Radical Transparency

(in case the other blogs need a friend)

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July 31, 2008

Posterous Feedback

Favoriting would be excellent.  Gotta get me to the great posts to favorite though too.  Zero me in on the stuff I'll like.  Maybe have users tag themselves with the stuff they think they'll like and tag their blogs with the stuff that they think users will like about the blogs?

For example, I tag myself with energy, sustainability, dinosaurs, and metaphors, and I tag Radical Transparency with energy, sustainability, and Ween. 

And then the matchmaking begins.  Or something like that.

But you're the expert.  You have a good thing going.  I love the simplicity.  I love the integration with existing blogs (I'll be playing with that in a couple of weeks when I'll have no internet but my cell phone email for 5 days).  And I love that you responded to feedback so fast.  Means a lot.  Makes me root for you.  Makes me want to keep thinking and offering you guys any ideas I have.  Well done.

Hmmm.

I wonder what happens if I cc post@posterous.com on this email.  I'll trim up the text below and see.  I hope you don't mind.

On Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 5:49 PM, Garry Tan <garry@posterous.com> wrote:

Hey Jake
Thanks for your feedback. We're working hard to improve our community features too. One idea I think would help is a concept of favoriting posts. This ends up creating a positive cycle where people try to post interesting things, and favorite each other's posts so that they show up higher in searches, user listings, etc.

Community is really important and we're gonna return to makng that part better soon.

Thanks for your support, Jake!

-Garry

jdegrazia@gmail.com wrote:

name:
Jake de Grazia

email:
jdegrazia@gmail.com

body:
I'd love it if you guys would suggest more posterous blogs for me to follow. Every time I check in on the ones I do follow, I look over at the list of suggested blogs, hoping they will have changed. Maybe let everyone tag their blogs and matchmake based on that? Maybe just matchmake based on word searches? Maybe better based on post title word searches? Maybe match me with people that follow the blogs I follow or the people that post a similar ratio of text to pics to music? Maybe if I don't follow someone you suggest on that list for a few views, take that person down and try another even if its a random other? But maybe posterous community isn't a big focus. I guess it doesn't have to be, and it might be hard to do (makes more sense with true microblogging than with blogging that can and does get substantial). Although I must say I do enjoy checking in on the blogs I follow, and I wouldn't mind adding a few more.

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July 29, 2008

Enter the Site?

When I mention a book in a blog post, the first place I go to find a link to the book is Swaptree, a used literature (and music and film) barter marketplace.  I think it's a very cool concept, and, since I (inexcusably) don't read enough books these days to support it as an active swapper, I figure referring business is the next best thing I can offer.

There something about the site's design, however, that drives me a little bit crazy.

There is no book search function on swaptree.com, no way to perform the core functionality of the tool from its front page.  To get to a page from which a user can search for books or post books up for swapping, she has to click an "Enter the Site" button.

I guess the rationale is to make sure new users read a bit about the site and try to understand it before diving in and getting confused, but, man, talk about an unnecessary barrier to entry. 

Anyway, I just tried to let Swaptree know what I'm thinking by posting to their discussion board.  We'll see if anything comes of it.
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