Cache Up NB & Media: Need your input!
Pardon me if this gets a bit long winded, but I REALLY need some help from you guys.
Since Cache Up NB’s launch, once of the biggest things that we have been lacking here is a good way to share photos and video. In recent weeks, we’ve seen several posts for new video, and there’s been a few requests on how best to share photos for Cache Up NB. This has resulted in my desire to look further into a means of incorporating media into this site.
With that having been said, I’m putting it out to the readers here about how THEY would like to be able to share stuff on here. I REALLY would like to get some serious feedback about how you would like to be able to interact with media on this site.
So for starters, let me just put out a few simple questions and see what you think:
- Would you like to see a photo gallery embedded directly into this website that you can navigate through to see various photos?
- Would you like to see the same kind of gallery for videos?
- Would you like to see a few photos and videos shown along the right-hand side sidebar (where the scribbles and dashboard are located)?
- Would you be more willing to contribute photos and video if you could upload them directly to CUNB vs Youtube/Flickr?
- Do you have a preference in whether or not media is uploaded here or somewhere else?
- Youtube/Flickr do allow you to be able to share your media outside of CUNB
- Do you have a preference in whether or not media is uploaded here or somewhere else?
- Would you prefer to see a sidebar “widget” that simply just displays the most recent new media, regardless of whether it is photo or video?
- Do you even care about sharing/viewing photos and videos about geocaching in NB through CUNB?
- Would you rather use the CUNB Facebook page to upload photos and video and simply embed those into this site?
I think those cover most of the basics.
Here’s the big thing that comes to mind… When I think about Facebook, it’s relatively easy for people to upload photos and video to FB, and then they get shared to everyone. It would be REALLY nice if something similar existed for WordPress (the software that powers this site) but unfortunately it’s a mishmash of other options.
The only thing I have done recently is add a new video gallery which shows thumbnails of all Youtube videos tagged with the “cacheupnb” tag. Anyone who uploads content to Youtube and adds that tag automatically has their video added here. Something similar could be done for photos via Flickr. Is something like that good enough for you or are you looking for more?
I really would like your feedback as I am trying to make this as painless as possible but with something like this, I only really want to move forward with anything else until I have a better idea of what people want. PLEASE post your comments/suggestions below. I’m going to leave this as a “sticky” post at the top for a little while.
Although I enjoy watching the various videos (and hope to be able to continue to do so) we don’t have a camera or take videos ourselves. So as far as videos go, I really have no ideas.
We have uploaded photos on here before and although it was fairly easy to do it was difficult to put a caption to your photo and you never knew whose pictures were whose. From what I could see there was not really a way to organize them yourslef. It would be nice to be able to easily write captions and create your own “albums” for events, caching trips, etc. Not sure how you’d do that but the easier it is the better!
Not being a Twitterer or Flickerer (I do well to navigate Facebook) the fewer things I have to “join” the better. Facebook and it’s security/sharing issues scares a lot of people so that may be an issue for some.
To answer your questions:
yes
yes
that’d be cool
no
here
don’t use/have accounts
by itslef…..no
yes!
not sure how that’d work but might be ok
My 2 cents. Hope it helps!
Gwen 🙂
I think the sidebar is too long already, maybe a little widget like the random cache that doesn’t take up too much room and it could show a rotating thumbnail of some of the vids to remind us to check out the page once and a while?
Do we have to be limited to one way or the other? Knowing that many people do use a variety of different things, it would be nice to incorporate whatever one would chose to use. Assuming that this is possible it would be nice that we could have our videos from YouTube or pictures from Flikr linked to here. At the same time it would be nice to have our facebook stuff added here as well. And for those who want to upload directly to this site, it would be nice to see them do that to. The more choices we have the better assuming that it is all possible.
As long as we can find this gallery thing or what ever it will be from the top menu I would be more than pleased. Maybe if it would change colour or something when new things were added would be nice to…
Ok, here it goes
1) Yes, especially if we can comment on the pics
2) Yes, especially if we can comment on the vids
3) As Rev said, the side bar is already quite long, but then again it could be fun to have both. The side widget having something random to pick our curiosity or reminding to go check the galleries
4)Would be awsome to download directly but the most important to me would be as in 1, 2, and 3
5) Both, not just one
6) I lOVE pics and vids as the add a lot. The more option we could get with pics/vids, the better!
7) I use this site for geocaching way way way more than facebook where I will just randomely post some of my caching activities from time to time. I pretty much never go to the CUNB on facebook.
Zor, we may ask a lot, so whatever you come up with we will be happy.
Nemo.
I had a similair experience with a site I run for senior hockey. They wanted to be able to post pictures and comment. To be honest, I almost sat down and started coding an application that would let me do that. After having a good look at what Facebook was offering me, I decided to change my plan and I’m glad I did.
Facebook is never down so your pictures are always available, their upload tools are great whether you want to upload one picture or a full collection, the ability to comment is allready implemented and really does the job, they allready have administrative functions to delete unwanted comments/pictures. On top of that, no worries that you will have to upgrade your hosting package along the way, Facebook takes care of the picture hosting for you.
To be honest, I’m not even on Facebook so even tho it sounds like I’m plugging them big time I am not. I just wrote down the analyst I did when I was facing the same choices as you were.
My two cents.
If it aint broke, don’t fix it….
Facebook! or Youtube for videos! Picture tells a thousand words!