My other blog, my photoblog, runs on Pixelpost v 1.7. I’ve been using Pixelpost for nearly two years now, but have only recently upgraded to the newest version. As far as photoblogging applications go, I think it’s the best one out there (certainly the best one I’ve found.) It’s free, there are a lot of templates to change the design, and there’s a great community of users.
But that’s not to say I don’t have issues with it. I do. I simply don’t understand why it has to be so difficult. The answer to that may simply be ‘because it’s free’, and if so, then fine. But maybe that’s not the entire answer…
I have been dabbling in web design for a few years now, and while I’m not a born coder (never will be) I can write html and have a decent understanding of css. I’ve even managed to design and make several really nice looking standards compliant web sites. But Pixelpost is not a simple website – it’s complex. It’s a mixture of html, css and php, running on a MySQL database. I imagine most people can get it up and running, and even change templates, but modifying it is not for non technically minded people.
And that’s where a few interesting questions pop up. Who is this application designed for? Photographers is the obvious assumption I make. And I don’t make a distinction between amatuer and professional, as a photographer is a photographer. But it would almost appear, looking at the application from a technical perspective, that it has been made for ‘code heads’ instead of photographers. Even my most generous interpretation is that it has been made on one level for photographers (the basic out of the box experience) and has a whole lot of extra functionality possible to those that can get really techy with code. And that’s why I think it’s frustrating.
I want a photoblog that doesn’t require I have a PHD in php, javascript and CSS, but I also want one that’s easily customisable. Maybe I just want too much. That’s the most likely truth. Especially as it’s free. But I wish that the code head developers would realise that most photographers are not necessarily good at coding, and that an application that was easier to customise would attarct a better level of photographer, and increase the market share. In my browsing, I have certainly found a large number of fabulous looking sites with pretty ordinary photos, and also a whole lot of sites that needed some design and attention, but that had great photos. It’s not until you put both together, like J.R Photoblog that you really get a fabulous product.
I know that I’m mostly jealous. It blows me away what some people can manage to master. That’s why I want Pixelpost to make it easier for us lesser talented mortals to compete.
Geoff – yes CSS can be a can of worms depending on how it has been implemented. It is the correct way to go as regards layout of course. As your main problem is with page layout – ie where things go in relation to each other, i think this could be managed by application functionality (still css under the hood) – css-positioning is by far the trickiest thing to get right as you probably know.
If I do get my project under way, I’ll bear this in mind, and I’ll get you involved
Cheers
Richard, when I think about it, it’s not the features that are missing, but it’s the way they are implemented. As you know, you just add a tag to a page and voila you have a list of the 5 most viewed images, or whatever that plug in is programmed to do.
But the problem is with layout. I can add a tag, but the way the pages are controlled by CSS goes beyond what most people can manage. I have spent days trying to change the “layout” of a page because of the difficulty involved in the CSS. And I have a half decent understanding of CSS, or at least I thought I did. I’ve made several standards compliant web sites from scratch so I must know something. But because of the interaction of the html, CSS and php, most people haven’t got a hope in hell of playing with the layout.
That’s why I think templates are so important. If there is a range of templates with easily configurable plug-ins, then everybody would be happy. I know that many people think it’s dead easy to play with the CSS and in many ways it seems that it’s not really ‘cool’ to admit you can’t figure it out, but I’m thinking that MOST photographers would be in a similar or even worse position than me. Put it this way – I just did a photography Diploma with 50 people and I was way ahead of anyone else when it came to web design. And I get stumped big time with the way the three elements interact. I have a current example if you like – my photoblog is running the Horizon template, and I’m trying to adjust the way the Archive page looks (browse). I’ve added the tags to the template but I can’t for the life of me figure out how to control the layout on the page. I have looked for ages at other templates, but I have a very specific requirement for a template – I just want ONE photo on the front, no thumbnails. So there are not many to choose from. I love Horizon’s looks, but I’d kill to be able to customise it in the way JR Photoblog does.
I hope that clarifies my position. It’s all about layout. I think there could also be a range of different plugins, but I haven’t really given that any thought. My beef is with how difficult it is to change seemingly simple things.
Geoff – sure, but do have any specific examples of the sort of add-on, configurable features that you would like in Pixelpost, but are too troublesome to implement?
We can take this discussion offline if you want
Cheers
Richard,
Customisation would be at the absolute top of my list. I think the end result of customising Pixelpost templates is often not worth the difficulty in actually doing it.
Easy implementation of various add ons are also important, and is really part of customisation.
I think Pixelpost is great, but any application that could ease the customisation would get big ticks from me.
Hi Geoff – coincidentally I’ve been thinking of developing a photoblog application for some time. You are right – I don’t see how open source helps photographers if they want a custom solution (other than maybe template look and feel). I would be building the customisation into the interface. I’d be interested to know what your wish list would be for such an application, from a photographers point of view
Cheers
R