I'm the LetsRun.com Summer Intern and Want to Improve the Homepage AMA

LRC intern wrote:

If other users are reading this: how do you feel about the Quote of the Day? Love it? Hate it? Don't care?

Kind of don't care, but, I follow the sport so I won't knock the guy who said it at all.

That athlete has won dozens and dozens of competitions. You could fill a quote of the day from them for an entire month. Probably an entire year if you tried.

The articles are an interesting part of the site. I don't really think much needs to be changed. You could make the site more interactive. You could have an 'online now' section for the boards where users could see which users are logged in? Then again, I don't care whether someone is logged in or not. But it might be interesting to see, out of boredom? It's a trivial thing.

Here's a quote of the day:

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.''

-Albert Einstein.

If you are to improve the site, use your imagination.

dtyjtdk wrote:How about the mobile experience? I am unable to read most threads on my phone. This has been going on for a couple of months already.

And the ads covering posts?

We have asked you about these things, these changes, for years!

I want LRC to be better. I really do.

Please email me

with screenshots of your mobile problems

I like the home page. Maybe it could be improved by adding dates to the articles. Perhaps there could be a useful links page, with a link on the homepage. The useful links could include usatf club homepages, state records, national records, and links to the websites for big races.

I would argue against making posts editable. That would totally ruin the continuity of discussion threads.

This isn't the homepage, but you could take a look at the dialog that appears when one attempts to cancel replying to a post. The buttons are in the wrong locations, according to what little I know about interface design.

yoyoyo... wrote:

I would argue against making posts editable. That would totally ruin the continuity of discussion threads.

I agree with this guy. We should not make posts edible. It would definitely ruin discussion threads.

WinnytheBish wrote:

yoyoyo... wrote:

I would argue against making posts editable. That would totally ruin the continuity of discussion threads.

I agree with this guy. We should not make posts edible. It would definitely ruin discussion threads.

Totes.

Imagine all those threads getting eaten.

Please add a "first post" timestamp to the thread list? Right to the left of the "last post" timestamp.

Its good to know when someone is bumping a thread that is 15 years old.

hank jr wrote:

Please add a "first post" timestamp to the thread list? Right to the left of the "last post" timestamp.

Its good to know when someone is bumping a thread that is 15 years old.

and GO GET ME A COFFEE!

WinnytheBish wrote:

yoyoyo... wrote:

I would argue against making posts editable. That would totally ruin the continuity of discussion threads.

I agree with this guy. We should not make posts edible. It would definitely ruin discussion threads.

If we did this, it would be a 2-5 minute window for typos, small addendums, etc. nothing that would allow people to edit their posts well after the fact

Where did the intern go? Did he quit?

I would like to see a list of just the articles produced by LetsRun (none of the random outside links), sorted from newest to oldest, with publication date noted for each. To me, that would be a better use of page space than the "on the boards" section, which often contains links to posts with few replies or even deleted posts.

(side note: what algorithm is being used to populate the "on the boards" and "of general interest" lists? They don't seem very effective to me.)

erik wrote:

WinnytheBish wrote:

I agree with this guy. We should not make posts edible. It would definitely ruin discussion threads.

If we did this, it would be a 2-5 minute window for typos, small addendums, etc. nothing that would allow people to edit their posts well after the fact

Making the posts editable is a really great and easily implementable suggestion, and you respond with a really really lazy excuse. Sad.

It sounds like you are on the right track. I like having a quote at the top, but it doesn't have much visual appeal. It is just a blue clickable link. Following that the homepage provides a list of stories to scroll through with small thumbnail pictures. It has a LOT of content, which is great, but there in is its problem. It doesn't help the reader visually sort content or prioritize information as effectively as it might. Moreover, I typically visit on a PC, and the homepage has an extraordinary amount of wasted, unused space on both the left and the right side. My guess is that your grid system will address most of these concerns. Good luck!

Ben , I would like this site to have more metallic animations and glowing buttons. like the inside of a spaceship . Take more risks , like being with your stepsister .

I haven’t read any of the suggestions so this may have been said. I would like a dark mode option.

erik wrote:

WinnytheBish wrote:

I agree with this guy. We should not make posts edible. It would definitely ruin discussion threads.

If we did this, it would be a 2-5 minute window for typos, small addendums, etc. nothing that would allow people to edit their posts well after the fact

The intern is trying to make things better , and you are already shutting things down.

I just looked at the homepage for probably the first time... complete disaster.

How is anyone supposed to sort through all of that information and links? I get dizzy just looking at it.

Quote of the Day is a complete waste of space. Look at ESPN.com homepage for a general idea of how to set it up. Main headline with a picture in the center, other links to articles along the right hand side. Could even add recent results up top if races ever start again. Then you could put the "On the Boards" bit on the left hand side. Would look way better.

C jessup wrote:

In this day and age it’s entirely appropriate to ask about let’s run’s diversity problem. The sport is diverse but you appear to only hire white connected males. It’s terrible.

What’s more is that you delete any post and pretend it’s not a problem.