Today I have a couple of questions to ask you about this website. It's been trucking along with its shoes untied and it's hair poorly brushed with the slightly embarrassed knowledge that it was only ever half-arsed but too busy ordering another beer to really hold itself accountable. All change comes from initial insight, and while I've found some of that insight in the depths of my own navel, I would really appreciate some feedback from you.

As I tell people at work "any feedback is good feedback" so my I respectfully request a small amount of your time to leave your feedback in the comments below. I have a couple of questions here that you might like to answer - or you might like to just freestyle it down below (not a euphamism for rounding third base).

1. If thejamjar.com was an animal, what kind of animal would it be and why?
2. What do you like to read or see when you plug thejamjar.com into your browser?
3. You are now the owner of thejamjar.com, what is the first thing you would
   change, fix or do?

 

Results from Kaput Comments:

Fox:

1. an animal from a Hayao Miyazaki movie, because it is alternatively colourful, serious, elegant and fun

2. I read via g-reader and I like when there are picture stories, like the chopped one

3. two things. firstly, do something with the home page, because there are 8 possible choices (not counting navigation) and other-firstly, make the font size bigger in these wee form boxes

4. a way to subscribe to additional comments on a post?

5. the captcha comes up weird. also you don't notice it's come up.

AnnaPray:

I like your blog and have kept coming back to it year after year because you are one of the most interesting, free-spirited and creative people I have ever encountered. I would not change a thing (except echoing what another writer said, about the font showing up in one form before being replaced by the desired font ... but that's actually kind of cool, a sort of kinetic effect). I like that The Jamjar is multimedia, and that you are so gifted that you can do many of these media yourself. Michelle didn't pay me to write this review.

Barto

1. Your weblog would be an octopus: Very intelligent (pretty good writing IMHO, and some great insights also IMHO), adaptive (talking about various things, most of which interest me a great deal), and deadly (sometimes you pay out pretty hard on someone/something.

2. I love it when you let some of your inner self out a bit. Usually in the form of the aforementioned great insights. I also really dig your writing style most of the time. Sometimes you seem a little off (tired, ill?), but more often than not your prose seems considered and fun to read. I often cannot wait to publish something I've just written, so I have a high number of typos and oddities, but your writing mostly seems to have these things covered.

3. I would probably simplify the design, and make the type larger. But I'm Japan-loving designery type with poor eyesight :P I would redesign it so the text is no.1, and the side bar disappears somewhat as a secondary element. Focus on the writing! (Also, your custom fonts usually take a few seconds to load on my browser, so often I'd read the headings in Arial before they snap into the fancy text. Dunno if that's just my KL net connection though.) 

Bold questions to ask. I don't think I would take the answers very well if I asked the same of my blog :S

Melissa

I would like to see David's Death Machines (because I've never seen them) and the Street Art section up and running :) I like when you tell a little bit about your day because you describe it so well that I can imagine it happening and it makes me laugh - like you trying not to cough on the train or walking and sitting in on another class when you did a photography class. Your insights about people and life in general are pretty spot on too and make interesting reading.