Getting Your Feedback And A Staff Update

had-staff-update-9-2013

Please join me in welcoming four new members to our crew. I published a post calling for applications almost two weeks ago. I wouldn’t say we were overwhelmed with applications. But I would say we were overwhelmed with qualified applicants. Hackaday writers need to be Jacks of all Trades in order to recognize and feature the best hacks from a wide range of disciplines. To this end we chose writers who have interests in areas what will complement those already represented by the team. I couldn’t be happier with the new contributors. Please join me in welcoming [James Hobson], [Todd Harrison], [Phillip Ryals], and [Adam Fabio]. They’ve already been hard at work dishing up fresh hacks, but you can learn more about their backgrounds by reading the biographies on our Staff Page.

You may have noticed a change this week. Although we’re an English language blog based in the United States, our statistics show readers throughout the world (in fact, almost a third of our writing team aren’t Americans). For this reason we changed our post scheduling earlier this week to a 24-hour cycle. This means more time between posts, and of course new posts being published in the middle of the night. Keep reading for a few more tidbits and a chance to give us your feedback.

I’d like to know your opinion on this and a very few other things. If you have the inclination, please check out this five question survey. It covers feedback on the publishing schedule, whether or not you’d like us to bring back the weekly roundups, where you read Hackaday the most, and a chance to make suggestions or register criticism. I’ll include the survey results in the next what’s-up-with-Hackaday type of post that I publish.

Don’t miss a special post coming up on Monday, September 23rd. It’s the first in a series of occasional guest posts to help highlight areas of hacking in which you may not be fully invested. I’m not going to let the cat out of the bag, you’ll have to wait until 12pm Pacific time to see who and what it’s all about.

Finally, I just wanted to remind you that [Brian] and [Adam] will be at World Maker Faire this weekend. If you are attending keep an eye out for them to get some Hackaday swag, or to show off your projects. If you can’t attend watch for coverage of the event on our front page.

40 thoughts on “Getting Your Feedback And A Staff Update

    1. Yeah, 24 hr cycle probably won’t make a difference, as we’re all up at 3 am (any timezone) hacking anyway
      It would actually make a nice distraction when software isn’t behaving and you need to step back for a bit.

    2. What’s up with all this “first post” crap all of the sudden? I don’t recall seeing nearly as much of this back before we got new corporate overlords installed… have we suddenly started promoting the blog among wider crowds (but of diminished intelligence)? My gut reaction is that maybe [fartface] put him up to it, but then even [fartface] isn’t that immature.

      Can we get a forum rule that auto-nukes anyone with the word “first” in the first post of an article? I mean, leave the rest of them (gotta mock someone, amiright?), but nuke the actual firsters… eventually they’ll cut it out.

      1. It isn’t new to HaD or anywhere else on the internet that allows commenting. I’m also hoping that you’re just being facetious, because otherwise you’re being insufferable and taking everything too serious.

  1. I can’t say enough positive things about the changes around here since the acquisition (especially after personally scolding the HAD editors a number of times in the past).
    Keep up the good work, all of you!

    1. I’ll hop on the bandwagon too and say, yea the quality of the articles is a lot better, and the quantity is a very welcome change. Although I may not read all of it, but at least I have the option of skimming through. And if something that is out of my main interest grabs my attention, I’ll check it out.

      Thank you again for the facelift and keep it up!

  2. I have to say, Hackaday is currently part of my muscle memory tab opening ritual. Whenever I open Chrome and have nothing productive to do (or am actively avoiding productivity), I open up Hackaday, notcot, etotheipiplusone, smbc-comics, Facebook, gmail, and instructables.

    Part of why I include Hackaday is because it’s the only site that posts cool hacks 4-5 times a day.

    I’m in full support of both the recognition of international interest and the decision to make changes to support the worldwide community.

    There may be a small stateside reduction in page views, though, from people who might move Hackaday from a twice-daily visit to a twice-weekly visit.

    I’m really happy with the direction the site’s taking, btw. Keep up the good work!

    1. right on! it’s one of my default go-to sites… had been for many many moons (even during the very lean years). I appreciate the effort that it takes to keep it going and I’m thankful that our new corporate overlords stepped in and kept it going/gave it a boost. All of the editors are most deserving of many kudos for their hard work!

  3. Good job posting 24 hours a day from now on. Hopefully this means slightly more posts as well. I am also sure that you would never increase quantity at the expense of quality.

    The only other thing I would ask is that I wish that you editors would edit some of the Debbie Downer posts in the comment section. Delete them or hide them, it doesn’t matter to me. This is currently the only negative of the site, having to read comments about how useless a particular person’s project is, or how someone did something better years ago for less, but I don’t see a link to instructions from them about their project.

    Thanks for having a great site!

    1. Censorship doesn’t solve any problems. where would you draw the line? Sure, there’s some losers in the bunch, but that’s what the report comment link is for. If they’re truly offensive report them. There really is no other realistic option available.

          1. Te test change you are speaking of didn’t long enough to give comment rating a good exercise. I believe the reason for the aborted test was an inability to import old Hackaday articles into the new system being considered, along with a lack of technical support.

      1. Personally I’d like the YouTube model. Where others can vote out a comment out of normal view without deleting it. The best part is that users can move a good comment(s) to the top of the comments. The wort part of the YouTube model it that it allows non spam to be flagged as spam.

  4. I have certainly been critical of HAD in the past, but I gotta hand it to you. Things are looking good lately. Strong showing by the new editors, and the original staff have noticeably stepped up their game too. I’m loving it, and putting some effort into improving the quality of my comments as well.

    I also like the 24 hour postings. Some people will check for updates more often, which means more bandwidth use. But hopefully more ad revenue as well.

  5. I just commented on the “Learn machining from an old school metal master” thread, and a lot of what was said there applies here. Something I did not acknowledge there was how an organization needs a solid foundation, a core of special people, the experts, the go-to ones, those who without corresponding labels somehow set the pace and become the sole of the organization.

    HaD has always been very good. It is hard to improve on even just plain good. It is much easier to go from bad to OK, or from OK to good. This post shows that the new HaD is striving in an ongoing manner to becoming even better. Thank you.

    1. Not sure if a single directional microphone would help if there’s crowd chatter behind them. Perhaps wireless hand held noise cancelling microphones? Throat microphones? I don’t mean it as an insult, but one person interviewed sounded like he an accent or a slight speech impediment when combined with the crowd only allowed a few words to be made out. With one take you got to rung what you brung, but maybe “corporate” will help update equipment?

  6. The beauty of the web is that it makes time shifting our viewing of content possible, so I don’t see where it’s important when articles are posted Yea one might miss out on time sensitive free offers by manufactures, but how often they come around? Generally the introductory prices following the free offer so expensiveness, I see no need to complain about missing out on the free offer

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