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Subscribe to RSSNewsvine is changing. We're in Beta and nearing the biggest change in the history of the site. We've got a new support section. Now we've got a new blog.
We're starting this blog nearly from scratch because in refreshing the site, we want to renew our commitment to making Newsvine the best news discussion site possible.
One of the most important parts of fulfilling that commitment is improving communication to the people who make Newsvine's success possible:
Newsviners. Our users.
This version of Newsvine Blog doesn't have much content as of this writing - but from the developers to the moderators, we're going to fill it up. There will be features to explain, issues to discuss, and a whole new site to help with.
Leave a Comment:
Testing.
I'm excited about this and a little nervous. I hope it signals a new era of frequent missives from Newsvine Global HQ and ensuing conversations that cultivate new tools, cooler features, and better users.
I also look forward to when this doesn't look like a nbcnews.com page and instead is a column on the new Newsvine.
Well let's all hope that this works well.
Geeze, me too. I'm not sure what the "trough" is, but this looks like it (like the old msnbc blood-letting pages). ;0)
tyler, you said better users.
Can you explain this? Please?
Same here. Most times when I click on a link on the tracker and it takes me to a place that looks like this I run away.
Hmm...
Not sure. But this certainly explains the massive drop-off in NV participation of late.
I can only hope that this new format might help me remedy the problems I've had with viewing my comments and responding.... fingers crossed
Yeah, I understand that these gray discussions don't have the best connotations, VerbalBarb - but we felt it'd be better hosted here than on NV Classic or a product we haven't yet released.
Key term's 'cultivate' there - didn't mean to imply that I hope we get a wave of new 'better users' - though I think New Newsvine will be orders of magnitude better at handling population and I obviously have a vested interest in seeing that population growth. More meta-discussion can help Newsviners use the site better.
Rixar13, I expect it to!
I am very happy to hear you say that, Tyler.
Lkessler @ #1.5
Do you really think so?
I must say I envision people being picked last or not at all when it comes to the Nations. Is Newsvine to become a site based on popularity? That's going to hurt quite a few of us, me included, I know.
I'm terrible about keeping to my groups; I'll have no choice but to learn to do that with Beta, I think. I believe anyone can ask to join a Nation (someone tell me if I'm wrong?).
I figured I'd just see where my buds are and ask to sign up. Hopefully, some will think of me, but if not, I'll hunt them down!! ;0)
Tyler, thanks for the explanation.
VerbalBarb,
We will have to look out for one another. :-)
Sounds like a plan. =0) The friends, the merrier!
I'm gonna miss stalking all my friends via the tracker. Just stay in the "Whores and Sluts" group when it becomes a Nation and I'll be able to find you all BWAHAHA!
VB
You create a Nation and people join it...it is your group
Like Nation Piss Ants, if I wanted to continue that group, but I am not.
People have to ask to join... by joining they can comment but everyone can read the comments there are NO private groups....
Actually, I think the point is to be more integrated with nbcnews.com; a new jointness where legacy Newsvine users mix more with the 'general population'. Where the wiser veterans espouse their philosophical knowledge to the public, -as frustrating as that may seem-. The isolation of the clique, gives way to the enlightenment of the masses.
This was done by the musical entertainers during Mao's tenure, where bands of movie stars, entertainers, poets, and writer's traveled among the countryside to educate and enlighten the population at large, giving them a sense of patriotism and purpose for the country in their lives, but then I digress.
The point being, to emulate a oneness, not a separateness.
While that is a lovely thought, I don't feel very enlightened these days... I've been here since 2008-- does that make me an old-timer?
I wouldn't say old-timer, more like Bodhisattva, the enlightened one, enlightening the dark for lost such as myself from your postings. Or perhaps like the traveling Confucius expounding the lessons of our earthy existence to all that will hear,..
You're very kind to paint such a lovely word picture! I'll do my best to help. :-)
I have to say that the layout of this looks very impressive, very appealing to the eye. I am torn between the Classic and the Beta, but I guess as long as the Beta is easy to use, won't lose my friends and won't restrict access to postings for people, I don't have a problem with it. I also have a secret yen for shiny new toys, and this looks nice and shiny..:o)
I'm excited!
I agree MsC, it looks impressive.. I prefer the classic 'topic' approach rather than having exclusivity in conversation as the approach, but things can always change, maybe.
Me too..but I also prefer seeing the avatars at the same time. I didn't know you were a dog, CL1? What a cute and intelligent dog you are? Would you like to come walkies? :o)
We hope, but perhaps we'll get used to this and won't want it changed. That's the thing about life. We always adapt, I suppose.
I also like the newer and older tags on both sides of the page. Easy to keep up with what's happening.
Hi MsC... That's a bunny. :) That's Ok, though, I'll answer to a dog name persona, too! ..lol.. I like it because she is looking up at my Header comments, as if contemplating.
I agree, we often adapt to change. ..Yes, the "older-newer," like the NBC pages, are nice.
Ha ha..That's made my day even more, CL1!! (*putting on dunce's cap and standing in corner*) :o)
She kinda looks like a little dog, too...with really long ears. :)
Yes, she does! :o)
No More Private Chat …
It is truly sad that when Newsvine changes from Groups to Nations that we will no longer be permitted to have the privacy we have become accustomed to and will no longer have a “Group Talk” module that is heavily used by many Groups.
IMO this will discourage the growth and expansion of Nations / Newsvine
Dowser, better an old-timer, then a two-timer.
Never that! :-)
OMG.
NV has morphed into an ugly bastard stepchild of FBs hook up w/ NBC!
Yikes.
No one needs to have their avatar displayed a gazillion times. It's so 1999. I hate that. Who cares? Who wants to see tiny squished pictures of already tiny squished pictures? NBC pgs always make my hard disk hum louder from so many graphix to load up & I swear it's gotten worse since the FB hookup. *Post to my FB wall* pffft. Why? Who wants some totally random no-context comment popping up there? Not that I ever use FB. It's boring pointless drivel. And all the FB ppl are rude. NBC Latino is unmoderated & horrific in commentary since that switched to FB only. Who needs em? I loathe this obsession w/ FB that every website seems to have. It ain't the hub of the universe for the majority of ppl. I am never posting to FB from NV. Get over that nonsense.
If this is what beta looks like, Dowser can do a video of me skipping off into the sunset. Yuck.
PS>Can we please get rid of that annoying BS ad of the cop holding the virulently flashing radar gun? Are you trying to gives ppl seizures?
scar... I sooooooo needed to read you tonight! LOL ..Christmas depression has set in (some might understand that; others, not so much:) and a good dose of your 'tellin' it like it is' - is always uplifting. lol
I get that "hum" too.
FB and NBC - Chummy, aren't they!! What one doesn't think of, the other will, kinda like puppies. The key is to keep lots of papers around, to make clean-up easier.
Puppies don't make sense, they just try new things to see if they can get away with it. But, if either one of them starts 'digging' on my Column, or chewing up my articles, or drooling on them with "boring pointless
slobberdrivel," that's where I put my foot down!Well, of course! It's a test. If we can pass that, then we'll be ready for Beta/FB Newsvine.
LMFAO
It's annoying as hell, too. But then so is beta, I hear :P
I'm (Xmas wrapping & tidying) procrastinating. I'm really good at that.
Nice explanation for the rest, Bunnypup :P
I'm so glad this is in my tracker. Thank you for the reminder that I need to be wrapping some more presents before daylight. I've procrastinated all of the above for a week
I still need to mop the floor too and it's Christmas Already. Have a Very Happy one and remember that Desserts is just Stressed spelled backwards.
Sounds good! It'll be really nice to hear more from the staff and developers on what's happening to the New Newsvine!
Giddyup!
Sounds great, always have been a supporter of change and advancement, afterall this is the internet and social network: As we grow, we prosper in knowledge and awareness: Always a pleasure to share in Newsvine with my fellow/fella Newsviners! Can't wait !
Mal loves the Vine... but Mal is also a neo-Luditte... Not sure about all this "advancement" stuff...
Hey Tyler,
When this is finally "release" (out of beta) will the classic mode go away completely???
Mal is nervous too...
[Mal paces in his cave...]
Yes.
I sense on of the early posts on this reborn blog may be a Future of Newsvine FAQ.
The King is dead.
Long live the King.
It only just occurred to me, but I would really like to track (or retrieve) not just my comments, but those of my friends more easily. The old NV had this feature where the avatars of those who replied were up on the header of the article or seed, but what borked it was that there were also the votes up next to each avatar so that nefarious gaming resulted.
Just thinking...
This ain't a blog. It's an article. Where is the actual blog? Like, its column? Blogs have topic lists.
I am looking forward to its full unfolding!
Let's hope this is the beginning of a new high in correspondence between Staff and Membership. Thanks, Tyler.
I agree.
Thanks, Tyler-- maybe someone has been listening all along... I look forward to learning more!
That's ambitious. But it's what we should be aiming for.
Merry Christmas Tyler. I hope you are someplace warm, relaxing and enjoying your life this Holiday season!
I hope we get relevant and newsworthy stories to inform and illuminate the public who read this and hope the Media tries to go back to illuminating the news instead of sensationalism.
My hope is that we stop shouting past each other and have a real debate from both sides instead of NONESENSE! on the Issues. We are all in lthis together as a Country.
While you're at it, wish for unicorns too.
:-)
It looks ok....so far (:
I look forward to this. I believe the NV Blog will help us all to understand the unknown with a place to get help now. After all when I was new to NV a few years back, I had a lot to learn then also. I look forward to the help to understand and navigate. Thank you Tyler, Sally and to all the NV Team. This is good news for sure! :)
Oh, and are we still going to have our guides? They were very helpful when I joined. :)
Besides, I miss seeing them! :-)
Yes. [Not positive that it will be at redesign launch.]
Thank you for this Blog. It should be extremely helpful in going forward, and know that your communication is highly appreciated!
Me too. But I'm a little excited and very nervous.
Yeah, I noticed that too, what's with that?
Less trolls? Or is that just wishful thinking on my part?
I replied here.
That too. :)
What is the "Newsvine Blog" exactly? Is this part of the new beta version? I've been back and forth with beta and classic. The new beta is missing about 80% of the functionality of classic. And the grey text? Why grey text?
My old eyes are having a problem reading the grey text.
Me, too!!!
We decided it would be better hosted here rather than on NV Classic or on a product we haven't released yet.
The new Newsvine has the ability to write articles, seed links, post comments, track conversations, participate in groups and publish your own column all within the great community that already exists here on Newsvine. I'd say it has over 80% of the functionality of Classic. True, a few features are missing but that doesn't mean they won't make a comeback in the future after we launch.
I don't know if anyone remembers this, but when I became a Newsvine member in 2008, talks about Beta were beginning. I'm very happy for Newsvine and its members.
I look forward to learning more about this.
But like others, I am nervous about what will happen.
Still extremely nervous Classic will go away and we will loose so much.
Hi Shelby-
A few of the features are going away but you won't lose any content. All of your articles, seeds, comments and groups will be available in the new Newsvine.
I am VERY pleased to hear that! Phew! I can breathe easier now. :o)
That's not true. There are no more private grps in *new NV*. And you're just talking content. There's more than content around here.
Agreed with scar. There is a place in the world of the internet for groups of like-minded people to get together and discuss things without the whole web getting to see the conversation. I don't care what Zuckerberg thinks, at times there IS a need for privacy. Some conversations just don't need trolls and when a group is involved email is not an adequate substitute.
Once NV takes way that ability to go to a quiet place where the outside world is excluded isn't there a risk of losing membership due to that?
Once the new version go live, you'll have to operate the same way we did in the Battle for the Coral Sea, send out flight recon patterns to get your bearings,..
Sort of like we did at Midway, too? :-)
Sometimes, in Beta, that's what it feels like.
poop.. I have to close out the screens to get back to the tracker.
Click on the big "Newsvine" at the top of the page; it takes you back to main page/trackers.
(Just bolded that so it will stand out better, what with the gray type.)
Yes, I have to agree here: I really don't like this grey writing. :o(
I dunno. This looks an awful lot like the old msnbc site, which seemed to attract the opposite of "better users."
I abandoned that site in favor of Newsvine (the classic version) over 4 years ago.
I'm still in the "wait and see" stage.
You're right. This blog does look like the old msnbc site. But this blog is not the new Newsvine. :)
Looks good. What is next? Is the transition going to be quick or slow? I am waiting for more information.
We're in the final stages of fixing critical bugs and adding a bit of polish to a few key features. We've been in Beta for the past few months and we've had a few hundred users give it a test run. We plan to announce the switch over a few days in advance and then the actual transition will be instantaneous and won't require any updates or action on your part.
Lance, I just tried the Beta in IE9 and Firefox again. I have a few bugs that I found. Do you want me to publish them here, or send in a bug report-- I took a couple of screen shots. Thanks.
Always use the Report a Bug form. Feel free to also discuss them here but using the Report a Bug form helps us out a lot. Not only do we get helpful diagnostic information it also helps us track and fix them.
Also, if you're using IE9 and having issues make sure you check to make sure that Internet Explorer is not running in IE7 compatibility mode. There's a really good chance that it is and if so it's going to cause several issues.
Yeah, I tried that. didn't fix it. Thanks!
Will do!
I hope I can navigate the new newsvine. I'll have plenty of friends to help me if I falter.
Won't I?
I know there's places to go for help.
This format is like MSNBC, except there are nice people here.
I can see the type better. That's good. But everything on the page is so much bigger (which would include the ads, natch...), that might make things more difficult to navigate. Ferinstance, howdoIgetoutofthispage
If you click the back button, you'll eventually end up at the page you were on before you came here. :-)
I hate it when I have to do that! 'kay. Just that the old page all you had to do was hit once and presto, some really hot headlines from the AV Club on the front page. I have no shame. Show me!
Magz and Dowser If you click on the Newsvine logo at the top of page it'll take you back to the front page.
Thanks, rottlady-- I usually don't do that, because I'm going through the articles on my tracker... But that, too, is a good solution!
When or if it works, which it wasn't doing last night ... had to just close out and start over. But apparently there will NOT even be ANY tracking in the new version, just chronological order by entry time?
Not sure what you mean? The new Newsvine has a new and improved conversation tracker that will make it easier to track more conversations.
That's good to know. I kept reading in several different beta discussions that there would be no tracking to follow.
Per usual, the lady with her beloved Rottweilers comes to my rescue. Thank you Ma'am.
But that ain't how I roll. I open new tabs for everything & then shut the window I navigated out of by doing so. That back button is so 2005 :P
Hey, Lance. Thanks for your input.
All of the comments written by Beta testers which I have read so far only complain about the absence of a conversation tracker. Have I missed something?
When will the kinks be fixed in beta?
Nice to see some progress at NV !
Owners/mgmt/Tyler?: It has been close to a month since it was reported to you folks that some (many?) members were being denied access to Google Adsense. One of the last words we heard from y'all was that you would contact Google and fix this problem, yet the problem still continues, with no farther updates from y'all! It was also said (at about that time) that your main concern was the "Power Users", has that affected your approach to resolving the problem for the little users with Google? Do you have any approximate time frame that could be mentioned that the "Common/Little Users" here on the vine will be/or not be allowed to participate in the advertising revenue such as has been done for the elite users? I realize that we little/non elite users here on the vine do not seem to be as important as the power/elite users, however if we are to be cut out of the loop, it would be extremely kind of y'all to at least man up and tell us? Perhaps you can take a moment and tell us where this group stands in the New and Improved NewsVine plans?
Am I correct in assuming Newsvine is now a blog on NBC.com and at some point NV will no longer maintain it's own site? I avoided the MSN threads on Newsvine because I don't like the format and the people commenting aren't members of Newsvine community. Oh well, what's done is done like it or not.
Elaine, Tyler said above: I also look forward to when this doesn't look like a nbcnews.com page and instead is a column on the new Newsvine.
Link
Thanks Rottlady! I didn't catch that.
HELLO???
Tyler can you answer the questions?
Ok so here are my questions
Why do we lose our friends list,
Why cant they show to the right of the page like Face Book
Why are groups limited to just 15
Why can't you switch to classis for now on any page
When is beta going to show NEW comments?
I don't like Newsvine Beta.
It isn't tracking new comment and I can't reply to anyone...I tried using it today
My Newsvine is all messed up too....some seeds/articles come up all funky