Feedback on the site

180 thoughts on “Feedback on the site”

1. Definitely enjoy philosophy related posts and “the Left behaving badly” posts are sort of a guilty pleasure, as a part of me feels I should be less judgmental but a part of me likes the validation of going “See! See! It’s not just me who’s had these issues!”.

   If you’re looking for thoughts on new directions, I find evo psych super interesting but: a) Am not sure what you think about its legitimacy and b) Know it can be a charged topic (I feel like you have one side saying the idea itself is anti blank slate ergo evil, and the other saying “Evolution programmed women to be happiest when they’re barefoot and pregnant!” or whatever nonsense they want to project onto hunter gatherers.) Even so, I think there are aspects of it that seem as if they make a lot of sense. I was reading recently, for example, about how children tend to become extremely picky eaters at around age 2, when, historically, they would have been walking around independently and could have eaten something poisonous if not very picky about sticking to familiar tastes. I find concepts like that quite interesting.

2. Please continue covering cancel culture—very important.
   Also critiques of religion apologists.
   Also new developments in evolutionary biology, and thr never-ending but essential debate with evolution deniers

3. I like solicitations from readers. A while back, there was a day when readers were asked what achievement they were particularly proud of. Could we have that regularly? Maybe once a year?
   Also, could we have a ‘reader’s theory’ day occasionally, where we can submit a ‘my theory, which is mine’? Given the nature of the site’s visitors, there could be some genuinely interesting suggestions.
   I really miss Professor CC’s travel and food reviews, but with Covid, that will just have to wait.

4. Loving:

   + Duck posts (especially with ducklings since they are disappearing quickly in The Netherlands)
   + Articles about The Woke and Leftist behaving badly (to see what is going to happen in a few years in my country, which is already self destructing)
   + Science (above my pay grade but fascinating)
   + Readers pictures of wild life (gorgeous stuff)
   + Comment section

   Meh:

   – Food, travel, Hili

5. I like it all, but tales of your hairy, hippy student days and travels generally are excellent.

   Oh! More shots of insects – can’t get enough close up bug pix in my book.
   I love the readers’ corner area and not just b/c I was there once myself! My fellow readers trend “educated” and have interesting lives.
   There are not many high points to my day lately, but getting up at 3am and reading WEIT is surely one of them.
   D.A., J.D., NYC

6. Things I don’t like about disqus – It defaults to ‘sort by best’. I prefer to sort by oldest so I can follow the devolpment of the comments.
   Maybe its because I always delete cookies.

   And Disqus annoys me with its announcements of ‘new comment below’ or ‘new comment above’ like I don’t that comment pages can accrue further comment.

   I might even say it leaves me diqusted.

7. I like
   – Hili
   – cats, caturdays
   – ducks
   – wildlife
   – science
   – -your long hair

8. Hi Jerry,
   I#m an avid reader for years although I usually do not comment because I read your posts the next day in the morning when I check my email (I#m living in germany). And I love all of it! Not that I don’t have posts that I like more than others, but it is especially the mix that I like. I want to read about the unexpected, about things I didn’t know I could be interested in. That’s the point of it for me. So please, just keep on doing what you do. If I don’t like a subject, I don’t read the post in its entirety. That’s it, what else? Complain? That would be ridiculous, I think. I am really grateful for what you do, over the years I have found so much interesting stuff through your site. I can’t and I don’t expect everything to be equally interesting to me, that would be a miracle and we don’t deal in miracles, right? Beste Grüße aus Deutschland

9. I do not have any particularly strong views (on most things really!)… I really like the natural history & scientific posts. I think the posts on free speech etc are important, but where things are exclusively with a US slant I have less interest as I am not American.

   Now I am retired I in theory have more time but I no longer have normal internet on a PC, & I used to look at WEIT at lunchtimes at work. I have to say, there are loads more posts these days- it can be overwhelming especially longer posts, & reading on an iPhone does me head in after a while!

   I have been visiting WEIT for a decade or so now – I hope that will be so for many more years! 🤗

   1. PS I recall you & maybe Greg saying that there were hundreds of posts that remained on draft form – perhaps you should have a sort through & put some up & delete the ones that will never make it?

      How about a colour change from red?! 👍

10. I’ve been coming hear almost from the start, and read it every morning the way many read a newspaper. I find US politics particularly interesting just now, and would welcome more discussion on that. However, I realise from reading the comments above that others would like less politics. Otherwise, I read just about everything, and come back from time to time during the day to see what others have to say.

    Just keep posting whatever you fancy (or I’ll shoot the Bengal – just kidding).

    1. The thing is we can ignore what is of less interest… so those who are interested just dip in… 🙂

       1. Yes, exactly, and apologies for “…coming hear…” HERE!

11. I read this site every day. What I like most is the variety. Humor, science both hard and soft with integrity, philosophy, putting religion in its place, and editorials on current events and trends.

    It reminds me of my college days, the variety of different brown bag lunch lectures, and working in the lab with a wall full of far side cartoons, exchanging ideas with like minded students doing research work for professors that challenged me.

12. I found this site after reading Why Evolution is True, several years ago. I read the blog weekly but now retired read it daily. This site is often a springboard for other interests and enlightenment I purse. I share the cat cartoons with a dear friend as they give us good laughs. Love cats and all the cat pictures and stories. I like the intelligent political commentary, but like that it isn’t a main theme. I love science and nature so enjoy the articles that broaden my knowledge as well. I also enjoy the intellect of many of your readers and their well thought out comments and opinions. Your book helped me on my road to understanding. Your site carries that on.

13. I enjoy everything except the political stuff.

14. Not so much a comment but a wondering. I have recently come across what appear to be interesting Evolutionary Psychology Articles to be published in reputable Psychology Journals. In your position, I appreciate that you wouldn’t want to be inundated with rubbish but some form of drop box so that you could glance & see if there is anything that sparks your interest to look at or mention in your blog might be helpful.

15. Thanks to everyone for their comments. Because there is such a diversity of opinions about what people like, I guess my best way forward, as many have suggested, is to keep doing what I’m doing. It’s a bit harder during the pandemic because the general malaise that’s striking everyone makes it harder to write.

    Thanks again!

    1. Like!

    2. “… makes it harder to write“

       Time for Why Evolution Is True – the YouTube channel? The Podcast?

    3. Sorry I’m late — just want to say I agree with Jerry’s conclusion.

       (BTW, the e-mailed announcements of new postings frequently have all the info in the posting itself — so one may not go to the site and thus those eyeballs aren’t counted)

16. As with many of your followers, I thoroughly enjoy, and look forward to, the regular posts of your site. Some examples are, photos of readers, readers’ wildlife photos, Caturday felids, music posts, duck posts, hated words and phrases, science posts, cartoons, and my favorite, the Hili dialogue (please don’t do away with that). What I really like to see more of are science posts! “A real longneck: a 20-foot aquatic reptile of the Triassic with a none-foot neck” is a perfect example.

17. I most appreciate your principled stance in defense of free speech
    Thank you

18. Dr. Coyne,

    WEIT is a very important resource for me and I read it daily. I appreciate the progressive philosophy and emphasis on facts and reason, not on the amplification of popular views. And there is plenty of fun and entertaining stuff, too – photographs of nature and of other readers, music, art, and humor.

    More dogs would be nice, but then I’m a dog person.

19. I would welcome more about the conflict between Religion and Science. Religionists want to co-opt science to further their religious ends. I would welcome more about how they should be addressed etc.

20. I love your daily or your things that happened on this day post to your hilly dialogue I do you call it because it prompts me to research further if I don’t know what’s going on mostly in like the people that are born or events of the day. I do like your national holidays is well some of them are completely random but it’s also a nice break from the constant bad news that’s coming out of the United States

21. This is easily my favorite website, and I cant think of much to recommend except for more of the same.
    But Jerry recently referred to Andrew Sullivan’s new blog and mentioned that Andrew’s popular “View from your window” segment will be returning. I always enjoyed reading the guesses from his readers and of course trying to figure out the location myself. I wonder if there would be anything wrong with “borrowing” that idea from Andrew and having something like it on this site?

    1. I wouldn’t want to steal Andrew’s idea, as it is quite novel and he and his staff put a lot of work into it. Those who want to do that kind of identifying should really subscribe to his site.

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