New Website: Ideas?

[Bernardo]

Dappled Things is planning to introduce a new website during the next few months. We'd like to hear if you have any ideas about what -- in an ideal world -- you would like to see in the new site. Keep in mind, however, that we actually live in a fallen world, so we won't be able to incorporate everyone's suggestions. However, we'd like to hear any thoughts you have as we go through the redesign process.

[firefolk]

Ooh! Ooh! Can you have links that download a complete knowledge of kung-fu into our cerebellums? (Errr--cerebella?)

[Bernardo]

Well, that's very good Jamey, but I was really looking for suggestions other than the *obvious* ones. Of course we're going to have such links. What self-respecting Catholic literary magazine these days doesn't have that?

[estiel]

Could you have one of those gizmos that let people know via email when there's been a new post to a thread they're watching?

Links to other (well-considered! Make it matter!) Catholic publications. Pseudo-Catholic publications can be squeezed out of view with some concentrated effort. In return, the good sites should provide link to DT.
But most important, somewhere on the masthead, and on the DT links at other sites, should go this important fact that's never mentioned:
Dappled Things: the ONLY Catholic literary magazine in the U.S. (the world?)

[bluemaydie]

If I were king of the world (or of DT, and let's all take a moment to thank God I'm not), I would add two major features to the website renovation.

1) LINKS. With some help in the form of soliciting suggestions from readers, DT.org could be a resource for Catholic artists. How about links not only to other Catholic publications, as estiel suggested, but also to Catholic writers? Start with those who've been published in DT of course, but also include those authors who've made it big without DT's help. Link to information pages or society websites for the big-name deceased modern authors. Link also to Guttenberg or Googlebooks Catholic literary classics (Chesterton's "Lepanto," but not his "What's Wrong With the World," for example--keep it artsy). Throw in Catholic sources on the act of creating art--JPII's "Letter to Artists," for example. Links to writers' workshops or grants for Catholics, if anyone has the info. Heck, link submission info for Catholic book publishers, in case one of us follows firefolk and E.B. Donlon and finishes a book. Catholic music and musicians could have a place there, as well as the Catholic visual artists. Cross pollinate this fertile field, so we can bloom.

2) Frequent content updates. Save some of the scads of poems that get submitted (there are scads by now, right?) and make them web exclusives. Change the "front page" poem (or picture, or you could accept submissions of recordings just for this) every week, if possible. Keep people knocking on your door.
A) Yes, it's giving away free content. So save the REALLY EXCELLENT stuff for the print edition. Free content brings traffic, though, which brings advertising dollars, which brings betterment for the magazine, yes?
B) It gets more work out there, which I think is important.

[Bernardo]

Estiel and and bluemaydie: excellent suggestions, thanks! I guess I would follow up by asking, specifically, what sites you would like links to. We know many good pages, yet there probably is a lot of stuff out there that's worthwhile but that we don't know about. So if you know any gems that we shouldn't overlook, let us know!

[estiel]

I'm no surfer, but for starters: Catholic Writers Guild, StAR, Image....
Stay away from political stuff, please! That includes Church politics....