Writer, indie publisher, et cetera
What would you like to see at Word Riot?
I’m not thinking of anything specific. This is just a general call for readers to voice their opinions on Word Riot and let me know what you like or don’t like about it.
I’ve been reluctant in the past to do major site overhauls, design or technical, because I sort of like the idea of Word Riot as the (dirty) old man of the lit scene. I want us to remain dependable and ever-present. I sort of like that our layout is a cobbled-out version of whatever HTML and PHP I’ve pieced together over the years. I think it makes the site quirky and unique but also familiar.
I’ve been wondering if it makes more sense to have the site based on a WordPress platform rather than the Jackie-half-brained content management system. But part of the joy that is my crappy hand-code-and-paste-into-the-MySQL-database work flow is I can get my hands dirty and make sure formatting is exactly how I want it to be.
I also wouldn’t want the old URLs to change since authors have their pieces linked on their own sites and the URLs have authority in Google for being up so long yada yada… I think having some sort of hybrid platform is going to be where WR is headed.
</existential lit editor crisis>
Anyway, I’d love to hear any and all thoughts on Word Riot, what we’re doing right, what we should be doing right but aren’t, etc. Seriously. Lay it on me.
| Print article | This entry was posted by Jackie Corley on October 2, 2009 at 1:16 pm, and is filed under Word Riot. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |

about 11 months ago
More images.
about 10 months ago
just a notion: but perhaps the monthly schedule idea is a holdover from the print world that could be somewhat modified. it’s of course tougher from an edit standpoint in some ways to post stuff as it arrives instead of every 30 days. still, perhaps 2 or 3 times per month, a “WW Special” or some such could appear, just to whet the appetites of readers for the upcoming monthly update. Even single new items appearing twice (even once) monthly and fed into RSS, social media and emails would add a dynamic aspect and serve as good promos and reminders for the big monthly update. (“Here’s a new story by Timmy. Remember to check out WW’s Nov. issue in 2 weeks!”)
Or, as lee klein might say: more porn. just add more porn. (i guess Timmy can get in on that too. He’s multifaceted.)
about 9 months ago
I love Word Riot. I’m in college now, but I have been reading it since middle school. The website has introduced to me to so many writers and I am now a english major myself. I would keep it the same. I love that simple layout.
about 9 months ago
I love this beast as it is. Please, please, please do not change it.