November 01, 2004

• Terrific link, Skrik! Where ever did you find it?! I'm still waiting to confirm my registration so I can post in the peanut gallery.
• )))))
• How much were you paid posting this? ;P
• My payment comes from the satisfaction of knowing I have done a good deed. Plus, I need the kind of procrastination the site gives me, since I'm writing a NaNoNaNo this month.
• Skirk Good luck with the NaNoNaNo! Be sure to stock up of lots of coffee and buckets of cheese.
• Rolypolyman, I know from the other thread that you were interested in some feedback. So, here are my thoughts... First off, you're obviously a good writer with an excellent comic imagination. The prose is generally smooth (except for a slighty hint of intentional journalistic clunkiness). Also, you have good comic timing--which might sound odd when we're talking about written comedy, but it has to do with sentence rhythm and length. A short sentence like "Markets were closed Friday," for example, becomes very funny because of the length and rhythm of the sentencces leading up to it. Having said all that, does the world really need another deadpan satirical news site? I know that The Onion didn't invent satirical news, but it now dominates the field to such an extent that you will always seem like you are imitating them. Instead of competing in the overcrowded field of Onion-imitators, why not start your own field? Sites like The Brunching Shuttlecocks and Modern Humorist didn't get big by being the second-best Onion-style site on the web; they worked at being the first-best themself-style site. Recently, Mr. Sun has seen an explosion in traffic, which I don't think would have happened if it was Yet Another Onion Imitator. On a technical note, I'd strongly encourage you to go to an all text-based layout. Putting all your text in graphic format makes the text look uglier, and it wastes bandwidth. This isn't a concern now,but as your readership grows, it might well be. Also, you might want to include an "E-mail this article to a friend" button, to help grow your traffic.
• Thanks everyone... I didn't expect so much support, and I wasn't looking for a FPP but I appreciate it. I agree the site does look Onionish, but this kind of stuff comes out of my brain like a firehose. It's regrettable that the Onion got to the concept first, but I am compelled to keep going until I run out of ideas or time. It's a big experiment. The bandwidth concerns are valid and I'll probably have to do something once I get near my limits. There'll be an update tonight or tomorrow am... I have two versions depending on who wins the election. Will post them both.
• What happened to your forum area?
• Funny stuff! I love your election coverage.
• )))!