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not that it matters but...

Jennae	Date: October 31, 2003 @ 9:24 PM THE FRONT PAGE IT KILLING ME!!!! anyone else?? not very enticing Just my opinion though
fireball87	Date: October 31, 2003 @ 9:28 PM agreed... but... im more interested in collecting cds lol...
Veracohr	Date: October 31, 2003 @ 10:18 PM yeah, what she said...
TameasDust	Date: October 31, 2003 @ 11:21 PM Front page ... do we have one ????
Acumen	Date: October 31, 2003 @ 11:26 PM i will go alone in this front page rebuttal. a little icky.
Jennae	Date: October 31, 2003 @ 11:26 PM my point, it lacks a purpose but that's a whole nother topic, I just think the featured artist Should be featured on top... ahh those fine print words are too detouring, and dont reflect properly anyways ;disappointed: where the color and pictures?
ashleighj	Date: October 31, 2003 @ 11:28 PM it seems pointless to have the top 20 at the top of the page when 10 of the slots are taken by one person. but maybe that's just me.
Jennae	Date: October 31, 2003 @ 11:32 PM "...and dont reflect properly ..." indeed.
GeneHilbert	Date: November 1, 2003 @ 2:44 AM I don't really think the page is that bad. Kinda kewl for a change. Let's all self-stream our tunes – Hell... that cat has over 50 tunes posted. How much sense does that make? Should be charging the dude a fee for storage & streaming. Rabbit, hog or virus you decide?
acatalept	Date: November 1, 2003 @ 3:07 AM agree that it could use some, uh... polishing... though effective, user-friendly, and content-rich page design is something of a black art. as well, i get the feeling that the front page is in a bit of a state of flux atm; methinks prehaps the powers that be want to settle on content before they invest in layout and presentation. any powers that be out there want to comment? but hey, at least it doesn't look like mp3.com - i mean jesus harold christ, their front page must have been designed by the same people who design casinos... and while i'm on it, who's picking dmus's featured artists? i mean, declivity? what are these people on? ... (nah, seriously, thanks, whoever you are )
leflaw	Date: November 1, 2003 @ 7:03 AM So, where's the new front page design?
acatalept	Date: November 1, 2003 @ 7:04 AM ok, just so i don't feel like i'm all talk and no game, i thought i'd get the gears turning... so i had some time to kill before going to work this morning and i threw together this mockup: http://beelz.vze.com/dmus it's hardly a significant change, but a few points i was trying to make: 1) hate to say it, and i have only been here for 3 months, but... methinks the logo needs updating, sherly not as simple as the one i've shown, but something... 2) i think it'd be useful to show recently uploaded tracks at the top of the page, just to show current site activity 3) displaying some sort of band icon with "recent tracks" and "top 20 tracks" would be a nice instant visual cue as to who's up there that's all really... sherly there are other more profound changes that a skilled web designer could make, but this is my 2 pennies. all it really needs is a little cleaning up and streamlining, maybe more visual/iconic aspects and a little less text-heavy, more whitespace to help everything look balanced... crikey, i guess i could go on, but who really wants to bloody listen
acatalept	Date: November 1, 2003 @ 7:04 AM lol - how's that leflaw?
RyanS	Date: November 1, 2003 @ 9:16 AM I just wish the frontpage looked more like it did before the "change"
Jennae	Date: November 1, 2003 @ 10:54 AM ok hold up I HAVE to say something here first of all I apologize for coming off a bit harsh, but no offense is meant, my coffee is still brewing, will lose the salt soon. #1` That logo is new by 3 months if that, and you can thank MR ChillinBuzz for the design. And I think it's just fine thank you. Go tell another site that hasn't changed a damn thing ever. THIS IS A BRAND NEW LOGO. #2 recent uploads at the top of the page?? Why the hell do we need that on the front page when EVERY other page in the music section has the same damn info and not to mention do to selk streamers and what have you, oh yes you can see how well this is working so far #3 displaying icons would be nice sure, but that would need to be coded and that is IF these people have icons in the first place. And if you are talking about icons for the recent uploaded track, then again most new people uploading tracks aren't fully adapted nor have their dm page fully situated with pics most the time. Not that its a bad idea but eh. and no offense but that layout??? outsides of the added pictures and moving the right column to the left side.. THE FEATURED ARTIST NEEDS TO BE ON TOP period! if you are featureing an artist the do it! scrolling half way down tha page to see it is crap! besides just becuase something is a recent upload, or recent activity DOES NOT MEAN it's out best face forward here. A featured artist and the following artist showcased below IS recommended talent. And if you are going to be having ahem people look at the site, then you should have you best foot forwards. Not to mention when someone comes to the front page, unfamiliar with dm and see one person gaining all the credit I mean there is FAR too many artist on this site, for us to be promoting how we are lacking in showcaseing a variety better. It's just making our errors stick out like a sore thumb with that crap on top of the front page. listen I have NEVER tried to do anything but help, and I am artisticly inclined and I am not agreeing with this alteration at all. where is the color?? And we lost the pick list for this???? That removal sucked as well. Granted Bill handpicked those songs and I will have you know I assisted him with those efforts and I will alsostand firm in saying they were damn good representations of this site and this sites music FAR better than mess posted there now. granted im no one and don't have shit for say, but you can't be serious what happened to all the previous ideas we were working on for the front page?? far as I see it the front page should pull people in and make them curious. possess some enticing angle. Not to mention look like a music site and not a wallstreet journal. the only curiousity this is striking now is who the hell is Chuckie anyways I'm done on this subject... my panties are getting wadded over a front page layout and that's f-in ridiculous. eh... whatever... im out.
Lcrowley	Date: November 1, 2003 @ 3:06 PM I am in TOTAL agreement with Jennae on this one ... I like the top 20 on the front page .. but Features should be first and acatal ... that is nice .. but the flow is kinda off .. I like the news stuff in the middle .. and the colummns on either side ... but good job !
Thaspian	Date: November 1, 2003 @ 3:17 PM a) The top 20 are the same everyday. b) The top right is all ads. These should be up on top. Not in a part of the site that's considered the main part.
Svensta	Date: November 1, 2003 @ 4:35 PM acatalept, great work throwing something together, regardless of how 'quickie' it might be. Good to see people complain with ideas towards an alternative.
Lcrowley	Date: November 1, 2003 @ 4:38 PM I agree Svensta .. I wish I could do that stuff ha ha ha ... I am an HTML dummy .. lol... I have played with the Logo a little though .. one of these days I might get the courage to post what I did .. lmfaooo ...
acatalept	Date: November 1, 2003 @ 5:10 PM thanks for the details jennae, i was really sort of taking a shot in the dark from my own point of view... 1) my sincerest apologies to chillinbuzz, i'm anal when it comes to design (though as you can see my skill hardly warrants my exceedingly critical eye ). i've been here for less time than the current logo has, and i clearly made a foolish assumption. no harm intended... 2) i guess i like the dynamic aspect of showing some sort of recent upload activity someplace front & center... but then, i'm new around here and bring my deviantart.com habits with me. and i realize the folly of flaunting the "chuckie syndrome" - but that can be (at least somewhat) alleviated with fixes to the backend rating system (eg, there are ways to minimize the negative effects of self-streaming with ip tracking and such, but that may not be feasible anytime soon... which is a shame since a realistic "top 20" could be a real benefit to the site). i also realize there're plenty of "recent activity" stats on the community page, but i guess as a relative newbie myself, i remember not even discovering things like the community page until prolly my 20th visit (or even later)... admittedly i like the process of discovery, but from the point of view of a new user stumbling across the site for the first time, i think it'd be nice to centralize and streamline as much of what makes dmusic what it is (dynamic content, community interaction, friendly to casual surfers and regular users alike). 3) methinks the icon thing would be simple enough to implement on the fly, for instance for those random 5 tracks i used in the mockup i simply grabbed the primary (featured) band picture for each artist and resized it to 50x50 in code (wouldn't require preprocessing)... for those artists who had yet to (or chose not to) upload a pic, perhaps some sort of blank or placeholder could be used (as is the case with many user's icons being that default multicolored animated morphing head). my point with this was simply that the front page, and dmusic as a whole, seems to be in need of a slightly more iconographic/symbolic interface - visual cues can be very effective from a usability standpoint, and much easier on the eyes than reams of pure text. my intention with the layout was simply to make it more linear, so that your eye can more easily scan down the page taking everything in... seems to me the current 3-tiered setup (main content flanked on either side by navbars and subcontent) is too randomly compartmentalized, though my cut&pasted layout was no more than a step in the right direction. and i guess half my subconscious hesitance to actually FEATURE the featured artists above all else was my self-consciousness at being among them sorry, i see your point, and i think i agree... a featured artist prolly shouldn't be tucked away in some dusty corner, they should be out there for all to see... question: i haven't been around here very long, and don't visit more often than a few times a week (until recently, at least)... what was this "pick list" that we've lost? something different from the featured artists? also you mentioned "all the previous ideas we were working on for the front page" - what were some of these? are they elsewhere in the forums? just curious what's already been tossed around. anyway, i'm glad you've been brutally open with all this... at least i understand a little better what you intended by starting this thread, and i realize i was basically on a completely different tack - appy polly loggies. i really just intended to distill what people's thoughts were on all this... and i think you managed to rip me a new one in return. just next time maybe wait until after you've had yer coffee first (s'ok, i'm thick-skinned, but damn, if we could put that kind of passion into promoting this site, it could truly be the music mecca it so wants to be). and thanks lcrowley and svensta, but like i said, i was really just trying to get the gears turning, get people thinking constructively... sorry, i feel like i've been on my high horse all this time - i'm really just trying to help if i can. please feel free to illuminate the dark places so we can all understand each other a little better around here - this site is what we make it.
Jennae	Date: November 1, 2003 @ 9:00 PM Aca~ no worries nothing was meant to come across as personal at all. Offerning suggestions and ideas are always welcomed
leflaw	Date: November 2, 2003 @ 12:56 AM Hey - No Sweat - Thanks for the ideas!
Lcrowley	Date: November 2, 2003 @ 11:39 AM YES !! Ideas are aLWAYS a good thing !! and this is the PERFECT site to do that .. Aca~ please don't be discouraged .. believe me .. they DO take suggestions and ideas seriously here at DMusic .. honest ... you just have to remember.. that it is a personal thing to alot of people because the love that we all have for the site .. so, when someone makes a snipe .. it is not a personal thing as much as it it a HEY!!! that is MY site you are talking about .. you know what I mean ... I for one love to see others making attempts to help and give input .. .. alhtough I am a nobody around here .. ha ha ha ha I myself give input whenever I can .. if I feel it is something that needs attention .. ha ha ha .. and I also got ripped a new one once for doing that as well .. ha ha ha... Deviant art is a great site .. I am a member over there and at renderosity as well ..
fu-dog	Date: November 2, 2003 @ 12:42 PM Okay... some explanations! Reasons for front page changes: I made the front page ugly. The Top 20 were bumped up to give the Top 20 artists recognition, because it's their daily streaming that makes this site active. Instead of sitting around and hoping you get to be a featured artist, you could go out and try and get a lot of unique listens to your tracks and take the top slot on site. That means users picked you instead of our staff. Today's Top X: Obviously a lot of you have a problem with Chuckie taking up so many chart spaces. I say this with no intent of hurting anyone's feelings: too bad! The new Top X system is based on unique IP address listens from the previous 24 hours. That means Chuckie's tracks have had the most listens per day at any given time. If you don't like that, then by all means be an active independant artist and go promote your music! As i write this, some artist named "thugbo" is #1 on the main page. Who the hell is he? I don't know, but maybe i should cause he's obviously hot right now. The "Charts" system, hiding in each genre, is still not representative of the site's listening patterns, but "today's top X" is completely based on active content distribution levels. Yes, folks, in case you were blind, the majority of our user base is currently hiphop, even if they don't interact in the community much. If that bothers you, then try to change the fact. Wrassle up your non-hiphop friends and bring them into the clutches of DMusic. Please? For those interested, "today's top X" is regenerated every half an hour. Also, there's been continuing regeneration problems in the genres, i'm still trying to track down why. DM Picks: Self promotion is one of the reasons the picks are no more, because the site should not survive on the tastes of it's makers. The other reason the DM Picks have gone away is because we added more artists to the "featured artists" space. There used to be one featured artist and 5 DM Picks. With the adjustments made, there's now space for an extra "pick" with image on the front page. How is that a bad thing? New design: acatalept, i like the iconified version of recent uploads and today's top that your page displays. The only real problem we have with implementing that is the fact that so many users do not choose to set an icon up to represent themselves. One of my future plans was to make the icons appear, and limit that front page space to only artists with icons. Then make a note on the artist pages saying "here's how you get on the front page: 1) upload an icon, 2) upload good music, 3) send us lots of candy," etc. The whole site, not just the main page, needs an overhaul. I have yet to be presented with any significant and interesting designs, or even to be approached by someone that has the desire to make it happen. I'm not a designer but a programmer; for the most part, i've been making do with the site bits as i found them. You must be able to tell by now since most of the things i change become minimal vestiges of their former selves... For the benefit of the masses, someone with skill please step up and throw me some designs! Until then, i've reverted the front page to it's previous, other ugly self. That doesn't change the fact that you non-self-promoting folks shouldn't be out there trying to get your names up the charts via active listeners. You'll notice that the most recent featured artists are those that, for the most part, haven't been too active in the community. Why are they featured? Because otherwise folks may never hear about them... Yes, that's a hint.
ashleighj	Date: November 2, 2003 @ 4:31 PM all this stuff about "promote yourself if you want to be on the top 20", etc... i'm not complaining that i'm not on that list. i'm not sure i'd even want to be. i just don't see how it's good to have so little variety in such a large space. is there a way it could be the top 20 artists instead of the top 20 songs? it would still be mostly hip-hop, yeah, but it wouldn't look so repetitive....
acatalept	Date: November 2, 2003 @ 8:32 PM thanks for the input fu-dog... i gotta agree with the idea of putting a top20 up front, as long as it's earned (which, apparently, it is, and i completely respect that - sorry i assumed otherwise). if chuckie's not sitting there at his pc, clicking like mad 8 hours a day on his own tracks, but actually spreading the word around and people like his music, then more power to you, chuckie . some sort of features section would be nice still, though i think it would be better justified if it included not just the artist's bio blurb, but some sort of 3rd-party review blurb (succinctness is still important), perhaps contributed by some of the better versed members of this site. that would be something nice to work on for the future - just an idea. but i think if i were some random surfer, i'd be more conviced to give a feature a try if i knew it were well-thought-of by some [at least seemingly ] impartial fellow end-user with no, uh, underhanded interests in the success of the artist other than simply the spreading of good music. not that there's anything underhanded about dmusic [right? ]... i'll be the first to admit, i sorta know my way around graphic design, but i've little talent for it. if no one else speaks up in the meantime (come on, someone, please? i know you're out there), i'll thrash out some rather more mature ideas as i get some time... maybe i'll be back on this. and btw, fu, thanks for making the frontpage changes so quickly (and on the weekend, no less!), you're hardcore, man
acatalept	Date: November 2, 2003 @ 8:34 PM oh yeah, fu, and your candy's in the mail
Bill43	Date: November 2, 2003 @ 11:37 PM My candy donation is in the mail too... Now I guess I'm off to explore this icon thing that I'm supposed to have!
sween	Date: November 19, 2003 @ 4:15 PM I think having the top20 artists instead of top20 songs is a quality idea ashleighj if its achievable?
edgen	Date: November 20, 2003 @ 5:29 AM well, I guess I didn't see this thread first. Just made a post about the look and changes I'd like to see made. I see the FAQ is a good thing from time to time, and browsing the forum posts.

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