Show Off Gallery tool...has anyone done much testing?

brecklundinbrecklundin Registered Users Posts: 121 Major grins
edited August 23, 2010 in SmugMug Support
I have been using the Show-Off gallery tool in my eBay listings. I am torn in that it can load extremely slowly which I usually can correlate to SM weirdness at the time. but the other part of me is that the images are just not loading quickly.

I was wondering if the SO Flash is generated on the fly or is pre-created? I just am having a very disturbing change in sales as well as traffic in general. And no, these changes are not due solely to eBay's issues in that area and search rankings. Though that has an effect without a doubt.

I worry on two fronts that using Flash is problematic as it is...many people get scared and simply turn off Flash because someone told them it's bad...so those are lost customers. but also the speed the gallery loads can be horrendous. I am taking once as long as 65-seconds. And that was a 600x600 four photo set...so it's not like I was trying 1200x1200 images a dozen or more at a whack.

So, just curious who has tried what with this potentially really useful tool. I can also add that when I have had good weeks, the galleries have always been quick to load when I visit the listings to check things out.

I did search here and found almost nothing under the phrase "Show Off" which, well is the name of the damned thing. :dunno

Comments

  • jfriendjfriend Registered Users Posts: 8,097 Major grins
    edited August 23, 2010
    I personally wouldn't use Flash as the main display mechanism for your listing images. Lots of people do block it. Some people don't have it installed properly. My mom, for example, doesn't have flash installed on her Mac laptop.

    If you like the show-off feature, then I'd put some static images in first and then if the show-off feature works, it's something additional, not the only think you're relying on.
    --John
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  • brecklundinbrecklundin Registered Users Posts: 121 Major grins
    edited August 23, 2010
    yeah, I have always avoided Flash as a primary tool. It has always been very twitchy and what not...as far as Apple folks...I honestly do not waste time on them. for my business server stats even today I don't see more than 3% activity from Apple computers. I am not gonna code around them unless time is there to do it. But this is a case where I am just not thrilled with the performance of the tool from SM. I was concerned with if it is related to the general slowness of the SM service or the SO gallery itself.

    But I am in complete agreement wrt trying to create a lowest common denominator page, or sites in general. I too discourage the use of Flash and feel it's a mistake for photographers to build their sites 100% Flash. Sure they can be pretty but there is that 7-10% of the general population with Mac systems out there. And add to that what percentage of Win-tel systems that do not run Flash, it's not that big of a problem...if people had their systems properly setup security wise the Flash stuff would/should not be an issue. In fact I do not run any sort of AV programs and haven't since Norton was still Norton AV as in not Symantec... ;) As you know it's simply a matter of a proper firewall, user rights as well as a lock-down HOSTS file plus setting the security in your internet settings...you give up some features but not that many in the real world.

    I still dunno...I just loathe to write a gallery (though an HTML5 gallery would be sweet then again I would HAVE to code around it for Win-tel systems as they are my bread and butter user/customer base) and have it access the images without having to export a gallery from LR to my server, then port that into the listing code, I could do it but it's another 5-mins or so per listing which adds up during the day...I know I would probably end up recoding something nicer than the LR HTML galleries more geared to an auction listing...

    Something I know for sure is users do not like scrolling through a lot of images to get to the description...heck, even with a single photo they won't read descriptions...yeah, I don't like users that much I suppose...hahahaha....

    I mean we buy all these tools to automate things...what good are they if we have to go back to the code and roll our own ever time out.

    Thanks for the input...I'm ready to give it all up anyway so who knows if it really matters anymore...I do still appreciate the observations and I agree. I just went against my own recommendations for clients over the years and took the easy route...sigh...and here I had hoped to sleep some today, looks like no...we'll see what I can cobble together... ;)
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