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ComicLink's new look

Started by Gotham Kid,

68 posts in this topic

blazingbob

blazingbob

Posted
Posted
Typical web "re-design".

 

Change the overall look (in this case to invoke Heritage apparently), move things around (so your customers can be irritated for a little while), and add no functionality (maybe even lose a little.)

 

How much do these companies' web designers con out of them every 2-3 years?

 

What functionality are you looking for?

 

 

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paperheart

paperheart

Posted
Posted
Wish the site let you filter by company...only collect DC so sorting through the 9 million Amazing Spideys kinda stinks.

 

+1, the old design looked terrible but at least i could sort by DC and newest listings to quickly find what i was looking for. if the new design has this feature, i couldn't figure it out

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Vger7

Vger7

Posted
Posted

"I personally do not care what they are wearing... Tie or not... I will bid anywhere that has the book I need at the moment."

 

While this is fundamentally true for most hardcore collectors, all things being equal, an emotional connection with the audience will strengthen a brand. Consider why people tip toe around on this site... we tread carefully as not to offend anyone because we want to appear honest and sincere so that we'll be able to buy and sell comics here. People are more or the less the same but we choose our friends because of that emotional bond, usually established through a shared experience.

 

I had a negative experience at ComicConnect once and I've never been back. I also know many people who collect but don't have the patience for online complexity. If CLink can simplify their site even more, I guarantee they will win these people over.

 

"New" is the wool over peoples eyes. "New" often gets mistaken for "good" or "better". In this case, CLink most likely spent $60k, $70k to re-skin their site but at the core, nothing has really changed.

 

 

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jimjum12

jimjum12

Posted
Posted
Wish the site let you filter by company...only collect DC so sorting through the 9 million Amazing Spideys kinda stinks.

 

...perhaps this is a sign that you need to evolve :baiting:

 

 

..... being a DC lover doesn't have to be a terminal illness, although I confess, I have my stack of "NFS" D.C.'s :cloud9: GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

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miraclemet

miraclemet

Posted
Posted

ok besides the old complaints (no back scans, no watch list) and the new ones (lower res scan on main auction page) here's my ongoing complaint about the way they manage their database, which they could fix if they

 

a) clean up the existing dbase

and

b) maintain the same quality of entry going forward

 

When you want to search for a pedigree you can use the advanced search and select a pedigree from the drop down.

 

fZOvf2e.png

 

but look. If you were interested in Bethlehem pedigrees you would have to do 7 SEPARATE searches because over the years as listings were put in people didnt just stay uniform and write Bethlehem. They wrote Bethlehem Top Census, or something, so there we end up with 7 different pedigree listings for one pedigree, making a search annoyingly difficult.

 

now lets go back to something called "Human factors in engineering" which means, you have to build your website in part based on how people are likely to use it. Most people who might be interested in a pedigree wont think to do the advanced search. They'll go to the search field on the left side type in "Bethlehem" hit enter and expect to see the result of any places that Bethlehem showed up in the auction since the pedigree shows up in the description/details. Nope all you get is a "nothing found" page because the search field only searches title.

 

ps they make this work in the art section where a search for either a title or an artist will get results, which means it's checking two fields in the listing. So they CAN do this, they just didnt think about it when they were building it.

 

Now smartly there's an "all" option where it would return all pedigree books (which is good cause some people specialize in pedigrees) BUT since they arent consistent in their listings and use the Pedigree field to also be the "anything special that we think might make a book sell for more" category we get everything from "top census" to "double covers" to "2nd printing" basically anything... so it's useless.

 

Also look at this

 

2kbXxc9.png

 

what the heck is "Love it" as a category? it returns the ENTIRETY of the auction and looks like it could be a "watch" function if you want to speculate that customers could click on a "love it" button and then they'd be able to do a search that just returned their "love it" books, so kind of like a watch list... but its a "function" that hasnt been released, fleshed out, or whatever. I dont even know if that showed up in this latest iteration of it's been around for years...

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miraclemet

miraclemet

Posted
Posted
Yup, not sure who is controlling the data entry for these fields.

 

Should be the website administration side, not the user which is what this looks like.

 

1 of X, highest registry are comments, not pedigrees.

 

plus if you do an advanced search there's a way to search for census rank of book! So they are putting the info in two places, or referencing the data two different ways.

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HemiGTX

HemiGTX

Posted
Posted

In my opinion the new website is terrible. None of the main issues seemed to get fixed, and really only the look has changed. And not for the better.

 

To me web sites really look bland and boring (think "new" Heritage site) when there is just so much "black & white" color and type. No color, no graphics, no pizzazz. Everything just seems to bleed together and becomes very hard to read and distinguish.

 

Kudos to guys like "Highgradecomics" and the original "Metropolis" site, where things still look fun, colorful, and easy. I love those sites.

 

2c

 

 

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Jeffro.

Jeffro.

Posted
Posted
Another site that's been "engineered". For all the time, energy and money spent... why not higher a decent designer to help rebuild the site... starting with a more memorable name, logo and with usability in mind (good design is also logical).

 

Not only does "ComicLink" sound like "ComicConnect". Not only do they both share the same value proposition (or lack there of)... but now they look alike too, stemming from a non-identity.

 

Yes, it's difficult to differentiate yourself when trading in commodities, but even corporate entities can establish a personality in order to better connect with the audience. If DeBeers can sell useless rocks at astronomical prices, then it can be done with treasured memories.

 

ie; Let ComicConnect trade comics, ComicLink helps people invest in childhood imagination.

 

Looking professional is not enough. Take off those jackets, loosen those ties and instead be approachable.

 

My 2¢.

 

I personally do not care what they are wearing... Tie or not... I will bid anywhere that has the book I need at the moment. lol

 

Cool books, get your cool books no matter who sells them!

 

Some collectors would crash through a group of preschoolers then step on their own mother's throat just to buy a book off of Hitler with the hope of selling it to Satan for a few extra bucks. :insane:
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paperheart

paperheart

Posted
Posted
Is there a quick link to "newest listings" when searching in a particular title? Clink used to have that...

Click on "Comic Book Exchange" then "Newest Listings"

 

It took me a minute to find it. But it's still just two clicks.

 

how about by newest listings by publisher? i've given up.

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Ghost Town

Ghost Town

Posted
Posted
Is there a quick link to "newest listings" when searching in a particular title? Clink used to have that...

Click on "Comic Book Exchange" then "Newest Listings"

 

It took me a minute to find it. But it's still just two clicks.

 

how about by newest listings by publisher? i've given up.

I got nothing for you there. The best I can figure is search by title then sort by date listed. It's not an elegant or quick solution.

 

I think it would be easy for them to add publisher as a sorting option. Let's hope they do it.

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Ghost Town

Ghost Town

Posted
Posted
Adding a publisher search requires you to attach the publisher to every title in the database.

 

Depends on who is doing the data entry determines when it gets implemented.

 

It is not a "quick and dirty" field add.

 

bob

When you add a book to the exchange, you select either Marvel/Timely/Atlas, DC, or "Other Publishers". So that field is already exists, at least for Marvel and DC books.

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romanheart

romanheart

Posted
Posted

I applaud any attempt at making anything better though overall in my opinion I don't think much has changed as a customer. I like the general scheme but find there are so many things on a single page making everything look busy. Really these sites need only to do some basic things.

 

My criticisms are the same as everyone else's.

- watch button

- back cover scans

- more auction items per page

 

If they adopt extra-time mechanisms in their auctions I would be turned off. For the stuff I watch, I never find enough variance in their prices to bid on any of their items of late. I avoid bidding wars on commonly found items. Lately the boards have been giving better prices.

 

 

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