Is photo.net old looking?

I dont know about you but does this site seem outdated. There never

seems to be anything new in the way of reviews. Also, the layout and

messaging system is awkward to use (easy way of monitoring your

workspace). Ive just joined DeviantArt http://regomodo.deviantart.com/

and the page design is most definetly better but the standard of

images is a lot better here than there.

 

So, anybody with me on this one?

It's mature. Something that's in short supply on the web. ;>

I certainly do not find this site outdated.

Patrick Hudepohl, Mar 08 2005, 06:50 AM

<br>photo.net runs on AOLServer and TCL; you cannot simply insert a new bboard system and expect it to work.

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<br>Different Person, Mar 08 2005, 06:51 AM

<br>Yes! I agree, photo.net should definately upgrade it's forum software.

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<br>Bob Atkins, Mar 08 2005, 06:52 AM

<br>I actually like the way it works and looks. What exactly is wrong with it?

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<br>Yet Another Person, Mar 08 2005, 06:54 AM

<br>Finally, I thought I was the only one to not like the current system

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<br>Brian Mottershead, Mar 08 2005, 06:58 AM

<br>Well, can you offer specific improvements we should implement on <br>photo.net rather than just saying it doesn't look good?

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<br>Venicia L, Mar 08 2005, 06:59 AM

<br>Oh, why do you even bother? Nobody in photo.net management ever listens!

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<br>Clever Web Hacker, Mar 08 2005, 06:59 AM

<br>Actually, Patrick, adding a different forum system shouldn't be so difficult. PN runs on Oracle, right? So [insert clever solution here]

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<small>etc... Appy Polly Logies to all persons whose names I used without any consent. </small>

Nice one Patrick - had me confused there...

Outdated? Nope. What exactly is wrong woth it? Especially after some bugs were worked out months ago it also runs fast as hell & and is easy to navigate

Sure, it is a deliberate "retro" look designed by our high-powered marketing staff. Its intended to lull people into thinking that photo.net is a kind of non-slick, friendly, no-nonsense, quasi-amateur web site, instead of the evil, world-dominating, marketing megapower that it actually is. Works pretty well, no?

i dont think its bad, i think it just needs a few things sorted i.e PS7 edited jpgs, comments not being added quickly (I sent 1 a while back here and still hasnt appeared. Old reviews or lessons are another thing that (i feel) needs sorting. But is anybody a member of DA, if so you will know what im talking about. One last thing how old is this webpage design? if any1 knows that is

I think with out a doubt photo.net has far and away the best user interface. I have been to many sites and IMO none come close.

ok, this just happened to me. Submitting a pic to critique forum and randomly cancels half way through. eh?

Jon:

No.

Conni

That deviant site has all the traits I try to avoid, mainly a jumbled mess on the screen (was I supposed to see any images?). Photo.net is clean, has reviews when they are complete and warranted and keeps the forums clean and civil. Thanks to all the overworked and underpaid moderators I come here to a place I can trust not to try and corrupt my computer and fill my screen with popups.

yeah, you're right about the homepage, its a real crowded mess. What im after is a better user workspace, DA's is very clear and shows whats recent and leaves places for comments in a convenient place. However i think DA has been going around 4/5 years and its pretty stable. To make that site the best they really have to put in some moderators and a rating scheme because there is just way too much hapless attempts at photography (around 75%)

 

Popups, i have had no problems from there, at least not yet maybe.

 

Oh well, looks like im on my own then

I like it. It is a bit clunky in parts but it's clear, simple and

concise.

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I recently spent some time on a much more sophisticated site with all

sorts of funky bits and pieces until all the funky stuff got on my

nerves. PN is low bandwidth and does what it says on the tin.

<I>So, anybody with me on this one?</i><P>No, not at all. The site you mention is the typical annoying forum layout where you can use an avatar as a part of grammar, and also features a few dozen censored expletives on the front page alone. You really think that's an improvement, or you just want Photo.net to look like a chat room session?

I happen to like Photo.net as it is. Its simple layout and lack of anything fancy makes it much easier to read, and more usable than more modern sites. Also, consider that the important part of the site is photography -- if the layout is highly designed and distracting, when a photo shows up, the site surrounding the photo would detract from it. The simple design of Photo.net makes looking at photos kind of like looking at a transparency on a lightbox.

I give it a 4/4.

one thing that would improve photo.net immensely would be the capability of members to "tag" (and batch tag) their photos, and for the site to consolidate similar tags. by "tagging" I mean simply to include any number of keyword descriptors, such as " photoshop / portrait / children / b+w / duotone / usa / ohio " and have PN offer a search mode by "tag". sure it wouldn't help us to search out and batch group old photos, but since so many more new ones are uploaded every day now than before, it would certainly benefit the usability of the site (if implemented this year) several years down the road.

 

check out the website "flickr" (currently in beta) if you want to see the potential benefits (and drawbacks) of tagging photos.

 

http://www.flickr.com/

ok, i think this has gone the wrong way. What im talking about is the inability of PN not being able to support pics edited in PS7 and the inability to track your comments from 1 page. Yes, you are all correct about the overcrowding but that is on the 1st page not individual image pages. Also you are correct on the constant use of profanities but this is not what i am talking about. Its the lack of file compatibilty, old photo reviews or lessons (maybe an update because a lot of the things talked about do not exist anymore or are obsolete. Also, i dont understand the chat room session comment, thats probably because i have never used it so sorry about that one.

 

Yep, im most definetly a minority in this case-the story of my life.

 

Ah ok Bob,dont get me wrong i like this site,thats why im here, just maybe a search facility.

 

By the way your reply made me laugh because its so true

We have a search facility. Haven't you found it yet?

That Deviant Art page is meant to look "cool" with neat boxes all over the place containing bits & pieces... like some kind of space aged console display from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. I won't deny that it *looks* cool at a glance. From a practical point of view, it's a jumbled, disjointed mess of a thing - typical of the form-over-function school of web page design which has come about with the advent of web-blog generating software. For the "designer" behind sites like these, it's just a matter of defining a bunch of boxes in a config file somewhere, selecting a colour theme, and voila, an instant website. If the same folks developed software, the software would be practically unusable! I hasten to add that sites like that are hugely better than what we used to get in the days of a zillion animated gifs and background music in the mid 90's.

omg! i dont believe i've missed that. Years of being here and never seen it. Always expected to see a box with search/go next to it. Cheers for that 1.

One thing I hate about most other discussion sites is that you must

click on every damn article, even the ones containing stupid comments

(it's impossible to know which ones are stupid until you've already

wasted time downloading them). Here, and on slash-dot, you get the

whole thread on a single page. What could be better than that, to

quote Talking Heads.