Zooomr Mark III Status Report
Thanks to everyone who has stood by and continued with patience for Zooomr Mark III. Obviously our migration has taken much longer than we’d hoped and there were plenty of unforseen problems. Part of what’s been difficult has been getting all of the photos moved over and matched up with all of the appropriate metadata (tags, geotags, peopletags, descriptions, etc.). All of the photos are moved over at this point but getting the metadata in place correctly before launching is mandatory.
I know it’s frustrating for everyone who wants to use the site. It’s frustrating for me as well. I’ve got a bunch of photos to upload and Scoble needs the photos that I’ve uploaded from our last photowalking episode. I think we are looking more like launch on Monday at this point but it all depends on how quickly Kristopher can match things all up.
We appreciate all of the positive support and love that you all, the Zooomr Community, have shown to us during this trying time. Yes, Zooomr is just two guys and only one of which knows how to do the technical things that need to be done. This will not always be the case. As Zooomr grows we will grow too and having more engineers will make things go smoother in the future.
While technically Zooomr is just a 19 year old kid and a somewhat obsessive compulsive photographer who is trying to process 500,000 fine art photos before he dies (that would be me), Zooomr really is something that is much more. It’s really all of us. And it’s been so great getting to know so many in our community over the course of this last week as we’ve been broadcasting live on UStream. One thing that is evident is that we all share so much of a passion and love for photography.
As part of Mark III we will also be launching ZooomrTV. ZooomrTV will be a channel on Zooomr where Kristopher and I will broadcast live as much as we can. We will continue sharing with all of you what’s going on behind the scenes at Zooomr.
Why are we doing this? We’ll first and foremost we think that it allows us to better shape the future direction of Zooomr when we have your input. So many great ideas have been bantered around this week. Using Zooomr to sell fine art prints. Setting up Zooomr galleries in the physical world where we can show and sell your work for you on large screen plasmas (like an Apple Store, but for fine art prints from Zooomr photographers). And so much more. Yes, Zooomr should do a magazine like a JPG. Yes, Zooomr should do fine art books. Yes, there are so many things we can do with photography and the future is bright and it belongs to us all.
But as much as your input is helpful this way, it’s also just a ton of fun. Hanging out Friday night with the Scobleizer and getting to meet his son Patrick’s WOW character and check out what music was on his MacBook. These are little things but they are fun. I think for those of us who have been hanging around talking about photography (yes, the 135 L series prime is my favorite lens), sharing links and pictures and video. It’s just been all great fun. And because something is fun is always one of the best reasons for doing it of all.
We’ll also run videos on ZooomrTV. Kristopher has been running a lot of the photowalking show that Scoble and I do while we’ve been down as well.
Zooomr Mark III will launch. And it will be a fantastic site. We will have bugs that our one man engineering staff will need to fix and we’ll use ZooomrTV with you guys so that we can together find them and fix them. But Zooomr Mark III will launch. I’ve had the good fortune of seeing Zooomr Mark III as it’s been developed and it is awesome. Zipline is awesome. Discover is Awesome. Search is Awesome. Zooomr Mark III is faster, lighter, better designed. It finally has true community tools. Groups for you to build and hang out in. And with ZooomrTV you will daily have direct access to the team building the site.
Please know that as much as you all want Zooomr out right now, we want it 10x that. Kristopher and I have put everything into this. I’ve taken out a second mortgage on my home for this. Both of us have put hundreds and hundreds of hours into this. We are doing this because we believe that in the long run we can build the world’s greatest photo sharing site. We are passionate about photo sharing and photography like so many of you. In order to get there we sometimes will have growing pains. This launch has been a growing pain for us.
Thanks for your understanding and patience through all of this. I’m taking most of today off to spend it with my kids — who got to see very little of me last week. Kristopher will be on UStream in a bit here though and I’ll be on again later tonight.
May 27th, 2007 at 9:39 am
Keep going and keep up the good work…
Some would switch to flickr already, but I didn’t =).. It shows how good Zooomr realy is…
You rule guys!
May 27th, 2007 at 9:49 am
It was great chatting with you and Scoble on Friday night. You have a great music collection BTW. I’m glad to hear that Kris is finally getting past most of the technical hurtles. Have fun with your kids today. I can’t wait to see Mk3!
May 27th, 2007 at 9:51 am
There is passion. I’m with you guys. Keep going.
May 27th, 2007 at 10:06 am
that is great to read. thank you for taking the time to update the blog. i’ll just keep taking pictures until the release. best to both of you.
May 27th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Thanks for the status report. Databases can be a pain to deal with. You’ll get there and learn plenty for the next time you upgrade!
May 27th, 2007 at 10:33 am
Thomas, you’re commitment on a photography basis alone, is inspirational to everyone. However to see that you have made such a commitment financially is “awesome” (nod to new rankings) and humbling! I’m sure that it will come good. Thanks to Kris and yourself for all your efforts on a great service. M3 will be Zooomrs coming of age!
May 27th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Never stop!
The 2 of you made a great impact on the photosharing community.
We’re right behind you all the way :).
May 27th, 2007 at 10:53 am
Your plans sounds amazing…
Dont worry, sooner after the Mark III release, nobody will care how many time it took…
Suerte!
May 27th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Thx for the update… Sounds great to me. And although the unexpectedly long downtime has been kind of frustrating to all of us I’m looking forward to MK3 and it’ll be great. As Douglas Adams said: “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they go by.”
May 27th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Keep doing it right, here is a comunity supporting Zooomr
May 27th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Don’t worry guys, we’ll wait for Mark III all the necesary
And thanks for the update!
May 27th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
It all sounds awesome! Keep up the great work & thanks for the update!
Zooomr Rocks.
May 27th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
We love you.
May 27th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
Both of you have been awesome! I am sure that zoooomr will be a success!
May 27th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
keep up the good work guys, and don’t rush the last bit!
thomas- that was the best update you have written - it’s reveals the reality of zooomr, the passion and commitment you two have for photography and taking it into new areas. It’s nice to see honesty and personality coming through in this technological age.
best of luck with the remainder of the transition, and i really do hope it goes well for both of you.
May 27th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Thomas hope when you read this you have had some time with your kids and a chance to relax a bit. Although it has been a pain waiting without that wait there would not have been some of the conversations and spinning of ideas. Really appreciate the work you and Kris do for us.
Am pleased also that people are rallying round that makes zooomr something I want to be part of
May 27th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
wow awesome update. Monday will go down in history.
May 27th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
The new age of transparency works well for you guys, warts and all.
Thanks for keeping us in the loop and letting us know where things are going.
I’ve watched the demo and I really can’t wait to get in there and play around with some of the new features. They look great.
May 27th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
I can’t wait for Mark III. I know all the hard work and patience will be worth it.
May 27th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
impressive to see this fantastic zooomr community responses with a lot of kindness. This is the very zooomr community.
So guys, dont look back and look forward. keep going and thinking more creative.
most of us are gonna hang in here, right by your side, whatever the unexpected things will occur and however long this down will continue.
see you at MarkIII.
May 27th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
I can’t wait
May 27th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Thank you very much for your hard work.
I look forward to the launch, but please do take a rest when you feel tired.
Take care.
May 27th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Yay! The end is in sight! Stay strong… and thanks for the update.
May 27th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
After a weekend spent coding until the wee hours I can still only imagine how exhausted you both must be feeling right now. The end is surely near, and I’m sure the end result will be something everyone can be proud of. Keep spirits high, you’re doing a fantastic job.
May 27th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
Wow… A second mortgage? Now that’s devotion.
May 27th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
It’s already Monday here at Istanbul :), where is M3 :p
Keep going, your users with you…
May 27th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
Good Day Zooomr guys, Kris & Thomas
Still waiting at the finishing line with flickr Pizzas for you guys (^^)6
Looking forward to Zooomr TV.
May 27th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
good luck!
monday is the day.
May 27th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
All the best, Zooomr(aka Kris+TH). Frankly, I’m excited enough to wait for a week for Mark III but I hope that Mark IV will not be after 9 months and a week down. Congrats for the new site. It sounds awesome.
May 27th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
3 words … YOU GUYS RULE!
May 27th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
It’s almost monday night here in China…hurry hurry hurry, my nails are chewed down as far as they can go I can’t take the suspense don’t let us down
May 27th, 2007 at 11:27 pm
I have 5G+ photos to upload
May 28th, 2007 at 1:05 am
we can wait
May 28th, 2007 at 1:34 am
Thanks very much for the update. As far as the upgrade goes, you both get bonus points for perseverance! Almost there now, keep going, stay focused.
May 28th, 2007 at 1:49 am
I’m getting excited
May 28th, 2007 at 2:29 am
Keeping my fingers crossed for you guys…!
May 28th, 2007 at 2:44 am
Sending good thoughts your way. I’m glad you recognise how frustrating this must be for your users, who have been incredibly supportive and understanding throughout.
It wouldn’t matter too much to me if M3 takes another week to launch (gasp, no!) but I’m completely amazed at how positive the Zooomr community has been throughout the whole exercise.
I’m really looking forward to the launch when it is finally done. If not for all the effort and commitment from that you and Kris, it will be for the community who really deserves it.
May 28th, 2007 at 3:13 am
4am and your still up. Good luck.
May 28th, 2007 at 3:13 am
I’m with you guys!!!
thanks for all…
May 28th, 2007 at 3:44 am
Thank you guys for all your passion to Zooomr and its community! I’m sure Mark III will start an photo sharing revolution! I’ll try to hang on with you at Zooomr TV as much time as I can!
May 28th, 2007 at 4:34 am
impress us!
May 28th, 2007 at 6:22 am
Hey Kris and Thomas, best of luck with the launch later today !
I stumbled onto Zooomr by reading a DigiCamera Mag. There was this article on Thomas and his plan to leave behind half-a-mill of great photos. This is where zooomr will greately help, by adding value with its rich feature set. MarkIII, from the video-specs we’ve seen, comes a long way in achieving this goal. To top it all, there’s your boundless enthusiasm and energy and determination, to which we take our hats off. We’ve seen Kris work at all hours, eat, sleep in front of the screen, we’ve seen Thomas stay away from his family, giving his support and encouragement to Kris and to us all. Guys, hope your planned cut-over goes smoothly and people’s excited comments when playing with the new version will make it all worthwhile for you. See you in MarkIII ! Respect. jonrap - Melbourne, Australia
May 28th, 2007 at 9:19 am
Hi K&T,
here in France it is 7pm on Monday while for you it is the beginning of the day. So for me, the launch is not really on Monday and it’s so hard to wait!
No, we are able to wait as long as Kris needs time because we know that its a very hard job and after we will have a lot of pleasure with MIII (who may be written M:i:III) !
Good luck for the final work and see you soon
May 28th, 2007 at 11:44 am
I can’t wait!
May 28th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
keep going guys, but remember to rest too !!!
May 28th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
fingers crossed I can go to bed and wake up to a lovely Mark III.
all my best vibes guys!
May 28th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
ETA’s mean nothing to these guys. Come on, you know enough people to help you, most for free. Why try to do it yourself?
Bull.
May 28th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Whats with all the stupid demands and complaints? they owe you nothing.
May 29th, 2007 at 1:19 am
Keep it up. I LOVE Zooomr. I was late to the photo upload thing and I didn’t even bother signing up for Flickr. If photo uploading sites were like public restroom renovations, I would still hold out for Zooomr. I know Mark III is going to be clean, shiny, and refreshingly functional!
May 29th, 2007 at 2:46 am
there could be at least more news about the status of the work
May 29th, 2007 at 3:22 am
leo, I think the same. Why we not has more post about the status?. At least one per day,…isn’t it?. I review every day (from last week) the blog to find new news,…
May 29th, 2007 at 5:26 am
Cannot wait, I really can’t.
May 29th, 2007 at 7:18 am
I think you’ll have to……
May 29th, 2007 at 7:42 am
Love your guys style, attitude and devotion !! RockStars for everyone !!
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Keep up the awesome work !
May 29th, 2007 at 7:47 am
I know we users did not pay, and Kris does not legally bear to duty to satisfy us. However, the result so far is really unacceptable, not only to all the users but Kris and Thomas themselves. Kris is really good, but maybe still not good enough to handle the whole migration thing. I’m getting pessimistic now…I am trying to convince myself not to expect mark 3 is on when I wake up in the morning. I am getting disappointed day after day…
May 29th, 2007 at 8:06 am
at some point, i will just stop checking to see if the site is up.
May 29th, 2007 at 8:21 am
Whoa.. what happened to the 9pm PDT ETA?
May 29th, 2007 at 8:27 am
Missing the ETAs is somewhat acceptable if you like the garage style of the company but it would be nice to post something about the process and what is the reason for delays.
May 29th, 2007 at 8:28 am
This is dumb.
May 29th, 2007 at 8:31 am
I agree with PT, I like and support Zooomr for it being a home-spun project, but please keep us more informed if you want our support.
May 29th, 2007 at 9:28 am
TO ALL CRITICIZING THE DELAYS: Get a life. There’s more to life than Zooomr. I’m inconvenienced by the delays as well, but I know it will be on eventually, and that once it is on, I’ll use it.
What emergency with digital photos is so life threatening that you can’t wait with the rest of us?
May 29th, 2007 at 9:59 am
Sean McGee rocksss!
all the criticizing can do is: not read this blog, not watch the zooomrTV, not enter the chat…
simply no?
the others, the zooomers will wait…
hi guys!
see you soon
May 29th, 2007 at 11:28 am
to Sean McGee: What about your life then when you have the energy to critize those how are giving some feedback?
Personally I could want to upload some pics but I don’t have an emergency in regard to that. But what I have understood that this site is trying to become more professional and is partly failing in it. It doesn’t take a lot of money or energy to post a short entry what is going on and why they failed the ETA. I guess that what normal companies do as well?
May 29th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Pt, I guess you didnt read this blog post or the last, since they explain the delays…
May 29th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
The site moved: http://www.poooftr.com/
May 29th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
The patience is the mother of science. Zooomr is a great team with only two people; but also is a great family of friends, that is wonderful. Good luck boys.
Love and kisses
Faby
May 29th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
If you’re so unhappy Bob go someplace else. I don’t think anyone would be sad to see you go.
May 29th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Scott, congratulations.
Bob… the words exceed for a small brain, but you are free.
Bye
Faby
May 29th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
What is the new ETA? Why no update for 2 days now?
May 29th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
I run a website for a living and I can’t imagine being down and out for a whole week. People here are very supportive, but I assume everyone wants to make a buck on this project sooner or later, and with no updates in 2 days, multiple missed deadlines and no end in sight I think your upgrade has become a massive disaster.
I suggest you revert to the last version and plan an upgrade in 45 days. It sucks to have to give up and roll-back, but soon you are going to get more people knowing you as the unreliable zooomr, not the ‘oh cool’ zooomr. You competitive with Flickr
which with Yahoo! infrastructure would never have these problems.
Know when you are beat. Give up and roll back.
May 29th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
They’re not beat.
You don’t know the situation.
If you honestly ran a website with skill, you would (at least hopefully) have learned not to make assumptions about other people’s setups.
No kidding Yahoo!Flickr has an actual infrastructure.
No kidding a million (billion?) dollar backed service can afford the redundancy and man hours to quickly resolve any issues that can crop up.
In the end run, STOP COMPARING A MULTI MILLION DOLLAR OPERATION TO A STARTUP.
I run multiple websites (look at me, I can swing my ePeen around too) and I would die at this much downtime, but I’m not nearly as scathing because I understand that the Zooomr duo run a MUCH MORE grandiose operation that I, but also that they face the same challenges as I (one man development team, live upgrades on production machines, etc.).
May 29th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
since everyone here is either up in arms with zooomr, or utterly infatuated with it, I would like to state my position:
I feel strongly neutral about the whole subject.
there you go folks. the entire range has been covered, we can go back to bitching about politics and religion now.
nothing to see here, move along.
May 29th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
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May 29th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
Its good to be a supportative user. But its sad that we have nothing more than Zooomr-TV. no ETA, no explanation.
It may be good if Thomas or Kris put an update here, keep their long-waited users updated.
People break eventually, if nothing comes…
May 29th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
Holy crap…first Zooomr and now Flickr is having a “massage” C’mon, Kris…push it through!
May 29th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
When will zooomr be alive?
May 29th, 2007 at 10:13 pm
A supporting comment from also a developer… You can do it… I can’t wait to see the result. Take care and don’t get to much frustrated.
May 29th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
It’s alive…
May 29th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
Hey, I think I see something that looks vaguely familiar to Mark III with this message at the top:
“Hey Friends, why not hang-out with us in HQ Live while we fix these post launch jitters!”
Well done, guys! Thank you for not giving up!
May 29th, 2007 at 10:21 pm
CONGRATS, Kris and Thomas!
I am so happy for you both!
HUGS!!!
May 29th, 2007 at 10:21 pm
CONGRATS, Kris and Thomas!
I am so happy for you both!
HUGS!!!
May 29th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
offline again?
May 29th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
loved what i saw.
sorry we broke it.
good luck and god bless, you guys rock.
May 29th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
[01:36] dotBen: **** Special announcement from Zooomr HQ ****…. Kris has just phoned me and asked me to let you all know that one of the database boxes backing Zooomr has just gone down. He’s going to be travelling down to Santa Clara, CA, where the servers live to see what’s up.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/zooomr/
May 29th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
c’mon guys you can do it!
May 30th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
I have a newborn boy so I cant hang out with you all in chat or anything as I’d like but I wanted to comment to tell you guys that you’re utterly fantastic…I know you got a lot of support in chats and things but there’s a lot more of us out here that think you’re amazing even if we cant follow along and support as much as we’d like