joerhoney
Posts:1
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| 10/29/2007 7:23 PM |
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| My first impression of jamuse was another online portfolio website (which I was very exited about, especially with its clean design). Then, on a second take, sort of a cross between flickr and youSENDit. A that point I wasn't sure if I wanted to sign up or not. I was concerned that I might be uploading my work for everyone to share and use, and that I would be opening the door to accidently giving my art away.
Being invited to the Advisory Board, I had incentive to learn more, so now I have a better understanding of it. But if I hadn't been, it probably would have been months from now or even longer, before I would bother to find out what its all about.
So, although its been mentioned already, I think it should be more clear, not just what jamuse is, but all the basic features is has and the benefits you get out of it, and it should be on the front page.
Also, I'd say there might need to be reassurance that one's file are protected on this site.
The "Quick Tour" that was emailed to me helped a lot, so perhaps expanding on that sort of thing would make things more clear.
:j |
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Hugh Waller
Posts:29
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| 10/29/2007 8:29 PM |
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| As a member living in Australia I have not been able to take part in the board member meetings held thus far because of the time difference, and I'm sure I am not alone here. Would it be possible for those of us that are unable to participate in the actual meetings to be sent a copy of any minutes taken or some other form of the meetings discussions. In addition could a site forum be set up in which a summarised version of a meetings discussions and outcomes are posted as the main topic to which those of us that are interested but unable to physically participate in the meetings can also contribute. By doing this one of the underlying philosophies of jaMuse, i.e. 'togetherness' would be further enhanced and the risk of alienating some board members diminished. The only way I have at the moment to find out what is/has been happening is by sifting through various forums and try to follow a thread of comments, something I don't always have the time to do. Just a thought. |
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DougACE
Posts:0
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| 10/30/2007 2:11 PM |
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First impressions - Good start on overall look, some nice java features for presentation (ie the flipthrough on the portfolio) and I like the idea of the collaborative project features though I have not used them.
I do think the user interface needs some refinement. It's not quite there yet. To be fair I'd have to be specific and make some more notes; but off the top of my head here are a couple of things:
- backward navigation from a portfolio detail to view the thumbnails again. In my experience with other java based sites, using the browser's back button can give you unwanted results by navigating away from the module you are in. Perhaps a breadcrumb trail that indicates how deep you are in a user's profile?
- in reviewing my personal assets there should be a way to include/exclude the assets in/from the community, portfolio, etc. in each view option, not just in the final option. It took me a little bit to find where I could do this once I uploaded a few items.
- typically when entering my address in my profile, typically there are two lines available for businesses or residential addresses that require it (at least in the US). My company's location is one of those that requires it, and though I was able to enter both parts on one line, it would seem better and follow standard convention to have two lines available.
- when editing the information on my uploaded assets, I found that the site was a little unresponsive and flashed a warning that I was not allowed to edit information on files that had not yet been converted - even though the files showed as ready from the upload window. After this warning showed, it was about a 50/50 chance that the keyword and description edits I made would take so it made me wonder if it was a bug of some sort?
- when poking through portfolios, it would be nice for some descriptions (or at least the title of the work) show on the flip-through preview. I would really like to see the full details shown in the float window when selecting a specific image. It would also be nice to be have this float window image display about 50% larger than when browsing through a user's portfolio through the main navigation screen.
- I'd like to be able to screen through the community at the top level by experience (not advanced search only). It would also be nice to understand what the screening process is when selecting/approving members.
That's about all I have off my first impression. I can get more specific later, but for now I do offer my appreciation for all the hard work to date for what shows to be a promising tool and my encouragement for the development to come. I look forward to the evolution...
Thanks for the invite,
Doug |
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David Fritsche, Founder
Posts:239
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| 10/30/2007 8:26 PM |
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Doug,
Great comments thanks.
Hugh
I appreciate that it is early there during the scheduled meetings. We'll try and schedule meeting at various other times to be open to those outside the Western Hemishpere. We find Mid-day New York works well for the Western Hemisphere and Europe. But not so well for Asia and Australia.
Joe,
Thanks for the suggestions. We are working on much more in the way of material and tutorials that you should see soon. |
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David Fritsche, Founder
Posts:239
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| 10/30/2007 8:42 PM |
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Parel, Helen, Sue, Kyle,
Last week we saw more people join than anticipated...a good thing, but it also helped make the site images get a little stale as the first priority is building relationships with people. I am glad to say you will start seeing more images rotating, more featured artists and many new features. We are glad to see soooo many people using the site thanks to your invitations. Once we open the site to the public, you'll see even more traffic to you and your files.
If you have more nominations, get a hold of Bruce. I think there are over 60 countries represented now. China joined this week. We are looking for true talent in each category and others to represent regions of the world(Countries etc...). Each representative bring a unique perspective that we are working hard to mold into a global community meeting global needs.
Stay tuned... :-) |
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richlynn
Posts:3
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| 10/31/2007 3:42 PM |
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 I am very impressed with jamuse. The site is very clean/nice layout. It's definitely inviting and holds you for hours. So far, I haven't found anything to negate.
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richlynn
Posts:3
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| 10/31/2007 5:07 PM |
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| once jamuse is available to the public, my concern is your server capacity. Will the server be able to handle the traffic? If not how will these issue be address/will there be a timely response on resolving server issues? |
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james_orear
Posts:11
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| 10/31/2007 7:08 PM |
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Just signed up today and so far I am pretty impressed by it. Love the clean, fresh design, innovative features and a lively responsive forum. My initial thoughts for looking at by staff:
Can one's portfolio order be altered or set to randomize? Can we choose to not display file names?
When I click on the MUSEWORX tab I get an empty screen.
In the blog, I had trouble getting the link feature to work. Pop-up message asking me to enter a valid link (resource button selected) when I was pointing to a valid html link.
What's the plan for supporting the site in the future (meaning how much will it cost, will there be different levels of membership, priority placement on front page, etc.)?
Love at first site (but then love can be blind)!
~James
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Heidi
Posts:1
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| 10/31/2007 7:28 PM |
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| My first impression was quite positive because of the simple, clean layout. Most things were pretty straightforward but I wish I had gotten the quick tour email because I also found it a bit difficult to figure some things out. The purpose of the advisory board wasn't even very clear at first, although I eventually discovered this discussion board and it cleared things up. Most other questions were resolved with more exploration.
One design issue I had was with the "Welcome to Jamuse" box on the home page, especially since that is the first thing most people see. Perhaps too much text with too many different fonts in a small space can be confusing? Also, some of the images used made sense but Avril Lavigne and Aishwarya Rai don't quite fit in with the images of business people.
One other issue is that the first couple of times I click on the Museworx link, it just goes to a blank page. But then when I tried again later it worked. I don't know if I just need to try a several times, or if it can only be accessed properly from certain pages.
That's all I can think of for now. |
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Paul Gaudet photographe
Posts:2
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| 10/31/2007 7:37 PM |
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I read the messages received here about the first impressions on JAMUSE and it is very interesting. I need also myself to use and work with before adding more comments. But, the first impression I have is that it is simple and very friendly user, and that is a great advantage.
Thanks |
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Divine Bird
Posts:3
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| 11/01/2007 12:17 AM |
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The initial impression is positive, if a little muddled. I wasn't really sure what jamuse was all about the first time I looked at it; only after reading the little movie ad did it make sense. I would definitely have a static version of that (or something similar that gets the point across in a sentence or two) on the main page. "free your creative talent" reminds me a bit too much of fanfiction.net, which made me wonder just what this site was trying to say. A lot of that could ALSO be cleared up if the 'about jamuse' page was longer than a few jargon-laden sentences.
My other immediate suggestion is to tweak the uploading process. I am used to sites like flickr and photobucket that allow multiple submissions at once; it seems a little clunky to have to go in and out of folders for each image upload. I understand if it's done like this to prohibit mass uploads of junk, but even allowing 5 or so images at once would be helpful. Either that, or go the route that deviantart.com goes, and have each upload done along with all tags, artists' comments, titles, etc.
The main page could benefit more from some sample recently uploaded images instead of 'latest forum/blog posts'. I have found that forum & blog posts turn into a random jumble of replies to questions asked pages ago, and that often have no relevance to someone who hasn't been in on the discussion from the beginning. New art, however (which could be tagged for the main page if the artist so wished), would be more welcoming and interesting even to the casual viewer.
One other thing I wondered about: my images appear quite small no matter how I view them. Am I missing some basic view, or is there a way to show the full-sized image?
On the plus side, I LOVE the interface in museworx. I haven't had time to play with it all, but I like the multiple view options very much. The ability to separate my work into different folders or by project is very appealing! The overall ambience of the site is calming, open, airy, and yet professional. I would be happy to direct clients and potential clients here to look at my portfolio and to approve current work.
Oh, and hi! :D
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crs
Posts:1
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| 11/01/2007 7:15 AM |
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I agree with most of the comments and suggestions that have been said. The two things that disturb me from the first time is the pop-up window of the "full view" of a picture and the "Welcome to jamuse" box in home page.
The flash inside it looks very amateur, the movement of the pictures breaks a lot and typography isn't good enough.
Also i do not understand the reason why all the texts inside this box are images?
And beside this, this box is so full of content and it looks so crowded!
regards
Chris |
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Divine Bird
Posts:3
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| 11/01/2007 10:30 AM |
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Re: My earlier message:
I revisited this morning (when I was awake) and realized that my comment about the main page not having images was incorrect. I think my brain was a bit muddled! The rest stands, though.
Ja! |
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electrofork
Posts:2
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| 11/01/2007 12:49 PM |
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It would be nice if there were a simpler way to add to the portfoilio, without having to click through the whole "portfolio wizard" each time. Also, a way to delete items from the portfolio (not simply have them not shown).
I also agree with the comments bout thumbnails looking fuzzy- not really the way you want clients or potential clients to get a first impression of you. |
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electrofork
Posts:2
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| 11/01/2007 12:57 PM |
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| JaMuse users should be able to create their own thumbnails (as an option, perhaps); when I upload Quicktime files, it randomly selects a frame to use as a thumbnail, and not necessarily one that represents the piece as a whole. |
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Allan Burch
Posts:61
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| 11/01/2007 2:08 PM |
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I very much agree with Chris about the welcome animation box.
This may already be in the works, but if not, I'll add my 2 cents. After giving it time to sink in, I would only add a few things to what Chris, Alex, and others have said. At the very minimum, the animation needs to be fluid. Right now, it's shaky. At maximum, it should be re-thought. The story of the animation seems to be how Jamuse will save everyone's time and energy. The creative aspect is not really represented. And, in my humble opinion, the choice of subject matter borders on the cliche (very anti-creative). For a site about the creative community, I would hope to find greater inspiration in my first impression, if I were a first-time visitor.
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Rob Wilson, Founder
Posts:62
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| 11/01/2007 2:44 PM |
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| I see a few comments on the welcome animation box and I agree. Let's fix it. Chris do you have some ideas? I would like to bring in some of our talent from the community on this project. |
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kumud
Posts:22
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| 11/01/2007 2:54 PM |
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I realised that formatting is not there only for 'Quick Reply'. But both the 'message' and 'compose' have formatting facility even with the option of choosing colors.
I really appreciate the concept of child blogs for different categories that may come under main category and the choice provided to publish them as you like and syndicate them separately.
For child blogs of less than 100 or 150 characters can we add the features of micro-blogging? |
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Administrator Account
Posts:39
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| 11/01/2007 2:58 PM |
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| Just wanted each of you to know that the new jamuse Learning Center is live. There are several new training videos that can help you be more productive in your business. Just click on Live Help on the site. |
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harryphotography
Posts:1
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| 11/01/2007 6:33 PM |
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i personally think this is a wonderful website where people can gather and share their works =D
i haven't encounter any problem on the website yet, everything seem to be very straight-forward in my point of view however i will bring up any issue or comment if i see any in the near future =) |
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parel
Posts:3
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| 11/02/2007 9:41 AM |
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OK- so we should have a public jam session to improve jamuse. The fact that we are still using the forums shows me that jamuse in its current iteration is not usable as advertised. I just created a public jam session in Museworx (apologies if someone has already started this), but how in the the world do I broadcast this. Where is the url for the session, and can anyone add guest comments?
Off the top of my head, it would be good to look through the forums or portfolios to invite users to a jam session. So for instance if I could add Rob, Allan and David to my invitation list from this page by right clicking on their avatars that would be cool. I would like to be able to invite people not registered to jamuse.
Edit: Here is a link, not sure if this is the right way to do this or not.
http://www.jamuse.com/collaborate/swf/NoteTracker.html?projectId=1330&userId=1673
Is it possible to upload links to this page?
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parel
Posts:3
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| 11/02/2007 9:44 AM |
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Oh- and I personally refuse to call it je-muse (seems pretentious)- jam-use seems a less embarrassing pronunciation. :)
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EMM
Posts:2
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| 11/02/2007 11:52 AM |
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So far i have enjoyed the site, although i think it needs a little more color. Also i think that rotations of pictures shown on the main screen should be more frequent. ANd on another note i found that getting pictures onto my portfolio was a little confusing. but all in all everything seems well organized. i'd love to see some news for the specific areas the artist are involved in. for example a page dedicated to news and information for digital artists, or photography etc, you know info that would be relevant to the market. i think it would be a nice feature and help with connecting and networking for the artists in that area.
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kumud
Posts:22
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| 11/03/2007 2:36 PM |
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| when I tried to open a file after downloading ir from 'MuseWorx', I could not open the file and instead got the message 'File willbe ready soon'. The message was there indefinitely and I still could not open the file. |
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rastudio
Posts:0
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| 11/03/2007 10:17 PM |
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First impression of jamuse- I am very pleased with the site overall. I like the concept, and can see the merits of having this type of forum for collaboration.
I have shown my work on a good number of artist index type sites over the last few years so I did not have much trouble setting up my profile page on jamuse. I do think that creative types who are not web savvy or have not worked with portfolio type sites may have a little more trouble figuring things out. A site map would be helpful, and it just seems to be a bit more involved to add information and images here than on other sites I market my work on.
A member list of some type would be nice that includes all members. I did see the featured artists and new members, but would like to be able to access a listing of some kind of all members here with categories showing their area of expertise.
I also looked for specific information about the responsibilities, and just general information about the site advisory board, and did not locate it. Is there a listing of the current members of the advisory board posted on the site ?
As far as my own portfolio page, I like the interactive feature, and think the page looks good overall. I added ten images and thought it would be nice to place them in a specific order, but did not see a way to do so. I had previously suggested that a category be added for "Painters" or some other category for me as an oil painter. I believe this is in the works.
I am very pleased to join the jamuse site, and to offer feedback as a member of the jamuse advisory board.
Ron Anderson |
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