Get Your New RedBubble! Groups, Featured Tab and more ...
Hello!
So this morning we released another update to RedBubble. The first incarnation of groups has gone out. We see groups as a very important step in the evolution of RedBubble. We’re a collection of some 15,000 members at the moment – all with different interests and importantly wanting different things from RedBubble. Groups will start to allow people to engage with RedBubble in a way that’s more specific to their interests. For example, I can see us having a landscape photography group, a digital art group, a Boston writers group et cetera. Pilgrim will post some more information about groups later today and you can see this FAQ for more information.
We’ve also released an activity monitor e-mail – this e-mail provides a summary of events in your activity monitor, and you can configure your settings to receive this e-mail daily, weekly or never. You can edit the e-mail settings in mybubble->account->edit your profile. At this stage we’re looking to send out the first activity monitor e-mail on Monday.
We’ve introduced a featured tab in art and clothing – this featured tab is hand populated (currently by Peter) and aims to give people another way to engage with the work on RedBubble (with a bit of a bias towards new RedBubblers). We’d like to involve more of the community in populating the featured gallery – so if your interested in curating please send Peter a BubbleMail.
Our ‘preview’ suffix is no more. The preview suffix was there to let you all know that we’re brand new – so please go easy on us! Now we’re not so brand new (six months old). But still please go easy on us! We’ve got a long, long list of things to build and improve. We’re open to feedback (and act on the feedback) but things often take a while to build/change.
What else … the Google Maps feature in profiles has been removed … and there’s a bunch of boring bug fixes and back end stuff that’s been released.
Ciao for now,
Craig Goldsmith
Looks great Redbubble, it’s an exciting time we some many new and cool features coming out and in the pipeline.
David Librach ...
Love the idea of the featured tab. I think that’s awesome. Looking forward to the groups. cheers
PS thanks also for the map and ‘1day’ fixes
Stephen Colquitt
Hooray – Red Bubble preview is gone! Well done guys. I was going to say that it is a bit like the story of the ugly duckling growing up into a beautiful swan, except that you guys were beautiful to begin with… :)
Im off to check out the groups.
David Librach ...
Uhmmm….I don’t seem to fit in any of the groups…. :-(
jumpy
i like the the groups idea, im into gangs ;)
but the featured tab… not so hot in my opinion, leave the features on the front and the populars in the tab imho. Ive only ever had one feature on the front page :( but ive seen myself grow to the popular tab a few times, giving me better exposure AND it gives me something to work towards.
Craig Goldsmith
David – There will be more groups, this is just the opening splash as far as groups are concerned.
Andrew Brown
I guess once we have a bit more detail about what it means to be in a group and what happens when you add an image to a particular group it might be a little less daunting!
David Librach ...
I know this is just the beginning. I’ll wait to read the information that Pilgrim will give later on. In the meantime, I don’t feel like I really fit in the ones provided.
transmute
Stringer’s not here so I’ll say it : WHIPPETY CRACK!
Natalie Manuel
No nature/animals group? :P
Cathie Tranent
Dang!
I’m in three groups already ….. what was that about jack of all trades, master of none??
Faizan Qureshi
Sounds great, thank you.
Jessica Tremp
woot woot, hope you celebrated accordingly…it’s an official bubble now…
not too sure on the featured art being the default for the art tab either though…there’s very little that ever makes it there and for a new user/buyer to the site, they may not necessarily think to change to the popular or recent galleries for more works
peter
I’ve already got three volunteers from the community to help populate the featured tab. Thanks!
I think one of the next steps with RedBubble is for us to remember your preferences – so when one person clicks on the art tab they go to the popular tab but when someone else goes to the art tab they’re directed to the featured tab. We’re never going to keep everyone happy – because we all want different things. So RedBubble will need to ‘personalise’.
SnowDog
Hey the Groups are here!!!
If you consider yourself a PhotoShop Junkie! or a Pro or even a beginner come on and join the new Group I will be moderating called
” PixElations – The Art of PhotoShop
Derid wrote the great description about the group! and will be helping out as my Co-Admin
” PixElations is a group of RedBubble Photoshop users of all levels and experiences. The goal of PixElations is to promote and elevate the expertise of Photoshop users at RedBubble.
The group promotes and encourages growth of its members by sharing tutorials, resources and techniques. PixElations is a place for members to post Photoshop generated images for critique, suggestions and feedback from group members. The group promotes and facilitates collaborations between group members and interested RedBubble artists.
PixElations also promotes growth of its members by posting challenges, and encouraging members to enter images in local and international competitions.”
Come on and Join good people !!!
earthjammedia
excellent this can only help promote the sense of community here, nice one RB
Hiroko
The entire RedBubble crew is awesome…everyone I’ve introduced to the bubble so far here in Vancouver thinks it’s the best they’ve come across ever and I agree!
Adriana Glackin
How exciting! Need to read the FAQs to find out more – I like CathieT, mater of none group idea : D
lightsmith
the groups sound great.
the featured tab is good – glad it’s the default. a lot of new people have some really great images but not the networking to become popular.
it’s all coming together splendidly.
MissKristy
THANKYOUUUU :) I love the groups!
Faizan Qureshi
Kathleen and I would like to create a group for our upcoming graphics editorial please. We’ll get back to you about the name.
Suzanne German
Thanks for all the input and work Peter! I am really excited about my group!
Jim Nooney
Groups is one flickr feature i was really hoping RB would pick up. It really helps build the feeling of communities of common interest.
Heather Rivet...
fantastic
AlienVisitor
Groups is a great way for buyers to find the art they want.Already joined two,there’ll be more.
David
Incognita
Groups are absolutely essential to build community and help bubblers and buyers find each other
- currently there are very few ways of finding good stuff without wading through vast sterile acres of HDR images, and few strategies to network to creators that are less random than clicking on the watchlists or faves of the odd interesting artist one does find. Online communities are about COMMUNITY -no matter what their ostensible focus is- so everything that you implement that encourages this is going to make rb more successful -and in the end will make you more $$ because sales will improve. Etsy is a good model in this regard.With this in mind, you REALLY need to make the group feature easier to find. A button on the front page as a beginning
- and a ‘groups’ tab on everyones’ overview pages, whether they have joined any groups or not, is essential -and a message direct to all rbers alterting them to the option (no we don’t all read the blog daily), and clear instructions on how to go about setting up a group are all needed (personally I was planning a ‘No HDR photography’ group ;p but can’t find how to go about it). Some info on each group -eg a short statement on the ‘groups’ interface would be a big help too…Good to see you start to address some of your GUI and functionalities problems—would love to see rb succeed but v. aware that you’ve got some tough competition out there…
Incognita
BTW is this crossed-out text when actually that was stuff that was supposed to be inside brackets, a bug or a feature….