A self-important post: Green thumbs, Twitter ads and various items CHS

We haven't posted one of these -- as somebody, in classic fashion once described 'About CHS' posts -- self-important blog posts in awhile. So let's get it out of our system:

• Green thumbs: You may have noticed that we've replaced the old thumbs-up/thumbs-down rating tool on articles and comments with only a 'Recommend this' thumbs-up. Why? It was too easy for one person to make a drive-by negative impact by clicking the thumbs-down just because they disagreed. There was an increase in these acts of shallow commentary recently convincing us that it was time for a change. As for making it too easy to show approval, well, can't say this appears to be a problem in the cool, cruel world. Anything we can do to tip the scales of positivity seems healthy, no?
• Twitter Ads: Now we're just showing off. We've introduced a cool new ad format here on CHS that we think makes a lot of sense. Our new Twitter Ad template showcases a local business's social media message making an ad that's dynamic and, hopefully, interesting for people who live and work in the neighborhood. Here's an example form our first Twitter advertiser, City Books. You can follow them, btw, here @citybooks and thank for being part of CHS.
  
  Want to create your own CHS Twitter Ad? Start here and choose Midrise and then the Twitter Ad layout.
• CHS by E-mail: Did you know you can get a fresh batch of the latest CHS posts in your inbox every morning? Tis true. Look for this box over in the right sidebar.
  
• Our other new features are slowly taking shape and becoming part of the CHS experience:
  o Reviews
  o Forums
  o Classifieds
• Aggregation: We're experimenting with high-quality ways to share content with you from other sources. Sometimes it will be a story about Capitol Hill that we missed. Sometimes it will be citywide issues that are also important here on Capitol Hill. Here's an example that we featured today. You'll notice these posts mixed in with our regular CHS coverage. We'll always be about original, one-of-a-kind neighborhood news and information -- but we're also looking for the best possible way to grow beyond that and add the power of Seattle's online news and info providers to the mix.
• And we couldn't be happier with the continued growth in new people -- and regulars! -- coming to the site. Here's a snapshot of recent usage trends. You can see the latest numbers on our About Us page.Thanks much. Now back to the news.