| Start with the good.
1) the site looks really nice and clean
2) your demo clearly demonstrates what can be done What could be improved
1) demo could/should be edited down to just the key features, and really explaining why I would use it rather than going through all the features step-by-step. It's good to have the step-by-step as an instruction, but you haven't made your case of why I would use it
2) login required? Why? you gotta be kinding me? That leads directly to (what I think) is the bad I'm not sure you did enough background on defining the need. What problem are you answering. Not to say you haven't found a nice niche market. Very likely you may have, but the way you have structured your site into these distinct buckets of what I own/owned/want to own just doesn't click with me.
Connecting with photos and photographers (I suspect) is less about brand and product than it is about photos. I don't care that this photo was shot on this type of camera vs. that type (you even went down to model level???).
I would think I would be more interested in knowing how the shot was captured, what makes it special, etc. Furthermore, you've locked it all up so that I can't read the reviews/comments unless I've signed-up, and then it really seems focused on what I would add to my list, which means that you've locked out the biggest benefit which is the opportunity for discovery. I'm not a shutterbug, so maybe I don't understand how camera officianados think,but I am a person, and something feels very wrong about your approach. |
Once they're in, users seem to feel quite well. The first thing they do is actually list their equipment and then see what other members use. They also come back quite regularly. I got the idea when I saw users on photo forums creating very elaborate badges showing their equipment in their signature. When you spend a lot of money for cameras and lenses, you're not only proud but you also like to know what others use and chat about it.