Use will also depend on the quality and usefulness of the conversations among members, which of course is an unknown at this point. Will be more clear within the next month or so.

October 8 is an auspicious day for a new venture.

Blackthir13en -
Check your GMail account for an invite.

Honest Ape -
We have plans for a browser bookmarklet and other tools to improve people’s interaction with the site. Stay tuned… the bookmarklet is on our list.

Great point about voting… The frames idea is interesting. You’re correct that they aren’t very popular. Perhaps a Toolbar or Firefox extension could accomplish the same thing? Either way, we’ll take a close look at the issue you raise.

Your comment about usability is spot-on. It’s a priority for us to make tasks and other interactions with the site easier.

Chris J -
The site tools and widgets will be available for public launch, which is scheduled for the week of October 8. Please check back.

Craig -
Great suggestion. It’s on our list, so stay tuned!

Thanks again everyone.

Jim

One complaint, one suggestion.

Complaint: We need a bookmarklet or browser extension. It is a pain in the rear to go to a website, copy the link, come back to Mixx, then post it. If we are at a website and have an easy way to submit that page via bookmarklet or extension, it’s much more likely for your users to do so.

Suggestion: While many people don’t like frames, for site like this one, there would be many benefits to giving users an option to use them. Meaning, if I clicked a link and it opened in a frame with some minor Mixx options at the top (including one to remove the frame), then I could easily give it a thumbs up or down. Clicking a link, then going to that site, then deciding if it’s worthy of a thumbs up or down, then going back to Mixx? Really a pain in the ass. Being able to optionally navigate all of this via a frame for external links would make it sooooo much easier. Something I wish Digg and other similar sites would do.

Comment: When it comes to a site like this, the main barriers are always going to be usability, or lack thereof. The easier you make it for your users to both submit articles and to rate the articles of others, the more they will do so. With attention spans what they are, people are willing to go through fewer hoops to do what they want.

Otherwise, great site. While the limitations above are stopping me from submitting many stories, I still like the site and the way it’s designed, both aesthetically and use-wise.

Great job!