What kind of idiot would I have to be to write an article calling attention to the most common complaints about our app/site?
That's easy: The kind who'd rather address those.
Without ado, then ...
1. WHERE'S INSIDER?
A week ago, I stayed up till sunrise writing two full, separate columns from a critical game the Penguins had played and, sure enough, there were the complaints awaiting my eventual awakening about no Friday Insider. That doesn't fail.
Which, on one hand, is awesome. And appreciated. If Insider hadn't become what it's become, there'd be no complaints, and that's the worst-case scenario. I'm always reminding myself of that. This is the good problem.
That said, it's still a problem, as long as anyone's upset about any aspect of it. And I don't forget about that part, either.
But sorry, I swear I don't have a solution. If there's an event on a Thursday that I'd want to cover with a column, I'll be there 100 times out of 100. Just the way I'm conditioned. I've forever felt like a reporter first, a columnist second, and not covering an event -- meaning really covering it, as in being there -- won't ever be a first choice for me. And obviously, we've had a bunch of significant events of late.
There's also this: Coming up with enough original material -- and there's no other type for Insider -- for 52 of these in a year is an impossibility. The one yesterday, for example, was loaded, I thought, to the point of overflowing. Another week, there might not be a blessed thing. This way, by not forcing it every single week, I can compile stuff, hold other stuff for future Fridays (I held a couple out from yesterday's), and, hopefully, keep the quality up over the course of time.
2. WHERE ARE THE LIVE Qs?
They'd been moved to their respective Feeds, which confused -- and ticked off -- many readers, even though the usage/participation numbers were very good. Older ones couldn't be found off the menu, searching for them wasn't an option and ... yeah.
I blew this one. I'll change it back. No excuses.
They'll have their own dedicated row, in fact, near the bottom of the home page, so each of the most recent four are on full display. And they'll be available via menu. AND they'll be seen on the Feeds when it's their turn.
3. WHY CAN'T I REFRESH?
For several weeks now, refreshing hasn't been an option on our Apple app. I know that sounds crazy for an app that requires all the refreshing we do for even casual usage, but something changed at Apple, and it's taken this long to find a solution.
Very soon, I hope, you'll be offered multiple ways to refresh all content, including live files, comments, everything.
BUILDING BRICKS UPDATE
Our first week of the second wave of selling Building Bricks for the right wall inside our Downtown HQ/shop was ... wow.
Let's just say weren't prepared to set the stage for 28 new arrivals, but that's what we got, and this with five weeks to go before our May 31 cutoff. So it's legitimately plausible that we'll really fill that whole wall -- we're now got 182, and it'd take around 300 to fill -- which'll make for quite the sight when anyone stops to visit.
Prices are $1,000 for the Gold Brick, $250 for the Blue, $75 for the Black, same as the first wave. See last week's Site Stuff for all the specifics, but the short version is that some Bricks are bigger than others -- apologies to Morrissey -- and that the Gold and Blue allow you to have your own exact replica. Shipped to you wherever you might be.
If you're interested in this, we keep the process simple: Email me directly with your color/price preference at DK@DKPittsburghSports.com. From there, I'll respond and forward to Dali, who'll reach out to you for all the details, messaging, payment, etc.
I'll answer any questions in comments, as always.
INSIDE THE WORKS
• My baseball coverage will be back at the forefront, now that the Penguins are out ... but not until the NFL Draft's behind us. I'll be at the ballpark this weekend, and I'll pop over through the week, but it's a time for football.
• Our master plan for the commenting upgrade's been submitted to our BoomPress developers. The project's underway. It'll be really cool. And best of all, the components that are already familiar to everyone, such as the appearance, won't be changing much. There's a comfort level that we're respecting.
• Our 10th anniversary celebration will be July 23 at the HQ/shop. We've already heard from quite a few of you planning to attend, including some from well out of town. For anyone looking into a longer trip, know that the Pirates and Cardinals have a three-game series at PNC Park at that time, so it's a nice double-dip.
• Important: If you're seeing ads and you're subscribed, that's NOT supposed to happen. Meaning not a single ad. Be sure you're logged in. If you can see comments, for example, you're logged in. And if you're logged in and STILL see ads, email: Help@DKPittsburghSports.com
• Everyone loving being ad-free? If you're not there yet, it's only for paying subscribers. If you aren't subscribed yet or if your subscription's expired: this is our new subscribe page. Make sure you're logged in, tap on the link, and thumb down to the bottom for the SUBSCRIBE button to buy/renew at the monthly or annual level. We also have discounts, as ever, for student subscriptions and senior subscriptions.
• Grateful that so many of you continue to leave us good reviews on outside platforms. There've been hundreds of reviews already. For anyone who hasn't yet, feel free to add your own on our Google listing, our Apple or Spotify podcast channels, our YouTube channels for the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates and, last but definitely not least, our own app, whether it's the Apple or Android version. And again, thank you!
BACK TO BUSINESS
• Our page-view numbers for the past week were 969,221, with 49,800 unique users over the most recent full seven-day span, April 5-11. Our most-read original piece was my column from New York on Henry Davis' struggles, at 28,434.
• On the multimedia front, our podcast downloads for the past week were 88,999, plus another figure we can't access yet on a second platform, and our YouTube video views for the past week were 101,355.
• Our company social media accounts are at 53,678 followers on X, 40,518 on Facebook, 30,741 on YouTube, 14,955 on Instagram ... and already 4,323 on the new Threads!
• We make mistakes. If you see one, email: Typos@DKPittsburghSports.com
• We're often asked about our HQ/shop merch being available online, and yes, it's right here. The Downtown shop itself's open Tuesday-Saturday, 12-6 p.m.
• Anything you need, email: Help@DKPittsburghSports.com
• Thanks for reading and, as ever, for your support of this venture.
