I have an overriding concern regarding the Open Salon upgrade:
Does Salon want Open Salon to be interactive OR just a place for established/published writers to use for their blogging?
I posture that this may be the crux of the matter. Published authors' great posts are lost often because those of us that are interactive read and respond to each others' posts. I think, but am unsure, that there may be a movement to stop this process with these changes...:(
If this is the case, I would like to lobby for a New Open Salon.
Would those of us that enjoy having our stories read as well as participating in the activity on the threads pay a reasonable fee for that privilege?
I know that I would!
UPDATE:
How about this format -- Better than what we have?Top Rated (24 hours)
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Obama + Xbox = gamegeek landslide
By Jonathan Powers
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Dispatches from an Obama volunteer in Tazewell, VA
By TNC
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The ropes, such as they are.
By the squirrel
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Crocodile Tears? McCain Says Bias Wrong, yet Smears Continue
By J.E. Robertson
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A Postcard from Isaac Asimov to Me -From 1979
By Paul Levinson
Top Read (24 hrs)
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Newest Post
2. 
Newest Art
4. 
Newest Craziness
Newest Rant Top Rated (Month)
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Night of the Hunter (or, The Night My Cat Saved My Life)
By Gwen Cooper
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Ode to my Husband
By Karen Novak
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Dangerous Toys at the Edge of the World
By Gary Justis
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God is a close personal friend of mine
By Freaky Troll
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Good Without God: Could An Atheist Ever Be President?
By sandra miller
Within this format the Top Rated per month could be swapped around every so often with Most Read per month, or Top Rated (72 hours)? Seems adequate for interactive as well as promoting staying power?!
TIP:
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Michael Rodgers
Lea Lane
Dennis Loo
E Alvers
Kind of Blue
Rev. Dr. Monte Canfield
Salon.com
Comments
What I think Salon should do: Enable OS members to have direct say in what gets featured on the Salon.com home page. To entice good writing, Salon should pay the writer of any piece featured on the home page.
I welcome the posts of visual artists who showcase some of their work here, since geography precludes our ability to see their work otherwise, as long as OS is used to share work for pure enjoyment, and not for marketing purposes. I would say bbd and ePriddy are ideal examples of visual artists whose work I welcome on OS, and who use OS appropriately. I know there are more, too.
Getting a stipend for a cover is an interesting idea, but it is not what motivates me. I really don't care about that. On the other hand, if an OS post goes to Daddy Salon, a stipend should be part of it.
I think I will update my post to see if there is a concensus among those of us that are concerned about how WE, the active users would like to see things progress? I will try it.
"In summary, the question boils down to how to set the boundary parameters between the publishing and social networking parts. And that’s really the overarching *meta* that subsumes our quotidian Cover Girl concerns."
And the "answer" to that question will be coming soon. Wait for it.
WOOF
Are you thinking of TableTalk, their forum?
It is funny that I just sent a reply to your message that said pretty much the same thing you are saying. I like OS, but it is time consuming beyond the point of enjoyment now. It used to be a LOT of fun. Now, too much work for the fun. Kindof like eating crab. Sometimes I feel like having a taste even though it is a bit of work, other times, I can't be bothered to work that hard for a little bit of fleeting pleasure.
Well, of course I like your idea--I was in it...so vain I know. I do miss the 24 hour most rated column--I'm missing a lot of my "friends" posts and this is what has been more time consuming, because I'm looking my friends up by search.
However, if its purity of purpose isn't maintained, it will lose its current cache and become just another commercial blogging site. By purity I mean focus on amateur writers, or on semi-professional ones whose work is dedicated to OpenSalon. The ever-growing preponderance of pro writers on the OS cover who provide material as bait to lure us to their own sites does us and Salon a disservice, draining traffic and potential retention.
But, no matter what we all say or do, this is their business and they'll figure it out. We can stay or go, our choice.
I've said this before too: when breakout pages come (if that's still in production), we'll be much better able to navigate the site based on our interests in specific subjects and writers.
I am finding it more difficult to keep up with the posts where I posted a comment and that is really disturbing to me because OS then loses the feel of conversation, immediacy and spontaneity that distinguishes it from say, Huffington Post.
Thanks to Kerry and Thomas and Joan and whoever made this lovely decision -- the BELOVED feeds that encourage interaction are BACK and MULTIPLIED!!!! HOORAY -- IT IS A WONDERFUL DAY! ;)