The new Preliator

So here we are at the launch of a new blog. Rather a dime a dozen, aren’t they?

At any rate, what follows is a quick rundown on what this blog’s all about, what’s new, and what’s on the horizon.

Introducing Preliator 2.0

Mission statement

Preliator’s going to be essentially the same as before: a mostly-daily compendium of whatever’s on my mind, with a particular (but by no means exclusive) focus on politics, culture and religion, all from a skeptic, egalitarian and civil-libertarian-Left standpoint. I’d go into more detail on what you can expect, but I’ve already done so in the About page, so check that out. It’ll give you an idea of whether this is the sort of place you want to hang around. (There’ll be cookies for those who do.^*)

What’s new

• Google Fonts! Say goodbye to boring ol’ Georgia and its ugly uneven numbers.

• I’ve transplanted the Common Myths page from my old blog and given it an overhaul. It includes easy refutations to some of the more common clichés used against atheism and skepticism, and now features a section on social justice myths that equality activists have to bat aside every day. If you spot someone saying something dumb or ill-informed, feel free to refer them here for their edification, because you just don’t have time to waste countering the same canard for the fiftieth time, anyway.

• Regarding comments: As you may have noticed, this blog’s bucking the trend by using the IntenseDebate commenting platform rather than the wider standard of Disqus. That’s largely because Disqus’s integration with Blogger has been shaky for some time, and a fix is nowhere yet on the horizon. Until one arrives, IntenseDebate will have to do. That said, I’ve configured and tested it extensively and it seems to work well enough. (It’s also a lot more visually customizable than Disqus is, though I don’t suppose anyone else cares about that as much as I do.)

  Comments are open to everyone; no registration is required and only comments with nine or more links will be flagged for moderation. Be sure to familiarize yourself with my commenting policy (in a nutshell: don’t be a jerk), or you may end up in the Dungeon, the final stop for anyone who pushes my already lax limits.

• We have a share bar! Look at all those snazzy buttons, tucked neatly underneath every post. Aren’t they pretty? Be sure to use them. (Y’know, if you want to. It’s okay if you don’t. I’ll understand.)

• More of an ancillary thing, but if anyone wants to send me any secure email that won’t get snooped on, there’s a link to my PGP information right in the “About me” box at the top of the sidebar. (And before you ask: Why wouldn’t you want to send me secure email that no-one can snoop on? Encryption is cool, man.)

• Finally, there will eventually be a “related posts” widget beneath each post, once I find one that works right and doesn’t take up half the screen with unwanted thumbnails. I’ll wait until there’s a good enough number of posts to warrant the installation, though.

So what say you?

I’d love to hear any and all feedback you may have about the blog such as it currently stands, be it about the design (is it easy to read? Does it work well with mobile devices? Something about the layout or color scheme you’d like me to change?) or nature of the posts (wait, actually, I’ll write what I want to write anyway, but you’re welcome to chime in!). I’m especially interested in hearing how well the commenting system works (if I start getting all your feedback via email, I’ll know there’s a problem).

So sound off below if there’s anything you wish to ask or point out. Until then, it’s time to get this blog started.

* I am a blatant liar. There will be cake, though.