Rob, not sure how open you guys are, but can I make a few suggestions? Take them as you will, but this is somewhat in my line of work, so I can offer a few ideas. This is based on the idea that 1) the customer experience should be as easy as possible, with a low upfront investment, and 2) One of the key identities of this site is the community around his blog posts (I learned more from people’s comments over the years, honestly, than from Matt himself – that will be a big loss)
1) The video is going to be tough to get people to watch when they come to the site. It’s a big investment up front. It might be better to have just an intro homepage for people to quickly read first, explaining all the principles. Easier than video format and more clear. With a video link if they want to invest more time.
2) Making people register before they get any real info is a tough sell. People like to check things out before investing usually. If they read the homepage, you may be able to get them to register before accessing blog posts (although I am of the opinion that open is better)
3) You could have the newer blog posts in a “blog” tab (not the home page, but accessible at the top tabs) so people can read them after reading the main guidelines.
4) You could create a link to the older archived articles on the site. Not something that is super obvious from the homepage, but a side link from the “blog” page, with a disclaimer that Matt’s views have changed over the years.
5) The comments on the articles were a big part of the community here. Even with the new, more annoying structure, I think it’s better than nothing. Or maybe you could go back to the older way of no option of replies, just all comments go to the bottom and you use @…. to respond to someone. I just think it is a BIG loss to lose the comment community feel.
Overall, I think the whole site feels much more impersonal now, and many people are not going to jump through registration, etc. to figure out what the site is all about.
My 2 cents, take what you will from it.