New Layout and Reader Opinions

I just started checking out Blogger's new layout features and dig them. The choices aren't as numerous as I'd like and not as customizable as I'd like, but I'm getting a fantastic value for all the money I'm paying Google (nada).

I've played a bit with some of the settings, from layout to fonts. I'm not sure I like all the changes as much as what I had before, but then again I like some of them more. Personally, my aesthetics pertain to the simplistic, albeit with a love for vibrant colors. While this new layout maintains the former, it's decidedly bleak on the latter. I may make a new banner.

Are the changes good, bad -- indifferent? Thoughts, anyone? Would anyone want changes -- and what kind of changes would they like?

Unfortunately, aside from the banner and side gadgets, I can't do much in terms of uploading my own designs or photos, so a background photo or design wholly unique to the site would be difficult -- so keep in mind the limitations.

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Speaking of changes, I find my interest of late moving into a healthy direction -- different directions. While I've always been absorbed into all things policy and, to a lesser extent, politics -- and always will be -- I find myself more and more interested in writing about other interests. If I were to post them here, would people be interested? Or would that be a total turnoff? What, besides politics, are people even interested in?

Given the dearth of posts on Ryan's Take over the past few months, in large part due to shifting interests, I think I need to write about other subjects, somewhere, just to keep me writing. Personally, I think focusing on some other subjects will actually improve my political blogs.

Question for Readers

I'm thinking about changing the comment policy so that people have to sign up for some kind of a name before they post. It doesn't have to be their name, it could be a complete pseudonym. It will just make it much easier for me so I don't have to keep referring to people as "Anon 5:45" and wondering if Anon 5:45 is the same as Anon 8:30, plus it will add at least add a little accountability to the comments of this site. Finally, I'd like to be able to learn more about who reads and comments here -- not necessarily personal identity, but more on the lines of getting to know an online persona, as I have many people in the past at places like Blue Mass Group.

Toss in your opinion in the comments below. Would you sign up for some kind of an identity? Do you think this is a good idea?

Updated My Links, Please Update Your's

I just wanted to note that, in continuing the theme of website spring cleaning, I updated my blog rolls. I was horrified to realize my old blogroll service (which is somewhat defunct now anyway) started to employ pop up ads when you clicked on the link. Bye, bye old blogroll service. I inserted some new blogs and deleted some that are completely innactive or deleted (don't worry, Sco, you're still there - just not "The Fray."). Did I miss your blog? Write it in the comments.

I also want to take this opportunity to remind other bloggers out there that I changed my URL. The old one still forwards to my current site, but I now use www.ryanstake.net. It shouldn't matter, but it's absolutely killing my techorati rating (which has actual implications -- such as when I want to get accepted to an event to cover for the blog). So please take a minute and fix it ;)

Thanks,

Ryan

Notice Anything Different?

In an effort to clean up the website, many sidebar applications were eliminated or slimmed down. I noticed the site was taking a long time to load - no more.

Some of the changes:

• Got rid of the miles-long list of tags. Replaced it with just the most common ones.
  
• Now that the site's been online for about 3 years, it was no longer making sense to post every month's archive. Now, there's a simple "archive" tab. Just click it and each month is listed, including the number of posts in that month.
• Reduced the number of total blogs posted on the site at once. It used to be 7 days worth, now it's just 7 posts worth.
  
• Moved the subscribe-to/RSS app from the bottom of the site to the sidebar, so people actually know its there.
  

Any other suggestions? I'd like to make Ryan's Take as enjoyable and great as possible, so consider this a thread to offer your tips - and always feel free to send me emails at ryanstake at gmail dot net. Thanks!

Real Ryan's Take Videos Coming!!

To a theatre youtube near you...

(Went to Congressman Tierney's public forum today in Lynn.... got some good stuff. Have one video edited now, will do a few more tonight. Breaking it up into individual questions for now, picking the best/most interesting ones.)

Dear Trolls,

If you think I'm a "douche" or "thin skinned" or my posts are horrible, why are you here? Don't you have better things to do with your time?

Honestly, I don't care. I don't censor any of the comments on this blog. Never have. Feel free to say whatever the heck you want. Just note that if you want to troll around random lefty blogs on the internet, it says far more about you than it does me.

For everyone else out there, if you disagree with me - that's great. Let me know why and be prepared to back it up. We could have a few interesting comments. Hopefully the trolls won't get in the way.

Peace,

Ryan

This Whole Twitter Phenomenon

I never really thought Twitter would actually become that much, never saw much of a point to it, don't have a "smart" phone and am still generally dubious to it. While I get how it works on a technical level, I don't really understand it, so I figure I'm going to try it and learn through doing before I leap to any final conclusions.

The only real point of this message is to announce I just created a Twitter account. I doubt I'll "twit" very much - but who knows, I can get obsessive over new things. If anyone wants to "follow" me, I picked qwerty4life as my twittername. (Am I allowed to make up new lingo before I ever use a platform?)

Also, I used my email account to find friends and bloggers who "twit," but if you would like me to follow you, feel free to email me your twit name or write it in the comments. I promise I'll take a look.

Poll: What Kind of Videos do You Want?

Now that I have a Flip video camera, I've been thinking of how to best use it. I posted a poll which anyone can vote on in the right, or use the comments. So far I've been leaning toward just using my Flip for interviews and events, but I'd really like to use it more often. Videos can be great. So I've been trying to think of some regular features I could do. If anyone has any good ideas, I'd be glad to take them into consideration, but even just answering the poll question helps. Thanks!

Donate or Advertise on Ryan's Take

Ryan's Take is a huge investment both in time and resource to write and keep up. Everything from gas to go to events to equipment are costs associated with Ryan's Take that I struggle to afford. In most months, I average over 30 posts, most of which are long, thought out, well-researched blogs. Contributions to help keep my efforts going - as well as expand both content and features - is greatly appreciated. I don't want anyone to break the bank, but even $5 or $10 would be greatly appreciated.

Additionally, I do sell ads on Ryan's Take on a monthly basis. Prices are negotiable, but very affordable. Email me if you're interested - and if you need it, I can design the ad myself.

Finally, if you can't afford to donate and don't want/have nothing to advertise, but still want to help, feel free to click a Google Ad. Clicking an ad can bring in as much as a 30 to 40 cents to the site. If everyone who read Ryan's Take clicked an ad once a day, I could blog full time!

New Domain Name

About time, huh? Why didn't I spend this $10 a year or three ago?

My old domain will still work and old links should be fine, but from here on out Ryan's Take is now www.ryanstake.net.

Gobble Gobble

In case anyone hasn't caught on - I've been taking a bit of an early holiday week off. Blogging recommences after a few more dead turkeys.

Meanwhile, what are you thankful for? As usual, answers go in the comments.

Happy Thanksgiving.

100,000k

I reached a new milestone for the site today - 100,000 hits.

Lots more to come. I hope to make the site even better, adding regular videos soon.

Heading to Denver

I'm leaving tomorrow morning to go to Denver for a few days for a convention (not that convention), but I'll be back home Monday. Blogging may be a little inconsistent over that time, but for now, catch up with my most recent entries.

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Help Keep Ryan's Take Going

Donate or Advertise on Ryan's Take

As much as I hate to say this, it's come to the point where I can't afford to blog nearly as often as I do, under current circumstances. I've been fighting to keep it up for so long, coupled with the fact that I'd like to expand what I'm doing, that I need to make some changes one way or the other. Nothing would please me more, for example, than posting youtube clips of state hearings on this site, or interviewing candidates on youtube, or doing any number of things... that would require a digital video camera. That's just not in the bag right now, but it could be, if readers choose to help make my site better by donating to the cause.

Blogging is my passion and I think I'm pretty good at it. I certainly have a solid basis of knowledge on a whole host of issues facing Massachusetts - and the willingness to learn more. My posts and work through this blog have made impacts in this state, both medium and small. I've affected political stories, hosted official forums and helped candidates win races - all of which would have been at least somewhat different, if not for the existence of this blog. I've had the chance to meet many great people, all of whom make my blogs better and continue to make Ryan's Take a great place to read about and discuss Beacon Hill politics. All of these things motivate me to keep doing what I do best - posting across the Massachusetts blogosphere, as well as organizing in the netroots community and others to push for the issues that matter most.

I have no delusions of what putting a "Donate" button will do for me on this site. It's not going to pay for a living. However, I'd be happy enough if it was offsetting my blogging expenses - which which run in the hundreds every year I've done this. I'd be ecstatic if it gave me the resources to expand what I'm already doing. The fact that I'm no longer in college makes matters even worse, since I don't have magic money flowing from mysterious sources that I still don't quite comprehend that pay for my expenses (that, of course, I now have to pay off, making things all the worse at present).

Just as a note - I don't think most people realize the time daily bloggers put into their work. An average post takes around two hours to write - often more. This post took three, plus the time I spent creating a Paypal Account (at least another hour, because it's freaking complicated). I put 20-30 hours a week into my efforts at Ryan's Take, easy. I read and talk to sources every day, often for hours, to stay abreast of the issues and find stories to write about. I have to keep up with all of these organizations, contacts and networks, which means an endless slew of meetings, phone calls and emails - all of which I love and enjoy, don't get me wrong, but they're time consuming and never ever free (at the very least, I have to pay for gas).

I've written posts that have taken me all night to create - doing artwork, editing videos, finding links and more. Often times, those things take twice the amount of work than writing the text, which is why I don't do them as often as I like (something that would change if people donate). None of that includes the time I've spent traveling to get to events, or listening to hours and hours of hearings and forums. It also doesn't count all the behind-the-scenes organizing I do on behalf of the lefty Massachusetts blogosphere - which, by the way, will include a big BlogLeft event this fall (details to be announced later). Did I mention my weekly podcast and all the hours I spend preparing for it?

What Does This All Mean? What Am I Actually Changing? What am I Asking For?

Effectively, I'm changing nothing, except I'm adding a button to my website. All I'm saying is I can see the day in which I'll have to almost completely stop blogging, if I don't make some changes now. There aren't a lot of blogs out there like mine in this state, so I hope others will agree with me when I suggest that a quiet Ryan's Take is a bad thing. So, for those who really enjoy my posts and are in a financial position to do so, I'd appreciate some financial backing to keep my efforts up. If anyone would like to see an expanded Ryan's Take - complete with regular videos - and is willing to help me achieve that, we can make it happen.

Consider it like the Boston Globe: you can get the whole thing online for free, or pay a little extra and buy some dead trees. I don't want anyone to buy dead trees on my behalf, but I realize a donation won't come without some quid pro quos.

What I Can Do For You

While I'll never sacrifice my integrity on this website (for example, money won't ever change my positions or keep me quiet), I'm certainly not opposed to allowing people to 'sponsor' posts. If you want your appreciation recognized publicly, I'd be more than happy to put "this post is brought to you by Person X" at the end - your name could replace X, with a small donation. People could even choose to sponsor every post I write about on a particular subject. Care about GLBT issues? Sponsor my GLBT posts! Sponsors could also have a link to their website, blog or store that they own attached to their message.

Alternately, I'd be beyond thrilled to post an ad with a link on the side of my website for a small donation. Google ads has been beyond useless - and doesn't even completely work on this new blog format. If users want to advertise on Ryan's Take, though I'm no Picasso, I'll even create the artwork if necessary and do the html. I get hundreds and hundreds of readers every week - that's got to be some decent, cheap advertisement for restaurants, stores, campaigns and more. I always answer my emails if anyone has any special requests.

With very few exceptions, blogging will never make anyone a living - I've said that many times on this site, in forums and elsewhere. Even Bob, David and Charley have day jobs - and their traffic in one day amounts to what I get in a week or a month. But I do think what I have to say has some value and reverberates far beyond the html that represents this site. Many of the people who read my blogs also staff campaigns, work at the State House, at the Globe or organize at the party level. More importantly, my readers represent the most hard core progressive activists in this state - and there are hundreds of them, many of whom read daily. So a donation to Ryan's Take, by any metric, isn't charity. In the end, donations small and large will allow me to be able to put more time into blogging, make my work more consistent and better, as well as keep my efforts and activism going in a day and age when we need all the progressive activists - and bloggers - that we can get.

So, please, click the donate button to your right and help make Ryan's Take better. Alternately, contact me if you'd like to make any special requests. You won't regret it.

Thanks,

Ryan

My Blog: Most Influential Liberal Blog in Mass!

I've got to figure out how BlogNetNews manages to score its Liberal Influence Index, but color me a little skeptical that I could beat out BMG. Perhaps BNN has some kind of metric that counts my 'influence' on BMG as well as this site? Or maybe they read my most recent column in Bay Windows - which has certainly raised some eyebrows. (I seriously can't count the emails, comments and calls I've gotten over my column, most of which were very positive and all of which have led me to believe that Sonia will win this race.)

Of course, this is a much better test of what's truly the most influencial blog in Massachusetts, but I won't mind having the glory for just one week. It's kind of like getting to be first in line in elementary school - something every kid should get a chance at - except, I get to add this to my blog resume. Ha!

Related: I'm also listed #8 in over-all influence "per post" and currently #17 out of all state blogs, any catagory. Those numbers are pretty steady week to week, while my liberal influence ranking is typically top 5 (albeit usually not #1).

In any event, thanks goes out to the awesome folks at BlogNetNews for giving me a massive ego boost coming out with such a fantastic website, loaded with fun and useful features and, unlike Leftblogs.com, can be counted on to be reliable.

New Poll: Grade Beacon Hill

Now that the legislative season is wrapping up, how did Beacon Hill do? Answer in the poll on the right. Results on the 9th of August...

Complete Site Revamp!

Thanks to Sab, my site has a new header. However, that's not all that's new - in order to get the new header, I had to update to the new version of blogger - something I've been loathe to do for months now. What's all this mean in the months ahead? Well, I may start to do polls or use some other nifty features available with the new blogger platform. It took a few hours and I'm not entirely enthusiastic about all the changes, but it will lead to a better site overall. Feel free to point out errors or gaffes in the site and I'll continue to work on it in the upcoming days.

Thanks!

Site Updates

A few updates to the site:

• I added a new search tool, just above my monthly archives, Google powered to look through my site (and even my writing at BMG and DailyKos). Having more than one way to search through this site is a definite plus, as different search systems tend to yield different results.
  
• I added a link to join BlogLeft Mass - the progressive netroots organization in Massachusetts. It's under "About Me." Click it and join!
  
• New links to Protect Dogs.org, the Mass Trans Political Coalition, the Bay State Stonewall Democrats, Gladys Kravitz (the anti-casino, Middleboro blogger extraordinaire), and Sabutai's blog. If I haven't linked to your blog and you think I should, send me an email.
  
• I got rid of a few ineffective ads, trying out some new ones (including a Youtube one that looks fun but useless).
• A note about ads (since it's always a touchy subject): Despite the fact that I have ads, I actually lose money on this site. Typically, over the course of a year, I may accrue upwards of $100 from ads... which doesn't go anywhere near covering all the events and forums I attend, mainly to write about them on this blog. So don't be afraid to click if there's a blog you particularly like, because clicking is the only way they actually yield anything.
  
• Lastly - any suggestions? Eventually, I want to completely overhaul Ryan's Take, get my own domain and hosting, but I'm not quite ready for that yet. For now, I'm sticking with blogspot.com, but if there's any neat tools readers are demanding nowadays, let me know and I'll see what I can do.
  

New Tools for Ryan's Take

I've finally upgraded to blogger 2.0, with a transition that's been perfect so far. What does that mean for readers? Basically, my posts will now come with labels. Since I have more than one way of searching through my entire database, labels aren't really a big deal. However, it'll give readers the opportunity to instantly check out blogs on a topic from a particular post that interests you right away.

I'm going to look into the new layout options and give them consideration. However, I'm happy with the basic format of this site. I'd like for it to look more original, but I'm not an HTML whiz, so that probably won't ever happen.