Hello Crafters! After 3 months or so of maternity leave, I’m back! I can’t believe it’s already February, one month into 2009 already. I’m happy to announce some new changes that will be happening on CRAFT. We are in the middle of some HUGE upgrades and enhancements to bring you a better CRAFT site.
First off, a big thank you to our CRAFT bloggers Jenny Ryan, Michelle Kempner, and Patti Schiendelman who have been here daily on the blog have moved up to become contributing writers on special projects you’ll see soon on the site. Starting today, we’re changing our format to include more informed articles and how-tos (more on this below). You’ll still see them pop in from time to time with contributing articles, projects, and reviews. We also wish Jenny the best of luck with her new business, Home Ec, partnered with ReForm School where she’s offering a bevy of craft classes at the store in Silverlake/L.A.
We listened to all the feedback in 2008 and we’re doing a lot to make the site even better in 2009. Here’s an overview of what we’re up to now and some of the changes on the site you’ll see soon.
- Number of Posts – The feedback from all the crafters out there is that there are too many posts to keep up with on CRAFT. We re-blogged the everything and more! We’re still going to have lots of posts, just not as many as before. The posts we do have will be longer and filled with more content like how-tos and projects, timely articles, events, and reviews. But don’t worry, we’ll still have quick re-blogging of things we love in the craft world.
- More CRAFT Editors here on CRAFT – You’ll see some new faces here on the site, but they’re not new at all. Many of our print editors will now be writing on the site now too. When you see them here, say hello!
- Guest Authors – We’ll have more guest authors online this year to share their crafting expertise.
- For our Blog: We are upgrading to the latest version of MoveableType (our online publishing system). This should help our performance. We are adding new features to make it easier to do new things. We are also fixing the comments. Right now, it works “most” of the time but during high load some users need to enter in the CAPTCHA twice in some cases. Threaded comments will also be added. We’re also going to have OpenID 2.0 and things like Facebook connect as MoveableType adds support for it.
- Projects Section – We’re re-doing the projects section on CRAFT soon. We’ll have 10 times the projects and new things to do!
- “Suggest a Site” – The form is now updated so you can put where you’re from and if you’re a CRAFT subscriber. We read those first.
- Design Updates, Ads and Changes – Right now, we’re polishing up the site — removing old stuff and working with our advertising partners to get more relevant ads on the site with sponsors who value the CRAFT community.
And that’s just a start for now! We’ll keep you in the loop as things change and get updated. If you have any suggestions or comments, please feel free to comment to this post or email me at nat@craftzine.com.
58 thoughts on “New Stuff Happening on the CRAFT Site”
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I love the number of posts. It keeps me checking back throughout the day for new discoveries.
Thanks for keeping us informed about your changes and the thinking process behind them. Interested to see what happens!
-Mal*
http://www.turningturning.com
One of my favorite things about this blog is the volume of content on the blog. I like how Craft collects interesting and beautiful projects and links to other blogs. I would likely appreciate different and more in-depth content, but would hate to see the variety and volume decrease. Thanks for all your work.
I don’t know what the craftsters you polled were thinking when they said there are to many posts. I would be very sad to see the number go down. This blog is my daily ritual. During lunch at work I check out this blog for my fix of craft stuff. Its like a treat for getting through the morning. I do like that there will be more in-depth articles, but I would hate to see less posts. Having your work on Craftzine Blog is like a rite of passage in the craft world. If your on craft you blog about it, because its exciting. Also, being featured,it exposes people to your work, people who might not have seen it other wise. SO. please continue re-blogging and have lots of posts…for all of our sanity!!
I too LOVE the great amount and variety of posts! This is one of the greatest strengths of this blog in my opinion. I often check several times a day. Not every crafting post interests me but because there are a large amount, I’m bound to find at least several a day that are right up my alley. Even for the crafts that might not be my personal hobbies, I still often find the creative ideas very motivating. If I get behind on posts because I haven’t checked for a few days then I know that I have some nice eye candy to look forward to catching up with on the weekend!
Isn’t there some way to seperate the blog into a “brief” version for those who complained and to keep a “verbose” version alive with more posts for those of us who LOVE the variety and way it is updated now? I have to be honest and say that if the number of posts are scaled back greatly then I’ll probably only check the blog weekly, bi-weekly, or possibly only monthly instead of multiple times a day. I understand you probably have very good reasons for your changes but I sure will miss my daily eye candy/creative inspiration fix!
Thanks!
Paula
(Interests: Crochet, Sewing, Knitting, Paper Modeling, Cooking, Kid’s Crafts)
Don’t do it! Don’t cut the number of posts you provide. Your blog is such a source of inspiration to me. Nothing more fun than getting up before the kids on Saturday and reviewing all the posts from the week before. Please reconsider the idea of cutting back on the posts.
I come here for inspiration and the more posts there are, the better. May I ask how you came to the conclusion that your readers think otherwise? It’s a bit astonishing.
I’m excited about all these changes.
I agree that the number of posts can be overwhelming — if I’m away from my computer for a few days, I just feel like there is way too much to catch up on and just end up skipping it all.
I’m looking forward to the projects section, and all the new, more-detailed how-tos!
I check the blog daily, well, every 15 minutes. I’m always looking for the new updates! I know the squeeky wheel gets the grease but I wish there were MORE posts…
especially on Sundays :)
Please don’t decrease the number of daily posts! For heaven’s sake! I look forward to them. They inspire me and keep me interested in checking Craft online, at all. If there are fewer posts, my interest in coming to this site will decrease proportionately. I can’t help but think your decision will have a serious impact on your traffic.
Ok, We hear you loud and clear, we’ll make sure there’s plenty of stuff here for you, don’t worry!
“First off, a big thank you to our CRAFT bloggers Jenny Ryan, Michelle Kempner, and Patti Schiendelman who have been here daily on the blog and will no longer be blogging with us.”
Oh….I just noticed that key phrase. The sudden change to less posts makes perfect sense now. Yes, I second the Thank You to Jenny, Michelle, and Patti – Thanks for all your great posts!
Although I post using anonymous (my preference for all blogs due to internet privacy concerns) not only am I a person who used to check the blog multiple times a day but I am also a magazine reader(buyer) and have bought gift subscriptions for friends and family too. Your content-rich, often-updated blog was the motivation for that as I really normally would not subscribe to a quarterly publication no matter how good it is.
The fast pace of your magazine blog was unique and something that had made me a loyal reader of the magazine and blog in the past.
I love there is a new post every hour or so. I’m so addicted to your website. I’m going to have some serious withdrawals if things slow down too much. I really like how short and sweet the blog posts are. If I like what I see in the photo, then I follow the links and learn more, otherwise I just move on down to the next thing. It’s pretty often that I’ll end up running down to my sewing room to start up another project after reading this blog. Thank you CraftZine for having such a great blog!
I see others have said the same thing – but bring on the posts! I always check Craft first in my Reader and love all the projects. Don’t slow down!
I also love that there are so many posts. I like the variety and think there’s more to fit everyone’s tastes that way.
I so enjoyed reading the many posts here – ESPECIALLY the ones highlighting a tutorial, or what new fabulousness a crafter I never heard of before has done. Please reconsider this – we need our multi-daily inspiration!!
I will miss the frequent and diverse postings, most of all Jenny Ryan’s. She seems to have an eye all over the internet and the craft world for coolest, most fun, and most accessible art and craft ideas. Such a great combination of style, fun, and artfulness in her posts.
wow, i’m so bummed you are going to be cutting down on the number of posts! i’ve found so many great blogs, projects and ideas from the craftzine blog, mostly because there are so many daily posts about such a huge variety of crafty pursuits. i especially loved jenny ryan’s fun, cute and colorful posts and patti’s kind of wierd and obscure posts and looked forward to them checking the craftzine blog often throughout the day. your new format seems like it is going in the direction of the craftsylish blog, and while that blog is good, the craftzine blog was mindblowing! please don’t change it!!! i’m begging you! it was such a great resource for all the crafty-ness in internetland in one spot!
i know everyones already said this, but..
I love the number of posts! I wish there were even more!
I’m worried like others, I always wish there were more posts, not less. You guys are awesome!!
Looks like everyone who’s commenting here, including me, loves the frequency of postings. Where are the comments from all those crafters who think there are too many posts on the blog?
Thanks for all the comments! We hear ya and we’ll keep on posting more and more of the best of the craft world.
Keep these great comments coming. :)
Cheers,
Nat
If you really are committed to reducing the overall number of posts, could you do a daily “re-blogging” post with lots of links?
I nth the love for the postiness. I love being able to flip open the laptop and know that there will be something tasty at Craft.
I read the blog using NetNewsWire, so please keep newsreader users in mind. In particular, pleasepleaseplease don’t make the posts so I have to click through to read the whole thing.
And finally, if you want people to use the Country menu on the “Suggest a Site” form, then please put the United States up at the top of the long list of countries.
You are my favorite blog in the whole, wide world!
I’m very disappointed to hear that there will be fewer posts. I normally don’t feel there are enough posts and would love to see more. I hope that I’ll be pleasantly surprised.
What I really love about this site is the number of posts, the variety and the inspiration. Having a quick look at todays posts has become part of my daily routine. If you posted less, part of the fun would be gone and I’d have to consider to come here weekly instead of daily.
I’m probably in the minority here: I’d prefer that Craft do less reposting of other people’s content, and focus on more original articles and how-tos.
The world doesn’t need so many blogs that are dedicated to regurgitating other people’s original work—and certainly not a blog that’s connected to a commercial venture like Craft magazine!
I’ve been writing my own original how-to articles for going on ten years now. It’s disheartening to see my most recent post reblogged over and over again. It’s sort of monkey see, monkey do. Once it appears on Folding Trees or One Pretty Thing, it immediately appears on Craft. Come on, folks! I KNOW you’re a brilliant bunch of craftiness yourselves. Bust out and write something original.
If you’re going to call yourself Craft, you should be putting your pixels where your mouth is—and leading the pack with fresh, new, never seen anywhere else articles, rather than just following behind, showing what everyone else is doing.
Its been said by others already…but I really enjoy the number of posts. It really is a daily ritual for me to check the blog and I know I’ll always find something interesting and inspiring. If I’m gone, I just know that when I get back I’ll get to devote an hour (or more!) to scanning the blog, rather than the usual 10-15 mins.
Glad to hear that things are moving and shaking at the website.
My only thought on it all is to agree with commenter Lisa: I’d like to see less re-blogging on the site and more original content.