Celebrity News
Drama at HotMomma
Hello, my name is Elliot and I’m an alcoholic…, HotMomma addict, one of the new owners of HotMommaGossip. When I saw that the site was for sale, I was able to work something out with Chrystie and am now assuming responsibility for the site.
Whew.. now that’s out of the way, let me explain what’s been going on these past few days and where we’re headed.
First, let me apologize for not giving everyone advance warning about the new look and changes to the site. For a variety of reasons we decided to move off of the Blogger.com platform and start using WordPress, for those not familiar with the technical mumbo jumbo it means we changed the software and technology that runs the site and also moved it to our own server. We ran into some difficulties and were not able to post on the new site before moving everything over. This was not anticipated and I’m sorry the new site came as such a shock. The look has been tweaked these past few days and will continue to be worked on but it will probably look close to how it looks now. Criticism and suggestions are appreciated, we want you to feel comfortable here. Just posting that you hate the new site doesn’t really tell us what to change however.
Second, Chrystie has agreed to stay on part time, she has other responsibilites that caused her to put the site up for sale and so will be scaling back the frequency of her posting. The past few days we’ve had some guest bloggers fill in with mixed success. I was a fan of the old site just like many of you and we will strive to bring you the same quality of content as before. I’m asking you all to bear with us as we settle in to the new site and get used to the new bloggers. I keep using “we” because there will be more than one person posting.
Third, about feedback. Yes it’s appreciated, no you may not spam and troll every single post. If you have any criticism of the new site, this is the post to comment on. General comments about the site in other posts will be deleted. If you have something to say privately you can email me at hotmommadrama AT yahoo.com (replace the AT with @). I think that’s it for now… I’ll be checking the comments and will try to respond back to any questions or concerns. I look forward to talking to you and hope that we can maintain the high standards Chrystie set.
I for one am only gonna give you another week. You have COMPLETELY changed the way it was. Yeah you bought it, but if you were a fan of the site in the first place you would know that the reason why Christie’s blog was so popular was because of her personality and the fact that she talked to us like we were her friends. I only found the HotMommaDramma about 2 months before she moved it to the new HotMommaGossip. And I stuck with her while she was getting it all back up, but this is just like Perez. And I don’t go to him because I like other blogs better. Now I remember when she wrote that the new owners where going to keep the site good and have her help but it seems to me that you all are in it for any kind of money you can get out of this site not for the fans. Christie I loved your site and I understand that you are starting a new job and have a new baby girl but I miss the old site. Since I didn’t email you in time I want to say good luck with everything!! I actually wanted to try to buy this site but I myself am a new mom and could not afford it. I now wish I would have tried to talk my husband into it. Anyways, that is enough of my rant.
One more week…then I am gone for good. If anyone is looking for a new site try Imnotobsessed.com It’s my new favorite now!!
BTW is the message board gone now??
I like it, it will take time for some to get used to. Im glad the original Hot Mamma will still be adding her goofy posts.
Good Luck
I miss the old site too, but that is just because it really was different from a lot of other blogs. It would be nice to know who Elliot is, and to know your likes and dislikes in the way of stories you blog. And yeah, there are a lot of haters out there, and they seem to be on a lot of sites that I go to, saying the same old this sucks, that sucks. I will just say that I am not a fan of the white background, as it is just too white, and bright.
I agree with otheres that there really needs to be a “Meet the bloggers” type section. I think what most of us liked about the old site was the personal tidbits from Chrystie. I also agree with the need for some darker colors.
Finally there’s gossip being posted but I would rather have less posts but with more funny content. That was one of the main reasons why I came to this site and now it’s just so bland and boring.
The new layout is not good. It’s hard to navigate and the white is terrible. I’m not sure the graphic at the top goes with the name of the site either. I suggest you go back to something black, you could even go to a new accent color like blue or green.
I hope things improve, hopefully the other bloggers will improve otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll have to find somewhere else to get my gossip.
Oh and I agree about after the jump thing…I’d rather just have 3/4 pics posted in the actual post then have to click to go to another page. Clicking there and then having to click back is just a pain, sounds dumb but it really is.
I would suggest not posting news without photos. I know I dont read the just text posts, I’m sure others are the same. If there’s no pictures, I don’t feel the energy to read about it.
While I can’t respond to every single point individually, I have read what you’ve all said and will work on some of the repeated comments and suggestions, thanks.
I miss all the pictures and the fact that hotmomma would have the scoop before everyone else. Now I come to this site and its all stuff I’ve seen on people.com or others. I also don’t read text posts. I love the pics.
I miss the real hot momma. She was truly HOT. Wish she would post some pics of herself.
Ditto the “after the jump” that sucks and I HATE IT. Also ditto the background, and the posts without pictures. Plus I wish you would post a lot more posts. I love to come back here 3 or 4 times a day and I wish there would be more news each time. Also funny comments are the best, and less text. I don’t need the WHOLE story, just enough to know what is going on. And yeah post is faster, I also am getting it from other places a lot faster.
I agree with everyone saying they liked the darker colors better. The white is just so bright. I miss miss miss miss the messageboard & it was used A LOT. I also don’t like the whole read more after the jump blah blah. I like reading the stories & seeing pics all in one shot. We get to know the gossipers better when they share their humor or tidbits. I understand it’s a lot to take on, I just feel it’s best to keep us faithful readers happy! Thanks!
Hang in there elliot, you can’t please everyone. Good luck with the server I know what a pain it can be. Thanks for trying to work on the background, that would help a bunch, miss the message board also and the up the date gossip. Will keep checking back a few times a day to see how it’s going.
How many posters are there? And who are the “guest posters?”
i agree with Kaitlyn 5:51…
i miss chrystie!!
please find a way to stop with the “ads by google”…that makes the site look rather tacky and is pretty annoying. I, like most people, am bothered at the mass changes the site has seen, but am giving it chance.
i am going for a record here; i too liked the darker colors, it was different and helped separate this site from all the other gossip site, the humor and personal touches made it feel like we had a relationship with chrystie and we were updated on her personal life as well as the celebrity gossip, the way she added humor in almost all the posts was her trademark and i’ll be glad to see her post some things with it in there, but understand that it’s hard to keep current posts and think of something funny for them…i also think that the part in this post that says “Third, about feedback. Yes it’s appreciated, no you may not spam and troll every single post. If you have any criticism of the new site, this is the post to comment on. General comments about the site in other posts will be deleted. If you have something to say privately you can email me at hotmommadrama AT yahoo.com (replace the AT with @).”
was unnecessary, i know it made me feel like i was getting scolded or being told that i will be limited on what i can post, i think that everyone is adult enough on this site to appreciate this post and use it to do just that, we just different have anywhere to post “general comments” before, therefore they were getting posted everywhere…
i am excited to see where you all take this site, it is an absolute fav and hope that chrystie’s standards really do get held… see you all tomorrow and thank you
The third part was directed at a small number of individuals who were doing what I described, not everyone. Sorry if it came across as mean but I think better to set some rules in place to begin with. I’d rather set some rules so people don’t think we’re censoring comments randomly.
While I’m at it, personal attacks on other members will also be deleted. There were some comments that were starting to get nasty, there’s no need for that.
Firstly, STOP apologizing, please! You own this site and can censor what you want how you want. Don’t delete the personal comments, we’re big people here and if we don’t like to read cuss words, than we won’t. Personally, a little drama is JUST WHAT THIS SITE NEEDS!
BRING BACK THE PERSONAL TOUCH we want to hear what YOU like/hate bout the pics you post.
BRING BACK THE BLACK BACKGROUND this white is killing my eyes
i loved hot momma and her belly pics and her showing her kids and what is going on here on this site it is just boring and there is no excitment and she used to say the funniest things ever. Evn my one year old used to jump up on my lap and look thorugh the celeb news with me. now i am pregannt witih my second child and it just not seems right with out her this whole site was about her and she used to post every minute. i hope you do a good job elliot because i am pretty displeased right now. not to be mean but this ite sucks. sorry it is just hormones.
I liked the humor/commentary that accompanied the original hotmomma posts, but for me, I come here for the dirt!
I look forward to more dissin’
Hey Angelina congrats what are you having?? that is amazie how your little one year old was addicted to the OLD site!! congratz!!!!!
Congrats Angelina on yuor little baby what are you having?
Hey i have a little boy as my one year old and he is very wild and crazy and the one in my belly is a girl. so iahve two of a kind. she is very calm we will se how everything works out when the baby comes on November 8th!!
Where are the BIG images?? I miss the big images! So much easier to scan…
Congrats and good luck to you. It tough but you will find what will make you different from the other sites.
I don’t understand how to use this site!!! LOL! It looks like all comments. You should be able to see the postings and then click somewhere if you want to view comments. I think I’m moving on….
Hi, I really don’t like the after jump thing. I would rather read the whole post on one page without having to click on something to be able to actually read the whole thing.
I actually LIKE the new site! I’m willing to wait while you work out the kinks. Obviously there’s going to be an adjustment period. I’m surprised at the number of people that started whining from day one when things were still just getting started. Give it a couple of weeks to get moving before you freak out about it! Probably the only thing I DON’T like about it is the “jump”. I’ve seen other sites do that and I don’t understand it. I would prefer to see the whole post on one page without having to click to read the rest. Other than that I think the site looks fine. Yes, different than it used to be, but I don’t find it hard to read.
Anyway, thanks for the introduction, I think that will help make some people feel more comfortable about the changes.
Thanks for changing the text posts! That seriously helps a TON. It’s much better when there’s a photo to associate the text with, the readers will be more likely to read it. Plus, I only buy gossip magazines for the pictures, so obviously the pics are really important.
Thanks for at least asking for our input, and even though it’s negative, you’re still doing a great job on trying to improve, that makes me want to hang around longer.
Elliot- I want to know more about you.
1. Why did you buy this site?
2. What is your experience/backround as a blogger/celeb-gossip-maniac?
3. What do you make of Misha Barton’s new fashion statements?
4. Are you gay? Straight? Bi? Alien (like Suri?)?
5. Are you going to delete this post since I asked if you are homosexual? (They DO make great bloggers…)
6. What can I look forward to on your site in the very near future??????????
Peace out! Good luck! Down with the haters!
First things first…
Women: Can’t live with them, Can’t live without them and can hardly ever please them.
Being a woman myself, I find this saying to be true for us all. Elliot, this site now belongs to you and your partner. I am sorry they made you be the PR person and deal with all of the comments. I think the easiest thing to do is take the comments make changes that you can make and make this site yours. I will say the girl in the title photo, creeps me out and I have seen her on another site that was like a haunted/grim reaper site. Scary! Thanks again for your post about who you are. Best of luck!
Hey Elliot,
I’m a BIG HotMomma fan and also a great big fan of Chrystie (and a guest-blogger when she was away) and although I support Chrystie’s need to sell, I am a little perplexed at why you felt the need to change the site completely.
I understand why people are feeling dissapointed. We have all been reading Hot Momma and now her site has lost everything we came to read. Tons of pics (GREAT BIG PICS), humor, wit, tasteful shit-talking, etc, fun Q&A and a messageboard that has been cut alltogether, I guess.
I know this is your site and you should do with it what you want but I’ve gotta say that since the change I’m completley disinterested in the site, not because Chrystie is gone but because EVERYTHING we came here for is gone.
My suggestion is to bring back the old site with old look and follow Chrystie’s model. (Post a minimum of ten posts a day with several photos at a time (instead of one or none) and to give us a face! Chrystie had a face! We loved HMD because we knew her by name and style and attitude. You are obviously not a Momma (right?) so perhaps you need to find an identity and somehow work that into your model of where HMD is going to go.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when buying a business is that they forget what made said business sucessful. HMD was a success because it was HMD and not just any gossip site.
I really want to like HMD, mainly to support what Chrystie started, but also because I’m sure you’re a good guy who’s just trying to figure this bid’niss out.
P.S.Also, wanted to let you know your headline isn’t correct speech (We dish the gossip AND the latest doings on everyone WHO’S anyone!)
Thanks for reading my comment and good luck! We’re all pulling for you.
I think the new look is great-considering its been sold and and its not Chrysties site anymore…. I think putting up this post and explaining everything was a good idea too. Good luck. I’ll still be a hotmomma fan!
Sorry Elliott, but if you truly want this site to be sucessful, you won’t change the core of what hotmommadrama was about.
That means you don’t “moderate” and delete posts – part of the appeal of the old site was the catty comments. I can’t think of a single time Chrystie ever deleted posts she didn’t like – even if they were about her children.
I’d could care less about the colors. What kept me coming back to hotmommadrama was the humor and wit Christie displayed in her posts. I can read flat, humorless entertainment news on CNN.
Step it up Big Boy…step it up.
Good job Elliott. Keeping up a site isn’t as easy as some people think. I think you are doing a great job. This site is now yours, and should reflect *you* – not the old owner. Just remember, you cannot please everyone all the time. There are things about the new site that I’m not crazy about, but hey, it’s NOT my site. I’ll keep coming back to check and see what you’ve been up to. Again, I’m looking forward to see how you are reflected on your site.
Elliot,
Congrats on your purchase. You have your work cut out for you. It seems quite a few people are having a tough time adjusting to the new site. I guess it’s Chrystie withdrawal. I just wanted to let you know to hang in there. Work out the kinks (I happen to agree about the white background, small pictures, jumps, and too many ads) but I’m sure you’ll get it running smoothly before long. I for one will be patient and give you a chance before I get over-excited or worse – mean and nasty. Best of luck!
Elliott, Are you a Hotmomma? Hotdadda? Hotguy?
Tell us about you so we feel we know more about you. I think everyone is just getting used to the idea that Chrystie is no longer fully behind the site. We have been so used to her witty sense of humor that it is truely missed. I think if we knew more about you that we would be more open and not as harsh and easy to critisize.
I like the layout and will definately still be checking in here. When you are a addict you read it as much as you can
Yes, I am a gossip junkie!!
Hang in there and do not get discouraged by all the critisim.
I seriously feel as though a friend of mine died when Chrystie sold the site! I miss HotMommaDrama so much and loved hearing updates and seeing photos of Chrystie and her adorable family. I feel like she is a celebrity in her own right, and I enjoyed catching up with her as much as with any other celeb!
Elliot – good luck with the site, but it would be nice if you brought back some (most) of the old elements of the site just for those of us who dislike change! I also hate text, and basically just want to see photos, and also hate “the jump”!
Well, let me start out by stating that I am not a blogger. I am a blog reader. I enjoyed this site for many reasons: feeling like I knew “hotmomma”, the pictures, and sure the funny comments.
I know that you are the new owner and are putting your touch on things. I have no problem with that, why should I? However, like some of the others there are some things I do not like.
1. The google ads are a little much.
2. More pictures with less need to click to view.
3. If there is not a ton more text, no need to click to view…
I have mixed feelings about the white background. I do like how clean the site looks (except for the google ads)
All in all, I will say thanks for asking. There were some thing’s I did not like about the original site and some of those things you fixed (in my eyes). I liked the original, I kinda like the latest version. But as they say, embrace change. Change can be a good thing, right?
Hey Elliot,
First – well done on introducing yourself etc – now we all know a tad more about you & that’s fab.
I – like everyone – LOVED LOVED LOVED Hot Momma Drama. But it’s over so i’ll move on – BUT! I don’t WANT to move on – I think your site could be great if you can just step it up a bit!
Can we know a bit about you – where you live, what you like doing, will you be getting your entire right arm tattooed & moving to Hawaii?!
Are you team Jolie? Do you think that Kate & Owen are an item? Will Maggie be evicted from her brownstone? Tell us what YOU think!!
The new site is very sleek looking & that’s nice – but it does hurt my eyes (this could have more to do with the 3 bottles of wine i drank last night) & it is rather dull. Can you make it a bit more personal? & remove the grim reaper?
GGC Said everything I wanted to really – but Elliot – I MISS our messageboard – can we have it back please?
Good Luck!
Hey!
This is the first time I post here but I felt like I had to and, first of all, I have to apologize for all the grammar mistakes that I’m going to make (I’m spanish).
I loved the old HMD very much. In my opinion, it was the best gossip place because of the funny comments, it made the difference. I loved coming here and reading all the posts and seeing that someone has as many “boyfriends” as I have
it was like going to a cafe to gossip with a friend. I think the new posts weren’t like that. They were like anything I could have read at any other blog or magazine so the result was that I was starting to pass the post without reading the comments, just seeing the pictures and then going for the next one. It was very… impersonal. The site had it’s own personality and I loved it.
Also… well, the colour. I liked the dark colours better. I guess that I could get used to the new ones so that’s not much of a problem but seeing all the pics without having to click and go to another page would be better.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I don’t like the site anymore (I still come here everyday to have my daily dose of gossip, the quality of the news given is great, congratulations on that) but I just wanted to give you my idea of what made the site so special, just in case that it can help you.
Good luck with the site ^_^
WOW I loved the old site. I don’t think it is about not being able to take change. I just don’t care for the new “style”. Eliott your comments sound almost corporate. Hope it works for you. I will check back in a few weeks and see what it looks like. Take care Christy – we miss you. Have fun tonight! b
The new site is awful. It is just like every other site out there – the white is horrid. The darker colors were much better. There is no commentary – Chrystie always made it fun. Like others have said – they came to this site for what was different. There are many gossip sites out there and the changes that you have made took away everything that made this site different and better. Bring back the old style and commentary or I think you are going to lose readers. While it is now your site and you can do with it what you want – you are costing yourself the loyal hotmomma readers as clearly no one is pleased with the new look and feel of the site. By chance did you even really look at Chrysties site – perhaps you should have as it was amazing – the new one is not.
You can please some of the people some of the time…
i think you guys are being way to hard on this guy. obviously we all enjoyed the old hotmomma, but the fact of the matter is that SHE SOLD IT!! nobody else is going to be able to give the “chrystie commentary” because nobody else is chrystie. i’ve seen a few witty comments here and there. change takes time and good change takes even longer. these people are obviously concerned with what we think…which is a good sign. so give it a couple of weeks and if you don’t like it…don’t visit the site anymore. i will continue to visit, because i like to look at the pictures and read the stories. i really don’t care what the format is. keep with it elliot and good luck with everything!
ps i am glad chrystie has decided to stay on part time.
Hi Elliot-
Miss Thing here…now that we know that you’re not gay (not that it matters), what else are you going to share about yourself? You see, we bonded with Chrystie and thought of her as our BFF because she shared bits and pieces of herself and her life with us. She became a beloved girlfriend, not just another nameless blogger. I truly believe HMD’s loyal followers (myself included) would love to know more about you and will keep reading if you give us the skinny.
Many thanks! Oh yeah, I too love the new feature with the picures. Well done sir, well done!!
PS… are you really reading all of these posts?????
Elliott – Just wondering what the hooded woman has to do with being a hot momma? Like someone said before – the Grim Reaper needs to go! Seriously if that is look you are going for I think it needs to be thought out – it is morbid looking and not exactly what I (or most people) would think of when they think of a hotmomma.
Also the way you are posting the pics is horrible. they are so small and the commentary is beyond boring.
You have a very loyal fan base but it appears they are not happy with the new site – you may want to considering making some changes before you lose all your readers.
For now I am moving on to toher sites as the layout and style of this has changed so much and notin a good way – hopefully you will go back to what made HMD the success it was.
I’m not sure if you’re still reading these, but I wanted to put my 2 cents in…
The dark colors were much easier on the eyes. Please consider bringing back the dark background.
Thank you very much.
So Kirsten is also a painter. I’d like to see one of her works. And I can’t wait for Spiderman 4 to come out.