Here are a couple of things I'd like to customize on my page. Does the use-your-own-html feature apply here?
1. Use left-alignment rather than center-alignment for titles in the "old" style archive (This is only applicable to archive-by-year. In the complete archive, which I've been using, it's left-aligned)
2. Have the option to left-align (or center-align) text in slide show posts. Centering is fine for one or two line captions under graphics, but looks awkward with longer text--eg, the "slide lectures" I'd like to do.
Something else I've been thinking about--going back to our discussion of adding thumbnail pages to slide shows. Here's a halfway measure: adding an optional "thumbnail" link on slideshows. In other words, say I create a thumbnail page on digitalmediatree or elsewhere, and want to link it up to the slideshow. "previous thumbnails next" would allow the visitor to go back and forth to such a page. On editpage, digitalmediatree members would type in the URL of the thumbnail page. If no URL is typed in, then the word "thumbnails" wouldn't appear in the slide show.
I'm actually working on a Doris Piserchia cover gallery at the moment. I'm planning to create the slide show on my weblog, with a thumbnail page or pages on my DP Site (I hope that's OK--the approx 1 MB added would be roughly equal to the pictures I'd like to delete from the digitalmediatree server). Without a thumbnail button, I'll just add "back to thumbnails" on each post.
No, the use your own HTML won't really help you here, but these are good general suggestions anyway.
1) left align -> Yes, I agree. I had thought about this but hadn't done it. I will do so now.
2) Have the option to left-align (or center-align) text in slide show posts -> Ditto. I'll change it to left align and people can wrap their text in <center> </center> tags if they want. This will create the problem where already existing slide shows will suddenly be de-centered, but I think I am the only one who has slide show pages, so that's O.K. (am I wrong? Are there others? If so, do the owners mind all text being de-centered?)
As for the rest I'll have to think about this. I've almost come to a decision about how to deal with thumbnails (and uploading pictures in general) but not quite. It's helpful to hear what other people want. Since it won't be too hard for you just to add 'back to thumbnails' links in I'm not going to rush my solution. Still, maybe your idea is a good one. I'll see how it sinks in today.
What's your time frame for this project?
As for picture space don't worry about it. On the other hand we are going to have to make some collective decision at some point in the near future. I know there are pictures on the server that people want to delete, but I wonder how much space that will really free up. Right now we are using just over 70 megabytes of storage out of our alotted 100. So we are outgrowing this account. When we move up a level we'll go to at least 20 gigabytes, so then it won't be a problem, but we're not quite there financially yet to make the jump. Hopefully we'll get there in time.
I'm going to clean out those old pictures of yours now.
I'm working on the jpegs right now. I'll probably start adding them this weekend. It's going to take some time to get everything linked up. I'm fine with using "back to thumbnails" in my posts. Re the collective decision, are you talking about contributing to subscription fees to get more server space?
I'm going to continue to offer everyone who has been working on this site free access forever. Right now this is no problem as it only costs me $25/month. But to move up to the next level it will cost me $500/month. At that point we will have an amazing amount of space and bandwidth. My hope is to take my few (but hopefully growing) number of paying clients (mostly wine industry stuff right now) and move it onto that machine (the $500/month machine) in order to defray the cost. Right now I could probably make $250/month from those people, so I need to find a few more customers and/or projects in order to make the jump. If I can break even I'll be happy.
So I'm not looking for money from anyone here, but I would be very interested in partnering on any project that could maybe bring in a little money so that we could all enjoy the new space (and speed) of our own machine.
I have several ideas in the works. Most of them involve some variation on the theme of pay me $10/month (instead of paying some other host $10/month, or putting up with geocity ads, or blogspot ads) and instead of just getting a web space and instructions on how to FTP your files to the server, you get this whole weblogging system (automatic archives, file uploads, create new pages in your browser, etc...) Traditionally people have been unwilling to pay for this sort of thing, but that was back in the days when userland and others were offering free server space. Nobody is offereing free server space anymore, so I think there is some market for a $5 - $10 a month web hosting package if it includes a simple to use web front end. We'll see.
|
1. Use left-alignment rather than center-alignment for titles in the "old" style archive (This is only applicable to archive-by-year. In the complete archive, which I've been using, it's left-aligned)
2. Have the option to left-align (or center-align) text in slide show posts. Centering is fine for one or two line captions under graphics, but looks awkward with longer text--eg, the "slide lectures" I'd like to do.
Something else I've been thinking about--going back to our discussion of adding thumbnail pages to slide shows. Here's a halfway measure: adding an optional "thumbnail" link on slideshows. In other words, say I create a thumbnail page on digitalmediatree or elsewhere, and want to link it up to the slideshow. "previous thumbnails next" would allow the visitor to go back and forth to such a page. On editpage, digitalmediatree members would type in the URL of the thumbnail page. If no URL is typed in, then the word "thumbnails" wouldn't appear in the slide show.
I'm actually working on a Doris Piserchia cover gallery at the moment. I'm planning to create the slide show on my weblog, with a thumbnail page or pages on my DP Site (I hope that's OK--the approx 1 MB added would be roughly equal to the pictures I'd like to delete from the digitalmediatree server). Without a thumbnail button, I'll just add "back to thumbnails" on each post.
- tom moody 11-24-2001 5:42 pm
No, the use your own HTML won't really help you here, but these are good general suggestions anyway.
1) left align -> Yes, I agree. I had thought about this but hadn't done it. I will do so now.
2) Have the option to left-align (or center-align) text in slide show posts -> Ditto. I'll change it to left align and people can wrap their text in <center> </center> tags if they want. This will create the problem where already existing slide shows will suddenly be de-centered, but I think I am the only one who has slide show pages, so that's O.K. (am I wrong? Are there others? If so, do the owners mind all text being de-centered?)
As for the rest I'll have to think about this. I've almost come to a decision about how to deal with thumbnails (and uploading pictures in general) but not quite. It's helpful to hear what other people want. Since it won't be too hard for you just to add 'back to thumbnails' links in I'm not going to rush my solution. Still, maybe your idea is a good one. I'll see how it sinks in today.
What's your time frame for this project?
As for picture space don't worry about it. On the other hand we are going to have to make some collective decision at some point in the near future. I know there are pictures on the server that people want to delete, but I wonder how much space that will really free up. Right now we are using just over 70 megabytes of storage out of our alotted 100. So we are outgrowing this account. When we move up a level we'll go to at least 20 gigabytes, so then it won't be a problem, but we're not quite there financially yet to make the jump. Hopefully we'll get there in time.
I'm going to clean out those old pictures of yours now.
- jim 11-24-2001 9:22 pm [add a comment]
I'm working on the jpegs right now. I'll probably start adding them this weekend. It's going to take some time to get everything linked up. I'm fine with using "back to thumbnails" in my posts. Re the collective decision, are you talking about contributing to subscription fees to get more server space?
- tom moody 11-24-2001 10:00 pm [add a comment]
I'm going to continue to offer everyone who has been working on this site free access forever. Right now this is no problem as it only costs me $25/month. But to move up to the next level it will cost me $500/month. At that point we will have an amazing amount of space and bandwidth. My hope is to take my few (but hopefully growing) number of paying clients (mostly wine industry stuff right now) and move it onto that machine (the $500/month machine) in order to defray the cost. Right now I could probably make $250/month from those people, so I need to find a few more customers and/or projects in order to make the jump. If I can break even I'll be happy.
So I'm not looking for money from anyone here, but I would be very interested in partnering on any project that could maybe bring in a little money so that we could all enjoy the new space (and speed) of our own machine.
I have several ideas in the works. Most of them involve some variation on the theme of pay me $10/month (instead of paying some other host $10/month, or putting up with geocity ads, or blogspot ads) and instead of just getting a web space and instructions on how to FTP your files to the server, you get this whole weblogging system (automatic archives, file uploads, create new pages in your browser, etc...) Traditionally people have been unwilling to pay for this sort of thing, but that was back in the days when userland and others were offering free server space. Nobody is offereing free server space anymore, so I think there is some market for a $5 - $10 a month web hosting package if it includes a simple to use web front end. We'll see.
- jim 11-24-2001 10:27 pm [add a comment]