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October 28th, 2011 at 12:17 pm
...that you'd use to describe Answerbag. Regardless of how long you've been on the site, the first two words that come to your mind probably aren't "stable" and "mature" :). But those are some of the words the folks at Demand Media used during a recent conference call to describe our little corner of the Web, and they have some possible implications for us.
For those who need a brief history lesson, or who've never scrolled down and deciphered the logos at the bottom of every page, Answerbag was acquired in 2006 by Demand Media, a company with a lot of high-traffic Websites in its portfolio. While we've benefited from Demand's resources, we're also one of many, many mouths Demand needs to feed. In that situation, you prioritize, and seeing Answerbag as stable and mature means we need less attention. And I think, on balance, that this is a good thing.
There are some possible downsides. We probably won't get development time to build new features or address longstanding but non-critical problems for a while. If there are tech snafus that affect only a few people, or are intermittent, they're unlikely to get investigated. Of course, any large-scale problems will put us at the top of the priority list, and the community leaders, moderators and I will be here to help, and take care of anything within the scope of our skills, admin tools and database access.
However, once people are comfortable with the way a site works, changing it can yield understandable resistance, even with the best intentions. You're here to ask, answer and interact, not to continually relearn interfaces and rating systems. Anyone who was around during previous redesigns can attest to the impact each one had on the Answerbag community. Many folks would have traded in the new look and functions for the site they were familiar with, even with its quirks and flaws.
So essentially, being stable and mature means we'll have our familiar site for a while. Answerbaggers past and present have built something that can withstand flaws and redesigns, and at its core remain a place people want to be. Thanks doesn't nearly cover it, but...thanks!
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AB-Rich
Comments
You're welcome! :-)
Two words to describe Answerbag:
Answer... Bag :D
by AnonymousGirl on October 28th, 2011
random and useful XP
by elle9o on October 28th, 2011
Enriching
Multifaceted
by RosieGHM Jetpacker on October 28th, 2011
How about a bag full of nuts!
by aiar on October 28th, 2011
Enlightening...
Effervescent...
btw...you have answered my minor snafu problem...
by beanss on October 28th, 2011
Two "F" words: Friendly and Fun.
I visited the Demand Media Site the other day and found no mention whatsoever about Answerbag...nowhere, at all. The Page has no Search feature, either. In any case, I was disappointed that we were not even worth of a mention.
I recall having heard about Answerbag on FoxNews back in '08, and that's I came to AB. How is the word getting out these days? I mean, how do we go about attracting new members?
Anyway, thanks for the Blog entry, Rich. The Members always appreciated hearing from you.
Chuck
by ChuckExAnon on October 28th, 2011
Facebook Twitter.
by Mister_Bromide on October 28th, 2011
"But those are some of the words the folks at Demand Media used during a recent conference call to describe our little corner of the Web, and they have some possible implications for us.
Why does this make me a bit uncomfortable?
by Arisztid on October 28th, 2011
Ask. Answer.
by Inducted Kitty on October 28th, 2011
O.K. yeah...
by trouble slouching toward the Apocalypse on October 30th, 2011
International
Variety
by Mrs. Cleaver on October 30th, 2011
inquisitive
informative
by shunyata on October 30th, 2011
Fun and Addicting!
by rose1980 on October 31st, 2011
fun, friendly
by DA BEN DAN yanggui zi on October 31st, 2011
Rich FYI I am no longer getting access to ádd a description´as part of the question...don´t know if this is an AB glitch or not:)
gracias
by DA BEN DAN yanggui zi on November 2nd, 2011
Totally AWESOME
by zoso1166 on November 2nd, 2011
Dynamic brain-cloud.
by Little Prince on November 5th, 2011
Fun, mind-boggling.
As to mature, I doubt it will be that again since the lowering of the minimum age limit to align with facebook.
PS: I have missing comments again.
by Gingerminx on November 8th, 2011
I may be mature, and I may be stable.
Thanks very much.
But despite these two qualities, I am still bloody annoyed at the continualy messed up presentation of AB on my screen.
No I would have no trouble accepting responsibility for this - I'm an IT idiot. But AB appears in different styles seemingly on it's own whim.
One is obviously the correct one. The other is obviously not - there's no link to log out for example.
Perhaps the little logo DemandMedia have at the bottom of screens should be rephrased.
Driven (badly) by DemandMedia.
How(in the name of God) Partner.
Just a suggestion. I expect the aggravating issues to continue.
by MrWitch on November 18th, 2011
Engaging.
Broadening.
by LynfromNM on November 27th, 2011
Sorry to toss a wet blanket on the holiday cheer, but I notice that the missing, late, and disappearing comments bugs are still around... I think they're going into their 3rd year anniversary now.
Have the site engineering folk just declared that they're insoluble, and will always remain? Or is there still some thought that someday they'll be addressed?
by HasntBeen on November 30th, 2011
when I see comments have disappeared. I just add a comment of my own.. usually just a full stop. it brings back the missing comments.
by Moley the contrary female dragon on January 5th, 2012