Posted on December 4, 2006 at 1:01 PM in @earthlink
Note: The below is an archived entry from Earthling, formerly EarthLink's official blog. The blog itself has been decommissioned and is no longer updated, and comments are trackbacks are no longer accepted.
I'm thrilled that so many of you shared your thoughts about our new myEarthLink start page development project. The MyEarthLink team has been following the conversation on the original Earthling entry about what should live on a start page, and over the weekend Senior Product Manager Tom Harris sat down with all of it to think it through and provide some of his own thoughts about your comments. He wrote up the entry below:
A hearty thank you to everyone who took the time to make suggestions for the new myEarthLink. Building a personal start page is tricky business, to say the least. We aren't simply building one landing page -- we're collaborating with a wide range of people to build millions of individual pages. A personal start page should be, after all, personal, which means every user gets to finish the job we started. Input from you, our collaborators and potential collaborators, is invaluable.Before digging into what you would like to see on a portal, many of you cleared the air with what you didn't want to see. Heading up the enemies list: clutter and advertising.
Rick said, "you should remove all of the clutter on the page, such as the 'special offers' that appear in many of the boxes."
Tracy observed, "in general, I find portals to be too crowded and cluttered for my taste."
Lance succinctly requested "de-NASCARification."
Mike H. asked us to hold the "tattoos and dancing ads."
Jon Stephens hit the mark with his comment that "a clean design is much more valuable than clever or cute."
As we've taken the new start page through different iterations, clutter has been enemy #1 for us as well. Of course, one man's clutter might be another man's essential feature. We don't want to simply strip the page down to the bare minimum. While we are cutting out some features, our approach to de-cluttering is really centered around improving organization. For example, essential links and search-based tools will all be together. They'll be easy to find when that's what you want and easy to ignore when that's not want you want.
Our thinking here is that you don't toss out many tools completely when you're de-cluttering your workbench. Rethinking where everything goes solves most of the problems.
We've also looked long and hard at advertising. Digging through a pile of unhelpful, flashing ads is certainly a rough way to start your Web day. But, we do count on advertising dollars to support the work involved in maintaining and improving myEarthlink. Our focus has been making advertising less intrusive. While ads will still be part of the new start page, we have been working on scaling back from what you see today.Many of you listed which features you most like from today's portal. The "daily stats and updates" -- weather, stocks, game scores and reminders -- popped up again and again. I'm happy to report that all of these are front and center on the new design. In the same way we're grouping search-based tools, we're grouping quick status items together, so you can get your vital stats quickly. As we evolve the portal, we're interested in offering more "quick status" items. What else would you like to see in this group?
E-mail preview made many of your short lists. B phrased it this way: "For me, it's all about whether someone needs me for something." E-mail is also very prominent in our new design, and we've spent a lot of time tweaking exactly how it works.
News came up several times too. B said it best: "I want to know if the meteor is inbound and whether I have time for coffee before it hits." It caught my attention that multiple readers are interested in picking their own local news feeds, in addition to the default AP feeds. In general, the ability to customize content was a big theme. Donna Ribecchi summed up an excellent rule of thumb: "Add in whatever features you want, but be sure to keep the page customizable! Allowing the user the ultimate control is the key!... Essentially, make sure the page has a clear purpose and identity or make sure the user has the option to create their own."
Well said, Donna. This is the road we're following -- we're looking to build a page that is immediately useful and usable "right out of the box," but that is also adaptable enough that you can easily tweak it to make it your own.
Specifically, many of you requested the ability to integrate RSS feeds easily. We're RSS addicts ourselves, and are working on clear integration of myEarthLink Reader. Our biggest question with RSS integration has been how to help the uninitiated put feeds to work for them. Susan Weller voiced an all too common problem: "I haven't tried RSS yet because I do not know exactly what it is and I'm scared to open it." Susan, after our usability testing, I can assure you that you're not alone! We're working on making the experience heartburn-free on the new start page. In the meantime, you might check out Dave's excellent introduction to RSS here, and consider taking myEarthLink Reader out for a spin.
RSS users, I would love to hear how you originally got over this hump. How did you start off using RSS? What's are some good ways to introduce new users to everything RSS has to offer?
Finally, Joe Pitchell's idea caught my eye: "What would be novel is a site recommender for surfing. Anything that keeps the brain cells stirring." Joe, can you elaborate? Are you envisioning a rotating site of the day? Or a site recommendation engine based on user preferences?
Thanks again to all for the thoughtful comments. Please keep them coming. We'd love to continue this conversation throughout the development process and beyond.
-Tom Harris
Comments
I too would like to see the flashing ADs removed. They are very distracting. I'd like to know also why I cannot connect to www.chasebank.com to connect to my personal checking and savings acct.
I hope this last is an eligible request.
Thank you
Posted by Margaret Kramp | December 4, 2006 5:04 PM
Hi Margaret, thanks for your comment. I took a look at that url (www.chasebank.com) and I believe it's not the right address if you're looking for the big national bank's site. It looks like the real site for that bank would be "www.chase.com".
Posted by Dave C. | December 4, 2006 5:22 PM
How come there are no chat rooms? Hope I'm in the right place to ask this question. Thank you.
Posted by valerie | December 6, 2006 6:18 AM
please put a calender on my home page, yahoo has one, thanks..
Posted by Robert Heidbrink | December 6, 2006 8:07 AM
Concur with the suggestion by Robert to add a calendar. Come to think of it, that's the ONLY reason I continue to maintain a personal page on Yahoo. If Earthlink offers a simple calendar application on the start page, for me, it's bye-bye Yahoo. Also integrate an optional view of the calendar within webmail, since you often need to a view a calendar within the context of reading or responding to email.
It would be cool to have an expandable map widget that lets you query maps.google.com just to quickly plot an address. You'd think the "local" tab on the Google search feature would offer a basic map search capability, but it doesn't ... your start page is devoid of any opportunity to view or create a simple map.
And finally, ditto on the often stated dislike of ads, particular those of the animated (and irritating) variety, which encompasses anything created in Flash. Paying customers need to have the option of turning them off without resorting to blocking techniques that simply leave an equally irritating void space on your start (or webmail) page where the ad should be. The void is a constant reminder that at least in one respect, Earthlink doesn't quite live up to the "we revolve around you" hype. If it did, we'd be offered some sort of choice on the matter.
Posted by James | December 6, 2006 7:30 PM
I don't might simple adds but the flashing ones I don't read. They give me a headache.
I would like to customize my page but also want easy and quick links to support and other services.
Posted by E Joyce Hamilton | December 6, 2006 10:43 PM
In the middle of my comment IE7 bluwup and restarted my computer. Lost all the comment.
Here goes a memory dump.
1. Make all boxes act like the bar features on the "active" area of the screen.
2. Make all boxes/bars minimizable.
3. Let users relocate all item on the screen to any locatiion (i.e. top bottom left or right) even if that alows the box/bar to be off screen.
4. As an alternative give the option to minimize all features to thier "name" (i.e. Googles search bar which I never use, reduceable to a small bar that can later be maximized to its normal size that just says "Gooogle".
5. and make a "goof" button available to change any bar to default by a single click.
6. Never put something on a "myEarthlink" startup page that I can't delete. At least from view. Including ADs, etc.
Posted by Tom | December 7, 2006 1:33 AM
Hate task bar. How do I get rid of it. It's moer of a nuisance than a help.
Posted by Rene Moser | December 12, 2006 8:39 AM
I am an old AOL user and have to say I love their setup, esp. the ease to check email, and that you know from sound and sight if you recieved email. Having to go out of whatever page I am in just to check email is a real pain. Also with email, if someone has sent me a forwarded email, why do I have to continuously click "forwarded email" till I finally get to the actual message? And I don't like not having a folder I can save email that won't be auto deleted, even when that feature is turned off, or at least I thought it was....
Posted by Beth P | December 12, 2006 8:40 AM
I would like to be able to list more than 5 move theater schedules.
Posted by Alfred Ruesch | December 12, 2006 8:47 AM
I'm also an ex AOL user, and I agree with the email comment. When surfing, I'd like a voice to tell me that I have mail. And how about something besides, MAIL TRUCK. Mail's here, or something near would be nice. Incidently, earthlink is a class act.
Posted by Michael Steed | December 12, 2006 10:30 AM
Regarding email, I agree with previous opinion by Beth that an easier link to check email from you myearthlink page would be nice. If you are already logged in to tour start page why all the hassle to get to your emails?
Also, to be able to completely minimize all sections on the start page to just the title would be nice and to add an online scratch pad to keep notes. This could be printed or just accessible through any computer once you are logged onto your start page.
Thanks!
Posted by Jaime | December 12, 2006 10:45 AM
Recently started earthlink. Any chance that earthlink will ever have access to news groups? I never would have taken a year's subscription to this pos DSL if I'd done a little more research.
Posted by omgray | December 12, 2006 3:55 PM
I LIKE TO SEE MY FRONT PAGE TO INCLUDE NEWS VIDEOS
AS SOON AS IT OPEN(GRAFIC WINDOWS)I MEAN.
ALSO MY EMAILS I SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE IT AT SIGN ON
Posted by J campos | December 12, 2006 7:53 PM
I signed up with Earthlink and Webmail several years ago because, once inside a mail message there were no visible ads on the screen. Now we have to put up with very annoying and distracting dancing ads and staring eyes and disgusting toenails to name a few, that take up a large section at the top or side of the page, while trying to read my email. I always have to scroll down just to get to my messages and get rid of the distraction. We're paying big bucks out here for this? For several months have been considering switching to someone else, but for now I'll wait and see. Like it that you are taking feedback comments seriously.
Also I have already complained to your customer support about two large blocks(frames) in the top center column of my start page that are not moveable, editable, or minimizable. I was told that they are 'hard wired' and cannot be changed. What's up with that? They are not Ads but links to regional local cable -- I never use them.
The way things are, it is not my start page at all. I agree with a previous commenter that everything should be at least minizable.
Those are my two biggest headaches with the start page -- the ads, and immovable objects.
Thanks for listening.
Posted by Intag | December 20, 2006 10:21 AM
I've been a subscriber for many years, ever since my original ISP domain was absorbed into the Earthlink Collective. The Borg have nothing on Earthlink...
I have read all these posts, and I agree with 90% of the suggestions.
That's it. Keep up the good work.
FM
Posted by Frank | December 20, 2006 10:59 AM
"'m also an ex AOL user, and I agree with the email comment. When surfing, I'd like a voice to tell me that I have mail. And how about something besides, MAIL TRUCK. Mail's here, or something near would be nice."
Evidentally you got your wish because when I logged-on last night some woman was yapping at me about having mail. I promptly shut her up and darn if she wasn't at it again this morning! I do NOT want the AOL experience! I left AOL many, many years ago and have been a loyal and due$ paying ELinker every since.
I frequently bite my tongue when EL messes with the start page. It's not always bad, but all the dancing stuff and NOW the yapping at me without my invite is annoying! These annoyances should be turned OFF with the option of being turned ON if the customer wants.
Posted by EdieG | January 24, 2007 4:54 PM