KickPost is new tech news aggregator that uses a predictive algorithm based on historically popular stories to predict which stories will be popular in realtime. We are about 20min faster at predicting hot stories than Techmeme.
What do you think?
One thing I noticed was that it's very difficult for me to scan the headlines quickly. I think the reason is that right now the focal point is the time, with the red and black, while the headline and description blend together a bit. I think you could change this without hurting the aesthetic. (Also, as others mentioned, a brief description would be great)
Good luck!
How about sticking the time information under the elapsed time information.
For example have something like this:
44m
ago
<time>
I don't know if the italicized time of the post at the beginning of each blurb is useful, it feels like cruft when I am looking for information (I just skip over that piece). It also loses meaning lower down in the list (6:45PM 3 days ago? Do I care?)
Also: Have you played with de-emphasizing the time box on the left of each post somehow? Like, make it use muted colors unless :hovered?
I'd kill for an RSS reader that worked like this, though.
Interesting that you find the time unnecessary. May consider removing.
Will play with the timebox on the left a bit. It is a bit strong, but its something we think emphasizes the speed and realtime nature of the app, so don't want it to fade back too much.
What do you think of the mix of stories?
Re: mix of stories. I'm currently staying away from Techmeme (had to disable my no iPhone/Android news user script to actually compare the headlines), so my input there is of marginal use. I'll say that the headlines didn't put me off - there was good diversity of content instead of half the page being filled with hoopla about cellphones. I learned about Real Time Farms[1] from a lifehacker story via the Kitchn blog, so that's something!
1: http://lifehacker.com/5589590/real-time-farms-is-a-user+supp...
Do you like the mix of stories? Do you think you will use it tomorrow?
I'll gladly click to load more stories if it means I don't have to bear with the jarring effect of the page moving down a chunk while I scan stuff.
It works fine if you use a scrollwheel, but if you drag the scrollbar it is a horrible experience that I would not wish upon my greatest enemies.
Especially for content that is repetitive in design, I find dragging the scrollbar to be a more effective way to scan. I assume I'm not alone?
I typically refresh the Techmeme page 10-20 times throughout the day. Does the KickPost page automatically pull down new posts, or do I have to refresh to get the latest news? Also, is there a list of blogs that you're pulling from? Thanks!
The page automatically refreshes when new posts come in! One of my favorite features.
I like it, wish you had an RSS feed. If you are going to want it to stick you are going to need a way for me to either a)share this content with my friends(twitter, facebook), b) let me comment on the stories you are giving me, c)let me bookmark these stories- there are tons of ways but right now I'm just reading. I'll keep checking back to see what you are doing. Great work!
[1]christopherwoodall.com/trendy
I would make the headlines stronger than the rest.
Also I would play around with sizes. You might be able to squeeze it down a little and get more headlines at any given time.