Dina at Wordfeeder.com writes:

Oh, that looks GREAT!

Me like.

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Louie Latour writes:

Much better!

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Lance Winslow writes:

Boy I sure like these new categories so for a cool project I have posted an article in 50 of the new categories last night and will finish the rest today to make sure there is something in each one, while you switch over all the pre-existing articles into those categories. Once you are done there will be 100s of articles in each category and all us authors can fill them up from there. This is truly Awesome.

I must say this is a spectacular upgrade all around and it adds so much more to this site. It is amazing the ability your site has to deliver quality content for the Internet Surfer or Researcher. Wow, impressive indeed.

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Edward Weiss writes:

Looks good. Much more user friendly. I like how you intergrated the pictures too. Very nice! A red bar at the bottom might tie it all together even better!

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Audrey Okaneko writes:

Lance,

I loved your article on Starbucks tea. Any guess what I order every morning? I love tea. I am not a coffee drinker.

If you submit 50 articles at one time and I only submit 3-5 each time, I’ll never catch you

I do have about 5 new articles partially written. Hopefully I’ll upload them on Sunday. Oh and I hope this weekend I’ll have a photo to upload too.

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Jennifer Thieme writes:

WOW – Nice job on the home page! Looks great!

I’m surprised, however, that a category for Accounting still has not been added to the Business section.

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Lance Winslow writes:

Audrey, yes the picture looks like it might help get more traffic as they have pictures of the authors on the home page now. Actually I just got done with a 24-hour blitz with 113 articles. And wrote some articles on “writing articles” which I think is just hilarious really, but those darn articles get a lot of traffic, and it is easy to write about writing, even though only writers read them?

I put one article in every new category, so those maybe online when Ezine gets that done Saturday sometime. I am quite happy with the website here myself. I really like the new categories here now. I bet they fill up quickly too.

More people should drink Tea, it is too bad more people do not, they would be happier and healthier and therefore do more to put into the Scrapbooks? See that is a good angle on it. Get everyone to drink tea!!! You know I think I have been to almost every Starbucks in Santa Barbara, Montecieto, Goleta, Isla Vista and Carpinteria (wait is there one there I forget?) I bet they have built many more sense then too? That tea article was kind of fun to write. But you know it makes you thirsty? Kind of funny really?

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Lance Winslow writes:

Jennifer is right, with Sarbanes Oxley, accounting is a very high traffic Business Category indeed. Errors and Omissions Insurance, Forensic Accounting, Audits, Peer Reviews, Heck there is a lot to write about. Cannot call them bean counters anymore most take home more than the other top execs these day you know?

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Stephen Hopson writes:

Chris:

You have done such an incredible job with this website. Your mind, body, spirit is really into making this the best article site ever. Really! That’s the feeling I get from you.

I love how you’re always trying to make it better. I love the new categories, new way of displaying author photos. I think it will work.

There is one request I would like to throw out…how about adding an education category for teachers? You know, elementary, junior high, high school teachers and college professors? (And their administrators?).

Stephen Hopson

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Christopher M. Knight writes:

Thanks everyone for your kind comments.

In the forums, I’ve started a thread to organize which categories will be the next ones selected:
http://www.EzineArticles.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1470

You’re welcome to add to that discussion if you’d like. Not sure *when* we’ll add them, but we did redesign our systems to make it easier for us to add new categories.

There is quite a bit involved in the process of adding new categories, including updating the membership submission forms, adding RSS feeds, adding email alert lists, updating the sub-category view, and wrapping it all up so that they all work together.

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Audrey Okaneko writes:

It’s my thought that the reason writers read about writing is because many of us do develop writers block. I just couldn’t imagine writing 113 articles in 24 hours.

Here’s a great piece for your next article….articles can be as simple as one thought expanded. Your goal with articles is to convey one idea not cover the entire topic from start to finish.

We are used to reading books. Books start at the beginning, then tell a story, then have an ending. Articles are different. If you write about writing, your goal is to convey just one idea or one thought about writing. Your goal should not be to talk about hyrogliphics and how we’ve gone from there to modern day writing. That’s just not the purpose of an aritcle.

So, writers read about writing hoping to gain ideas because if you don’t break your main topic into many sub topics, many one idea topics, you’ll quickly run out of things to write about.

Here’s a hint. Do a keyword search. Now look at ALL of the subcategories of that keyword search. Each of those subcategories should be a title for your next articles.

Hmmm I should’ve written an article about writing LOL.

Oh, and I’ve hit every Starbucks you mentioned in your post.

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Darrell Feltmate writes:

the content looks good but it would be nice to have a catagory for wood working in the home crafts section. While my specialty is wood turning, wood working in general is a huge market today.

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Dr.Q writes:

I only joined EzineArticles for the benefit of reading. Perhaps one day I should write something.

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Arthur Levine writes:

I love the new design and am happy to see you and Wally took my suggestion from three months ago on expanding the real estate category. Now I can start writing articles for it.

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Liz writes:

Wonderful – so much more scope to write – thank you.

Liz

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Shannon Moore writes:

Love the new look & the addition of the new categories. Of course, I’m most excited about the trademark category :) Great job!

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James P Raymond writes:

I agree with Jennifer that accounting should be added. Lot of possible articles:

Accounting Tips For Small Business
How to Keep Your Employees From Stealing Your Money ( Internal Controls)

I am sure many of us have experience and expertise for such articles

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Mike Kazmark writes:

I don’t know if you get enough articles to warrant it but how about expanding your food/cooking section. It would have a lot of subcategories too like deserts, low calorie, main course, soups, salads, pasta dishes, crockpot recipes.

Not to complicate this idea but you might want to allow multiple category submissions. If someone’s recipe was a pasta dish one could make in a crock-pot one could theoretically submit that to three different categories (main coarse, pasta, and crock-pot) . . . Just a thought.

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Ed Howes writes:

Great Job, I say.

I was wondering how long it would take to recognize how valuable a home page is on a directory with this kind of traffic. I withheld judgement until I had a chance to exercise home page options. Are you tarcking clicks to bios? How are you choosing the featured articles/

This is a giant step toward hooking on site readers and exposine your authors in a reasonable, digestable manner. I was intrigued by a photo of freelance L.A. bass player, Andre Berry. One article submitted in March and it was a good one. I figure I had less than a one in a quarter million chance of ever reading that article here. I wanted to visit his web site. No resource box. Had to go to his extended bio to get a URL.

I visited his site to find he is marketing a funk bass playing course at a reasonable price with a bonus. I left an Email for him to contact me about promoting his course and I also left a comment on his article. Imagine that – me offering promotional advice I have learned over the past 10 months. And my point is; I will be spending a lot more time on the home page networking, making friends and expanding my interests until I can discuss anything with Lance and Audrey over tea.

Now, I have to say I don’t like all that wasted space on the home page. It can be put to good use without being cluttered in appearance. How about titles and intros for a half dozen daily feature articles based on staff preferences. 24 hours of exposure on the hottest directory on the web. What a boost that would be for a writer’s popularity and what a neat feature for the readers we are trying to attract. That’s my blog essay for the day.

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Ed Howes writes:

Invalid code my behind! I cannot believe there are 278 views on this post and I am the first to vote! Must be Tel still can’t find the rating bar. :-)

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Christopher M. Knight writes:

Ed H,

We are not tracking clicks to bio’s on the home page. The featured authors on the home page are randomized for every Platinum, Basic, & Basic-Plus author that has a valid profile set up (author photo uploaded and their author bio uploaded).

Mike K,

I agree and go check out what I added to our next categories on deck for acceptance:
http://www.EzineArticles.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1470

As far as multiple category acceptance, that’s a planned feature for a premium membership we’ve been considering for about a year now. No ETA for when we’ll get that done…

Dr. Q,

Yeah! Write something. :-)

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Red Monkey writes:

Need Physical Training in the Health and Fitness catagory

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JOhnQ writes:

It does look great!

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Mike writes:

Looks great Chris! You are always trying to make it better and I admire you for that!

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Audrey Okaneko writes:

Ed,

Tea anytime :) There are many topics I know nothing about. Those are the topics you won’t find articles written by me. However, I often do read articles in those categories to learn something :)

For me, one of the beauties of articles is I can learn a little bit without having to invest hours in a class room, or hours reading a book.

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Shirley Parker writes:

I really like the new design of the home page. Attractive and professional and easy on the eyes.

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Ed Howes writes:

Had my best home page adventure of all time yesterday and it is all because of this new design. Might begin a series of essays based on these experiences. I am ecstatic.

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Robert Berman writes:

I guess there always has to be one person who has some doubts about the new layout.

I am concerned about the ability of visitors to find categories. Previously your eyes scanned all categories, now you have to figure out what heading it might be under, an additional click, then if it is not in that category you have to sit and think – Internet searchers don’t like to think – can’t find it, move on to the next website.

The pictures of the authors are nice, but have no value to someone visiting the site, as there is no idea what that author writes about, it just takes up space.

So I guess if it is an attractive lady, or man depending on your direction, you will click on it to find out more? Doesn’t make much sense to me.

I guess the proof of the pudding will be number of views, if it increases great, if it decreases- it looks pretty!

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Ed Howes writes:

Hey Robert,

The photos matter. It’s an intuitive thing. Andre had an interesting face which drew my attention. His bio then told me we had a common interest and I read his only article, then decided to contact him from his web site.

Later a name and a missing photo, drew me to a two sentence bio which led to a three hour adventure. For this reader this has far more value than searching articles in categories which I seldom do. To me home page layouts are critical to my reading enjoyment.

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Christopher M. Knight writes:

Robert,

Thanks for validating what I also believe: That the photos without a main category listing for what types of topics the author writes about, is nearly useless unless the author is good looking or strikes the curiosity of the surfer.

Because of the way calls are made with the database and the fact that I demanded that the author profiles had to rotate instead of be statically displayed, our dev team already shot down the fast ability to list which categories each of the featured authors wrote articles in.

The current reality is that we want to expand the quantity of categories, but the home page layout is what was holding us back. …which is why we created the EXPAND ALL button that will allow you to view every category at once, similar to the classic version of the home page.

Perhaps we could create a (3) column classic home page for those who want to view it the old way.

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Ed Howes writes:

Why do we want the home page to do everything? With newspapers and magazines the front page is designed to sell a copy to READERS. Main item of popular interest gets the most cover space. Runners up are listed. Inside a table of contents directs the reader to regular features and all items of interest for this particular issue. A high traffic article directory should be set up the same way. Lure the reader to the contents page, site map, etc. Maybe there is a better way but it needs to get the surfer to pause long enough to see there might be something of value inside. It appears successful porn sites do this to the extent they all look alike and then some originality can have a huge payoff.

If photos and partial bios are all authors have to catch readers, they know they have to begin the bio with a hook, like an article intro, which might be more trouble than it is worth considerin the short exposure we get and the frequency we are likely to have this exposure. I believe 99% of the internet is still a long way from an optimum home page and the trick is to find that 1% that are close and recognize them when we see them. Why don’t you sponsor a best directory home page contest for readers with some appropriate prize like a bookstore gift certificate? Then hundreds or thousands will be looking for and reporting the best layouts. I think this directory is very weak in promoting reader involvement in development. Could it be the reader is a back burner priority?

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Edward Weiss writes:

I hate to say it, but I agree with what Robert Berman wrote. I liked it better when you could scan the categories.

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Ed Howes writes:

I have always felt the most important thing should be featured at the top of the home page. Perhaps a word of welcome to the visitor and a suggestion or two. I could never figure why categories so often got the prominence they do and I don’t have a problem with a page which displays all categories and subcategories without the huge effort of a mouse click but see no reason why it needs to be on the Home Page. Why must we have a home page doing the work which could easily be done by five or ten linked pages? Speed of access?

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Kanaga Siva writes:

I love submitting my articles to EzineArticles.
It was always a different experience. The new changes you have introduced have made our experience even more interesting.

If you don’t mind, my suggestion is that
Internet Marketing, Affilate Marketing and Home Based Business could cover a broader spectrum.

May you grow from strength to strength!

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Dina writes:

Ed: I speak on behalf of myself only of course, but it appears to me that the categorical setup of this web site that begins with the links on the homepage, plus the strategic deep linking, is the very reason why EzineArticles.com ranks so high with the search engines and why it behooves us as authors to post articles here.

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Ed Howes writes:

Dina,

I think you are saying categories on the home page yield a search engine advantage which would be lost if displayed on any other page. If so I plead ignorance of SEO and accept your assertion. Now, does it matter to the search engines if all the sub categories are displayed on the home page or whether they are on top or bottom? I’m sure I am not the only one who would like to know how critical category placement is.

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Mike Kazmark writes:

Mr. Knight
What a suprise to see all the cooking sub-categories. My first thought was, “wow, one person can make a difference.” I need to be reminded of that every so often and you helped to do that.
Thank you,
Mike Kazmark

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Christopher M. Knight writes:

Mike K,

A billionaire on his deathbed, Wilton Knight of the Knight Foundation, believed that “One man can make a difference” and it was the basis that helped Michael Long to overcome his obstacles to become… THE KNIGHT RIDER!

In all seriousness, if Knight Rider was on TV today instead of the 1980s, Wilton Knight would have said, “One person” instead of “One man”, but you get the point.

:o)

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Ed Howes writes:

When the object is to fill the bucket, the next drop is as important as the last. The last as important as the next. Every individual action affects the whole. The goal is a net positive effect.

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Jeanette Fisher writes:

First, I love the author pictures on the front page and the new layout. Before, the article titles were hard to read. It’s great to see the author’s name, too.

As for the new real estate categories, home selling has two meanings:

1. Help for professional agents selling houses

2. Help for home owners who sell with or without an agent

Many people might think the category is for agents.

Some of my articles get posted in FSBO when they are written for sellers who need to prepare their homes to sell with an agent’s help.

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Christopher M. Knight writes:

26 days later after launching this new home page concept of not having all 301 categories displaying; I’m curious how you feel about it from a purely “UTILITY” or “USE-ABILITY” viewpoint?

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