ShoePollution
Site assistant
Posts: 67 |
Mon, Aug 09, 2010 06:09:10
| All the issues... my two cents. |
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This started as a reply to a different thread, but it turned into a rant that I thought warranted its own forum. I'd really like to encourage some dialog with this.
Firstly, the purpose of this site is to build a community of shoe-lovers around the idea of sharing our amateur photos of our passion. It is not just another picture site.
Secondly, see some stuff on another site that you'd like to share? Then simply post the link! There's no reason to go through the trouble of uploading it to your profile when you can simply share the link in the forum. The only plausible reason I can think of to post them in your profile rather than posting the link is to imply ownership.
Thirdly, I agree that this site is starting to disappoint. I support the concept wholeheartedly, but...
1. It seems to heavily attract people who want to look, but don't want to share.
2. There is a lack of variety. The featured profiles are always the same, and the leader boards always have the usual suspects.
3. The forum is filled with the same complaints and pissing matches, mainly voting (a good idea but a very broken system), and internet pics.
4. The pic classification system is too broad and poorly adhered to, so a system that was designed to help me find what I like is instead a frustrating mess. I mean, what's the difference between "shoejobs cum shots" and "shoe fucking?" I'm prepared to get thirty different answers.
5. Into TV/CD? Great, terrific. I support your alternative life style. But keep it in the correct category! I feel like quite a few posters of such material get off on A, passing themselves off as genuine girls and B, "ambushing" those of us who wanted to look at chicks instead of dicks but got the former rather than the latter. Again, I'm all for "to each their own" but the abundance of TV/CD material not in that category is starting to be a real turn-off... and that may be costing us other members.
I used to check this site every day not too long ago, and now it's once a week tops. Even then I simply check the forum, see the same old same old and split. I used to be excited to post new stuff, but now I think why bother? There's another site that's forum-based (I think you all know which one) that I've been frequenting and getting a lot more satisfaction out of. I've posted a bunch of new stuff there that I'm reluctant to post to HSS.
I repeat: I LOVE the concept and spirit of Hot Shoe Shots. The first pics I ever posted online were here, and I firmly believe in its mission. Any thoughts on how we can turn things back around?
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ShoePollution
Site assistant
Posts: 67 |
Mon, Aug 09, 2010 06:12:47 |
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Look, I'll even toss out the first positive idea: I would love to be able to get an email or some other notification when a user I've added to my friend list posts new material or otherwise changes their profile. It would be WAY easier to keep track of the stuff we like, and avoid the stuff we don't.
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Dr Jones
Premium Member
Posts: 258 |
Mon, Aug 09, 2010 07:49:41 |
When internet forum sites (on whatever subject) start to disaappoint its usually a sign that familarity is creeping in - well, it is for me anyway.
At the start, it's new and interesting and vibrant and all that. The the gloss always wears off a bit with time, tho. When I joined HSS I found the place tremendously exciting but now I've 'settled-in' its rather more run of the mill. That's just the way life runs, I think!
I'm sure here are many aspects of the site's operation that could be improved. Unfortunately, where part of that process relies on the member making decisions - like which catagory a picture should be in - there'll always be errors. Yes, its frustrating but that's how it'll always be to some extent.
It's nice that gnasm took the trouble to post. Lets hope something positive comes from it.
Best.
Dr J
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what a shock!
Member Profile
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Mon, Aug 09, 2010 11:16:55
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Thank you for expressing your concerns and I will look forward to reading other peoples responses too.
However I would like to remind everyone before they write their responses to do this bearing in mind a couple of small points:-
A) Other sites around that are forum and blog based, are an absolute doddle to run because all you do is create a template and dump it in word press and theres a site made. Half the time people dont even need to do that, you just pick one of the templates already provided.
The reason this place is so unique is because it is picture based because it is built from the ground up, by one man trying to cater for over 3000 members
B) It's free. Creating a forum or a blog is a doddle like I say, as you dont need to do anything so they are even easier and cheaper to run. The format of this site is as such, it is not too dissimilar from sites people pay for. So for free - we are getting a lot of custom work done, for us, for free.
C) Leaderboards. I understand what you are syaing here. But if it is the same people on it all the time then that is becasue other members are constantly voting for what they think is best. So isn't that correct, even if a little boring that it may be the usual, but well deserved suspects?
Like I say, I will stay out of this as much as I can as I would love to hear peoples thoughts and recommendations, as despite what I have said above - SJ does read these and take suggestions on board. I am merely pointing out that before a million suggestions come in to please remember that to 98% of us who have not paid to join, to remember the site doesn't have the resources, money or the same time for admin as many pro sites have (but as I say, this should no negate any suggestions on how you think the site could move forward :-)
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riftzone
Member Profile
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Mon, Aug 09, 2010 16:37:34
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Yes i agree with a lot of whats being said here. When the site was small it was much more simple to run and control, but with the vast numbers of members now it has taken on a much broader direction of it's own. It does seem to me that even tho the membership has grown the number of members who are "active" in forums etc is about the same. it would be great to have more comments and view from members who just sit a look, you never know you just may get more out of the place if you put more into it.
We all have gripes i know but we have to remember the site is free and SJ only has a certain amount of time to give, so this should be kept in mind when comments are made.
RZ
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sluttyheels
Member Profile
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Mon, Aug 16, 2010 23:51:12 |
well this topic nearly passed me by... as one of the usual suspects i feel i should comment.
when i first joined three years ago i had the same response as you.. the boards were set, there was a perceived hierachy and no one thought it could be changed... well it has changed tremendously ... same old gripes appear in the forums because the same things are found irritating by new members, thats why the same subjects are rehashed by existing members such as me, in the hope that they might be resolved at some point..
we all get fed up at times and have to go away reassess and hopefully come back.. its just life isnt it? if you want something to be exciting you have to put the work in to make it so - if u dont like the content on the boards then change it, get on there yourself... it took me a very long time to get pictures up there.. but its all changeable, they arent static, anyone can get on there if they produce a good picture and have patience. a lot of pictures are lost in the vast categories so the answer to that is produce more pictures, make it new, get rid of old stuff off yr profile that people have seen over and over, put some effort into it dont just sit back and expect votes for pictures that have been seen over and over...
get your own forum going, that can be interesting.... and the perfect place for a good old rant, i have had many... lol
i do agree that the chat facility is under used, been saying that for ages, since it changed i think it scares a lot of people maybe that could be made simpler or more accessable...ofcourse people would actually have to chat, not just sit there and watch, like happens on a lot of chat sites...
lastly.... u can always choose to leave if you think its that bad... or just take a break...
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what a shock!
Member Profile
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Tue, Aug 17, 2010 10:23:46
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Since I have first came here years ago I rarely saw it used then compared to never now. I had this topic with someone on private mail just the other day.
My personal thoughts on it were perhaps that, where most people chat on an adult site it often turns to porn, as I used to see on the rare occasion i looked on the chat years ago. Then perhaps some members didn't want other members to see what "rude" things they are saying or knowing their particular kink in public.
I think that then pushed the more adult chat to private mail and the debating tends to be done on the forums instead. Hence, the two things it could be used for have moved to other mediums on the site.
Therefore, I am a little unsure of its validity any more. Does any one else here use it, or have they seen it used for what it was meant for, a bunch of people all talking together as opposed to just 1 on 1 a la MSN messenger style?
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h8hlzfetish
Member Profile
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Tue, Aug 17, 2010 15:59:49
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"All the issues... my two cents." if there was a way to change the categoty of pictures already uploaded it would be great!. The only way right now is to delete it and upload it again. For those who follow up the scores, you would lose the ranking. Is there anything that can be done?
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sluttyheels
Member Profile
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Tue, Aug 17, 2010 18:10:22
| deleting and reloading pix |
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it doesnt affect your score in any way, infact it can help your score when you recategorise.
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Dr Jones
Premium Member
Posts: 258 |
Wed, Aug 18, 2010 10:23:13
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There always seems to be 1 person chatting according to the Statistics column. (Surely for chat there has to be at least 2 ppl?)
Anyway, I found that person-to-person contacts works fine through the PM system. People in the same time zone can probably Chat but others probably cant, so that the PM service at least allows you to leave messages for each other if both parties cant be on HSS at the same time.
As a slight side issue, I've found that quite a few members do not respond the PMs. Yet a look over their profile says they welcome contacts. That p*sses me off!!
Best.
Dr J
ps. Btw, WAS, you've got a lovely bottom!!
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keet_in_heels
Premium Member
Posts: 164 |
Wed, Aug 18, 2010 20:28:52
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Yes I agree with Dr Jones on the not bothering to reply mind you same thing happens when you say hello to someone on the street.
Topics well erm shoes perhaps.
Deleting pics good idea but then any new member wont see them will they what about an archive?
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what a shock!
Member Profile
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Wed, Aug 18, 2010 20:37:15
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haha why thank you kindly! :-)
On the not bothering to reply, well thats just life. I probably dont reply to about 30-40% of emails if I do not like the tone etc. However like you did with me, you sent a nice polite email so I do not know why you would not get a reply from something like that. The idiots would be lucky to get a reply from anyone but I guess some people are just a bit lazy even when they have nice complimentary emails
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asdf174
Premium Member
Posts: 546 |
Thu, Aug 19, 2010 00:03:02 |
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I agree with a lot that is being said on here. I think everyone has made valid points. While yes I would love to see this site have some updates, I understand that it is a free site being ran by 1 person so I just try to enjoy the community and take everything with a grain of salt so to speak. Could things be better yeah, things can always be better but for what it is I'm not complaining.
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ShoePollution
Site assistant
Posts: 67 |
Thu, Aug 19, 2010 05:04:03
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Thanks for piping in everyone. I want to reiterate that I'm not complaining, but pointing out issues in the hopes that the site grow and improve because I do love this place!
And while I understand that this site is free, why does that excuse anything? WE are supplying the content! You either have to pay $$$ or pony up some original pics to join this club, so ShoeJack is amassing quite the collection of amateur material for his troubles! That said, I don't feel he owes me/us anything, nor do I feel I owe him anything. My point is that if the content of this site is user dependent, then shouldn't we do everything we can to attract solid users? Or at the very least remedy some things that might turn potential users away? The tone here should be nurturing and instead it is frequently aggressive.
Again though, I appreciate everyone chiming in. Some comments I found interesting:
Sluttyheels
"a lot of pictures are lost in the vast categories so the answer to that is produce more pictures"
That's kind of a problem don't you think? Perhaps the categories are too vast... Maybe some specialization is in order?
hhfetish
"if there was a way to change the category of pictures already uploaded it would be great!"
Right?!? That would be awesome! I'd add to that the ability to reorganize the order of your pics. Would be SO APPRECIATED!
what a shock!
"But if it is the same people on it all the time then that is because other members are constantly voting for what they think is best."
Maybe. Or maybe they get more votes because they're the "incumbents." Maybe a lot of good stuff is getting lost in the vastness, to paraphrase sluttyheels. I'm still not sure exactly what it takes to get on the leader boards. Nor am I sure how to enter the semi-monthly contests or what it takes to win them. Confusion does not promote use, it promotes frustration.
There are a few other points I brought up that no one addressed; does this mean they're non-issues to everyone else? Also, no comment on my suggestion of profile update tracking? If the idea is to build community here, then it would be nice to know when our favorite neighbors have changed their look, rather then just check in randomly.
So... putting the mic down now. Would anyone like to continue the conversation?
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what a shock!
Member Profile
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Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:59:21
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All valued comments and thoughts so thank you. Have you thought about emailing SJ and sending him the link to your thread to drawn his attention? As he would have to make any programming changes perhaps he could offer some thoughts if you highlight your thread to him. He may have missed it as I don't think he has time to read every thread.
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sluttyheels
Member Profile
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Fri, Aug 20, 2010 20:50:59 |
if you post new pictures they are listed in the newest pix down the left hand side of your screen, that leads you to the profile and that leads to votes if you like it. my point was, you can delete a picture then reload it, recategorise it and still carry on with the same votes, just you will start from scratch and have to get to ten votes to get on a leader board... ONLY if the total score is more than is already on there.
ten votes of ten and you would be top... that is very rare, usually a 9 point something after ten or more votes will get you on a board. these days you can really only get votes by changing your profile picture, but you probably already know all this and are just pointing out that your pictures are not attracting the votes you think they should get, which we all go through, especially with low voters.
EVERYONE understands your frustration because we have all been there. and we have all come up with suggestions for improvement, you are not the only one... but although you say you understand that this site is run by one man, you dont really get it though do you? the competition and the categories and everything that works here is controlled by SJ, nothing changes unless he changes it, so unless you can talk to him and get him to agree to any of your suggestions, you are out of luck... keep posting in forums and getting others to comment is a good start, as is contacting site administrators and sending SJ your suggestions. but if someone disagrees with you i dont see that as being aggressive, its just a difference of opinion, and everyone is entitled to their opinion on this member run site, dont you agree?
btw... each picture starts with no votes and its random if you get a good score or bad , theres no fixing of voting as far as i know, although there will always be friends voting for friendsis etc.. people here have faourites in each category and if yr not one of them maybe you should ask yourself why??
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keet_in_heels
Premium Member
Posts: 164 |
Fri, Aug 20, 2010 22:10:15
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I must agree that being able to change the order of your pictures would be useful in fact some of my pictures seem to have re arranged them selves I put a picture on then another and last one ends up in front of the other not very good when I am doing captions from one to next.
TV CD Female or what ever. TV CD in heels. Female in heels two different catagories perhaps. We already have shoe fucking etc which is as far as I know is male then we have female shoe play "girls perhaps" so split the whole lot in two girl wedges male wedges girl heels male heels etc. "SIMPLE"
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sluttyheels
Member Profile
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Sat, Aug 21, 2010 10:49:13 |
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would also be very useful to be able to go to a profile and see it as a slideshow
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SassyCat3000
Premium Member
Posts: 18 |
Thu, Sep 02, 2010 00:29:57
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I find so much of the discussion true. I agree with most of it.
I think we can all suffer from burn out from time to time. Like me right now. I am reading more forums and not posting photos. Removed the voting option. Standing back, keeping in touch with close friends here and thats it.
Seeing so many lurkers is disheartening, but after awhile one can become numb of the events of a website..or maybe thats just me.
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