Market Urbanism readers may not have noticed, but not too long ago I added a feature to the sidebars labeled “Check these out.” This is a feed from the Market Urbanism del.icio.us bookmarks. I added this feature as a timesaving alternative to creating a new post every time I find a relevant article, leaving more time for in depth posts.
You can subscribe to the feed here: rss feed
Let me know what you think – is it better, or should I post more often?
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Update:
Look up! Based on your feedback, I made the feed a feedburner feed and created a animation at the top of the page featuring posts from the links feed.
It looks like this:
Personally I’d rather see more commentary — the links are good but 50% of them are from things I subscribe to already. Though either way is fine. I can’t find another blog out there that is simultaneously focused primarily on urban issues and pro-market, so if you do all the work and aggregate individual posts that fit this description that’s nice already, even if you aren’t adding any new content. Anyway I won’t ask too much as I’m totally just free riding off your work.
Personally I’d rather see more commentary — the links are good but 50% of them are from things I subscribe to already. Though either way is fine. I can’t find another blog out there that is simultaneously focused primarily on urban issues and pro-market, so if you do all the work and aggregate individual posts that fit this description that’s nice already, even if you aren’t adding any new content. Anyway I won’t ask too much as I’m totally just free riding off your work.
Personally I’d rather see more commentary — the links are good but 50% of them are from things I subscribe to already. Though either way is fine. I can’t find another blog out there that is simultaneously focused primarily on urban issues and pro-market, so if you do all the work and aggregate individual posts that fit this description that’s nice already, even if you aren’t adding any new content. Anyway I won’t ask too much as I’m totally just free riding off your work.
I like the “Check This Out” feature and am glad you pointed it out because, although I had noticed it before, I didn’t realize you were intending to update it “regularly” as a way to save time.
Although I definitely find your posts enjoyable and enlightening and would like you to post more often, I certainly understand how time consuming that can be. (That’s one reason that I’m not posting more often myself — and I’m not running a blog, screening and responding to comments, etc.! So, of course, do what you have to do. It’s better that you ENJOY running your very valuable blog — and thus continue to do so — than get swamp with “obligatory” postings and begin to see the blog as drudgery and basically give it up (as an active blog)!
One suggestion, though: I think you should somehow “visually” update the blog each time you add something to Check This Out (or to Market Urbanism’s blogroll, etc.). By visually update, I mean posting a simple statement pointing out the location of the new update, along with maybe a different background photo or a different colored background, etc. — so that busy readers will notice right away that something is new. Perhaps this could be a “sticky” at the top of the page that points out whatever is the latest addition to the blog? (Until now, I’ve been checking the comments list on the right side of the page to see if there is any activity other than a new post.)
I say this because when I see a blog that’s is “apparently” unchanged from day to day, I begin to think that the webmaster has given up the blog (at least for a while) and begin to check it less and less frequently. So if there are others like me out there, I think you might be losing some potential readers, especially once this current post (“Links to Interesting Articles”) “sinks” lower in the blog page, since new readers won’t understand why nothing is “happening.”
I like the “Check This Out” feature and am glad you pointed it out because, although I had noticed it before, I didn’t realize you were intending to update it “regularly” as a way to save time.
Although I definitely find your posts enjoyable and enlightening and would like you to post more often, I certainly understand how time consuming that can be. (That’s one reason that I’m not posting more often myself — and I’m not running a blog, screening and responding to comments, etc.! So, of course, do what you have to do. It’s better that you ENJOY running your very valuable blog — and thus continue to do so — than get swamp with “obligatory” postings and begin to see the blog as drudgery and basically give it up (as an active blog)!
One suggestion, though: I think you should somehow “visually” update the blog each time you add something to Check This Out (or to Market Urbanism’s blogroll, etc.). By visually update, I mean posting a simple statement pointing out the location of the new update, along with maybe a different background photo or a different colored background, etc. — so that busy readers will notice right away that something is new. Perhaps this could be a “sticky” at the top of the page that points out whatever is the latest addition to the blog? (Until now, I’ve been checking the comments list on the right side of the page to see if there is any activity other than a new post.)
I say this because when I see a blog that’s is “apparently” unchanged from day to day, I begin to think that the webmaster has given up the blog (at least for a while) and begin to check it less and less frequently. So if there are others like me out there, I think you might be losing some potential readers, especially once this current post (“Links to Interesting Articles”) “sinks” lower in the blog page, since new readers won’t understand why nothing is “happening.”
Rereading your original post, I get the sense that the update of “Check This Out” is automatic with del.icio.us and that’s what saving you time — in which case manually updating and formating a sticky at the top of the blog page with a changing message may be what you’re trying to avoid! (Not being web savy, I’m not exactly sure what del.icio.us is or does.) If that’s the case, as mentioned earlier, of course feel free to save time however you can. Now that I know, I’ll be sure to check the sidebars regularly.
Rereading your original post, I get the sense that the update of “Check This Out” is automatic with del.icio.us and that’s what saving you time — in which case manually updating and formating a sticky at the top of the blog page with a changing message may be what you’re trying to avoid! (Not being web savy, I’m not exactly sure what del.icio.us is or does.) If that’s the case, as mentioned earlier, of course feel free to save time however you can. Now that I know, I’ll be sure to check the sidebars regularly.
Rereading your original post, I get the sense that the update of “Check This Out” is automatic with del.icio.us and that’s what saving you time — in which case manually updating and formating a sticky at the top of the blog page with a changing message may be what you’re trying to avoid! (Not being web savy, I’m not exactly sure what del.icio.us is or does.) If that’s the case, as mentioned earlier, of course feel free to save time however you can. Now that I know, I’ll be sure to check the sidebars regularly.
yes, i never looked there either, but after checking that out I will in the future. That said I would still like to see more frequent posts on the main page. Especially a focus on successful actions that cities, regions, private sector, etc. have taken to promote free market urbanism. Currently this blog is great and is one of my favorite reads because it is so insightful, tough provocative and most of all unique in its view. In the Urban and Regional Planning field this view is so rare and needed, so to hear more examples that other professionals have used would be great.
yes, i never looked there either, but after checking that out I will in the future. That said I would still like to see more frequent posts on the main page. Especially a focus on successful actions that cities, regions, private sector, etc. have taken to promote free market urbanism. Currently this blog is great and is one of my favorite reads because it is so insightful, tough provocative and most of all unique in its view. In the Urban and Regional Planning field this view is so rare and needed, so to hear more examples that other professionals have used would be great.
yes, i never looked there either, but after checking that out I will in the future. That said I would still like to see more frequent posts on the main page. Especially a focus on successful actions that cities, regions, private sector, etc. have taken to promote free market urbanism. Currently this blog is great and is one of my favorite reads because it is so insightful, tough provocative and most of all unique in its view. In the Urban and Regional Planning field this view is so rare and needed, so to hear more examples that other professionals have used would be great.
del.icio.us is just a social bookmarking site. I’m able to bookmark articles as I come accross them. If I find time, I comment in a separate post.
del.icio.us is just a social bookmarking site. I’m able to bookmark articles as I come accross them. If I find time, I comment in a separate post.
del.icio.us is just a social bookmarking site. I’m able to bookmark articles as I come accross them. If I find time, I comment in a separate post.
del.icio.us is just a social bookmarking site. I’m able to bookmark articles as I come accross them. If I find time, I comment in a separate post.
Thanks for all the kind words, everyone! I had intended to do more in-depth posts, such as the Urbanism Legends series. I do have some Urbanism Legends drafts that need some touch up and article about New Urbanism that I’m working on.
Thanks for all the kind words, everyone! I had intended to do more in-depth posts, such as the Urbanism Legends series. I do have some Urbanism Legends drafts that need some touch up and article about New Urbanism that I’m working on.
Look up! Based on your feedback, I made the feed a feedburner feed and created a animation at the top of the page featuring posts from the links feed.
It looks like this:
Look up! Based on your feedback, I made the feed a feedburner feed and created a animation at the top of the page featuring posts from the links feed.
It looks like this:
Look up! Based on your feedback, I made the feed a feedburner feed and created a animation at the top of the page featuring posts from the links feed.
It looks like this: