Date: 2026-08-21 Channel: Megaphone Thread: https://ryevalley.slack.com/archives/C06UJ3V2HEV/p1787330036091789
Comprehensive feedback batch from Blake Emal. These are his own words on Studio behavior.
UI / UX issues
Archive: Archive button tags posts as “archived” but does not remove them from the drafting desk. Posts keep stacking. The archived button works (shows archived posts), but hitting archive on a card should remove it from the desk, not add a tag.
Timeline randomization: New drafts and ideas are being inserted randomly into the desk timeline, not at the top. Blake has lost drafts because he cannot tell what is new. Everything new should go to the top and display a “New” badge until clicked. This is the top priority for desk UX.
Content pillars vs format tags: Current tags say “contrarian take,” “short form,” “case study” — these are format tags. Blake wants content pillar tags that show which pillar each post addresses for each client, so he can verify the correct pillar mix. He wants to visualize the weekly pillar breakdown and confirm weighted distribution is right.
System voice (chat): Blake wants the Studio system chat to follow the Google Developer Documentation Style Guide for its own communications to him. His concern: chat gets filled with “huge gobs of text” he does not need. He wants concise, simple output in the chat pane. He does not want this to affect client post tone at all. The guide is ~300 pages; he would settle for just “make the chat more simple and concise.”
Recommended batch box: The current “ideas” surfacing is recycling evergreen ideas that do not reflect what clients have actually sent in. He wants a weekly “Recommended batch” box (visible Monday) that: (1) pulls all client inputs not yet turned into posts, (2) pulls Granola call notes not yet actioned, (3) separates short form from long form based on the client’s weekly batch needs, (4) gives double the needed volume so he can choose, (5) prioritizes trend-jacking and client-specific context over generic evergreen ideas.
Writing rules (Hermes system voice)
Never use these words:
- gap
- real
- most
- pattern
Never use these phrases:
- “The pattern is X”
- “Here’s what”
- “Here’s where”
- “Here’s why”
- “The X was never the bottleneck. Y was.”
No transition phrases between paragraphs or ideas. Just say the interesting thing instead of introducing the interesting thing first.
Why it matters
Blake is the primary power user in Studio. These are not suggestions, they are friction he is experiencing daily. The archive/timeline issues are causing him to lose drafts. The pillar-tag gap is causing him to manually track content mix. The chat verbosity is making it harder to use the tool.