Website feedback, please!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 3:59PM I'm quite happy with the new site, but I have some doubt regarding the "ShareLog"
area. It is actually an extra blog where any member can contribute
content to the site.
What makes me doubt are two things:
1. It is confusing to have two blogs. Every post gets separated into
"Blog" or "ShareLog". The search functionality spans both, but for
example a tag lookup can only be made into one of them (at a time).
2. The idea of ShareLog was that users can contribute content, kindof
like the old "trapcode-people" site. But now Red Giant is launching
"Red Giant People" that looks pretty sleek and has this functionality
(and then some). So I'm not sure if the ShareLog will be needed.
What do you guys think? Any comments on the ShareLog and all other
aspects of the site are welcome!
Reader Comments (10)
I think the Share Log is a really good idea.
For what it's worth.. I'd definitely say keep it as a seperate entity than the Red Giant website. I dunno, Red Giant website (and I know you are affiliated in Sales/Support etc) always seems too much like work and too sales based for me, when I visit it.
Whereas the Trapcode website in general has been one of my favourite and most inspiring websites for years and the idea of Share Log was really exciting after seeing Trapcode People fall by the wayside.
However, if I'm honest, what I didn't get about Share Log was the Cinema 4D animation tests being posted. I'm here to see Trapcode at work. Not C4D (or max, or pflow or krakatoa etc)... I want to see TRAPCODE products in action. I wasn't inspired in any way by the C4D work and would visit a C4D site if I wanted any information on it. If it wasn't for the fact that the C4D posts were coming from Peder's mind (and I guessed he was thinking of Trapcode ideas in such C4D tests), I'd have expected them deleted.. but I wasn't sure if I was missing the point and I guess that's what's confused me with Share Log so far. Is it Particles in general or is it Trapcode particles?
I thnk it needs to be made clear: Is the Share Log site set up to capture "the best of trapcode" or to put "anything up with Trapcode in it"? I make music videos, tv adverts, documentaries, all sorts.... lots of my work has been on TV in the UK and most of the projects have Particular or Form in them in one way or another.
However, I'm not going to post stuff if you're just looking for high-end entries but I've often been tempted to post stuff, just so people can see things on TV or at least know they were broadcast when and where etc.
On the ther hand.. I guess you don't want to become bogged down with peoples work going up on the site if the work isn't very good, particularly inspiring, or new.. and while I think I'm a bit of a wizz with some Trapcode products, I'm not at the high end ultra-inspiring level that I see sometimes on the Trapcode website.
That's what I was hoping Share Log would be.. an area to discuss the new features, new concepts, new products and new projects hitting the market that are blowing us away on our TV screens.. and Share Log was our little space on the web to talk about such work, away from the every day "forum" mode. With reference videos etc. very cool!
I wouldn't usually post such a post as this.. but Trapcode has been a major part of my life since about 2001? now. I've talked many clients into purchasing your plugins and I've always had my trusty Form and Particular (and Shine) ready to go, for almost any project I work on. It'd be a real shame if our little space on the web was outsourced as such to a company that seems determined to "sell" us something everytime we click a link or watch a video. I check the Trapcode website EVERY DAY! I check the Red Giant site when I "have" to!
I'd say stick with Share Log (definitely) but be a little more concise as to what it actually is/for. I also think the layout of the sharelog part makes it not such an easy experience for the vistor. I use a website a lot and think the page layout is a lot more user friendly and wow factor... Have a look: http://beta.media.nin.com/main/video This is what Iw as hoping Share Log might eventualy become. Immagine a page like this with all the video clips being Trapcode based and then a thread for each clip to discuss the clip, techniques etc.
Either way... best of luck with it!
and PS... don't want this to sound like an attack at RG. Far from it. They do some good products and tutorials.. but I still feel they don't have that creative feel that Trapcode oozes. That's why I think RG are probably perfect for the sales and support aspects but Trapcode should keep the inspiring aspects under the banner of Trapcode.
I think the idea of a sharelog is fantastic but as DK points out, what does and does not get posted. If you end up with a long tail of obscure TC material you're really going to need some clever mechanisms to allow people to find the stuff that interests them. Perhaps you should consider building the sharelog on a separate system such as Drupal.
Best regards
The ShareLog is for posting Trapcode material that is helpful for other Trapcode artists, such as AEP's, tutorials, resources. It is not meant as a place to showcase work, there has to be something educating or helpful about the post. I am curating/editing/moderating the ShareLog area so it filling up with useless stuff won't happen.
I agree that a much better sharing community can be built - but I did that once and I don't want to get into another complicated website build, so I thought I'd try the ShareLog approach (or leave it to RG).
The C4D clips where posted here in the Blog section, not in the ShareLog. This is Trapcode's official blog (rename? Peder's blog?) with company news etc. I'm currently learning a 3D app to be able to understand better how those parts of CG work and looking inte the possibilities of plug-ins for such platforms. Many of my customers use C4D. I hope the clips will provide inspiration even to some non-C4D users. Comments on the entires are welcome!
Thanks for your input guys, I really appreciate you taking the time! I make this site for people like you so I need to understand your thoughts.
Quickly - I don't find the two blogs confusing.
"The ShareLog is for posting Trapcode material that is helpful for other Trapcode artists, such as AEP's, tutorials, resources."
That's definitely what I'm here for! Good luck with it all... really appreciate your efforts and love your plugins.
BTW, if you want others to see your work and get critique I've setup a Vimeo Trapcode Group: http://vimeo.com/groups/trapcode
This might be nitpicking but I think the top banner area of the site needs to be celebrated more. It seems too thin and comes off as an afterthought. This is TRAPCODE! I'm for small logos but the negative space around it is too scarce. What follows below it it so big it makes the top seem even more smaller. I think you need an extra 40 pixels in there to put more "room" around the logo so it can be seen better. When I first saw the site it seemed "off" or "unfinished".
Otherwise, it looks awesome. The neutral gray around the videos let the colors stand out and isn't so stark as to be on top of black.
I think the way the navigation of the blog is right now, it seems hidden. Also the name is obscure. With Trapcode-People it was much more obvious. Can you make it clearer to visitors with the name and design what that part of the site is for?
Хм... Но, как говорят, а воз и ныне там :)
Dear Peder. I was always fond of Trapcode, and still am. I never felt so creative in my life except when I worked with the magnificent plug-ins of yours. I even placed few of my work on Tracode people years ago. I adore 3D modeling and animation, but to me, Trapcode overcame all. What you created is the thing that I adore most in my life: Light and Light effects. I used to spend days rendering particle effects on Lightwave to do an explosion or a wind of fire particles. Through 2 ½ D, you made these effects more than possible, and with simple editing capabilities to do the imaginary.
Please revive Trapcode people, alone and we all back you, all the members of the old site. We need Trapcode work, aesthetic, beautiful and attractive work because all I have seen until now is of no match to what you offered us then.
I insist, revive - revive - revive the old site and we are with you.
Good luck
PhD Rodolph Farah