The New Updates are shit...

SteezoSaurus

Active member
I know I'm going to get karma raped for this, but please hear me out.

I think the new updates on the news feed have completely lost their value. It used to be quality photos and great articles about select things in the ski industry. I actually used to look forward to reading through every single news update I hadn't read.

Now they are bland and boring. Reminds me of the shitty ads you see in ski mags. I don't even look in the update section anymore.

This really was my favorite part of NS. I now feel more disconnect to this website than I ever have just because of this issue...

/rant
 
I agree i really dislike how comments are on a separate page, seems to be a lack of updates and more product info/ uninteresting interviews
 
Agreed. Although I will admit its a slow time for ski news but still. I don't really need to know about a salamon touring binding
 
this this this

I almost shit my pants when the newschoolers news for google+ came out because it was the first article with the new layout......guess what

i didnt read it
 
OK wait... "updates" - what does this refer to. There are Team/Park updates on the homepge. These haven't changed that much.

"news" - this has changed, and I Have a feeling (with the salomon example) that you're referring to the remote linked articles.

First off... please don't be such a dickhead as to make a post "The new updates are shit." It is really offensive, and just makes me want to say "Well too bad fuck you little kid."

However, that would be offensive to you, and I know you're not just a little kid. I respect your opinions as someone who loves - and visits - this site.

Perhaps we can both act mature, and maintain respect - and really get some issues solved. I'm sick and fucking tired of people making comments like this. We work hard, and we ALWAYS listen, so if you have an issue just bring it up with respect, and make good points. We'll work with you.

Now that this is out of the way...

I see your point. I do. You're very correct that there was a lot more bigger, quality articles before. There is definitely a lack of content going on in the ski industry right now, so a big part of there not being that kind of stuff is that there isn't a ton going on. So this will change, and we will mix in a flow of really good stuff.

We also have been pretty liberal with slamming things in the "mantle" (what we're calling the image scrolling thing at the top left of the homepage) and experimenting with all sorts of content. When we have a really awesome article, it will stay at the top spots for longer. So when we do get a bigger flow of really good stuff coming in, you'll see more of what you were used to.

Now having said that, the whole reason we did this is that people had just flat out stopped reading the news. I mean some people did... but it was barely a blip on the radar of Newschoolers traffic. As well, there's so much cool stuff going on in the world of ski internet... that we wanted to also try to do a better job at showing you what is out there. Lots of the other ski media sources are doing a fantastic job of covering this sport in all sorts of really cool ways. Out of respect for what they were doing, we wanted to come up with a way to really showcase their work, while still allowing you to stay within the confines of newschoolers. That is the remote system.

For instance this article - https://www.newschoolers.com/readnews/4377.0/Bobby-Brown-Re-Edit?c=6&o=2 - garnered a solid amount of comments, and people seemed happy to have the news. We also gave respect for what the powder guys did by showcasing something on their site.

I do think that perhaps what we haven't dialed in is exactly the news that is interesting to you. I think that your tune would be different if we had done a better job posting things you were really stoked on, as well as making sure to give them some love.

So I'd really also ask you to make sure that you open up your mind to the new system, and instead of hating it implicitly - think about what you want more of. We can play around with things to get the right mix, and I'm positive that in the end you're going to love it.

Do note that since we launched these changes, people are reading 200%-400% more news. Its really quite staggering the difference in amount of content people are consuming.

Finally, I encourage you to ask for an invite to the Journalist Network cult.

https://www.newschoolers.com/ns/cult/home/id/1408/t/NS+Journalist+Network/

We are working to recruit more people that really care about content in the ski industry, and we want them to help us create, find, curate and order the news the way you like it. We want to know what you guys want, and we'll make it happen.

 
Word Bishop. My bad. I know you pour tons of man hours into this site and I was by no means trying to devalue that. I guess I have just gotten really frustrated lately over this particular issue.

Let me word my frustrations in a more constructive way though. I guess I just feel as if the News Feed is highly lacking in organization. Let's hone in on the latest update. The Gatorade Free Flow one. I feel as if this one in particular (along with many others) is just ad space for companies to indirectly promote their product, while casting NS aside as yet another medium for them to push their products. Now, I'm not saying NS should get rid of this middle man advertising (I know you gotta pay the bills somehow) but I just don't think that the News Feed is the appropriate place to do it. Seems to me like a Virtual Video Contest should be showcased in the Contest section. No? If I'm interested in doing some sort of online contest, I will link through to the contest page. I don't need it shoved down my throat on the homepage over and over again, which simply makes me avoid the news section all together.

Next point... Yes, these updates may be bringing in more views to the News feed, but that is inversely related to the quality of the News Updates themselves, specifically because of what was mentioned above.

I used to love the days when I could go through and find articles and write ups that were written by NSers. All though it seems to me (like most other businesses nowadays) that quantity has trumped quality.

So yes Bishop, be happy that the back end Analytics are showing more traffic for the News Feed. But keep in mind you gave something up for that..
 
AH!

So TBH funny you should say it.... this is a HUGE thing we really want to bring back. To me, the most important thing that I want to see out of the new system is to feature more of the awesome stuff that happens around the site, as well as give guys who have a voice a chance to write it.

So definitely do join the Journalist network (and this goes for anyone else too) - and help us make news that is interesting. Shit man, I'd love to read a really well written article with cool photos about some totally unheard-of skier that is ripping a local area.

I think there's probably a ton of budding talented journalists around the site. I REALLY want to see more from those people. That would be fucking rad.

As for too many promotion things in the news... hmmm... you're right. Maybe we have been going a little off on that, but frankly I guess that showing cool contests is something that I thought was of tonnes of interest. I think its a question of balance really...

 
Well for one the Free Flow Tour link is something we really wanted to bring attention to. Its not just some outside contest that's getting promoted, its a contest we are running, 100% involved with making it a kick ass contest, and hooking one of our members up with a sick opportunity. Of course we want to make sure it is visible to everyone.

As for user generated content, that is the entire purpose of the Journalist Network, we want to encourage members to contribute quality content. That is a program that we are just rolling out, but keep your eyes peeled for more of that kind of stuff.

You also have to remember that this is a sort of off season. There aren't many big trip reports, contests or video shoots going on in the industry right now. What is happening is people being stoked on resort openings, companies kicking off big early season contests, and event tour announcements.

We don't want to be just like every other media outlet or magazine delivering one big, polished news piece a day, we want you to come here to find everything going on in the ski world. We are still making tweaks on how we deliver this content, and what we will display, but we are seeing positive numbers backing the idea that we are doing something right. May not appeal to everyone, but we want to address the wants of the community as a whole.

And like Doug said, please give us a little respect. We do this for you guys. We may not always get it right, but we pour our minds, hearts and insane amounts of time into Newschoolers to make it what it is.
 
Might sound a bit biased as a contributor, but I do think that featuring videos and especially articles from other news outlets on the front page stream really hurts the original NS content and doesn't add that much value by simply displaying some "up-to-date" stuff from other sites.

The fact that there are almost five new pieces running daily on the front page is not too much of an issue as it seems to draw a shitload more of an audience (techno-generation has to constantly keep checking for new stuff when it comes up faster) but simply having some short video or an article that's hosted from another site seems to draw away from the original stuff.

Otherwise, all these related news tickers and the revamped news launcher seem pretty fantastic.

My two cents.
 
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