Brownstoner Directory Launches
Today’s a big day around here, as we launch the new Brownstoner Directory (along with a new Navigation Bar along the top of the page). The Directory is a new search-driven resource for Brownstoner readers looking to find everything from contractors to architects to brokers to lawyers, and for those service providers to reach the…
Today’s a big day around here, as we launch the new Brownstoner Directory (along with a new Navigation Bar along the top of the page). The Directory is a new search-driven resource for Brownstoner readers looking to find everything from contractors to architects to brokers to lawyers, and for those service providers to reach the most active and affluent group of homeowners, renovators and house hunters in the tri-state area. We’ve got more than a dozen businesses signed up pre-launch to flesh out the look and feel of the new paid feature but now we need the help of the Brownstoner community to take it to critical mass: If you have worked with any high-quality and trustworthy service providers in recent years (anywhere in the New York area—not just Brooklyn!), please spread the word! Folks who sign up before October 15 get to take advantage of the introductory pricing. In addition to a basic listing in the directory, companies can also sign up for enhanced listings with mini-sites, which are basically their own homepages within Brownstoner.com; for example, take a look at the Nemo Tile minisite. Interested parties can learn more about joining the Directory here. Thanks!
Arkady/Noklissa,
Agree that the tabs in the upper right looked a little better, but we’re all coming at it from the perspective of heavy users. Can’t tell you how many regular but not diehard users have told us over the years that they’d never even noticed the tabs! Seems crazy, but would rather err on the side of hitting people over the head than going unnoticed in this case…
We would respectfully disagree that it’s useless without user reviews. It’s meant as a starting point to create a short list of service providers at the beginning of a search; in the case of service providers who have mini-sites with photos, etc. it’s quite a reasonable way to begin finding a contractor. And because it’s paid, it should avoid the “noise” of Craigslist, which is cluttered with fly-by-nights. As we found out with Brokerate (and we’ve seen to a certain extent on the Forum), user reviews are also quite prone to competitors filing false negative reviews–and discerning the “real” ones from the fakes is an almost impossible task.
yes, its useless without user reviews….
Agree with Arkady. I preferred the tabs that stuck up on the right to the new layout (I am right handed, so a bit biased toward that placement). Also thought it looked more nifty, but other than that, congrats. This should be useful.
how do you find electricians?
I’ve always loved the panorama brick worksite photo in the banner, glad that has stayed.
Could you also add a category for building inspectors/engineers?
I second the comment that user reviews should be enabled.
You probably need to refresh your browser or clear your cache. It’s definitely a caching issue. The layout, size, etc. have not changed!
the directory is a neat idea, although to be really useful it should include user reviews, sort of like the restaurant guide. otherwise it’s just plain advertising.
by the way, i gotta gripe about the current layout of the front page. not sure if it changed in the recent update or if i just didn’t notice it earlier, but the front page is now almost entirely consumed by the title bar, navigation bar, banner ad, and sidebar ads. i just loaded the front page and exactly two lines of actual blog content (plus the associated image) were visible without scrolling down. the sidebar content is also getting lost in a sea of ads. my screen resolution is 1280×1024, which i think is pretty typical and allows most sites to show quite a bit of content.
i know these are trying economic times and advertising revenue is probably more important than ever. just wanted to register my opinion that the clutter is making the site harder (or at least less pleasant) to peruse.