I've moved!
Hey guys,
I’ve moved! You can find me at
http://www.mysteryman.org/
About the new site:
- I was finding that most of the things I used to blog about ("news," "around blogosphere," "check out this article" type posts) I now tweet, which doesn't take up as much time. This new site will be premium content only, which means true articles written by me.
- A comments section for articles is a feature they're still developing and should be available in a couple of months. Until then, talk to me on Twitter.
- Those who were receiving e-mail notifications for the old blog will continue to get e-mails about new articles. If you'd like to sign up, just send me an e-mail, and I'll add you to my distribution list (mysterymants@hotmail.com)
- I will also post new articles on Script Mag's blog if you or someone you know is not be able to view the site.
- One of the old books is an "easter egg" you can click. Eventually, you'll be able to click all of the old books.
- There are many valid reasons to complain about the new site - no RSS feed, no search function, no archives, and no url's for individual articles. So sorry but I need to do something a whole lot more creative and fun than what I had before. I hope you'll have fun with me.
-MM
43 comments:
Suggestion: Offer an alternative non-flash interface. Some people may browse on mobile phones/low bandwidth connections, or just prefer something more practical.
Hey, no worries, I'm also posting new articles at Script Mag’s blog site.
-MM
Yeah...I don't read your site for the pretty pictures. Your content is really great, but now you have buried all that awesome content, links and wisdom in an absolutely horrid flash website.
Flash was cute for like 10 min. back in the 90's, now it's just a resource, and bandwidth hog.
You can have a "fun" site, and a cool looking site without resorting to Flash-tur-bation.
Don't fragment your audience with this new "format change." If you are posting the same articles on Script Mag blog site, then I most certainly won't be visiting your flash site.
You're going to have this blog (archived), the script blog, and your flash site?
Keep in mind that a LOT of people view web pages via mobile devices, and some mobile devices don't support flash, like the iPhone.
Poster of the first comment here. I have to agree with purpletrex. Your content is what drives visitors to your site, and your new web site's interface just does not provide easy access to your material. One example - having all of those valuable resources for screenwriters as an "easter egg". New visitors to your web site are going to have to discover (and remember) where to find this unmarked information? And then manually "turn pages" in order to view it all? I understand the appeal of making the presentation of your work aesthetically pleasing, however this does not facilitate your visitors' goal of learning about screenwriting.
If the primary purpose for the web site is an outlet for yourself, then make it look however you want. But realize that putting up barriers to your content is not going to be helpful to your readers.
Ya know, I actually really appreciate your comments, and this sounds so much like the debate we had "backstage."
A couple of things:
- Anyone with a phone can still read my articles via email subscription.
- The site I'm using will enable me to pffer the (long promised & long in development) downloadable screenwriting book, in which everything will be neatly organized. It's tentatively titled "The Screenwriting Revolution."
- I've been blogging for 4 years now, and I just cannot stomach looking at a blog of any kind anymore. We went through hundreds of designs. I just can't do another blog. Most "normal" website designs bored me.
- The flash stuff will be very much on the down-low. I just love being able to (like the SPLIT SCREEN post) have an article on one side and script examples on the other. I also love breaking up long articles with mini-pages as I did with the F451 review. I loved the freedom of the layouts.
I don't know. Maybe the exhaustion of blogging was the cause of a bad decision. But if it doesn't work, I'll do something else.
-MM
As a web designer, I think the new site is 'neat' but i'll tell you what is killer. YOU CAN'T SCROLL THOSE FLASH PAGES WITH A MOUSE.
Honestly, I just stopped reading oyu article on there because it's extremely aggravating to find the little arrows to click and screw around with.
Blogs may seem like an underrated avenue for exposure, but the reliability along with great content like yours makes blogs infinitely greater then a fancy flash page.
Good luck with it. (I prefer your blog.)
i hate to jump on the bandwagon, but i have to agree with the others. your new site is creative, but really not very welcoming to regular readers. i understand why you chose to develop it with flash, but i think you might want to step back and visit a few other flash sites and ask yourself "do i really want to keep coming back here?" i think you will find that your answer is no. flash is catchy. it's neat and it draws attention. that's why it is so heavily used by advertisers (car companies, movie trailers, soft drink companies, etc.). for content delivery, it is just not practical. think about it. morning coffee. do you really want to sit there, wait for the site to load, flip open a virtual book, wait for the site to load, turn the page, etc, all while the sounds of the ocean or whatever is pushed through your speakers?
i am a fan of your old blog. i think there was something very cool about this mystery guy who obviously knows his shit talking to us on some ordinary web site. there was nothing pretentious about it, no gimmicks, just the straight dope. i am not trying to discourage you from improving your venue, especially if doing so makes it more interesting for you, but i would suggest that you not let yourself get too caught up in what looks cool. try to incorporate the tools you need into a site that still kind of looks and feels like the mystery man blog we've gotten so used to. the most attractive web sites i've visited have usually been among the simplest in design. and those are the ones i want to keep coming back to.
good luck with whatever you direction you decide to go in.
Ironically I would never have known about this post if it wasn't for RSS. Apart from the first time, I've never visited this site by typing in the URL or visiting a bookmark:
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/7762/97104257.jpg
Having a flash site will get you far less visitors even if you get all your high "Google PR" screenwriting websites to link to it.
The tabbed organisation might be nice but can't you just use javascript?
http://www.barelyfitz.com/projects/tabber/
http://www.ndoherty.com/demos/coda-slider/1.1.1/
http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex17/ajaxtabscontent/
Split screen layouts aren't difficult. One box floated left and the other floated right...
You won't get any love for the new layout.
Mystery Man, your new blog looks good but it is not very user-friendly. The quality of your content demands a more celibate approach to presentation. A minimum of fuss.
There is just no need for the complicated website. The best sites are the simplest.
I would have to force myself to visit there. Didn't have to think twice about coming here.
Sorry, buddy. Just remember, all good web designing is redesigning. :)
I just checked out your new site, and like it! Congrats on getting your own url before someone bought it and made you pay big time for it. (Darn, should've thought of that.)
I have'nt seen if it's very "user friendly" yet, but on pure superficial visual look I like it.
I'll plan on reading the new articles shortly.
Are you going to keep this site up? I hope so, I love going back and re-reading all your old articles.
Thanks, Michael.
Yes, Otto, I'll be keeping this site up, too.
-MM
I didn't think you needed an update, but I digg the site... I don't really think it matters if people don't like it or not... they will follow you regardless.
Well it's been nice reading your blog. But if I can't subscribe to the new one in my Google RSS reader then you'll just drop off my radar.
I don't get Twitter and I've tried. But the signal to noise ratio is just too low. If I follow you on Twitter I don't think I'll see your posts fly by.
I've subscribed to email newsletters before but I seldom read them. The RSS reader is ideal for keeping up with posts. Perhaps you can email your posts to a blog with an RSS feed.
Peace,
Rob:-]
I love your blog. If you get a chance please give mine a look http://cineacraze.blogspot.com/
Very Nice Blog
very nice blog
I sympathize with MMs need for new visuals, fresh approach plus I like twitter. Someone if not Adobe should be solving the iphone no flash client issue soon you would think. I'll keep my nerd eyes peeled for solutions.
I've got to agree with everyone that has seen the new flash website as a negative thing. It is unfortunate that you've chosen to use a flash website as you are sick of blogs, it's almost like you've taken a step back.
As people have said, it's less user friendly and makes your content harder to get to. Currently on the internet people want stuff at the click of a button, when it's available and quickly.
You've basically made it so that people don't know when stuff is available (no RSS), people can't get to it quickly (have to wait for the flash site to load) and the content is no longer instantly accessible.
If you look at it in terms of screenwriting, you've just wrote a script with bad formatting, which people are going to struggle to get into, so your script is going to be an utter failure...
I totally support the big change, MM. Four years of blogging is a long time, and once it ceases to be fun there's really no reason to do it. Yeah yeah, your readers are selfish and want you to continue it but -- you know, you gotta do what you're passionate about. If that blogging fire is not in your belly anymore, move on with no further regrets. I look forward to your future endeavors. -Mike Le
surely there's some middle ground. a space that allows you to experiment with the form, whilst still allowing your words of wisdom to be easily accessible.
i'm no web designer, but from my experience, full flash sites require constant and major work to keep them fresh and interesting. and navigation is nearly always tricky. however, there's plenty of possibility to embed flash or other more complex java type stuff within html - so you get the best of both worlds - more complex visuals, whilst retaining a flexible and easily modifiable format.
i totally see why you'd be tiring of the blog format, but there's no denying that what blogs are really great for is the power of the written word. and the speed in which they can be digested.
anyways, i still enjoy reading your thoughts on writing and filmmaking. it just feels a bit less like a community now.
I figured I'd keep my mouth shut, and respect MM's desire to elevate his own personal artistic expression above the needs of his readers. It's his blog, after all, and he can do whatever he wants with it.
As a result, I ended up eventually removing the site from my list of regular visits. It wasn't conscious, exactly; but reading it, from a usability perspective, was simply too huge a pain in the ass. I began to simply avoid the place.
The I saw the link from GITS on the new Moneyball essay -- an essay which couldn't be linked to directly, of course. I was interested in the topic, though, so I braved the new Flash-and-frames site... and good God, this is just painful. Yes, the baseballs background is neat for about a tenth of a second, then the dozens of irritating little usability bugaboos conspire to distract you from the rest of the article. Just a deeply unfriendly user experience.
The irony here is that I recall MM preaching how scripts are written to be viewed by an audience, and not solely as an outlet for the writer's personal expression. Now, granted, this is an unpaid blog; but the ultimate goal is for people to read it, right? The new design says otherwise. I'll check back from time to time to see if things have improved, because I really enjoy MM's writing and insights, but not so much that I'm willing to machete my way through such a dense clusterfuck of UI undergrowth.
I have to concur with many of the posts here. The new Flash site just isn't working.
No linking? The internet was made to be linked. I used to send your posts to my whole production department. Now I won't bother cuz I'd have to give them detailed instructions on how to get to a particular post. Too difficult. No thanks.
I can't scroll while reading stories? Thanks for that obstacle to your writing.
I can't read your articles on my phone? Email, you say? Uh, no thanks. That is NOT what email was intended for.
You're sending me to another website to read your articles? Really? I had the impression you were trying to build a brand here. In case you haven't heard print is going away. This is new media. You don't need a distributor for your writing. Build your audience right here on your own domain. If you want to earn money from your writing, then you can do that at your domain that you control, with your faithful audience. Your articles are great! We'd follow you anywhere. But don't send us away.
So you don't like blogs or the way blogs look. Who cares? It's not for you, it's for us and there are best practices to online publishing that your audience has come to expect. Most of these best practices are in place to remove obstacles to accessing your content. Here, you've done the opposite.
It seems from your comments here that you created this website for yourself and designed it to fit your needs. Are you really going to your own domain to read your articles after you've written them? If so, well I hope you're happy.
Good luck.
My apologies for my last post. I lost my head and deleted the comment. Please feel free to subscribe to Script Mag's blog feed to catch my latest articles.
Be well,
-MM
Might I suggest you take a look at John August's blog? It's visually appealing and creative, without the pain of outdated flash to hinder getting to his brilliant tips.
Perhaps you could draw inspiration from there? Because like others are saying, I despise the new site. And like others are saying, used to be an avid reader, but when there are much more accessible screenwriting blogs out there, why suffer through the format of this one.
Am I speaking in tongues?
My articles can be found in TWO places. Not one but TWO places. One is flash. It's not going away. My articles will ALSO be on Script Mag's blog. It's a blog just like this one. It has an RSS feed. My articles will be there. On the BLOG. The blog with the RSS feed. Script Mag's blog. Check it out.
-MM
Hi!
Congratulations! Your readers have submitted and voted for your blog at The Daily Reviewer. We compiled an exclusive list of the Top 100 screenwriting Blogs, and we are glad to let you know that your blog was included! You can see it at http://thedailyreviewer.com/top/screenwriting
You can claim your Top 100 Blogs Award here
P.S. This is a one-time notice to let you know your blog was included in one of our Top 100 Blog categories. You might get notices if you are listed in two or more categories.
P.P.S. If for some reason you want your blog removed from our list, just send an email to angelina@thedailyreviewer.com with the subject line "REMOVE" and the link to your blog in the body of the message.
Cheers!
Angelina Mizaki
Selection Committee President
The Daily Reviewer
http://thedailyreviewer.com
Big fan of your blog and your very informative tweets, but the new site blows. I tried to get used to it, but I can't, so I'll have to just settle for reading your tweets and your posts on scriptmag.
At least lose the extremely loud
HUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
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