It may be true that you can’t always get what you want, but sometimes you do.
List of new changes/fixes to the new site:
- Flyouts/wings/previous post button changes
- Added “Show full post on front page” for posts that hide what is below the fold
- # of comments has been added to the Post + Comments button
- external websites automatically open in a new tab
Frequent Questions from the Balloon Juice Mailbag (aka Site Feedback)
Dear WaterGirl,
Is it helpful if I report the same problem 5 times? Or ten? Does that help you fix it faster? Does that help move the item to the top of the list?
Dear Funny You Should Ask,
The short answer to your question is “no”. The longer answer is also “no”. It actually slows things down. On the bright side, I can provide some reassurance that reporting your problem multiple times does not, at least, cause that problem to be moved down the list. :-)
Dear WaterGirl,
I see the word Transparency in the post title. Are you planning to talk about how hard you guys worked to make the process as transparent as possible while the site was being developed? We really did appreciate that, or at least most of us did!
Dear Thank You for Noticing That,
That’s a good thought, but the word Transparency in the title actually refers to the flyouts/wings/previous and next post arrows, which are now quite transparent and allow you to read the text even if it is covered by the flyouts. The flyouts stop being transparent once you hover over them to see the title of the previous or next post.
If we had more time, I could share more of the requests that asked for a change to the flyouts. But here are a few, for your reading pleasure: The new website looks great. My only quibble is that the arrows for the previous and next post intrude on the content of the current post. Did I say quibble? I know it’s a small, cosmetic thing, but they are really annoying. How do I get rid of those symbols on either side that indicate either next or previous post? I’m on a iPad Air, and I’m ready to burn the new site down if they don’t go away. I know a lot of people love them but I vote them off of the island.
Dear WaterGirl,
I noticed the word Cash in the title! I bet you guys are asking people to toss some coins in the PayPal coffers if we like the site or at least appreciate the effort that went into it. Am I right? Huh? Huh? Huh?
Dear No, Not That Cash, the Other Cache,
Let’s talk about some of the occasional issues that come up related to commenting, but first I’ll back up and talk about cache.
In very simple terms: cache is good. It helps speed up the site. A lot. We want caching. The trick is to get things set up just right – or as close to just right as possible – so that we use cache whenever possible but don’t use it when it creates problems. If you occasionally post a comment and it doesn’t show up until you manually refresh, that’s related to cache. It’s probably also related to which browser you use, because some browsers hold on to cache longer than others. I’m looking at you, Chrome!
I guess you could compare this to the problem we initially had with embedded tweets. We want a firewall. We need a firewall. But the initial settings were so strict that we couldn’t embed tweets, so they had to be adjusted.
The developers are still making adjustments to cache, as they fine tune the cache setup so we can be as speedy as possible without causing other issues. It doesn’t mean that something is wrong or that the new site is flaky. Please try to be patient with them as they try to get this as “just right” as possible. They have been exceedingly patient with us!
THAT’S ALL THE LETTERS FOR TODAY. I’LL DO THIS FOR A BIT UNTIL EVERYBODY IS UP TO SPEED.
Oh, and if any of you still don’t know where to find the Blogroll, you might want to read the first Dear WaterGirl thread:
https://balloon-juice.com/2019/11/18/dear-watergirl/
Update: There’s no need to report anything if some the images in John’s twitter feed look funky. We are testing some images to see what works. Obviously, the two so far have not!
Dear WaterGirl: Comments, Cash, and Transparency, Oh My!Post + Comments (44)