A message from “the suit”
Hello to the Webshots community,
My name is Martin Green and I am what you would call “the suit” at Webshots, though I don’t wear a suit. I oversaw the team during the redesign and launch of the new site, and am very excited about the new direction that Webshots is heading.
Today is the one-month anniversary of the launch, so I wanted to address any unanswered questions before we move forward and focus on the future of the site. I understand that for some, it’s difficult to deal with the changes we’ve made, but if you stick with us, we will deliver on all the great new features and services we’ve mentioned.
Why fix what wasn’t broken?
The fact is, the site was “broken.” It may have not seemed that way to you because we kept releasing temporary fixes, but we got to a point where we couldn’t put a Band-Aid on the problems anymore. We also realized that in order to bring you more great features—such as video, more customization on your member homepages and search by date—we had to overhaul the site so it could handle the new technology. We knew that building new features on a site that hadn’t been updated since 1999 wasn’t going to work, so we decided to redesign it from top to bottom.
While we were upgrading the site behind the scenes, we decided that the look and feel could also use an upgrade. In the process, we better organized the site and created 10 channels for our community so that everyone could have their own neighborhood to hang out in. We added a new color scheme and logo—we felt that the old logo didn’t represent what Webshots is really all about: people. Also, many nonpremium members had complained about the number of ads on the old site, so in the redesign we reduced ad space by 40 percent.
Basically, the old Webshots was on its last legs and couldn’t handle all the new features we’re going to launch for you. So, we created a new and better Webshots and redesigned it with you in mind.
Why did you launch in beta?
We decided to launch the site in beta because we wanted to provide you with the opportunity to give us feedback on what you like about the site and what you think needs improvement before we settle on anything.
Before we launched, we had a prebeta period where we invited certain members to browse the site. Based on feedback from them as well as what we heard after we launched, we began to change the site and release new features. We’re continuing to listen to what you have to say and incorporating your suggestions into the new site.
Of course, we didn’t anticipate having as many bugs and site issues as we did when we launched. As a Webshots member myself, I experienced the bumps along the way and it pained me just as much as it did you when something wasn’t right with the site. I apologize for the bugs and thank you for your patience while we work through them. The good news is the engineers are releasing updates as soon as the issues are fixed, so keep your eye on the blog to see the latest fixes.
Why are you trying to compete with MySpace?
While we share many similar aspects to MySpace and other social-networking sites, Webshots is different because we appreciate photographers and photography. I think we have the best content out there in both the community and in proshots, and really value our members’ expressions.
We’re also one of the safest photo-sharing sites on the web because we screen all the photos and remove any nudity. We also don’t tolerate any photos with hate or violence because Webshots is a place for everyone.
Also, as technology develops, we’re going to add new features to the site, and many of those features, such as blog badges and customization options, can also be found on other websites, too. We’re programming Webshots for 19 million people, so we want to provide these new features to our members who enjoy using them to express themselves.
Why did CNET Networks make Webshots change?
CNET didn’t make us change Webshots; we made that decision on our own. What CNET has done is give us support and resources that enable Webshots to grow and provide new features for you.
CNET acquired Webshots because it recognized the passion in the community. CNET is home to passionate users of all interests, whether it be gadgets or cooking or video games. With Webshots, you can share your passions in the 10 channels, hundreds of subcategories or thousands of keyword searches. Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll most likely find it on Webshots.
In essence, the reason “why” we changed Webshots was to provide more features for you. And speaking of features, here’s what’s coming to Webshots soon:
- We’re launching video in October, so you’ll be able to share both photos and videos in one album. I am so excited about this one!
- We’ll release search by date soon, a feature that many of you have been asking about.
- We’re working on some more robust stats features for all those who love their stats.
We know we’re not perfect and that we’ll make mistakes along the way, but we ask you to forgive us while we work through them. We’re putting a lot of energy into making the site the best it can be, and we’ll continue to listen to your comments and suggestions along the way.
***October 2, 2006. Thank you for all your comments. This post has been closed.***
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