We’ve been giving a lot of thought into how to make the home page of the dashboard more useful for you. This is the most-loaded page in our admin backend, but the balance of community vs. personal information wasn’t that good, and the design with the grey boxes and such left something to be desired.
Well, now we have something new.
We’ve split the dashboard into two, the left which shows all the action happening in your world — new posts, comments, comments you’ve left — and the right, which shows the hottest stuff in your language’s community. (And provides good fodder for blogging.)
We’ve also done a bit to make the whole thing load faster.
I’m pretty curious to hear you thoughts on this, particularly on anything you would like to see in the activity stream on the left. That’s an area I think is going to change a lot based on your feedback.
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I really appreciate the hard work that you guys are putting into our comfort, but the more I use the new dashboard the more confusing I find it. All the information I’m interested in is jumbled up in that left hand column (and there’s still a lot of information in the right that I don’t need). Having two blogs on the go, I have to stop and figure out what’s going on with each of them. I think further subheadings would be helpful
After experiencing the new dashboard for few days I have few remarks to make.
Though the layout seems nice I would still prefer to see to other sections dedicated specifically to:
1. Comments (made on my blog by visitors)
2. Incoming Links (to my blog from other sites) This was very useful piece of info for me.
Please do consider my requests when deciding.
I also miss the list of “sites that link here”
Things like these never cease to make me fall down to my knees and thank the heavens that I made the switch from Blogger.
It’s always great to see how you guys keep improving the service.
Thanks, WordPress. 🙂
i miss the future post and links to my blog, but i love the new design, is very usefull
Word Press is always improving and seeking improvement and the new Dashboard is no exception; however it would be really great of commentators at our blogs could be provided the convenience of a word processing menu, such as those afforded to the publishers of a blog. Many do not understand or don’t have the time to insert to write their comments and would like the simplicity and convenients of a formatting menu such as when they would like to link a word or phrases. I have seen the leading blog entities have this feature and it is great.
I do not like the new dashboard, it’s not helpful anymore. I have to spend too much time figuring out what’s going on. The old configuration was simple to read, I could see if I had new incoming links and comments within a few seconds and they were grouped together (much more organized the old way.)
Please, please, can I have the old dashboard back?
Are you trying to push other blogs by having them appear in the right column? I don’t understand what your motivation for the change is. Please explain or just change back to the old dashboard.
Okay, I’m feeling better now that it’s working with OmniWeb, but still would prefer the old one… Guess I’ll just deal with it and eventually this will be the old one.
I think the old dashboard was more useful, but the new one is more attractive visually.
PLEASE bring back the “Sites That Link Here” feature. I miss it alot!
Please, please, I also want the old dashboard back!
I do not like the new dashboard — I HATE IT!
I have more than one blog and I don’t want the links to the posts on them mixed together.
Give me DATES! “Today” is OK but for all other post links I need the DATE of the post, not a worthless heading such as “Awhile ago”.
If you won’t give us dates, please at least correct your error which Daran reported here October 31st, 2006 at 9:52 am.
awhile = for a while
a while = a period of indeterminate length (usually short)
The “What’s hot” stuff is worthless. If you won’t take it off the dashboard (which might improve the load time) at least junk the two column display and dump the “What’s [NOT] hot” stuff at the bottom!
The new, not improved, dashboard is nearly useless!!!!
OK. Now I can see which blogs things are connected to which is a huge improvement. Incoming links and pingbacks are back – Yay!
I have to admit that I still dislike it being categorised by time. I don’t want to see last weeks stuff. It’s like trying to find a donation receipt when doing your taxes. Easy to find if there is a receipt/charitable donation file to your stuff but if you have to know when to look you’ll never remember several months later. And you spend way too long looking.
I find the current time rather than category organisation counterintuitive.
I feel like I’m whining a bit here. I try not to be one of those people who knock change for the sake of it being change but this is driving my nuts. I am glad that you are listening to the criticism though and acting on it :).
I prefer the old dashboard. It was wonderful, why the change?
Everything looks cluttered now, and at first I was confused because I saw my name next to every comment. And I loved Incoming Links.
I am also one of those who are finding the new layout confusing. I have multiple blogs and this mixed up information about all the blogs is making is less usable. Probably too much information has been pushed on as well. I do not know what to do with all that.
Something I would like….
Instead of Top Blogs, I’d like the Blogs that are similar in content to mine. Although I love to read all sorts of things, I’m more likely to cross post and be interested in Crafting, sewing, etc. Otherwise, I just ignore the other blogs.
My readers are not interested in blogging, podcasting, current events or celebrities.
They WOULD love crafting blogs. I’m a very niche market but very up and coming.
I’ve changed my mind – I really don’t like the new dashboard. It’s
still too confusing. And I can’t see incoming links, or my scheduled posts like I used to. The others are right – the previous dashboard was much easier. You don’t always have to have everything in one place. And frankly, to give the whole right column to other blogs and popular posts is a waste of space. I would rather that wasn’t even on my dashboard – it should be on an optional page that you don’t have to download in order to manage your blog.
wc
Noticed Stats specifically for the post – love it, but it’s not working, so don;t know what it is 🙂
Please, bring the separate comments from readers section back, place it somewhere else … i need it to admin comments
great
I think the dashboard continues to improve. It’s much better laid out than when I started, way back a couple of months ago. 😉
But, if you’re taking complaints, too, I really don’t care that much about Top Blogs, Top Posts, etc. Maybe move that off to another page, if possible with another top widget. My idea about the dashboard is that it should be an entry point to manage the blog, and the “be part of the community” stuff in an adjacent section.
Appreciate the work youse guys are doing.
My first impression, after I felt like I was directed to another Site suprisingly not knowing what’s going on til I finally realized it, was Ok. I’m not really convinced and caught by the new look of the Dashboard but in comparison with the previous one I prefer the the current.
I also agree there should be a seperate button for the What’s Hot column. Other than that I like it.
I’ve changed my mind. I want the old dashboard back. The new one is too busy and cluttered. The incoming links don’t work and I don’t like all the extra stuff on the right side. I would also prefer to have a separate dashboard for each blog, instead of having them combined like this. The stats aren’t combined, so why should the dashboards be?
Incoming links were great.
thanks for all the attention to detail.. great update.
Very good change
I love WordPress.com
What can I say, this is a huge improvement. Incoming links was very useful though. Maybe it’s an idea to “widgetise” the dashboard eventually (based on the mixed opinions everyone seems to have here).
May I reiterate that I would really like the incoming links back.
This was one of the most important features of the last dashboard and helped create the community that blogging is there for.
Without it I am alone in a sea of words.
Guys, the incoming links have been back for days now. They might not show up if they’re really old, but new ones show up in the timeline.
I like the new layout. Thanks!
Time line? I hate to be so dense but where is there a time line?
Me confused.
WC
I don’t understand why, under “Yesterday”, it now lists entries that were made up to four or five days ago. That is just plain _confusing_!
Keep the Incoming Links section separate.
The Comments, Posts, Incoming Links mix is confusing and kills the “old” Incoming Links.
good job..made life a lot easier.
The new dashboard is better than old one!
Is more usefull and is easy find things.
I am begining to like some of the features in the new dashboard. However, I still think that only 1 blog (posts, comments, incoming links) should be on each dashboard, not mixed together. I also miss the scheduled posts feature that showed you what and when something would post.
Also, I still think that widgetts and ajax should be used on the dashbourd for individual customizations. There are those who don’t want to see “What’s Hot” and just want to see thier own stuff.
Like I said, begining to like some of the new dashboard.
Keep up the good work,
Ty
As a bit of a techno-peasant, I’d love to see a link to the support forums on the dashboard. That would help tons.
Also, tell the truth, I think the “what’s-happening-around-wordpress” information is out of place on the dashboard. It isn’t of interest to me at all and it clutters up the page. If I am writing about post-structuralist Marxism, I am not likely to be interested in Scobelizer or some entry about Ali G.
For me, the dashboard is all about working with my own blog. The WordPress environment information might helpfully remain on the page that comes up after you login.
Sorry, I meant a link to the forums at the top of the page, so I don’t have to scroll down past all the wordpress environment stuff…
When are the Scheduled posts due to come back? *whistling innocently*
I like the new dashboard though it is little confusing, thanks Matt!
Ah, completely logical and intuitive. I didn’t hurt myself once trying to navigate it. Let us not speak of the tragic eye incident the last time you changed the dashboard…
Hi Matt,
You and all the people of WP should be really proud of what you’re doing. You’ve create a community that is dedicated and responsive, see all these reactions to a major change in the dashboard.
Changes that I personally dislike. I’ve been waiting to write anything, because so many people voiced my very same complaints. You’ve reacted, and adjusted something. Very good.
Still I think the right column is way too big to be in the dashboard. As saintjosephsoftware said above (the last of a long series), the dashboard should be, well, the dashboard from where I stear my blog(s).
I do not want to be distracted by unnecessary (at that moment, when I want to work on my blog) info about what other members of the community are doing. That should be the subject of a dedicated page.
While I’m at it, as one of those who administrate more than one blog (four in my case), I definitely would like the possibility to switch among the dashboards while being in the dashboard page. Sorry to reiterate such a request, I already asked this feature twice in the feedback section, and got a “promise” that you would consider this… 😉
At the end of everything, WP is really the place to be, dynamic, full of participation, always improving and aesthetically beautiful. Who could ask for more?
I think people mean the old, separate box for them…
I agree with everyone who thinks comments and posts should be separated. Its a mess now. And as some else pointed out before, I dont want information from my two different wp blogs to be on merged on both the dash boards..
Someone also had a great idea that you should let people to customize what they want and what they do not on their dashboards.
I like it Matt!! Thanks for the new dash!
The incoming links don’t work on the dashboard. Could someone please fix this?
very nice.. 😉
While I appreciate the hard work that went into this very much, and quite like the new layout and all the new info that’s displayed right up front, the page is excruciatingly slow to load. So slow as to render the page not at all useful, IMO. I think you should go back to the old dashboard page until you can work out the slowness.
Thanks for getting rid of the “A while ago” part. The current information is much more useful. I’m not 100% convinced of the utility of the “updates” that have popped up. I suspect that is a feature that is useful for some people and not others.
The one thing that would be really useful would be the Schedule Posts even if it is only for the next week. I tend to schedule stuff ahead way in advance and that probably isn’t the norm for most bloggers. I just think it would be really scary to see all of my future scheduled posts!
Ok I now officially digg the Dashboard. I have gotten use to it. Just thought I’d let you know a doubter has come around. 😀
Thanks for the upgrades! I too miss the incoming links, and don’t care for the recent comments. Just my two cents. 😉
Wow pimp it up in da neiborhood!!!!
i hate it
JK JK…it has it’s pros and cons like the last one…
but the right column is still WAY too big…ya
Well Done!
though i’m new to wordpress..i love it!!!kudos to you guys!!
Wow, it listed when I made a comment here. So will it track me as I make comments on any wordpress.com blog? That’s cool.
very good, and useful
I like it. It could use a tweek or two but all in all a nice little upgrade.
Thank GOD!
As I’m new to wordpress, the change didn’t strike me at first, and then I realised that it tracked all the days’activities including comments I’d left for others, so that’s pretty useful-helps me to keep track of where I’ve been!
yup that’s good……….
beautiful…
looking forward for more new themes 🙂
well, it does look better.
never saw the old one anyway
welcome to the real world, Neo!
thats really kool it’ll probally help a lot!! 🙂
I’d reiterate that having Comment: and Commented: and Updated: all together on top of each other is a bit difficult to decipher on first glance. It would be cool to have a “You” section that lists everything that I’ve done, and a separate “Them” section to show what others are commenting on/pinging. That would be so much more logical and legible.
It’s growing on me…
I wonder if there could be an option to hide the ‘what’s hot’ side or some of the lists in there.