Today’s poll question is “When Reading an Entry, I Prefer…” and the two choices are “More Images, Slower Loading Time” and “Less Images, Faster Loading Time.” To my complete surprise, the more images option is trouncing the faster load time one. This is actually a very important issue to the site and I’ve been made all the more conscious about it since
Jeff Lawson started labeling this site with “Now with fewer screenshots” lol. The poll question is not meant to be considered in the context of how many images I currently use, but instead as a general indicator of whether you prefer more images or faster loading time. Personally, I prefer less images because it makes the page more readable and load faster. However, since bandwidth is less of a problem these days and broadband is almost everywhere, I can understand where the other side is coming from.
But I’d like to hear your opinion. Why did you vote the way you did? Along those lines, are lots of screenshots or a good write-up more important? What you folks say here may very well impact how I write entries in the near future.
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Anyone with 256k+ connection is ok I think. This is afterall a site about animes so more pics are always good.
Usually although I tend to not look at the pictures before I finish downloading the raws that you blog, afterwards I like to stroll through them to know where I’m at while also reading your summaries (while watching). The more images are nice, as not all the time I can get screen caps myself (since BSPlayer doesn’t always work smoothly with a lot of raws; same with VLC player). But looking at the different pictures are nice, when the animations have stopped.
Plus it doesn’t bother me with slower loading time :D…
I really don’t mind the loading times and having many pictures is nice. Since most people that come to this site (that includes me) enjoy seeing all the screenshots, its like a way to preview whether and anime is worth the time and bandwidth to get (or for some that come here, the inaccessiblity to a certain show because its not up on Tokyotosho or other sites). Its a way for “us” to “wet” our appetite and build up a strong desire to see the show.
For example, when you did the summary for Mai-Otome 16 with all the screencaps, people couldn’t stop getting enough of it. It showed all the visitors to this site what they should expect in the upcoming episode and pictures to comment and build speculations from. For me, I would’ve killed to dl the show and see it first, but the torrent wasn’t available for quite awhile (or at least for me).
No preference really. I’d pick the one with more actual write-up than the images-option. In this case, the hidden option (c). 😛
I think that both the write up part and the image part both are important. even though it may drag down the loading time a bit, i guess it doesnt matter to me, that the load speed is slower cuz in the end..the load time will create that mini suspense of “omg whats gonna happen this eps!!??” kinda thing.. and in my opinion…you’re gonna hafta wait a bit for the page to load neways..(for me at least)..why not just make that time worth it with a bit of extra images to see whats going on? kinda like a reward for waiting those few seconds..of loading >.
The number of screens is fine for me. What I do enjoy are good write-ups. I enjoy reading other people’s opinions, impressions, and interpretations about episodes, as well as summaries. I think that’s why I started up, because I wanted to share my thoughts and put my spin on things. I’m definately still a rookie with my blog (I really think I summarize way too much), but I do enjoy thorough plot summaries and I think you do a great job at balancing information and length. One thing you’ve been doing (specifically with recent Otome episodes) has been using bullet points for key events in an episode. I really liked that because not only do you get the plot summary, you get to revist the key moments with you’re opinions on them.
But, as I mentioned, the number of screens is fine. Like others have said above me, they give you some sort of image to go with the text, and for some it does provide some suspense and increases one’s anticipation for the episode. I personally voted “More Images, Slower Loading Time,” because I have a fast connection, but I agree with bakaboobie on the more focus on the write up and keep the screens the same. Hope this helps! Keep up the great work!
Got nothing to complain about really…except maybe the pics (for each ep) in the main web page should be smaller and bigger when they read the details…and the font doesn’t have to be so huge for episode titles…that’s about it. It’s more of a suggestion for organization.
I’m a very visual person. I usually look at all the pictures, and rarely even read any of the comments.
Loading times aren’t a problem for me, so I’d go with the hypothetical ‘more images’.
I prefer more images. Loading time is not really a problem. I just enjoy reading blogs with lots of pictures… In a way, it tells the story as support for what you have written. Maybe more pictures and longer write-ups would be great.
I’m all for the many pictures And good write up. I tend to read your site to help deside what shows I’m going to take time to watch, since I don’t have much time to really spend watching them all. Sometimes I drop a series because I just don’t have time to see it all, but I still want to know how it goes and if the ending’s worth while (should I get back to it later?) so the good write ups are really helpful. I also like when you mention the animation quality and such, or talk about the music since I care about that kind of stuff.
For me, the loading time isn’t really an issue. Even if I had a slow connection I probably wouldn’t mind since most of the images are in the links anyway.
I do wish I could see a few screen graps from the next ep previews though, but that’s mostly just for Mai-otome cause I’m nuts about that series and am dieing to see what happens next.
Your site is the fastest screenies put-up-online category (ie: Mai Otome). No problem about the loading time.
Although still waiting for your impressions on Ergo Proxy. The one im watching got lower video quality so im waiting for a high quality one. Story reminds me of Ghost in the Shell.
I think that you do a pretty good job just with the number of images that you normally have in your entry. You usually are able to pick out the best ones from the episodes and they, more often than, not complement your write-up very well.
‘Are lots of screenshots or a good write-up more important?’ Personally, I just scroll down past the images until I get to your write-up since I don’t want to spoil the episode (as much as I can after reading your entry) until I finish watching the raw of the certain episode and then I go back and look and the caps that you took for the episode. But, for certain series that I don’t follow (for example: Blood+, Jigoku Shoujo, and Angel Heart) I find that I usually look at the pictures and usually choose if I should pick up the series (or just follow it through reading your summaries) based on your comments about the show and how the animation looks in the images.
So overall, I’d say that the write-up is defiantly more important that the images. Heck, I just see the images as icing on the cake since, compared to most other blogs, your one of the few that actually includes a large amount of screenshots to accompany your very well written summery/impression.
I wouldn’t think that load times would be a problem for anyone that doesn’t have lower than 256k, and like you said broadband is practically everywhere nowadays so most people probably wouldn’t be troubled by longer load times. Maybe you could run a poll one of these days on ‘what is your internet connection?’ to find out just how many people might be affected by the longer loading times should you choose to put more images in your entries.
Uhm, I didn’t vote yet XD but I must say though, that everything’s fine with the way things are right now. More images are fine, but it’s not necessarily important. As long as it shows some of the important parts/highlights of the series, then I’m good. The write-up, for me, is important – it’s actually the main reason I go here. I read the summary first to know what’s gonna happen, read about your comment about today’s episode, look at images, then read other people’s comments. In all honesty, I don’t think you even need the images since your summaries are descriptive enough to show any series’ episode for the day [this is probably the part where everyone will gang up on me and throw me tomatoes, heh.] But like I said earlier, as long as it presents main events in the episodes, then it’s okay. Yep.
I like the current amount of screencaps. Especially since there are only a few on the main page per entry; but you can go into the regular article to see many more, and get a deeper view of the show in question. Some shows aren’t subbed yet (NDB anyone?) and some I just don’t care to watch, but I’m still somewhat interested in how the story unfolds (Canvas2) … so having the screenies there is good for my purposes.
I just kinda wish you put little image rollover tags like Matthew, with clever little things or comments on the pics. 🙂 I know that takes a while though … but still, I’ve always been a fan of those.
I voted for more pictures, but actually, I think that what you currently have is just right.
One picture is worth one thousand words, so even if there is no summary people will still be understand to grasp what happened during XXX – ** episode. Therefore, I prefer more images.
This site seems FINE to ME…. Too Much screenshots would ruin the feel to watch the show anyway… lol
Your summaries are good enough!
Actually I didn’t vote because either choice is a change from the status quo.
I think that your current use of screenshots, summary and analysis/opinion has got the right balance. And the speed… ever so gooood when the wait for the raw is unbearable!
I voted for more pictures, compared to text, not necessarily meaning that the current amount of pictures is too little. Fact is that I don’t particulalry like your writing style, and sometimes you even confuse me when changing character names… especially when it’ about a new character.
So basically, I find your writeup somewhat unorganized, and um… well your storytelling abilities are not to my taste. That, however doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t write a summary at all. Though I’d suggest against describing the whole episode in detail. I believe that would entice people to watch said episode, even more.
I wanted more screenshots cause I beleive pictures can say a thousand words. =)
Well, I vote for more picture even I still use 56k modem connection. Reason… Cause I want more picture from you!!
i like the way it is. really. there is enough screenshots.
voted for less pictures, because I just come to read comments/discussion, not to look at small screencaps (without any comments over them even). if you were commenting on particular scenes in an episode then yea, id understand the need of pictures but you never did do such things. 🙂
i voted for fewer picturs, faster loading time. personally, the loading time isn’t significant to me: i’ve got broadband at home and backbone at work, so no amount of images is going to make a difference to my nominal loading times.
what i like about good anime blogs – and i’ve got this one bookmarked, so i’d count it as good 🙂 – is the analysis of the anime they blog. sure, if there’s a series i’m fan-boying about, i like pictures to drool over, but generally, when i’m reading an anime blog, i’m looking for something *more* than i can get from simply watching the episode myself. i’m looking for analysis, metanarrative, intertextual references i might have missed, speculation on future directions, commentary on the mise-en-scene/ artwork/voicing/ etc – all of which, given the framing of the poll question, suggests fewer images and more discussion ( or what one of the earlier posters described as ‘hidden option c’).
I think you should put more images but ppl should be able to see the images only after they click a button to show them. There are times where ppl only need to read to confirm something synopsis. So loading all those images wouldn’t be good.
I think you have been doing a pretty good job. One of the good things of your blog is that you are covering so many animes. And when the season comes when many new animes start, you cover as many animes and episodes as possible until you judge if the animes are worth covering. And your judgement is usually right. As far as the number of the images is concerned, I think the more the better since I’m using a broadband. But the images are not a big deal to me. If I’m allowed to ask you this, I ‘d like you to write a more detailed summary and your impression.
I already watch anime raw — I get them from sources slower than you do, so what I’m really looking for when I read anime blogs is opinion, both from you and other users. My Japanese isn’t perfect by a long shot, so I also try to pick up any plot points I might have missed.
Personally I feel that the number of screens is fine. Its not too much or too less. The summary is the real thing I come here to read actually. I love the way you blog about it and the screencaps serve as the icing on the cake. I like to read about your opinions for different episodes of different anime, especially Mai Otome.
Finally, I think its great the way it is right now. So I’d choose the hidden option (d) Keep it the way it is XD
I voted for Less Images, Faster Loading Time, but it does not bother me much anyway…
I usually read the text first on your posts… So, it does not actually matter to me even if it takes time to load the pics… I would only view the pictures after i’ve read the post or if there are no review avaliable yet…
If if doesn’t put too much strain on the server I think the more pictures the merrier. I really like how you summarize the episode and give your opinion as well. How you sum up the episode with screen caps, summary and opinion is really well done. Overall to me the more pictures isn’t a huge deal, though it would be tragic to see less of them.
Keep the images. You do it nicely. It’s vital to have the image sizes there though, because that means that the page doesn’t move around if I start reading it before all the images load.
I prefer more pics. I read your synopsis and opinions either way, but pictures speak a thousand words. I value what you right, though because what you say helps me decide whether to start a series or not. Of course, I sample series myself first, but it’s real nice to go to your site and see the pics and read about the series and episodes.
I hope that because you start adding more pics that doesn’t it mean it takes from your writing. Afterall, this is a blog. Keep up the great work and I would think no more than 30 images would be plenty. But that’s just me. There are many others who enjoy your blog. Thanks for posting!!!
I think you can keep writing the entries the way you do, but add more images because what I actually do is Look at the pictures then come back and read the entry after I watch the actual episode. I really like the site BTW, it seems a lot more organized than other blog sites.
this site is perfect for me as I use winny to download my stuff and this site to preview or afterview my downloads I don´t need anything else!! +10 for you and if I were FAMITSU i´d give you a 38 but just for not posting all the animes that are been aired.
I voted “More Images, Slower Loading Time”, however I think the current number is mostly sufficient. It’s very easy to go overboard (not recommended).
Also, a few minor suggestions:
Alternating Screenshots and Text:
I find myself enjoying the analysis more than the screenshots, but I also believe it’d be better to alternate the text and screenshots; say 3-6 screen shots, text, 3-6 screen shots, text, etc. Alternating screenshots and text provides a more seamless experience devoid of having to scroll back and forth, or simply waiting to the end.
This would be similar to the way you handle OP screen shots, just with more divisions. Hopefully this wouldn’t be too difficult, but I’m not experienced with WordPress.
Additionally, for those that prefer a continuous gallery, a link to one could always be adding to the end of the article and wouldn’t require more storage space since you’re simply reusing the same images.
Image Alt Tags:
As minor as it sounds, short concise comments (~5 words) by scrolling over images are incredibly convenient. Unfortunately, I can see this taking up a lot of time, especially if the number of screenshots increase.
Hope that helps,
Gah, corrections for silly errors:
…a link to one could always be addED…
As minor as THEY sound, short concise comments (~5 words) by scrolling over images are incredibly convenient.
please maintain like this think .. its good enough! thanx btw 😉
VLSmooth, the suggestions you gave have been mentioned before, but I’d like to readdress them
Concerning the image alt tags, the reason I don’t do them is because they take up too much time and require me to think up something to say for each image.
Concerning the alternate screenshots and text, I’ve seriously considered starting to do this for a few series (once again, Otome comes to mind) just like I had with some of my old GSD posts, but I resist doing it for all of them. Why? That style lends itself to longer write-ups, and I don’t want to pigeon-hole myself into doing lengthy summaries just because of the post format.
That’s right!
You do a great job with every summary, so why not put a few more images in it, becasue helps a lot while some of us wait two or three days for that episode to come out. I agree with more images, at least if the episode don’t have to much to show, the currenly number of pictures is fine.
I voted for more images because especially when I’m stuck on dialup at home, this is the only way for me to see what’s going on for the shows you blog that I watch. It’s also a way for me to check things out for shows that look interesting, so I find the write-up equally important to get a feel for how the plot works as well as the art. I particularly like your comments on Bleach episodes about how well the eps relate to the manga, as I don’t generally feel like digging back through all those chapters to check for myself.
I am on dsl so the loading time isn’t a issue with but for someone with a slower line it might. My idea is to have a few images in the first page along with the summary and then a link to seperate page containg the images. This way everybody get what they want.
I think the number of the images on the site are already suffcient. Just enough to illustrate the points of the blog. Nothing more, nothing less. Plus, the image amount is just right for broadband page download. It’d be hell on a dial-up, but I don’t think that’s too much of an issue for the most part.
People will have better understanding of the summary if pictures came with it.
For me though, I just like to take a look at the pictures before watching RAW. Kind of sneak preview, I guess.
Well I vote for more images because…for not spoil too much myself…I look more pictures..and ur opinion about the episode! 😀 Sometimes I read a little bit of ur summary but not really often. More pictures..more interesting! That’s what I think Omni =)
Typically I hate sites with lots of images because I’m one of the unlucky few still stuck on 56K(no broadband available yet). But when it comes to anime I don’t mind so much. Especially when it comes to your wonderful overview of the raws after they come out so I can get a glipse of what the episode is going to be like before I get the sub. Thanks alot for this blog. It’s definitely my favorite!
I just like looking through pictures since i read RAW mangas i’ve gotten used to picture reading
Well, if the choice is between the write up and the pictures, I’ll take the write up. However, if there’s no reason not to do the pictures, I’d rather have them. It’s not like you can’t skip down to the bottom while they’re loading, read, and then go back to the top.
I believe that lots of screenshots AND a good write-up are both equally important. With that said, I think you currently have the perfect amount of screenshots as well as a great write-up for each entry.
I voted for pictures because I have high speed, like most people these days, and I like to see what you’re talking about in your summaries. Don’t get me wrong, I like your summaries, because my Japanese is, as they say, not so good. But text alone is never enough. I want to see what happened in the episode as well. It’s the combination of the two which had me check out certain series.
I think the best way to go is to have the option to choose either hi-bandwidth or low-bandwidth but that would mean more work for you which you really shouldn’t have to do. Currently, your number of images is good enough.
I’m okay with the current number of screenshots. I think both the pictures and the write_up are ok, don’t change anything. Do continue to write about the historical references or musical ones, it’s really helpful and educating ;-).
I voted “more pictures…” also because you blog on animes I can’t watch (no access) or because by the time I get the fansub, an eternity has gone :p and I like to keep track of what’s going on!
So thanks a lot!!!
Personally, I have no problem with your original amount of pictures. I think they are enough as spoilers that don’t spoil the whole show. Keep up the good work.
Personally, I like to scan over the pictures as a sort of appetizer while I wait impatiently for the fansubs and read your comments after I watch the show. I definately prefer more screenshots, a picture is worth a thousand words 😉
I’m using the a paragraph + a few images and then repeat solution for blogging Mai Otome over at http://www.adoru.com/mai-otome. The result of this style is more of a walk-through for an episode and less of a summary or an analysis. It is good for me in that I use it to sweat out my obsession with Mai Otome 🙂 Also, it will be good for a fansite.
The downside is a large amount of pictures and a lot of text. This is one of the reasons why I’m blogging exactly only about Mai Otome and no other anime (not enough time). Also, I believe it is less helpful for a readership interested in timely analysis rather than re-enliving the experience.
I think there are three variants that work:
– less pictures with more text and analysis for those interested in the contents
– only pictures, but a lot, for visual people impression sampling the episode
– pictures and text alternating quickly for in-depth re-enliving the episode
I usually only go to your text since I already watched the RAW.
Pictures are good and all, but not as great as the almighty text. I think the text should be top priority.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Keep the screencaps. 🙂