This makes a lot of sense Stuart. It is straight forward.
We still have choices to wander through and enjoy different blogs for the different levels these blogs are slotting into.
You have my vote on this plan !
Joy

Cheers Joy. I'll notch that one up on the positive side of the ledger.

Hi Stuart! I'd just been wondering over Holy Week how on earth you managed to keep on top of the innumerable new posts, especially if you wanted to, say, have a life, take a holiday, visit family, watch a film, go out to eat, and etc. Your solution will give blotanists several ways to find new posts, which is great. My question, of course, is what about everyone else? Each day, when I scan the new posts, I look for posts on topics of interest to me, and--I confess--posts with really great titles. (I just can't resist those.) What if they don't fall into the new categories--how will I be able to find them? Just wondering, and believe me, I feel your pain at the prospect of trying to list the new posts in a timely fashion. Maybe there's already a separate section on Blotanical for new posts (as opposed to picks) and I'm just not aware of it!

Hi Stuart,

I'm broadly in favour, but with the current Picks system I can easily find a Post I'd like to read from a Blogger that I don't usually read. I read a lot of these every week in addition to the regular Blogs I always read. These don't necessarily make it onto my regulars list, but it doesn't mean that I don't value the Post itself. I can see that I'd lose that opportunity with a number of these Posts as the source blogs probably wouldn't get into any of the the Top 200 lists, especially as Blotanical is growing at such a good rate.

Would limiting the Picks List to say 125 instead of 200 help?

How about also having a Random Blog or Post list (not necessarily 200 of them!) a bit like the Random Blog widget from you that I've chosen to use on my Blog? That way all Blogs have a chance of being featured at some point. The list could change each time someone logs in, or you could set it to be the same for x number of days. Don't know how easy it is to do - just an idea.

BTW yes, the list's loading is getting slower, but it's nowhere near as bad as it got when you were loading the pictures as well...

Hi again Stuart,

Just had another idea - how about splitting the Picks loading over more than 1 page? That way we could be having a look at the goodies on page 1, whilst the other page(s) are loading?

I have been hoping for a list of current posts from my favorite blogs, and I also like to check out new blogs, so it all sounds great!

I love all your ideas and this one is no different! What a great way to check out the "new" blotanists without hunting through the whole list for them! And having a fave list is beyond amazing!!!

If I understand it correctly, I think I like your suggestions. I hope we will still have the long list of numbers across the bottom of the page when I click "Popular". I enjoy wandering around in there and reading those that are not the most popular. If blotanical continues to grow at this rate, I see the potential for the middle guys (those not in the top 200 and not in the newest 200) to be lost unless I can go to that list and look in the middle. Stuart, you are doing such a good job of this. Thank you!

I like the plan so far. I can't think of anything else that could be done to make it easier to view. Great choice Stuart wish you the best of luck in implementing these changes.

Your ideas sound good Stuart. There are certainly more and more new posts to pick from and the task gets harder and harder.

I really like the idea of the new blogs list. It will be great to have a place to discover new blogs and maybe even future favourite blogs.

Will the list for my faves be only accessible by me? or would there be a link on my plot that others could use as well?

With so many new blogs now, could the popular post page be increased to more blogs, say 25?

Looking forward to seeing the new changes in the future.

Thanks for your considerations to revamp Picks. I've been having more difficulty staying connected to Blotanical when I use them now. It seem to time out a lot more often.

I think it would be kind of sad for people to only read their favorites when so many wonderful blogs can be discovered. However, that would be a very nice feature when time is limited.

It does sound like you have it covered between the newest 200 and the current 200.
Thanks, Stuart.

Stuart, scratch my last comment. I re-read what you said, and I realize I misunderstood the first time.

I think your ideas are great, will work fine, and will just take a little getting used to.

Hi Stuart,

A further thought on why the Picks Feature is so popular: It's like a giant Google Reader dedicated to Gardening Blogs, so it's easy to see all the new posts just by checking in every couple of days or so. With any of the Blogs lists, it's just that - a list of Blogs. Would I have 200 blogs on my list to go into on the off-chance that something's been posted? I don't think so. Do I go into the Picks list to find any article that looks interesting - you bet I do. And on a regular basis.

It's interesting to see from the responses so far that people are welcoming the New Blogs List - but you have that already. I suspect the same would happen with any which way you might slice and dice a Blog list in the future.

This is an excellent idea -- the three categories you've suggested would make reading much more enjoyable, I believe, and take less time to propagate. A good compromise.

Hello

I don't think I understand . . . but that doesn't matter . . . However, I would like to contribute a couple of things to the discussion.

I'm new - and I'm reluctant to list any blogs as my favourites just yet - because I want them to be proper recommendations - and that means reading (and enjoying them) for a while first.

(I've only one blog in my list; I was already reading it before I joined Blotanical.)

However - I already know I would like a way to explain why I like any particular blog.

I might enjoy the text in one . . . the pictures in another . . . the humour . . . the information. If I could explain this, I would be more comfortable that my recommendations are honourable.

For the same reason, I think I will start 'Picking Posts' before I 'Fave' blogs. It is easier to assess one entry than to plough through lots of 'back' posts.

(I wish the picks weren't called 'picks' though - it's rather an inelegant term and I feel awkward, embarassed even, using it!)

Esther Montgomery

I really like the split ideas that you've come up with.

It would give some of us newbies a chance to get some exposure as well as making it easier to find our preferred blogs. Now, if I only had a few more points....

Sounds good to me!
Shirley

If I am not mistaken, this will actually give us more posts to see, not less. I like the ideas.

Stuart, hope this is not redundant. Could you possibly create posts per day, i.e., each day there is a new page, so the info is spread over a greater space, and thus downloads more quickly? KH

As long as we don't lose the ability to see the full list if we wish to, I'm all for it! I'd just hate to see some blogs not get love because they aren't in the 200 newest or 200 most popular.