Where do we go from Here?
Published
By Mr. C.
At the beginning of the month we asked for ideas and feedback relating to things that need improving on the site for next year. We received tonnes of useful comments and we've collated that information into all manner of updates scheduled for sometime in January.
Because we're needy, high maintenance people the next thing we're after is criticism on our audio podcasts, video podcasts and live shows. Last year we picked up some excellent constructive feedback from both doctorvee and BlogF1 on ways in which we could improve in 2008, and the result of those suggestions led to the creation of F1 Digest.
In order to figure out how Sidepodcast 3.0 will look and sound, we're really keen to find out what you like and dislike, the shows you can't live without and the bits you'd never listen to again, even if we paid you.
The Sounds
Aside from the change of name, F1 Debrief has remained pretty consistent throughout the year. The changes made in January have stood the test of time, but we've had complaints regarding the show's length, and that sometimes we don't give all the driver's enough coverage. What can we improve on, drop or add to make Debrief better in '09?
F1 Digest was new this year, but how does it stack up against other podcasts? Do you listen to all the weekends coverage and does it give you enough / too much detail? Tell us what you think is needed for next year.
The mini-series remains one of our most popular shows, and this year listener feedback went so far as to create two of the series as well as to nominate a host of future shows. We don't have any specific plans to make changes to this in the future, but we're always open to suggestions.
The Pictures
At the start of the year we had the frankly laughable idea of releasing videos on a weekly basis. This turned out to be more difficult than we planned, but we did at least manage to put out two episodes of F1 Rewind. Should we make more time for a video news show or are race preview videos, along the lines of Inside Track, more important? 18 - 20 videos a year is probably our limit, but what should they contain? Can we do a third year of track guides or do we know our way around by now?
The Bit that Breaks Often
Although the idea of doing live shows only came into fruition halfway through the year, they've started to take over our lives. There are an awful lot of improvements we're thinking of making in this area, but what things do you think we should work on? If we keep doing live video / audio next year, would you still tune in? Should we do more, should we do less and are you interested in "behind the scenes" coverage like green screen recording, or do you prefer interactive shows such as the podpanel.
We really appreciate and take on board anything you can throw at us, and as before, I believe Rich is working on a survey that we'll combine with comments and hopefully come up with bigger and better things for 2009.
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i should add, with the exception of "black and gold" that is :)
What's wrong with Sam Sparro? That song is ace :P
Yay, honest feedback time.
F1 Debrief
It is pretty much great as it is. I for one am not fussed about the length of a podcast, I actually do like long podcasts as they help me get to sleep on a night.I don't think you need to go team by team, cos thats what Digest is for isn't it.
F1 Digest
Again, its very impressive. However, the only suggestion I would have is that it might be best to merge the 'good week, bad week' with 'news and views' as it is practically the same thing. And it can cut down on time etc.
Sidepodpanel
It is fantastic. A suggestion I would like to make and I've previously mentioned is to have it in series. With 10 episode per series, then a 8-9 week break then have another series and so on, and so on. With specials for Start of season, end of season, christmas if they do not come inside a series slot.
Video Shows
I haven't been here enough to have seen F1 Rewind. However, with the shows you do in Debrief and Digest, I really doubt that you really need to have basically another thing that does what them two do.
Live Stuff
It is nice to have live stuff for the debrief and spp. However my suggestion is not to force yourself into doing live shows if your not up to dealing with the hassle of setting up recording stuff on Friday then Sunday then Monday and so on. Hence why I wouldn't suggest doing stuff for the Inside Track shows etc.
Mini Series
I like 'em. Guest hosts would be fantastic I feel. My thoughts are that if you are going to omnibus podcasts, do them straight after the series. Not in a middle of another ;).
My last post should, erm, make you think about it. ;)
Feedback:
Absolutely, Positively, 100% keep the race previews. They are sensational! I know you claim the quality of the show depends on the quality of the content, but the truth is everyone else has the same content and they don't come close.
With regards to the debrief, it may be time to change the format a little. Maybe play around with the news and views section or try some new things.
For the Friday practice sessions I miss, F1 Digest is invaluable. I tend not give an awful lot of attention of the quotes afterwards seeing as I've probably already read them, but then that's just me.
Can't think of any need to change the podpanel or miniseries.
Also, don't feel you have to do live shows for everything. At the rate it's going, they'll be a podpanel on Christmas day.
Phew, you guys do too much...
The way i see it, i'm perfectly happy with everything, and i don't think anyone's gonna complain if you kept it the way it is at the mo. By all means take all these comments into consideration but don't kill yourselves by burning out!!!
Over and out..
Wonder if you guys like this Facebook app :D
http://apps.ne...oven/pickfavorite.php
The live show are great because of the interactive nature, but if I listen live, then I don't bother listening to the podcast. In some ways, I prefer listening to the polished finished product (more time efficient for sometimes very busy me). mind you, I do like hanging out in the comments making jokes about putting credit on skype. I get annoyed by buffering, particularly when it's past my bedtime on a sunday :)
Most of this season I've been pretty busy, so I've made few appearances in the forums apart from race weekend when they are my life blood based on lack of english language broadcasts. Having said that, I seem to be here a lot since the end of season (I can't let go...) You guys have kept me (hosts, forum contributors) in the loop of F1. I thank you :)
Sidepodpanel - as per other comments (here and elsewhere) I'd be worried about the format being used too much - or maybe again this is an issue for me listening live issue, rather than just getting the podcast. It can be useful to keep the community growing over the season break, but I'd hold back and keep it fresh for when the season really gets going.
video shows - i've downloaded one or two over the year so i'm not a great judge. I don't really need track previews.
driver quotes - i don't spend much time going to all the f1 websites so i like this stuff. i like having it all condensed into one podcast.
I know why you invented all the different feeds, I think I need to remember what they all are - I find myself listening to race events on more than one podcast. my bad :)
I don't mind it, if you guys take a weekend off sometimes. We can look after ourselves sometimes. But it's great if Mr Christine's mother-in-law is included.
Length of shows. The race summaries/practice events are a good length. I think some of the others have gone over 60 minutes. (?) That's about my limit. The 30-45 range is great.
You've done great. Give yourselves a pat on the back.
another thing - when i post a link, it's usually a cut and paste, so I'd prefer not to have to remove the http:// part each time, but maybe it's there to help people out that aren't that familiar with the technique?
I think you should integrate a news feed from GMM :-p
But seriously folks, keep up the good work 8-)
:D
On the live commenting, I get quite annoyed when, in a middle of a conversation someone posts a link, you end up having to leave the convo to see the link, so you can't keep the convo up if you know what I mean.
understood. but how would one solve that issue?
There should be no worries about us burning out. We have just returned from Project Sidepodbeer and all is well in the world.
I see F1 Digest as "just the facts" and F1 Debrief is opinion.
I rarely listen to F1 Digest for qualifying and the race as I normally have watched the event. I do listen to F1 Digest for Fridays.
So for me F1 Debrief is take it or leave it stuff, the "real" podcast is F1 Debrief.
I noticed you seemed to have stopped the "xyz said on live commenting ..." bits during F1 digest - any reason for that ?
For F1 Debrief, I think there is a missing link with qualy. Qualifying is so important these days, I think to leave it until after the race is over to discuss is leaving it too late.
So I would like to see a qualifying debrief podcast similar to the race debrief. I can see there might be some difficulties with that given the 24 hour turnaround required.
Live shows I don't listen to due to timezone differences. I would probably download them as audio if you made it available immediately after the live show (I think I have mentioned that before) but then I would't listen to the edited version.
Sidepodpanel is great, do more!
I don't watch any of the video material.
I like the miniseries, although I always feel like they are a bit superficial.
Generally, you guys are doing a great job, I dunno how you keep it going.
became a little bit of a problem when we got 1,500+ comments on single post.
christine solved that (or at least found an alternative) by asking for post session roundups.
did the parade lap manage to fill that hole (when we did it), or do you think it needs more?
sidepodbeer.
I can't listen to the parade lap live due the the time zone difference... I do listen to the edited parade lap, but it's always after the event.
Really I just find the F1 Digest for qualifying "not enough", as it just covers the facts, with not much discussion. You DO then talk about it more in the Debrief, but it's kind of lost importance post race.
I open two spc's in two different windows - I know its a low tech answer, but it works ;-)
question dom. how do we continue to do them, but not become repetitive?
it's a big question, because the download numbers say it's a popular show, but there's only so many ways you can say "albert park has 16 corners".
got ya and cheers, this is good stuff.
I was reading the reviews on the iTunes store the other day as I was thinking of adding my own (noticed a few familiar names there ;)). One review mentioned F1 Rejects as being better, so I downloaded a couple of episodes to listen to. F1 Rejects is good, but they don't come close to the amazing job that Christine and me do.
For most of the 2008 season I was working pretty much every Sunday and relied on recording the races to watch when I could. For most of the races I recorded, our ITV reception on the PVR box seemed to break down just as the red lights went out. The only positive thing was that I couldn't hear James Allen's commentary. Obviously I needed some other way of getting my F1 news.
I can't remember how I found Sidepodcast, but once I'd listened to a few episodes I was hooked.
What makes Sidepodcast special is that it isn't just the same thing over and over. With the previews, updates and debriefs you get all the information you need about F1 racing and the mini series, quizzes and panels add background information and entertainment.
One other reviewer mentions the feeling that some episodes are like listening to his kids reading and I can see their point as on a couple of occasions with the mini series I have felt like I'm listening to Christine reading out Wikipedia articles. I think there's an easy fix for this minor (and I mean minor) issue by tweaking the scripts a bit. An old radio tip is to speak as if you are talking to one person.
Overall though, you have managed to create an engaging podcast that draws in the listener, the conversations between Christine and me come across as natural and spontaneous, which is not as easy to pull off as it sounds.
The live shows are great fun and I like listening to them and then the edited version to see how the chaos is turned into a professional sounding programme.
With regard to Sidepodpanel, my view is that it is something that works really well, but I agree that fewer shows would be better and possibly with two teams of 2 rather than 3 to a team.
So, in conclusion, keep up the good work! I'm just sorry I didn't know about Sidepodcast sooner.
There's a website enhancement... on the front page, the latest comments list shows the start of the comment even if it is a quote, so at the moment it has "me" making a comment of "Absolutely, Positively, 100% keep the race previews."
Right-click the link and open in a new tab/window. :)
they have icing :)
i'll pass that on!
that's pretty easy to remove actually. it probably doesn't help either.
trust me, we really try not to use that site if we can help it. mostly because it's often wrong, and also because they have a habit of quoting us as a reliable source of info.
i don't know about you, but if someone's quoting me as a person who knows what they're talking about... i don't trust that person.
do you have any examples of the kind of shows you mean. mostly on the mini-series christine tries extra hard to talk slowly, cause on occasions (e.g. frequently) people in japan complain about the pace.
i suspect if she were left to talk at f1 minute pace all would be well. thoughts?
hehe. promise to sort that in january,
:)
I can't think of a specific example, but yes, mini-series episodes come to mind. I don't think it is just a question of pace, sometimes adjusting the words and/or phrasing can help immensely. As I said before though, it is a minor issue.
cool, we'll keep that in mind next series. not sure when that is yet mind you.
Is it feasible to do longer shows in the mini-series to go into a little bit more detail. I think the mini-series will appeal more to people to whom the subject is fairly new rather than people who are already familiar with it.
You have done live baking so now are you planning live brewing?
uncheck the follow comments box while you check out the other site then you can pick up the conversation where you left off and catch up.
good question. hadn't really given it too much thought. they've always sort of been 'that' length, but as far as i know there's no reason for it.
i guess if you combine 7 shows into an omnibus, that makes a pretty decent length podcast, so if each one was longer it might be an issue, but we'll have a think.
hehe. doesn't it take many months? could make for a lot of filling.
Maybe you need to do a Blue Peter and have one you made earlier to cover the delay. That way you get two lots of sidepodbeer.
oooh...
*googles home brewing*
http://downsizer.net
:)
we gotta grow crops?
OOPS. I guess I can't avoid the blame for this.
http://www.dow...the_complete_amateur/
:p
That is going to be a long show - sidepodfarming
mmmm beer.
Haven't you got to have a licence to make your own alcohol, otherwise it's illegal?
erm, where'd you hear that?
pretty sure it's legal, just more tricky than a cupcake.
Only if you want to sell it. You can make it for your own consumption.
Amen to that.
Feedback time!F1 Debrief: I usually watch it live, rather than listen to it recorded. Like scottinitaly, i do one or the other, but rarely both. I like the interactive nature of the live show. My major concern here is the length of the live show. It tends to go very long not so much because of the content, but more because of the technical difficulties we go through. As an improvement, having those enhanced podcast media/pictures show up on the live feed would be wonderful.
F1 Digest: I'm not so much into this podcast, probably because it usually talks about stuff I already saw on TV or read about a couple of hours before. I prefer Debrief over this one as Debrief is more of an opinion show, and that's usually something that's more worth listening to for me. But, hey, if it helps other F1 fans keep track of goings-on, then why stop a good thing, right?
Mini-Series: I'm a BIG fan of this, especially those touching on the less well-known aspects of F1 (i.e. as Steven Roy said, stuff I don't know about). In particular, I loved the series connected to F1 history, as well as the one you made on F1's non-competing sponsors/partners. This is one of those shows that currently isn't found anywhere else on the F1 podcastsphere, and I like it!
Parade Lap: It's a nice show, and it definitely has potential. I like the current free-flowing format, but I'm sure others can think of potential suggestions in this area.
Other Live Audio Content (Panel, Quiz, interviews, etc.): They're all great in themselves, but using them as a unit keeps them fresh and prolongs their "shelf life". My suggestion: try to set a rotation for this. In a given month, set 1 weekend for a Sidepodquiz, 1 weekend (probably a race weekend) for a Sidepodpanel, 1 weekend for an interview, and 1 weekend for a mini-series or some other special feature, perhaps. That way, we'll always hear something different every week, and perhaps a little something new too,
Video Shows - my concern here is download speed. While the hi-res videos are simply amazing, they take too much time downloading, and I end up having to wait a while. My suggestion for this is to have separate high-res and low-res versions available.
Live Commenting... Thing - A brilliant idea, and it has showed off me's programming prowess. While it's still beta (i.e. work in progress), it has worked brilliantly. The real-time interface is also very helpful in keeping track of all the open threads. Well-done on this one!
That's it, basically. Did I miss anything? :)
I DID miss some stuff!F1 Rejects: It's a very good show as well, but for different reasons. They focus more on humoring F1, and focusing more on the forgetten backmarkers, rather than the regular front-runners. You guys, on the other hand, are more focused on general F1 opinion, as well as being on the cutting-edge of creating new multimedia for F1. Both of you don't need to copy each other, you're both great in your own right.
Video Show Content: Me was asking earlier how to avoid being repetitive. You can focus more on recent track-related news (like the future of that race, given Bernie's attitudes as of late), or on giving current features a slight twist. For example, for the flying lap, you can focus more on the incidents that have taken place there in the past, or some less-known info (how much G does that corner pull, how important is it to the laptime is terms of mistakes, and so on). I'm babbling a bit here, but I'm just floating my ideas and seeing what you think of them.
yeah, we've overstretched our abilities on that front. on soo many levels.
probably it'll take 6 months to get it sorted. we're lacking in bandwidth, but also in experience and talent. we are acutely aware of the problem though. the only thing i can say is, take a look at our first video:
http://www.sid...t-international-2007/
we have to make an equally large step forward on the live front as we did in the area of video production.
we do have that, but we're not so great at promoting it. dailymotion do superfast streaming video, at a slighty more compressed rate:
http://www.dailymotion.com/sidepodcast
videos often end up on there an hour or so before they get published here, just because of the extra time it takes for us to upload.
that's enough for us to be going on with, cheers :)
ooh, now that is interesting. keep floating ;)
I've watched that first video, and where are you now? I don't even think you're in the same universe now, never mind the same planet. :)
I'm pretty confident that with your skills and determination, you're going to make some HUGE steps on the live front. Remember, this only started in June (I think), so being where you are in less than 6 months is very good going.
Aha! Good, good. Just mention it on the posts, and you're good to go! :)
That's all I have at this point, but I'll let you know if I can think of anything else. :D
here's the first ever live video:
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/454139
apparently that was 175 days ago. during that time we've manage to improve the video quality and go widescreen. sadly we've lost the audio sync and introduced buffering. we have a way to go yet ;)
can do. will do. i'll add it to the '09 site improvement list.
I like one comment from that video. "It is so easy to apportion blame" - 'me'
i can't believe i didn't have a scape goat back then?
Criticism: Your set-up times are too long (You are live, and we wait 30 - 60 minutes while sound and equipment is checked.)
Seeing that you need to create the "audio material" for the taped-delayed audio shows anyway, what is really wrong with going that little bit further in making the "audio material" stuff into a live show anyway?
I mean unless somthing really "wonky" happens to either one of your voices (Sporting-related injuries such as getting out of bed or swatting flies) then a liberal apprecation of masking tape on rugs or floors, digital picutres of those locations, and enamel paint markers on soundboards should really chop down your 45 minute start-up time.
I note that you do not seem to be checking video cameras, bu the way.
Really. I do not think that picture of the soundboard moves, so figure out where Christine is relative to a point on the pciture (like the two plugs), her mic relative to Christine, the soundboard relatve to the mic, and your mic relative to the soundboard, and you,"me" relative to the your mic and you should not have these audio problems with everyshow.
I argee that we can not use anyone who calls himslef "me" as a reliable source of inforation. Perhaps if you gave us you real name then the information would be considered more authoratative?
So "me", you and Christine are the ones who keep sneaking into the Fantasy Racers Sidepodcast League Race Winner's Club and keep swiping the beer!
Alinora, remind me to change the lock. "Me's" obviously made a false key to the club using the old soap bar mold trick.....
we nailed that this week though didn't we? within 5mins we were ready to take calls.
sadly skype wasn't ready to take those calls, which is why we did the test at the end, but i think with the song introduction (instead of me waffling) we've aced the setup issues.
Who is hosting the Skype calls tomorrow?
Ahhhh, but what about your typical shows such as F1 Debrief or F1 Digest?
just because we didn't want to offend existing subscribers (see the thread on f1f today as an example of how it could go). people who subscribed, have done so after previewing a polished audio show. to suddenly say to all those listeners. we're going live now, and it'll sound ropey for about a year, seemed a little bit unfair, so live content is only for people who have the time.
parade lap is different because it's a new show introduced "as live", with the explicit subtext "missable content", and we've been extra careful to play down expectations :)
this weekend debrief live will start with a song for that reason. digest isn't a live show is it? or am i confused?
kathi?
It is not a live show yet!
oooooh, jeez.
I wasn't sure if Kathi was doing it. I was only curious. I am not suggesting that there is any problem.
And I think your webssite needs to be divided into five sections with each section its own solid background primary colour like a 1988 Thierry Boutsen-driven Benetton!
just joking.... about the '88 Benetton. {I actually liked Boutsen, (actually his full name) back then...)
we're still hoping she will. andy said he'll be around in the evening, not sure and dan seems pretty flexible.
would it surprise you to learn we'll play it by ear?
SInce when have there been 5 primary colours? And why did no-one tell me?
well i can see the video in a preview window before we go live, but technical limitations mean i can't hear it. totally a technical limitation that one.
given we have limited space, for the time being we have to take the studio apart after every live show, so that we can get some work done.
audio is just a pain due to the fact faders move, levels move and sometimes we're louder than others.
i don't desire to be considered more authoritative :)
rumbled... again.
F1 Debrief
I don't think you need to cover all of the drivers all of the time, It's not really necessary, especially since F1 Digest came along :) since you go through all the press statements etc for each driver, surely the Debrief doesn't need to. I generally think F1 debrief doesn't need to be changed, I love it, it was the first podcast i listen to of yours (obviously ;) ) and it's still my favourite :D
F1 Digest
F1 Digest was a stroke of genius. It's a brilliant addition to the race weekend. I feel it most when i have lots of homework (or when i had revision in the summer) and i didn't have the time to search sites and read all the press statements. But when i do have time it's a perfect reminder of everything that happened.
Inside Track
I do like the idea of a video race preview, and i like the features you include too. personally i would like you to continue them next year, it's a great build up the the race weekend :) but if your bored of them, or would rather do something different then that's cool :D
I like the live shows, and will always turn up for them if i'm in the house or can get an internet connection. I think the type of show you do is up to you. I think podpanel will always be better live, as it has the added bonus of including the commenters. It is always great to hear the live recording of Debrief too. If you wanted to cut down on your live shows, you could always only do the live shows when the podpanel is on after debrief (providing they are on on the same day/evening). Which would mean over the podpanel off seasons you wouldn't have to worry about making sure all the live stuff is set up and working fine with no buffering etc. However live is always always a great way to spend a few hours and i think always be popular.
I personally love the longer shows as they allow you to sit and really get into the podcast. I always feel that the shorter podcasts are over before they have even begun, and now that we have seen the recording of the shows (f1 debrief) it's hard to think how you could cut back on the content without missing out on something great. So perhaps if there is a majority that want the podcasts much shorter then you could provide an uneditted/ longer version for people who preferred the longer shows... not sure if that would be loads more work though.
ooh, i'm not sure either, but that's not anything we've thought of before.
we shall discuss in the morning :)
I am pretty sure there are more than 5 primary (painting) colours, Steven, it is just that there was only 5 primary colours on an '88 Benetton (Black, White, Red, Yellow, Blue). Mix the Blue and Yellow to get the last (secondary) colour Green, on the '88 Benetton.
People have quote Sidepodcast as a reliable source of info on Wikipedia? wow i've never seen that before. lol
pls don't look, it's ridiculous.
I read it on Wikipedia. They quoted "me" as the source of information....
:D
:D
Why not set up a sidepodcast area on http://uservoice.com/ to keep track of all this enhancement info ? That way people can vote on what they want and you can keep track of what changes you are planning and when.
we do:
http://sidepodcast.uservoice.com/
sorry, should've said. my bad :(
Does Christine make spreadsheets of these requests as well? :P
:)
not saying.
Mini Series.
I listen to the omnibus version, and I can't tell you how annoying it is to have to listen to the intro/outro music and "so far we have looked at..." for every single episode.
Please more editing when compiling omnibus versions.
I can appreciate what you're saying on this one, but I think it's better to have the whole package for each show so it's clear nothing has been missed.
Also, the download figures for the omnibus are quite small, and it doesn't really justify a whole editing / re-recording process, when we could be doing more creative things.
Hi all,
I'd prefer to see F1 Debrief stay largely as it is. The only thing I would suggest is keeping the running time down. I listen to the show on my bus to work and any time you go over half an hour, I have to listen in two chunks. You could probably do this by making the race reports less extensive as this is covered in the Digest anyway. I listen to the Debrief more for the news and analysis.
Asdie from that, though, just keep on as you are. :-)
it was once 15 minutes long. that was my favourite length :)
you're right though, we're recording one this afternoon and we'll try and keep it... brief.
Just a thought - How about including the principle ideas of F1 Rewind in the previews. So after an update to the championship standings, give a round-up of news developments since the last race.
Brewing your own alcoholic beverages is perfectly legal in the UK. You can't sell the resulting product but you can give it away.
You cannot distill your own spirits, that is illegal (and quite dangerous too).
I'll be around tonight if someone is needed to host the Skype Conference Call.
I didn't realise it would be more effort, I assumed you would have the intro/outro and content recorded separately and it would just be a case of throwing together the right combination of files and voila! It's not worth going through any hassle for...
{Sorry, it looks like I've ended up with two comments. The only difference was that this one had an incorrect attribution. Oops}
Alinora, remind me to change the lock. “Me’s” obviously made a false key to the club using the old soap bar mold trick….. {Jordan Allen - 33 comments ago}
Jordan, change the lock on the club!!!
(And I've had the "Slow down" message. Didn't realise I was posting that fast...)
dropped it to five seconds now.
how fast do you type?
I think that was Jordan you were to remind.
& as I have said before I should read all new comments before commenting.
SInce when have there been 5 primary colours? And why did no-one tell me? {Steven Roy}
Did you mean a pattern like Red-Yellow-Blue-Yellow-Red? That would explain matters.
I think what he was saying was that the site should b in different sections and each section should have a signature colour. So now you have the green background but if I understand Jordan's idea that could be the same for one section but another section would have blue etc. It was late so I should probably read it again.
pls don’t look, it’s ridiculous. {me - 20 comments ago}
Naughty me went and looked at the Peter Windsor and Donington Grand Prix Exhibition entries in Wikipedia anyway. Curiousity got the better of me...
dropped it to five seconds now.
how fast do you type? {me - 6 comments ago}
Very. I go to Text Processing class and stuff, and I am noted for two things: completing practice letter, memo and three-page report at Level 3 in under 30 minutes with (often) no errors and making a complete racket due to how hard I hit the keys in the process.
Since I was only changing three words in the new comment, and for reasons even I do not understand forgot that an edit button had been added to comments several months previously, a short turnaround time was inevitable. Though it could be worse - one of the forums I frequent has a 30-second "flood control" restriction...
& as I have said before I should read all new comments before commenting. {Steven Roy - 5 comments ago}
Not to worry - I'm not having a very good day today on the proofreading front...
Boy there are a lot of good comments here. I hope some of my thoughts might be useful.
I really like the 'collected editions' of the miniseriess - and I would really appreciate a weekly omnibus for the F1Minute linked on the main SPC site.
The race debreifs are brilliant - I especially like the comments re: where this new race/information/happening fits in the grand scheme of things. e.g. drawing the facts from the weekend together with new from the week/history/SPC comments etc. To know that a similar situation in 19XX led to such-and-such an outcome. That is really helpful.
I don't listen to/participate in the live stuff because of timezone differences - and I fear that it leaves peolpe (like me) a little out of the loop in the comments. Although, this is probably a baseless fear, since I haven't been left behind in discussions in the comments yet. I am just aware of it as a barrier for new users.
I think that I would appreaciate some indication of which posts (especially media releases) are considered 'core' and which are considered 'supplimentary'. I have been around SPC for a while now, and was reading/listening here long before I started posting, and realise that we can be a bit of a click; a bit of a club. I know that you might consider everything you produce to be 'optional', and that "If we put good descriptions on the posts, people will be able to decide for themselves" - but I disagree. People appreciate being led in their decisions. Especially the first few times they are presented with a new situation.
Dave.
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