With this set of maintenance updates I’m continuing to focus on the changes and fixes that put TIL into the best position possible for the current version. However, some elements of this release are also laying the groundwork for 2.0.
The Changelog
- Introducing posts are now on hiatus until further notice.
- Favorites guide edited with note regarding outdated information.
- Lookup posts:
- Return with multiple entries this week.
- Removed the pronunciation label.
- Existing posts will be edited.
- Marked posts are no longer regularly published.
- Will instead be published live as new features of TIL become publicly available.
- NEW: Funding, a page to explain the costs for making TIL.
- About page edited for accurate information.
- History page archive note edited for clearer information.
- Fixed archive page failing to load.
- Site footer:
- NEW: Archive link.
- Join column edited for clearer language.
- ICYMI:
- A new date format at the top of each issue.
- Fixed issue number discrepancy.
- Subscribe page edited for accurate information.
- Membership:
- Free registration deactivated since it does not include the expected access to membership posts.
- Join page edited for accurate information.
- System emails edited for accurate information.
The Details
The Introducing series of posts highlight different members of the community, including a screenshot of their site and relevant links. When creating and publishing these posts I have never once stopped to ask consent from the people featured therein.
I would like to publicly apologise for this behaviour. It was rude beyond measure; inconsiderate, assuming, and overall reflective of an entitled and reckless mindset. Every person featured in these posts has the opportunity to have their post removed.
To those who I have been unable to contact via email: I am deeply sorry both for having done this and failing to find a way to contact you personally.
I am now correcting this behaviour by including as much as possible the habit of asking consent before taking such actions. I will also do a better job of highlighting the means by which any person referenced and/or linked on the site can have said information removed.
From now on the Introducing post type is no longer a part of the weekly publishing schedule. I hope to still publish it in the future but for now will take the time to work out how best to do so.
The emoji prefixes that were previously part of regular post types (until 1.9.7) are still being gradually removed as I make further progress towards consistent and reliable publishing. The reason I reverted this change (having introduced the emoji in 1.9) is primarily for accessibility; I have discovered that emoji do not work particularly well with website readers and even if they did I realised that this would be a bad experience. The information on this site should be a bridge to making it easier to use and be a part of Micro.blog, and so anything that arbitrarily interferes with the flow of said information will inevitably make it less useful.
As with Introducing, I have learned that I should be much more mindful about such choices and am also working to make sure that the changes for 2.0 are as available as possible to as many people as possible.
Pronunciation details in Lookup posts have been removed as of now, with existing posts to be edited over time. I am not currently able to write phonetic spellings and so should never have included that section of the posts in the first place.
The last version of ICYMI did not have an issue number or any contextual information. I’m sorry for the mistake and am working on getting better at that.
Thanks for reading.
— Simon
