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December 29, 2006
Some More Feedback, Please
One more discussion topic before the year's out: To date we've kept pretty tight reins on the editorial content on the main page of Brownstoner. As the site and community (hopefully) continue to grow, there are numerous initiatives we could be working on aside from just writing posts (events, new service features, etc.). Assuming that our voice remained the dominant one and we kept a careful eye on quality control, how would readers feel about some new perspectives on the main page of the site? For example, do you think the blog would benefit from having some neighborhood and topical specialists writing occasional posts, e.g. a weekly report from a deputized Victorian Flatbush reader? Or do you think such a move would risk diluting what has made the site successful to date? (Remember, there was some grumbling when we ran the Set Speed Condo Report for a few months last year.) Or as a middle ground, maybe there's just a better way to formalize the process for receiving tips from readers. Either way, we'd like our neighborhood coverage on Brownstoner (and Brooklyn Record) to get broader and deeper, ideally with the help of readers. Very interested to hear everyone's reaction and ideas.
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Comments
My biggest concern in any event would be maintaining editorial control in order to keep the threads civil, while maintaining high traffic to make the site a viable venture for you.
I think reader tips/information are a good thing. I know I give them occaisionally, but don't want to be cited. Maybe have installments about different neighborhoods, even solicit a resident of a particular neighborhood to write one for their area, as opposed to a regular feauture on a particular nabe? It would be a nice way to get to know a bit about areas you do not live in or visit often.
Posted by: lp at December 29, 2006 10:55 AM
There was grumbling about SetSpeed condo report? I kinda liked it.
And 'tight reins' on editorial content?.... I mean I love this sight and all but your opinions/perspective are pretty obvious.
Posted by: Anonymous at December 29, 2006 11:04 AM
Being a regular tipster, I think increasing the scope of the blog is great, BUT I would hate to see a diluted editorial shift, no matter how well intended.
Perhaps a "tipster" posting area, rather than just e-mailing you directly Mr. B? That way you (or Brooklyn Record) could choose to cover posts that seem relevant and leave others for the general readership to pursue...and perhaps report back to you about...
I agree with the "guest poster" or "featured nabe" written by a well informed resident, community leader, activist, architectural-archaeologist, etc.
Turning the reigns, no matter how tight, to others would change the editorial slant of this blog. Bad thing in my book.
My 2 cents.
Posted by: lostinbrooklyn at December 29, 2006 11:07 AM
I think neighborhood experts tend to have strong opinions. Some of the current comment-contributing 'experts' are even crackpots. That said, I don't think it would be a bad idea if it was included as a weekly or monthly feature. I can only imagine the troll party in the comments...
Posted by: greenwood slope at December 29, 2006 11:14 AM
Not editorial comment, but could you fix typekey authentication (I get "An error occurred: The sign-in validation failed." when trying to signin with typekey here, works elsewhere).
Also, could you modify the title of pages to include the post title?
Posted by: epc at December 29, 2006 11:16 AM
Yes, PLEASE fix TypeKey.
Posted by: Anonymous at December 29, 2006 11:20 AM
I used to post and read brownstoner every day- now i don't because the troll makes it impossible to have an intelligent discussion. tormenting CHP seems to be a profession for him. FYI the first post is not mine, but the troll- if brownstoner just made it impossible for more than one poster to use a handle it would go a long way to solving the problem. Until then there's no real credibility for any of us. Bx2Bklyn
Posted by: Anonymous at December 29, 2006 11:26 AM
I'd like to see some actual architectural discussions. Perhaps historical in nature. But certainly there is a lot of ignorance about what is "historical" and "contextual" and I think it would help to have qualified people writing on these subjects.
Posted by: Dan at December 29, 2006 11:30 AM
It's fine with me if we have a thousand people posting under the same name so long as their posts are informative and on topic.
What gripes me are the constant accusations of trolling and the persistant discussion of the troll. The troll would wither away and die if you people would stop talking about him all the time.
Posted by: Anonymous at December 29, 2006 11:33 AM
Any techie out there who could help us fix Typekey? Our web designer can't figure out the problem.
Posted by: Brownstoner at December 29, 2006 11:42 AM
I love you just the way you are...don't give in to the hype. Stay intelligent and well-informed. You are doing a stellar job.
Posted by: Joey at December 29, 2006 12:11 PM
Maybe the neighborhood reports could be in a separate section like the Forum.
Add my vote to those asking for fixing TypeKey. FWIW Typekey still works on other blogs (ATP, for one). Wish I had an idea about HOW to fix it.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at December 29, 2006 12:12 PM
I'd like a regular column where readers could send in a picture of an interesting building in their neighborhood, or in their travels. (limited to Brooklyn, of course) Mr. B. has been doing this all along, and these have often been very interesting looks at places not all of us know about. This could point out endangered buildings, great architecture, terrible architecture, remuddled messterpieces, homes of historically significant New Yorkers, George Washington slept here, anything of that sort.
Editorially speaking, I have no problems with strong opinions, or even crackpot opinions, as long as comments are allowed to freely go back and forth with some kind of civility. I don't always agree with Brownstoner, but I'm very glad his site is here to provide a forum for his viewpoints, and anyone else who has an opinion. A healthy discourse can aid us all in common cause and understanding.
Posted by: Anonymous at December 29, 2006 12:22 PM
I was recently turned onto ATP by a friend, but was then quickly turned off of it because of all the pornographic videos. I had the bad luck to hit one of the vids (which were disguised) just as my little nephew was looking over my shoulder!
Posted by: Anonymous at December 29, 2006 12:24 PM
There are a whole lot of writers in Park Slope. Maybe we could appeal to them to write an essay or short-short story set in Brooklyn, once in a while. Having that kind of content could be fun.
Posted by: Anonymous at December 29, 2006 1:00 PM
I like the "neighborhood specialist" though though the site could get a little too busy or unbalanced. Perhaps a weekly roundup per neighborhood (on different days?) would be a nice balance?
Posted by: Scott T. at December 29, 2006 1:12 PM
I'd like to see some different voices. It's interesting to see brownstoner's opinion and I can choose to agree or disagree with it. Having other voices on a regular basis would be useful to me.
I'm also in favor of having other regular contributors as well who bring a certain viewpoint to the table. I like the setspeed condo report. Once again I could choose to agree or disagree but I was able to get a feel for his particular viewpoint on the topic of condos.
Having random user posts does not allow the reader to develop an understanding of the poster's bias, which we all have.
Posted by: Anonymous at December 29, 2006 1:29 PM
I love Brownstoner just the way it is -- and I agree with the first poster (who may or may not be who he or she claims to be) in that most neighborhoods have their own blogs (many of which I read as well), and one of the best things about Brownstoner is its lack of specific focus on any one nabe.
And I truly don't understand the appeal of trolling, be it making ridiculous comments and usurping others' identities or posting links to pornographic sites and the like. This is a problem all over it seems -- I imagine the person who poated that comment about ATP is the same person who has posted pronographic links there. ATP has now had to take the step of individually reviewing every comment before it's posted -- certainly cutting down on the chances for an actual discussion to arise, but completely understandable given the nonsense that was occurring there.
Anyway, in short, don't change a thing, and hopefully the trolls will change themselves.
Posted by: babs at December 29, 2006 2:05 PM
"I imagine the person who poated that comment about ATP is the same person who has posted pronographic links there."
You "imagine". How quaint.
This constant leveling of accusations is what is making this blog hard to stomach, not the machinations of any "troll". If you have evidence to back up this claim, then please share it with everyone. Otherwise, kindly hold your tongue until such evidence is at hand.
Posted by: Grrrr at December 29, 2006 2:46 PM
Anonymous at 1 p.m., I will gently point out that many nabes besides Park Slope are positively filthy with talented writers. It might be even more interesting to solicit literary or other input from beyond our sociocultural "comfort zones"...for all the talk of real estate values in Crown Heights, for example, I don't recall ever hearing from a Lubavitcher or Caribbean immigrant resident. We claim to love our diversity, but too often it stays behind a sort of glass wall even as we live among it, all these fascinating folks streaming by like movie extras. I'd like to hear what they have to say. I'd like to hear from Mexican construction guys, Jamaican nannies, and Nigerian priests; I'd like to hear from aging Jews in nursing homes and rich preppie kids in private schools and those Chinese waiters who get hired by zip code. Brooklyn is like Mr. Roger's Neighborhood on acid; I'd like to have a groovier trip.
Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at December 29, 2006 3:21 PM
Every post should say somewhere in it what neighborhood you are discussing (maybe tag it on the bottom).
Posted by: Velvet Sea at December 29, 2006 5:56 PM
No editorial commenting. Why mess with success! Keep up the good work.
Posted by: Anonymous at December 29, 2006 9:38 PM
Brenda, it's not about my "comfort zones". It's about writers like Paul Auster living in Park Slope. I was just pointing out there are some renowned writers in that nabe and it's a recognized, longtime demographic here. Don't assume everybody in Park Slope is racist and elitist. Nor did I mean by my post that we should ONLY hear from professional writers, and not the working class people you are talking about. I was making one little suggestion. Everybody is so sensitive when talking about neighborhoods, race and income level, in Brooklyn! I have seriously never seen anything like it, and I've lived in every region of the country including the deep South. Maybe we need some valium in the water or something. Everybody relax.
Posted by: Anonymous at December 30, 2006 2:50 AM
I would really love to be able to log in again too. I think Brownstoner is wonderful but I have been stung by the lack of civility on this site at times; sometimes I am hesitant to contribute when the threads degenerate. Logging in would be helpful and reduce the gratutitous hostility I think.
Posted by: donatella at December 31, 2006 2:48 AM
Anon.8:55--we need like-mindedness in only one area--basic CIVILITY.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at December 31, 2006 12:34 PM
Yes, "civility" as in "no more unsubstantiated accusations of trolling" and "no more using the troll card to silence those you disagree with".
Posted by: Anonymous at December 31, 2006 1:16 PM
Likeminded people? This board is intolerant of un-PC opinions as it is. Do you wish to eradicate all disagreement from the one correct opinion on a topic? If someone disagrees, he or she is labeled: a) a troll (whatever that is), b) a realtor (worse than a troll?), or c) a developer (obviously evil)
Posted by: Anonymous at December 31, 2006 2:39 PM
I agree with both Anon. 1:16 and 2:39. The "troll card," whatever that is, should be reserved for those who show really outrageous behavior, such as posting links to disgusting web sites or commenting under multiple identities from the same IP address, arguing with themselves. The "T" word should not be used to stigmatize those with whom we merely disagree.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at December 31, 2006 3:28 PM
I think it would be helpful to have guidance from YOU as to what you want this contraption to be... is it still about "An unhealthy obsession with historic Brooklyn brownstones and the neighborhoods and lifestyles they define." ??? Or is it about something else? Something broader? Is it about architecture or social activision? Is it about preservation or maximizing return on investment? Should readers revel in exquisite period details or feel guilty that not everyone in Brooklyn can own a parlor floor duplex?
MY idea of what Brownstoner's is about is to educate, enlighten, promote and discuss interior and exterior design and architecture, historical preservation, brooklyn history, real estate, planning and politics that impact Brownstone Brooklyn and, if you like, my world, Victorian Flatbush. (Geographical Definintion would be nice).
But that's just me :-)
I also think there should be some sort of FAQ, page to read before commenting, Position Paper or Manifesto... whatever you want to call it... that gives your point of view and guidance on what tone and content is apropos for which forums.
So Mr. B, what's Brownstoner's Raison d'etre for 2007?
Happy New Year.
Seamus
Posted by: Anonymous at December 31, 2006 6:30 PM
I think the editorial voice will remain clear if you add other contributors -- as long as you run the features *you* want to run and don't worry too much about pleasing everyone. So what if someone "grumbles" about Set Speed, or any other feature? Asking for feedback is nice, but in the end blogs are best when they're not run like focus groups. You're doing fine so don't worry too much about the peanut gallery, myself included.
Posted by: linusvanpelt at January 2, 2007 10:58 AM
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