The New & Improved CoA: What to Expect
August 25th, 2007 by PETE ABEL, Assistant Editor
Earlier this week, I suggested it might be time to freshen up our regular Center of Attention (CoA) feature and offered my recommendations for doing just that. Only a few responded with their own thoughts/preferences, which likely implies readers are more than happy to leave content and design decisions to us. However, those that did respond had some very clear points of view.
First, an individual emailed me offline to suggest that I not read too much into the lack of comments on recent CoA posts, reminding me that there are many “silent” readers who browse our pages and the pages of other blogs, not to chime in, but simply to read and enjoy and learn. In other words, we shouldn’t judge the utility or value of a given feature or post by the number of comments it receives. Fair enough.
Second, the following image/icon was the preferred substitute for the scales-of-justice icon we had been using:
Third, there was some attachment to the “Center of Attention” title, and admittedly, it has built up a certain brand cache, so we’ll keep it in place. (Besides, I don’t want to force Joe to add yet another category to the already long list of categories under which we can file our posts.)
Fourth, there was little appetite for limiting the number of featured posts, so we’ll continue to include a variable number, probably in the prior range of 5 to 10 per installment.
Fifth, while the commenters were split on the intent/purpose of the feature — and yes, I’m counting my own waffling vote in that mix — I’ve decided to play Solomon and split the baby. Self-identified moderate, centrist, and independent bloggers will continue to be prominently featured, but we will broaden the mix to also include partisans and wingers who (despite their distinctly left or right views) express moderated opinions on certain subjects OR help the rest of us find the productive middle-ground of a debate by exposing us to something we didn’t previously know or fully understand. In that spirit, the new descriptive opener for each CoA post will read as follows:
A round up of recent posts by various bloggers who either attempt to strike a balanced note on heated debates and controversial issues, or improve our ability to find our own sense of balance by exposing us to new information and different points-of-view.
We hope these modifications will be well received. They will be put into place on Tuesday, August 28, 2007, in the next CoA installment. Thanks.
This entry was posted on Saturday, August 25th, 2007 at 8:48 am and is filed under Center of Attention. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
