I’m not even sure what I should write. I’m kind of stuck.
The story is simple. A couple of days ago I launched a new home page for WebWord. It was a Faustian bargain. In exchange for a new home page I’m now dealing with the following problems:
- RSS feed is broken
- Commenting is broken
- Categories are broken (again)
- Content appears to be missing
I’m sure there are other problems too. Sadness prevails and the children are crying.
In any event, I just wanted to let you know that I am aware of the issues and I’ll do my best to get everything fixed. If you need to reach me simply post a comment here. Oh, wait, scratch that. Instead, throw me an email: johnATwebwordDOTcom.
* sigh *
I don’t fear change but I do avoid making updates to WebWord. I’ve probably made 4-5 major updates to WebWord since I launched back in August of 1998. The reason is that when I make changes to WebWord, I inevitably have technical problems. Let’s hope that the release of the new WebWord home page goes well.
I want to thank Jason Coleman of Stranger Studios. He turned my rough prototype into a sleek and simple work of art. The WebWord home page loads quickly because it is light and simple. I’m pretty sure it is accessible and standards compliant. Nice work, Jason!
Known issues with WebWord:
I’m sure there are other issues. If you find any issues or bugs on WebWord, please post a comment.
p.s. The next issue of WebWord Newsletter is coming soon. It’s been while, but it’s back. Be sure to subscribe!
Once upon a time, WebWord was a free and open web site, where people could post comments without being registered. That stopped after two things happened. First, WebWord blew up. The content management system I was using (Movable Type) decided to implode. The database driving the site ate itself and I was left alone and out in the cold. The Six Apart folks were nice, and even looked into the problem, but there was nothing they could do for me. Without a database, you ain’t got no web site!
The second problem was that WebWord was getting tons of blog spam. I didn’t have the time to prevent the problem, and didn’t even know if there was a solution. However, posting after posting filled up with blog spam. Everyone was angry about it but I couldn’t stop it. The advice was to set up a registration system.
So, after several months of letting WebWord wallow, I picked things up again and kick started WebWord. This time, I used PostNuke. And this time, I set things up so that if you wanted to comment, you would have to register.
I thought this was a great idea because I wasn’t getting any blog spam. However, the level of commenting on my postings dropped to almost nothing. Registration is such a hassle. Is it really worth it? For almost all WebWord readers, the answer seems to be NO. It isn’t worth the hassle.
In light of this, I recently decided to open up WebWord again. Any user can comment now. Just click on the comment link at the end of any posting and tell us what you think. It is easy enough.
I hope everyone likes this change. More BIG changes and announcements are coming soon…
So, how did WebWord do in March? We’re back! I’m happy to say that in March, despite numerous setbacks, we had 4511 visitors, making 7420 visits, generating 42281 page views, sucking down around 550 MB of data. About 74% of users stayed less than 30 seconds, but about 7% stayed 5 minutes to 30 minutes, and about 3% stayed more than an hour. All in all, not a bad return, especially when you realize that the site wasn’t up the entire month.
Thanks again for being here! Please register to comment and participate in the polls!
I have my old list of subscribers to WebWord. These are the folks that were getting my newsletter, which was 100% opt in. I would very much like to tell people that WebWord is back up, and alive. First, is there any real issue with sending off a message? Ethical, legal, or otherwise? Second, assuming that I am going to send off a message, how can I do it effectively? Free and paid alternatives would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Here is your chance, folks! Provide me with a list of things you can’t stand about WebWord, PostNuke, the fonts, the layout, and so forth. I’ve been generating my own list of things to fix, but I want you r advice. I’ll do what I can to make this a better site for all. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Post your comments!
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