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View Full Version : one step forward, another step back



basschick
04-26-2008, 09:49 PM
lately i've been re-reviewing sites that were last reviewed 1 - 2 years ago. a lot of them have made important and positive changes based on reviews or customer feedback, and yet a lot of these sites then make other changes that suck.

here's an example. one site had around 300 videos last review and they were 320x240, which was already getting to be on the small side. they now have 500+ videos and all their videos are now 640x480 and better quality - that's right, they re-encoded them all, which i think is really cool. big thumbs up.

but they removed their entire category list so you can't just search the videos by category - and they are quite varied. now you have to go to one of the longest pages i've ever seen - there are easy 350 or 400 thumbs along with the date and title, each linking to a video. and they are not organized by category but by site. the "sites" aren't real - it's just a way of splitting up the content. and the page is soooo long that it's hard to manage plus it's not like people know what categories are on it till they scroll scroll scroll. so we're talking about a much nicer content collection that is more difficult and frustrating to navigate. it was so much handier having individual category pages, each with a manageable number of thumbs.

another site decided they needed more hardcore content, so they started shooting only hardcore and pulled all their exclusive solo material off their site entirely - while they now have 100% guy/guy action, they have 2 less videos than they did over a year ago. and the solos were pretty good, too.

one site had some very hot models in solo non j/o content. it was unique and interesting, but shot in blah settings often in front of a couch with a sheet hanging behind it, and the content was very dark. their response was to stop shooting the hot male stripper types and buy or shoot j/o content with regular guys. so now the guys who join because of the special type of content and models shown on the tour won't find them unless they hunt through the archives.

why do sites do this stuff?

:bang:

Gaystoryman
04-26-2008, 10:52 PM
Well I suppose the smart ass reply is, they do it, because they can. I don't get it myself, like when something is broke, you fix it, sort of like if a car engine runs rough, you don't go dump a new rebuild engine in, you fix what was running rough, like maybe change the plugs. Why they do it, I guess because they have some notion that it will make em more money.

basschick
04-26-2008, 11:08 PM
when i talk to them, they generally say that they thought it was an improvement. they seem to truly believe that. they see complicating navigation or removing a group of exclusive videos as making their sites better.

i've long had a theory that paysite owners should take a guided "tour" of some member areas, review sites and surfer boards. no surfers in the world is looking for less content or more difficult navigation, but the guys who stay away from the webmaster community are able to keep their newbie perspective for many years.

btw, i know at least some of them started making less money when they made the changes, but they felt very attached to the changes so they kept them anyway.

go figure!

abostonboy
04-27-2008, 12:24 AM
Well. I HOPE any changes that we make will be for the better. Some changes are coming. All I can say. :)

HunkMoneyLuke
04-27-2008, 03:43 AM
I can tell you that we listen to feedback and try to mprove wherever possible, like moving to larger video sizes, plus from mpeg to wmv, adding dates to our updates, adding a "coming soon" section, etc. But we do make mistakes too, and thats why I love getting feedback & suggestions from members and other webmasters. Maybe get in touch with those sites and give them feedback?