the Zune's slogan is "Browse music, not spreadsheets." Wouldn't it be wonderful if that same concept were adapted to fit BandAMP?
The logo idea is excellent, and I would love to see some logo-of-the-month pop up from enthused users.
I'm going to make a little mock-up or two, to help convey the idea of what I'm trying to really say. I'll post anything I can think of here on this thread.
The logo idea is excellent, and I would love to see some logo-of-the-month pop up from enthused users.
I'm going to make a little mock-up or two, to help convey the idea of what I'm trying to really say. I'll post anything I can think of here on this thread.
Okay, so keep in mind that we're talking about something totally not "familiar" when you first look at it. I'm intentionally going waaaay radical to try to send the idea flying.
Let's see if we can redefine the way you enjoy BandAMP.
That right-hand pane is rather empty at the moment. I dont' want to crowd it with too much stuff, but maybe new replies to threads you're interested in? Nothing too intrusive.
What do you think?
I envision that the whole center panel being the dynamic element to this particular page. The main song playing has the spotlight, but then the last song you listened to is among the thumbnails to the left of the main cover-art, along with a few related songs/artists/albums. To the right of the main cover-art is a list of songs that were uploaded around the same time as your current track, with maybe a few that relate by genre, artist, etc.
Clicking on any element (such as a genre name, artist, etc) would launch a little overlay screen where you can browse to some content under the category of said genre, artist, etc. If you ever want to escape that view, you can quickly do so, and return to what it was you were doing before you went exploring.
The link to the comments would open up the center element so that you can see discussion about the current item. This could perhaps also flow into the right side area, along with ratings, generic likes/dislikes from the audience.
Comments? Suggestions? Short stories?
Let's see if we can redefine the way you enjoy BandAMP.
That right-hand pane is rather empty at the moment. I dont' want to crowd it with too much stuff, but maybe new replies to threads you're interested in? Nothing too intrusive.
What do you think?
I envision that the whole center panel being the dynamic element to this particular page. The main song playing has the spotlight, but then the last song you listened to is among the thumbnails to the left of the main cover-art, along with a few related songs/artists/albums. To the right of the main cover-art is a list of songs that were uploaded around the same time as your current track, with maybe a few that relate by genre, artist, etc.
Clicking on any element (such as a genre name, artist, etc) would launch a little overlay screen where you can browse to some content under the category of said genre, artist, etc. If you ever want to escape that view, you can quickly do so, and return to what it was you were doing before you went exploring.
The link to the comments would open up the center element so that you can see discussion about the current item. This could perhaps also flow into the right side area, along with ratings, generic likes/dislikes from the audience.
Comments? Suggestions? Short stories?
TonightsLastSong wrote…
Okay, so keep in mind that we're talking about something totally not "familiar" when you first look at it. I'm intentionally going waaaay radical to try to send the idea flying.
Let's see if we can redefine the way you enjoy BandAMP.
That right-hand pane is rather empty at the moment. I dont' want to crowd it with too much stuff, but maybe new replies to threads you're interested in? Nothing too intrusive.
What do you think?
I envision that the whole center panel being the dynamic element to this particular page. The main song playing has the spotlight, but then the last song you listened to is among the thumbnails to the left of the main cover-art, along with a few related songs/artists/albums. To the right of the main cover-art is a list of songs that were uploaded around the same time as your current track, with maybe a few that relate by genre, artist, etc.
Clicking on any element (such as a genre name, artist, etc) would launch a little overlay screen where you can browse to some content under the category of said genre, artist, etc. If you ever want to escape that view, you can quickly do so, and return to what it was you were doing before you went exploring.
The link to the comments would open up the center element so that you can see discussion about the current item. This could perhaps also flow into the right side area, along with ratings, generic likes/dislikes from the audience.
Comments? Suggestions? Short stories?
Screen shot worked for me
YEAH I LIKE IT!!!!!!!!!!!
Looks great! Loved the screenie - the interace definitely looks a bit brushed up.
I'd be careful about changing the background color to white though... One reason that seperates BandAMP from other music sites is that:
a) It's not full of crappy music.
b) It's not full of spam.
c) The current colours provide a different mood, compared to something like facebook, which seems a bit upbeat, for lack of a better word.
The right pane seems to be a good place for the chat thing, like Iszil stated - that would involve some myspace/facebook type coding, eh?
This whole idea is brilliant.
--XFactor--
I'd be careful about changing the background color to white though... One reason that seperates BandAMP from other music sites is that:
a) It's not full of crappy music.
b) It's not full of spam.
c) The current colours provide a different mood, compared to something like facebook, which seems a bit upbeat, for lack of a better word.
The right pane seems to be a good place for the chat thing, like Iszil stated - that would involve some myspace/facebook type coding, eh?
This whole idea is brilliant.
--XFactor--
I'm a big fan of giving the site various themes that you can pick from, so that everybody can find the right mood for themselves. ... think Gmail, with it's various themes.
I'm thinking that the right hand panel can be a number of things, perhaps tabbed, so that you can see chat, ratings on the current song you're listening to, and easy Digg.com-like thumbsup/thumbsdown. The chat idea is perfect for it. I'll have to look into a good lightweight chat platform... if only Google Wave would just hurry up and be done :P
I'm thinking that the right hand panel can be a number of things, perhaps tabbed, so that you can see chat, ratings on the current song you're listening to, and easy Digg.com-like thumbsup/thumbsdown. The chat idea is perfect for it. I'll have to look into a good lightweight chat platform... if only Google Wave would just hurry up and be done :P
@swordfish
the community decides the direction where the site goes... let it die or let it relive with a new interface...
I am a bit confused about the TLS thing...
@ALL
is there someone out there who takes his/her ass in the hand to do something new? don't talk... act!
If you need some support call me or pm me and we will see what I can do
@TLS
Are there any ideas? Is there an author's system like a standard CMS or so?
Is it necessary to develope a new system? A remake of a wheel?
thanks for reading so far
the community decides the direction where the site goes... let it die or let it relive with a new interface...
I am a bit confused about the TLS thing...
@ALL
is there someone out there who takes his/her ass in the hand to do something new? don't talk... act!
If you need some support call me or pm me and we will see what I can do
@TLS
Are there any ideas? Is there an author's system like a standard CMS or so?
Is it necessary to develope a new system? A remake of a wheel?
thanks for reading so far
I know what you're saying TK, but every wonderful popular system that has been devised in the last decade came from reinventing a wheel that could do new tricks. Facebook, Digg, Flicker, Twitter, SlickDeals.net, ESPN, Gmail, Wikipedia, Engadget, gdgt.com ... the list goes on and on. This isn't about making a site that mimics somebody else's cookie-cutter engine. This is about being innovative. Nobody will ever create a website with Drupal that "wow"s the pants off of the developers of single one of those major sites I've listed.
CMS systems equate to Firefox browser add-ons pretty well: They're nice, you can do interesting things with them, but you're still bound to do things the way the Firefox browser has dictated they be done. And if you don't follow the rules of the CMS/Firefox, you wind up with a slow application that sucks.
What I'm trying to suggest is that we totally, completely, 100% SCREW conventional approaches and figure out something that is actually interesting to people. In the analogy from iTunes to Zune, do we want BandAMP to simply function and get the job done, broken as it is, or do we want to actually be creative and do something good for the world?
I've already said it somewhere in this thread that if the users of BandAMP would prefer to slap down a generic CMS and "fix it" that way instead, that I'm going to continue making a new concept anyway and launch my own site. I think there's a gaping hole in the internet for something specifically like BandAMP. Currently there are other alternatives to music sites, but nothing like what I think *could* happen if we wanted to put in the effort.
At any rate, while we need action, we need to talk in order to know what the hell we're doing. I hardly call making mock-ups of a new concept/approach to music communities "lack of action". Seems to me that I'm one of the few who actually HAS done something, even though previous attempts are currently on hold. I commend JimDaAdtMan for his willingness to learn PHP. I salute Entheon, back in the day, for having given the site a bit of a visual pampering. I'm glad that we have you, TK, and PX and any other who has picked up parts of management in the last two or three years.
No hard feelings intended. I come in peace.
CMS systems equate to Firefox browser add-ons pretty well: They're nice, you can do interesting things with them, but you're still bound to do things the way the Firefox browser has dictated they be done. And if you don't follow the rules of the CMS/Firefox, you wind up with a slow application that sucks.
What I'm trying to suggest is that we totally, completely, 100% SCREW conventional approaches and figure out something that is actually interesting to people. In the analogy from iTunes to Zune, do we want BandAMP to simply function and get the job done, broken as it is, or do we want to actually be creative and do something good for the world?
I've already said it somewhere in this thread that if the users of BandAMP would prefer to slap down a generic CMS and "fix it" that way instead, that I'm going to continue making a new concept anyway and launch my own site. I think there's a gaping hole in the internet for something specifically like BandAMP. Currently there are other alternatives to music sites, but nothing like what I think *could* happen if we wanted to put in the effort.
At any rate, while we need action, we need to talk in order to know what the hell we're doing. I hardly call making mock-ups of a new concept/approach to music communities "lack of action". Seems to me that I'm one of the few who actually HAS done something, even though previous attempts are currently on hold. I commend JimDaAdtMan for his willingness to learn PHP. I salute Entheon, back in the day, for having given the site a bit of a visual pampering. I'm glad that we have you, TK, and PX and any other who has picked up parts of management in the last two or three years.
No hard feelings intended. I come in peace.
TritonKeyboarder wrote…
...
@ALL
is there someone out there who takes his/her ass in the hand to do something new? don't talk... act!
If you need some support call me or pm me and we will see what I can do
...
I can PhotoShop some pictures in accordance to the dimensions required... But again, it's PhotoShop, so I won't be using originally drawn images, mainly because I don't have the technology or talent to do so. Here, this is what I can come up with:
www.trenchcoatandsatchel.wikidot.com
I made all the art on there, along with a little bit of CSS that I had to add in.
So yeah, if you need any header images, side bar images, just message me... (My avatar was PhotoShopped too.)
Does this fall under the "Don't talk... Act!" category?
--XFactor--
I honestly really like the color theme and format bandamp has right now. I agree with XFactor ( I think he said it.....) that I dont want it feeling like facebook and that crap
XFactor-- I'm glad you've got that Photoshop stuff under your belt. The several things I've seen from you have been of excellent quality, that site link included.
I understand that it probably feels like I send mixed signals about design--- I'm all about adapting things to something new, yet I've said several times about the other rewrite that the visuals didn't matter so much and could be changed whenever. I hope that it's clear that specific color schemes are 100%, absolutely, completely, and entirely customizable. That's why I want there to be themes for the site, so that at the very least one can change the color scheme hues to their own liking.
Perhaps I, as a programmer, have been describing a new "design" in an unclear way up until now. Most of the time I mean to refer to the way that the website works underneath all those fancy visuals. A website can only do things that you program it to do. The programming needs to allow for certain features, or else they'll never come true. Our current BandAMP, and most CMS systems, aren't going to satisfy the kind of need I've suggested that we already have.
I don't want to be long-winded again. Just let it be known that making a website like the one I mock'd up in that screenshot is not just pretty graphics. It is a huge amount of programming. I am willing to do it. "Doing it" has already meant weeks and weeks of coming home from work and sitting at the computer to work until midnight on a redesign. I do not want to bleed all over anybody, but I hope it's understood that I've been hard at work except for the immigration troubles my wife had, and the moves I've made across the country. I cannot even begin to total up the number of hours I've spent trying to design something that works intuitively.
I need to take a break for a couple of days to finish projects from a few of my freelance clients, including free work I'm doing for another music website. I will be exploring some options for BandAMP, though.
Anybody with mad Javascript skills could please investigate the "CAKEjs" project, and the HTML5 "canvas" element. I intend to leverage that, instead of Flash.
Your devoted community member,
Tim
I understand that it probably feels like I send mixed signals about design--- I'm all about adapting things to something new, yet I've said several times about the other rewrite that the visuals didn't matter so much and could be changed whenever. I hope that it's clear that specific color schemes are 100%, absolutely, completely, and entirely customizable. That's why I want there to be themes for the site, so that at the very least one can change the color scheme hues to their own liking.
Perhaps I, as a programmer, have been describing a new "design" in an unclear way up until now. Most of the time I mean to refer to the way that the website works underneath all those fancy visuals. A website can only do things that you program it to do. The programming needs to allow for certain features, or else they'll never come true. Our current BandAMP, and most CMS systems, aren't going to satisfy the kind of need I've suggested that we already have.
I don't want to be long-winded again. Just let it be known that making a website like the one I mock'd up in that screenshot is not just pretty graphics. It is a huge amount of programming. I am willing to do it. "Doing it" has already meant weeks and weeks of coming home from work and sitting at the computer to work until midnight on a redesign. I do not want to bleed all over anybody, but I hope it's understood that I've been hard at work except for the immigration troubles my wife had, and the moves I've made across the country. I cannot even begin to total up the number of hours I've spent trying to design something that works intuitively.
I need to take a break for a couple of days to finish projects from a few of my freelance clients, including free work I'm doing for another music website. I will be exploring some options for BandAMP, though.
Anybody with mad Javascript skills could please investigate the "CAKEjs" project, and the HTML5 "canvas" element. I intend to leverage that, instead of Flash.
Your devoted community member,
Tim
Sorry, you do not have access to post...
Wanna post? Join Today!