What "sample" thumb sizes do you want on free hosted galleries?

[Simon]

Hiya TGP-ers!

The export tool we use for our free hosted galleries has the option of downloading a sample thumb for each gallery.

Right now we offer 88x88 and 90x120 sample thumbs. What I'm wondering is if we're offering the right sizes, and enough size choices, on those sample thumbs.

Are those the most popular sizes for TGPs that use thumbnails?

Are there some other sizes that are as popular, or more popular?

Any input appreciated, we only released our first hosted galleries about a week ago, so we know we have quite a bit to learn.

Simon

[Surfn]

I prefer them 130-150 on the long side.

Anything smaller burns too much BW

[Simon]

Hiya Surfn,

Thanks very much for the feedback.

I've been looking around and found 120x120 and 150x150 as options that others are offering. I'll talk to my coder to see about adding those sizes if those are good choices.

Can you explain what you mean about smaller thumbs burning too much bandwidth? Is is that you have to load many more thumbs on your TGP pages if you use smaller size thumbs?

Simon

[Surfn]

Originally Posted by Simon

Hiya Surfn,

Thanks very much for the feedback.

I've been looking around and found 120x120 and 150x150 as options that others are offering. I'll talk to my coder to see about adding those sizes if those are good choices.

Can you explain what you mean about smaller thumbs burning too much bandwidth? Is is that you have to load many more thumbs on your TGP pages if you use smaller size thumbs?

Simon

Hi Simon

With small thumbs like 88 surfers will click more thumbs to see what they are which means more BW. With 150 they pretty much can tell and only click the thumbs that interest them.

[Simon]

Thanks again, Surfn

That was going to be my second guess, since it's the reason we use larger thumbs on our hosted sites and galleries, but I wasn't sure that it was the same from the TGP-owner's side.

I'm going to see about getting the larger thumb sizes added then.

Would you say 120x120 and 150x150 are the ones to add?

Simon

[Surfn]

Originally Posted by Simon

Thanks again, Surfn

That was going to be my second guess, since it's the reason we use larger thumbs on our hosted sites and galleries, but I wasn't sure that it was the same from the TGP-owner's side.

I'm going to see about getting the larger thumb sizes added then.

Would you say 120x120 and 150x150 are the ones to add?

Simon

Definitely

Any word on the full size pics on html option?

[Simon]

Surfn,

Okay, I just spoke to our coder about this and I'll have an answer on both of those later today. We'll probably have larger thumbs first and the 'pics on html pages' option in a week or so since we still need to build the matching pages for the pics.

Do you think that the pics on html pages should open in a new window, or should they open in the same window that the gallery page is using?

Simon

[Wazza]

Please no new windows

[Surfn]

Same page please.

[selena]

Originally Posted by Wazza

Please no new windows

~threadjacks for just a second to bite Waz~

You want 3 new windows for each thumb clicked, and you know it. Furthermore, you want the thumbs to be 89 x 119.

[GeorgeTH]

Curently another 'popular size' seems to be 110x150 pixels - I have some 6 sites in my submission list requiring that size...

Portrait thumbs seem to work better than square ones, and I don't know of any site using bigger than 120x120 in square (a good number with 100x100 thumbnails).

Hope that helps!

Another thing: the majority of TGPs has now switched to 2257 compliant thumbs (no spread pink, no dicks, etc.), but the ones who haven't are getting harder and more explicit with what they're showing - so basically for each size you need 2 options (2257 compliant and hardcore)...

[Wazza]

Originally Posted by selena

You want 3 new windows for each thumb clicked, and you know it. Furthermore, you want the thumbs to be 89 x 119.

And I'm pretty keen on mousetrapping and foreign traffic redirection too

Originally Posted by selena

~threadjacks for just a second to bite Waz~

Lower...

[Simon]

Hmmm... okay, so thumbs should be 89x119 or 81x121, each mouseclick should generate multiple new window spawns and then be the last click the surfer can control, new windows should all spawn blurred popunders, and all non-USA clicks should immediately be redirected to some foreign monetization program. Do I have that right..? ::grin::


Seriously though, Surfn and Wazza, thanks for the input, and we'll open the html thumb pages in the original window the surfer has open.

GeorgeTH - thanks for that feedback, I hadn't thought about the need for hardcore versus 2257-compliant thumbs.

I'll see about adding 110x150 thumbs too if that seems a popular size.

Right now it looks like people are using:

SQUARE
----------------
88x88
100x100
120x120
150x150 (anyone here use this?)

PORTRAIT
----------------
90x120
110x150

--> Are there any other popular Portrait sizes that we should add..?


So, what I'm hearing is that we may wind up needing half a dozen or more thumb sizes, and each of those sizes should have both a hardcore and a softcore (2257-compliant) version.

I guess this raises one new question.

I've seen tools that allow the webmaster to select one of the photos and make their own thumb right from their browser. What I'm wondering is if it would be better to offer a way to make your own sample thumbs, or if most webmasters would prefer to be able to just download some pre-made thumbs in the size they use?

Simon

[GeorgeTH]

Originally Posted by Simon

What I'm wondering is if it would be better to offer a way to make your own sample thumbs, or if most webmasters would prefer to be able to just download some pre-made thumbs in the size they use?

I guess there's a simple answer to that: the less work - the better! the more money - the better! |goodidea

[Surfn]

Originally Posted by Simon

... or if most webmasters would prefer to be able to just download some pre-made thumbs in the size they use?

Simon

Yes

[Wazza]

IMO hosting thumbs for em is going the extra mile as it stands - if it doesn't meet some requirement (not necessarily 2257 - eg there are thumb tgps that only want face shots) surely they can build their own.

BTW - rapidpass is my favourite

[Surfn]

For myself I prefer grabbing hosted sites and galleries with the thumb sizes that fit my sites. Like I said I work with 130-150 thumbs mainly. So for example if you only offered 88x88 I wouldn't use them.

Go with what the majority would like is my opinion.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by Wazza

IMO hosting thumbs for em is going the extra mile as it stands

Just wanted to clarify that while we host the free sites and galleries, and all the photos and thumbnails on those, what I'm talking about here are the single sample thumbs for each gallery that would appear on someone's TGP site. We were advised specifically not to host those. What our selection tool does is let you choose the thumb size you want and then builds you a zip file with one sample thumb for each gallery you selected. Then the list the tool exports contains the name of the sample thumb as one of the pieces of date being exported, along with number of pics in the gallery, description, pre-coded url, etc.

Originally Posted by Surfn

For myself I prefer grabbing hosted sites and galleries with the thumb sizes that fit my sites. Like I said I work with 130-150 thumbs mainly. So for example if you only offered 88x88 I wouldn't use them. Go with what the majority would like is my opinion.

Exactly what I want to do
... and I'm hoping this thread will help us narrow down the number of choices we need to offer.

For your own use, would you like, for example, 130x130 or 150x150, or would you prefer a portrait format instead of square?

Simon

[Surfn]

Originally Posted by Simon

For your own use, would you like, for example, 130x130 or 150x150, or would you prefer a portrait format instead of square?

Simon

Now you have me confused. Are you asking for previews for thumb tgp's or are you asking about the the thumbs on the actual galleries? If it's the later then either one square or portrait is fine.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by Surfn

Now you have me confused. Are you asking for previews for thumb tgp's or are you asking about the the thumbs on the actual galleries? If it's the later then either one square or portrait is fine.

Yeah... I've been told I confuse people all the time. I think it has to do with hanging around people who can read my mind too much.

Lemme see if I can clarify what I mean(t)...

On our actual galleries we do use mostly large thumbs since, like you, I think they stop people from having to click every thumb. And we use portrait, square, or horizontal thumbs on the galleries depending on what the builder thinks makes sense on the gallery design.

What I've been asking about in this thread are the preview thumbs for thumb TGPs. Those are the ones we offer as a zip file, and I'm trying to figure out how many size options we need for these preview thumbs for the thumb TGP owners.

Hmmm...now I realize I'm confused too. |confused|

When you were talking about sizes before, which kind of thumbs were you referring to, thumbs for actual galleries or for thumb TGPs..?

Simon

[Surfn]

Actual Gallery thumbs.

My scripts resize them to whatever size I want on my Thumb TGP's. Very fast too!!

[Simon]

Originally Posted by Surfn

Actual Gallery thumbs. My scripts resize them to whatever size I want on my Thumb TGP's. Very fast too!!

Damn... looks like I have to make some changes to what I was gettting coded for us then.

Won't affect you it seems... since you have one of those new fangled fast thumb resizing thingies.


In case any other TGP owners drop by this thread...

I'd really like to nail down which size thumbs would be good for us to offer to those who operate thumb TGPs which use thumbs to link to the galleries. These would be thumbs which you can use to link to our Free Hosted Galleries.

So, if you have a TGP that uses sample thumbs to link to the galleries, please let me know (post here is fine) what size thumbs you like to use on your thumb TGP page to link to the galleries in your database.

I've seen some use 88x88 (MadThumbs, PicHunter), some use 125x125 (HardcoreJunky), some use 90x120 (HQGal, CallKelly), others use 100x125 (XXXVogue), and others 110x150 (BravoTeens, TeenBoat).

Are those the main sizes we should have available for TGP owners who want to download a zip of sample thumbs to use for linking to our galleries? Are there any other sizes we should offer too?

Simon