New To SmugMug: How To Use & What Do You Have?

[Koda]

I joined Smugmug just before the “upgrade” and now hate the new UI. That said, its services it provides have not changed and so I have no regrets joining for the benefits it provides. I love the service but find it difficult to use and set up the way I like the ‘legacy’ Smugmug was easier to use. Frustrating.

A few years ago I switched to gmail and loved it. I started using heavily their associated products Google Docs and Picasa. Then…. They “upgraded” to Google + and now I hate it. I don’t want or need yet another social media account and G+ is somewhat forced upon Google users. This was the main drive behind me leaving Picasa and switching to Smugmug.

I’m usually one to embrace new releases in technology but honestly am very jaded with the way most all companies constantly change often dramatically their web products… constantly. In the end the consumer does not have much of a choice and you have to suck it up.

PS. As for Yahoo mail, I feel sorry for those still using it. Sorry Jerry but 100% of the email spam that makes it through the spam filter is from my Yahoo friends. Kinda says something about its security.

[retired jerry]

About Yahoo security

Kim Kommando said that people can ping Yahoo with name and password and Yahoo will say whether it's valid. So a spammer can quickly ping zillions of passwords until they find one that's valid, then go look at email, get other valid email addresses, and send spam to them saying it's from me

I changed password - added characters and numbers. It's like 4 words or numbers strung together so I can remember it. That's supposed to be secure. I'll have to ask people if they're still getting spam "from" me.

Maybe I'll switch to gmail...

[jdemott]

I have had a basic SmugMug account for years and like it just fine. I left my page unchanged when they did the upgrade--I don't know whether the new features are better or worse...I'm just too lazy to change.

I don't think SmugMug or any other gallery website will make anyone a better photographer (the "wow/cool" comments on most websites won't teach you anything). Displaying your work can be rewarding, but you can't expect meaningful feedback when you post a bunch of photos, good or bad.

Things that can make you a better photographer:

Take lots of photos. Study your photos carefully and ask yourself whether they convey what you were thinking and feeling when you took the photos. Study the photos of some respected pro photographers and ask yourself what you like about their photos and how you think they achieved that result. Read books/ask questions/take classes. Take more photos, trying to incorporate what you learned. Repeat.

Post specific questions on photography forums. For example, post one of your own photos that you are dissatisfied with and a link to some other similar photo that you think is better and ask what you need to do differently to achieve the effect in the other photo.

[kepPNW]

I’m usually one to embrace new releases in technology but honestly am very jaded with the way most all companies constantly change often dramatically their web products… constantly. In the end the consumer does not have much of a choice and you have to suck it up.

To me, this is the deathblow waiting for Microsoft and Adobe as they look at transitioning their Office and Creative suites into subscription stuff served from above. Lots of folks are simply going to decide that Office 2010 and CS6 are "good enough!" and say to hell with letting these companies tweak their production software willy-nilly the way the big social sites have been doing the last couple years. While that sort of abuse seems part and parcel for information consumers, the creative classes aren't likely to to accept that abuse for much longer.

Maybe I'll switch to gmail...

Buy a domain! Never again consider switching to be a "hassle" that's easier avoided. No excuse to be ball-and-chained to any provider for something as fundamental as email!

[Koda]

Lots of folks are simply going to decide that Office 2010 and CS6 are "good enough!"

True and agree, but the problem with this strategy is it only lasts so long and your forced to change to keep up with technology (either major actual improvement advancements that might be developed) or not being backwards compatible (.docx, .xlsx….). This in itself is why I have made efforts to go open source for all my needs as much as possible. Its why I left Hotmail for Gmail because Google docs allowed me to save my Documents off line in ODS format (open source “office” suite)

Keep in mind I don’t mind paying for a product that meets my expectations (Smugmug) but anything else is open source.

[Guy]

Lots of folks are simply going to decide that Office 2010 and CS6 are "good enough!"

True and agree, but the problem with this strategy is it only lasts so long and your forced to change to keep up with technology (either major actual improvement advancements that might be developed) or not being backwards compatible (.docx, .xlsx….). This in itself is why I have made efforts to go open source for all my needs as much as possible. Its why I left Hotmail for Gmail because Google docs allowed me to save my Documents off line in ODS format (open source “office” suite)

Keep in mind I don’t mind paying for a product that meets my expectations (Smugmug) but anything else is open source.

Ditto!

[retired jerry]

I think Office 2003 is good enough

And opensource office, whatever that's called, when I have to get another computer

Maybe a Linux computer

[retired jerry]

In 1985 I worked for this little company

Bill Gates came to sell us on using Microsoft software. There were about a dozen of us at a conference table. We decided to use some Pascal software instead.

That company has long gone defunct - Northwest Instrument Systems - and we know where Microsoft went I will give Bill Gates that he worked hard - if he was selling his software to some tiny company like that, he must have done zillions of such trips.

[kepPNW]

Lots of folks are simply going to decide that Office 2010 and CS6 are "good enough!"

True and agree, but the problem with this strategy is it only lasts so long and your forced to change to keep up with technology (either major actual improvement advancements that might be developed) or not being backwards compatible (.docx, .xlsx….).

I'm "lucky" I suppose in that my handle can be "retired karl" in not way too many years, so I now have that luxury of only having to think, "Will this last until I can make that final escape?" As Jerry said, Office 2003 is really still pretty darn functional, so I think it's reasonable to assume that 2010 will easily serve a similar role until at least 2020. (Probably far longer, given Enterprise entrenchment.)

This in itself is why I have made efforts to go open source for all my needs as much as possible. Its why I left Hotmail for Gmail because Google docs allowed me to save my Documents off line in ODS format (open source “office” suite)

Keep in mind I don’t mind paying for a product that meets my expectations (Smugmug) but anything else is open source.

Agreed. Open formats are far superior, and Google is forcing Microsoft's hand there, as are several states.

[Guy]

Did Obama mess up SmugMug too?

He said if I like my Smugmug Gallery Design I could keep it, but that turned out not to be true ..