So the blackout is over and its time to list my top 5 changes. I'm not sure it will do any good. It is quite apparent that, although we have been told that these are the changes we"asked" for, little thought was given to the actual users of this site when planning and implementing the redesign. So what can CNET do make it up to us...FIX IT!! So what would I like to have fixed first:

1- Fix the show and person guides so that the quality of the information we put out on the web is the best that it can be. That includes everything from fixing the submission process to fixing the design of the person guide to include the credits on the main page.

2- Fix the user profile page. The My Feed list is useless. The Tracked Blogs section should list 10 not 4 blogs. I want my progress bar back. I want the "Last on-line" feature back on the main profile page.

3- It's never too late to make a first impression. Blinding white backgrounds, tiny fonts and pale grey print are not a way to make a good first impression. Seriously..

4- Blogs make the world go round. Our ability to blog and to respond to blogs is what makes TV.com the fun place to be. I want to be able to add a smiley face to a blog comment. I want it to be easier to write a blog, not harder!!!

5- Make the site easier to navigate.Don't make changes until they have been thoroughly tested. If it ain't broke -- don't fix it!!

The truth is - I got a lot accomplished yesterday with my computer turned off. If this site is too much trouble or no fun, then there's no reason to keep coming back or at least no reason to come back as often.

I have tried to go with the flow. I have tried to be patient. I have tried to look on the bright side (and no, I don't mean the bright, white background). I have tried to focus on the positives. Well.... I give up. I just don't like it. It's too bright, it doesn't work right, the show guide pages look terrible, there's less information visible and it's harder to navigate. I want the three emblems back that were removed, including my editor emblem. I want the "last on-line date" listed on a user's summary page. I want the submission system to work correctly. I want the graph back that shows my level percentage. I want more information to appear on the screen like the top 10 contributers on a show guide, 10 tracked blogs instead of 4. I could go on and on.

So, I have chosen to replace my beloved seminole lady avitar with the Gone Dark avi. I will not log on to TV.com on September 30. I will make sure I am completely logged off. I will hope that CNET gets the message and more importantly, gets their act together. Look, I understand that change is a necessary part of life and I always try to go with the flow. And though I don't know what the beta test is that everyone keeps saying should have been done - What I do know is that this redesign should never have been rolled out until it was tested and the bugs were ironed out. I mean seriously, it's not like there were a couple of MINOR bugs. There were (and are) lots of MAJOR bugs. It's very disappointing. Shame on CNET.

For more information about the boycott, see Hoeech's blog which is where I got my information. Go Dark on 9/30!

Well all good things must come to an end. Wake Forest proved to be too much for Florida State this week, handing them the first loss of the season. The Noles couldn't seem to get it together and they struggled with multiple fumbles and interceptions. However, they were able to keep Wake Forest out of their end zone. Field goals accounted for all of the points of the day. The Noles made one field goal and Wake Forest made four, making the final score 12-3. Florida State's record is 2-1. Let's hope that's the last loss of the season!!!

I couldn't post a blog without mentioning the "redesign" of the website. I have to say I am surprised that TV.com would roll out such a major change without better planning and testing. The number of features that don't work seem to out-number the number of features that do work. When I first signed on and saw my user name, gender and date of birth listed on my profile page, I thought I had accidentally signed on some kind of dating website. Though that has been remedied there are still many things that just don't work or don't make any sense.

*The My Tracked Blogs and the My feed both list the same blogs. The only difference is one is on the left side of the page and one is on the right.

*You can no longer see another person's level percentage and the level percentage graph is gone. I liked that graph.

*The "last online" date is not on the main profile page. You have to go the the "About Me" page to find when someone was last on.

*The show guides are a bit too much for my taste and I don't like that the top contributer list has been cut to the top 6.

I could go on and on but I'm starting to feel annoyed, so I'll just mention the thing annoying me the most -- I am missing THREE emblems including my Editor emblem. The 1 contribution emblem is missing and the Caption Contributor (100 contributions) is missing. Since I have the Cosmic Contributor (500 contributions), I'm thinking they have decided to not allow users to keep each emblem but only the most recent one. However, that does not explain why I no longer have my Editor emblem. I see that others have theirs so where did mine go?!?!?

I am really hoping that these issues get resolved and quickly. The changes have really turned me off to this site.