Most of my new site ideas are bad, and I think this one may be, too. I'll give this until the end of the year, just to let the idea percolate a bit more. But it might be wise just to shut this down and direct people back to OAF. Thoughts?
I usually forget that this site exists, and then I see something on OAF that reminds me, and I click over here. I never really understood the concept...featuring poems and then they show up here or something. But I thought I would see what the smart kids were doing, and it would start to make sense. Then I forgot about it again. I have to pee. Maybe I'll have something more useful to say later.
To be honest, I've been wondering the same thing. I never quite saw the need for another site that is essentially the same as OAF. I think your initial idea was to create something was easier for people to feature other poems. But that is actually easier to do on OAF. I don't see anything about this site that is substantially different that OAF or that compelling. Plus it pulls poems away from OAF, or it just duplicates them. It was a nice try.
Okay, I'm back. I've clicked around to see what the fuck and I'm still not sure. It's like a smaller version of OAF. I'm not a participant, so I don't know if it works well for participants (I mean people who post their work and whatever else participants do). I use OAF to consume writing and occasionally comment on what I've read. So far, I haven't done that here. I don't know why. It just seems like that's not the purpose of this place, but maybe it is. I just don't feel like doing that here (reading). It seems like there's more variety and more activity back there at OAF, more traffic, and I just stick around there longer and read more. Maybe it's just a lack of familiarity (on my part).
Jay, I think one of the main issues with this site - for me anyway- is that the home page doesn't change very often. Every time I open the site, it seems the same featured poem is at the top. So I think to myself, "this site is dead". I think that's because members still don't know they can feature poems once they have had a poem featured. Suggest you add a button at the top that shows clearly how to feature a poem. And I would work on the graphics of the site's main page. It could use a more interesting design. A thought is that since you somehow have access to use of Instant Images for the OAF Front Page, could you also use that for the banner of this site? Find an intriguing photo or illustration for it?
For me the other 4 sites are enough and a bit more artistically pleasing. But if this stays I'll come, visit and post.
Jay, Ok. I just realized there are 5 sites you created. I just joined Kiss My Poetry. It seems that the same folks are on the three that I am a member of, for the most part. The fundamental format of all of them is basically the same, although I agree with Tom that they are a bit more artistically pleasing. I'm lucky to write a poem of any worth at all every couple of days or so- or maybe once per week. I still like OAF. I guess it's useful to have several venues, but man. That just makes me want to write more poetry. I'm going to have to be a poetry factory at this rate.
Much appreciated. I love critiques! I might keep it open just to have something to play with. However, the site's name--that is also something I'm not in love with. I'll explore some options. On why I open these sites: it's mostly to have test platforms for various tech experiments (back-end, mostly) that I want to try out without mucking up the other sites.
LOL. I have to shut some of these down. Honestly, with TMF and KMP, I started those for various reasons that are too boring to go into: logos, domain names sitting around, nostalgia (TMF was the name of an old broadside that I used to publish).
This was largely a place to experiment with making the job of editor easier than it is on OAF. It's a failed experiment, as most are, but thankfully there aren't a bunch of people here that I will disappoint by pulling the plug.
I wouldn't call it failed yet, Jay. Have you changed the front page? I don't see the Home button anymore. There is no way to easily see all the previously featured poems. The only time the Featured Poem at the top changes is when you reopen the site or click on the Forum button again. I'm confused. (As I often am anyway ).
Oh I just saw it's under the Archive button. Can't there be a "Featured" Poetry button that would be a little less cryptic?
