Flah

[David A. Goldfarb]

No music, unless it's a music-related site. It's really annoying to have to wait to download irrelevant music, or to have unexpected music coming out of the speakers in the office.

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

- No music
- No Flash. No Intro. No Skip.
- No Java.
- Pictures. Text.

And that's IT. Otherwise I'm not going to your site.

 

[Bob F.]

I still want to know why? Not a dumb, argumentative question: I really do question the reason for these Intro splash screens, Flash or otherwise. What conceivable advantage do they confer? Why make people click on a useless page to get to the actual site? It really does smack of the triumph of design over function (but then, I am an engineer by education, training & temperament...). However fast you make it load, why is it there in the first place?

As far as I am aware, there is no practical way of knowing if the user that connects to your web server is on dial-up without running a script that will take at least as long to run as loading the Flash script anyway. Oh, guess what? No music either please Not a problem for me as I have the speakers switched off anyway for that very reason: music on web sites = yuk!

Just because you technically can do something, does not mean that you should do it...


Cheers, Bob.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I guess the reason to do it is the same as the reason that books have a title page instead of having the title and author's name simply centered at the top of the first page of text, but if the title page made the book 50% heavier and you had to use a special tool to turn the title page, then no one would want a title page.

 

[Paul Sorensen]

I checked out one of the templates on the page you linked to and it took far too long on my very fast cable connection. Stay away from that stuff! It doesn't help anything and doesn't make you look any better!

Here is an article from the usability expert Jakob Nielsen. It is a bit old, but the kind of problems that he discusses and still very real with flash. (Just so you don't think this is all about a bunch of web site luddite elitists!) http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20001029.html

Paul.

 

[titrisol]

Please no flash!

I have flashblocker in my firefox... nifty extension!

 

[MattKing]

Flash is great - if you need to represent movement. A flash slideshow can be a great option, as long as thumbnails are what appear first.

Here is what would grab my attention - a website that is focussed on collecting fine art black and white photographs, and shows a regularly updated feature - a new interesting/striking/beautiful or evocative fine art black and white photograph.

If you would like to put music on as an option, go ahead. Just make sure that it requires the visitor to turn it on (not off). I use sound on my computer at work for a number of purposes, and have to adjust volume regularly. Clicking on a website that starts blaring at me without warning drives me nuts!

 

[jjstafford]

Flash is great - if you need to represent movement. A flash slideshow can be a great option, as long as thumbnails are what appear first.

Here is what would grab my attention - a website that is focussed on collecting fine art black and white photographs, and shows a regularly updated feature - a new interesting/striking/beautiful or evocative fine art black and white photograph.

Of course, those things can be done without flash.

 

[lee]

what has this got to do with analog photography? Once again Inked has steered this site toward digital. As far as I can tell he is neither a photographer or a collector. When he is not mining this site for ideas for his magazine, he is trying to get info about his web site for free. I refuse to have anything else to do with this clown.

lee\c

 

[DavidS]

what has this got to do with analog photography? Once again Inked has steered this site toward digital. As far as I can tell he is neither a photographer or a collector. When he is not mining this site for ideas for his magazine, he is trying to get info about his web site for free. I refuse to have anything else to do with this clown.

lee\c

Actually, the name of this sub-forum is presentation & marketing. How many photographers on APUG have their own website? As my site is photography based, this discussion is relevant to the presentation and marketing of photographers on my website. Some of the photographers on my website are members of APUG, so it has even more relevance.

 

[Jorge]

Actually, the name of this sub-forum is presentation & marketing. How many photographers on APUG have their own website? As my site is photography based, this discussion is relevant to the presentation and marketing of photographers on my website. Some of the photographers on my website are members of APUG, so it has even more relevance.

Well, I always thought it was presentation and marketing of prints not of web sites. But then, it seems you only participate on this site when you want something. Isnt there any magazine web sites where you can discuss the marketing and presentation of your magazine?

How is your site analog photography based? Sure, you include analog photography, but by your own admision the moment you get more digital advertisers and photographers, you will drop analog photography like a hot potato. Nothing wrong with that, but it sure would be nice if you stopped advertising your magazine here. Simmons was asked to stop advertising his magazine here, and his is a far more relevant magazine to analog photography than yours, so it is only fair you abide by the same code.

 

[Dave Parker]

When it comes down to it David, if you have not figured it out, not many of us here on this website want to hear about your website or your magazine anylonger, if your magazine is good, the masses will pick it up and run with it, if not, then you will die on the vine, like many other have done in the past, your slipshot and in the side door marketing principals seem to be getting a bit old, and a bit worn out, we have offered suggestions, which you have fluffed off and scuttlebuted, you have make your stance clear, I am right, you are wrong and be damned I am going to prove my point!

As one of the other members here always posts in his signature...

"Move on folks, nothing here to see!"

Dave

 

[geraldatwork]

Well, I always thought it was presentation and marketing of prints not of web sites. But then, it seems you only participate on this site when you want something. Isnt there any magazine web sites where you can discuss the marketing and presentation of your magazine?

How is your site analog photography based? Sure, you include analog photography, but by your own admision the moment you get more digital advertisers and photographers, you will drop analog photography like a hot potato. Nothing wrong with that, but it sure would be nice if you stopped advertising your magazine here. Simmons was asked to stop advertising his magazine here, and his is a far more relevant magazine to analog photography than yours, so it is only fair you abide by the same code.

Isn't he allowed to ask a question????????

"I've been contemplating using a flash entrance and option for my website. How many photographers use flash or any form of advanced website presentation for their sites? Does anyone know how having a flash entrance will effect spiderbots?"

That's what it looked like to me.

From what I can see there are plenty of people "advertising" their magazines, contests,web sites, gallery shows,photos on ebay, etc. which is part of what a site such as this should be. Where else would we get this information????

 

[Dave Parker]

Isn't he allowed to ask a question????????

"I've been contemplating using a flash entrance and option for my website. How many photographers use flash or any form of advanced website presentation for their sites? Does anyone know how having a flash entrance will effect spiderbots?"

That's what it looked like to me.

From what I can see there are plenty of people "advertising" their magazines, contests,web sites, gallery shows,photos on ebay, etc. which is part of what a site such as should be. Where else would we get this information????

Gerald, once again, you are wrong, the advertisment of something that does not fit within the theme of a website, should not be marketed here, there have only been a couple that have advertised their websites and magazines here, and only one of them is devoted entirely to the theme of the website, the Inked guy is on a phishing trip everytime he posts, I have asked him hard questions because I was looking for a place to advertise, and his answers and my responces were taken as an attack, and I was accused of slander, this guy really needs to find somewhere else to ply his wares, because with the tone of the current postings to his questions, I don't know that I could find many that support him or his magazine.

Sorry, the facts are hard, and he is going to have to accept it.

Dave

 

[Jorge]

Isn't he allowed to ask a question????????

"I've been contemplating using a flash entrance and option for my website. How many photographers use flash or any form of advanced website presentation for their sites? Does anyone know how having a flash entrance will effect spiderbots?"

That's what it looked like to me.

From what I can see there are plenty of people "advertising" their magazines, contests,web sites, gallery shows,photos on ebay, etc. which is part of what a site such as this should be. Where else would we get this information????

Call me foolish Gerald, but I thought this site was for analog photography, not for asking questions on digital web sites. Sure, there are some members who sporadically ask opinions about their web sites, but keep in mind these are web sites about analog photography, and that usually is done once at the most, not about a magazine which by the editor's own admition beleives digital is the way to go. I find it somewhat hypocritical that he belives digital is and will be the better venue, but keeps comming to this site to advertise, fish for subscriptions and talk about digital matters on his web site.

As you say, one question is no big deal, even if it is digital. But we have far more than one question started by inked and they all revolve around his magazine. IMO, there should be some consistency to the "rules," if we asked Simmons not to advertise and continually post "questions" about his magazine, it is only fair that the same standard be applied to all merchants.

Ultimately Gerald, sponsors have their own forum and they can talk about their product to their heart's content. Those of us who sometime advertise in APUG, pass along some money to Sean on top of our subscription fee. It would be nice if the editor of inked would either comeback as a sponsor or pass along some of the profit from the subcriptions to support this site.

 

[lee]

Actually, the name of this sub-forum is presentation & marketing. How many photographers on APUG have their own website? As my site is photography based, this discussion is relevant to the presentation and marketing of photographers on my website. Some of the photographers on my website are members of APUG, so it has even more relevance.

Inked,

Says you and I dont agree. I agree with Jorge.

lee\c

 

[geraldatwork]

Ultimately Gerald, sponsors have their own forum and they can talk about their product to their heart's content. Those of us who sometime advertise in APUG, pass along some money to Sean on top of our subscription fee. It would be nice if the editor of inked would either comeback as a sponsor or pass along some of the profit from the subcriptions to support this site.

Actually that makes a lot of sense. I've never sold anything here but have purchased items from a few people hopefully they contributed someting. From looking at his site it looks like the magazine has some interest in addition to just photography. It is probably not that expensive to advertise here and might be a good idea for him.

 

[lee]

he was an advertiser for a while but for some reason his stuff got pulled from the site.


lee\c

 

[Dave Parker]

Actually that makes a lot of sense. I've never sold anything here but have purchased items from a few people hopefully they contributed someting. From looking at his site it looks like the magazine has some interest in addition to just photography. It is probably not that expensive to advertise here and might be a good idea for him.

Gerald,

He has already been down that road, he was an advertiser, but me thinks he had different motives.

Dave

 

[geraldatwork]

Gerald,

He has already been down that road, he was an advertiser, but me thinks he had different motives.

Dave

I hadn't really been following that closely to remember.

 

[Ray Bidegain]

While Inked is on the chopping block has anyone seen an issue? I have participated in some advertising but wonder if the thing has been published or not.

Ray Bidegain

 

[Jorge]

While Inked is on the chopping block has anyone seen an issue? I have participated in some advertising but wonder if the thing has been published or not.

Ray Bidegain

The guy supplied a pdf of the second issue where your ad is placed. If you contact him I am sure he will be glad to send you a copy, is the least he can do...

 

[DavidS]

Well, I always thought it was presentation and marketing of prints not of web sites. But then, it seems you only participate on this site when you want something. Isnt there any magazine web sites where you can discuss the marketing and presentation of your magazine?

I'm once again, not marketing my magazine. I entered into two forums asking questions, one was about film, another was about my website. If people wanted to view my website, they have the ability to view it anytime they want. If you ask me to stop putting my website in my signature, then you'd have to ask all other photographers to do the same.

How is your site analog photography based? Sure, you include analog photography, but by your own admision the moment you get more digital advertisers and photographers, you will drop analog photography like a hot potato.

Please go back into any of the previous posts I've made and quote that sentence exactly where I have said "The moment I get more digital advertisers and photographers, I will drop analog photography like a hot potato." If you cannot find that quote from me, verbatim, then please retract it. We have a law here in America that protects businesses and people from false claims made by other people or interests. It's called slander, Jorge. I have never said I would drop analog photography from my magazine, I have said numerous times that traditional/analog photography would be the main emphasis for the magazine, but that we also need to pay attention to the future. The traditional photography market has shurnk so considerably that only people who have a love for analog photography, mostly black and white, will continue to purchase it. Digital photography will become the future of mainstream photography...but art isn't mainstream. At least the art I market in my magazine isn't. I've shown statistics before that show even though most photographers have experiemented with digital, the long-term future will prove that most art photographers will continue and prefer to use the traiditional photography process and so will my magazine.

I, once again, came onto this forum to talk about marketing photographers and their prints and asked a simple question about one of the ways I market them.

Nothing wrong with that, but it sure would be nice if you stopped advertising your magazine here. Simmons was asked to stop advertising his magazine here, and his is a far more relevant magazine to analog photography than yours, so it is only fair you abide by the same code.

I'm not advertising my magazine, I'm asking simple questions to which other people bring up my magazine. The last time I started a thread and advertised my magazine was in the Sponsors Forum about two months ago.

 

[DavidS]

When it comes down to it David, if you have not figured it out, not many of us here on this website want to hear about your website or your magazine anylonger, if your magazine is good, the masses will pick it up and run with it, if not, then you will die on the vine, like many other have done in the past, your slipshot and in the side door marketing principals seem to be getting a bit old, and a bit worn out, we have offered suggestions, which you have fluffed off and scuttlebuted, you have make your stance clear, I am right, you are wrong and be damned I am going to prove my point!
Dave

Actually, I have taken most if not all of your answers into consideration and have acted upon them...in fact, I have completely altered the original strategy I had based upon the feedback I received here. I was going to do away with HTML, but I decided to keep it and offer FLASH to those who want to use it. I will continue to update and refreshen the HTML side of the site to make it look more appealing. I've spent thousands of dollars on that website, from marketing it, to desinging and re-designing it. I'm going to make sure that my rankings stay in the top 5 with the best looking photography-based website out there.

 

[DavidS]

Actually that makes a lot of sense. I've never sold anything here but have purchased items from a few people hopefully they contributed someting. From looking at his site it looks like the magazine has some interest in addition to just photography. It is probably not that expensive to advertise here and might be a good idea for him.

To be honest, I would love to support Sean and this forum with a monthly financial contribution. That choice was removed from my options two months ago, by Sean because my website contained photography that was digitally based.

I also post and talk on a lot of digital photography forums, and it''s so interesting how professional digital photographers are more accepting of a magazine that, for the majority, doesn't adhere to their own way of photography. I guess if you even mention the word "digital" on an analog based photography forum, which in this day and age it's foolish to pretend it doesn't exist, people feel threatened that their way of life is going to be taken away from them. If anyone would care to take a look, I am not here to threaten anyone's analog ways of life, I market and talk about many more traditional photographers than I do digital. I myself am about to begin experimenting with analog photography and will upload my results when I am done developing them...or when the lab is done at least.