Best. Gay. Week. Ever! TCA Behind the Scenes WIth Chris Colfer Bungee Jumping and More!!

YOU SPOKE! (LOUDLY!) AND WE LISTENED!
Last week was our big re-launch and while things mostly went off pretty smoothly (thanks, AfterEllen for going first!) there were some technical glitches and some changes that folks simply didn't like.

I asked you to share your thoughts about the new look, and a lot of you did. That particular forum topic now has three pages of comments and while a lot of them say good things about the new site, a fair few had some concerns. (BTW, keep posting thoughts and/or issues there as we are checking them.)

First the good news!

On Wednesday we were able to address a number of concerns including the fact that when you clicked on a comment, instead of taking you to the comment, it took you to the top of the article, a little glitch that very much sucked. (Yes, that's a technical term.) That problem has been fixed on most articles except for when there are multiple pages of comments. We're working to get that fixed.

The most recent comments block has also been returned to the rest of the site so that when you click off the front page, you can still see what folks are discussing as you surf around. We've also made some fixes to the "Community" page. When you are logged into the site and click on "Community" (it's up at the top) you get a list and links to all of your recent comments so you can follow your ongoing conversations.

We know that the comment threads themselves are no longer as easy to follow since "replies" aren't indented, but we should have that fixed by next week.

In case you haven't figured out exactly how the "Recent Comments" block is working on the front page, there are two parts. The top part of the comment is hyperlinked to the actual comment while right under the avatar is the word "about" which links to the article being commented on so you can go directly to the article if you'd rather.

You'll also notice that the "Recent Comments" on the front page don't include any of the actual comment being linked to which was originally the case after the relaunch. We switched back to that to make sure that spoilers in comments didn't become a problem. For instance, when I interview Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner on Saturday and they fall for my tricks to reveal all the plot points of Season Four of Torchwood, you won't have to worry about having anything spoiled if you don't want to when I post the article.

I know folks have been frustrated about being notified when you have a private message. We have in the works a notification field that will appear in the top right corner when you are logged in. We're thinking it may announce something like "Ianto Jones has a package for Captain Jack!" (Yes, I'm kidding.)

What else? I know the dark gray bars along the side are not beloved by all and we are looking to have those lightened up so it doesn't look like a summer day in Seattle. (Can you tell what kind of weather we've been having in the NW?) I know the font size is also troubling for some folks and what we're going to try is adjusting the contrast to make it easier to read. If that doesn't work, we'll see what else we can do. 

BTW, I want to offer up a big "Sorry" to everyone about the Southwest ad that opened up whenever you tried to right click anything on the front page. I promise you that was 100% unintentional and wasn't a new advertising gimmick. Trust me, if there was anyone that hated that glitch more than you, it was us because we right click off the front page all day long. Thankfully, it's been fixed.

So you can see, we are really paying attention to what you say and will keep working to improve things. I know some weird glitches are still popping up, so just make a note of them in the Help Us Improve the Site forum (no, canning me is not an option, thank you very much!) and we'll keep reading them.

Speaking of forum topics, one of the big goals with this relaunch was to improve the "Community Forum" section (which you can reach by clicking on "Community" in the nav bar up top). I'd love to see this become more active and it is the section where you can start discussing pretty much any topic you want (except canning me; those will be immediately deleted and Flying Monkeys dispatched to your residence posthaste).

I'm happy to say that already seems to be happening as AE reader AddisonDewitt started a great forum called Ta Da! Its Me! - Reveal Your Story To Other AfterElton Readers! where readers can share their stories. Already, 32 folks have done just that — including SurferDude's mysterious husband Torsten. While it still has a ways to go to catch up with the very popular Semi-Offical Gay Lit Thread, I've no doubt that it will be just as popular.

I always try to keep on the new forum topics started by readers, but it can be pretty hard. So if you start a new topic and want me to help spread the word, just drop me a private message with a link to the forum. That and a Starbucks card charged for $25 will get you primo advertising in the BGWE!

Finally, as a thank you for putting up with all the glitches, not to mention being with us all these years and making us the site we are today, don't forget to enter our Drag Me To Broadway sweepstakes for a free trip to New York City. And for all of our readers outside the U.S. who aren't eligible, I'm so sorry about that. If I had my way, it wouldn't matter if you lived in Narnia. Alas, I don't make the rules/laws governing this sort of thing and it's out of my hands.

How about I give you all free foot massages instead?

Next page! A behind-the scenes look at the Television Critics Association Summer Tour. AKA, Mehcad Brooks Said "Hi" to me in the elevator!