Feedback wanted

In the never ending process of trying to make this site better I am soliciting feedback from readers. Whether you are a regular, a periodic, or an accidental visitor please take the time to put in your two cents on any and all issues related to Collected Miscellany. Here are a few questions I had:

– How to you like the site design? Does it load too slow? Is it easy to navigate? Are the fonts and colors readable? Do you use the side links?

– What type of content draws you to visit? Reviews (fiction or non)? Links? Commentary? A nice mix of all of the above? Is the current blend slanted too much in any direction in your opinion?

– What would you like to see more of? What could you do without?

Feel free to weigh in on these issues or any others you feel are relevant. I obviously don’t do this for public acclamation or fame but I do like to provide interesting and usable content for the readers. I especially don’t want to put off readers unintentionally. Given that roughly 75% of our traffic is search engine driven I am not sure how many actual regular readers we have. But even if it is just a few people I want to know what you are thinking. Plus, change for the sake of change is rarely good but if you don’t change you stagnate. So upward and onward and all of that . . .

As always, thanks in advance.

Kevin Holtsberry
I work in communications and public affairs. I try to squeeze in as much reading as I can while still spending time with my wife and two kids (and cheering on the Pittsburgh Steelers and Michigan Wolverines during football season).

8 Comments

  1. I do most of my reading in a feed reader, so design doesn’t matter to me, but we’re still a way from everyone doing that. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the site as it is and I don’t find it slow – with broadband costs coming down, there’s no reason to worry about that at all. + anyone who wants to change the font size can do so in their browser, but you could add that functionality to your site. Otherwise, I think it’s fine.

  2. WE have cable silver link broadband, but the site is still a little slow in loading for me in IE – seems the same in Firefox.

    I love the reviews, use the sidebar links and really enjoy the diverse blogging personalities.
    My only suggestion in this department is to let your real selves shine through!

    And I love quirky little contests and online questionaires, and suggestions for out-of-the-mainstream reading.

    Thanks for asking!

  3. User firefox on broadband, every once in a while your site hangs and will only load the left column.

    I don’t pay any attention to the links, but I do like the content.

  4. Here’s how I landed here recently: I picked up a copy of the Atlantic Fiction issue, read a piece by the author of Prep, which mentioned Tingle Alley. I visited there, read the People Of Paper conversation, then came through here from that.

    I like the design. It’s clean and easy on the eyes. As for content, I like reviews and commentary. I’m new to literary blogs, so I like the extensive linkbars. I look for a title that catches my eye and surf about.

    I find literary blogs to be somewhat heady and academic. Perhaps a little intimidating. I’m a high school dropout and I suspect much of the discussion zooms right over my head due to my lack of formal education in things like theme and symbolism.

    Before this, I stuck to personal journals and blogs full of angry rant comedy. I’m quickly learning that I prefer this mode of written capsule entertainment better, and it’s changing my book reading interests from horror and thrillers to, well, literary books.

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