Sort-of-Secret + Sort-of-Survey
It’s sort-of a secret (though I suppose, not any more) that in the next month, we at Jewschool are planning to roll out a new design along with some new functionality that will hopefully improve upon our site’s user-experience. At that, I’ve also cut a number of contributors from the crew and have been working with the remaining team to put together a new editorial mission which aims to improve upon the quality of contributions, both in tone and usefulness.
That said, I’d love to get some reader feedback so that we can take your thoughts into account moving into the future. So here are a few questions. If you could spare a moment to answer them, your help would be much appreciated.
1. What do you love the most about Jewschool?
2. What do you hate the most about Jewschool?
3. What kind of content would you like to see more of?
4. What kind of content would you like to see less of?
5. What functionality would you like to see added to the site that would improve your experience of Jewschool (message board, social networking, post/comment ratings, etc.)?
6. Would you be interested in contributing to Jewschool if we made it easier for people to submit their own content (pending editorial review)?
7. If Jewschool organized events (concerts, poetry readings, art exhibits, lectures) in your area, would you be inclined to attend and would you be willing to help organize such events?
8. Would you be terribly disappointed if I deleted the archives? (There are a few technical reasons why this would be beneficial.)
Thanks!
1. Witty, quirky Jewish news/ideas all in one place. Wide range of Jewish ideas spanning all movements.
2. Don’t hate anything.
3. I’d love…LOVE…to see a two column sparring match for controversial ideas. Say…”J” vs. “Cole” or whatever. And then let the comments begin. I’d also like to see more embedded vids of Jewish events, short films, etc., showcasing the goings-on of Jewish around the world. It would be great if MP3’s were made available for interesting speeches, talks, sermons etc.
4. The page is slowly getting a tad “busy”.
5. I find the msg board and other virtual community type things superflous given the give and take that occurs in the comments section.
6. Yes.
7. Yes.
8. Never used ’em…so no.
1. Inclusive orientation – I go to a Reform temple, but want to know more about other denominations.
2. Not hate really, but there seems to be an NYC focus. I realize that’s where there’s significant readership, but for me it’s “oh, another interesting-looking thing I can’t attend.”
3. Jewish learning…Balaam’s Donkey had a great thread a while back about key books and reading lists
4. Less busy page! Too many animations and blinky things.
5. I always think less is more – make it load fast, have interesting topics, all is well. Don’t see a need for msg boards and ratings.
6. Time permitting, why not?
7. Same as above.
8. Not terribly but first lemme find that thread on reading lists…
8. YES. Please keep the archives. I link to old Jewschool posts all the time from my blog, and if the archives were deleted, all these links would be broken and lots of valuable content would be lost.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON’T DELETE THE ARCHIVES
you can’t just throw all that history down the memory hole!
I would give of my time to help organize events. I would like to post articles. I’m always writing articles in my head – if I could get them here, I might actually write them…. Things like: reporting on the efforts of my own congregation to engage young people and try new things; reports from other interesting congregations and rabbis (like IKAR). News from inside the seminaries about what people are doing, thinking, changing. Critical articles about what is appearing in the Jewish press.
If you do delete the archives, can you promise it will never happen again?
I really appreciate the raising of difficult issues here, with input from lots of folks: Israel, sexual abuse, minyanim, ways of being pluralistic, new things going on.
I hate the way that Jewschool is sometimes cliquey, with insider notes and shout outs, and a sense that a bunch of people I’m not friends with are doing it for themselves. It’s not…. professional. It probably helps build community more intensely among a smaller number of people. I’d rather build less intense community among more people.
I don’t care about message boards; the comments feature works great for me.
I’d appreciate more aggressive policing. Delete ad hominem attacks; restrict people who post too many comments on the same article without kicking them off.
Restrict the space for articles to something consistent, like 10-15 lines. I hate scrolling all the way down through something I find boring.
Use a calendar tool that allows for posting relevant events in some cities – but don’t let just anything get there….
Thanks for all that you do!
keep the archive. it is a valuable resource.
1. how much I learn from it, plus the rollicking comments thread discussions
2. no hate here, except for when people don’t post often and it gets slow
3. I like the debate idea mentioned above, perhaps radical torah style divrei torah, more of those= always better
4. *shrug*
5. no problems here for me
6. No, but I would love to read other people’s guest posts.
7. attend, yes. organize, perhaps, after attending some
8. YES! don’t delete the archives! they are incredibly useful. case in point: I was trying to convince my rooommate that Jack Abramoff was evil, but didn’t remember details. so I seached jewschool’s archives, and won the argument.
1. I love the diversity of viewpoints represented here, even when someone’s perspective drives me up a wall. It’s something that one really can’t find on many (any?) other Jewish sites. I’m not a member of a Jewish community in my hometown because I have yet to find one that engages in intelligent debate about the nature/practice of Judaism. Jewschool, Radical Torah, OA, JSpot, and Velveteen Rabbi are my fantastic substitutes for a rl community right now.
2. “Hate” is such a strong word… it irks me when people comment just to start trouble, but I recognize that there’s little you can do about that. I’m going to echo the comments about the “busyness” of the layouts. I kind of like how it looks, but it can take a while to load (though Mo rockin’ the mic does amuse me).
3. I wouldn’t mess with the content too much, save perhaps widening the angle a bit. I know it’s all about Jew York City (har), but some of us are stuck out here in the middle of a cornfield, wondering what’s up. That being said, I like the weird eclecticism. One never knows what one is going to get.
4. Anything posted because someone has a personal grievance they would like to air in public for some reason. Lashon hara, kids.
5. I don’t have any real strong feelings about this one.
6. Yup.
7. As it seems fairly unlikely that events would be organized in my area, I’m going to have to say no to this one for now.
8. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m a librarian, so I compeltely understand the urge to weed and how much it can freak users out. How about a compromise, like maintaining six months worth of archives? When I’ve gone hunting for a post I read, I don’t think it’s ever been more than six months old. Just a thought.
Hey Dan, thanks for asking for feedback.
1. Good alternative news source – I get as much info from jewschool as I do from JTA or Haaretz or the Forward; I also love that the RSS works on my google homepage (unlike the Israeli Haaretz site, for example)
2. Nothing in particular I hate, and the insider shout-outs don’t bother me (although I guess
3. I like the philosophical pieces (the sort of stuff BZ posts on Mah Rabu) and think we could use more of them. Also I wouldn’t mind if you put a link to my blog (newjewisheducation.org) on the list on the left…
4. I agree with the comments above the page looks a little busy. For me, one or two of the small-picture ads would be plenty, but I understand if that’s not realistic.
5. Maybe a simple way of finding out when people have added their comments to a posting that was interesting to me?
6. Sure. Why not have as much content as slashdot?
7. It would depend on the events, but I think I’d be willing to help out with organizing.
8. I think the archives are very valuable – even if you can’t keep them on this site, I’d hate to see them disappear from the web entirely. I make a fair bit of use of them.
1. keeping up with what are trends etc. I am 40ish and like to know what is up/new.I teach 10th graders so I like to be somewhat hip.
2.Agree with above posters. Cliquey. Enough with the hot Jewish chicks . I am in the boonies outside of Houston Texas. I can’t go to anything in NYC or any of the cool minyans always mentioned.I am not pro palestinian so I get tired of reading all that too.Faster page load.
3.I would like to see more of ways to keep young people interested Judaism. More of new, yet traditional trends. Hear new music, outside of Jdub ( which I of course love too).
More ways for young adults to get to Israel/fellowships/work programs etc. Recipes and ways of celebrating holy days.
4. Less pro palestine and gay stuff. I have gay relatives/pals but sort of get tired of reading the jvoices stuff. I have nothing against gay folk..I love them..just not interested in all that.
5. not sure…maybe a place for people to post cool stories they saw about our faith/culture;
6. yes for sure. I have taught Bar Mitzvah Hebrew for years to kids and adults..have great stories. Frum Jew stuck at reform shul…
7. yes , yes! Houston Texas please!
8. no I don’t look back
1. The diversity of the posts.
2. Not hate, but the NY focus seems a bit much at times.
3. The same diverse posts that currently are here, but maybe more not-in-NY viewpoints/coverage.
4. It’s all good…
5. Tracking of comments (or replying directly to a specific comment instead of just adding the the list).
6. Yes!
7. Sure!
8. Yes… I search the archives frequently.
hey, money making scheme: instead of erasing the archives, why not just publish the most interesting ones as a book?
1. I like that over the year or so that I’ve read Jewschool it has become a place that I come to for intellectual stimulation about what it is to be active, young and Jewish. Big ups to you Mobius and contributors for keeping this site relevant and always thought provoking.
2. I don’t really hate anything about the site.
3. I would like to see more posts about how people worship, their struggles to be observant (in whatever way they choose to be), and the like. I agree with someone above about sharing new music from Jewish musicians and recipes.
4. N/A. The content so far is pretty darn good.
5. Tracking of comments.
6. Sure!
7. I would attend and organize.
8. Don’t you dare delete them. PERIOD!
I won’t repeat stuff that’s already been said (I especially agree with shtreimel). Some things to add, though:
2. Sometimes, Jewschool leans (a) NY-centric, and (b) Ortho-centric. As a liberally-observant Jew (read: observant non-Orthodox) living in LA, I’m sometimes turned off by all that. (Example: Posts centered on Limmud NY.)
8. Please don’t delete the archives. They’re a treasury of awesomeness.
I came back to read other’s suggestions and would like to second mikey’s request for “more posts about how people worship, their struggles to be observant (in whatever way they choose to be), and the like.” Well said. Out of idle curiosity, I ran a search for “conversion” in the archives earlier today and only found JforJ stuff. I don’t know how many people are hanging out here who are actively exploring different levels of observance/conversion, but it’d be cool if we could see some more of that here, if only because it’s a pain in the neck to find good stuff about those topics that doesn’t proselytize or nag. I’m somewhat skeptical that a resource like that even exists.
Limmud NY is Ortho-centric?!
In no particular order:
More access to resources on learning and literacy might be helpful, especially to those all over the country.
I am more than aware of the ny-centrism, since, well, I’m a resident. While I’m sure it can be frustrating, I think it also enables us to highlight the broad spectrum of jewish experience and expression, even if it is geographically limiting.
I would suggest something like a “50 State Spotlight” (or global!), during which x number of readers a month makes submissions about their respective home communities.
For example: Spotlight on Possum Ridge, Arkansas! This is our community, I want to tell you about our challenges ans success, our struggles and moments of meaning, etc….
Also: less nudity. Or more nudity. Depends on your hashkafa
BZ –
I think I meant it as an example of “NY-centric.”
Of course, by the time my post showed up, about 12 people all said the same thing…
BTW… I ditto the comments on the “cliqueishness” and the business of the page. It would be nice if the site loaded in less then 2 minutes.
1. The coolest, hippest jew bloggy site I know of! Love it!!!
2. No hate, but would enjoy different format or look.
3. Message board for those of us who don’t contribute articles
4. “Recent comments” and too-busy looking stuff in side colums.
5. Message board! Member profiles!
6. yes yes yes yes yessssss
7. of course!!!!
8. wouldn’t care, I can save things I want to keep.
Love you guys!!!!
hate: the long wait in between the collage and the loading of the page
hate #2: how your message gets erased if you forget to type your name and email, when the error msg comes up.
yes: i will help you organize events in Philly. please email me; i have some impt info for you.
love, april
FYI to Barkin:
Jewschool is a media partner of LimmudNY. This means that we help promote the conference as well as live blog during it. Last summer some of us unofficially live blogged during the Havurah Institute which was in New Hampshire. I think Jewschool would LOVE to be the media sponsor of a non-NYC event; in order for that to happen, we just need a proposal from you or anyone else in another state, and of course agreement from the editors that it would be mutually beneficial.
i get that jewschool is the “media partner” for these events.
i’m just saying that it makes for boring reading… it has the feel of the “insider notes and shout outs, and a sense that a bunch of people I’m not friends with are doing it for themselves” that charles was talking about in #5.
3. I’d like to see Kelsey and Ariel Beery lip-synching the Pixies
8. I’d have conniptions. How about Saul’s suggestion that you host them elsewhere, if that helps you out technically?
3. would like to see more event listings and posts about things going on in Israel. Also, it’d be interesting to have a contributor from the Israeli Dati camp, and this would also balance out the focus on american judaism.
you and npr make the world a better place and help a lot of us cope with the fact that there are still some intelligent and articulate folks living here on our doomed and not-so-green planet
thank you
please keep the archives.
Hey boaz, Just wanted to let you know, I’m here fromt he Israeli dati camp. I just happen to be spending the summer in America. Watch out next week for some solid israeli hapennings
– what I love most about jewschool: the take no prisoners approach, the speaking truth to power (especially re: sexual abuse; the torture issue in US), the inside scoop on Jewish happenings; the quality of the writing, across the board; the comments sections
-what I hate most : the clubby feeling (does everyone know each other??) ; the times it feels like a boys club (I felt this when all the comments on aish piled up, while no one felt that the girls/school shootings were a gender issue; and the occassional sexist moment); when the links don’t work
-more content on: personal essays; how individuals feel about the Jewish communities they live in
-less content on: repetitive posts
-functionality: Easier way to see all the comments on a certain post I’m interested in, without scrolling down
-contributing: I’d be interested. I’d also love to know more about how the contributors came to be involved. Is jewschool a magazine, a blog, or a community? different answers have different implications for contribution.
– Yes to events, but I’m in NYC so that’s easy
– I don’t personally use the archives.
Thank you to all involved for your hard work and great writing.
1. What do you love the most about Jewschool?
the informality and originality of the posts…definitely feeds into the rising subculture of an urban Jewish subculture
2. What do you hate the most about Jewschool?
–
3. What kind of content would you like to see more of?
– events, current events, holidays
4. What kind of content would you like to see less of?
5. What functionality would you like to see added to the site that would improve your experience of Jewschool (message board, social networking, post/comment ratings, etc.)?
-definitely social event parties maybe?
6. Would you be interested in contributing to Jewschool if we made it easier for people to submit their own content (pending editorial review)?
-absolutely
7. If Jewschool organized events (concerts, poetry readings, art exhibits, lectures) in your area, would you be inclined to attend and would you be willing to help organize such events?
-yes, most definitely (philadelphia)
8. Would you be terribly disappointed if I deleted the archives? (There are a few technical reasons why this would be beneficial.)
-yes
LOVE Jewschool. Keep the archives PLEASE.
I agree that it is sometimes a little clique-ish or New York centered but that’s not a huge problem for me even though I live in the Midwest. I agree with Rebecca Stern that sometimes Jewschool can be very male-oriented and that can be a problem.
Keep up the good work and THANK YOU so much for soliciting comments.
i just wanted to point out that some people’s idea of jewschool being male-oriented may, in some cases, be something that readers are projecting. there are a number of jewschool contributors who choose to remain anonymous (sometimes because they themselves are publically affiliated with certain institutions and want to be able to blog freely without worry if they’ll get in trouble for it). because of this and because of pseudonyms, some contributors may be perceived as “male” when they are in face “female.”
as i wrote before, as a jewschool contributing editor myself, i ask all of you: if you or anyone you know, who lives in a city other than nyc or j’lem, would make a great jewschool contributor, please put them in touch with mobius or myself (shamirpower – at – g – mail – dot – com). yes – it’s natural for many of us here in nyc to coax our buddies into joining the jewschool blogging team; it’s a much greater challenge for us to find people we think are a good match in other cities. please – send them our way! we can even train them in the ways of the bloggy blog.
Shamir power, love your writing – thank you. When I said I sometimes found jewschool to feel a bit like a boys club, I really should have qualified that. I find the comments to sometimes feel that way, and once in a while the posts. On the other hand, I’ve seen lots of great feminist/humanist/just great commentary from plenty of men and women writers, especially on the sex abuse scandals discussion.
My complaints are with times when I feel like jewschool is very sensitive to all sorts of issues (arab/israeli, denominational, etc, etc), but YET when it comes to feminism, once in a while, there is a call to not be “too PC” … whatever that means. Like if someone raises a gender issue, it’s, come on, get a sense of humor. I don’t see that with other issues, and I don’t tend to think it’s a very fair response.
Also, there are days when everyone on jewschool is discussing their various experiences with living at aish or other forms of black hat judaism, which as far as I know, are more relevant to male jewschool readers than female jewschool readers, since far fewer progressive females than progressive males find their way into that world. It’s just not an option for most women in the way it is for men…. think old city jerusalem and what’s open to females vs. males.
Don’t know if this was clear, but just some thoughts I’ve been having and wanted to put out there. Again, overall I love this page and thank you for your work and for soliciting feedback.
My complaints are with times when I feel like jewschool is very sensitive to all sorts of issues (arab/israeli, denominational, etc, etc), but YET when it comes to feminism, once in a while, there is a call to not be “too PC†… whatever that means.
I feel like that’s just David Kelsey, who may sometimes seem larger than life. I’m pro-feminism, but don’t always have the stomach to argue with him on these things.
I can tell when DK is being over the top, so I don’t get bothered by that. (I miss his writing a bit!) Honestly, because I truly like what Mobius has done with this page, I get disturbed when it comes from him. But never having met him, I don’t have much more to say about that. I’m only airing my feminist complains on jewschool because I figure people here, including most of all the editors, clearly care…. all things considered, I think this blog/magazine/community has done good things for humanism (including feminism) in the Jewish community. Or so I hope!
1. Some interesting stuff I probably wouldn’t her about. The ability to sorta know what’s up with the young, hip-US Jewish havurah. I think.
2. Too East Coast, US oriented. Sometimes not a lot of real debate, just back-slapping and agreements about the issues of the day.
3. More Israeli stuff – besides from Mobius that is – and more opinions. More religious and international issues and more special reports.
4. Less cross-posts and links to other stories, i.e. need more original content. Definitely less NYC events – maybe there could be an events sidebar for, well…events.
5. Social-networking is an interesting idea – but would take away from the ‘cool interactive magazine’ feel of JS which I like.
6. Possibily.
7. Maybe, but probably not. I hardly have time to organize my own life and never really go out these days.
8. Well…seems a shame somehow.