need beta testers

[slam]

my buddy just put together a new social-networking thing, he wants some people to try it out. http://www.mapmix.com

basically, once you log in, you put a little marker on a google map of where you are. then, you can see who else is around you if you want to meet some new people (would be good for travelers like poof). people can list in their profile their friendster, icq, aim, myspace, blog, etc. so it's a way to just hook up with people that live nearby.

anyways, once you've logged in, it will generate some random people beside you since there aren't any real users yet. so yeah, sign up, give it a shot, let me know what you think.

[poofdogg]

okie dokie....let's see what this is about...as long as someone doesn't steal my soul...we're good to go

[larryhead]

Looks cool... I registered. Couple things I'd do differently (if I were in charge) :)

- let users choose their own password on registration instead of giving a temp one that you have to change immediately anyway
- make the your screenname be your username for login instead of email (emails tend to get outdated quickly)
- the login process is dumb how you have to click the map before you can login... also I clicked someplace randomly and cant' correct it
- should be able to choose more than one status besides "single" or "in relationship" etc. Also isn't "don't bother" and "not looking" the same?
- should have a field for "personal web page" and an on/off option to allow others to contact me via email
- there's no apparent way to reset the location I picked accidentally

I think this thing has a lot of potential though! :thumbsup:

[slam]

thanks for the feedback. the not being able to correct your location is i think a safari issue... that's what you were using, right?

it's funny, the google people have already been crawling his site today, testing it out... and he hasn't even told anyone yet. those guys find things fast!

[larryhead]

thanks for the feedback. the not being able to correct your location is i think a safari issue... that's what you were using, right?

it's funny, the google people have already been crawling his site today, testing it out... and he hasn't even told anyone yet. those guys find things fast!



That's awesome... I'd suspect your friend gets an offer from them or MySpace (News Corporation) once things get rolling.

As for the location issue... I'm using FireFox, but I found a way to reset my location if you just logout the next time you login it asks you to click on the map if you want to reset your location... not very intuitive atm though.

[withoutcanseco]

i am using Firefox 1.0.7

here's some things i found/comments:

--when registering, there is nowhere to enter a livejournal or a personal web page. well, i guess there's "other blog" but the title isn't very intuitive.

--maybe disable the "Register" button until the TOS are checked instead of displaying an error after clicking.

--emailing temp passwords is kinda annoying, especially if they make you change the password and email you again about it.

--allow login first before clicking on the map. took me awhile to figure that one out with my slow brain =) in the future,

--login should be in two spots. at the top and at the center of the page where it asks to register.

--on the main screen, they have red and blue icons but they don't explain what that represents inside of Map Help (i know it's on the left hand side, i'm just thinking stupidly is all).

--"compliance" is spelled wrong in the TOS for uploading pictures.

--for image upload, there is no specs on what type of picture you can upload besides file type.

--error messages aren't descriptive.

--the preferences on the "search" page don't stay the same after choosing them once. if i leave the page and come back without logging out, they've reset.

--is there a way to move yourself to the proper location? maybe i missed it.


looks pretty cool though, especially for a "pre" beta. i like the interface a lot once you actually login.

[slam]

thanks for the quality feedback all. nice to have a good forum with some techies on it.

[slam]

damn thing's only been functional for like two days and already my buddy's got a blog article about it and 50 users!

http://google.weblogsinc.com/entry/1234000820063140/

[doublep]

Hey thanks for the feedback, I incorporated a bunch of the suggestions last night..Thing got some usage lastnight, granted it is the new goofoff toy of the day, but who knows!!!...

I took it into 'beta' last night...I cleared the database since there were 1000's of those fake users...if you want, re-register, set up your IM's and lets get people interested. If you could also let your friends know...much appreciated...AJ can vouce for my Car Bomb shots that I will give out!!!!

I do have some questions, and followup on the suggestions..


let users choose their own password ...u have to change immediately anyway

I like the need for email verification, and not the click to verify link. I did take away the redirect to a password change page after initial login, so changing it is solely up to the user to navigate

make the your screenname

There was a reason I chose not to do this, why I cant remember .. but it is still on the 'think about list'

the login process is dumb

thanks!


how you have to click the map before you can login...

I tried it many ways, starting out with address entering. I thought that was a little more intimidating 'put in your address, so people can find you' as opposed to the same result by clicking a cute little harmless map...plus I could have only done US addresses, and it would have cost $$. It was more confusing when the login box was there without setting your space. I have made it though, that if it sees your location via a cookie, it zooms you in, so you start much cleaner on successive go-rounds


also I clicked someplace randomly and cant' correct it
on the login screen, you can reposition after the first click, I also added a change location feature off the search page



should be able to choose more than one status besides "single" or "in relationship" etc.

hmmm...i tried to pick them so that they were mutually exclusive, but I can see how JUST CHATTING and SINGLE could be at the same time ....




Also isn't "don't bother" and "not looking" the same?
chosen for the subtle difference .. but yes they are the same



should have a field for "personal web page"
I added a crap load more fields last night

and an on/off option to allow others to contact me via email
added anonimize email based on screenname and direct email, as well as NO EMAIL





maybe disable the "Register" button until the TOS are checked instead of displaying an error after clicking.

Jave..script Nazi's ..


allow login first before clicking on the map.

like I said above, this has been the toughest design decision, considering the rest was ripped from some site no one has heard of called Google

login should be in two spots. at the top and at the center of the page where it asks to register.

Do you mean the button on the form itself, or the links put into a few more opportune(? is that a word) spots?



on the main screen, they have red and blue icons but they don't explain what that represents inside of Map Help
I updated the map help some more



"compliance" is spelled wrong in the TOS for uploading pictures.

thanks - I am sure, as Camden can agree, sitewide spelling is where I lack, outside of programming


for image upload, there is no specs on what type of picture you can upload besides file type.

it is resized on the fly, but I have added what the final dimensions are if someone wants to be nice and resize it themselves


error messages aren't descriptive.

I changed the couple that said 'There are errors' to 'Errors have been highlighted' -- Dont you like my highlighting error boxes?? I think they are pretty



the preferences on the "search" page don't stay the same after choosing them once. if i leave the page and come back without logging out, they've reset.


On the TODO list, I hate cookies



is there a way to move yourself to the proper location? maybe i missed it.


I was apprehensive to do this, figure someone could just log back in..thinking that if they moved, they would have turned the computer off anyway ... but I succumbed...it actually works nicely



Thanks again

[larryhead]

What's up doublep, welcome to the board. :)

I'll check it out again in a little bit. Do I need to re-register?

[withoutcanseco]

man, doublep, to be honest, that's way too much to go through. when i get some time, i'll revisit the site.

[doublep]

Hey guys == starting to get some more attention over there....be indebted to you if you make your presence...
mapmix.com

thanks!

[withoutcanseco]

well shit doublep. i was right in the middle of a humongous reply, and the java runtime install coming off of mapmix for the chat shut down all of my browser windows. so i guess my very first new suggestion would be:

--GET RID OF EVERYTHING JAVA.

i am going to try to remember everything i had...

--My number 1 problem with the site (and what would ultimately keep me from visiting often) is that fact that there is no way to locate yourself in the profile. you HAVE to use the map, and it's very hit and miss and hard to find your exact location. Allowing users to choose a location in their profile (at the very least a city and state, maybe zip code) would make it a lot friendlier interface.

-- why would people be intimidated by entering their addresses? isn't this a social networking site? but like i said, have them login, and then allow location through the profile.


Do you mean the button on the form itself, or the links put into a few more opportune(? is that a word) spots?

more opportunte places for the login links. then you account for users that read top down and the users that read from center out.

I updated the map help some more

--this is 100 percent better.

--I'm not sure how to add a message to the lower left hand corner. I thought it might be Quick Message (it's kinda confusing) but that brought some sort of IM window up.

it is resized on the fly, but I have added what the final dimensions are if someone wants to be nice and resize it themselves

--i think you should MAKE users resize themselves for 2 reasons:
1 -- more processing power on your side that is unnecessarily used up and
2 -- your users will be frustrated when they have to constantly keep updating because the auto-resize does not make their pictures look pretty.

I changed the couple that said 'There are errors' to 'Errors have been highlighted' -- Dont you like my highlighting error boxes?? I think they are pretty

indeed. pretty. and yellow. and highlighted.

On the TODO list, I hate cookies

i hate cookies too, but there is no other way to do this unless you get a database. losing preferences sucks more than having a cookie on my computer.

um, that's all i can remember.

[withoutcanseco]

oh yeah, i remembered one more. it's really difficult to click on users on the map when there are a bunch, but even when there are a few people only. for instance, there were only 2 people on a section of the map i was looking at, but i could only click the top one because i couldn't get my mouse pointer onto the half centimter that the second person was sticking out. don't know if there's a way to fix this one though. it's not a huge deal with not a lot of people, just requires a standy hand, but if there's a lot, it's tough.

ooh, one more: you can right click on everyone else and see their window on the map...why can't you click yourself? that would be excellent because then you could see what everyone else sees and alter that shit accordingly, know what i mean?

oh, and lastly: there's not enough broads on the site. hehe.

keep up the good work man. it already looks and works way better than the pre-beta.

[withoutcanseco]

a couple of people that i told about the site found something that i think is pretty serious: people are able to view your profile even if they haven't signed up for an account.

what do others think about this? i think that it's pretty bad. not sure if it's a bug or intentional, but thought i should point it out, as it could be seen as a serious lack of security.

or, on the other hand, it could be seen just like having people able to view you in livejournal as anonymous unless you declare it "friends only"...maybe provide something that you can choose to show your profile to the public or not...unless there is already something and i missed it.

sorry for posting so much on this. :o

[doublep]

Hey conseco -- first to follow up with the security issue?? aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh
how? if I am not logged in I get a picture and a box that says 'login'
did they find a work around?? if you can let me know I will get onto it ASAP

what I 'think' is available when you arent online
A) screenname
B) photo
C) gender/sexuality/locale (ie chicago)


thanks in advance....

[larryhead]

How many active members are you up to, doublep? I heard some of the Google bloggers have already picked up on your site. :)

[doublep]

highest ACTIVE Online has been about 60
send some more info via Slamden Express

[larryhead]

a couple of people that i told about the site found something that i think is pretty serious: people are able to view your profile even if they haven't signed up for an account.

Hrm.. well, I haven't re-registered just yet, but when I was zooming around Chicago I didn't even see any people (icons) to test this out on. But anyways, I'm not sure why this would matter because you can see people's profiles once you're registered anyways. Or do you mean private information can be viewed by the public somehow?

[larryhead]

Doublep... I think it'd help if you added the Google Maps search form so if I'm searching in Chicago, I can enter in the intersection or address of interest that I was to look around instead of manually trying to zoom in 10 levels and trying to find that interesection.

[slam]

the bitch of letting people put in their own addresses is the geocoding (converting to lat/long). there are reasonably accurate (~70%) free geocoders out there, but they only cover the u.s. you can screen scrape some select sites for a better hit rate, but that's probably not the best thing to do. even those, though, are limited to america.

a worldwide geocoding service would probably charge a good amount.. i mean, google maps doesn't even have street data for most of the world.

today, doublep got utf-8 working, so all those spanish users won't have funny characters showing up everywhere. it was considerably more difficult than it probably should be. there's some regular users on there already!

[withoutcanseco]

Hey conseco -- first to follow up with the security issue?? aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh
how? if I am not logged in I get a picture and a box that says 'login'
did they find a work around?? if you can let me know I will get onto it ASAP

what I 'think' is available when you arent online
A) screenname
B) photo
C) gender/sexuality/locale (ie chicago)


thanks in advance....

doublep, i got this "problem" from some other person i told to check out the site. they said, and i quote "dude i can see all your information there and i'm not even logged on."

but yeah, it's just name, sex[uality], locale, etc etc whatever you have up there. so no worries. i have soundly berated my friend.

[doublep]

thanks for the feedback, etc...couple things..
I added a BIG GREEN login button on the main page..

Login Location - still tweaking it, it _should_ remember where you were at previously..so that helps a little .. No?

Saved preferences - going to work on something for that,

You can now click all over your green-sexy self!

Multiple people - side result pane should list the people. see what else I can do as well

broads -- yes, there have been more..but yes, you are right. Hot chick out in the netherlands.

thanks!!!

[withoutcanseco]

I added a BIG GREEN login button on the main page..

--the login button looks awesome. the color draws you too it which resolves the problem (or suggestion i had is what i mean) from before.

Login Location - still tweaking it, it _should_ remember where you were at previously..so that helps a little .. No?

--this still doesn't work, but that would be an excellent idea. it's still putting me wherever i click on the login map.

You can now click all over your green-sexy self!

--at first i had to refresh, because it showed just a grayed-out x, but then it worked awesome. i probably had something cached.

Multiple people - side result pane should list the people. see what else I can do as well

AAAAH, okay, i get it now. the lower left looks like a chat room window, so that's what i thought it was. i get how it works now, and it's actually pretty neat.

Hot chick out in the netherlands.

hell. yes.

[larryhead]

I just re-registered... more comments soon, but it's looking really good now. :thumbsup:

[larryhead]

- should have a way to add contacts to a buddy list (I can't remember that person's username I was talking to yesterday) :(
- are the private messages saved? that would be very cool to have a logging feature to turn on/off. otherwise, how do i know who has PM'd me in the past if I wanna get back to them? (Also, this thing is very nearly it's own IM client anyways, why not go the distance? lol) ;)
- login process is still kinda frustrating having to zoom in and pinpoint where I am *every* time, especially if it hasn't changed since last time I visited. I think it'd be better/intuititve to have only the username/password up front. Once logged in it'll use the location they entered from last time automatically (or ask them for one if it's a first-time user). So then, if their location has changed since last visit, they can simply update it with the "relocate" option.
- would be cool to have, say, up to three locations I could save in my profile, and just click the one that applies to my current locale. i.e., Home, Work, The bar, etc. It's kinda silly to find and pinpoint my work building every day (it shouldn't be moving anytime soon) ;)

Future possibilites:
- Allow users to add pinpoints of interest onto the map for all to see. The user could leave a pic with comments about some scenic site. Other users could comment on it.
- Maybe have an "events" icon... so if something is coming up (like a concert, party etc.). I could leave a pic with details of when, what, the event is, and also set a date for the event to expire. I could choose to make this event public or private (to my contact list only). As a map-based networking tool, this feature would be pretty raw.
- you should give only limited access to people who aren't logged in... like limit them to only seeing the profile pic and username vs. whole profile so tha they register.


Yeah. Do that and the users will come.... more later. :)

[doublep]

cool stuff -- can you see everything when you arent logged in, I can t recreate that at all..I will work on someo of the other stuff

[larryhead]

cool stuff -- can you see everything when you arent logged in, I can t recreate that at all..I will work on someo of the other stuff

Ahh... it was somthing W/O brought up the other day.... but yeah, it's working fine now (can't see whole profile).

[withoutcanseco]

yeah that's not a problem.

also aj, how did you get a "reading" and "listening to" section when you're right clicked on the map? did you just add it into the online comment section or is it in the profile? a couple of other people have it as well but i couldn't find it anywhere.

[larryhead]

yeah that's not a problem.

also aj, how did you get a "reading" and "listening to" section when you're right clicked on the map? did you just add it into the online comment section or is it in the profile? a couple of other people have it as well but i couldn't find it anywhere.

Ahh.. those are the secret profile fields... that are not actually in your profile. (note to doublep) ;)

But if you click on "Update Comment" to the left of the map page they're located inside there.

[withoutcanseco]

I like all of your ideas but this one:

- should have a way to add contacts to a buddy list (I can't remember that person's username I was talking to yesterday)

too close to myspace *W/O shudders as chill of the grave shoots through his soul*


"OMG GO VISIT MY PAGE ITS TEH LOLZ!"
---every fucking band and person on myspace--

[doublep]

withoutC .. thanks for the support on that. I was thinking about how I could incorporate some of this, and was then like...shit, it is going down the path I didnt want to go -- Yet Another Social Network Site....I want this to be a bridge, or better yet a way to real time meet people..not to go see a stale site and see some hot chick with 1000 dudes as friends..hot chick part is AOK

I am going to add a 'who I click on' display, and 'who's been viewing me'...

that login shit...yes, I will work on it.

I like the saved locations for your login location -- will work in something like that

[withoutcanseco]

oy, this may have been mentioned already but:

are Quick Messages from anybody saved anywhere? i.e., if i hit next does it just disappear? or is there a queue or saved text file on the client where it goes?

not too important. just wondering.

[doublep]

they are saved - right now there isnt anyway to see historical...I havent really come up with what I want to ..the whole QM thing went in a different direction than what _I thought_ was going to happen.....

[larryhead]

doublep, sent you a PM. :)

[withoutcanseco]

yeah!! locations are saved! that is fantastic.


also i found a mispelling.

in the following sentence at the top of the main screen:

"Remember to connect to your IM's, or turn on anonimize email, so others can contact you."

it should be "anonymize"