Ooga-Mooga: Redesigned mug pages, plus links to related items

wow this is fun!!! i can't wait to see everyone's collection's with all of the individual pics.

I've just added a new setting to the Account Settings section:

As photos are uploaded, I look through the images to flag the ones that are clear, front views, as these make the best "Representative" photos to help someone who's looking through the Mug Templates find the mug they're looking for. However, whether you want the photos that appear in your own personal collection to be the more "representative" photos you've uploaded, or a random view of any of the photos you've uplaoded (including back, sides, silly shots), is a matter of personal taste.

So, I've added a "Representative photos default" to your Account Settings. It's turned on (Representative Pictures only) by default, if you want a random view selected from the photos you've uploaded for your mugs to show up, turn it off.

It probably just makes more sense if you play with it, and you won't be able to see any difference unless you've uploaded a mixture of representative & non-representative photos.

if these were the mugs from Tiki Quest, it would go easy but there are so many different kinds of mugs out here that are new or undiscovered.

If I take shots of some of the other mugs I have, would you be interested in using them for the mug template images?

Oh and I get the following error when I try to get into my personal messages. On Tiki Central that is...

Error with database. error DGS-GD001

[ Edited by: TikiGardener 2005-07-25 23:00 ]

Wow! What an amazing first day for Ooga-Mooga!

Since launching Ooga-Mooga last night, we've had:

68 new mug templates created by me
246 mugs added to collections by Ooga-Mooga members
123 photos added by Ooga-Mooga members

Thanks to everyone for your support of Ooga-Mooga -- I didn't expect it would be so fun right out of the gate. It's been a blast creating new mug templates for you, and seeing all the photos come rolling in. I've got to go get some sleep now, but I look forward to digging in again tomorrow!

Are you still getting it? or is has it gone away?

On 2005-07-25 22:45, TikiGardener wrote:
If I take shots of some of the other mugs I have, would you be interested in using them for the mug template images?

Oh and I get the following error when I try to get into my personal messages. On Tiki Central that is...

Error with database. error DGS-GD001

[ Edited by: TikiGardener 2005-07-25 23:00 ]

went away

Apologies for the criticism, I know that a lot of work was put into this.

I actually found Ooga-Mooga a bit difficult to use. Searching was challenging, with a search on "Trader Vic's" returning none of the mugs I had in my collection. Ditto on an overall search on "Tiki Farm."

Likewise, most of my collection -- which is pretty pedestrian -- is not in any template. In one case there is a template (Squatting Tiki decanter), but for a different colour.

It just seems to take a long time to put an entry in.

Cheers,
Gwen Smith

[ Edited by: gwenners 2005-07-26 13:53 ]

[ Edited by: Swanky 2005-09-02 21:01 ]

On 2005-07-26 13:49, gwenners wrote:
Apologies for the criticism, I know that a lot of work was put into this.

I actually found Ooga-Mooga a bit difficult to use. Searching was challenging, with a search on "Trader Vic's" returning none of the mugs I had in my collection. Ditto on an overall search on "Tiki Farm."

Likewise, most of my collection -- which is pretty pedestrian -- is not in any template. In one case there is a template (Squatting Tiki decanter), but for a different colour.

It just seems to take a long time to put an entry in.

Cheers,
Gwen Smith

[ Edited by: gwenners 2005-07-26 13:53 ]

No need to apologize! Constructive criticism is what will make Ooga-Mooga better in the long run.

Hopefully, most of the issues you bring up with go away with time, as I get create more mug templates. Already, there are 228 mug templates in the system -- half of those are ones I've created in the last two days, and based on that, I anticipate that I'll have the database up near the 1000 mark in about a week. I realize that doesn't help you today, though.

One approach that others have been taking, which seems to be working well, is adding mugs by using a Basic Mug Template. You can find the link to the Basic Mug Templates on the "Add New Mug" page, but perhaps I should place a link somewhere more obvious. I'm monitoring the mugs people are adding to their collection using the Basic templates, and I'm creating new templates based on the mugs I'm seeing. I then move the mug over to the new template for you. All you have to do is type a little about what you know in the Notes section. Uploading a photo is most helpful of all, of course.

I hope you find that this will help!

On 2005-07-26 14:02, Swanky wrote:
To make searching faster, I search templates and click "Hide Details" and Show 75 mugs per page. Then you can scan a lot for the image of the mug you are looking for. One day, when every dang mug out there is in the database with a picture, it'll be a lot easier.

I got 10 mugs in there with pictures, and then I'll drop them from "My Collection" and add 10 more with pictures and that way, with my little 10 mug collection limit, I can help fill the database anyway!

Thanks for pointing out the ways you can tweak the Search Results -- like you said, once there are more images in the database, it'll be much faster to find mugs. At some point when there are enough images, I'll probably default it to have details hidden.

Since the images are associated with the actual mug in someone's collection, when the mug is deleted, the picture goes away, too. It's okay, the way things are going, it looks like we're going to have a lot of pictures soon.

On 2005-07-26 14:25, Humuhumu wrote:

One approach that others have been taking, which seems to be working well, is adding mugs by using a Basic Mug Template. You can find the link to the Basic Mug Templates on the "Add New Mug" page, but perhaps I should place a link somewhere more obvious. I'm monitoring the mugs people are adding to their collection using the Basic templates, and I'm creating new templates based on the mugs I'm seeing. I then move the mug over to the new template for you. All you have to do is type a little about what you know in the Notes section. Uploading a photo is most helpful of all, of course.

I've made some use of the basic template, yes, though as there isn't a decanter template, well, I had to scratch that one from the collection. Ditto with the squatting tiki shot glass, as well as a cheap "chiki tiki" shot.

I've shot all of mine. It's easy when the collection only numbers 10.

Cheers,
Gwen Smith

On 2005-07-26 14:46, gwenners wrote:

I've made some use of the basic template, yes, though as there isn't a decanter template, well, I had to scratch that one from the collection. Ditto with the squatting tiki shot glass, as well as a cheap "chiki tiki" shot.

Good point! I've just created a Shot Basic Template, and a Decanter Basic Template.

Hey Humu, I put in my TC user name but didn't get a PM...

On 2005-07-26 15:31, Tiki Matt wrote:
Hey Humu, I put in my TC user name but didn't get a PM...

Hmm... I don't have a record of your having registered... can you try registering again? Here's the link:

http://www.ooga-mooga.com/cgi-bin/all/register.cgi

You should get the TC PM instantly, there shouldn't be any delay. If you don't have it right away, let me know, and I'll see if I can figure out if something's wrong.

On 2005-07-26 15:00, Humuhumu wrote:
Good point! I've just created a Shot Basic Template, and a Decanter Basic Template.

Thanks much -- I have already made use of it. Thanks too for adding those others in my meagre collection so quickly. Much appreciated.

Cheers,
Gwen Smith

[ Edited by: gwenners 2005-07-26 16:03 ]

On 2005-07-26 15:31, Tiki Matt wrote:
Hey Humu, I put in my TC user name but didn't get a PM...

TM you probably did what I did yesterday. You clicked the log in in the upper right. You need to click on the register link in the lower bottom of the welcome page.

And Humu2 - Crap on a cracker!! I went to bed last night after putting up about 20 mugs into my collection and there was 17 or so pages of templates..... now there is over 25.... girl you bit off a HUGE chunk of Mug heaven (or hell) depending on how you look at it and we love you for it. Keep up the good work!

[ Edited by: Maori_man 2005-07-26 16:09 ]

I've been trying so hard to set up an account but PayPal has been having troubles. I even called them to see what was up. The suspense is killing me!
I guess I could get started on the photography, but I have to wait until AFTER work for that :wink:

it almost seems like we should let you catch up on filling out names for all the mugs. I would put one up and a sec later then find a spot where it would go.

I think it would be a good thing to be able to post more than ten free ones. The appeal of the site is to see other members mugs and there would be more appeal if there were more mugs. Right? I know it would be more work for you now but wouldn't be so later and it's work for us too with posting pictures taken and some info on them.
I can see where a fee on the space and rights to trade are.

I really like seeing those mugs that I have never seen or usually don't see often. Stuckie is doing it up right now.

On second thought maybe ten is good and everyone can take ten different ones. POst ones that aren't there yet, although it will be a pain for H2 cause it will be a quick pace.

I wish I was in a position to make this a free service. I've made Critiki available as a free service for the past year +, and that will stay free. The server rental and bandwidth cost me money every month. I need to offset that money coming out of my pocket. All I ask is that people pay the cost of one Mai Tai a month for the service (one third the cost of a Mai Tai, if you live in SF, LA or NY), which probably won't offset my costs entirely, but it will help.

It's such a cool site I'm thinking of ditching http://www.tiki-mug.com and just post the collection in H2's site. It'll be cheaper than the $25 hosting I currently pay.

Hey Humu, are we going to able to post other collectables i.e. carvings, hula wigglers, salt & peppers, etc?

Hey Matt, I dig the green glow you've added to your mugshots!

I know that everybody doesn't have photoshop or similar programs, but I love the mug on black background look.
Extry-mystical-like.

Tiki Matt - Thanks for posting your mugs. It helped me identify one I had in my collection that didn't have a mark on it! I had no clue.

Man this web site is what the mug collecting community has needed for a long time! Plus now I can come out of the closet (so to speak) and show off my toys!

[ Edited by: Maori_man 2005-07-27 11:10 ]

I love the way that everyone's developing their own style for photographing their mug collection -- it's cool to be able to look at a picture and instantly recognize the collection it's part of. It adds to the story and personality of the mugs and their collectors.

I'm on the fence - I really like the look of the mugs on black, but it's so time consuming, and when you have 100+ you start to think about quick routes. I think I'll do them all on the mantle, then think about removing the background later. Magic wand is my bestest friend. And ruby mask. And magnetic lasso.

I wasn't very careful with photographing mine, I just laid a black skirt I own on the ground and photographed them against that. For some of them I used my tripod, but for others I just rested my camera on one of my stereo speakers (stereo was off, of course!). No Photoshop trickery, except to crop 'em.

On 2005-07-27 11:51, Humuhumu wrote:
I love the way that everyone's developing their own style for photographing their mug collection -- it's cool to be able to look at a picture and instantly recognize the collection it's part of. It adds to the story and personality of the mugs and their collectors.

Never thought of it that way. Now, where do you get a $3.95 Mai Tai? I have had fun adding the mugs and it's a project I actually started earlier this summer. A worthy cause. Next steps are adding everything else out there!

Oh, and I'd like a "Vintage" or "New" in the description. I don't collect new mugs, so I have no interest in the Shag mugs, etc. If I could click a box and have the "New" mugs all dissappear from my searches, etc. that would be cool.

As a photography geek, I can tell you the best way to take a picture of anything is outside on a bright day in the shade. No direct sunlight, but not indoors. Then you don't need a flash and it will look good and natural.

If you want to drop the background, any solid color you photograph on will make it easy in Photoshop. Preferably an odd color that will not interfere with the mug, like green or blue.

Okay, it's only half the cost of a Mai Tai. :)

I like that New/Vintage idea! It might be a bit tricky for designs that are still being produced, but about 90% of the time, it'll be pretty clear. I'll cogitate on it a bit. I'm trying to save code changes until I've created more mug templates, but it wouldn't take me long to make the change, I could probably get to it next week.

She said "cogitate".....I digress.

On 2005-07-27 11:10, Maori_man wrote:
Tiki Matt - Thanks for posting your mugs. It helped me identify one I had in my collection that didn't have a mark on it! I had no clue.
[ Edited by: Maori_man 2005-07-27 11:10 ]

Which one?

On 2005-07-27 10:57, TikiGardener wrote:
Hey Matt, I dig the green glow you've added to your mugshots!

I know that everybody doesn't have photoshop or similar programs, but I love the mug on black background look.
Extry-mystical-like.

Thanks, I think it looks cool too. I may redo my website with the green glow....So little time....

Matt,

Hope you don't mind that I copied you with the green glow. I thought it was a cool look as well.

On 2005-07-27 14:28, MachTiki wrote:
Matt,

Hope you don't mind that I copied you with the green glow. I thought it was a cool look as well.

$20 per image, payable in cash at Z's party.

I think the glow might just change to orange in that case :wink:

On 2005-07-27 14:48, MachTiki wrote:
I think the glow might just change to orange in that case :wink:

I was thinking about rotating green & red like the website but too lazy. I'd stick with green, Mach, unity!

On 2005-07-27 13:28, Tiki Matt wrote:

On 2005-07-27 11:10, Maori_man wrote:
Tiki Matt - Thanks for posting your mugs. It helped me identify one I had in my collection that didn't have a mark on it! I had no clue.
[ Edited by: Maori_man 2005-07-27 11:10 ]

Which one?

The Fred Roberts Tiki Mug. I bought it several years ago in a thrift store and it is probably one of the first Mugs I bought when I started collecting. Thanks!

I'm stickin with basic black.
I like Humus backdrop method. I think the mugs just look good with out any distractions in the background. Just my personal taste, or lack thereof.

And I was copying Humus basic black idea.

[ Edited by: TikiGardener 2005-07-27 15:57 ]

On 2005-07-27 15:55, TikiGardener wrote:
I'm stickin with basic black.
I like Humus backdrop method. I think the mugs just look good with out any distractions in the background. Just my personal taste, or lack thereof.

I agree, and stuck with the basic black background on my own pix. A piece of black fabric served as backdrop, then I did a bit of fiddling in Photoshop to take out any remnants of it that one could find.

I preferred it, given that the mugs are the star. It also helps play up the colours of the mugs a bit better, IMO.

Cheers,
Gwen Smith

may I just add my thanks for this awesome idea / website.. I was up FAR past my bedtime in a mug photo snapping frenzy last night.. much mahalo Humuhumu!

My pleasure!

My template creating frenzy continues, but I'm going to be out for a few hours, so I won't be able to create any new mug templates or respond to issues/queries until very late tonight. But then I'll be back at it! Didn't want you all to think I'd stopped workin' on it. :)

On 2005-07-27 20:00, Humuhumu wrote:
but I'm going to be out for a few hours,

sure rub it in...a few chi chis maybe; a huevo de toro;) nice, very nice.

its too early for this cause other things need to be worked of first but We need a mug of the week. A spotlight on a mug and the picture will come from one of the members.

Okay, I needed to shift brain gears from creating mug templates for a while today for my own sanity, so I took a moment to add the ability to make a comment on a mug in someone's collection!

Here's an example of a comment I left on one of tikicleen & thedrunkenhat's mugs:

http://www.ooga-mooga.com/cgi-bin/all/mug.cgi?mug_id=155&ind_mug_id=313

Next step is to set up a page where you can view all the comments made on mugs in a collection in one place. Won't take me but a few minutes, but I've got a hot date at Trader Vic's Emeryville tonight!

Thanks again for all your support and enthusiasm, especially to those who have taken the plunge and gotten subscriptions. It means a lot to me that you've embraced this like you have!

I've finished up the Comments section, so now you can see all the comments a collection has received in one place. When viewing a collection, right next to the number of mugs, you'll see the number of comments on that collection, click that link to view all the comments.

Last night at Tiki Taix I found out that there's been some confusion about how the subscriptions work -- the first six months are paid up front, and after that your subscription goes month-to-month. What had some folks confused is they thought they had to actually make an effort to pay a bill every month, and that's not how it works -- the subscription auto-renews and your credit card is charged without you having to do a thing. If you want to cancel (perish the thought!), you can do so at any time, and your account will become inactive when your current payment runs out (i.e., if you paid for a month on January 1, and cancel on January 15, your account is active through January 31.

I've created nearly 400 mug templates so far, with plenty more to go. I'm wrapping up today to head to Dr. Z's, but more template creation will commence tomorrow!

There's an unbelievable 786 mugs in Ooga-Mooga collections now. It's so neat getting to look at and learn about interesting mugs I've never seen before. Mahalo again for your excitement about Ooga-Mooga!

Not that this would happen, but when someone stops paying and that have 200 mugs listed, does it get dropped back to 10 and which 10?

On 2005-07-30 16:33, teaKEY wrote:
Not that this would happen, but when someone stops paying and that have 200 mugs listed, does it get dropped back to 10 and which 10?

It doesn't get dropped back down to 10, as they've already done their Free Trial. Their collection "goes away" -- it's no longer visible to them or anyone else. However, the information is still in the database, so if they were to decide to re-start a subscription, they wouldn't have to re-enter all that information, it would just become visible again.

Upon further consideration -- I would want people to be able to still log in to Ooga-Mooga & leave comments, even if they'd decided after trying a subscription that it wasn't for them. As long as they'll be able to log in anyway, it's not much bother for me to just set it so that if a subscription has ended, the next time that person logs on, they are presented with two options -- 1) select 10 mugs in their collection to keep, or 2) keep the entire collection inactive. If they choose to resubscribe later, all the mugs can be reactivated.