I’ve just updated the way that titles display on the site, especially cookbooks. This is partly for aesthetic reasons, the most visible being the new buttons on the page and the new layout of the main page for each book, but also to prepare for a couple of new features we’re quite excited about. The first is enhanced book listings. Have a look at our pilot title: Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Breads Every Day. You’ll see expanded book information and sample recipes, courtesy of the publisher. We’re already talking to several publishers about enhancing their book listings, so expect to see more in the near future.
Our second feature is a secret, for now. Look for an announcement in the next day or two regarding a cunning plan that’s been in the works for a little while – something we have high hopes for!
Mmmm, features. Secret features!
Well, it’s no iPad… but hopefully something interesting for people!
Love the enhanced book listing feature…really useful, good design.
Are we discussing the home page?
I’m new-ish to the club, haven’t used it much (a LOT of books to add – I love the suggestion someone else made about having a list of books where one could just click “add”). The home page is practically useless, IMO, at least the featured part. I really don’t care what recipes other people have recently reviewed, either in my books or not. If I were to click on a new (to me) recipe & reviews were there, that’d be great, but this way you are devoting most of what hits my eye when I enter your site to stuff I wouldn’t use – in this case, recipes featuring squash.
Just one person’s opinion. Thanks for what you are trying to do.
This discussion is about the title pages for cookbooks, but I’m always happy to get feedback from members, bohemiancook. What sort of things would you find useful on the home page for members?
I’d always figured that the list of recent reviews from books I own would be useful for people – one of the reasons I started the site was to find out what recipes other people liked from books I already owned. I guess it really depends on how people use the site: either to catalogue and remember their own favourites or else to look and see what other people are saying. Would I be right in thinking you’d find the home page more useful if it was like your Bookshelf page?
I see that LibraryThing, which we share some things in common with, provides a custom home page which mixes a bunch of elements together, and is partially customizable.
Ah, Library Thing. Another site on my list
You take me aback by asking what I’d like to see on the home page; I need to think about that. For starters, maybe a little more even-handed use of space – now it seems about 3/4 of the space is used up by Recently reviewed on Cookbooker & Recently Reviewed from your bookshelf neither of which, as I said, necessarily show me anything I would actually cook, or eat. I do like seeing some one thing featured predominantly on a site, particularly something of current interest. So maybe 1/4 of the page featuring a seasonal recipe review. Another 1/4 or so “recently reviewed” featuring my cookbooks. The side panel is good; that might be expanded a bit. How about links to or blogs featuring people who own the same books I do, so we could ask one another about recipes which would perhaps result in us trying more recipes than we do on our own cognizance?
I love your browsing page. Maybe incorporate a taste of that also?
That’s all I can think of for now; thanks so much for asking!