Gallery questions

[ClayB]

I have a few questions about the new gallery feature (which I think is a great addition to the forum!)

1. This isn't specific to the gallery, but when I tried to do the mass picture download thing, it says I dont have the right browser to use that feature. Is there a specific browser I need to use to do that, or is it maybe another thing that just isn't possible with my overpriced, slow speed, dissapointing satalite internet?

2. If a person wanted to do a step by step lesson on the gallery, would you have to upload the steps in reverse in order for them to show from begining to end? Seems like the last one you loaded is the first one to show so if you went in order, they'd show in reverse?

3. When I go to my own gallery from my profile page, only 6 images show and they are also the last ones I have added. Is there any way to pick the ones that would be displayed on your own profile since it would be like a showcase in a way?

4. Is there any way to be notified if a comment was made to one of your gallery images? I just noticed that one of my pictures had a comment and it was a question and I had no idea it had been asked. If I wouldn't have just happened to look, I'd have not known it was there.

I know this is all new and a lot of work has gone into it and I'm not trying to be a pain, just wondering how to best be able to use this new feature.

[Johanna]

I have a few questions about the new gallery feature (which I think is a great addition to the forum!)

1. This isn't specific to the gallery, but when I tried to do the mass picture download thing, it says I dont have the right browser to use that feature. Is there a specific browser I need to use to do that, or is it maybe another thing that just isn't possible with my overpriced, slow speed, dissapointing satalite internet? I have had trouble uploading large files on my wireless home network, but when I plugged an thernet cord into the computer to the router, it works fine. An ISP or network may also limit uploads. If a connection is spotty, it seems the zip function doesn't want to complete. We're trying to address that, if it's even possible from our end. For general security alone, as well as to get the best performance on the forum, apply any updates or patches to your browser.

2. If a person wanted to do a step by step lesson on the gallery, would you have to upload the steps in reverse in order for them to show from begining to end? Seems like the last one you loaded is the first one to show so if you went in order, they'd show in reverse? I did that in a zip file, so I would have to rename the pics to put them in the right order.

3. When I go to my own gallery from my profile page, only 6 images show and they are also the last ones I have added. Is there any way to pick the ones that would be displayed on your own profile since it would be like a showcase in a way? Sure, you can put them on your profile page using the link tags the gallery supplies, if you want.

4. Is there any way to be notified if a comment was made to one of your gallery images? I just noticed that one of my pictures had a comment and it was a question and I had no idea it had been asked. If I wouldn't have just happened to look, I'd have not known it was there. If you click your name, then "my settings" then the gallery tab you can set image "subscriptions". You can also upload an album, or pick an album you really like, then click "watch album" to get notifications.

I know this is all new and a lot of work has gone into it and I'm not trying to be a pain, just wondering how to best be able to use this new feature.

I just answered these questions kinda generically, and I;m glad you asked, Clay, because if you were wondering, others are too. If anyone has more questions or I need to clarify (or fix some bug I haven't noticed yet) your feedback in valuable. We want this gallery to perform perfectly, of course, and be easy to use. We all seem to like looking at the pics.

Johanna

[CitizenKate]

1. This isn't specific to the gallery, but when I tried to do the mass picture download thing, it says I dont have the right browser to use that feature. Is there a specific browser I need to use to do that, or is it maybe another thing that just isn't possible with my overpriced, slow speed, dissapointing satalite internet?

I've tested the basic functions of the gallery, including the batch upload feature, in Firefox and it works perfectly well. It's possible that getting the most recent updates for whatever browser you are using might help.

That being said, I don't think the problem is with your browser. Are you sure it said you don't have the right browser? Or that you are not allowed to upload that file type? We have seen that issue before. It could be your uplink, but it also could just be the file size. As Johanna mentioned, there could be some limits that your ISP sets on uploading. If that's the case, if you break your zip file into smaller chunks, that could remedy the problem for you.

2. If a person wanted to do a step by step lesson on the gallery, would you have to upload the steps in reverse in order for them to show from begining to end? Seems like the last one you loaded is the first one to show so if you went in order, they'd show in reverse?

Personally, I don't think the gallery is the place for a photo tutorial, because it's just not set up to allow you to organize images and text in a good flow. But it's great for video tutorials, and we also plan to relocate all our PDF tutorials there.

So we have another section of the site we're building that will make posting tutorial articles a snap. They'll look good, be more readable, and allow for comments and questions only at the end, rather than in between sections, like we have in the forum.

3. When I go to my own gallery from my profile page, only 6 images show and they are also the last ones I have added. Is there any way to pick the ones that would be displayed on your own profile since it would be like a showcase in a way?

Dunno yet, but glad you asked.

4. Is there any way to be notified if a comment was made to one of your gallery images? I just noticed that one of my pictures had a comment and it was a question and I had no idea it had been asked. If I wouldn't have just happened to look, I'd have not known it was there.

I think I did see a checkbox on an album page that lets you track an album, or subscribe to it, like a topic. I'll see if I can find that right quick...

Kate

[Johanna]

"Watch Album" gives you notifications on all the activity in an album- comments and new pics added.

Another thing to point out- the rating stars. If you click a star, you're stuck with it. You can't and I can't edit it. The 5th star on the right means "excellent". Best rated pics can be searched, as well as latest posted images, most viewed images and recent comments by scrolling down any catagory of albums page and clicking on the links on the brown toolbar towards the bottom.

Johanna

[ClayB]

Ok, I should have looked more at the gallery functions before I asked the first question. I just assumed that loading multiple picture to the gallery would be the same as trying to add multiple picture to a post. When I try to add multiple pictures to a post, the progress bar does it's thing and when it gets to the end, it says "upload failed". Then it moves on to the next and the next and does the same thing. Underneath the upload button there is a message that says "trouble uploading, try switching to our basic uploader". Then somewhere in my settings there was a place where it says "Enable flash uploader?

Allows for an upload progress bar and multiple file uploads, but does not work on all browsers". It doesn't matter if I use IE, Firefox or Google Chrome, it doesn't work on any of them.

I see now that it is different to do a bulk upload to the gallery and it takes a zip file. I think I got an error message on my forehead just thinking about trying to figure out how to do that!! I've got tons of pictures from past Sheridan shows and some other stuff but I am pretty sure all of my pictures are already posted in galleries on the main page so it's no big deal.

So we have another section of the site we're building that will make posting tutorial articles a snap. They'll look good, be more readable, and allow for comments and questions only at the end, rather than in between sections, like we have in the forum.

That sounds really interesting. I'll be looking forward to seeing that. I'll also check out the "watch" thing. Thanks both of you for taking the time to answer my questions, and for all the time you have taken setting this all up.

[CitizenKate]

And here's the "executive summary" of Johanna's above post, for those of you who don't have the patience to read a 12-mile-long post...

Who can do what in the gallery?

All registered members can create albums and upload images. Members with the "Contributor" or "Dealer" designation (their names are displayed in blue) also can upload video and have no file size restrictions. (If you have content to upload, but don't have necessary permissions, PM Johanna.)

What can or should we upload?

- The gallery is primarily about getting your work SEEN, not only by other leather craft-persons who are looking for inspiration, but also by people looking to buy leather work. So upload images of your leather work, especially samples of what you offer for sale.

- Video tutorials - we now have video hosting on LW, so we are now encouraging those who can to produce and upload videos showing demonstrations of how you do various aspects of your leather work. (We will be posting more information soon on how to do that.)

What should we NOT upload?

- Anything you don't own or have explicit permission from the owner to post.

- Anything "adult-oriented". (We may set up a restricted adult section of the gallery in the future.)

- Anything not related to leather work, unless you upload it to the "off-topic" area of the gallery. There, just about anything goes, except if it conflicts with either of the two above restrictions.

- Photo tutorials can be uploaded to a gallery album, but that is not really recommended. (We will have something better for that in the near future.)

What are some useful things to know about using the gallery?

- Use file names that describe the content of the images, such as "carved-briefecase-01.jpg" or "gun-rig-colt-01.jpg". This will make it easier for people doing image searches on Google to find images of your work. (Search engines have a really hard time trying to categorize images with file names like "DSC00278.jpg".)

- Add descriptions to each image. This further helps search engines index your images for searching purposes.

- Don't forget to add links to your profile that go to your gallery albums, so anyone who sees one thing you make that they like can easily find the rest of your work.

I quite didn't include everything - we will address some of the other related topics in separate posts for easier reading.

Kate