This is an open letter to the site owners. Problems and annoyances with the site have reached critical mass.
I’ve stuck with this site through thick and thin. Changes in leadership, changes in ownership, and even changes to site content couldn’t convince me to abandon my favourite site. But recently, ShoutWire is in such a state of disarray that I honestly don’t know how we could still have regular visitors. Hopefully some of you are patient enough to wait the 3 minutes for this page to load so that I can air my grievances. I’m sure that most of you have similar concerns.
Where to begin? Maybe I’ll start with the recent “click here for full article” links that you now see upon clicking on a headline. This is a perfect example of a useless change that was implemented without any consultation with staff or users. Simply asking someone would have revealed how stupid such an idea is. If someone clicks on a headline, that means that they would like to view the article. If they wanted to see the comment section, they would have clicked on the link to the comments. Now people wishing to view an article have to click twice instead of once. Not a huge deal, but it’s an annoyance that could have been avoided had the owners decided to consult their volunteer staff or users.
Next up are the incredibly slow load times. There is absolutely no excuse for having to wait 3 minutes for a page to load. That’s if they load at all, of course, which they occasionally do not. We’ve all been told that a new server is going to be installed that will address this issue, and I’ve been repeating this to users who enquire. So where is it? It’s been months since this announcement has been made, and still no new server. I can’t tell people we’re getting a new server anymore because I just don’t know if it’s true. One thing is certain though: without a new server, ShoutWire’s users will dwindle until there are none left.
Here’s a personal beef of mine that some of the users are also starting to bitch about. Do any of you recognize the usernames “zlovelj”, “rappin”, “sky38” or “bobi?” I sure do. They’re part of a huge network of bloggers whom I call “the Romanian Mafia” (based on their location in Eastern Europe). You may have seen their stolen content on the front page. These bloggers network together to ensure that all of their content gets to the front page. They register multiple accounts, they shout each others’ submissions, and they are all but guaranteed to reach the front page with every submission. They completely undermine the shout system by relentlessly promoting their own material. Now, it’s true that these blog articles (by nature of their titles) always get 1500 or so views. But seriously, should this be allowed? I agree that some self-promoters should be allowed to post, since it introduces our readers to new and interesting content, but when bloggers abuse the shout system so blatantly, it pisses me off. I’d love to ban all of these assholes, but only if the readership is behind me. So what do you think? Do away with these idiots, or allow them to continue?
Another thing that needs to be addressed is the proliferation of annoying ads, especially the redirects. I know that ShoutWire needs to make money to exist, and I know that ads pay for developers and (hopefully) a new server. The problem is, you can’t make money if nobody is visiting your site. That’s what seems to be happening right now. Readership is down, so more ads to make up for lost revenue. But the new ads chase even more people away, so more ads have to be added to make up for the lost cash. The cycle goes on and on until there are no readers and the site owners are bankrupt. If the plethora of site problems were fixed first, users would start to return and the owners would make some cash off of the existing ads. More ads just mean less people. More people means more revenue from the ads that are already in place. Think about it, owners.
So to wrap up here, I’ll point-form my suggestions for a better ShoutWire so that there’s no confusion.
- Replace the server immediately. Every second that goes by without it costs revenue and readers. All the ads in the world aren’t going to make you money if nobody visits the site because of 3-minute load times.
- Consult the users (or at least the volunteer staff) before implementing radical changes (like the “click here for full article” crap).
- Ban the Romanian Mafia. This is not something that the owners should have to worry about – it’s an issue with readers and volunteer staff. Sure, these idiots get ShoutWire some blow-through traffic, but it’s at the expense of loyal, repeat visitors (who are jumping ship faster than rats off of the Titanic).
- Avoid intrusive ads. Yeah, they make you a few bucks, but they cost you a shitload of users. Intrusive ads are a short-term method of getting revenue that ultimately destroys the site in the long term.
- Work on the site OFF-LINE, and then implement the changes quickly once you’re done. This will minimize the ridiculous amount of downtime that currently plagues ShoutWire.
- Fix the small things before trying to implement major changes. Wow, we have videos and user blogs now! Too bad the search doesn’t work, the duplicate article page doesn’t work, there’s a cookie problem, avatars still don’t work for everyone, etc etc etc.
I’m not trying to shit talk the ShoutWire owners, nor am I trying to piss anyone off. I am genuinely concerned with the future of this site. Every day I see regular users saying that they’ve had enough and are leaving. Every day I try to write for or promote ShoutWire, yet I feel like it’s futile. If the site owners want to make some cash off of ShoutWire, they will have to have a site that people want to visit. Angering long-time users is a great way to develop a horrible reputation. Think about what the disenfranchised users of ShoutWire are saying about the site right now? We don’t need bad publicity. We need what I thought ShoutWire was all about – interesting content, provocative editorials, and readers who can speak their mind on any subject. We cannot have that without the above problems being addressed.
Please leave some feedback in the comments. Tell me what you think of the Romanian Mafia, the load times, and any other issue that you have with ShoutWire. It’s time to get this site back on track again.
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