News About DoubleX

After some deliberation, we have decided to fold DoubleX back into Slate. The site will now become its own section, with our XX Factor blog, articles, and special projects already in the works. Our aim is to create a more intimate version of the community we have built, with many of the same voices and passions.

For many of you, this won't much change your experience of reading us. We will have many of the same bloggers and writers, and Hanna and Emily will continue to run the project. The decision is being made for business reasons rather than as an editorial judgment. In fact, it's the editorial quality of the site, and the way in which it so perfectly embodies the Slate DNA, that makes this a natural next step. This is a new phase, not an ending—since we came out of Slate, where we started XX Factor, it's a return to our roots.

To give us time to map out the details, the site will live in its current form until sometime around the end of the year. We will tell you when we're ready to pack up our virtual boxes and move back into Slate. When we do, we will have a new commenting feature on Slate that will allow us to improve on the thoughtful and smart commenting many of you have been doing. It's been an absolute pleasure, and we look forward to continuing it.

Tags: DoubleX, Slate

Hanna Rosin and Emily Bazelon are co-founding editors of DoubleX.

Comments

Well, thank goodness. I've

By: norahc | Tue, 11/24/2009 - 13:36

Well, thank goodness. I've been hoping this would go back to slate, it was always so much easier to read and comment on that site.

sorry to hear this

By: delia lloyd | Tue, 11/17/2009 - 06:17

I've really enjoyed this new site and do think that there was value-added in having a separate "women's" Slate site. But I will look forward to reading all of you back on Slate...good luck.

(ps-totally agree with comment above about "the fray"...is there a way to change that?)

Delia Lloyd
www.realdelia.com

Aw.

By: sugar_k | Tue, 11/17/2009 - 05:33

I'm glad XX isn't going away entirely, and that we'll still have the podcasts. I do hope you'll keep Friend or Foe. To me there's no such thing as too many advice columns.

My biggest regret is that (most of) the troll-ier trolls never bothered to make the leap from the Fray to the XX comments. It was nice to have a discussion space free of them.

Can't say I'll miss the comment-spam though.

Somewhat glad to see it

By: ockeghem | Mon, 11/16/2009 - 23:38

Although on the one hand, an independent voice for women might be a good thing, I think this decision is for the best. It's much easier to read articles on Slate, and I think there will be less of a scramble for content. Some of the content on this site has felt like it's a bit below the Slate standards -- filler needed to keep the site going (e.g., Friend or Foe). Some of the best content written by female writers ends up on the main Slate site, not here, anyway -- because it's not focused on gender issues.

And the tech support / format for the site has made it quite hard to read & follow -- the conversations can be hard to follow on the blog and there can be a lot of untouched junk comments to wade through.

So I'm glad you tried the experiment, but I'm also glad you're going back to Slate. I prefer not having female voices off in a ghetto, yet another click away from the Slate audience at large.

Thank you

By: rand | Mon, 11/16/2009 - 22:38

I remember a time when when Slate had dozens of excellent editorialists, among them Emily Bazelon, Daniel Gross and William Saletan. Over time its quality declined as it shunted off Daniel Gross to one new website and Emily Bazelon and others to another. Saletan disappeared to mystery blog land, only to resurface when his offhand comments grew long enough to warrant a mention on the main site. I never had the time or inclination to add emilybazelon.com or danielgross.com to my list of regularly visited websites (especially since the title of the former strongly suggested I wasn't welcome) and I grew increasingly disappointed with the Slate that remained. (I've meant to post on this for a while but could never find the proper place for it.)

So when I was scanning through the shell of Slate for an interesting Timothy Noah piece or a particularly violent Christopher Hitchens diatribe, and I saw on the sidebar "News About DoubleX," I thought to myself "please announce that you're folding up the Slatellites and will begin reconstituting Slate.com immediately." And to my great joy, it said that we are folding up a Slatellite and will begin reconstituting Slate.com immediately.

And so I thank you, and may DanielGross.com soon follow in your footsteps.

Hopefully will keep interesting articles

By: My two cents | Mon, 11/16/2009 - 20:46

While I mostly disagree with the position of Double-ex editors and bloggers, I have enjoyed reading well written out viewpoints, engaging in discussions, and love the contents of the articles, so I am hoping that all doesn't disappear.

You mean I won't have to

By: FMCTandP | Mon, 11/16/2009 - 20:27

You mean I won't have to click on "Read the rest of this article in DoubleX" anymore. Fantastic! A second teaser link (I already followed one to the original article) kills my interest more than half the time. I'm moved enough to register an account just to express my appreciation.

Moreover, whatever was the point of creating an entire second site to cordon off some of the better pieces on Slate from the general site? I mean, did you really think more people would read smart, well-written pieces if to do so they have to visit a "special" page for writing by/about women?

I love the content on XX when I visit, but I'll be *very* glad to get it back under a single umbrella.

Bummer!

By: buckleymer | Mon, 11/16/2009 - 19:48

I just found XX two weeks ago and now you're leaving?!?!? I am sad. Keep up the good work over at Slate - I'll continue to follow.

Demise of DoubleX

By: Caerolle | Mon, 11/16/2009 - 18:45

Double X served a valuble role for me, helping rid me of my XX Factor addiction.I prolly will check it out occasion, like I do now, will be interesting to see if the smug, self-assured, insular mindset that bloomed so spectachularly during the period of independance will survive the move back to Slate.
At the least, hopefully ppl will be able to get a response to technical issues, which I certainly was never able to do at Double X...
Carol

Good try.

By: bjan_1 | Mon, 11/16/2009 - 18:29

Sorry it didn't work out. You guys obviously put a lot of work into it.

And what will I do without MrJM's insightful comments?