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1
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Toadsith (0)
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How is the full resolution photo quality? I just went through the photo galleries section of their tour and while I like the models and the poses, I was a bit stunned by the lack of image quality in their high resolution examples. The photos had tons of digital noise and it looked like the auto focus might be a bit off. Despite seemingly nice lighting, sets and props, I'm guessing that they are using a rather low end DSLR camera. My Nikon D50 honestly shows less noise in its photos - and it retailed at around $600. Maybe they are using a low-end Canon. Are these examples relevant to their latest work?
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11-23-08 01:44am
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2
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Drooler (Disabled)
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REPLY TO #1 - Toadsith :
It varies. I just took what I found to be acceptable.
I'm not a photographer, so when I see "digital noise" it's easier for me to attribute it to something past the point that the shutter clicks (e.g., changes to a jpeg which degrade the image).
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11-23-08 02:40am
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3
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Toadsith (0)
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REPLY TO #2 - Drooler :
Indeed JPEG artifacts can be a villainous sort, but do not appear to be the perpetrators in this case. Still, the models are quite fetching and the photographer has a well developed style. I will certainly keep an eye on this site. Thanks for the engaging review.
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11-23-08 02:45am
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4
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True Alex (0)
Webmaster
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Hello, Drooler and others!
Thanks for the review!
One thing that I don't understand is when you find an error on the site like missing pictures and you don't even try to email me as a support, but you're writing the review here. I don't mind about mentioning my mistakes in the review, but why don't let me know? I don't browse this site too often, thanks that I subscribed to PornUsers' RSS feed.
Well... back to "cons"
-Unruly thumbs: Have been greeted in some galleries, even new ones, with nothing but empty image-tag X’s, not thumb pics. “X” occasionally marks the spot in some other galleries, too.
I'll check every gallery today
-There’s also the “swollen thumb” -- a tiny fraction of the top left of a pic where the thumb should be.
The same as above
-Some clicks for enlargements expand to a full-screen “404” error page.
The same as above
-Wandering watermarks: At least one gallery had the watermark not in the bottom right where it belongs, but in some pics hovering like a drone close to the model, etc.
I will talk to Skokoff about it, would be really appreciate if you send me the links to those galleries
-Oops! I’m a visitor! Some links in the members’ area expose you to the public space. (Click “members” for re-entry with no additional login.)
My mistake, I check again everything
-Slow downloads. 30 min. for a 324MB vid. Started at 175Kbps; eased down to 139. And a 140MB vid clocked at only 105. A photoset crawled its way to me at 70.
Well, this is up to your location and location of the servers, there are no any limitations for downloading set on the servers. We should use content distribution network in the future, like Met-Art does, but we are quite small yet ;-)
-Only 14 videos. Sorry, but this is a photography site, even in motion. Flash-flash! The mood music helps a bit.
There are much more videos prepared already. All HDV, all hot :-)
So, all the cons are technical and will be solved quite soon. Skokoff is not that good in all the computers stuff that is why sometimes you find copyrights not on their place. And I couldn't check every image :-) The site is very very new and we're working on making it better.
Thanks for the review again!
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11-23-08 04:45am
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5
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Drooler (Disabled)
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REPLY TO #4 - True Alex :
Hi Alex. Thanks for getting back so quickly and in such detail. I think if you have a page or site editing program that can check for broken links, it will give you a list.
I review sites expecting them to work. Sure, it's being strict, but I regard them as I would any other products for sale. It's what I as a consumer have purchased, as would others.
Surely you have seen the latest gallery of Natasha, just today. Once again, many of the thumbs were nothing but X's. I suggest carefully checking every gallery for errors before posting it. Then you won't have any problems. And what I don't understand is why this isn't common, routine practice on some web sites.
But I'll revise the review and increase the score after the problems get fixed. I might wait a week, but in the meantime you can post here that you've already fixed them so that others interested in the site will already know.
Thanks again for getting back to me. As I said in the review, I like the site, and as you said, the problems are only technical.
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11-23-08 05:02am
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6
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True Alex (0)
Webmaster
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REPLY TO #1 - Toadsith :
I talked to skokoff and there are some samples and series that he shot long time ago, when he started to work as a photographer. All the latest series shot by Canon 5D.
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11-23-08 05:03am
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7
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Toadsith (0)
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REPLY TO #6 - True Alex :
Good to know! The Canon 5D is a very respectable camera and usually doesn't exhibit that massive amount of noise seen in the high res samples nor the auto focus mishaps. I wish I could afford a camera of such a level. If he is Canon fan, that would no doubt explain the noise produced by the older camera.
So please do update those high res samples! I doubt I'm the only photography freak that would be worried by those. Thanks to your response however, I will be moving the site up to high priority for review as I do like Skokoff's style in choice of models, poses and sets as shown on the preview pages.
Also, it is always nice to see that webmasters do take notice to the site. Cheers!
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11-23-08 05:15am
Reply To Message
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8
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True Alex (0)
Webmaster
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REPLY TO #5 - Drooler :
Well, I don't post the galleries and movies manually. We are improving our scripts to avoid that flaws in the future. I'm sorry, that your impression was kind of ruined by all this glitches.
And yes, I'll post back, when we fix the problems.
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11-23-08 05:16am
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9
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Denner (0)
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It looks like the webmaster is not happy about most cons in Droolers review. That's easy to understand.
But that the same webmaster expects PUs NOT to make a review before consulting the site - and/or the webmaster - is a little far off.
PUs does reviews of what we see on the sites - the reviews is a place for consumers.
It's fine that webmasters/siteowners react to these review, but they cannot except us to hold back til after a debate about problems/cons.
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11-23-08 05:39am
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10
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True Alex (0)
Webmaster
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REPLY TO #9 - Denner :
I don't ask to consult us before the review. I just don't understand - if you found a problem in the product you bought - usually you were contacting support first and then share your opinion about the product and it's support.
In this case I wouldn't even know about this review and mistakes that were found.
The way the reviewing works on pornusers.com is not the best for site owners. I would ask for any review of the new site not earlier than 3-6 months after the launch and not on the second day after or even before the official launch. But we can live with it, we have to, and you're right, this is the place for surfers/consumers to share opinions. That is why I'm here also, cause I do care about the content and members' satisfaction.
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11-23-08 06:04am
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11
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Drooler (Disabled)
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REPLY TO #8 - True Alex :
Well, I certainly wouldn't say "ruined." "Tainted," perhaps?
And I wonder if it was the scripts, or was it what was fed into them? You only need one file name that doesn't fit the variables that the script was intended to handle for things to go awry. After all, if you used the same scripts for every gallery, it's probably the input that's the problem, since some of the galleries had no problems at all.
Well, good luck! You folks are getting right to the problems immediately. I'm very positively impressed by that, as I'm sure other readers are.
Oh, I just remembered something which you might consider in the future when you have more time: Is there any way that you can give unique names to the zips for the different pic sizes by, for example, putting an "-s" in the zip file name for the 1000px zips, and an "-m" for the 2500px? Right now, all of the zips for a given gallery have identical file names, and some of us might download more than one size. Some other sites do that, and it's a pro when they do.
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11-23-08 06:17am
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12
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True Alex (0)
Webmaster
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REPLY TO #11 - Drooler :
Well, I didn't want to discuss technical issues here but that was the photographer, that mixed up extensions of the files in some galleries. But that is my fault - I have to control everything.
Re. zip names - easy, I put it on my to do list. Thanks for the tip.
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11-23-08 06:24am
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13
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Drooler (Disabled)
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REPLY TO #12 - True Alex :
Aha! Well, there ya go! And believe me, I know what it's like. I have to work with data myself coming from a variety of sources, too, and there's always a chance that someone will not have been watching what they were doing. And guess who gets called on it? So I've learned from the School of Hard Knocks to check things before they get seen by the higher-ups. And to have a little talk with the error-prone upon whom I must depend, like it or not.
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11-23-08 06:39am
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14
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Drooler (Disabled)
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REPLY TO #9 - Denner :
I do think I know a thing or two about human nature by this stage in my life, which is why I see the dynamics being different whether the user first reports problems to the webmaster or describes them in a review here.
I think that generally you'll get a prompter and more serious response when you're a reviewer vs. when you're just another user contacting the site privately. Whether Alex would have been any less serious about it had I contacted the site instead is something I just couldn't have known for sure.
In fact, it hadn't even dawned on me that Alex might have been the webmaster since I'd also forgotten that Skokoff is of the same company as is AvErotica and Eronata. Anyway, I think he must be quite an asset for them as their front man since his English is so good, for one thing. My guess is that he's bilingual in English and Russian.
What I foresee happening here is another ultimate win-win for all concerned. Even with the problems, Skokoff has more visibility thanks to the review. That alone might generate more revenue. And with the improvements to come and the higher score and clearing out of the con's, it will do even better. And, of course, it will be better for the users who subscribe.
It's always a judgment call, but I think I've done my part and did it in the right way. And you did yours. It simply isn't our job to tell the sites to correct problems that sites obviously shouldn't have in the first place. That's like having to tell someone to turn on their windshield wipers in a car in pouring rain. So if we do tell them, at our option, that's gravy.
I did decide to try helping Alex to troubleshoot things because he was so earnest about it. He certainly has won me over compared to some of the other webmasters I've dealt with or seen others deal with here.
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11-23-08 07:54am
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15
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Denner (0)
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REPLY TO #14 - Drooler :
I'm absolutely with you here - and I'm also sure this whole debate your review started very well could be a win-win situation for all - now I think I'll join AvErotica again, btw - AND I look forward to the development for the sites in the True Beauty Cash company.....
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11-25-08 12:05am
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