Your opinions, I want them.

[Jake]

So I work for AOL and am starting to get my foot in the door with the Autos division. They're the people who run Aol Autos as well as Autoblog.

The team is working on a re-design of Autoblog, and would really like some feedback from car/motorsport enthusiasts that are in the younger age range. People like oh, all of MM.

For now, whoever reads Autoblog (or has in the past) and can spare a few minutes to type out some feedback about the current site would be much appreciated. Just post it here, and I'll compile everything into an email for the team. We'll get super-duper-secret access to the proposed redesign soon, but this is step one.

Things I/we need to know... so please follow this format:

• ÔÇó Are you a current Autoblog reader (Yes/No) and how often?
  ÔÇó Your age.
  ÔÇó What do you think about the current Autoblog design, layout, and content? What do you like and what can be improved? Anything that should be eliminated altogether?

Please have whatever feedback you want to provide posted up by Monday morning. Thanks :thumbup:

[Goodspeed]

I check Autoblog everyday, and honestly there isn't much if anything I'd change about it. I'll read Jalopnik for more humor and car culture stuff, and Autoblog for industry/new car stuff - their respective strengths, IMO.

[G.Irish]

*Current Autoblog reader, I read just about daily during the work week
*30 years old

Layout
I think the current layout isn't bad. The browse bar at the top needs to look more like an actual drop down menu. Right now it just looks like part of the top menu and as such I don't think to use it to browse. As a matter of fact, today is the first day I'm seeing it.

Something that would be helpful visually is to see how hot the "Popular" articles are on the side tab. Maybe show the number of hits or the number of comments or something along with the title and thumbnail pic.

I'd also cut down on the chaff in the sidebar. There's so much of it that I ignore most of it.

Content
Content-wise I'd want to see more original content. I'd like to see infographics and instrumented numbers rather than some guy blathering on about his impressions. I can get that anywhere, and anytime it gets into a long article with someone talking about what they think it usually induces my TL;DR instinct. That said, interviews with people in the industry would be welcome.

I know more infographics and diagrams takes more work, but it is also the kind of content more people would link to and share.

[Jake]

Thanks guys... anyone else?

[JohnC]

I, being 30 years of age and of sound mind, read Autoblog daily via Google Reader.

No complaints about the layout, although I don't see it very often.

I'd love to see more original content, although I'll continue to read it for the reasonably comprehensive industry coverage.

[Jake]

If anyone is going to be around Dulles this Friday and has ~30 minutes, Autoblog wants you to come in and go through some usability testing. Email from Apollo, the guy in charge of said testing:

Hey Jake,

Just wanted to touch base again regarding JMU alumni that you know who work in the Northern VA area. We will be conducting usability testing this Friday and would love to get user feedback on the Autoblog redesign.

The testing would take place at AOL in Dulles, VA and would last about 30 minutes per person. We can offer a modest $25 Visa gift card and some refreshments in return but everyone who participates can take pride in knowing that they played a small but valuable role in the new Autoblog.

For anyone interested, please get in touch with Apollo directly. His email is apollo.nguyen [AT] teamaol [DOT] com.

[Apoc]

I'd do it, but since AOL laid me off in January I'd probably end up making an ass of myself. :lol:

Out of curiosity, would it be during work hours?

[CaptainHenreh]

I'd do it, but since AOL laid me off in January I'd probably end up making an ass of myself. :lol:

Out of curiosity, would it be during work hours?

+1 When would this be? I'll drive out to dulles for 25 bucks and refreshments but not at, like, 10am.

[Jake]

I'd do it, but since AOL laid me off in January I'd probably end up making an ass of myself. :lol:

Out of curiosity, would it be during work hours?

+1 When would this be? I'll drive out to dulles for 25 bucks and refreshments but not at, like, 10am.

I'm not sure. Email Apollo and ask. They're probably flexible.


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[Apoc]

I'm not sure. Email Apollo and ask. They're probably flexible.

You want the users to do the work? Ha! be a good employee, find the information out we want and force feed us like babies.

[ScottyB]

i jump around from autoblog/jalopnik/speedsportlife and am a warm blooded human of late 20's age so i think i fit your criteria :thumbup:

my biggest gripe is echoed by G, i don't like how inconspicuous the nav bar is, which is made worse by the browse bar right below. not saying make the nav bar huge, just give it some space and identity.

i'd like to see the bar on the right be about 30% smaller. use the space to make the "featured articles" block at the top more prominent. maybe make the "popular/breaking/featured" sector stand out more? that's where the meat of the content is IMO.

i know its a blog and should be easy to view quickly in any media but maybe give it a little fire. everything just looks so...dead. maybe its the colors.

i like the overall simplicity of the article "tagging" graphics (featured/first drive) now that i'm trained to look for them. i like the writing, good images and i like that pretty much the important content is either immediately viewable or within a scroll wheel turn down the page.