Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

If you can’t control your emotions, someone else will.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Let me file that under fuck it.

Not rolling over. fuck you, make me.

Not loving this new fraud based economy.

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

How any woman could possibly vote for this smug smarmy piece of misogynistic crap is beyond understanding.

So many bastards, so little time.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

They punch you in the face and then start crying because their fist hurts.

You are here: Home / z-Retired Categories / Previous Site Maintenance / Site Re-Design

Site Re-Design

by | 164 Comments

This post is in: 

Alright, I’ve gone through the other thread from the other day, and it seems like the main thing most of you want is for the comment preview, the comment buttons, and the comment editing function, as well as a generic phone application. Some of you mentioned the ability to troll rate comments, but I’d personally rather shower in prison than have rated comments or nested comments, so that is simply not happening.

Now that that is settled, on to the look. Do you all want to keep the column on each side? Or move to a different look. I really don’t care because I spend most of the time looking at the site through the WordPress Dashboard- that is why I hardly ever know what you are complaining about regarding the ads, because I never see them. If there is a format you really like or would make the site better, speak now. I’ve already paid the designer so I’d like to get this done this week.

Reader Interactions

164Comments

  1. 1.

    beltane

    The current ad on the left-hand column shows a chihuahua dog with a barbecue fork stuck in his head: I am trying to avoid it. I like the way the comments are formatted here; much better than haloscan or disqus.

  2. 2.

    phonyname

    I think it looks great as is.

    I let the others comment on the tech stuff.

    longtime lurker

  3. 3.

    cleek

    IMO, the look is fine. wouldn’t change a thing.

    one really cool feature i’ve seen on some boards is an auto-block-quote button, where if you have selected some text on the page and press the button, a bit of javascript will grab the selected text, stuff it in a blockquote tag and insert it into your comment edit box.

  5. 5.

    Brian Griffin

    hmm. works on my phone (palm) just fine. and it’s fairly clean and simple. don’t change too much!

  7. 7.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    but I’d personally rather shower in prison than have rated comments or nested comments, so that is simply not happening.

    So does that mean you don’t want rated or nested comments? Because I don’t either.

  8. 8.

    Tom

    Thanks, boss. I hate rated comments and nested comments too. I sincerely hope that doesn’t require showering in prison. The comment preview and editing stuff, yeah. All the rest, meh.

  9. 9.

    SGEW

    I’d personally rather shower in prison than have rated comments or nested comments . . .

    It’s not so bad, really. Comment rating is worse.

  12. 12.

    ninerdave

    @cleek:

    one really cool feature i’ve seen on some boards is an auto-block-quote button, where if you have selected some text on the page and press the button, a bit of javascript will grab the selected text, stuff it in a blockquote tag and insert it into your comment edit box.

    +1

    Some of you mentioned the ability to troll rate comments, but I’d personally rather shower in prison than have rated comments or nested comments, so that is simply not happening.

    Good to hear, that would ruin the site.

    I’d like to see the ability to embed pictures, but I can see that getting way out of hand in a long thread.

  13. 13.

    JK

    Please, please, please bring back the formatting buttons that allow you to boldface, italicize, block quote, and underline text with a simple click.

  14. 14.

    Mike S

    I understand not wanting ratings, but why not nesting? It’s far easier to understand responses when you can see the original comment without searching for it. Especially in 100+ comment threads.

  16. 16.

    Warren Terra

    @ beltane, #1
    Yup, that disquieting image of the poor damn impaled Chihuahua is a strong candidate to be the new Pam ad. Though I didn’t see it just now.

  17. 17.

    gnomedad

    Overall design is fine. Auto-block-quote would rock. Non-cranky blockquote would rock even more. Getting rid of moderation for words like socialmalism would also be appreciated.

  18. 18.

    PeakVT

    Format is fine. Extending the recent posts and comments list to 10 items would be nice. And non-bolded blockquotes.

  19. 19.

    Demo Woman

    @JK: Seconded. That was such a nice feature and it also allowed you to link to other sites easily.

  20. 20.

    Polish the Guillotines

    1) The current look is fine.
    2) deth 2 ratingz
    3) Some other third thing.

  21. 21.

    Steeplejack

    The current look is good and clean. By no means reduce the size of the post/comment text. Haven’t seen it discussed, so I don’t think this is in question, but I would hate to be unpleasantly surprised. I hate the tiny text at, for example, Obsidian Wings. That is a blog I love despite its almost completely fucked-up look.

    @Mike S:

    If people use the “reply to comment” arrow button–and maybe that needs to be made more explicit–and/or if they block-quote a small snippet of what they’re replying to, it is very easy to follow an exchange within a long thread without fucking up the continuity for everyone else. Glad Cole is adamant about this.

    I would be reluctant to allow posters to include pictures (or videos) directly in their comments. It would really clutter the look, and linkies are fine.

  22. 22.

    UnkyT

    May be being a little picky here, but the dotted line that separates the left column from the center column does not extend the entire length of the page like the one separating the center column from the right one. Also a hair more padding on each side of the center column, and make the blog content in the left and right columns stand out from the ads a little better. I usually scroll up and down the page a dozen times or so before I remember where the ‘search’ is.

  23. 23.

    Leelee for Obama

    I like things the way they are, and apparently, I’m in the majority. Yay, me!

    That is all.

  25. 25.

    cleek

    also… it wouldn’t be impossible for an auto-block-qouter to figure out who wrote the selected text so it could then stick the author’s name on the quote, too.

  26. 26.

    gizmo

    John,

    The site looks good, I like it just fine. Now if you would just stop advocating for the euthanization of Sarah Palin’s baby, I would become a regular reader of Balloon Juice.

  27. 27.

    sacrablue

    I would like to see the “reply to” include the comment number as well as the commenter’s name. Much easier to scroll back to, in order to reread the original, especially on long threads. My brain doesn’t hold that much these days!

  29. 29.

    Max

    I like the site and find it more pleasant than most. I don’t understand the XHTML stuff, so if there were an easy button for that kind of stuff, I’d love it.

    But if not, that is fine too.

    P.S. I’m giddy today because in 3.5 hours, my beloved Buffalo Bills will be playing the first game of the preseason on national television.

  30. 30.

    sacrablue

    Oops! I knew I would forget something. A very pale background color behind the left and right columns would allow the posts and comments to have a more distinct importance, retaining the white for the center column. Yes, I did major in graphic arts in one of my many incarnations as a student.

  31. 31.

    Ned Ludd

    Another vote for keeping the current design, with the main text down the middle.

    And, like PeakVT, I’d like non-bolded blockquotes. It would also be nice if <p>…</p> tags worked inside of blockquotes, without the second paragraph spilling outside the blockquote.

  32. 32.

    Comrade Mary

    @Steeplejack: Concur. I haven’t touched threading since trn in the 90s. What works smoothly in newsgroups looks like the dog’s breakfast on the web. I have occasionally been pointed to interesting threaded discussions on LiveJournal (yes, they exist), but found the frequent dead ends and re-entries to be incredibly frustrating. Honestly, if I’m going to be forced to wander hither and yon, I’d rather play this.

  33. 33.

    Ned Ludd

    @Ned Ludd: Let me try writing that last sentence again:

    I’d also like to be able to put <​p​>…<​/p​> tags inside of blockquotes, without the second paragraph spilling outside the blockquote.

  34. 34.

    Betsy

    I like having the text centered, so I vote for sticking with the 3 columns. I would also love to have a link button back – I can do the rest of the html stuff, but that one fucks me up every time. (And yes, of course, to preview and editing.)
    I agree on the rating and nesting. Thanks for doing all this!

    Oh, and seconding gnomedad on being able to say words like soc1alist and spec1alist without getting sent into mod queue limbo.

  36. 36.

    Laura W

    @Linkmeister:

    Now that’s an interesting metaphor. Whatever made you think of that?

    “Is there ever a day in which John is not thinking of showering in prison?” is the real question here.
    I’m disappointed he left out the rape fantasy part of it, though. Must’ve been rushing.

  37. 37.

    vacuumslayer

    An ignore feature? I know some have mentioned being able to ignore the troll posts. I don’t think you have that many trolls, but that may change some day. May come in handy.

    My main concern is the tagging buttons. I would love it if we could share pics, too.

  41. 41.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    I would love it if we could share pics, too.

    Yeah, and a feature that allows me not to have to look at everyone’s shared pics while sharing my own.

  43. 43.

    Mark S.

    @sacrablue:

    You don’t actually need to scroll back up. Just click the link (or open it in a new tab to keep your original place).

  44. 44.

    mcd410x

    I think the site looks great. The 3-col grid works perfectly.

    I appreciate the red, white and blue thing AmericaBlog did but red links are difficult for a lot of us to see … anything but that and I’ll be a-ok.

    Thanks!

  46. 46.

    JK

    OT

    In anticipation of the Red Sox getting swept by the Yankees later tonight, FUCK THE GODDAMN NY YANKEES

  47. 47.

    mcd410x

    Since we’re here, I’d like a button that makes wingnuts realize that they can’t be anti-big government after the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act.

    Also.

  49. 49.

    Mrs. Peel

    @vacuumslayer:

    If you have Firefox and have Grease Monkey installed, Cleek’s pie filter here:

    http://ok-cleek.com/blogs/?p=2149

    works as well as an ignore button with more humorous results. I see all kinds of people venting at B.O.B when all he’s doing on my screen is raving about pecan pie or something. Really cool script feature.

    He may have to tweak it a little, depending on how it interfaces with John’s upgrades.

  50. 50.

    Laura W

    @Linkmeister:

    Oh, no. Not goin’ there a-t’all a-t’all.

    I archive these things so you don’t have to.

    Hey! More and better archives! In color! With a glass of wine included in each dive!

  53. 53.

    Steeplejack

    @cleek:

    also . . . it wouldn’t be impossible for an auto-block-qouter to figure out who wrote the selected text so it could then stick the author’s name on the quote, too.

    Is it really that hard to highlight a snippet of text, copy it, click the “reply to” arrow button–which drops you down to the comment box and inserts the comment and author reference–then insert your snippet? Especially if the blockquote editing button is working again?

    I’m not being snarky. I just think that trying to put overly elaborate and “convenient” bells and whistles on the shaky structure that WordPress appears to be would be asking for trouble.

  55. 55.

    vacuumslayer

    @Mrs. Peel: Thanks!BOB doesn’t bother me so much (because I think he’s hilarious!), but I know he really irritates others. So if he ever becomes too much to bare, I’ll avail myself of that script.

  57. 57.

    Martin

    If your designer can shove all the styles in the CSS and ensure there’s a nice consistent CSS class scheme applied to all of the elements, then things like an iPhone version become a simple matter of swapping in a different style sheet, and anyone out here that wants to change backgrounds, etc. can do the same.

    You can even give us a simple pie filter hook that would work in all browsers by shoving the username in the class definition. Then we could apply div.Martin {visibility: hidden;} in a local stylesheet and poof, all my comments would be hidden.

    And figure out what was going on about the blockquoting not respecting hierarchy. I’ve never seen that before, but it’s fucked up.

  58. 58.

    The Other Steve

    I would like it if I did a blockquote to not have to put paragraph tags around the inside text.

    That is all

  59. 59.

    mcc

    Other than the complaint I previously mentioned that the little bitty arrow that serves as a “reply to” button on every post is not nearly obvious enough in its function, I think the look is pretty good.

  62. 62.

    srv

    There’s not enough cow bell.

    You keeping linking to Ezra while your blogroll links to the prospect. Also, intel-dump is long defunct, Phil Carter is at DoD working on Detainee Affairs – he must be banging his head on the wall over change. Maybe link to Balkinization, which is documenting the non-progress.

  64. 64.

    mgordon

    Any way you can take the fork out of the cute doggie and plunge it into the picture of that ghoul Ann Coulter?

  65. 65.

    JenJen

    Since I missed the suggestions thread, I’ll throw in my #1 Wish List item – A “PM” feature where you can send a PM to posters who are logged in.

    I think the site looks terrific and I wouldn’t change anything about the layout.

  66. 66.

    MikeJ

    A “PM” feature where you can send a PM to posters who are logged in.

    Please, do not add any such thing as logging in.

  69. 69.

    Corner Stone

    @srv:

    Also, intel-dump is long defunct, Phil Carter is at DoD working on Detainee Affairs – he must be banging his head on the wall over change. Maybe link to Balkinization, which is documenting the non-progress.

    C’mon srv, we both spent enough time over on the old I-D site. Phil isn’t doing anything more than getting along to go along. The dude never had an ethical principle bone in his body.

  70. 70.

    Josh Huaco

    Please bring back the formatting buttons. And post the pictures of my pets I’ve sent you. And a pie script for Safari. And, and, and….

  71. 71.

    henqiguai

    @Mike S (#14):

    …but why not nesting? It’s far easier to understand responses

    Yeah, maybe. But it plays hell with actually trying to follow a whole thread if you’re not in early and often. For an example of nested responses, I direct your attention over to Time.com the Swamp. A royal annoyance trying to keep up.

  72. 72.

    Montysano

    I’m fine with everything mentioned above (preview,edit, HTML buttons). Please, please don’t monkey with the basic look; Balloon Juice is very readable, very easy on the eye.

  73. 73.

    Rosali

    I like the way things are now. If anything, I suggest a FAQ link on the right-hand column with answers to such things as:
    1- HTML formatting
    2- paragraphing comments
    3- why do my comments keeps disappearing?
    4- why is john 38 and never married?

  76. 76.

    JK

    OT

    The Secret Service may investigate a fax sent to Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) that depicts President Barack Obama as the Joker and warns of “death to all Marxists.”

    The fax portrays Obama in makeup similar to that worn by actor Heath Ledger in his portrayal of the Joker in “The Dark Knight.”

    On Obama’s forehead is a communist hammer-and-sickle insignia, and beneath the image is the text: “Death to All Marxists! Foreign and Domestic!”

    h/t http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/secret-service-looking-into-obama-joker-fax-2009-08-07.html

  78. 78.

    RedKitten

    I’m fine with everything mentioned above (preview,edit, HTML buttons). Please, please don’t monkey with the basic look; Balloon Juice is very readable, very easy on the eye.

    Seconded. Basically, just bring it back to what it was before it went all FUBAR on us. The column on each side is fine.

    And I’m glad nobody else (with the noted exception) wants nested comments. I hate nested comments with the heat of a thousand suns. Keep it clean, keep it simple, keep it snarky.

  79. 79.

    MikeJ

    I never saw that movie, but I don’t recall the Joker being a “Marxist”. Are they even attempting to make sense anymore?

  81. 81.

    cj

    Some kind of background color would be nice. Looking at the white background tends to hurt my eyes after a will, so pick a background that’s soothing to the eyes.

  82. 82.

    schrodinger's cat

    Adding to Rosali’s list @73

    5. Why is Tunch always on the futon?
    6. How did he Tunch get his name?
    7. Does Tunch weigh more than Lily?
    8…

    BTW where is Tunchus Maximus? we have not seen him in quite a while.

  83. 83.

    Josh Huaco

    The Secret Service may investigate a fax sent to Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) that depicts President Barack Obama as the Joker and warns of “death to all Marxists.”

    The populist right hasn’t rage-gasmed like this, in public, so darkly and violently, since the days of massive resistance. The militia craziness of the 90s doesn’t compare.

  87. 87.

    asiangrrlMN

    Linkmeister: I, too, am 38 and never married. I have no intention of changing that status–ever. So, yeah. That one doesn’t need to be in the FAQ.

    As for the site, I like it the way it is. Sure, I would prefer a black background, but that’s just me. I hate nested comments and comment rating, so I am glad that you’re not going in that direction, Cole.

    Other than the things you mentioned, my only request is MORE TUNCH!@

  88. 88.

    Jackie

    I agree that the comments here are so much easier to read than the tiny stuff at alot of sites. Keep that up for us bifocal users and I’ll be happy.

    A FAQ with instructions would be a nice touch.

  90. 90.

    Cat Lady

    The site looks great, and I’d be happy with the way it was before it FUBAR’ed, but I really miss preview and edit the most. I’d also like it to punch Sarah Palin in the neck every time she opened her fucking pie hole. Also.

  93. 93.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    Ya know what would look great on the site, John? Up there at the top of the page, in the middle where the Ann Coulter ad usually is – a gun rack. Nothing big or fancy, maybe a horizontal wall-mounted one that holds two or three longarms. Never was big fan of the vertical gun racks, they just look too pretentious and sporting, like a pool cue stick rack or something.

    Doesn’t have to be a fancy locking rack as it will just be a picture but it should certainly have a rifle or two in it and maybe a shotgun. I can send you some images if you wanna slap it up there. Nothing screams West Virginia like a gun rack at the top of yer webpage.

  95. 95.

    Calming Influence

    *Nesting is for birds, mice, and squirrels, never Balloons nor Juice.

    *A list of words that kill my comments.

    *Fewer impaled doggies.

    *A button that will move my comment to the top when I have something particularly brilliant to say (my now famous Penguin v. Duck slap-fight comment springs to mind…)

  98. 98.

    Pauline

    Montysano

    I’m fine with everything mentioned above (preview,edit, HTML buttons). Please, please don’t monkey with the basic look; Balloon Juice is very readable, very easy on the eye.

    Agree. Definitely agree.

  99. 99.

    bhagamu

    I like the look already, but I seem to recall a while back that the site had problem with certain video embeds, and I don’t remember if that was fixed or maybe I was just imagining it.

  100. 100.

    Bad Horse's Filly

    I’d like more half naked men, to make up for all those months of Pam and Indonesian mail order brides. I’m just saying, to be fair and all.

    Beyond that request…I like the design. Easy to read and follow comments.

  101. 101.

    pika

    @Pauline: Agreed–the site is very readable.

    I also agree that a brief FAQ might be helpful–I learned what the reply-to arrow was only because someone was brave enough to ask about it in comments yesterday.

    The chihuahua/fork ad [also.] appeared on Cuteoverload today. I am doubly struggling to get the image out of my mind.

  102. 102.

    MikeJ

    I’d like more half naked men, to make up for all those months of Pam and Indonesian mail order brides. I’m just saying, to be fair and all.

    You want to see naked men with the same aesthetic appeal as Pam Anderson?

    You can do better.

  103. 103.

    CynDee

    John, I just love the calm effect of this site just the way it is.

    It is beautifully simple, elegant, and I am so tired of a lot of complicated stuff like what RawStory did on their second pages.

    My vote is don’t change it as far as the viewer interface goes. Thanks for giving us a chance to give our opinion on it.

  107. 107.

    RedKitten

    Oh no, I’m just saying, some hot half-naked men would go a long way to erasing those previous images from my brain.

    True, that. A shirtless Hugh Jackman goes a long way towards curing all ills.

  108. 108.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    I hope my gun rack idea doesn’t fail to launch because it’s buried so deep in the comments or because I’m not part of the Balloon-Juice clique.

  109. 109.

    RedKitten

    I hope my gun rack idea doesn’t fail to launch because it’s buried so deep in the comments or because I’m not part of the Balloon-Juice clique.

    That would be a real shame.

  110. 110.

    steve s

    “August 9th, 2009 at 6:06 pm Reply to this comment

    InflatableCommenter

    A check box at the top of the page, please:

    BOB/NO BOB
    ”

    Yeah, that would be a good idea.

  111. 111.

    GReynoldsCT00

    @Rosali:

    add to that a running count of how many marriage proposals John has received from his commenters… ;)

  112. 112.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @GReynoldsCT00:

    add to that a running count of how many marriage proposals John has received from his commenters

    Mine wasn’t serious and I’m sure some of the others weren’t either.

  113. 113.

    GReynoldsCT00

    Add pics of Lily and Tunch to part of the design. They are our mascots and virtual pets after all….

  114. 114.

    GReynoldsCT00

    Add pics of Lily and Tunch to part of the design. They are our mascots and virtual pets after all….

  117. 117.

    jl

    Looks good now. The artsy fartsy white scheme perfect for pix of Lily and His Tunchness, and other pampered pets. IMHO. Also.

  119. 119.

    mcd410x

    I think the gun rack would add a certain I-don’t-know-what.

    This is my rifle, this is my gun …

  121. 121.

    Concerned Trollop

    How about a feature that lets us track with commenter is actually Thyme Zone? :-)

  122. 122.

    Tonal Crow

    Bugfixes, please: (1) blockquotes that actually work, even for more than one paragraph, and that don’t bold your quote unless you ask for it; (2) editing that works, and that, if it purports to display your text as it will appear when posted, actually does so; and (3) a more intelligent moderation filter: how many thousands of messages have been kicked to moderation for containing variants on “soc ialist”?

  124. 124.

    JR

    To offer a contrary position, I would like to see more photos of cute animals stabbed with cutlery. Really classes up a joint, you know?

  125. 125.

    wilfred

    but I’d personally rather shower in prison than …

    Good one, John. consider it stolen.

  126. 126.

    Ripley

    No suggestions other than a request about (yes) the ads: EITHER the dog with the meat-fork in his head OR Ann Coulter’s scary mug, but NOT BOTH AT THE SAME TIME, please. Thanks.

  127. 127.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @GReynoldsCT00:

    yeah, tell me that the next time he lays down another kick-ass post…

    Being easy and being serious ain’t the same thing.

  128. 128.

    A Ghost To Most

    @Max:

    My beloved Buffalo Bills have become much less beloved to me by adding Terrell Owens. He WILL become a cancer.

    Balloon Juice, however, is much beloved and will remain, in my mind at least, the bestest place on the web. Also, too.

  132. 132.

    Calming Influence

    …this one’s for fighting and this one’s for fun.

    I’ll add my vote for the gun rack if it’s in the back window of a beat to shit brown Ford F150 pickup, and has a rifle at the top, a fishin’ pole in the middle, and a 4′ level at the bottom.

    Also an apple pie, too.

  135. 135.

    Tattoosydney

    @Tattoosydney:

    When did the moderation filter start kicking in when a post contains more than two links?

    How am I supposed to keep RedKitten supplied with shirtless Hugh Jackman pictures if I keep being sent to moderation?

    Bonus – Shirtless David Tennant. Mmmmmm. Geeky.

  136. 136.

    jl

    I was wondering about the impaled doggy comments. I missed the dachsund with the fork in its head.

    Yeah, kind of a downer.

    If requests for illustrated themes are being accepted, more hot chix pix, please. Except, no more Pams, either Atlas or whaterver Anderson was selling.

  137. 137.

    Rosali

    Add my vote for half-naked men. More beefcake please.

    FAQ #10
    What caused you to turn blue?

  138. 138.

    Rosali

    add to that a running count of how many marriage proposals John has received from his commenters… ;)

    Didn’t Althouse just marry a commenter? Hey, it could happen.

  139. 139.

    RedKitten

    Why thank you, Tattoosydney! That made my evening. :)

    And now, off to bed…hopefully to dream of Mr. Jackman doing unspeakable things to me.

  143. 143.

    BruceFromOhio

    If there is a format you really like or would make the site better, speak now.

    A. I like the columns on either side. It’s a standard format, easily readable. Ads to the left, linky goodness to the right. Ad revenue drives everything, n’est ce pas?

    B. If that snarling bitch Coulters’ mug has to swap places with the winsome come-hither Matron of Cleavage, I guess I’ll have to live with it.

    C. A Cyrillic RSS feed would rock the house, but that’s just me.

    You already hit the highlights on editable comments, preview, buttons, etc. Thanks for playing.

  145. 145.

    geg6

    1) HTML shortcut buttons. 2) The ability to “reply to” from my Blackberry. 3) Not going into moderation for talking about footwear. 4) DON’T CHANGE THE DESIGN. 5) I do, however, love the idea of FAQ. And there does not need to be any FAQ about John being unmarried at 38. I’m 50 and never been married, so I think he’s just another of the sensible people like me.;-). Of course, if he’s like me, voting for Sarah Palin would be preferable to marriage.

  146. 146.

    Rosali

    Just to clarify for some out there: FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions

    That means a question that is asked frequently about John and his website. That does not mean a question that is justified. It also is not asking Tom, Dick, and Sally Commenter about their personal choices. To Tom, Dick, and Sally commenter: There are not frequent questions asked about YOUR status. Very few people care.

    John Cole asked for input on his website. It ain’t about you.

  147. 147.

    inkadu

    Can we get rid of word wrap for comments? I try to shrink the window, but wraps everything, including the right hand column…

    On the plus side it means I can shrink the page as much as I want, but it’s almost unreadable because when the included columns are included, the comments column becomes unreadably thin.

    If you go to pharyngula ( http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/ ) you can see what I mean.

    There is probably a downside to doing this, but I don’t what it is.

    And I agree on nested comments; it’s great for gimungous pages like on DKos, so you can have a conversation with the 1 person who actually read and replied to your comment, but if you are trying to keep up with the global conversation, it’s basically impossible.

    No to rated comments, too. I’ve said so much stupid shit on this blog, I’ve stopped reading the thread for fear of what somebody would say to me. If I had to read what my ratings were, I might have to go to another blog, where my idiocy isn’t formally condemned.

    Rated comments want to kill your grandmother! No nested conversations for illegal immigrants!

  148. 148.

    inkadu

    Oh, yeah, and I like the twin columns. It frames things nicely. I get nervous when there’s a left columns. I’m afraid the letters are going to fall out if I move my monitor.

  149. 149.

    inkadu

    * crap, when there’s NO left column.

    And I guess that’s an implicit vote for preview and editing.

  150. 150.

    Anne Laurie

    I *really really really* like the present layout, so if you can restore functioning edit, preview, and basic-shortcut capabilities I will be a happy bunny.

    Adding a “Get your Death Panel Pie Filter here” button also sounds like a good idea, if such is possible.

  151. 151.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @Anne Laurie:

    Adding a “Get your Death Panel Pie Filter here” button also sounds like a good idea, if such is possible.

    I know Sadly, No! has a couple of greasemonkey scripts that will let you “kill” comments by a certain commenter, and anything else that person posts (BoB, cough) will not be shown. But it does only work in firefox and with the greasemonkey plug-in.

  152. 152.

    MazeDancer

    @Steeplejack:

    Reply to arrow!!

    Had no idea there was one until you said that. Then looked around, hovered mouse, and surprise. Opens up a whole new world. Now understand why less support for nested comments. Thank you.

  153. 153.

    MazeDancer

    Since we can’t edit comments right now, just wanted to add that maybe there could be a small “reply help” button, or “How to use these buttons” link to a page explaining how all the insta-coding reply things work.

    All over the web, it’s always surprising when people don’t understand what the abbreviations for “b-quote” are. If you do a lot of computer things it’s pretty easy to figure out. Except, I do constant computer work, and I just learned about reply arrow. So I will scoff no more at those who say “I don’t know how to do the put things in quotes”.

    Everyone has to be a newbie at some point. And the consistent intelligence of this blog might attract a lot of participants with brains, interesting things to say, who are not necessarily completely “wordpress reply system” savvy. And are, at first, confused there is no easy way to reply to comments.

  154. 154.

    RedKitten

    Had no idea there was one until you said that. Then looked around, hovered mouse, and surprise. Opens up a whole new world. Now understand why less support for nested comments. Thank you.

    I had no idea that was there either, so don’t feel too bad. :)

  156. 156.

    rassia

    End the tyranny of Fork Head Puppy!!!

    I guess it’s a successful ad: I clicked it. Couldn’t help myself. And I regularly find my gaze drifting over to his picture in the left side bar. Irresistibly horrible. I swear it’s gonna start invading my dreams soon.

    Help.

  157. 157.

    Jason Brzoska

    I don’t think the site needs much in the way of changes, other than a permanent slot for the Pamela Anderson ad…

  158. 158.

    GlenInBrooklyn

    I rarely comment when the comments get into triple digits, but if you’re still counting votes, here’s mine. It’s fine the way it is.

    Content comes first. (You have that.) Readability is second: columns (however placed) should be wider than a single polysyllabic word; less wide than a coffee table edition of War and Peace. (You have that, too.) Super kewl techie tricks are nice, but strictly some measure of runner up. Just don’t let the kewl become the enemy of the reason why I keep coming here.

    Comment rating strikes me as being a troll magnet. Comment embedding I usually turn off if I can. I like the flow of ideas.

  160. 160.

    Chad N Freude

    I would like it if I did a blockquote to not have to put paragraph tags around the inside text.

    Testing blockquote.

  161. 161.

    Chad N Freude

    @MazeDancer:

    “Since we can’t edit comments right now, just wanted to add that maybe there could be a small “reply help” button, or “How to use these buttons” link to a page explaining how all the insta-coding reply things work.

    All over the web, it’s always surprising when people don’t understand what the abbreviations for “b-quote” are. If you do a lot of computer things it’s pretty easy to figure out. Except, I do constant computer work, and I just learned about reply arrow. So I will scoff no more at those who say “I don’t know how to do the put things in quotes”.

    Everyone has to be a newbie at some point. And the consistent intelligence of this blog might attract a lot of participants with brains, interesting things to say, who are not necessarily completely “wordpress reply system” savvy. And are, at first, confused there is no easy way to reply to comments.”

    Putting it all together (maybe).

  162. 162.

    Chad N Freude

    @Chad N Freude:

    “Since we can’t edit comments right now, just wanted to add that maybe there could be a small “reply help” button, or “How to use these buttons” link to a page explaining how all the insta-coding reply things work.

    All over the web, it’s always surprising when people don’t understand what the abbreviations for “b-quote” are. If you do a lot of computer things it’s pretty easy to figure out. Except, I do constant computer work, and I just learned about reply arrow. So I will scoff no more at those who say “I don’t know how to do the put things in quotes”.

    Everyone has to be a newbie at some point. And the consistent intelligence of this blog might attract a lot of participants with brains, interesting things to say, who are not necessarily completely “wordpress reply system” savvy. And are, at first, confused there is no easy way to reply to comments.
    Maybe this time.

  163. 163.

    Chad N Freude

    @Chad N Freude: All over the web, it’s always surprising when people don’t understand what the abbreviations for “b-quote” are. If you do a lot of computer things it’s pretty easy to figure out. Except, I do constant computer work, and I just learned about reply arrow. So I will scoff no more at those who say “I don’t know how to do the put things in quotes”.

    Everyone has to be a newbie at some point. And the consistent intelligence of this blog might attract a lot of participants with brains, interesting things to say, who are not necessarily completely “wordpress reply system” savvy. And are, at first, confused there is no easy way to reply to comments.
    or
    Maybe this time.

  164. 164.

    Chad N Freude

    @Chad N Freude:

    All over the web, it’s always surprising when people don’t understand what the abbreviations for “b-quote” are. If you do a lot of computer things it’s pretty easy to figure out. Except, I do constant computer work, and I just learned about reply arrow. So I will scoff no more at those who say “I don’t know how to do the put things in quotes”.

    Everyone has to be a newbie at some point. And the consistent intelligence of this blog might attract a lot of participants with brains, interesting things to say, who are not necessarily completely “wordpress reply system” savvy. And are, at first, confused there is no easy way to reply to comments.

    Does this work?

Comments are closed.