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Peter Park
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some ideas for SETT

I'm sure this is already on the docket but some ideas:

I really liked the Archives on the past Tynan site. Reading through all the old posts would be rather difficult in this new setup.

I noticed there's no website URL for commenter's profile now which is how I came across a lot of other interesting people, would be nice to put in.

The singular emphasis on posts on the frontpage is good for existing users but might be off putting for new people. Where's the About? Where's the popular posts? Aka a sidebar.

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steve
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I agree with those guys about the sidebars, archives and so on.

Creator of SETT. Adventurer.
Tynan
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1. I like the idea of having some sort of archives section. The hard part is figuring out exactly how to implement it and how to make it accessible. I was hoping that the good search and different sort methods would make it unnecessary, but I can also see how it could still be needed.

2. We'll probably make it possible to put a URL in eventually. The user bio section isn't complete yet.

3. I didn't import the about page (oops), but there's a way to do it. For popular posts, just change the sort to "rank". Maybe we need a better word than rank? I really hate the idea of a sidebar, because it limits the width of pictures and videos, and tends to be filled with junk. Also, our top bar replaces some of the more common things that you'd find in a sidebar.

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Peter Park
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I can see the pros and cons for a side bar. Without the sidebar, there's definitely a larger emphasis on the content which is great for returning visitors as we already read everything on the sidebar anyway. But, for new visitors, I still think an expanding <div> or something on the first page they visit would be good. Maybe, you could detect via cookie if it's a returning visitor or a new visitor (registered acct or not) and only show the extra info to new visitors.

I know when I first visited, it was some random post. And I could of easily left and never came back, but I read the sidebar and then went to your other highlighted posts and then was hooked. The ranking system would make more sense for blogs that started off with SETT but since you've migrated, it's less likely that your older, best posts will get ranked higher than your newer posts. aka, it would be nice if the blog author still had some control over pieces besides posts, some balance between community vs author control.

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Dinger
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I must agree with Peter. I came across your site randomly when i was researching for my trip to thailand. And then I got to clicking. Frankly, I find the new setup rather off putting and I dont think I would have become a regular visitor if this was how I originally found it. (I'm having trouble articulating what is off putting and when I can I will let you know.) 

But mostly, there is no way for me to easily browse what is available. When I first came to your site I found an article I liked and then noticed many others that were unrelated that also interested me. The search bar is only good if i know what im looking for. But if the top post is about your RV, how am I supposed to assume you also write articles on pickup?

Recently, I wanted to send a friend a link to some older articles I read about your general life philosophy and how you travel. But I wasnt sure what to type in the search bar, and even if there was a 'by rank' option, they might not be the most popular.

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EDIT : I know the site is kinda a disaster now. At least the cool archive link on the right works. I'm too tired to keep working on it, so it's time for a nap and then REAL work. And then if I don't fall asleep instantly, more work on the site.
That's not a typo - my favorite site just got better. I was talking with a reader of my site and he told me my site was hard to navigate. You know what? He's right.

So, I've done a few things to fix that (and other) problems. The most obvious change is that you no longer have to click "read more" to read the rest of the article. You still have to click "comments" to read comments, because otherwise the page would be even huger than it is now.

Also, if you go directly to a post (either through a link or by clicking the title of a post), you'll see links to the next post and previous post. This is for people that like to read the whole site in order or have some catching up to do. When reading in this mode you can also see all the comments right on the page.

Saturday Delight

What? Two posts that aren't over a week apart?! Believe it...

A lot of exciting stuff going on over here.

First - I have seroiusly neglected my friends and my desire to have fun for the past few months because I've been working on an awesome project (Sorry guys, I love you and miss hanging out). I haven't been this excited about working on something until I wrote my book (yeah... the marketing part of the book isn't so fun).