Jeff Mottle Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Hi all, I know I've been talking about this for more years than I can actually recall and it's beyond overdue, but I've employed a company to work on a new version of CGA with a lot of new features and functionality. Most of the scope has been defined, but I wanted to solicit your feedback about what you want to see in your new site so I can bring it into the final discussions. Plans are to have the site launched in late Aug to Mid September if all stays on schedule. Please post your comments here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notamondayfan Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Good to hear that you have plans to improve, but what are they exactly? Are we taking more content, better usability, etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic H Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 better content ban 90% of users Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwanp Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Especially Aussies living in UK ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattclinch Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 - a change to the way images are viewed in the java popup thing - can make mid-clicking multiple uploads to compare very difficult. - thumbnailed posts in the 'unread posts' view as in the 'architectural visualisation gallery' as it is the only way i currently browse the forums. - more compact posts and more posts per page - always seems a large amount of wasted space for short posts - perhaps smaller avatars / less bio / smaller 'view my gallery' buttons / signatures etc. - wider page - is the average desktop of the user really low enough to force us to a 950px page width? if it is, can the content be auto-adjusting - using 75% of the width of the browser window for example? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brodie Geers Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 I agree with a lot of what Matt said. I'd like to see it as trim and sleek as possible. How that works with all the different ads on here though, I don't know. -Brodie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattclinch Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 i'd also like to add the following. - yearly membership with dedicated forum area/ad-free version for members - in order that Jeff does not have to live on the street in order to finance the running of this fantastic online community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Homeless Guy Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 I have slowly started skipping over most of the gallery posts do to questionable quality of some, and new threads for each image in a related project rather than each project grouped into one thread, etc... I would like to see a system more like CGTalk, or Evermotion uses where there is a row of 6-8 thumbnail across the top that highlight the most recent '4.5 to 5 star' images that have been posted to the gallery. Though one thing I don't like about CGTalks setup is that if you link directly to the new posts, then it does not have the premiere gallery across the top. However, if you link directly to the Evermotions new posts, it does have the premiere gallery at the top. Also, I still don't believe there is a way to manage what images appear in your personally gallery. A way to make images visible or not visible, and to move one of them to be the splash image of your gallery would be nice. Also, the ability to subscribe to certain users gallery's so that when a new image is uploaded, you receive a email notification that there is a new image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Homeless Guy Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Also, ..while not directly related, I prefer podcast interview with people, rather than typed interviews. I would like to hear the person talking and discussing what they are doing. This also allows me to listen while I work. I think a few people have attempted a viz related podcast, but I am not sure there has ever been enough momentum or content to keep it going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Buckley Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 ^^^^^^ +1 I personally feel like there needs to be some sort of quality control before something is posted in the Arch Viz forums - almost like a judging scheme, if it doesn't fit the criteria then a tactful email is sent to the poster saying it has been moved to WIP. Probably a little difficult to control though without too much manual time/cost. But then again, we do have Viz Pro of the week. But what Nic said does also reflect how I've felt about the forums for a while, since it all changed at least. But at the same time I also think back to when I first started posting and how 'amateur' I came across with certain questions and image posts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Buckley Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 One more thing, how about a slick iPad version so I don't have to use tapatalk to view the forums which works without a crash 5% of the time I use it, and thats when it decides to display images. +1 on Matt's comment to, I'd happily pay for an ad free membership. Not too bothered about a high price (not too high) either if there were some perks other than no ads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwanp Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 I think that this site is the premiere platform for people to learn the art, get help and assistance from the community and any plans to reduce the open forum to perhaps an exclusive area would in time lead to a 2 tear forum that would in effect undermine much of what is good about cgarchitect. Paying for ad free memebership is one thing, limiting access to certain areas could alienate the new upcoming vizualisers and I feel would be a backwards step. Working at a University, this site is one of the first places I point anyone interested in a-viz (along with Evermotion etc) and feel it has a fundamental place in the education and inspiration of the next generation. Just my thoughts... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Hunt Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 One of the problems with the CGTalk quality control is that its pretty much up to 1 moderators discression and that moderator has had to cop alot of flack in the past for some choices. I also agree that having a two tier system is not inclusive. I like the pod cast idea, A "hard core" crit forum, as long as its closly monitored More Mini challenges, eg modeling, lighting, Post, more for fun rather than for prizes. Although it might be a way to get sponsors/ advertisers on board. jhv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Hart Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 +1 for a CGTalk style gallery setup, where you do not have to post an image in a thread. - Thumbnails that can lead you from one artist to the next. (CGTalk style) - Some little indicator (or a random gallery thumb) that tells you there is something to actually see when you click on "View My Gallery". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notamondayfan Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I definitely agree with the mobile version, I'm on Android here and it's a right pain viewing the forum on my mobile. I also think competitions would be great, but you need prizes in my opinion to get people interested and participating. Just look at the Ronen Bekerman forum competitions and the quality of work that comes from it. Competitions don't have to be massive, time intensive either, maybe more creative or exploring new techniques, software, tools, etc. I don't mean this as a dig either, but the forums need more moderation. I personally hate it when people use the General Discussion to ask software related questions, and then complain when they get no response. The post should either be moved or deleted. I'm personally unsure as to how a podcast would work, maybe a weekly digest of the industry would work better in text / image / video form? Something quickly to read and skim over, maybe divided into different sections such as projects, technology, software, tutorials / tips, etc? Cheers, Dean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattclinch Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 my only concern with a 'moderated content' approach is that it is likely to put off the less experience or more junior illustrator. we were all really bad once, and its places like this with honest, informed and direct critique from peers which helped most of us improve. it cannot become some kind of elite club. having said that, it would be very useful for the more junior members to have a clear idea of the capability of someone that responds to their post. it does make me cringe when i see poor advice given out to people on here - like the blind leading the blind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattclinch Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I think that this site is the premiere platform for people to learn the art, get help and assistance from the community and any plans to reduce the open forum to perhaps an exclusive area would in time lead to a 2 tear forum that would in effect undermine much of what is good about cgarchitect. Paying for ad free memebership is one thing, limiting access to certain areas could alienate the new upcoming vizualisers and I feel would be a backwards step. Working at a University, this site is one of the first places I point anyone interested in a-viz (along with Evermotion etc) and feel it has a fundamental place in the education and inspiration of the next generation. Just my thoughts... just realised i pretty much said the same thing as you - didn't go to page 2 before replying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devin Johnston Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 +1 for the android/iphone app The idea of a paid site has come up before and I think the consensus was that it would divide the community. I do like the concept of some kind of user rating where their comments or art could be given a score which could indicate their level of expertise as judged by the community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Homeless Guy Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I wonder if the implementation of something like OnSwipe is better than developing a custom app. I am not sure if OnSwipe is 100% out yet, but the idea is to make it easy for content owners to publish to touch platforms without days of coding-recoding and formatting. http://onswipe.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dollus Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 an auto archive of threads would be great to prevent 2007 questions being answered and dug back up. keep the archive searchable but keeps the forums current. perhaps just locking the threads after 6 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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