SF Signal: What works for you?
Like many, the folks here at SF Signal just want to be loved. As a result, we care about what our readers have to say and wonder about what they like. So, here is my call out to all of you to tell us what you like about SF Signal. What makes it worth your time to either read the feed or check it out the main page?
And before we come off as a group of optimists, what aspect of it annoys you? It is easy enough to ignore things you don’t find interesting, but are there aspects that actively detract from your enjoyment? Maybe there something about the RSS feed that could be improved? Maybe you have a pet peeve you’d like to share?
There are a few key features that I thought I might list, and provide some background into what they are for.
Tidbits - one of the main features of the blog is the Tidbit. These are collection of news, links, and information that John finds interesting and that he thinks will be interesting to you. There is news here on authors, publishers, and of course fans. Remember – John trolls Wil Wheaton’s blog so you don’t have to!
Book Reviews – I still consider these to be the main purpose for the blog and the most interesting content. Sometimes we don’t like the book, sometimes we love it. But either way, you’ll get a comment from us. Note that our fan reviews shouldn’t be confused with critique – that’s something else and probably beyond most of us.
Tubebits - A relatively new feature, Tubebits are JP’s take on the latest happenings in TV and film. Not only do you get interesting news and links, but JP usually shares his personal take on the item.
Polls – Usually topical, sometimes irreverent, rarely accurate – I consider them always interesting. Vote early, vote often!
Daily YouTube – The irregular sharing of sci-fi related YouTube videos. I personally prefer the videos of little things, hitting each other.
Here are some criticisms that I have heard. You might agree or disagreed, but here is my take on the sentiments.
“Just listing links isn’t blogging!” – I would start off by saying that blogging is many things and everybody does some linking now and again. After all, this is the Internet! I’d also point out that the news listings we have here are filtered. They are sci-fi related and thought to be interesting to the broader community.
“Your so-called reviews aren’t real reviews!” – They are honest assessments by the readers here. They are our opinions. I’d argue that this is all you get out of any book review, published in any forum. Sometimes we don’t back up our opinions with facts. Sometimes we gush over a book without providing any details. We all aspire to get better, and nobody is as hard on us as we are on ourselves.
“You can’t review a book you didn’t finish.” – I agree with this, and recently described my opinion of a book I couldn’t finish as a commentary rather than a review. What you call it doesn’t make the opinion any less valid.
Let us know what you think, and at the least I’ll reply here with my opinion on things. And thanks in advance!
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- Silverberg Restrospective Series in the Works
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Hi, i am very happy with your blog. There is so much info on the internet to be found and you are putting this together in one place.
The book reviews i like and some of the books i bought. Not concluding a novel and still expressing an opinion is something i recognize. If after 100 pages a book will not be what i expect i check the end or look at Amazon for other opinions. If they will have made me curious I decide to put the book down.
Keep on going.
PS English is my second language so forgive me.
Tubebits could go back into the Tidbits…
As for book reviews: If a book stinks, why keep flogging yourself with it? Of course there will always be some out there who will disagree with your opinion whether you finish or not, so don’t worry about it!
More people posting! That’s what you need! Where’s Pete! And TexasBestGrok has a new guy that might be worth considering…
I think you have a good blend of links and commentary (I appreciate your commentary/reviews). I love having one place to go to get news on the SF/F world; this is one of the blogs I check daily. I’m a book editor, so I find the book-centered part of the blog most useful, but the Tubebits is also helpful by letting me see how SF/F translates across different media. However, sometimes I think the balance between the Tidbits and the Tubebits is too heavily slanted to film and television. Keep the emphasis on the written word, please.
Personally I’m just happy to see exponentially fewer C.D. references. You know who I mean.
I just started reading the blog very recently. I had been looking for a one-stop blog for SF news and commentary, and I found it. Thanks for doing it.
If it were up to me, I would say less focus on TV and more focus on written SF. SF TV shows tend to be pretty culty and those cults have enough online community already; what is lacking is a comprehensive blog about written SF. Maybe recruit more people to review more books, and seek essays and criticism about the state of SF (in general, commentary and criticism about trends in SF is one thing I was seeking in a one-stop SF blog.)
Also I don’t know when the YouTube posts started but I’ve noticed them more recently than I did at first and in my opinion they’re unnecessary clutter that I have to scroll through to get to posts I actually care about. I haven’t clicked on any of them, don’t plan to.
I really like everything about it, especially the tidbits of news from everywhere. There’s nothing that I can really say I hate or dislike about it. Keep up the good work guys!
Fred wrote:
Tubebits could go back into the Tidbits…
Well…they are written by two different authors. It is hard for JP and John to collaborate on one posting. JP includes his commentary on the Tubebits, where John gives more of a straight report on his links. I believe that JP will include links to things he doesn’t like, where John probably won’t include a link to something he didn’t think was interesting. So I think they will stay separate because they are really different animals with a similar name.
I consider SF Signal more of a website then a blog. I come here several times/day. It’s my favorite website/blog. I like everything about the website, except the YouTube bit’s they slow things down for people with older connections.
I’d like to see a YouTube widget like a Blidget a small screen tucked away somewhere. Maybe something like the last 3 YouTubes or something like that.
I’m pleased to see the book shelves are featureing magazine covers like Jim Baens Universe. I’d like to see magazine covers of the big name magazines, Like Analog, etc. in the book shelves. That’d be cool.
Otherwise I give SF Signal a 10/10
Hope that helps.
My favorite feature here is definitely tidbits, much like Andrew Wheeler’s links at his various websites. It’s a great way to see what’s going on online in SFF and maybe point me to something I’d like to read more about.
I like Tubebits because I’m NOT following SFF tv news very much, so this gives me enough coverage to know if I’m going to miss anything.
The reviews: I could take them or leave them, but that’s because I’m not necessarily looking for the reviews here and haven’t spent enough time reading them.
And I think commenting on a book you had no interest in finishing is entirely legit: that’s a damning commentary on the book, that you didn’t care enough to finish…and that’s important to know.
SFSignal is definitely one of the most informative and up-to-date sf blogs (or, as someone already put it, webpages). I have no complaints whatsoever, but if I had to pick something, well, tidbits (especially the longer ones) tend to be somewhat cluttered, maybe you can sort out separate entries to different categories (tv, film, literature, comment and so forth). And I would also make written SF more favourable to tv sf shows. Keep the good work and thanks for the fish!
I burned out on novels a loooong time ago, but I’m all about the tidbits! Categories might be nice, but don’t make life more difficult for yourself than it has to be.
I tend to prefer book reviews when they come in clumps. Like Locus or Asimovs. Don’t know why. I just do.
I don’t watch most of the shows you review, and aside from Dr. Who you don’t discuss many of the things I do watch, like the recent Jekyll mini on BBC America, and now on DVD.
Speaking of DVDs, we’ve had Space Academy, Land of the Lost, and Jason of Star Command all come out on shiny silver recently, and despite their many faults they still managed to tell some intriguing SF stories. Some retro TV on discs reviews might be nice.
I’d also like to see some love for SF comics, which are starting to get high profile again. Space operas like Annihilation and the Sinestro Corps, and retropunk like Doktor Sleepless are burning bright right now, as are Bad Planet, Fear Agent and the comic versions of Galactica and Buffy.
I love it when you do links to art. I am amazed at the raw deal SF art has gotten on the web.
I enjoy both the book reviews and the daily newslinks. I don’t know what I would do without the latter, and the former is a very good guide to new reading.
I am not so keen on the media coverage and videos, but I realize other people like them, and I can ignore them easily enough.
Keep up the good work!
Bob
I love reading your Tidbits. And not just because you include my site in on them sometimes.
You guys patroll all those other blogs so I don’t have to, saving me hours of boredom.. I mean reading.
SF Signal does bring a lot of links and information together, and I do appreciate that.
I generally read the site in my RSS Reader (Google), and “come on over” to either read/post comments or to participate in polls.
Hey Guys,
I like everything about the site. Tid bits and Tube bits are great. My favorite is the book reviews, whether I agree with them or not. And I’ve discovered some great books thanks to this site. Keep it up!
Dan
A new release tidbits every monday or tuesday would be cool, highlighting whats coming out this week.
I like when you guys write essays. Either when you highlight or criticize other essays or when you you write your own fresh.
The other stuff is cool to.
I’d also like to see some love for SF comics
Actually this would be nice…I pretty much gave up on comics in general like 18 years ago…but every 6-9 months i will go into a comic book store looking for some sci fi comics…I always end up with Warren Ellis crap or naked ladies in space type stuff and am always disappointed.
Were are the Epic magazines, Alien Legions, Mobius and Twilights of now?
Anyway I realize that all the blog authors here might not know any better then i do…but if you do, try to kick down some of that stuff to us lowly peasants once in awhile.
Daily, interesting tidbits in large quantities are the main reason I keep coming back. The reviews are sometimes interesting, but I have other book review sources whose taste match mine better. I don’t really read the Tubebits – I primarily enjoy written SF, but will only watch SF TV/film if it’s been very highly recommended from many sources (e.g. I like Buffy, but haven’t watched BSG or Doctor Who, though I’d consider the latter.) But I think SF Signal’s taste in tidbits is pretty good.
I suggest adding a word or two to the tidbits blog post titles, to entice me to click it in the rss feed. Maybe something on the major news item in the daily tidbits.
Right now I’ll see ‘SF Tidbits for mm/dd’ and I’ll often skip it.
Mostly I like the books you review or the sites you send me to that have reviewed a book. I enjoy tidbits. As a SF reader you are one of the sites I visit daily. Dare I say, I am dependent on you.
So far what I greatly value is the tidbits section followed by the tubebits. The polls are eyecatching and I don’t really read the book review section. So far I haven’t really clicked on any of the YouTube videos but overall, nothing detracting, just features I don’t use.
For a while there I kind of secretly hoped and prayed for a blog just like this.
I love the fact that you bring us news and links from all areas of SF-dom, time in time out without fail.
Yours is the site I have to check out every morning, and usually spend a good deal perusing.
So far there is nothing I noticed that might bother me in the least.
You people do an amazing job and i thank you from the bottom of my hart, which I cross hoping not to jinx you and that you will continue your stalwart efforts in perpetuity.
i love everything except the you-tube excerpts….i have dial up still and your site is one of the last that doesn’t load hig def graphics, etc…..PLEASE DON”T CHANGE!! anyways…i visit here almost everyday and really appreciate the breadth and depth of your scifi coverage. i enjoy everything you do right now. i would like to see more “new” book reviews but not at the expense of other departments. i would also like to see an expanded tidbits…i can never get enough of this section!! thanks for all you do…it is cherished.
I’ve gotta agree with most of the rest of the gang here: you guys do a commendable job of rummaging through the net and snaging interesting stuff for the Tidbits and Tubebits – there’s rarely a time when I don’t check out at least one item from either of those two lists. And like others have said, you save me the effort of having to dig up all this stuff myself.
The book reviews are great too.
But the best part about SF Signal is the discussions. Whether I participate or not, whether I agree with what’s being said or not, they’re generally thought-provoking and frequently entertaining. Stimulating intelligent discussion and building community is your greatest strength.
If there’s something I would suggest changing… maybe ease down a bit from the obsessing over whether sci-fi is coming to an end. Everyone here’s still reading/watching it. Presumably we’re all nattering at our friends and family about it and maybe convincing the odd person to give it a try, and there are people who discover it for themselves. I’m not saying this is a dicussion that’s not worth having – it is. Just not quite as frequently as seems to have been the case lately.
At any rate, keep up the great job, guys!
I like the site just as it is. It’s always useful and informative.
- I never enter the polls because I only reed by feed. Technically a pain I guess.
- Tidbits I tend to scan to see what I missed in my feedreader. I miss opinions in John’s tidbits, JP does it in tubebits. I know it’s difficult because sometimes it’s hard to have an opinion on a news item, but I bet half the time you have something to say. (I’m assuming of course that you have an infinite amount of time to blog…)
- I scan the book reviews unless it’s something I’ve read and what to know in detail what you thought,
- Can you get the comments feed to stop truncating comments? (Or is that deliberate?).
Otherwise, still great stuff, keep going!
Oh, and to whoever said “Just listing links isn’t blogging”. Well, actually it is. Weblogging started out purely as that. And anyway, we can redefine the definition of blogging if we feel like it because the blogs our ours.
SFsignal.com?
Hated it!
This is my go-to every day site for SF news and commentary. I’m not as into the reviews, but I appreciate the author news, controversy news and TV/Movie news. I also really enjoy your commentary and essays. Oh, and the polls are fun.
Thanks for what you do and keep up the good work!
I stumbled across your site initially looking for more book/literature-oriented SF sites as there are hundreds of sites that cover TV/film and nothing else. I don’t mind the other stuff but that’s what I read for. I read via feed.
The “SF Tidbits” posts often have something in them that I find interesting but I mostly skip over them in the feed reader. I’d personally prefer more stuff broken-out into posts (even if they are small!) where I can have a guess at whether something will interest me based on the title.
Overall, keep up the good work!