#64 - Problematic Language

Click the image above to read the responses!

                            August 24, 2020

                #64 - Problematic Language

                        On handling complaints about language on the site and introducing a first draft of our mobile app... 👀

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Problematic Language

Running a books website, especially one with reviews, I knew it was only a matter of time before we started getting messages like this:

And this is not the first time that we've been alerted to insensitive or non-inclusive language. In fact, someone emailed us to complain about some of our very own language. 😅

I get nervous whenever we receive such messages.

What should we do? How should we respond? Not only do we not have any official policies yet, what should they be? Are we inevitably going to make some people upset or is that avoidable? 😬

For now, while in beta, the approach is to take each case and learn as we go along, always aiming to be better where we can.

Come launch though, we will need some policies set in stone, and so I welcome anybody to hit 'Reply' and let me know if they have any ideas about the best way to handle reports of problematic language!

Last week

Everybody wants a StoryGraph app!

Our response to that is: yes, but not now. We're in beta, we're still figuring out the core product, it doesn't make sense to start developing an app alongside everything else we're trying to do...

But then I learnt about Progressive Web Apps (PWA), a way to create an app-like experience from a mobile website, and I thought: if the main reasons that people want a mobile app are solved by packaging up our website as a PWA, then we should totally do that!

So I asked our Twitter and Instagram communities:

Click the image above to read the responses!

And the answers that came back implied that the benefits of a PWA would vastly improve the browsing experience for our mobile users, who make up 65% of our user base.

Of course, everything working smoothly first time would be too good to be true, and we've still got work to do to finesse this new app experience, but if you'd like to be the first to try out The StoryGraph app, then go to the website on your phone and save the site to your home screen. 

Trust me — this isn't a normal web bookmark! You'll see a sweet StoryGraph icon and it'll open as if it's a standalone app! 😎

If you've previously added The StoryGraph to your mobile home screen, delete that bookmark and add a new one!

Give it a go and let us know what you think!

This week

Rob has made some amazing progress with the next iteration of "Ordered for you".

We hope to get new recommendations out to y'all this week! 🤞🏾

What I'm reading right now

I'm almost done with The Blind Assassin, and then I'll be picking up Such a Fun Age:

Have a great week and let me know what you think about the mobile app!

Nadia

P.S. If you know a friend who's an avid reader or would enjoy following along with this journey, please do forward this email to them! Thank you. :-)

Haven't tried the beta site yet? Give it a go today!

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