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We Hunted the Mammoth 2.0 is coming! Add your suggestions for improvements.

Hard at work, or hardly working?
Hard at work, or hardly working?

We’re working behind the scenes to bring you a new, improved We Hunted the Mammoth — at least as far as the design of the site goes. As I think I mentioned earlier, I’m not doing anything radical. The aim is to streamline and declutter the site and to make it easier to navigate and use.

Here’s what to expect:

  • Less-cluttered sidebar
  • Less-cluttered main bar
  • Cleaner, clearer design overall
  • Better navigation between pages of comments
  • Buttons so you can blockquote, etc without HTML in comments. No more need to fear the blockquote monster!

Someone also suggested it would be better to do “nofollow” links for MRA sites rather than using donotlink, so I’ll be doing that.

I will now be able to use WordPress plugins, so I can add other features/options as well. I don’t want to add them willy nilly, but if they can add some useful functionality without cluttering stuff up I’m open to suggestions.

Any other features/plugins you want added? Upvotes and downvotes for comments perhaps? Polls in the sidebar?

Any stuff that gets in the way that you want moved or removed?

Any issue that you have with the design or functionality of the blog now that you think could be improved?

Let me know what you think, from your feelings about font size to possible WordPress plugins to look at.

Oh, and again: this redesign is costing me some $$, so if you’re a fan of the site and haven’t already donated, please consider donating through the PayPal button below. Thanks!

 

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kirbywarp
kirbywarp
9 years ago

@Alan:

Yeah, that’s fair. Like I said, it’s how I use the thing.

@David:

Tabbing would be nice regardless. Freethoughtblogs uses a similar widget for recent comments and posts.

Shotagonist
Shotagonist
9 years ago

Polls?

megpie71
9 years ago

For those wanting to be able to edit things, maybe a forced preview, such as operates on Making Light and Tor.com, might work (you’re required to preview your comment before you can post it, which gives a chance to spot and fix the points where the tyop unfairy visited your posting, and also gives you an idea of how your post is going to look on the site once you’ve actually posted it).

I’m another voice arguing against any sort of up-vote/down-vote system – they’re too easily exploited by the sort of hyper-competitive mindset which is out to score points rather than actually contribute to a discussion.

Definitely in favour of numbered comments given a lack of threading – if you have numbered comments, it is a lot easier to point out which comment you’re replying to, and give people a sense of where the discussion is going (plus it also means it’s easier to spot cases of ninja-ing along the way).

Rabid Rabbit
Rabid Rabbit
9 years ago

Any forced preview should also come with a large and obvious link to the Comments policy.

glamarre2
9 years ago

Please please please DON’T BREAK MOBILE. Your original post show no mention of mobile interface, and the interface is fine, please don’t carelessly change the desktop interface without checking that mobile is fine.

I always come here on mobile, I don’t even know what the desktop interface looks like.

Hambeast, Social Justice Road Warrior
Hambeast, Social Justice Road Warrior
9 years ago

Two things :
One more chime-in in favor of numbered comments.

Whenever you update the store, don’t get rid of all the old designs. I need a cock carousel shirt but won’t be able to afford one till hubby gets a job. Also, take Paradoxy up on her offer, she’s got great designs.
Okay, three things.

oceaniaaa
oceaniaaa
9 years ago

I often read through old articles just for the lols of it, but I have a feeling that the recommended posts that pop up on the most recent posts are often the same ones. I’d love to have more handy links to click to read more on similar idiocy or to see fewer of what must be the most popular ones?

But if that can’t be done I’m fine clicking random months in the archive and seeing where that takes me.

Scented Fucking Hard Chairs
Scented Fucking Hard Chairs
9 years ago

Might as well pick nits while I’m here… Either get rid of the tag cloud or make the font sizes the same. I know the random font sizes is sort of the point of a tag cloud, but they always annoy the hell out of me. >.>

Scented Fucking Hard Chairs
Scented Fucking Hard Chairs
9 years ago

*The random font sizes are. Om nom nom grammar.

Merus
9 years ago

Wow, I thought donotlink did a little more than just making a nofollow link. It’s a little worrying that the garbage people would have got our IP addresses helpfully marked with WHTM as a referrer.

Rabid Rabbit
Rabid Rabbit
9 years ago

@Hambest,

Christ, you married a total beta, didn’t you? Ya can’t even buy your own misandrous shirts? No, your poor beta hubby has to do it for you, because no real alpha would buy them for you. Misandry! That’s misandry! I’m pretty sure, somehow…

[This post may involve sarcasm.]

Newt
Newt
9 years ago

If the comments are numbered, does that mean the numbers will change when a new poster is let out of moderation, or when an egregiously policy-breaking comment has to be removed in its entirety? That would mean anyone referring to a comment by number (rather than permalink) risks having the reference broken later.

Speaking of which, can posts that have been held in moderation somehow indicate both when they were posted and when they were published? eg. having them appear in the thread at the time they were let out, but with the original posting timestamp, would stop drive-bys from going ignored on the previous page.

Daddy cat
Daddy cat
9 years ago

This is unsolicited and probably not needed, but I’m a professional web developer who’d love to donate some hours if you ever need help. I can provide whatever info to show I’m not a secret mra plant and my intentions are honest – I’m just scared of putting my real name bc of harassment from /r/kia.

Hambeast, Social Justice Road Warrior
Hambeast, Social Justice Road Warrior
9 years ago

Oh, Rabid Rabbit, you have NO idea! He’s also a total SJW mangina who’s always wanting to get my opinion on things and talk about feels and stuff.

epitome of incomprehensibility

Not a new thing, but the sidebar seems to be cut off partway: it used to display links labeled “Misandry Central” and “Misogyny Central,” but now it ends in the middle of “Misandry Central.” At first I thought it was just my machine, but it I’ve noticed it on another too.

epitome of incomprehensibility

…Or perhaps you’re going for a different sidebar design and then this would be irrelevant.

But I was just curious, has anyone else noticed this problem?

Mieze
9 years ago

If you go for edits, include a mandatory explanation of changes or a “see recent changes,” sort of like on Facebook?

Also, I vote more of an @ system for the comments section. Replies are everywhere and it’s difficult to follow.

+37 to more kitties

katz
katz
9 years ago

If you want to highlight old posts, you could occasionally do a “greatest hits” day or post a rerun (clearly labeled). That would also give you an occasional day off.

Mieze
9 years ago

epitome, me too!

Paradoxical Intention
9 years ago

Rabid Rabbit | August 25, 2015 at 7:56 pm
Any forced preview should also come with a large and obvious link to the Comments policy.

THIS THIS THIS.

No more excuses!

Hambeast, Social Justice Road Warrior | August 26, 2015 at 2:36 am
Also, take Paradoxy up on her offer, she’s got great designs.
Okay, three things.

Bless your face. You’re awesome.
comment image

(Was it you that made a recent purchase from my store?)

Scented Fucking Hard Chairs
Scented Fucking Hard Chairs
9 years ago

… Is anybody else suddenly getting a button at the bottom that says “Follow” that follows you (irony) up and down the page? Is that supposed to be there?

Paradoxical Intention
9 years ago

Scented Fucking Hard Chairs | August 26, 2015 at 1:16 pm
… Is anybody else suddenly getting a button at the bottom that says “Follow” that follows you (irony) up and down the page? Is that supposed to be there?

I’m getting that too, whenever I comment on a page. I think it’s a WordPress thing because I follow the blog maybe?