So, what is SoylentNews? This is your chance to tell us!
I am announcing the first ever SoylentNews online video contest. The rules are pretty simple.
Too easy, right? We will count the views on 31 March 2014, at 11:59 UTC. The winner is the individual video that has the most views.
You do not actually have to appear in the video! Make a cartoon, do CGI, do a voiceover of a movie, whatever. Be creative and explore your artistic vision! (Yes, you have one. It may be underutilized at times but it is there).
We have not yet determined the prize for the winner, but it will be jaw-droppingly awe-inspiring (it's a key-chain I found on the sidewalk somewhere). No, it'll be something good. At a minimum we'll feature your video on the site here and interview you for the "making of" your entry. But probably more (it's a keychain).
On behalf of the entire staff and volunteers, we continue to be amazed at the response we've gotten from the community so far. We will continue to provide ways that you can interact with us and help define us. I hope you enjoy this contest. If you have any other suggestions for how we can better meet your needs, feel free to let us know in IRC, the Forums, or the Wiki. Thanks for reading!
~Mattie_p
p.s. keychain!
p.p.s updated based on feedback
(Score: 1) by umafuckitt on Tuesday February 25 2014, @07:31PM
This. The UI needs to be fixed. There is even still boilerplate on the left below the links. The threaded discussion works rather poorly and is showing its age. I think the site should be kept simple and elegant; but "simple and elegant" doesn't equal clunky UI from 10 years ago. I really want this site to succeed, but it's not going to do so unless it offers a better product. In this regard, the packaging is as important as the content.
(Score: 1) by Daniel Dvorkin on Wednesday February 26 2014, @01:42AM
Depends on what you mean by "UI". If you mean the code should be brought up to date so it works better, and the colors and element placement should be changed to make the site more attractive, I agree with you completely; Pipedot [pipedot.org] shows how good a Slashdot-style site with modern coding and design can be. But if you mean Soylent should get rid of the fundamental UI elements, such as the discussion system, that made Slashdot so great ... um, no, that's what drove us away from Slashdot, and why this site exists, in the first place.
Pipedot [pipedot.org]:Soylent [soylentnews.org]::BSD:Linux
(Score: 1) by umafuckitt on Wednesday February 26 2014, @02:55AM
Sure, yes, I mean something more like Pipedot. Of course the discussion system should stay.