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1. Kudos Button: Why the controversy? I've always viewed it as a meaningless counter that's fun to hover over. I never took the counts seriously. Sometimes I vi
by Katelyn 15y ago
1. Kudos Button: Why the controversy? I've always viewed it as a meaningless counter that's fun to hover over. I never took the counts seriously. Sometimes I visit your site just to send arbitrary kudos. What's most concerning about the buttons is the number of readers that feel "victimized," "deceived" or "tricked" from, well...a css element.
2. Svbtle: There are few names I've come across in my career that are as painful as this one to read, spell or pronounce. It gives me anxiety, and what's worse is that it's inspired by Svpply. A good name is a word that you can tell someone over the phone without them asking you how to spell it. Period.
3. The ideas panel is cool. Is there a way you could generate the list in other ways than just manually adding tags? Could you add a bookmarking tool, for example, that adds keywords to your Ideas List once you bookmark a page you find thought-provoking?
4. The S* Network: Your strategy to build a platform exclusive for exceptionally high-rated bloggers to use wont work for several reasons, here's just a few:
4a. I loved your site's design until I saw others on your platform using it. Then it became boring and nauseating. The design of a blog tells a story sometimes just as much as the content does. It gives the blogger personality, and the reader something fresh to look at.
4c. Top bloggers (any bloggers) not only use design to express themselves, but also to stand out. To be remembered. Eventually when you notice a site's design enough times, you realize you might want to check out who the author is.
4d. Social elements and "Sharing" buttons can look messy at times, but the fact is, bloggers like their content shared, and readers like to share content they enjoy. Removing arguably the most widely used tool on the web much poorer design that displaying a 'tweet' button after each post.
4e. Aside from 'ideas' your platform doesn't have anything that takes away the pain that enough users have to make it worth building. I add 'blogging' to pg's list of frighteningly ambitious startup ideas..
- MartinCron 15y ago2. Svbtle: There are few names I've come across in my career that are as painful as this one to read, spell or pronounce. Absolutely. I thought that "kiln" was a horrible product name (it still is) but we've set the bar lower with this.
- blvr 15y agoSo am I the only one who just reads it as 'subtle'?
- alanh 15y agoNope. How is “subtle, with a V for a U like the Romans” so hard? It does seem very apt for an exclusive blog network.
- jarek 15y agoI'm not sure I see how "subtle, with a V for a U like the Romans" or even just "subtle" is very apt for an exclusive blog network, can you mention why you think so? Certainly the positioning and marketing is everything but subtle so far.
- alanh 15y agoSure, I’ll elucidate my thinking here: - The word “subtle” is appropriate for a minimalist product with minimalistic design. - The obscure spelling and, yes, small brand stumbling block it creates is fine for an exclusive and invite-only network; the nod to Latin inscriptions has overtones of class and education, which are both exclusive concepts as well.
- jarek 15y agoI personally disagree with appropriateness of both of your points for this product, but thank you for responding.
- Domenic_S 15y agoI think Kiln is a brilliant product name for what it is: a source code repo (kilns are designed to hold quantities of things) that encourages peer review (kilns dry or harden things).
- 15y ago
- neutronicus 15y ago> A good name is a word that you can tell someone over the phone without them asking you how to spell it. Period. The problem here is that a good name (has become) one that doesn't collide with any popular search terms, and whose URL won't be taken. This is sort of at cross purposes with being easy to spell.