you no matter what!
~ ElleJay - Team member of Novel Obsession
There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the pleasure is having lots to do and not doing it!
Using the tools
Sandi, I'm a little lost when you say you're having a hard time keeping tabs on your friends here in community. I see that you've added more than 60 people to your buddylist, but I wonder if you don't know how to use their profile pages to see updates on their blogs? You can see at a glance from there if they've posted anything. If you go to my profile page for example, you can read immediately the subject line for every blog post, comment and book review I create here in community...plenty of fodder to see what I've been up to and who I've been talking with. I know it's a different set up than the old community, but it's actually more efficient...IF you use it.
Jayne
Community Manager
"We cannot really love anybody with whom we never laugh"—Agnes Repplier
The tools...
I know everyone keeps talking about how easy the tools are to use. In some ways, they are easier. But on the old site, if I went to someone's site, I could look and see in the one view (not the blog view but the other view) anywhere there were new comments and I didn't have to scroll through tons of pages to find the comments. Perhaps there is a similar feature here and I'm missing it? There are things I like better on the new site (such as setting up the blog itself which was FAR easier than it was last year!) but this site is very time consuming to find some things and takes away a lot of my reading time if I really want to keep up with everyone I did last year.
The D2K Paranormal Junkies 2008 Challenge Blo
Debbie, we are working on a
Debbie, we are working on a central site for that, or at least I think we are... Jayne?
Add some SPICE to your life.
Sandi I hope you'll
Sandi I'll hope you'll stay with this. I agree it is a bit harder to keep up with everyone and there is more back and forth. I miss seeing all the comments at one time. When more than one person comments on a review I have to go back and forth sometimes to remember what I'm commenting on. I like the setup for the reviews themselves though and the automatic counter is great. I'm looking forward to the changes Jayne was talking about. Anyway hang in there I look forward to your reviews when I have time to get over and read them. I'm finding it hard to get to everyone I want to visit. There is just so much more on the site this year.
The D2K Paranormal Junkies ~ 2008 Book Challenge Blog
Re: Once upon a time
What Debi said is what I was referring to too...harder to scroll through and see new comments the way you could before. It's a little harder for me when I have to take a week here and there in between checking the site. Still, there are a lot of great things about the new site (love the tagging, and the RSS feeds), so I'm not at all putting down your hard work...looking forward to the new features!
Sandi: hope you & the kids are having a great trip!
various thoughts
I believe in freedom of speech but I do not want to see this site turn into certain other sites (Amazon, Dear Author to name just a few) where everything goes with no moderation. I have seen posts here that are offensive, obscene and out of line. I try to ignore them but I would not be happy at all to see some of the things I have seen other places posted on my blog. I do understand the moderators can't see everything and I certainly would be more comfortable if moderation is done off the public space but it is hard to see blatant rants and obscenties and over the top sexualk comments permitted and things that verge on harassment.
On the community....I also find it difficult to keep up with friends. It has nothing to do with the tools per se. There are many, many good things about the new platform but there are some drawbacks but every time I try to bring it up, someone tells me what to do or how to navigate (which I at least do not need so, though good-intentioned, it feels condesending to those know how to use the tools but noticed an issue before others maybe and who want to help and are not speaking out to criticize Harlequin but to try to help). Part is the huge massive size increase... imagine a town upping it's population 10 times in a year---there are going to be growing pains. I am finding it harder to keep up with my friends, particularly the ones who read other books/lines than I do sometimes...Sandi, Cady, Sadhbh, Christa...the list goes on. Part of it for me is this whole READ MORE bittons and never seeing a blog in toto. Last year many of us hated the teaser format but now everything we do is in teaser format. Last year I could scan an entire person's blog easily but now it is click here, go back to page, click again for something else. It's driving me nuts and takes more time. I got more of a feel for a person's individuality when I could look at the whole blog and every person's individual blog at once without all the clicking.
I just have to say, it is thoroughly depressing to write a blog and get NO comments. The whole pace is so fast that as soon as I post a blog, it's moved off the main page and is ignored. It's my choice to write long blogs...it is what I enjoy and I will be bored to death if I have to do short blogs all year. No one has to read what I write and if what I write is boring, it's my fault. On the other extreme, Sadhbh loves to read and I like the table of contents she made so I can go into the pages I can no longer see. I realize things have to be done for the better of everyone but maybe looking at the extremes of the bloggers may indicate the areas where things are going wrong?? I would like to see changes that keep the individuality of bloggers and also encourage blogs to be read.
AKA Merri
Family Challenge Team: The Spine Breakers with my dh Glenn AKA Phaedrus
Paisley, good post....
I liked what you had to say, and certainly see the sense in it. I do see what you mean about the posts being swallowed nearly as soon as you write them, because eharlequin is heavily populated.
I know, as a new user, it's hard for me to keep up with my blog entries and remarks, although it's probably the problem of this particular user (me) - LOL - and not Harlequin. Anyway, I hope no one feels that I favor certain friends above others because I answer one blog and yet lose track of another. It's just that I'm still learning to control my profile page.
I have been meeting some great friends here on eharlequin and don't want to offend any of them by skipping their blogs. But then again, once friends get to know me better here, they'll discover that I'm organizationally impaired (aka, scatterbrained), except in my research & writing, which I laborously keep separated into spheres all their own (a necessity, believe me).
Hopefully, I'll be somewhat excused for my fluctuating blogs and posts!
Merri, I agree, I'm having
Merri, I agree, I'm having all the same troubles. I would love love love to be able to browse a single person's blog with all the posts laid out (no teasers), as you suggest. Fingers crossed, maybe this will be one of the changes Jayne has mentioned...
my turn
A lot of the comments I'm seeing here are being said in a way that more succintly speaks to some of my concerns. Yes, I put a lot of people on my friend list, but that's so I can remember which blogs I like to read. I liked it last year, and hopefully this year if we got a list of everyone, that I could scan down and see oh...look I need to check out...
It just seems that the way it's done this year I have to click here, there and everywhere to get to things I could access in what seemed to me to be an easier way last year. Maybe I just don't understand the changes, as I am technically challenged, and even when people explain things to me I'm like HUH? I need someone to be phsyically next to me, and watch as I navigate whatever it is I'm trying to learn...but that's me. Everyone learns differently.
So I suppose what I'm learning by reading the comments is that it's a learning curve for everyone. Yes, moderation should be done off the boards as to not embarrass anyone, and I suppose that not everyone is going to react the same way to "being scolded". Perhaps if a blogger were to find a post degrading or offensive in anyway they could ask a host to remove it. I remember last year we had a delete key to use to edit our own blogs, and when someone attacked Cady for her reading choices I was just able to delete it without having to involve moderators or hosts. Maybe in all the tweaking we need that option brought back?
I don't know the answers, but I'm appreciative of the fact I got to speak my mind, and bring things I've been keeping in out to the forefront. It's nice to know that hosts/moderators are aware and supportive. It's also nice to know that others share my concerns.
Thank you.
Sandi
The Born Readers
Outside of a dog a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. Groucho Marx
Tips and Tricks ....
Hi Sandi .... when the site openned I did up a blog about getting around the site .. My "tips and tricks" on how to maneuver in the new eHarl Community .... I need to go and update it abit, but it may help you .... just use the links I've put in the blog and see where it takes you ... it's almost like having someone sitting beside you showing you where things are
hope this helps
~~ KatherineT ~~ I'm a Harlequin Addict, and I'm proud of it!
~~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Book Challenge Blog
Sandi ~ We're always just
Sandi ~ We're always just an email away, and definitely, if someone sees something that offends them they should give us a heads up. to We'd prefer a warning to stepping on a hornets nest. It's also always possible that we may have read it differently or (been half asleep at the time).
Also, there are the tire kicking threads still up, use them, it's what they're there for.
The one thing I am going to say about the proposed changes/glitches is to ask patience. Contrary to the misconception, big forums/sites like these are not fast fix. Even for a tiny change the techs/designers have to triple check every line of code, on every single page/link/database, etc. Then it all has to be uploaded and beta tested, then pulled down and stuff has to be fixed, then it starts all over again. If we put an unstable site up it wouldn't be any better.
Add some SPICE to your life.
Hosts to the rescue
Hey Merri, the hosties prominently post their email addresses on the boards so that we can all be contacted and made aware if there is something posted in breach of accepted community guidelines and etiquette. I'm also not very far behind if something needs attention. It's quite unusual that something blatant as you've described will go unchecked, we don't allow harassment on the blogs or boards.
Why don't you email me offline and I can take a look.
Jayne
Community Manager
"We cannot really love anybody with whom we never laugh"—Agnes Repplier
Hey Sandi - I understand and sympathise with your time and
motion concerns - but I'm hopeful they'll be dealt with very soon. We tend to forget that this new community is still very "young" and that the last update of the old community had complaints for the first year. It takes time and effort to keep twenty-something thousand members happy, but I know that Jayne is making her list and that the techies will get to it when they can. In the meantime all our suggestions are good, and I've always been a believer in speaking my mind
You might not have noticed that Jayne paid a visit to my blog when I was discussing the Christian imprints because discussions of religion are always potentially difficult, but I think it's a positive thing to have hosties drop in
I use the friends option or just click on a blogger's name to get to their home page and then click on "more" to see all of their blogs and comment or on the Team tag to see a whole team's blogs and then I use the Recent comments to pick up on those I've missed
I personally find it less Sadhbh-friendly than the old site because I'm not very technically minded on my downtime, but I'm coping and while I visit less than I did before, I try not to worry about the discussions I'm missing and just concentrate on what I am not missing. Katherine's blogs are great but I haven't been able to make them all work for me, if and when I do I'll send her the "Katherine's tips for dummies like Sadhbh" versions, they'll have the soup to nuts directions
Merri - I hear you on it being discouraging that there are relatively few comments and discussions on some books that I would have liked to discuss, and I'm aware that I'm probably the blogger who has that problem the least because everybody visits my blogs and I probably have the most comments of any blogger, so if I feel that way I can REALLY understand the rest of you. There are times when I feel like commenting on my own blogs myself just to get the discussion going
, so maybe we could just pay particular attention to each other's blogs for a couple of weeks and try to get some discussions up and running to recreate this sense of community we're all missing so badly
Both Merri and Sandi should have my email so feel free to let me know if there are comments you want made on specific blogs/book reviews to set the ball rolling
Getting tired of this qwerty keyboard and the boys are screaming for their breakfast so maybe I'd better take this visit downstairs to the other computer instead of lying back at ease in bed with this iPod
Hugs
Sadhbh
May's Member of the Month
Dream Team 2008 Challenge blogs
Interesting comments.
Interesting comments. Sandi, I agree, I haven't been reading as many other blogs as there are so many. I am sure I am missing some great books. I haven't been getting a lot of comments in my blogs, so I am really trying to comment in other peoples's as I imagine that is the best way to get people to look at mine, but as we all know time is limited and it is hard when there are so many blogs. As one of your team members, I hope you stick with the site, as I would miss you.
Cady
TBR--The Born Readers
Me too...
Cady, I've been trying my darnedest to comment on my friend's blogs. It's hard to keep up, although I'm having fun trying. Anyway, you're right - commenting on other's blogs certainly garners attention to your own - a type of mutual reciprocation process.
WOW!
Insightful site reading today, a little longer than I normally spend reading a blog entry, but am so very glad I did. So many wonderful comments and so very many issues that I thought were just me. Since this is only my second year here and this is my first ever foray into blogging, I chalked it up to the learning curve. When I don't like something or feel uncomfortable with it, I tend to ignore it....I can make the choice to read or not to read. I know there are some people who blog and I just don't ever read their comments, but then there are others whose comments I alsways read (if I can find them).
I didn't know how to get more from individual's profile sites, so I am more than grateful for that. I know it is also hard when you feel like you are being talked down to on techie issues, but I try to remember that most techies are actually trained to take us back to "kidergarten"
when dealing with lowly humans
. I used to take more offense to that until I made my 79 year old father make his own tech call and listen to his frustration. So, Merri, I am with you on that, but have learn through the years to just ignore the kinder comments and wait for the college (well usually in my case high school) knowledge to come through. In the end things do get working again....
As for the review comments, I agree, I love having comments on my reviews to look at. Maybe an angle I missed or another reading suggestion. AND now that I have been informed where to look, I will spend less time on recent posts and start directly with my "friends" postings.
And now I guess I had better get a bit caught up on my own reviews as I am 10 books behind......Happy Reading Everyone!!!
Bonsal
Thoughts on initiating blog discussions, plus ...
Sadhbh, you know there is merit there .... if after a day or so no one has made a comment on your entry, I see absolutely no reason why you can't make you're own comment ... when you add a comment it pulls the entry to the top of the "recent posts" list .... and if you click on "edit" for your comment and then "submit" it again, the system marks this as new and send it back to the top of the list ... on some forums people call this "bumping" a post up where others can see it
I'll look forward to that
.....the "Most Recent Blogs" that you access through the Blog page is to me the most valuable tool ... this gives only the blog entries ... so this way I don't miss those conversations that are initiated by a Member
in honesty, with the exception of the forums (the problems of which I've discussed in Suggestions) I actually find the new format more "visible" ... yes, there is more clicking involved, but on the old site we had to click to open up a bloggers blog, then to open their entry to read comments ... it was cumbersome as well, unless you actually bookmarked everyone you liked to read, well that's the same as making them your friend here and then reading their "most recent entries" ... but you know if you click on a persons "most recent entries" and then bookmark that page to your web browser you can access that page directly that way without going through their profile page every time .... same with the teams if you bookmark their "tag result" page into your web browser
my computer experience started with DOS and word processing programs like Wordstar ... you had to "type" the commands to make bold, italics, etc when creating your content .. and to move around you had to type in the "path" to get where you wanted to go ... so for me, the biggest learning curve here has been the fact that I now have to either stop typing to use my mouse to edit on the fly or after I've typed my say go back and do the formating ... so I rarely bold, or use italics .. and I rarely put in smilies .... I have "brain" problems that stopping my typing to use a mouse is enough of a distraction for me to lose my train of thought, as I type as fast as I can speak .... but I've learned to accept this because I love the eHarl Community and I am unique with my medical problems ... some things we just have no choice over
~~ KatherineT ~~ I'm a Harlequin Addict, and I'm proud of it!
~~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Book Challenge Blog
On suggestions given ....
Merri, I certainly hope I have not come across as condescending when I point out the various ways to access things .... if I have, please accept my apologies
Bonsal, yes this is true .... I used to write training manuals for supervisors and cashiers in our very busy retail market ... back in the 80's we were one of the first independant markets to go computerised at the cash ... so I wrote "Dick and Jane" manuals for the cashiers on the new machines and for the supervisors on how to update the software .... so I tend to provide the step-by-step process on how to get somewhere ... I find it easier doing it up front than have to come back to elaborate .... and yes, I get so frustrated with telephone techs that insist I go through all the basics I already know how to do and have over-ruled ...
when the new format was introduced I absolutely hated it .... on the Beta site I ranted in frustration ... most of the critical issues were corrected ...so I can certainly understand why us "oldies" from the old format are having trouble ... the newbies who haven't been a part of eHarl before 2008, are going to keep an open mind and explore ... that's what all new people do when they go somewhere they've never been before ... so I learnt to approach the new format that way, that this was a brand new place and I had some great exploring to do ....and the more I moved around here the more I found the ways that work for me ... I know not everyone has the patience for that, and I'm sad, because this site is a tremendous resource and a thoroughly awesome community ... it's always been my own personal opinion that if something is worth while I'll keep at it, if not I've got more than enough other things to do with my time
As Lorie mentioned above, there is a Tire Kicking Forum for tech issues ... so when something you've noticed is wrong the threads are a great place to draw it to the Hosties' attention instead of being lost in the blogs ... also it will let Hosties and other Members know what has already been suggested so that suggestions aren't constantly repeated as seems to be the case when replied to in the blogs ... and as Members, I highly recommend we all check the Tire Kicking discussions to keep up with the site problems and maybe to give our own input on problems we have noticed ... the more input we provide in a central location, in my opinion, the better for the Jayne and the Hosties and techs to help us ...
sorry for the length of this ... I see I've rambled on again :(
~~ KatherineT ~~ I'm a Harlequin Addict, and I'm proud of it!
~~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Book Challenge Blog