Site Questions
Posted: January 9th, 2013 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 108 Comments »I’d like to get your opinion on a few things.
2013 is going to be an interesting offseason. The Eagles have no coach, maybe no QB, and a Top 5 pick. There are lots of stories to cover.
Right now I cover things in 1 to 2 posts per day. Items are bunched up.
I’m considering changing that. Clemson QB Tajh Boyd just announced that he is coming back for his Senior season. In a new format, I’d make that a short post.
I heard Andy Reid on the Jim Rome show today while driving back from lunch. There wasn’t any ground breaking news in there (shock city, huh?), but it could be a good short post.
PE.com had Howie Roseman do a short interview to explain the coaching search. Another short post idea.
We have some RG3 news today.
And so on.
I would still do my long form posts. You know I’m addicted to writing thousands of words on oddball subjects.
The tricky part is comments. I really value the comments section of the posts because you guys share some brilliant thoughts. Right now each post is a conversation piece, for lack of a better phrase. If I put up 5 to 10 posts in a day, things will get a bit splintered.
I had a couple of idea. First, I could turn off the comments in the short posts and just leave them open in the long ones. They would be “Feature Posts” or something like that.
I could also leave comments open and just tell you that I won’t be able to answer every comment in the short posts. If you need an answer from me on a certain topic, save it for the Feature Posts. If you just want to speak your mind on that topic, go right ahead.
I really do value the sense of community we’ve got and don’t want to lose that. I am heavily influenced blog-wise by
I don’t read everything on those sites and don’t always agree with their opinions, but the volume of content and ability to mix quick items and long form writing really fascinates me. I’m also influenced by Twitter in the sense that not all of you are on there, but I see a lot of little nuggets of interest. Trying to fit all of them into a daily post or even two is a bit much.
My question is what you guys think of this idea. Good? Bad? Weird?
Suggestions?
I think I prefer the current format to more, shorter bits. I enjoy being able to join the conversation after work and read your post and the comments and join in. I think if there were 5 posts when I got on, I would wonder if anyone was still conversing on most of them.
I think I actually prefer your format to PFT or even Sheil’s because there is time for the conversations to develop between posts. Sometimes they stray from the topic, and sometimes they lead into the next one, but that gives it more of a sense of community.
Thanks for the honest, interesting response. This is exactly the feedback I need to figure out what to do/not do.
But to clarify I enjoy the editorial-style, longer type posts like ATG. Tidbits and nuggets are great too, maybe if you provide some good Lawler insight, speculation, context, something to make the nuggets more interesting/ thought provoking. But like ATG said you need time to kind of let the community digest each of your posts and discuss it. Keeping in mind that many people only check once a day , and only the most recent entry. A lot of your stuff material might get overlooked, at least initially.
Tommy….bottom line. I’ve contributed before and will gladly do so again. I would easily pay a monthly subscription fee to access you content. It’s great, great material. However, I will agree that I’m not a huge fan of Disqus for much the same reason as Ark87. Not smart enough to figure how to fix it though.
Still waiting for my sunglasses,
Eagles1991
I have mixed feelings on it. On the one hand I love fresh posts. I can read all of the comments, respond to the ones that are intriguing/awesome. And typically at this point more people are likely to be exposed to my own thoughts. Discussions develop (brief though they may be). Most of these threads go stale around 120 comments due to limitations of the Disqus message board (which is a fine system). Basically due to the general awesomeness of posts, the voted up comments become many and bury new comments. At a certain point the new comments get no exposure and the board stagnates until Tommy comes along and puts up a new post.
The other issue I have with Disqus is that it doesn’t inform you on the My Disqus alert thing when someone posted something in a thread you have taken part in. It only alerts you if someone responds directly to you. In my experience, I often miss good insights added by people. Mainly, after a while it becomes difficult to sift through the mass of comments I’ve already read and the fresh comments I’m looking for (which are often attached to old threads)
I use the feature that let’s me pick how comments are sorted. First time through I sort oldest first, when I return I switch to newest first. You still have to scan for new responses, but it works pretty well.
Is there a way to highlight new comments in a different color (may be highlighter yellow?, duh duh cha!) the same way BGN does?
Every comment on here now would be yellow, but then when I come back later, these same comments would be white and then any new comment posted after my time stamped exit is in yellow and that way I can scroll through the previous white comments I have already read and stop when I see a new yellow comment that has been added since the last time I was on. Make sense?
I agree. Love Sheil’s site but rarely if ever comment for the reasons A_T_G states. Further, breaking news or new discussion points that might be short topics get bought up in the discussions here.
+infinity
A_T_G “I enjoy being able to join the conversation after work”
True. This blog moves along at a good pace, with a post a day, occasionally two, so it never gets too far out in front of you, and you feel like no matter what time of day you chime in, it’s worth chiming in because you’ll be heard.
Lotta wisdom on this thread.
I really enjoy the longer posts as well and I joined twitter last year simply to follow you and that has grown into much much more. Twitter is wonderful for news.
I wouldn’t mind shorter posts when quick things pop up as long as you maintained your longer pieces. Thanks for all of you work. Greatly appreciated.
What I need and enjoy is analysis. This you provide with exquisite fullness. There are already a million sites with a constant flow of news. The tendency is for these sites to turn to drivel. The only decent one is PFT even though they fall into drivel about 25% of the time. Having done a good deal of analysis and writing myself I can tell you that writing well thought out analyses and providing a flow of info breaking and current news are two completely different skills that run counter to each other. If you are good at one you probably won’t be good at the other. You are great at what you do please stick to that. And just as an example I would ask – Do we really do not need another piece of information on RGIII? What team does he play for anyway?
this is a very good point – the reason i come here, and i’m sure this is true for a lot of us, is the quality of what we get here. if you change to something where you post more, but shorter things, what are you really adding to this site? sure, it gives us something to look at and maybe give your site a few more page clicks for some ad revenue or something, but i think it might take away from the site as a whole.
i’m starting to like the idea that i mentioned in another post – have the same writing as usual, but Eagles only. Then have another ‘daily news’ type post where you can go off the walls and bring up anything you want, of any length and write as little as you want about it.
either way, love the site, keep it coming.
Well put.
Hi Tommy, Id be interested if you added short news things without comments. I check your site regularly and it would be cool to see updates.
I value your analysis and inside info you share with us, and it’s cool if you want to cheese things up once in a while like you did with the coach man crush thing. I’m sure you read stuff that was making you think the one dude was over hyping the other dude. After rex Ryan and Brett favre there’s not much wierdness that phases my nfl experience.
Ps. Am planning to donate to you in thx for your efforts, always enjoy checking igglesblitz out. Would like to see some mock drafts or FA tracking on your other site. Thx
I rather like the idea of a main daily column that allows for comments and promotes conversation with the smaller columns having no comments. I think we’re all smart enough here to use one forum to discuss all of the day’s stories.
Like everyone else, don’t change what you’ve got going, you really have a unique thing going on here. This is really the only blog/news site where I read almost every comment and every post, no matter how the shitastic the team is doing. I think your idea is a good one, these are just other things I thought of. If you want to do short posts throughout the day, I would recommend putting up some twitter feed on the side that will update every time you post something on twitter, for those of us who don’t have smartphones/too lazy to set it up/both. To add to that or as a separate suggestion, you could always edit on to the bottom of your columns, just put a time stamp or your asterisks (assuming you can edit them). Regardless, this is still my favorite and my only must read every single day, keep up the good work
I would not mind shorter posts but am more than satisfied with the current content. The longer posts provide all of us with in-depth analysis on the Eagles that surpasses what we find on most other sites. I certainly would not complain about some shorter posts scattered in but they are unnecessary. one thought, if you were determined to bring us more news, would be to add a small sidebar section where you could post some random thoughts and tidbits of information when there is something you find that is interesting. that way you can still share information that doesn’t warrant a long post but you still want to get out there, without taking attention away from the main feed.
Maybe do a daily wrap of all the interesting news you’d like to share? It would stop the comments from getting too split, but would let you post the things you want to. Either way, kudos for keeping it reader focused.
I’d be reading it either way, and I’m only an occasional commenter, but I reckon conversations that span multiple posts would be fine for regulars but might scare off newer posters.
This is good. A morning links/daily dose type deal, and then Tommy’s analysis.
Whatever you do though, share YOUR thoughts, even in short form, on the small items you post. That’s what the people crave.
You would have to change the layout a bit but I say go for it. If it doesn’t work out you can always change it back.
I like the longer columns, too.
A colleague of mine does a regular and well trafficked industry blog. His daily posts can rival the length Marty Morningweg’s 2nd and Short playbook.
Once a week, at least, he’ll do a compendium post of shorter entries. You do a bit of that now and it works.
So his daily post just say “throw it, deep”?
Ditch the BountyBowl’s reading. That guy never updates that stuff.
He’s a passed-his-prime hack.
Well now I feel less bad about saying that in a slightly nicer way up above.
That’s definitely prime real estate that could be used. It catches my eye all the time, until i realize that no, Michael Vick does not have an obssession with Chip Kelly.
I like it – comments only on long posts – short posts just keep your readers fed throughout the day – I read a lot of your posts on my phone…works perfect for me…
i rarely comment, but i really appreciate the long form posts. seeing iggles blitz pop up in my RSS feeds a few times a day (as opposed to more frequently) makes it required reading every time.
Agree.
I still to this day have never used an RSS feed, even though I generate content that is distributed through them. I get that you subscribe and it alerts you when new ones go up … but uh, should I learn to use them?
Yes, if you read more then one website. Try google reader. It lets you glance at multiple pages and quickly decide which you will read. I always read Igglezblitz, but BGN will only get half my attention.
Honestly, I really like the current format. I look forward to the posts along with the various and sundry NFL notes contained in them. Also, the Comments section is key. I look forward to reading the opinions of other mildly informed fans. However, the references to Megan Fox are a little dated. 2013 is the year of Kate Upton.
Kate is very talented. I wish I could see her up close at the Senior Bowl.
Invite her to stand close and she will come!
For all you Kate Upton fans – not to be opened in open plan offices!
http://imgur.com/dFk73
I concur with fran35. Kate Upton is worth the chatter. Something about a YouTube clip of her?
Interesting dilemma. Sometimes conversations take longer than the post updates. I do tend to not comment on ‘old stuff’
Twitter is often too short to complete a thought, but could be used for more timely short points.
Could you append the current Post with a discrete thought?
One idea could be making a daily or weekly post just for comments..
For example, the post named “Chat from 07/01/2013 – 13/01/2013” or Chat – 09/01/2013. And them you do the posts normaly, the short and the long ones..
When we want to add a comment we go to the specific one..
Every post you make u can put a link to it in the end “Comments in here” that is linked to the Chat post.
One possibility also would be to put a code in every post like a color, number, player name or a seinfeld quote, that everyone that wants to talk about a specific post start the comment with it.. Like this:
In the post: “Comments in here – use [Watkins] if you want to talk about this post”
In the Chat post: “[Watkins] So Tommy, bla bla bla”
Just a few ideas, maybe too complicated, specially the last one, but only thing that came to mind!
while i like the idea of getting more frequent (if smaller) updates here, i’m not sure that it would really work out…
the community here is really great so i think it is really important to keep that intact. having lots of separate posts might help to keep the discussion a little more focused which seems like a really good idea, but it would also require all of us to keep an eye on lots of different pages all at the same time, which i don’t like too much.
similarly, the idea of having the smaller posts without a comment section is OK, i guess… but i foresee a bunch of us getting one of those posts and then impatiently waiting for you to open the next feature post so that we can comment on it all. by then, i would probably lose interest. lol.
how about this – use twitter to get down really quick thoughts and have a thing like JimmyK on bloggingthebeast where it displays his latest tweets? i would like to see a larger number of tweets than what he shows, though. this allows you to get your quick thoughts out on big news topics like RG3’s knee and stuff and maybe let you post something along the lines of “going to have a feature post about ____ later tonight”.
something you might consider – another place that i frequent does a once or twice a day recap of lots of things that happened throughout the day. you could maybe do something similar – have different sections for Eagles, NFC East, and the NFL as a whole, write a short blurb about something and then a link to somewhere else (not sure you want to link out to other places, though)
here’s an example – http://dailyoftheday.com/recess-194/
The thing i like about this is that we always get something each day. That way, when i hear big NFL news, i can head here. if i don’t see this “daily news” post, i know it’ll be along soon.
another idea – maybe try out each way of doing it for a week and then have a poll?
signed
I back the short items post, but these guys are right, the comments are half the fun, and having to track multiple streams of commenting can get tough. Yet the
The Twitter widget is not a bad idea at all. They are widely available and shouldn’t be too tough to implement. To be totally honest, real-estate-wise, it can go where Bounty Bowl’s reading list goes since that rarely gets updated anymore.
You also might want to check out this site called Publish2, which lets you incorporate other stories that you’ve read and want to link to into your blog without stealing the traffic from the originator. I think the options are customizable.
A good rhythm is important. Whether the posts are short or long, if we know you always do one at noon and one at 5, for example, we can know to show up around those times to partake in the discussion. Your real life might not allow the rhythm though, so whenever you can, or multiple times a day, keeps us coming back.
In my experience, the whole commentariat moves to the newest post even to discuss old ideas, if you post frequently.
I back the idea of testing it out and seeing what works for all.
I agree. Replace BountyBowl’s reading list with a Twitter feed. I think it would be great if you went with an “Eagles Almanac” all-star feed. You, Derek (of IgglesBlog fame), Gabe (aka BountyBowl), Sam Lynch, Sheil, Brian (of McNabbOrKolbOrVickOrFolesOr….com) etc. You’d get pretty good volume that way and I bet you’d pick up some more followers on Twitter as well (if you’re into that sort of thing).
Another site I find interesting in terms of format is:
http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/
They have the main story/post in the middle and then the Headlines section over to the left. They don’t have any comments. They still use a message board.
If going with this model, the comments on the stuff in the Headlines section would be closed. All comments/discussion would take place in the main post.
Something in the vein of this format could work well for what you’re thinking, Tommy. We get the extra Iggles Bitz, but don’t comment on them – we save that for the main post’s comment area so it’s easier to follow the thread.
I’m not tech-savvy enough to even explain this next thought, but it would be super extra awesome if you could click on the “short posts” and not be directed away from the main post comments section (in other words, they open in a pop-up window, or simply expand inside the main window a la the “quick view” feature you see on some shopping sites). Even more awesome would be a floating inset box that always stays in the upper left of the page, so if you’re 50 comments down in the thread, you’d still be able to see the quick bits, so that if something new comes in you’re up to the minute…
Like having a section called Andy’s Cheesesteaks, but if would have to be much larger and may not be very efficient
I’d vote for turning off comments on short form posts. No need to label the longer posts as “feature posts,” as it would be obvious which were not available for comments.
You could also collect the short stuff together in a single “News of the day” post.
Not much to add to what has already been said. I like the current longer post format, even if it has a couple of stories in it. Would rather read that than click through several shorter soundbites. Keep up the good work Tommy!
I’ll probably frequent this site no matter how it’s formatted. Personally though, I will say I come for the informed discussion and not necessarily for the speed of the reporting.
Agreed. Not only are the people commenting here really great. But Tommy takes the time to interact with his readers and directly respond to thoughts and questions. This is a pretty rare combination in general, but as far as Eagles talk goes, for me this is as good as it gets. An Eagles Oasis as it were.
usually, reading the comments on the internet are suicide inducing vulgar trash. I lose faith in humanity every time I scroll south on a you-tube video. But here people write informed responses, it’s like tommy’s intelligent and positive manner is some sort of troll repelent Perhaps Lawlor is of Elvish stock.
Stick with the current format brother. Stay specific and on target. You have a nice niche working for you.
There’s tons of other websites that will provide those other bits you are talking about. This is likely to be one of the most interesting season in recent memory for the Eagles. Doesn’t mean it will be good but there will be no shortage of things to talk about.
Good points.
I think it would be best to keep it about the same. If you want to provide “breaking news” bits, perhaps just add it the daily post at the bottom and note the time of edit at the top so people who check multiple times a day know it’s there.
You could have a daily headlines post with links to each little tidbit, or combine them in one post, then have one comment to all headline items. This would prevent the awkwardness of someone commenting on a headline in a general post comment page, which would just confuse the stream of comments. But since the “headline” items are short, having comments refer to different items in the headline comment string would be less confusing, because it would be easy to scroll up and check the item.
I’m in the keep the current format camp. Most of us get the small up to the minute stuff from BGN or CSN etc. The reason we all come here is because of the high level of quality of the longer analytical (or weird/creepy/awesome) pieces. The one or two posts a day also helps keep all the comments somewhat together, I hate nothing more when I finish a well thought out comment only to refresh the browser and see and new post up and realize #$*#*$ no one is going to read my greatness.
I can’t speak for others, but I certainly go back in time to look for your awesome posts, D3FB.
Why thank you good sir, I also seek your insight out as well when reading old threads.
Yup, I second this.
Nice avatar, D3FB. I’m gonna hate myself if I guess wrong on this, but I’m too lazy to see whose unis are by Russell and have a word over the number. Dickinson? Albright doesn’t have the black like that, right?
Correct, I would hope I come across as a little more of a Centennial than a MAC player. 🙂
That’s funny. I actually work with a Dickinson guy. And Juniata, but probably from the MAC days.
Short posts? Isn’t that what’s Twitter is for?
Short posts are what DeSean Jackson is for.
Assuming he doesn’t get those alligator arms
I think Todd Pinkston is selling his on eBay…
Well played sir
For what? For who?
Deep posts are what Tommy Lawlor is for.
Iggles Blitz is like the Drudge Report of Eagles sites – simple, uncluttered and very effective.
But no matter what you decide to do to the format, everyone, everywhere still reads Tommy Lawlor. It’s required.
Even in italics.
Drudge is just a link aggregator to various news articles. That’s all. How is that like what Tommy does here?
Iggles Blitz is like the Beerleaguer of Eagles sites. A few well thought out posts (1-2 per day) with insightful comments. I say keep it that way. Group a few topics into one larger post.
Tommy: I read your site 3-4 hrs a day. I’m sure my workplace loves that. I would say change is good, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Keep up e super work Sir
Andrew Sullivan? seriously?
wow this site just fell a lot in my estimation.
Went up in mine.
how long have you been out of the closet?
Homophobic much?
Why are you not on TVN?
You can simultaneously disagree with a man and acknowledge that he is a pioneer in blogging.
I disagree with Sullivan more often than not, but he writes with style and eloquence, and presents his arguments (usually) with firm rational justification.
what is his justificstion for claiming Sarah Palin’s child is not really hers?
Sullivan is a very strange twisted piece of fruit thst deserves to be shunned.
he’s a weirdo who pioneers smears as news.
When did you think this became about content? It’s about format and style. He basically defined blogging. You’re just coming across as a tool with an axe to grind.
what about something like rotoworld? main stories in the middle and short posts on the side. You cant comment on the short posts
Prefer the current format (it is kinda like topic of the day to discuss).
I am on Twitter and the other news sites all day anyway so no need to reread short meaningless posts here.
The thing I look forward to about your posts are your takes and the comments.
IF you do do short posts I would turn off comments for them so we can talk on the topic of the day.
Tommy, I think the danger is the potential for your time to be consumed responding to multiple comments on multiple threads. Having multiple threads isn’t an issue for readers – we jump from topic to topic, site to site, already. As long as we can continue to follow and participate in the main discussion, everyone should be happy.
How much time can you afford to put into responding to comments on multiple threads while preparing your next post? I think comment sections are key, but the readership should have different expectations when commenting on a “spot” piece as opposed to a “feature” item. For example, in “Feature posts” you may choose to continue to participate as you usually do; but in the “spot posts,” you may decide to not to respond, though readers may comment. That way, you only commit to engaging on the comment threads of the feature, remain free to post spot items as you see fit, but don’t feel pressured to give it the same attention as the feature. I think we all would prefer to have meaningful dialogue with you on one thread, rather than water you down trying to respond on multiple ones — especially if it interfered with the quality of your writing, research or analysis.
I like the idea of “sticking” the “feature post” each day as the primary point of discussion, while the “spot posts” orbit. And I’m happy to have multiple posts from you.
Hands down the best Eagles site. Glad to see you are striving to make it better anyway.
Personally, I love the format you currently have and love your indepth insight in your long posts. I also love commenting and reading the discussions on here that are generated from your long posts. I think having the short posts would risk limiting the discussions on your posts and possibly distracting the conversations. I also would hate the short posts to take away from the longer ones because you are busy working on all the shorter ones.
Having said all that, I do know there are times that a minor move happens that doesn’t warrant a full, lengthy post, but I still like to hear your insight, but it generally doesn’t come until it can be added as a footnote to one of your longer posts. The short posts seems like they could serve that purpose, but I fully agree with a lot of people here that I would definitely turn off commenting on those shorter posts so that the discussion of the day on here can be all found in one place and stay in that one place without having to jump around from post to post.
More longer pieces feel more personal, but the shorter frequent pieces are much more likely to make this page somewhere you check 10-15 times a day rather than 2-3. As long as we don’t lose your fantastic long pieces I’d be ok with shorter ones mixed in.
I think the featured post idea is a great way around the comments problem, though it kinda requires that there is at least one featured post per day? You’d also need a way of making sure it didn’t get lost amid the shorter posts.
Perhaps keep the format as it is now, and add a column a similar size to the one currently on the right with mini posts? Something along the two pane layout of gizmodo?
http://us.gizmodo.com/
I would be interested in helping write some of the shorter form articles to keep you fresh for the long ones. I don’t know how you feel about adding another writer, but I would definitely be interested.
I’m also a fan of the current form, 1 or 2 posts a day is frequent and the quality of the writing, knowledge and research is high quality stuff. Always anxious to hear your take on any news that comes out as i know you will approach it in a thoughtful, deliberate manner and not just create controversy for page clicks. And the comment section is like a whole separate article itself. It’s like listening in on a conversation between the top Eagles Professors in the world.
Current format is great. Not much else to say. Love the community feel, and Tommy’s insights and hard work.
I come to your site for your opinion. Like most I would continue to read even the short posts but in my opinion your niche is your insight into the breaking news more than the breaking news itself. Your insight would be better communicated if you take a little time to prepare it. Maybe just a headline that you comment on in a later post?
My only worry with the shorter bits is that they’ll flood the list and the feature posts get buried under the mass. Suppose you could have them looking different from each other (color & icon etc.).
My suggestion would be to have a tab at the top that will open up the small stuff in a different page and then keep the rest of the site as it is…
I check PFT daily so I’m getting that sort of feed already, yet I’m sure you’ll have your own insight and angle which would make it must read as well.
Just as long as you promise to keep the longer posts as good as they’ve been, i’m all for this and would happily pay a small fee. (probably should donate right now…)
Tommy, I’ve followed you from EMB to the Blog, now to the Blitz. It’s your analysis that I value. I can get the fast breaking news from a dozen hacks. You may be more of a rare bird than you realize: you have insight and knowledge, combined with real writing skills and the passion to share your thoughts with others. I check the site frequently because I enjoy reading the comments. There’s a tremendous amount of intelligent and funny stuff that gets posted.
I also think you should do whatever you feel inspired to do. If Blitz is going to stay fresh and keep you motivated, you may need to change things around now and then. You can always try something and reverse course or amend it later. It’s one thing if this is a short-term project. Then you want to find a demographic and address their interests. I’m hoping, rather, you might be around for a long time. So keep yourself happy and entertained. If we don’t like what you’re up to, we’ll let you know. Hell, we’re Eagles fans, we know how to communicate our displeasure!
“I’m also influenced by Twitter in the sense that not all of you are on there, but I see a lot of little nuggets of interest. Trying to fit all of them into a daily post or even two is a bit much.”….. you got me, not on twitter…. so I love the idea of you doing some quick stuff to hit on things you think are worthly to repeat…. keep up the great work…. love your insight and research.
Suggestion – Don’t go with 5 or 6 daily posts or you will kill the comments section on here.
Do maybe a daily news post where you post relevant news articles/links with 1-2 basic sentences on it.
Put up a daily post on a relevant topic as you continue to do with insight/analysis/opinions where most of the people would comment.
You’ve got a really nice site here, and would hate to see it get messed up.
I enjoy reading your in depth (knowledge/opinion based) articles. Really would miss them, if a new format sucked up so much of your time that you ended up with more overall information but less overall (real) content. Birds 24/7 provides those short “just the facts” articles that keep us informed, but there’s very little journalism there. To be perfectly honest, I liked Sheil’s writing a lot better when he was writing (knowledge/opinion based) articles for “Moving the Chains”. Now his articles comes across as more like reporting the facts, and less like journalism. Kind of a shame as he’s actually a really good journalist. And so are you! My advice… Stick with what you’re doing.
tommy, random late night thought here.
a lot of the great discussion on here sometimes originates with some good input from other commenters. maybe a good idea would be to have a way to “promote” these kind of posts (and any existing comments to them) up into a fully functioning post? or maybe a little brother to your ‘real’ posts? (i’m thinking like a fan-shot/post thing at BGN). it might make it easier for us to keep track of the larger conversations that arise here.
Contrary to the Eagles coaching search: sometimes NO change is GOOD!
Tommy, I like the current format but would be amenable to some shorter segments. I, too, would be concerned about response fragmentation. My reason for you being my primary Eagles site is your insightful reports AND, generally, adult comments that I see too infrequently on Sheil or EMB.
What I would like on this site, is a part where the members could introduce themselves and give their location. It could be awesome to meet others Eagles fans from this site when you move in the USA or Abroad. I’m thinking of this because, I saw too late a member who was looking for a place in Paris to watch the game and of course I would have loved to meet him.
Short stories throughout the day sound good as long as you continue the in depth analysis – that’s what we all enjoy. It’s what separates you from other sites like PFT.
Tommy, its your job to put your posts in a position to succeed. You have to do a better job. Time is yours…
On a more serious note I think that I agree with the majority of the commentors so far. While I dont post often I do enjoy having most of the discussion in one place. PPK said it right, we can get the breaking news from any number of news outlets but this is where I go for the good knowledge about the various subjects. I think that a combination of the two ideas is the way to go. Keep the majority of information in one or two posts a day and if something really sticks out or is truely worth its own small post then go ahead and put it up.
Keep up the phenomenal work!
I look at a bunch of different blogs that have more bite size chunks, but I come here for deeper analysis. I like your current format.
I like it the way it is. To be honest, I can get the breaking news elsewhere. I count on Tommy to break it down and add color. I don’t often have the chance to read the comments, but I would never have the expectation in any post, anywhere, that it would be read by anyone other than a bunch of idiots. Nice that this isn’t the case here, but I certainly wouldn’t expect the author to read and respond. You must not have a life! 🙂
Long format, short format, wide format, no format, welcome floormat, whatever bro.
Just keep it coming, even your odes to an old timer DC’s blossoming love affair with the new, hot coaching prospect that just walked into his life. You could even develop it into an periodic online soap opera, As The Football Rotates.
Seriously, I would love short posts (w/ comments, but maybe an option to either view them or not to ease page loading) in addition to your normal longer posts.
Keep on truckin Tommy.
Tommy, I too have followed you from EMB to here (with a few stops along the way!) I love the current format and would fear that the more frequent/shorter posts would have the less-communal feel that Sheil’s new sure does. Keep the status quo! Thanks and keep up the great work. Truly appreciated!!
Tommy, I too have followed you from EMB to here (with a few stops along the way!) I love the current format and would fear that the more frequent/shorter posts would have the less-communal feel that Sheil’s new site does. Keep the status quo! Thanks and keep up the great work. Truly appreciated!!
I’m late to this discussion but it seems to me the short items could just be put in a “tidbit” section at the end of each long form post, like they do in the newspapers using dopey subtitles like “Bird Droppings”.