As we moved from the beta version in July 1996 to launch in September 1996, we asked our readers what they thought of the design. Here are some of the responses (I've removed their e-mail addresses but left their names).

From: Leon Liu
Sent: 96-08-14 17:13:34 EDT
Hi, there,
I like your new feature: "Good Morning silicon Valley" very much. It digested news for me. Thanks. (It would be great if you can do the same thing on other topics as well.)
I wonder if it is possible to provide links to previous one or two days' version since sometime I am not able to get on the www. Thanks again.
Leon

From: TA Bran
Sent: Thursday Aug. 22, 1996 1:13 PM:
I check in multiple times every weekday and enjoy the new interface. It does upset me though that you are carrying MORE and MORE links to OTHER subscription new services. It's frustrating to get interested in a story and then being told I have to pay to read more. I simply can't afford to subscribe to ALL these services. -Tulio Bran

From: David Fleck
Sent: Thursday, August 22, 1996 4:11 PM
The framed version works great. Very nice. I am now addicted! It would be nice to be notified via email on updated stories etc (future enhancement?). Thanks for a great service. df

From:Ed Romson
Sent: Friday, August 23, 1996 7:20 AM
I like the look of the format changes. It makes it easier to get around. Keep up the good work.Ed

From: Brian V. Hughes
Sent:Friday, August 23, 1996 7:52 AM
On the new layout of GMSV: I personally happen to like frames as a concept, and you seem to be using them in a very good way. Just make sure you keep the left side frame as a navigation frame. Although it does take up a healthy amount of the width of a standard screen. -Hades

From: Will Parker
Sent: Friday, August 23, 1996 10:10 AM
"Good Morning Silicon Valley" is GREAT! I hate to spend money, but the online version of SJM is going to be our daily paper Real Soon Now. I used to live in the South Bay, and I always expect the paper SJM to do a good job of delivering real news, but your online version beats any of the other online news services I've seen, including the Chronicle, the NY Times, and the London Times. Your frame-based design makes it easy to navigate the site, and I always feel that I have a good mental map of where I am and where I can go next. I do urge you to slim down the navigation frames as much as possible - your current frame layouts tend to leave a little less room for the content frames than I like, even on large monitors. Page loading times are good rather than excellent, and that's on a 56k leased line. I think I might get a bit frustrated on a 28.8 connection. On the other hand, your graphics are interesting, tasteful, and always contribute to the feel of the page. The usual tradeoff, of course. Y'know, if you REALLY wanted to make your subscribers happy, you could offer the full content of back issues as downloadable HTML archives. I wouldn't mind having a stack of old SJMs cluttering up a Zip drive somewhere. For example, I'm planning on keeping a local copy of your expose of the CIA/Cocaine connection (excellent piece, BTW) for reference purposes. Well, anyway, keep up the good work! Will parker

From:Bill Brothers
Monday, August 26, 1996 11:42 AM
I like the new look! But, (there's always a but) where did John's Journal go? I like the daily ramblings. I appreciate the time it takes to stop and make your thoughts somewhat coherent for others to read. The two constants of my morning are John's pile of bits and the comics. Perhaps I need more coffee (I can't call it Java anymore...) and to look harder for it. Bill Brothers, San Jose

From:Bengt Norin
Sent: Tuesday, August 27, 1996 12:30 AM
Hi, it looks very good. But why not use frames it makes life easier and is supported both by Netscape and Microsoft Explorer 3.0. Free upgrades for users as well ! Best regards, Bengt

From: Andrea Gallagher
Sent: Tuesday, August 27, 1996 4:21 PM
To: morning
Subject: reader feedback
I really like it. I liked the story format from the beginning, and the use of frames is clean and effective. (I still don't like the pop-up menu/go button combo, though)
Andrea Gallagher

From: Risto Agu
Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 1996 6:15 AM
To: morning
Subject: New design

The design is really nice and professional. One thing though: TOC takes quite a lot of space on the screen. I'm sure you already knew it..."Highlighted button indicates most current edition" -- well, it seems to
indicate the edition I'm currently viewing.
Risto

From: Douglas A. O'Handley
Sent: Thursday, August 29, 1996 7:27 AM
To: morning
Subject: Comments
Think the idea of a Silicon Valley dedicated section is great. Maybe you could add a couple of lines like the weather for today and the next couple of days. Perhaps a list of significant hapenings in the Valley for Today. Sort of one stop shopping for Silicon Valley. Keep it up.

From: Daoud Serang
Sent: Thursday, August 29, 1996 11:18 AM
To: morning
Subject: How's it look!
Great - much improved over the first efforts. I can imagine taking the time to check Good Morning Silicon Valley out with the new format.
Thanks,
Daoud A. Serang

From: Lee Leonard
Sent: Thursday, August 29, 1996 1:25 PM
To: morning
Subject: Call me a hightech luddite, but...
....I don't see how using frames really helps with GMSV. It seems to take longer to load and really doesn't help very much in navigating. Sorry, for not being positive this time round. Generally, I love what y'all have been doing with this section. Keep on trying

From: Ross Nelson
Sent: Thursday, August 29, 1996 4:09 PM
To: morning
Subject: new design gmsv
For the most part, I like the design. I have a problem, however, with the use of the highlite meaning most current (in the index frame on the left.) In every other UI that I'm aware of, a highlight means "this is the selected item" and I believe you should follow that standard. I'd suggest you use coloring or an asterisk to indicate most current, rather than having it look like a button press.
-- ross

From: Tim Onosko
Sent: Thursday, August 29, 1996 7:42 PM
To: morning
Subject: It's okay....
But not appreciably better than the previous version. I guess the frames are okay, but I think frames are generally a bother. The SJMerc is, overall, a good-looking paper (site).
The quality of the Morning briefing varies, but I think it is the primary reason to read this site daily. It saves lots of crusing looking for these items.
-- Tim Onosko

From: Thomas J. Ackermann
Sent: Friday, August 30, 1996 5:51 PM
To: morning
Subject: Feedback on design
Pretty cool.
It comes with heavy graphics and takes time to load. Though not a problem in the office (with a T-3 at hand), it is somewhat of a nuisance when using wireless Ricochet connectivity while commuting on the train along the peninsula. ;-(
TJ

From: Kaye Caldwell
Sent: Saturday, August 31, 1996 7:30 PM
To: morning
Subject: feedback
I like the new logo for good morning silicon valley and your layout. This is a generic comment about Net news services in general - I sure wish there was a way to filter out stories I've already looked at or looked at the headline and decided not to read - subject to my being able to decide to look at stuff already read or rejected. Nothing is so boring as reading "breaking" news that full of stories I've already seen or already decided not to read. And PLEASE can't I have a sports filter??? I DO NOT CARE about sports - ZERO, ZIP, NADA. I do NOT want to see sports stories EVER - not even the headlines!

From: Media Central Digest
Sent: Monday, September 16, 1996 5:43 PM
Subject: Nice work
Notable Media Launch
Among the first newspapers to appear on the Web, the San Jose Mercury News' Mercury Center (http://www.sjmercury.com/) broke new ground, and was an early pioneer of the subscription revenue model. Now, the Merc has created a free site, dubbed Good Morning Silicon Valley (http://www.sjmercury.com/gmsv/), which gives a stripped-down, at-a-glance version of the day's news and a limited searchable archive. Ultimately, it's a simple, locally targeted informational service that gets one simple thing right: While other news services offer 'round the clock updates, a user is often left befuddled about when to look, and runs the risk of missing important information. By offering timed updates of news, ticker and tech stock information, the site lets users create a mental -- or even a bookmarked -- schedule, which can work to build a strong consumer bond. Whether this taste of Mercury info will work to build a San Jose Mercury News subscriber base is unknown, but it is a nice variation on the giveaway model of building a customer base.

From: Dave Morgan
Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 1996 5:23 AM
To: feedback
Subject: Great Job
Your Good Morning Silicon Valley is one of the best newspaper-driven web implementations that I have seen recently. Great way to leverage your web visibility and print product to deliver a valuable information package.
Dave Morgan

From: Todd Krizelman
Sent: Friday, November 08, 1996 9:01 AM
To: morning
Subject: To Whom it may concern.
Hello Mecury News.
I'm writing on behalf of WebGenesis out in New York, a 20-employee Internet company which develops The Globe (www.theglobe.com). Just wanted to say that Good Morning Silicon Valley is one of the best news sites on the Web. It's focused, concise and, most importantly, regularly updated 4 times a day. Finally, a news service has truly embraced and enhanced itself by using the Web.
Best regards,
Todd Krizelman CEO

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