What's wrong with Pbase?

[making_trax]

I posted this in 'Questions and Answers' but this is probably best posted here!

I love Pbase - I've made friends here and the quality of photography is amazing. Also, it is so much better than other photo sites for ease of seeing photos and comments etc. It's such a good basic idea BUT I don't understand why It seems so amateurish in a number of areas:
Why is it so slow so often?
Why does the message under the popular galleries never change and looks like its been on since the 1990s?
Why do photo and gallery tallies have to appear on a spreadsheet on Tesco.net - put on by a member?
Why is there no link to Popular photos on the navigation bar at the top, like 'popular galleries'?
Why does the search engine not work properly?
Why is there no easy link to other users?
What am I missing here? It's like it was put on the web as a fabulous product 10 years ago and never altered? Can someone please explain why this is the case. I like Pbase so much,I, for one, am willing to pay more for this product if it could get a makeover! There are some complex features discussed on this forum - but why not get the basics right first!!
Cheers
Steve

[djwixx]

I think Pbase's saving grace is its community. A simple thing I'd like as a start is the front page blue bar (also now in the forums) to be carried across through all the pages.

I liken Pbase to a corner shop. It doesn't always have what you want but it always has something that will suffice.

I think Pbase officially has about 4 or 5 full time employees and I suspect they spend much of their time firefighting, so development is slow.

I've used Flickr (don't like it) and they have half the worlds developers!! I've used smugmug and it is slick, but I think it's expensive as a point to start. The last time I read an article on smugmug they had about 30 developers so that makes a huge difference.

Printing seems to be the big time consumer. Personally I think there's too many other mature printing options out on the web that I'm highly unlikely to use what will be on offer from Pbase, so why take the time. The value adds don't come quick enough to be a money earner for Pbase, so I think the core product should be the concentration.

Personally I'd like a survey from Pbase to all existing members asking for preferences, so they know where to concentrate their efforts. A feature request forum is great IF you know it's read.

Yes, there's a lot wrong with Pbase, but there's also a lot right, and I think Pbase owes a lot to the loyalty and support of it's community.

Yes, I'd pay more, if that's what it takes to keep Pbase going, and give everyone what they want.

[making_trax]

Totally agree with everything you've said. Pbase has the best format of all the photosites in my opinion and it's a really friendly supportive community. Some people seem to spend a great deal of time on here and in terms of value for money it's unbelievable. But if we all paid an extra couple of dollars a year for someone who can put a stats link button on so we don't have to go to Tesco.net, or can put on a 'users' button so we can find other members, or update that annoying message under the popular galleries that says 'voting is new', or fix the search engine - it's got to be worth it. Some really complex features are being discussed on this forum - but getting the basics right should be a priority surely!
Steve

[rnold]

I agree with most everything OP has said.
However, I already pay $43 for 1000 mgs which is not much 'bang for the buck' considering the quality of service I'm getting these days.
Site slowness and a non-functioning search engine are my primary beefs.
I don't care much for the format at flickr but I'm seriously considering switching.
In fact, I purchased a pro account this weekend.
it's too bad because I really do like pbase.

[tirwin]

I am seriously considering leaving Pbase, mostly because of its voting system. Are we really to believe that the most popular galleries represent the the site's best photography? Really, some of the most banal photographs make it to the popular galleries. People vote for a gallery in the hopes that that photographer will them vote for them. It is a system of sycophancy rather than real criticism. A photography site should be about good photography, not cliched galleries. Speaking of galleries, I also think the use of galleries, rather than show casing individual photographs further promotes the site's focus on quantity over quality.

[andrys]

.
My needs are simple. The feature I most want is that the photos and thumbnails display and without waiting
a really lonnng time. Right now the thumbnails are balking everywhere though the original pics do finally
show up. But most visitors wouldn't wait that long...

Favorite invisible thumbnails

[nooutlet]

I'm no longer experiencing the thumbnail problem. I saw it around the time of your post andrys, but it doesn't appear to be happening now on my computer.
tirwin, I don't understand how you want us to address your two complaints. Both of them are based on the nature of the respective agents at work.
We're not going to take away the voting system. We never claim that the popular galleries represent the best photography on PBase. You said in another post that we "place mediocre photographers in the most popular". We do not place anyone into the most popular. We don't force people to vote-swap and neither can we keep them from vote-swapping without limiting "real" votes. Nor is it our place to say what should or shouldn't be popular, I don't think.
The other complaint was about the "use of galleries". Can you think of any other way for an account-based photohosting site to organize a persons pictures? Without galleries, where would the picture that you are showcasing be? Would it be one image per account and your account page is just that one image? Maybe you would upload just a few images per account. But then, the images you upload into that account are now in a group of images on your page which is acting just like a gallery.
Though, perhaps the slideshow function is just what you're looking for. It rolls through the images that the photographer selects(assumably, their favorite shots). That way they can showcase individual photographs.
The point is that you seem to be complaining about how people use PBase as opposed to how PBase operates itself.

[djwixx]

I'm no longer experiencing the thumbnail problem. I saw it around the time of your post andrys, but it doesn't appear to be happening now on my computer.
tirwin, I don't understand how you want us to address your two complaints. Both of them are based on the nature of the respective agents at work.
We're not going to take away the voting system. We never claim that the popular galleries represent the best photography on PBase. You said in another post that we "place mediocre photographers in the most popular". We do not place anyone into the most popular. We don't force people to vote-swap and neither can we keep them from vote-swapping without limiting "real" votes. Nor is it our place to say what should or shouldn't be popular, I don't think.
The other complaint was about the "use of galleries". Can you think of any other way for an account-based photohosting site to organize a persons pictures? Without galleries, where would the picture that you are showcasing be? Would it be one image per account and your account page is just that one image? Maybe you would upload just a few images per account. But then, the images you upload into that account are now in a group of images on your page which is acting just like a gallery.
Though, perhaps the slideshow function is just what you're looking for. It rolls through the images that the photographer selects(assumably, their favorite shots). That way they can showcase individual photographs.
The point is that you seem to be complaining about how people use PBase as opposed to how PBase operates itself.

I'm curious as to why numerous people complain about Pbase and insisting on wanting to leave then never pull their thumb out of the their............. go already.

[andrys]

I'm no longer experiencing the thumbnail problem. I saw it around the time of your post andrys, but it doesn't appear to be happening now on my computer.

I just checked my Favorites page
http://www.pbase.com/favorites/andrys

Pinemikey and some others' are not showing up yet.

I just checked my new comments, and several of those thumbnails
on the comment mgmt page are not showing up.

Early this morning the favorites page was showing bottom pics but
missing many of them at the top. I'm in Northern California on Comcast.

I have no missing pictures from any other site at all though.

[Edited 5/11/08 - 1pm pdt -- Thumbnails are back (for awhile?) ] Thanks.

[gsansoucie]

I'd be happy with uploads that work.

I'd be happy with thumbnails that work.

I'd be happy with speed increases.