And some more pictures from my Utah escape last weekend.
I'm programming a rating and recommendation system for my website, and want to test the basic functionality of the system before taking it "live" to the public. So, as a test, I've put together a few images from last weekend; if you could, take some time and head over to my Preview Page and recommend the pictures you like.
If you have comments about either the new system or the shots, post below. I'm especially curious if you like either or both of the Zebra (edit: was Zion) "Leading" shots. I tried to do something a bit different in composition, and I'm not sure if one or both attempts worked; I have my opinions, but would like to hear others.
I'm sure you meant Zebra Leading, but we get it. I guess I'm curious why you think you need a ratings system on your site, Les. Opinions are like a$$holes, after all - everybody's got one, and each one's probably different enough to make such a feature unwieldy. I think whether you like a particular shot and want to share it with the pubic - er, I mean, public, is what's really impotent - er, I mean, ah the hell with it. It's bedtime!
As to the ratings system, there are a few reasons:
1) I want to test the viability of a few "favorites" galleries other than my own; one of those would be by visitor rating.
2) I'd like to have such a system for feedback purposes like on the sample page, so I can set up occasional polls like those posted by others here on "which ones do you like best". Similarly, I might want to add an "I found this helpful" button to travelogue pages; same functionality, slightly different wording.
3) Whether or not I like to admit it, I'm a web developer, and I'm (a) experimenting, and (b) putting together a toolbox of useful functions for my photo site and other sites.
Hi Les, I really like the second and third zebra shots... especially the third one. It's very balanced.
As for the rating feature, I think this sort of feature is better suited for community photo sites such as summitpost.org in order to create a natural system for organizing and displaying quality content. For a single photographer site it seems a bit irrelevant. Regardless, perhaps a five-star rating scale would give more informative results than the simple "like it?" button. Or perhaps enabling direct commenting on photos? Anyhow, I know what you mean about experimenting with web stuff... pretty fun sometimes.
Les, I think it is a very interesting idea. I learn so much from customers and potential customers. There are many images that are some of my best sellers that I would never even have printed but through customer feedback. I've had to learn that my favorites aren't necessarily the favorites for the majority. While certainly the majority shouldn't be the one to call the shots, they can often help you to make better decisions. Great concept. I like Jack's idea of a 5 star rating for them.
Erik, I've found that out from customers, too. What I see as interesting doesn't always thrill customers, and what sells most is not necessarily my most creative or even necessarily inspirational work. If I were to put up a "best sellers" favorites gallery, it would differ significantly from my own favorite images.
I already developed the 1-5 rating system, too, but thought for this trial I'd do a Recommend instead. (I developed the 1-5 rating first - you're actually giving every photo you "like" a '5'...). What I need for the final site are some nice compact icons; I'm thinking of something in the "star" department... (No, the final site won't say "I Like It!" )
I see where you are coming from and like the concept. I think it should help you identify the prints that you didn't know would sell because photography buyers are not necessarily in tune with what I would like. I think just allowing your users to tag their favorite(s) would be the most useful for your purposes.
One possibility is to break out my galleries into several categories: Favorites, Locations, and Subjects. It will give visitors to my site more control over their viewing experience, and for those who don't want a full tour, they can select Artist Favorites, Top Ratings, or Best Sellers from the Favorites galleries and get photos that someone at least finds interesting.
One downside to the 1-5 rating is that it's hard to fit in a compact icon slot, and would require some funky slidebar programming or something like Yahoo News's star rating system. I'm also not sure how many people would put that much consideration into an image that they're just browsing through online; if I was just subjecting y'all to a set of pictures to ask for an opinion, then the 1-5 rating system could come in handy...
Discussion
7 repliesI'm programming a rating and recommendation system for my website, and want to test the basic functionality of the system before taking it "live" to the public. So, as a test, I've put together a few images from last weekend; if you could, take some time and head over to my Preview Page and recommend the pictures you like.
If you have comments about either the new system or the shots, post below. I'm especially curious if you like either or both of the Zebra (edit: was Zion) "Leading" shots. I tried to do something a bit different in composition, and I'm not sure if one or both attempts worked; I have my opinions, but would like to hear others.
As to the ratings system, there are a few reasons:
1) I want to test the viability of a few "favorites" galleries other than my own; one of those would be by visitor rating.
2) I'd like to have such a system for feedback purposes like on the sample page, so I can set up occasional polls like those posted by others here on "which ones do you like best". Similarly, I might want to add an "I found this helpful" button to travelogue pages; same functionality, slightly different wording.
3) Whether or not I like to admit it, I'm a web developer, and I'm (a) experimenting, and (b) putting together a toolbox of useful functions for my photo site and other sites.
PS - go to bed. It's what you're thinking of...
As for the rating feature, I think this sort of feature is better suited for community photo sites such as summitpost.org in order to create a natural system for organizing and displaying quality content. For a single photographer site it seems a bit irrelevant. Regardless, perhaps a five-star rating scale would give more informative results than the simple "like it?" button. Or perhaps enabling direct commenting on photos? Anyhow, I know what you mean about experimenting with web stuff... pretty fun sometimes.
Erik, I've found that out from customers, too. What I see as interesting doesn't always thrill customers, and what sells most is not necessarily my most creative or even necessarily inspirational work. If I were to put up a "best sellers" favorites gallery, it would differ significantly from my own favorite images.
I already developed the 1-5 rating system, too, but thought for this trial I'd do a Recommend instead. (I developed the 1-5 rating first - you're actually giving every photo you "like" a '5'...). What I need for the final site are some nice compact icons; I'm thinking of something in the "star" department... (No, the final site won't say "I Like It!"
I see where you are coming from and like the concept. I think it should help you identify the prints that you didn't know would sell because photography buyers are not necessarily in tune with what I would like. I think just allowing your users to tag their favorite(s) would be the most useful for your purposes.
One possibility is to break out my galleries into several categories: Favorites, Locations, and Subjects. It will give visitors to my site more control over their viewing experience, and for those who don't want a full tour, they can select Artist Favorites, Top Ratings, or Best Sellers from the Favorites galleries and get photos that someone at least finds interesting.
One downside to the 1-5 rating is that it's hard to fit in a compact icon slot, and would require some funky slidebar programming or something like Yahoo News's star rating system. I'm also not sure how many people would put that much consideration into an image that they're just browsing through online; if I was just subjecting y'all to a set of pictures to ask for an opinion, then the 1-5 rating system could come in handy...