Dethroner Housekeeping: Private, Invite-Only Forum; Suggest a Theme
37 Comments Published by Joel November 15th, 2006 in Announcements. Share ThisIn lieu of a picture, imagine I am standing in the room with you, clad only in an apron, wielding a feather duster.
First, my thanks. The first couple of months since Dethroner has opened have been great; lots of new folks and lots of new lessons to learn about the best way to do this sort of thing. I’m an easily discouraged guy but the thought of having people waiting to read Dethroner each morning has been plenty of motivation—and flattering besides.
Now, a bit of housekeeping: I am going to be making the forum a private, invite-only affair, the better to protect from spam as well as to establish a “back room” venue where we can discuss things in a less robot-visible place. Everyone who has existing accounts will certainly be able to keep them. I’ll be closing up the forums as soon as this weekend, so if you do not have an account, go ahead and grab one if you’re interested. I’ll be sending out batches of invites as necessary from time to time, but we’ll try to find the balance between exclusivity and watering-down.
Lastly, while I have a backlist of themes for the coming weeks, it’s obvious that some of my ideas are better than others. (”Danger?” Sheesh.) Next week is booked up with an experimental theme that I hope will be fun for everyone, but the weeks after are as yet unscheduled. If you’ve a good idea for a theme, don’t be shy: Post it right in the comments.
A couple more boring notes about themes after the jump.
We will eventually begin to revisit themes that we have discussed before, because at the current rate of posting we’re not getting anywhere close to tapping them out. Before then, there are a wealth of subject areas so vast I’ve been afraid to broach them, not the least of which are sex, women, and dating. (Don’t worry, we’ll get there.)
All that’s to say: If you have a theme idea that we’ve approached before, be sure to offer a new spin or sub-subject area you’d like us to focus on.
In addition to theme suggestions, I would totally love to hear any other general suggestions you have about what’s working on Dethroner, what isn’t, and wholly new ideas or features we should include. Between you and me, traffic has fallen off a bit over the last few weeks—this was expected after the initial launch furor, but I hoped against hope—and while I’m far from panic mode, I don’t mind taking a step back now that we’ve got a couple of months under our belts and seeing what works and what doesn’t.
Again, thanks to everybody who is reading, commenting, and sending in tips (in any combination). Take even a momentary glance at the posts: Cliche or not, I couldn’t have done it without you.
Hey Joel,
Yeah, I’m one of the numbers that dropped off the last few weeks – mostly because of the themes. I don’t drink so beer was that useless to me. And what was this week’s theme? Danger? Umm.. yeah. My interest in danger ends as soon as I realize I’m not in it. Not sure if I’m your target audience though. Male, 31, professional, gf, no kids. So, take this how you will.
I think the “bastard of the week” is funny, so I’ve checked them out. But otherwise, not clicked through much.
So two ideas, one theme and one general.
Theme: I’ve just started thinking about Christmas gifts. Now, every year there are hundreds of gift lists. You know, “Top 100 gifts for the geek in your life” sort of thing which are entirely useless to me. Gifts are for individuals, not markets. Sure, I know geeks, and they’d all look at me weird if I gave ‘em an iPod or Treo or whatever. Same for the foodie or college-student or one-who-has-everything lists. These lists are created by manufactures (or shills for manufactures), not by good gift-givers. Good gift-givers don’t make general lists ‘cause they know it can’t be done that way. So, my theme suggestion: how to become a good gift giver.
Overall: I learned about your site, most likely, through Boing Boing or Lifehacker, or one of those filter sites. Ergo, I read filter sites. As there is major overlap between filter sites, I tend to only read a select few – mostly Boing Boing, MAKE, Digg, and Lifehacker. I don’t have much room for extraneous filters, so your Asides are dead to me. Not only that, but as they’re included in the rss feed, they decrease, in my mind, the signal-to-noise ratio of your site.
Not to be all critical ‘n shit. I critique ‘cause I like your site.
Thanks.
Ochen K.
Love the site. Agree with Ochen on signal to noise, although I check daily b/c Dethroner rules and Boing Boing is a mess.
And I dig the “Danger” theme. It’s cool and it mixes it up. Nicely done.
Theme ideas (sorry if some are repeats, I can in during Fall Fashion Week): Hunting, Weapons, Video Games, Romance (not Scoring or Hooking Up), Gambling, Winter Sports, Winter Fashions (a counterpart to the Fall Fashions theme), Regional Cuisine (a week on the South, another on the NE, etc).
And since you never ONCE talked about cigars during smoking week, you are now morally obligated to do an entire week on them.
Joel,
I’ve been reading the site since you popped it up and i definitely look forward to it everyday.
So far, the themes have been good, and i’ve been recommending the reading to my friends (such as the style for some of them, and the grooming). The upcoming themes seem pretty good, and i definitely think that Ochens how-to on good gift giving is a winner, as well as Doug’s Themes.
Definitely keep the Poor Bastard of the Day coming.
Another Theme idea: How to make the work day go faster. Sitting behind a desk for 8 hrs a day gets pretty freaking monotonous, so any sort of help on this would be appreciated.
Also Asides are good, keep ‘em around.
I vote guns and ammo week. Have not been to the gun club since my membership expired last year and my Sig Sauer 357 needs a good workout.
If you’re going to do a romance week, you should follow it up with “When romance goes bad.”
As for me, I have to head home to a woman scored. Wish me luck. :(
Possible Themes:
Spirits (Scotch, Tequila, Rum)
Barbeque (A nice topic to take the mind off of shoveling snow.)
Sartorial Splendor (What exactly is in fashion in the men’s world these days?)
Gambling (Where? How? Perks? Downsides?)
Movies
Bars
Road Trips
How a about a internet week? A retrospective on the personal friend we have all come to know and love. You could highlight some of the readers favorite and random blogs…..
….oh and don’t try to please everyone. I do love the site and the asides. I don’t use RSS or check filter sites, maybe I’m not the target audience. That could be your million dollar question. Target an audience and dont’ try to please all. This is the internet afterall and every possible opinion is here.
I too have dozed off in the last few weeks. I think the stuff you’ve “hit” on since your launch is the self help for guys stuff. You’ve done well with this material since we, your readers, appreciate your open and candid commentary about normal, everyday stuff (see cooking and shaving). The “misses” have been general discussion topics without any real meat to them (see danger (?) and dogs).
I’m sure if you look back, the self help posts also had the most user comments, which acts as a perfect complement to your opinion on matters because it leverages your opinion with the opinions of like-minded readers.
That said, I second a week on cigars (i.e., how to light, store, cut…). Also, maybe consider shopping for electronics or any other consumer good (where to go, best places to try them out, best places to buy, etc.), decorating / furnishing your home, and decorating for holidays (how to do it without your house looking like the North Pole).
Good luck!
the modern thinking man’s got much to consider, provided he has time and insight to get to it. seems like you have a bit of both, and i think you’re on the right track. to hell with weekly traffic numbers; they’ll ebb and flow no matter what you do. quality survives all else.
topics:
- fatherhood (+difference when raising boy/girl)
- sweat
- (ply-/hard-) wood
- monogamy
- the point/value/cost of marriage
- feminism vs. the male
- the point/value/cost of an affair
- legacy
- (male) friends
- (female) friends
- success
- failure
- poetry
- strip clubs
- scotch
- flirtation
- carpentry
- vegas
- pubes
- dental care
- isolation of the ‘fitness’ theme to each body section, one week each
- and, as you say, endless sex/pussy/dating/romance/foreplay stuff
i could go on. better you do; i’ll chime in.
hiking, camping, outdoor etc ..gear week ..location week and that sort of stuff?
Joel –
Think everything is goin great, especially for just starting up. I think you’ve done a great job with the mix of themes, danger may have been a bit vague, but I liked reading it none the less. I like the fact that the themes are from a real person’s perspective, as opposed to some of the other sites targeted at men out there. Overall, I think the site is great and I look forward to more.
Up Coming Theme….How to be a Real Man/Gentleman…who knows?
keep it up
Definitely a BBQ, grilling & smoking (food) week. Seems like more of a spring/summer theme, but put it on the list!
So far you’ve done good, although I agree some of the topics were a little boring. Just keep it up. One suggestion would be some more polls on the next topic whether somethings sissy or not etc.
The site’s been great thus far. I’d like to eco some of the above comments as they were ideas I had floating ’round my head.
Themes:
- being a man – the stereo type, the every day and what you should really be.
- fatherhood – some of us are thinking of taking that step.
- male vs. female mind sets
- situational etiquette
- how to be an everyday MacGuiver
- driving
- basic first aid – for those who have no clue
- weekly projects. build and compare.
The themes don’t seem to very deep. I’d like to see more of an intro on monday, and the detail of the theme get more involved as the week goes on. Right now, it seems haphazard and more of a “here’s what I googled about beer” list.
Example:
M – Intro
T – Basics
W –
R –
F – How to be a xyz snob
@ superbiate: “Pubes” as a theme? Ew.
Did someone mention “cool jobs” or “gambling” themes? If so, I second that. Keep up the good work Joel, I’m a pretty big fan. Informative and funny, Dethroner tends to be the highlight of my day.
Love the site, especially the theme base it has. I know you already did a beer theme, but with the holidays coming up, I think we could all use a liqueur theme. Also, down here in South Florida, its barbecue season so I wouldn’t mind seeing that theme even though it is useless to just about everyone else in the country this time of year. I also like the idea of the gambling theme or at least a poker theme. You’re also going to need to do a music theme sometime in the future.
Hey i agree with the comment about intro-ing the topics and warming them up a bit with a little background, then the friday how to be a _______ snob article haha. Also i agree with not trying to please everyone. You can’t, so do the best you can and try to find the general trends in peoples interests.
Great site, been checking it out since day 1, great reading.
Topic suggestion, how to be a good drunk>? some great inspiration on “mondern drunkard” ’s site
I’d put in a vote for men and friendships: maintaining ties as well as establishing new relationships. As an “I’ve moved so many times I don’t know how to answer when someone asks the inevitable ‘So…where are you from?’” person, I find the process of (finally, sorta) settling down in one place to be somewhat daunting. Friends (from law school, my undergraduate days, et cetera) are scattered all over the place; it takes work to maintain those relationships and becomes a second job almost to create new relationships where I am now.
Oh–and I agree with Ochen re: Asides (and filter sites). I already get my Lifehacker, Boing Boing, MAKE, Digg an’ all that enough so’s I don’t need the sidebar stuff, knaamean? I’d make the Asides sort of a “Best of Commentary” area, referring to things the casual/infrequent reader might have missed–perhaps a teaser of sorts to get people to look back and dig mo’ better.
Seeing as NYE is coming up, maybe it’s time to look at NYE resolutions; in particular getting an early start on building up will-power to stick to them.
You could probably throw in some interesting activities to achieve the usual suspects (i.e. lose weight, make friends, drink/smoke less) – dragonboating is one that worked for me. 22 people in a boat (basically a big canoe) out on the water and in the sunshine for a couple of hours a week.
Gizmodo was the first blog I ever read religiously and more than my love of gadgets it was the writing style that kept me coming back, and the same is true of Dethroner. I think the site is at its best when the posts maintain a balance between long, interesting stories/instructions (along the lines of some of the smoking posts and some of the recipes – I loved the braciole – and howtos) and short, quick pictures or couple line posts linking to other cool things. The original, and community contributed, information is what makes the site I think – rather than just constant links to the outside world, so keep that up. In terms of specifics, I like the setting up in a new city idea and things along those lines, some work-related stuff maybe?
The forums have EXPLODED with new registrations…!
There are quite a few places you could go with the topics to keep things interesting. Here are a couple suggestions:
- fine liquors
- beer (I know you’ve been there but we all love it)
- cooking (maybe more specific themed weeks like barbecue, mexican, etc)
- visitor’s guides (things to do, see, eat and drink in a specific city)
- cool jobs
- how to build things
- camping / outdoors
- sporting events (how to scalp, how to paint your chest, how to heckle, etc)
- fun/dangerous science experiments
- body products (what’s queer, what’s not)
- must-have gadgets
- how to succeed in the business world / at your job
- man movies (man books?)
Actually, beer might be made better by having a person designated to try a new beer once or twice a week and post a review of it with pictures and all that stuff. That person could be you as well.
I’ve really liked some of your themes and I keep the RSS feed visible so that I can see if there are things each week I’d like to read, but a few weeks have been lacking in content (as I’m sure you know). Overall, I think the site is off to a great start and I enjoy reading it.
Ho-lee crap. You guys rule. Loads of great criticism and ideas here.
Ochen, et al: I think I’ll split out three feeds instead of the two now: One with all content, one with just the main column stories, and one with just the asides. That should make everybody happy.
gwg: That idea is blindingly obvious, which must be why I didn’t see it.
Clothing care. Ironing, washing, dry cleaning, how to shine your shoes, different kind of tie knots, etc.
How about “Fashion Essentials for the Regular Working Guy”.
I work at an advertising agency and our client pops into our office every so often. Our agencies dress code is failry loose, (e.g. dress shirt and nice jeans allowed occasionally).
I have always found myself having to run off to Banana Republic or a simialr store to pickup pants or a nicer shirt to go out with the client at night becasue most of my clothes are home.
Should I have a set of clothes at work that I could prepare in case the client comes knocking at any given moment? Should I have a pair of brown and black shoes? belts? ties?
I definitely love the site. All your topics have been interesting and even the somewhat off-kilter ones are greatly appreciated, some variety is good for all the scum that would never know about any of that stuff anyhow… you know, stimulates your mind, man. But on a serious note, having themes makes it killer and I’ve not seen many sites that do that and even if I don’t catch it every day I might be enjoying a smoke in the stairwell pretending to be in a meeting and think to myself, “hmm, I wonder what this weeks theme is on dethroner…” But yeah. Good.
Overall I like the site, but I too am a dropper-offer, only because a couple of the themes didn’t apply to me. I like the idea of questions that can be asked anonymously (or not) and answered by the panel, and while each week may have a theme, maybe it’s less work to make each month a theme. While still touching on past themes and having regular weekly features like a Friday-Fashion-Faux-pax_Fear where someone asks a question about dressing for an event for the coming weekend, etc, the central focus is still the theme of the month.
Hey has anyone suggested a bachelor pad week?
Reading the comments, I am pretty sure I am not your target demo (32, married, 2 kids) but I have enjoyed the site since the beginning.
Regardless, here are some suggestions:
-Real Estate (buying 1st house, etc.)
-Stock Market
-Bachelor Parties
-Home Improvement
-Deals/Bargains (how to negotiate)
-sports theme — Super Bowl Week, March Madness, etc.
Keep up the good work — I enjoy what you are doing and love the “theme” idea!
p.s. because of your site I got a Picoo Z — my wife makes fun of me for playing with a toy helicopter. A lot.
Not being a dude, my opinion might not count. But holding your precious Pico-Z hostage at my house, it might. Having bought a number of pyro effects in the last week for my shoot tomorrow, I think you should have a week all about fire. I have this nifty little thing that shoots fireballs out of your hand. and a whole lot of colored gunpowder. We’ll play at Thanksgiving.
I’m a dropper-offer as well. Some of the themes didn’t interest me, and some of the stories/advice were a little too generic. That said, I still check back a couple of times a week, so I know generally what’s going on.
As for suggestions, how ’bout:
Coffee: How to make it–espresso, drip and press. Where to buy it. Best coffee roasters. Best coffee houses.
Politics: maybe it’s just me, but there seem to be too many people out there who just don’t know basic things about our political system.
Travel: From the low-rent to the exotic. Roadtrips to dream vacations.
How to buy things: cars, real estate, electronics. . .when’s the best time and how to work a deal.
Doug’s idea on clothing care–laundering, ironing, etc. Polishing shoes.
Ummmm, that’s it. I’m out of ideas.
Here’s a few off the top of my head:
PORN – hows that for a topic! Not actual porn seeing as the great Internet delivers enough of that. Articles about porn stars, the industry and other ranchy bits.
A great Suit – Ya, you covered cloths in general, but a great suit is totally different. A truly great suit can be that extra little bit that helps the average guy get that job, or rise, or girl, or innocent judgment….
Shoe’s – like it or not guys, it’s your second most important tool (after the suit) to look Dapper, not crapper. Car, Cleaning, Brands etc
Airlines – I travel a lot and I want the inside dirt one what really in the lock cabin!
Hockey – I can’t help it, I’m Canadian. Skates, sticks, beer and missing teeth.
Las Vegas – The best Sin City in the world, there is always some thing to do and see. Best buffet, best peelers, best roller coasters, best free show etc
Britain – How are we different, how are we the same, and whats with the bad teeth?
Power Tools – Risking your fingers are FUN!
Weddings – How to do it with out spending a fortune and not end in divorce!
Retro Toys – Spiderman, Transformers, He-man, Gi-Joe; all the wonderful politically incorrect toys of the the days of yore are back. Highlight the best and the nostalgic.
Disasters – Reading about huge losses or life is fun and educational! Pompeii, Katrina and the future collapse of the tower of Pisa
Coffee – Starbucks sucks ass, it’s bitter and flat, no matter what the brain washed Seattle army thinks. There is far better stuff out there, like Kicking Horse. And different countries make in different ways, check out Turkish or Vietnamese coffee.
Spys – CIA, MI6, Kremlin, Mossad. Who are they? What do they use? And how to become one?
Post Secondary Schools – Which one has the best parties, worst hazings, highest price?
Ooh, if you do spies, you can point out how crappily a CIA field operative gets paid. It’s kind of sad. you risk your life, have decent benefits, but cap out salary-wise at somewhere around 55k.
It’s Sunday night and I didn’t spend the weekend cleaning my apartment like I should’ve.
How about a week on keeping your place clean? It’s dull work and not something anyone likes to do but it’s not a story (or section) one ever reads about in the fashion/gadgets/food/money/entertainment men’s universe.
I am tiring of the hype of Sin City. Both the movie and the city are pits of despair.