Hahah! Totally... I'm kinda hacking my standard account's front page BIO section to control which categories I display and which I hide... But onto the meat... I know I'm late to the party but thought I'd weigh in on a couple things that have always bugged me... And a couple neat ideas I picked up from this thread:
1) Larger thumbs!
2) Featured photo for the CATEGORY / SUB-CATEGORY
3) Descriptions for CATEGORIES / SUB-CATEGORIES
4) SUB-SUB-CATEGORIES! I've been able to get along fine so far, but it would sure help if I could go one level deeper in places...
5) Password protection on a CATEGORY / SUB-CATEGORY level protecting everything inside
6) Get rid of pre-defined but unused CATEGORIES... You can instead simply give people hints on what to call their new CATEGORIES when they're trying to create them if it's even necessary!
7) Ability to auto-sort the galleries within a CATEGORY / SUB-CATEGORY... I label my galleries by date (like "2008.11.11 Subject of Gallery") and prefer to have the newest galleries up top... Each time I upload a new gallery I have to use the arrange function and shift it up to the top... Auto-sort!
8) A re-useable widget for selecting a gallery that takes into account the CATEGORY / SUBCATEGORY structure! Currently, when moving a photo from one gallery to another you're presented with a seemingly un-ordered drop-down list of all galleries (seemingly without respect for CATEGORIES / SUB-CATEGORIES)... External sites and apps should be able to access this widget too! (http://animoto.com/, Facebook Apps, etc...)
9) And finally, RSS feeds for CATEGORIES / SUB-CATEGORIES that work like this one: http://[nickname].smugmug.com/hack/feed.mg?Type=nickname&Data=[nickname]&format=rss200 but are limited to recent galleries within a specific CATEGORY... Or better yet, be able to hack a feed to include the same info but from multiple CATEGORIES!
I'm still in my 2-week trial period, trying to determine whether smugmug will work for me. My ideas:
1. Instead of having categories, subcategories, and galleries, how about simply having containers? (You could call them galleries, for the sake of simplicity). That way, a gallery could simultaneously contain both sub-galleries and photos themselves.
2. Friendlier path names, such as domain/gallery/gallery/photoname.jpg? (or, if you didn't use the first idea above, it would be domain/category/sub-category/photoname.jpg).
3. Others have mentioned this, but virtual albums, so a camping trip to the mountains could be both under 2009, and under an activity-based structure, such as "camping". Allow albums to have multiple parents.
Right now the highest priority for me is 2) Featured photo for the CATEGORY / SUB-CATEGORY. It is frustrating that every time I add a gallery to a SUB-CATEGORY the thumbnail for the SUB-CATEGORY changes to one of the images in the new gallery.
I also would like a more graphic method of creating structures, similar to Windows Explorer.
The thread is a little too long to check if this has been suggested already, I'm confident it has but just in case:
My main issue with Categories and Sub-categories is the way they are displayed. In particular the separation of Sub-cats from other galleries within the Category. I'd like to decide for myself where they are displayed, esp as some of the sub-cats of mine are dormant archives that I would prefer to push down the page.
Secondly I don't really see the need for the text that says:
"category x Galleries"
or
"category x Sub-Categories" followed by "sub-category y Galleries"
etc. It's pointless in a "duh, really?" kind of way, but it's also ugly, esp where for aesthetic reasons the user chooses all lower case text in their titles.
These aren't major issues but if additional flexibility could be provided that would much appreciated.
I really need the ability to sort my categories. I shoot motocross and I have probably about 100 albums of riders that I need to manually sort or sort by name and number. I had that ability last summer but it disappeared over the winter and now people can't scroll down through the albums sorted by number. It's a nightmare! I specifically put everyone's number first on their album and then had that category sorted by name. Now I do not have that ability and it sucks!
Probably been said a million times but I just want to add my voice here. I'm happy with Category, Sub category, Gallery now I just need Sub Gallery. I know all the negatives about people getting click fatigue but I still want sub galleries. Just one more level & I'll be happy ..........Please.....
1- Description box. I'd like a html box below the thumbs as well to list html page with text links under the thumbs.
2- Galleries going in several categories
3- A bit off topic, a site map (with html box, of course). My "all galleries" page looks a bit ridiculous. I'd rather have text links or something like this:
1- Description box. I'd like a html box below the thumbs as well to list html page with text links under the thumbs.
2- Galleries going in several categories
3- A bit off topic, a site map (with html box, of course). My "all galleries" page looks a bit ridiculous. I'd rather have text links or something like this:
Category 1
thumb thumb thumb thumb thumb thumb
Category 2
thumb thumb thumb
Category 3
thumb thumb etc.
In your All Galleries page, is there any reason you aren't choosing to display that by category. That's what categories are for, so when you have lots of galleries you can offer your viewers a little navigation hierarchy rather than a giant flat list of galleries. For example, this site has more than 500 galleries, but they are displayed by category and sub-category so there are lots fewer on a single page at any given time.
In your All Galleries page, is there any reason you aren't choosing to display that by category.
Categories are found on the homepage and the breadcrumb so the "All galleries" page is just another way to browse. Half my "galleries" are text pages and I'd like to link those with text links under the galleries' thumbs. A simple site map with text links would do too. It's a useful tool. Maybe there's a way to make it work with Google Sitemap...?
Is anything at all happening with any of this? I want to love smugmug, and joined for a trial last year, and this particular set of issues is still why I can't migrate my galleries - and since my server is going away soon, time grows short!
It isn't that three levels is or isn't enough, it's that secretly there is only one level in which you can put photos. If I have an "album" from a trip , I have some photos, and then have sub-"albums" within that, and that's strictly unsupported here. You guys are the best looking on the web, but the restrictions locking down sorting ability are crazy.
And this topic has been up for the better part of the year, with no idea of any future work. Come on, guys. I want to give you money, but you just don't respect my needs.
0
Ben NiehoffRegistered UsersPosts: 1Beginner grinner
edited August 20, 2009
This thread is now a year old. Will this feature ever be implemented?
I'm looking for a place to host my photos and sell prints. Currently using 14-day trials of both SmugMug and Zenfolio to evaluate which one is better suited. Zenfolio has all the flexibility of organization that I need, but is totally inflexible in terms of theming and page layout...and it won't really do to make a site with cookie-cutter presentation.
SmugMug is perfect in every other way, but is missing this one key feature: it won't let me organize my photos the way I want!
It would really be nice to have a flexible category system combining the best features of both Zenfolio and Flickr:
Zenfolio:
- Unlimited levels of hierarchy
- Containers may contain both photos AND additional containers, just like the filesystem on any computer
- Batch copy/move/delete commands save loads of time
Flickr:
- Photos stored in a database. Photo sets (galleries) are "views" of this database rather than physical containers. Thus, ALL galleries are virtual.
- Consequently, it is easy to assign one photo to multiple galleries so that visitors can find them in multiple ways. Cross-referencing!
I think a full solution really needs to combine these ideas to make organization totally flexible. I understand there are difficulties with scaling, but with a smart database design it should be possible.
Apply keywords or setting to entire cateory or subcategory
I don't know if it fits as a category/subcategory feature but I would like to be able to affect all of the photos in a category or subcategory without having to select each gallery. For example: Under the sports category I have a subcategory named "boys soccer" and want to add the keyword soccer to all of the photos in all of the galleries under "boys soccer".
I can now set gallery settings for multiple galleries (thanks BTW, that helps a lot) but I still can only select individual galleries one at a time. I would like to be able to select all of the galleries in a specific category or sub category at once.
Hi Guys I wanted to buy into the conversation as this is right on target for me and as a new user and beginner at the web site creation; I’m hoping that you can give me a little help. Please don’t just send me the link into the Smug section on how this is done as if it was that easy I would not be writing for further help. I have a site www.sinclairjonesphotography.com and what the biggest vain of my life is that I want categories or headings on my main page like, portrait and landscape and then have subcategories under the above mentioned titles such as the models names or location that I have taken the photo shoot. As you will see if you have a quick look, I have made such headings as Singapore and Phillip Island and so on, when I should have made a heading of Travel and then sub categories below such as Singapore and Phillip Island I would be very helpful on the above mentioned as I have burned a number of hours trying to get the working with no success. Regards
Chris www.sinclairjonesphotography.com
I have a site www.sinclairjonesphotography.com and what the biggest vain of my life is that I want categories or headings on my main page like, portrait and landscape and then have subcategories under the above mentioned titles such as the models names or location that I have taken the photo shoot. As you will see if you have a quick look, I have made such headings as Singapore and Phillip Island and so on, when I should have made a heading of Travel and then sub categories below such as Singapore and Phillip Island I would be very helpful on the above mentioned as I have burned a number of hours trying to get the working with no success. Regards
Chris www.sinclairjonesphotography.com
I'm really not sure what you are asking here.
I just took a look at your site, and one thing that jumps out is that many of your galleries are in communities. As soon as you place a gallery in a community you lose your customizations. Is that what you want? From the help page:
Note: Galleries associated with a community will either be smug default, or community default. They will not show your customization.
If you want groupings of galleries within categories like Travel, make sure all of your Travel galleries are assigned the category of Travel, then place the Travel category on your navbar instead of the gallery entry.
You also might be interested in having a "galleries" landing page. The code to create that is in the tutorial http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/2160039, in the sections titled The Galleries.
Hi Guys Well after reading the above and half a bottle of Gentleman Jacks, I think I have cracked it, yes that’s correct I have finally worked out how to make subcategories. What is also a frustration is how you cannot have a gallery in a community and still have the professional look that you want, something so simple to us newbie’s should be up on the list Thanks again for your help and patience Please feel free to go and have a look. Chris www.sinclairjonesphotography.com
Comments
Great suggestions!
All of them!
1. Instead of having categories, subcategories, and galleries, how about simply having containers? (You could call them galleries, for the sake of simplicity). That way, a gallery could simultaneously contain both sub-galleries and photos themselves.
2. Friendlier path names, such as domain/gallery/gallery/photoname.jpg? (or, if you didn't use the first idea above, it would be domain/category/sub-category/photoname.jpg).
3. Others have mentioned this, but virtual albums, so a camping trip to the mountains could be both under 2009, and under an activity-based structure, such as "camping". Allow albums to have multiple parents.
Cheers, Carl.
Right now the highest priority for me is 2) Featured photo for the CATEGORY / SUB-CATEGORY. It is frustrating that every time I add a gallery to a SUB-CATEGORY the thumbnail for the SUB-CATEGORY changes to one of the images in the new gallery.
I also would like a more graphic method of creating structures, similar to Windows Explorer.
My main issue with Categories and Sub-categories is the way they are displayed. In particular the separation of Sub-cats from other galleries within the Category. I'd like to decide for myself where they are displayed, esp as some of the sub-cats of mine are dormant archives that I would prefer to push down the page.
Secondly I don't really see the need for the text that says:
"category x Galleries"
or
"category x Sub-Categories" followed by "sub-category y Galleries"
etc. It's pointless in a "duh, really?" kind of way, but it's also ugly, esp where for aesthetic reasons the user chooses all lower case text in their titles.
These aren't major issues but if additional flexibility could be provided that would much appreciated.
Fairbanks, Alaska SMUG Leader
My Site | Fairbanks SMUG | Facebook | Twitter
2- Galleries going in several categories
3- A bit off topic, a site map (with html box, of course). My "all galleries" page looks a bit ridiculous. I'd rather have text links or something like this:
Category 1
thumb thumb thumb thumb thumb thumb
Category 2
thumb thumb thumb
Category 3
thumb thumb etc.
borealphoto.smugmug.com
In your All Galleries page, is there any reason you aren't choosing to display that by category. That's what categories are for, so when you have lots of galleries you can offer your viewers a little navigation hierarchy rather than a giant flat list of galleries. For example, this site has more than 500 galleries, but they are displayed by category and sub-category so there are lots fewer on a single page at any given time.
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Categories are found on the homepage and the breadcrumb so the "All galleries" page is just another way to browse. Half my "galleries" are text pages and I'd like to link those with text links under the galleries' thumbs. A simple site map with text links would do too. It's a useful tool. Maybe there's a way to make it work with Google Sitemap...?
See this post: http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=914863&postcount=39
borealphoto.smugmug.com
It isn't that three levels is or isn't enough, it's that secretly there is only one level in which you can put photos. If I have an "album" from a trip , I have some photos, and then have sub-"albums" within that, and that's strictly unsupported here. You guys are the best looking on the web, but the restrictions locking down sorting ability are crazy.
And this topic has been up for the better part of the year, with no idea of any future work. Come on, guys. I want to give you money, but you just don't respect my needs.
I'm looking for a place to host my photos and sell prints. Currently using 14-day trials of both SmugMug and Zenfolio to evaluate which one is better suited. Zenfolio has all the flexibility of organization that I need, but is totally inflexible in terms of theming and page layout...and it won't really do to make a site with cookie-cutter presentation.
SmugMug is perfect in every other way, but is missing this one key feature: it won't let me organize my photos the way I want!
It would really be nice to have a flexible category system combining the best features of both Zenfolio and Flickr:
Zenfolio:
- Unlimited levels of hierarchy
- Containers may contain both photos AND additional containers, just like the filesystem on any computer
- Batch copy/move/delete commands save loads of time
Flickr:
- Photos stored in a database. Photo sets (galleries) are "views" of this database rather than physical containers. Thus, ALL galleries are virtual.
- Consequently, it is easy to assign one photo to multiple galleries so that visitors can find them in multiple ways. Cross-referencing!
I think a full solution really needs to combine these ideas to make organization totally flexible. I understand there are difficulties with scaling, but with a smart database design it should be possible.
I don't know if it fits as a category/subcategory feature but I would like to be able to affect all of the photos in a category or subcategory without having to select each gallery. For example: Under the sports category I have a subcategory named "boys soccer" and want to add the keyword soccer to all of the photos in all of the galleries under "boys soccer".
I can now set gallery settings for multiple galleries (thanks BTW, that helps a lot) but I still can only select individual galleries one at a time. I would like to be able to select all of the galleries in a specific category or sub category at once.
tcstakes.smugmug.com
I wanted to buy into the conversation as this is right on target for me and as a new user and beginner at the web site creation; I’m hoping that you can give me a little help. Please don’t just send me the link into the Smug section on how this is done as if it was that easy I would not be writing for further help.
I have a site www.sinclairjonesphotography.com and what the biggest vain of my life is that I want categories or headings on my main page like, portrait and landscape and then have subcategories under the above mentioned titles such as the models names or location that I have taken the photo shoot.
As you will see if you have a quick look, I have made such headings as Singapore and Phillip Island and so on, when I should have made a heading of Travel and then sub categories below such as Singapore and Phillip Island
I would be very helpful on the above mentioned as I have burned a number of hours trying to get the working with no success.
Regards
Chris
www.sinclairjonesphotography.com
I just took a look at your site, and one thing that jumps out is that many of your galleries are in communities. As soon as you place a gallery in a community you lose your customizations. Is that what you want? From the help page:
If you want groupings of galleries within categories like Travel, make sure all of your Travel galleries are assigned the category of Travel, then place the Travel category on your navbar instead of the gallery entry.
You also might be interested in having a "galleries" landing page. The code to create that is in the tutorial http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/2160039, in the sections titled The Galleries.
If I missed your point, please ask again.
--- Denise
Musings & ramblings at https://denisegoldberg.blogspot.com
Well after reading the above and half a bottle of Gentleman Jacks, I think I have cracked it, yes that’s correct I have finally worked out how to make subcategories.
What is also a frustration is how you cannot have a gallery in a community and still have the professional look that you want, something so simple to us newbie’s should be up on the list
Thanks again for your help and patience
Please feel free to go and have a look.
Chris
www.sinclairjonesphotography.com
Hi, thanks for posting. I've answered you in the other three threads on the same topic. No need to post multiple times on the same subject, thanks
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