Feature-Creep, New Site Channels, Functionality and Stylings

Dave_HH — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:03:00 GMT

As you've probably noticed, we've been fleshing things out a bit more around here lately. When HotHardware first started out, about 10 years ago (good lord time flies), we were primarily what I would call a "push" site or magazine of sorts. We had a basic content engine that evolved over the years from static HTML to a fully dynamic, database-driven approach that was all the rage back then. If you didn't provide reader the ability to search easily on your articles, you were limiting your site, in terms of the duration that a reader might spend viewing your hard work and diligent efforts in journalism . This made sense of course. It wasn't rocket science but it also meant you needed a solid database engineer on your team (at least back then) and perhaps even some additional server resources at your disposal too. No sweat, we invested in you, our faithful readers, back then and of course buffed up our appearance a bit along the way as well. We even added a forum so you could chat it up a bit. Heck, it was only at the expense of a little beer money at the time -- so it was all good.

Time marches on and things change. Someone had the notion of something called Web 2.0 where the reader actually gets the opportunity to contribute to the content. Are you nuts? They're animals! Actually, wait... They're also smart, creative, passionate animals and we even like many of them (OK, we admit it, we love you). Hmm... We might be on to something here. So we invested again. Now, not only can you talk amongst yourselves in the forum but you can also contribute to our "content" (I hate that word; so sterile.). Again, it was all good. After all, our goal was to give you a home here; a place where you could kick-back, relax, kill some time and learn a little something along the way maybe too. So let's run down the list: fully dynamic, searchable database of articles and news - check, a forum community to foster conversation - got it, ability for the readers to interact with and comment on all content - it's in there.

Then, since way back in the late 90s we had all of these Datacom startups installing Terabit routers at every major ISP and Telco they could, we discovered we had some bandwidth to spare that we just didn't know what to do with (those poor bastards at Lucent never made a dime on it either). And some smart, young Silicon Valley punk (just a hunch, I could be wrong) said, "I got it! Video!". Yeah, yeah, sure, sure kid. Video -- why would you bother watching video on the net? Hey wait, that's a pretty good idea too and we can give the audience a way to participate as well. We'll make them all stars!

And so we invested in video and hope you like it as an augmentation to our traditional written content. Now then, as Chief Cook and Bottle Washer around here, I'm also tasked with attempting to set the creative vision of HH moving forward. We've got great forum software (with tagging, ooooh!), a comments system for your to throw your two cents into any article, and now we've got video (would you like to send us your video too?) So where do we go from here folks?

I'll offer a little hint that we'll be expanding our product coverage in the months ahead and will include things that are bit more "gadgety" in nature. What else would you like? What functionality are we missing here at HotHardware that you would find useful? What other products and topics would you like covered?

Sound off here and let us know -- but be gentle. We've been on the net now for about a decade. We've seen it all but we're getting on in our years and you young bucks, with your fancy ideas, could still blow our minds.

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Feature-Creep, New Site Channels, Functionality and Stylings