Take a Look behind the Scenes of the New Shadowness

Mike Yesterday Meng, the Shadowness guy, gave me the chance to check out the design of the all-new Shadowness 8. In return he forced me to interview him and post the interview uncensored. Let's take a look behind the scenes and discover the concept, the technology, what's new and how Meng's brain is wired. (ok Meng, you can take the gun down now XD)


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In a nutshell

"The idea of followers is very essential to the new version. You follow because you subscribe, and you build your fan base which is the most important thing for an artist."

"The new concept is an open and promotional-driven portfolio community. Everything will be by the power of the users."

"We offer micro blogging for artists; collections will serve as a platform to gather resources and post as a blog or microblogs. RSS-driven. Users will be able to submit updates across websites: multiple Twitter accounts, Facebook, RSS."

"I just want to offer the best and easiest to use tools and anticipate ways to promote as much as possible. The biggest deployment is to open it to Twitter and have a language/format that bloggers, Facebook and Twitter understand, making it easier for artists to share their posts."

"The beauty of the new Shadowness is that you don't have to post images. You can post links, and credit to other people's work, create a collection for yourself. You don't have to be talented to be interesting."

The site will go live "hopefully in a month."

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Mike: When I see the screenshots, Shadowness 8 reminds me of Twitter. Take the expression 'followers', for example. Is that intended?

Meng: The idea of followers is very essential to the new version. You follow because you subscribe, and you build your fan base which is the most important thing for an artist. A lot of communities use that now. Twitter is directly integrated to Sn, it wouldn't be wise to change concepts.




What's the concept of the new Shadowness?

The new concept is about open and promotional-driven portfolio community. Everything will be by the power of the users. Focus on our strengths, but be very open. No longer will it be a closed community like any other art community. Instead, it will be very RSS-oriented, following-based, quality content and promotional to personal sites of artists.




How can you assure that its quality content? Will there be a rating system or pre-approved elites?

No, there will be report/flag. But essentially, I want to promote simplicity through "liking" or not liking. Should be as simple as that, follow or unfollow.




The screenshots suggest that you can sign in with your Twitter account.

Yes. The new Sn need to make sense to the simple-minded users like your mom. Borrow languages from generally adopted social communities like facebook and twitter and also make sense in real life like to people who don't understand computers all that much.




Back to the roots, nice and simple.

Yes. It's all about the artists and the artworks. How he performs, how he promote himself etc. That's why there is a link to his personal website everywhere.




So if you want to sum it up, what are the unique features of SN?

Micro blogging for artists, collections will serve as a platform to gather resources and post as a blog or microblogs. RSS-driven. Users will be able to submit updates across websites: multiple twitter accounts, facebook, rss. Still portfolio-oriented. Simpler customizations but more efficient. easy to organize collections and exactly how they want to to showcase their portfolio.




So its all about building a fanbase and keeping your fans up-to-date?

Yes, that and the promotional aspect. Because posting to twitter and facebook will generate much traffic and attention. There's a third role. A bit more secret right now.




Any chance of getting a sneak preview? For my fanbase who'll read the interview ;)

The third role is: no ADs and offer tools to go more commercial. Like hotlinking to your store from your artworks. Selling royalty, building stocks collections.




Helping you dragging clients to your own sites.

Yes. Like i said, it's not gonna be a closed community. It's gonna be very open.




So its like yellow pages for artists?

Yes, possibly. Artworks will be linked to the artist's space. And he controls his navigation up top. From there, you can also follow that artist because his badge is present everywhere.




Will you display similar artworks from other artists on the artwork page ("you might like this one as well...")?

Probably not. It's the artist's space but it's something to think about.




Maybe that's something for the admin to choose for a box on the homepage, like promoting less-popular but good artists.

Yeah... So, what do you think of the design?




It's the classic sn colors, it looks neat. Clean and simple for my mom. And unique I think.

Cool. It's the first time I'm planning all the features ahead and so for the design as well.




But users will be able to customize the profile pages?

Yes, the background image, eventually themes and the artworks background image as well as the badge.




Back to the feedback: I think its a solid site. Not overpacked with features where it takes a long time to get used to, I like that. Maybe a good feature would be a resizer, where people can resize/rotate/adjust an artwork to use as a wallpaper on their desktop or cellphone. So the artist uploads only one high resolution image and the users customize it for download.

Good point. I was going to do that. There will be "buy" or other options to the artist's discretion. Btw, we bring back the concept of subscriptions. No ads, subscription for more options and visibility. And I emphasize on VISIBILITY.




What do you mean by more visibility?

Like customizing your badge is a visibility. Posting your artworks and it shows bigger than others, customizing your artwork background, have special options to sell etc., and of course, host larger images.




Will there be the classic SN homepage with latest pictures, features, news etc?

Yes. The likes page actually to show the top. But in term of newest, it's gonna be in "updates".




Will you have a page with recent activities? From all artists?

Yeah in "updates", you can filter there. "Updates" or should it be called "posts" is like a public timeline of everything.




Because i was just thinking, if you don't have a fanbase yet the artworks should be displayed on a "browse" page or so, otherwise people can't find you

Oh, there will be a Find people. Import from gmail etc. and also, when you start following people, they naturally will follow you back. Hopefully like on twitter. Because that's how it gets friendlier.




But then people have to actively search for that user.

Oh, people won't search. it's right in their face ;) Likes, collections, updates. Can't be clearer to search for amazing artists to follow.




So SN doesn't have the classic frontpage of an art community? (like, compared to dA)? More like twitter?

Deviantart's problem is the home page for logged artists. It should be deviantwatch. As for new users, in the home page, we have "likes" posts. People will be wowed by 1) the size of the artworks 2) the ability to scroll down in an iPhone or blog style.




What would you say to a "shadowness universe" where all (and i mean all) artworks are displayed as very small thumbnails and you can browse one huge wall of images randomly? Like a mosaic?

Thumbnails view is for power users imo. For your mom, you want to see the biggest size possible of interesting posts. Like i said, the brain has a hard time to capture everything at once. And by doing so, you also limit participation. By having a scroll view, you focus on one, go to the next, or stay and comment/click. Like on facebook, you know? Or on twitter if you will or on blogs. You don't read blogs squares by squares. You read from top to down. But that doesn't mean we can't have a mosaic view for power users.




I don't know how other users think about this but sometimes I just want to browse like in a museum but not be limited by the amount of thumbnails. I just want to see it all, and find interesting things. I also dont like clicking "next" buttons lol just a wall of stuff that loads automatically when you reach the end.

That's a good point.




One question that a new sn user will have: How can I build a fanbase? The way you said sounds like the users themselves have to become active.

By following, and importing contacts, obviously posting and commenting. The beauty of the new Sn is that you don't have to post images. You can post links, and credit to other people's work, create a collection for yourself. You don't have to be talented to be interesting.




So you can build a fanbase by sharing the collection with others?

Yes. Collections are not exclusive to the artist's, just like blogs aren't always about the blogger. So people will get more followers if they post interesting things.




Not just images but collections, links, blog entries etc.

Yes. You got it. It's an open community, that's the concept of open.




Yeah you know I'm like my mom :P

Well, this site is tailor made for you :p




So the community members promote themselves.

Yes sir.




Now I ran out of questions.

I just spent an hour with you. You better have something awesome to write about ;)




Oh right, the technical aspects. Whats the technology you use

php/mysql/ajax/jquery/moo/prototype javascript, rss obviously.




Where do you see the new SN in terms of community size?

I don't think too much about it, I just want to offer the best and easiest to use tools and anticipate ways to promote as much as possible. The biggest deployment is to open it to twitter and have a language/format that bloggers, facebook and twitter understand, making it easier for artists to share their posts.




Will there be something like a facebook application?

Yes if i know how. But yes, Mike is gonna write it ;)




My mom :P

Yes. And Matt Parkman from heroes will write my iPhone app.




Awesome. Yeah that's another point: So there will be an iPhone app. Any other platforms?

No, just apple and facebook and twitter. The iphone app and facebook app will come later though. Focus on a GOOD social utility first, then expand.




Apart from images, will users be able to upload other artworks as well? Like videos or flash?

As "Credit" yes. Videos embed from youtube as "Link". So essentially like facebook.




When do you think will the site go live?

Once i finish the wireframes of all the pages I want to do and actually start working on it i will know. But, hopefully in a month or so for everything.




Oh another question.

Damn, you're a curious one.




If you sign in with your twitter account then all your followers will also be imported? So you don't start with 0 followers on sn?

I don't think you can import followers, so no. You can invite them though through gmail, hotmail, yahoo, aol/aim.




A question for more emotional readers: how do you feel about the new sn? is there any difference to when you designed the other versions?

The fundamental difference is in the planning and confidence in my work. I have never planned the features this much ahead. same for the design and the usability. As an artist grown into user experience designer as a career, i feel very passionate about the common sense behind the use of social websites and interface design. There's a sense of confidence and peace in this one that I've never felt before. the passion remains, but i've wised up!




What would you say is the most important thing you have learned from the other sn versions? What's the most valuable experience?

What I learned from shadowness is passion in your work, listen to your people. how i wised up is basically take the time to plan things well -- always look for better ways to organize and inspire yourself. Artists are known for being a bit more moody and chaotic than the usual type. I think with time and experience, they learn to organize themselves and become better designers of their environment and the way they pose themselves to other people -- commercial or not.




Whats the most valuable piece of advice you ever got from an sn user?

Simplicity is god - Chris Dang




Has sn changed your life? It certainly has changed mine...

I am where I am thanks to Sn. I built my career and confidence on top of it. I became an entrepreneur, a user experience designer and most importantly, I knew people that changed my life forever. In fact, most of my friends and real life friends came from Sn and they are amazing people -- people who I admire and cherish most after my family of course.




Is there anything you want to say that I haven't asked yet?

If I had, it would be an hour ago ;)




All right, then I want to thank you for your precious time and giving me the opportunity not only to take a look behind the scenes of shadowness but also inside the head of its creator. Do you think that's a good round up?
Yeah that sounds awesome.


I bet I delayed the launch of sn for one day lol
I'm really eager to read the interview. And don't censor.
Never.
Ah, now I have to rethink of my launch date hehe. Just keep in mind it's a work in progress.