Even though I’m an investor, one thing that has always bugged me about Seesmic is the all black background (its depressing), and the excessive use of Flash on the site (there’s nothing except Flash, try loading it on an iPhone). Having a few Flash elements on a site when necessary is fine. But using it just to use it is so…ugh.
You can check out the new all white site which ditches the Flash here. They’ve also added some additional bells and whistles to improve usability, like a big red button on the top left to start a new conversation.
User reactions are here. Let us know in the comments what you think as well (you can leave a video comment via Seesmic if you choose too).
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If at first you dont succeed.. try to look like google
That is the idea i guess
jess
http://www.Yocial.com
Do or do not. There is no try.
ah, well, the video comment feature seems to be down.
Seems like you over thanked them
Thanks You Seesmic
Vety good http://www.jugargame.com/
{seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/dZn33penUi_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:” ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/ssDt7yCqBw”}}}
getting rid of flash - good idea ????
getting rid of black - good idea ???
why ????
cause u said…
love when the financial guys/ non creative think they can add design comments.
loic I feel for u bro.
Actually flash is not the best choice for creative content, rich CSS and even Java, but flash sucks for dynamic content.
If its static , like a portafolio or so, its fine, but can you imagine a flash facebook?
actually i’m currently building a whole social network in flash with action script 3.
i’m always amazed to see how some are so conservative about UI. and the comments from those who are not coders.
the only problem Flash had so far was deep-linking (for SEO and profile direction). but guess what, this has been fixed morethan a year ago, and you can now press the back button of your browser or enter profile individual urls with flash.
and FYI, flash is very light compared to ajax when coded right, thus yes, facebook in flash would actually make a whole lot of sense when it comes to bandwidth savings.
@Ed if you really think black backgrounds are the way to go, how about you count up all the really BIG consumer-facing companies that use them and report back here… you don’t need to be a usability expert to understand the flaws in the original seesmic design.
and … actually I’m almost finished building a full cms product in Flex (Flash) that does EVERYTHING dynamically. As such, sites using our system will actually run/load faster than if they were built in html/ajax etc.
I’ve been developing with Flash since it was still called Future Splash Cell Animator, so I’ve seen it evolve almost from the start. And I too am constantly amazed at how conservative some people are when it comes to Flash - IMO this attitude is simply bred from ignorance.
I love Flash - if you hadn’t noticed
@Chris
I might actually need your services. i’m looking for another developper. do you master xmlrpc with AS3? if yes, send me an email to: [firstname][lastname]@yahoo.com (see above headline for fill-ins)
Dynamism is not the problem, you are building a social network in flash, good luck with bandwidth
You are becoming pathetic.
“Flash sucks for dynamic content”
Really?
http://www.gametube.org
Maybe you should try to get to know Flash a little bit before stating such nonsenses?
Flash is heavy on CPU, and sucks when it comes to google rankings, true.
But that’s all. You can do anything with Flash, you just need to be skilled at it.
it works {seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/GIx2FEbyES_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:”it works ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/DaEIHens1x”}}}
No, seesmic sucks more
your shirt {seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/NMIHMwYKTJ_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:”your shirt ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/aAa0qTwwZ2″}}}
{seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/KvFvO6z8eJ_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:” ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/NUnMZRysi8″}}}
lawls
Yeah - please don’t try that. Your doublechin doesn’t make it sexy at all….
Thumbs up! {seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/V51c30FWOw_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:”Thumbs up! ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/41xoTFGnvv”}}}
Yes, I know sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, but seriously, what’s with all these picture answers? (you dumb &*^& you’ve left an image of an arrow over your face, what a tool!)
{seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/gn7HJ3dTBS_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:” ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/X1vHH1GtNt”}}}
LOL @ geocities reference. so good. only there’s no “marquee” tag in seesmic. just really, really, really long videos.
here’s the link i mention in the video above
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008.....promotion/
remember that?
there is more feedback on this threat:
http://new.seesmic.com/videos/EoBg1ECuKg
btw talking about sucking, I have to type my name, email and site each time I leave a comment again, it does not save it
that’s just for people who’ve previously been marked as spammers.
MA know spam when he sees it and removes it immediately. He also knows when something sucks.
StatementLocator.com - let it be known
MA knows spam when he see’s it. He also know’s when something sucks. thank you for running a in your face spam filtered site.
JournalistLocator.com - tell it like it is.
Hey Mr Locator dude!
I was disappointed you don’t have seesmicLocator.com
Kinda makes it look like every other site. . .makes it lose it’s uniqueness.
But I do prefer white backgrounds(don’t make my eyes bleed)
I’ll be spending more time on Seesmic now.
It’d be great if we could get a deadpool watch going on techcrunch. Seesmic has great odds otherwise.
what do you mean I am french? {seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/6uJw6cthKr_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:”what do you mean I am french? ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/X3gm2rcDCs”}}}
{seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/M47qSbMSi9_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:” ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/S4NrB2iTuz”}}}
Nice racism, as always
yes. the French “race”. whatever.
michael, please button up your shirt. I know you’re not french (it’s obvious), but please have a bit of a self-presentation sense, just a bit.
btw, are you and Loec now best buddies again? was the whole thing about the conference just a PR stint? because from what I heard, from you and many others, is that it really sucked…
As one of these so “French” people (living in the US for a year), just wanted to say that your dispute between you guys is just a lot of fun. Both of you were just expressing clichés: you saying that we are lazy and Loic defending the French art de vivre.
Loic is I think a very emotional guy who plays a lot with his public image, his impressive online presence but it is also a lot of pressure I guess. I am saying that because I read a lot about how Loic Le Meur was so offended after 1938 media Lauren Feldman’s Seesmic review. Loic reacted very offended and then they just became friend. I think the same will happen between you two.
By contrast, Lauren Feldman who is also now bashing the French is much more aggressive, a lot of generalization, he is a primal and egocentric. He is also had some reasons to be that offended as he got insulted by a racist guy in Montpellier.
Anyway, hold on your small argument, so much fun!
perhaps “black” and “french” was too much for Loic and his people. Now at least they are much more in line with the France that Sarkozy and Le Pen want: White and French.
whats up with the progress loader, is this 1998?
hey btw Michael and all you should try the top right cooliris button, video conversation in cool 3D interface, that’s new
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/text/france.html
Always remember one thing: without Lafayette you’d be english.
And you can’t compare close to 2,000 years of french history vs 400 years in US.
Why don’t you remind us the war won by the US, by the way? WW2 was won by the Russian FYI. Vietnam? Afghanistan (first war)? Irak? etc…
And finally, how the hell being good at wars reflects the level of civilization? I’d say it’s the exact opposite. War is for apes and animals.
yeah well the next time the germans roll through paris, give us a call.
Technically, no one called you. If it wasn’t for Pearl Harbor, USA would’ve stayed out of this war. There were actually more nazis in US than in Mussolini’s Italy.
Man, you may know a lot about Web 2.0, but obviously your knowledge of history is VERY limited. Thus give us a break and go back to wikipedia first.
And without a european (named albert einstein), you guys wouldn’t have had the atomic bomb and would all speak japanese.
“Going to War Without the French Is Like Going Deer Hunting Without an Accordion “
I WILL NOT SURRENDED {seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/AAEaVHJRuN_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:”I WILL NOT SURRENDED ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/qPNWgATcob”}}}
“I got a tip for you , if you install the french versions of your favorite programs, THEY RUN A LOT FASTER”
netvibes runs faster the igoogle.
66% or 3718 votes don’t want you back at LeWeb
http://www.loiclemeur.com/engl.....qus_thread
but I would still like to invite you, but not surrender. Ever.
“During WW2, the French resistance fighters, in their finest hour, bravely threw sticks of dynamite at the advancing German troops. The Germans then lit them and threw them back.”
why don’t you talk about La Fayette?
In Irak, they don’t throw dynamite, they throw shoes at your president and you look like fools across the globe.
and WW2 wasn’t won by US but by Russia. Learn a bit of History, uneducated piece of american. is that an insult?… your call.
By the way, withot the US support of the france (maquisard) resistance, or the support that been sent - through Archanges - to Russia, or without the US disembarkation at Sicily… WW2 could’t been ever won.
So, show some respect.
Fucking French bastards. You’re just jealous because America is better and all French people are pussies.
Hey, I got a[n old] joke.
What’s the difference between a French woman and a basketball team?
The basketball team showers after four periods.
( http://instantrimshot.com )
AMERICA! FUCK YEAH!!
Michael,
Techcrunch France is one of the most read blog in France.
Insulting your customers isn’t a smart move.
Not very professional…
Oh, btw:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W.....casualties
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W.....casualties
why are you not going to listen to the popular voice this time? why are you going to invite MA to the next party, sorry, conference in Paris? why this time you are not going to follow what people, by large majority, is saying?
was it all a PR trick? are you so French that you are not going to keep your word? why did you bother asking people to vote if you are not going to follow their opinion? ahhh, maybe it’s because you follow your role model (Sarkozy) style, and just don’t give a fuck about what people say?
spot on
This is amazing.
I was just thinking about blogging on them about their failing search engine rank and presto, you make a post on Seesmic. Now, I’ll craft that post about Seesmic tomorrow morning and link to this post
http://www.myspace.com/social_ceo_affiliate
I said it best here,http://tinyurl.com/6f7p28 as entrepreneurs we all have the common want to succeed regardless of our culture, now move on, shall we.
how europeans launch new sites {seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/wSBuwvuYiU_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:”how europeans launch new sites ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/ZLtdjNeccI”}}}
perhaps “black†and “french†was too much for Loic and his people. Now at least they are much more in line with the France that Sarkozy and Le Pen (two sides of the same coin, the right wing France) want: White and French.
Hilarious, and so spot on
the fact that you harbored these concerns but never saw changes says that A) you have zero influence on the company even as a board member or investor and simply threw money at it, or B) you threw money at the company and still nobody takes you seriously when it comes to product design (or alternatively, C) nobody takes you seriously on the product side)
I read about a group of British paratroopers who were firing their weapons for practice near the Kuwait/Iraq border back in 2003. A group of Iraqi soldiers, fearing the war had started, crossed the border and promptly surrendered to the paratroopers. My immediate thought was, “Finally, French culture has spread to the Middle East.”
the black was bloody ugly was it designed during one of those 2 hours lunch.
Q: What are they calling the Germans, French and Belgians, at the Pentagon?
A: “The Axis of Weasels.”
this video exchange was great. entertaining to say the least.
Entertaining seemic videos before bed! haha
Wow, I really find this comment thread quite interesting. It’s interesting to see how you both talk in person.
You’re both cool guys and I really appreciate that you’re solving your problems openly (so people like me can learn how to get on TC’s good side).
This is better than valleywag
is this some sort of PR stunt or you both are actually pissed at each other? I mean seriously. Grow up.
LOL this is rich.
I agree the flash interface always made Seesmic harder to use than it needed to be. (Who needs cool 3D interfaces when they slow down your access to the actual information you’re there for?) But I maintain that one day, Loic will be the guy signing all of our paychecks.
David, thanks for your compliments.
Michael: how do I make TC f….g remember me I am tired to put my name back each time….
not my problem.
Just login with FB Connect
I’m having the same problem all the sudden.
IT’S A CONSPIRACY!
Flash has nothing to do with it. There good UI and bad UI. period.
the designer in charge made it bulky and hard to understand. for example, i never understood where i could actually see a list of threads, where was the first post etc… poorly implemented.
but again, flash has nothing to do with that. flash actually allows you to design by far the best user-friendly UIs.
it’s always funny to see who conservative TC readers are.
cool I love these video comments (even though they’ve been around for a while)
it’s looking much better. baby steps…..
France is the only country i know of that sells black toilet paper…
it’s because our shit is pink and smells roses.
and of course - as a french - i guess you’ll add I shower only once a week. actually it’s true. each week, right after i bang your wife.
The design professional in me is screaming hire someone that actually knows UI design and has taste. I never liked the old design but suddenly it looks gorgeous even in its beastly awkward all Flash-ness. Perhaps the third time is the charm?
This self-serving promo shit for Loic and Seesmic is transparent, overdone, and annoying.
wow very clean design
I like the fact that this post (let’s not forget that this is just a blog) title is “…seesmic for sucking less”.
well, yes, it might be less, but still sucks, according to the all mighty Michael Arrington.
Loic, get a designer, maybe even a French one, but get one
Obviously we french don’t give a xxx about Arrington’s advises : http://www.toondoo.com/View.toon?param=497963
teste de Facebook Connect sur Techcrunch. S’en fou, ils ne connaissent pas le français
Great, now you made me wish I had a camera at job… oh well I can always wait until I get home
Well, in between the anti-french/anti-european/anti-anything-not-american sentiment, and the Mike and Loic faux-row, looks like most people like the new Seesmic.
Which is frankly all that I care about. Mike, the title of post makes it sound like you’re an expert in teh suck.
BTW I used the word ‘faux’ just to fuck with all you anti-frenchies
Mike, you just hate Loic Le Meur.
Guys, you’re a hell-of-a-fun acting like a kids in a kindergarten.
Get over with stupid cultural fights. Life looks different here in Europe, as it looks different in USA, Asia, Australia, Africa etc. The only way to prove anything is to take a look at real life effects.
Loic, getting into it and proving that Michael’s comment about Europe somehow bothers you just got your hands dirty.
Some critics shouldn’t be addressed directly.
La vie est belle!
-Simon .pl
Seesmic video comments won’t load. And I’m sure I’m missing out because of it.
Looks… just like 12Seconds.tv in list mode.
I like the new Seesmic site as it look simple and less ‘overwhelming and heavy’.
Suggested Improvement to Seemsic
1) ubiquitous search - I’m surprised though that Seesmic lacks search function that appear at top of the site. This is something user expect to find since search function becomes a common feature for any video service.
2) Embedded Thumbnail Video Playback - I really like that one could just playback the thumbnail video quickly in the Video List without just going to the video’s dedicated page. Beside, the video really look better, sharper and less intimidating in thumbnail size. Now, can the thumbnail playback be applied to embedded video as well ? So that user can just playback the thumbnail without enlarging the video by default, perceptively avoiding “resizing distraction”, and make user more likely to click on it.
3) Allow and show a short attention-seeking text to video. Unlike text, a video is hard to seek attention until it is played and user usually wouldn’t want to click on video until something pique their curiousity. Putting some short “marketing/interesting” quotes from the video might be useful.
Wow you can download the videos, isn’t that just asking for trouble?
Or am I missing something like seesmic asks for permissions first?