Balancing Infrastructure with Content
This has been a busy couple of weeks, trying to complete the infrastructure to RAPhoto.com. I’ve added several new components for ease of use and for addressing varying interests by Members and Guests alike.
The biggest change is the addition of the Image Submission page. The idea is that Members can submit images they would like to see my spin on Retouching of their images. I’m hoping that a few of you will dive in and start the process.
In response to numerous questions about equipment for retouching, I created a side bar showing the equipment I use. And taking advantge of the wonders of the internet, I can both provide a link as well as instantly show current new and used equipment pricing. All links are to Amazon, because they have aggressively positioned themselves as the point of focus for internet sales. Most people do not know that Amazon is the largest seller of electronics and TV’s in the US, second only to Best Buy. And as much as I like BBY, they are losing share rapidly, because of Amazon’s prices. Amazon has found a sweet spot on the net, good prices, secure payment transactions, excellent return/warranty policies, and incredible breadth of product coverage. And I like their book selection.
I have also added new book recommendations (along the left side bar), an RSS feed button (along the top menu bar), and I’ve cleaned up some of the Member sign-up pages to facilitate that process (of course current Members will never see that page and new Members will never have seen the old pages). I continue to tweak and modify the structure of the Home page. It still looks too busy to me, but I am trying to make it conform to web-site best practices, meaning no more than 2 clicks to navigate to any page/area. I would appreciate any and all comments.
And, without content, no one comes to the site. I have tried to consistently add 3 pod-/vid-casts per week. This week, I elevated the humor level with a slide show from a recent model shoot and with the Japanese TV commercial for Fuji film. And I thoroughly enjoyed recording the podcast on Beyond Design.
As always, thanks for reading, listening, watching, and visiting the website. I hope you to add any helpful comments or suggestions.