First off, thank you for making the last donation round a success, especially just as the spending, er, holiday season was coming up. I'm a little late in giving you your xmas gift (and anyways, we don't all celebrate it!), but I've been working on a new design for the website that includes many highly requested features and improvements (message me if with your top feature request to get it in the new release). Instead of thrusting the new design on you however, I'm looking for folks to test it and help me improve it before it's released to everyone.
To get an invite, write a text about someone you're glad to have met on Hello Poetry and tag it with
#hpfriend. It'll take me some time to read each, but as I do I'll send out invites for the new version. I'm (very) excited to hear your stories.
The new design is the first of several changes coming in 2016. Each of which you will be a critical part in shaping. The next change, more philosophical than practical, will be to draft some principles around expression, communication and behaviour that we can all adhere to while hanging about on Hello Poetry. This ought to provide a better foundation for maintaining a happy and creative community, as well as develop a framework for us to aide in the healing of the many sufferings and traumas that are so bravely shared here. If you have ideas (or questions!.. I know it is vague) about this, message me here, or tag a text with
#hpprinciples.
I'll end this by saying how wonderful it continues to be to work on Hello Poetry. The honesty, openness and kindness on display is unique, even more so when pared with wisdom and wit. And each of you brings it here in abundance day in and day out, so thank you, thank you, thank YOU.
Here's to a great 2016 together. [raises glass]
Eliot
P.S. I'm still in the process of responding to your messages and account invite requests. I WILL get around to yours soon.
UPDATE Feb 5: I'm putting the finishing touches on the new design. I'll be sending invites in the next two weeks. Sorry for the delay!