Re v9 Showcase Sites Thread

[Duncan Rounding]

I agree with keeping the thread clean and I will duly delete this after the point is raised. However in essence a showcase should showcase the best sites, an advert for both the designer and the software. So when we get sites posted which are totally trashed when using the world's most popular browser, is the stance that we just let them showcase their talents in this way or do we have an alternative suggested way to provide feedback?

Saying nothing is akin to watching a designer/site owner hang himself in front of you and saying nothing isn't it?

If I posted a site in a showcase thread, i'd like to think that feedback on anything totally trashed (as we have already in this thread) is somehow fed back in the interest of both my client and myself.

Could the thread not be cleaned up after or is there any other ideas?

I agree with what you're saying Lee. My suggestion was to start another thread for those that wanted feedback. Some people of course might not want any.

I did ask for the thread to be monitored and cleaned up but I'm not sure it will be the right thing to do or importantly that it will be done often enough - and the question then is 'how long should a post be left before it's deleted?'

What do you think?

[leehack]

I'm not sure Duncan to be honest, if designer asks for no feedback and a showcase he/she posts looks like a right abortion, what do you do? It just seems wrong not saying anything to me, but then again if that's what people want, so be it I suppose.

[leehack]

It's a different kind of feedback when the site is trashed to feedback where one says the colours don't work or I think the payment details should be more prominent etc. Site review feedback you could say needs to disappear, fundamental operation feedback needs to somehow be passed for the good of all.

[Duncan Rounding]

I've occasionally PMd people about their site so as not to draw attention to it publicly - perhaps that's the way if someone wants it to be private.

I think the issue is that once a thread gets into two and three or more pages the initial purpose of the thread often gets diluted and lost.

My stance when I started it was to take the easy way out and asked for no responses. I also asked Actinic to check occasionally and delete respnse threads.

May be other people have views on this for or against otherwise maybe let's just see how it goes?

[leehack]

I had thought about starting a V9 thread a few weeks ago, but it always felt a bit like 'look at me oooh' kind of thing when you are the starter (which is not what I wanted at all), so I steered away although I thought it was a very good idea to have. If it were my thread, I think I would have the very first post as a collation of links to sites, like a compressed list:

Duncan - www.genesistechnical.co.uk
Site 1 link
Site 2 link
Site 3 link
etc.

Jont - www.bikster.co.uk
Site 1 link
Site 2 link
Site 3 link
etc.

Lee - www.websitedesigned.co.uk
Site 1 link
Site 2 link
Site 3 link
etc.

I think in general people are only interested in the site, the feedback and background info can be read and scrolled through if wanted, so in essence whatever crap gets added to a thread doesn't really detract from the purpose. The first thread becomes the main stay of it all and is the thing you see first. That's my ideas on it anyway and what i'd do, bit like the Problem Solvers thread which seemed to work in the same way.

[Duncan Rounding]

Good point.

I don't mind collating the links into the first thread every so often. It won't just be for designers though of course.

Let's first see what other sites get posted, then maybe we can relax things. My concern is that in the past some people haven't taken criticism very well even if it was really to their benefit.

[leehack]

My concern is that in the past some people haven't taken criticism very well even if it was really to their benefit.

I totally agree m8, which is why I don't think there is a perfect answer. Been as most designers have links to their sites on the design, maybe you just add a numbered list instead, with the latest ones always being at the top?

[Duncan Rounding]

I'll fathom out a suitable way after we have more sites posted. Not much point anyway if it's not used.

[pinbrook]

In general i find the showcase useful in as far as it can show the full spectrum of what people are doing with v9. To a certain extent its irrelevant if its a good site or not. Often there is as much to be learnt from a bad site as a good site.

If someone notices something not functioning then a PM could be in order, otherwise each site shold be viewed simply as what can be done.

[leehack]

A showcase should be the best sites - period. You can look in the site review forum to see a host of balls ups if that's what needs to be 'learnt'. I can't believe I have read that tbh, incredible. I can imagine visiting a showhome on a new housing estate with peeling wallpaper and mould on the wall. At least I could come away knowing I didn't want peeling wallpaper and mould on my walls I guess .

If you have the ability to take anything good away from a great site, then a bad site or one that doesn't even work has nothing to offer you whatsoever.

[chris ashdown]

Interesting the talk is about "Designers" rather that "Actinic Owners" many people on the forum are not in their own words Designers ( taken as those who make there living from designing sites)

Also designers can often get carried away with clever designs that may not be the best solution for getting sales( remembering the big move to flash a number of years ago)

[Jan]

Would it be possible then to allow users to rate each site - that way anyone could post but people can also rate the sites so that naive users don't think that any bad sites posted are the best you can do. The problem with only including the best ones is that no one is going to agree with what the best ones are.

If this is to be used to advertise sites for designers then maybe a different sticky thread should be added where designers can add a single post for themselves and update it with any new examples that they wish to showcase. I think that would be an interesting thing to see and also penalises those designers that lurk on here.

[leehack]

Interesting the talk is about "Designers" rather that "Actinic Owners" many people on the forum are not in their own words Designers ( taken as those who make there living from designing sites)

First post says designers/site owners, there will be an inbalance on numbers for sure, however anyone can post as you can see in the main thread already. If a designer posts a site, there is a site owner involved in the equation 99.99% of the time too. Who does the post is immaterial surely? If Jonty posted one of your sites instead of you doing it, would that detract one iota from the point?

[animal dreams]

As as user who is definitely NOT a designer but developing my own sites, I am interested in a showcase of what can be achieved with Actinic in terms of design and functionality. So a list of sites with a brief synopsis of the design and specific functionality enhancements can be an inspiration to other users and potential users and may in return provide some business for the designer. I am not really interested in a list of sites from other DIY Actinicers such as myself.

I am with Chris. First and foremost a website needs to provide a return so good navigiation and presentation are my main criteria. And who knows, I may be so inspired to engage a designer to provide that aesthetic dimension for which I do not have the talent.

[Mike Hughes]

I like Jan's suggestion of finding some way we can rate sites so the best ones are the most visible.

This way anyone can post their efforts and everyone will be able to see sites which we think are good examples of what can be done.

It would also provide good feedback on how good we actually think a site is without having to be critical about it.

Mike