PodTech.Net is Good Example of Over Crowded Website in Klingonese
I was just visting PodTech.net, Robert Scoble's (ex-human face of Microsoft) new startup. It was founded in 2005 by John Furrier in 2005.
One think struck me most at PodTech.net. The site simply didn't encourage me to listen to any podcasts or even browse. My eyes just glazed over. I looked again and here are 3 simple reasons why.
1. The site is way too crowded. There are 5 columns of information crammed for your attention. It is enough to create a glazed look for even the most enthusiastic reader.
2. The headlines simply aren't interesting. I am sure it is manned by the very best of the best. Unfortunately the title of the blog posts do not reflect that. Here are 5 recent posts for you to make your own conclusions:
- Can You See Me Now? How About Now? - Jason Lopez
- The Death of E3. - Rio Pesino [What the heck is E3? - My note]
- Guy, Seth, Elon, David, and Goliath. - Steve Wilhelm [Who the hell are Guy, Seth...? Guy Kawasaki? - My note]
- Getting Naked on the Net. - Ken Leung [Shouldn't it be marked NSFW?]
- Doubly Del.icio.us. - Julio Vasconcellos [Something about del.icio.us, doesn't sound interesting enough]
- Lower Barriers in Social Media, Lower Barriers to Learning. - Min Li Chan
Note: I haven't read the posts in detail, didn't feel the urge to.
Let's look at some of the headline articles:
- CEA: The Next-Gen Console War Will Benefit the Gaming Market
- LinuxWorld Keynote: Xensource CEO, Peter Levine on Virtualization, Past, Present, and Future
I won't bore you further. You get the picture. The articles sound way too boring, corporate-speak and lifeless, enough to propel me into deepest slumber without any help from Alzolam.
3. The site speaks Klingonese which unfortunately I don't understand. What I mean is that I don't understand the meaning of the categories and how they differentiate. For example how is PodTech News different from InfoTalk PodCast?
The corporate category has different meaning than normally understood. It took me quite some time to realize that it is news about specific corporations.
There are more but I am tired and it is 1:22 AM.
Note: The criticism above was done in constructive spirit and in the hope that I will get similar constructive criticism with my new ventures from the web community in general.
Filed under Headline News, Web, Web Services | Tags: E3 | 
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August 21st, 2006 at 5:06 pm
While you are very right about the podtech site, your own site has a major problem also. The ads that adorn the top and left side of the screen make the actual content look very bad. Whenever I get to your weblog via javablogs, the first thing I think is “Oh no, a spam site…”, then after a couple seconds I realize that it just looks bad…, but the content is OK. It took me many a click to actually start reading the content..
-M
August 21st, 2006 at 11:53 pm
Thanks for your suggestion. How do you suggest I improve it?
As far as I can see at the top is a simple Google link ad which adorns most popular sites these days including but not limited to Weblogs Inc. blog. The left position is recommended by Google and you will find it everywhere on the web.
Anyway we have developed a new theme which you can see at our test site. There is an alternative theme too we will release for WordPress community (and some of our blogs like law blog) today or tomorrow.
BTW: I was focussing on content of PodTech.net and not so much on the layout.
August 22nd, 2006 at 2:06 am
As a regular reader of Simple Thoughts, I look at it and see a blog. But, if I look for a spam site here, this is what catches my eye:
At the top of the content column, you have your standard Google Link Ads, following by your logo, then your “Headlines” box (which looks very similar to a Text Link Ads box), and a typical Google Adsense box. So, at the top of the content column, it looks like you have ads, logo, ads, and ads.
Now, in the sidebar column, you have your BlogAds block, your “Most Popular” column to the right of it (which looks very similar to a Text Link Ads column), another BlogAds block further down, and your Sponsors below that. So, your sidebar appears to contain at least four different ad sections.
As for PodTech, I agree that their content layout is rather chaotic. It has probably been one of their weaker points ever since their initial launch.
August 22nd, 2006 at 4:15 am
Thanks for the feedback James.
Obviously my headlines or most popular columns are just that, not any ads. So it appears my regular content is looking like spam due to layout issues!
That is not good. I will look hard to see how I can make it look better. I would appreciate if you have any ideas on how we can improve it. Do you think our new theme or anaconda will be better suited for this blog?
August 22nd, 2006 at 7:48 am
Yes I agree with you, the site is too overblown, I find.
There is too much data concentrated in a very small space.
Thank you for sharing this website with me !
August 22nd, 2006 at 10:00 am
The team here agrees too, we’re totally redesigning the site. More to come soon and we really appreciate the feedback!
August 22nd, 2006 at 12:02 pm
@Robert,
Looking forward to your new site design. I am happy that you took my criticism in a constructive way as I intended.
– Angsuman
August 22nd, 2006 at 2:35 pm
Angsuman, regarding your design, I believe that it can be improved by applying a distinct style or link color to either your site lists (like the Headlines and Most Popular lists) or the ads. Anaconda certainly looks like it will improve the situation by providing a background for sections in the left sidebar.
August 23rd, 2006 at 9:17 am
Thanks for the feedback. Well deserved. We are aware of the site being messy. I’d love to get your input on the new site when it comes out.
Our primary goal has been to produce as much content as possible and the site morphed due to the large amount of original content that we produced. So it has been challenging but we’re on it. Thanks again.
John
August 23rd, 2006 at 12:40 pm
> I’d love to get your input on the new site when it comes out.
I would love to do that. Do let me know.