Reader research request

Good morning again,

I’m posting on a quest for some of your brainpower.

We are about to reorganize the content on PlanetWaves 1.0, the one that existed a generation or so before we began publishing in WordPress (that is our blogging platform). We are, for the first time since going live in December 1998, going to remove a vast amount of content from our archives, to gather our energy concentrate activity on this page. However, we are going to make exceptions, which are basically reader favorite articles. Some of these are about astrology, some are about sex, some are about politics.
I’m here to enlist your input with this project, choosing your favorite articles from the old archives.

Here are two starting points: our old contents page, and our Planet Waves Greatest Hits page.

Those of us who work as Internet content creators, particularly those of us who came on board before 2000, know that the Net is a work in progress. We humans have a tendency to tear down the past (particularly in the United States), and I want to make this move honoring our history. So the two links above are likely to be preserved intact.

I’m a little less certain what to do with pages like this: a preserved version of our original contents page. The feather graphic is by our beloved longtime artist — truly one of the Planet Waves founders — Via Keller: it’s a tribute to the Sept. 11 false flag attacks on the United States. There are interesting articles that are part historical relic and part astrology notebook from fairly early in my work. While I don’t know what use these documents may have, I’m not one to give them the heave-ho so quickly. For example, there is this letter from a few months before the Sept. 11 incident.

Of past eras, I am always curious: what were these people thinking?

Please enter your thoughts and suggestions below. If you’re not a registered user of this blog, please sign up — it takes one minute and will not add to your spam inflow at all; we don’t sell or rent our lists.

Thank you kindly —

Eric Francis

15 thoughts on “Reader research request”

  2. I spoke with Keith earlier today. In response to his long email, I asked him to get his concepts down to three ideas, easy to apply, and working together, we came up with them. Basically, we want to make the site friendlier for people who come specifically curious about astrology, with a little sub-site containing an introduction to the topics and the signs. This, we have the resources to do.

    I also have a plan for moving (gradually) our old content into WordPress documents, which will slowly reassign their URLs and get them back into Google. For this I will need help, but I have a clear vision and it should be pretty easy to do, once we have the wo/man power.

  3. You have such a fantastic site with SO much valuable information. Like many sites on the net that have grown organically – sometimes rapidly over time – the structure/information architecture could serve your purpose better. That is great you are planning a revamp.

    I have been visiting this site since about 2001 and love it but i agree with KMac on the site wide navigation. I also work on projects redeveloping large websites with lots of content and users expect site wide navigation and it provides them with guideposts of where to go. It can still be really intuitive and you can still run the blog/news type thing on the homepage – even if there was a simple top nav bar with 5 main items that stayed constant in the same place and design across the whole site and all the mini sites. Then underneath that you can get more creative with it. Ideally they need to be able to get to any area of all the sites from any page on the site. A lot of the really golden stuff is so hidden.

    The other area I think could work better is the logins and subscribers area – I have subscribed too many things over the last decade and I feel there are too many different logins and subscription options for too many different products – I think the simpler the better and the easier it is to subscribe the more subscribers you will get. (and all those feature sites like cosmic confidential/next world stories etc should ideally also have the main site wide navigation)

    This is such a valuable resource.

    Good luck!

  4. I initially found PW several years ago when I was searching for info about Chiron in Pisces, and stumbled onto your article about it… that piece of writing is a true gem. I think I emailed you right afterward to say thanks for that, and never left. :-}

  5. Partial reply – I have eliminated “site navigation” because we do better without it. The idea behind photos is to keep the space warm. I take a more intuitive and environmental approach to the web. I want people to know what my office looks like, what my assistants look like, who their relatives are. This may not be conducive to the hardcore researcher at first, but it works for most people.

    I was reluctant to switch to a blog format. But it’s what people are accustomed to; regular net readers want the net to move. We usually keep the page moving between three to 10 times a day. These are searchable articles. I am loving this format because it moves fast and allows for easy communication with the audience. It’s immediate — a blend of television and print. And it self-archives — that’s the cool part. Well the cooler part is that this format facilitates community of ideas; open replies. I never dreamed I would be responsible for the creation of this much content, on a ‘website’, but now it seems natural.

    Our subscriber pages are nicely organized (reverse chrono with visible title) and, while they could be hand indexed (I would love that), they are easy to navigate. We don’t advertise the existence of our past free archives per se But in the site nav setup I have made sure they are findable, even if by easy luck. Horoscopes are all archived in a tool called The Oracle, which is a searchable and random-selecting database.

    Some are designed as stumble upons — such as my personal favorite Planet Waves tune, Cunnilingus and Clover.

    http://www.planetwaves.net/contents/clover.html

  6. One thing we can do is one by one move these into this WordPress system, which archives in Google instantly; move the article and the picture, and repost on a new page…any thoughts on that idea? Especially from people with ‘net experience…

  8. Hi Eric,

    I haven’t gone through the archives lately, but from memory one I would want to save is your article on the Capricorn Moon. I think it’s called ‘Emperor’s Full Moon’. It helped me make sense of my 29 Cap Moon like no other delineation did. I never identified with the readings about the Cap Moon being power hungry and such, and I suspect few Cap Moons do.

    I like the idea of helping organize and editing the archives. We worked together once on PlanetWiki (yes, it’s me, F). And will volunteer for the/one of the jobs if the time frame is manageable for me. I can spare a few hours a week over the medium term (a couple of years?!), but I probably couldn’t spare the bulk of the week. So if this works for you, we can discuss it. I like the idea of tidying up the backroom while you trailblazers go do your thing!

    At any rate, save the Cap moon essay!

  9. Hi Eric,

    As a long-time admirer of your soul and your work, and as a long-time subscriber who has been frustrated by your site(s) for years, with some trepidation, I’m gonna’ jump in. Since I re-arrange sites representing complex ideas for a living, I’m hoping these will be useful.

    A question: What percentage of your audience is really, passionately interested in the archives? Most sites attract an “80/20” blend:

    May I suggest considering investing energy/effort and any changes in structure based on the 80/20 rule. Assume the top 10-20% of your visitors are hard-core, into the “science” as deeply as you are. They are really into the minutiae and will root around in the cellar of the site and find the gems (as depicted by the book store photo on page 2). Most of this audience may even enjoy the digging, part of the joy.

    The “archives” question doesn’t address “the rest of us.” What about the other 80% of your audience (or potential audience)? I realize you haven’t asked for other input, so freely ignore the following ; )

    This other 80% wanna’ read the horoscopes, dip their toes in the water—want to learn more, but don’t know where to start. It seems there’s two levels on the site: Advanced, More Advanced. Much of what’s in the archives confuses us. If this is by design, and this is your intended audience, well done!

    May I respectfully submit an additional consideration? Leave the archives as they are, for now.

    I’m projecting here; on your behalf. I want more people to read you daily. I want more people searching for guidance to easily find your wisdom, and to then easily engage with your work. I want more of these people to pay you for more of your work. Reorganizing the archives ain’t gonna get you any of these things. Because I want this for you, I begin with these two assumptions:

    — You want to broaden your outreach, you want a site that easily and organically draws new and fresh souls and eyes from across the www.
    — You want to engage and serve both newbies and established subscribers and/or “hard-core” astrology-heads.

    If either of those are off, then the following may leave you cold.

    May I respectfully make the following suggestions:

    1. Consider configuring your home/cover page navigation for the 80%-new arrival first, and the 20%-oldies secondarily.

    Most new visitors fall into the 80%, or they should be if you want to reach out, grow and impact more lives. (If only your current readers visit your site – never mind…) Make your site easy to navigate for the 80%, or lose them and speak forever to your hard-core only, which can make for a really dull conversation (alas).

    Although I’ve subscribed for years, I am one of your loyal 80%. I want to learn more, participate more. Eric, I **want to give you more money.** Why do you make it so difficult for me to do so? What I take away every time I arrive at PW is this:

    — The pictures are very pretty, but the “landing page” is much too passive and doesn’t invite me in. (“Passive” as in inviting someone over to your home, and not answering the door. “If they want to come in, they’ll open the door and walk in.”)
    — Navigation/home page and interior: There’s too much to choose from
    — All navigation is equal
    — There is no clear “path” suggested by the navigation: “experience this first, this second, third,” etc.
    — Much of the navigation is shrouded by a private language that leaves the 80% in the cold. I’ve been reading you for years, and I’m still confused: Astrology News? How is that different from Horoscopes? What is Next World Stories? Oracle? Small World? Huh? When I subscribe, which one am I subscribing to? Can I buy all, one, a package, which is first, which would be next, which is best for me at my level of understanding? Arrgghhh, never mind ……

    The new arrival desperately wants/needs you to hold their hand and gently point them to their next step in their journey with you. Again, the 20% and the oldies will find their own way, they like searching and digging.

    2. When making these decisions, please step back and visually separate your interests/needs from those of the 80% you want to capture first. As one of the 80%, please capture my interest, use language I understand and save your own, interior, specialized language for deeper inside the site.

    For example, most people just won’t care about your “Archive” or “Past issues of Planet Waves” until they first understand why you are so unique, and so important to them. And you are!

    Home page Navigation:
    When I arrive, please show me—quickly with one sweeping glance, the following:
    1. That I have many options, and there’s more in store for me when I return
    2. Give me quick, tantalizing reasons why I should return.
    3. “Suggest” the depth of what is here, so I know it’s here, should I want to go deep.

    Challenge: You have to accomplish this within ten seconds. I suggest you do this visually with your navigation, using the classic F pattern.

    — Much if not most of your cover navigation dives instantly into the deepest waters of astrology. Again, if this is your primary market, cool.

    — Your “Horoscope” link doesn’t link to a horoscope at all, but what seems like an over-my-head discussion of astrology in general, again, if this is your primary market – good job. If you want the 80% to engage, change that navigation, because I may feel cheated when I arrive. Rather, offer me something in exchange for an opt-in, send me a few emails to get to know you.

    — What the PW home/cover page looks like to me is a blog column with navigation based on visitor-focused topics/interest areas and compelling promises tantalizing me with what I could find inside, things like:
    — Politics
    — Science
    — Health
    –World Events
    — Conversation with Experts (inside forums where the 10-20% chat with each other, and we get to watch…)

    I think that’s enough…

  10. HI Eric,

    If I had one request to be “saved”, it would be The Art Of Rebellion, Parts 1-3.

    Excellent work!

    Otherwise, I think that articles in tune with today’s issues (loving yourself, New Platz, How to’s etc) would be wise to keep and toss the old scopes or daily blogs that are taking up too much space and are in the past … where they belong!

    Just my two cents.

    love ya!
    Ginger

  11. eric:

    I can see what you’re up against, so I revise my suggestions to help you put out a call for help just to prioritize and organize what we’ve got.

    This kind of reminds me of my continued and continuing home project – making every square inch of my cottage world completely, practically and elegantly useful.

    Thanks for the specifics, and yes, editing is a JOB (one that can wake you up in the middle of the night worrying about semi-colons!).

  12. Hello Fe

    There are some issues with this.

    1. Most of content is not dated, though that could be deduced.

    2. There is too much of it — thousands of individual files to go through.

    3. It is not organized in any fashion; some content is on those contents pages, though much else is merely floating around the cloud of Google.

    We don’t really have a lot of time or energy to do this — so I am seeking suggestions of favorites. What is organized — and will be preserved — are all articles from the subscriber series, from January 2003 forward.

    One of creating the benefits of the subscriber areas is that the articles are preserved, dated and organized. Most of this is easily accessible to subscribers.

    For the moment, we are leaving alone the content archived on http://EricFrancis.com and whatever is on http://planetwavesweekly.com/

    If anyone in the audience has a knack for web archiving and would like to volunteer for a project that may span a few seasons, I would be interested in having our help.

    e

  14. May I also suggest something?

    Daily Kos has a big community and a huge following, They also have their own wiki and a KOSopedia, which provides a compendium of acronyms, terms and definitions which gives the novice reader a chance to bone up on the lexicon of the blogging community, and perhaps contrinute a bit more.

    What about a PWopedia that includes the info we’ve already developed on hand for centaurs, Vesta, Eris, GA and GC? AND chart aspects – what they mean – squares and oppositions, conjunctions. SOme of this work is already written. More of it will come as time moves on.

    Maybe a table summarizing or “keywording” Tarnas’ work on major planetary movements and history, which is seminal to our political discussions — would be good, as well as the Sabians. Suggest we reference Tarnas to encourage more sales his way.

    === Fe, the issue is editing: we need editors. The material cannot be dumped into a content system and be useful. It needs to be selected and organized. Astrological information goes out of date and I revise my interpretations, especially of planets that I’m one of the first writers to cover.

    Annual Editions include various projects of raising the level of organization, such as the minor planets organized in Small World Stories; and the transits of Saturn out to Pluto that I am now doing for Cosmic Confidential. Just to gather my work on Saturn, Chiron, Uraus and Pluto transits has been significant work, and as part of that we will have some very useful resources.

    Editing, as you’re learning, is serious work — and because all of our new content at Planet Waves is edited (assigned, written, illustrated, revised), and most of us are involved in creating original daily and weekly content, there is not a lot of energy left to oversee the past.

    I am all for continuing the process of building and training a volunteer editing pool to do project like this, and it would be a team project. What I suggest is that we all get VERY good at what we have to do, and bring int the new people who want to help — and who cam commit for the longterm, since all of these are projects that would take several seasons to several years.

    If you’re reading and would like to be involved, including as a team manager, please let one of us know.

  15. How about “Past Issues of Planet Waves” by year? That would at least give us an historical framework to deal with what was and is going on.

    I know for sure, that references to history past and their ties to the present are always helpful for my personal research for here and for satisfying my curiosity in general. Particularly in respect to politics and personal relationships.

    I also see many astrologers who comment here and their input is invaluable–having a framework with which to join in on the conversation would help stimulate further commentary and more comparative collaboration. And you’re like me, we’re all for community building on the web.

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