Version 3 Matthew's Perspective

Wow, what a trip, when I first started this site I never expected the site to be what it is today; I mean, version two was a big moment for me, but this version blew my expectations beyond anything I had imagined. That pretty much is all due to Jonathan ( @poifox ), without him the site would not be what it is today.

So I want to take a moment to thank him personally and publicly for all the work he's done, and mind you he has done it for free, for the benefit of the community and you the users.  It's also been hugely due to you, the users, you guys have really embraced the site and the idea behind it and Blender in general, of openly sharing of talents and time. So thank you all.

So since Jonathan has covered all the technical stuff in his post here: I figured I would comment a little about what I hope to come from this new version and the thinking behind it.

First and foremost the new version is meant to better your experience on the site, through better layout and navigation. But I also wanted to start giving more emphasis on the Artist, which is why we have completely revamped the profile page and made it easier to find and navigate. Also allowing users to contact the Artist directly. The main thinking behind this contact form was so users could easily contact an Artist for contract work. This is not the way to tell someone they are the most awesomest Blender user ever, do that with the comment form, the same with questions, these should be handled in the comments, but if an Artist wants a more private way of communicating that's what the contact form is for, think of it as PM on a message board.  Also on the Profile page I wanted a way to give props to you guys which is why we have implemented a new badge system so everyone visiting your profile can see your accomplishments on Blend Swap. We've hinted at what some of the badges are already, but we haven't told you what all of them are. I will tell you this, they all have to deal with your interactions on the site.

If I had a dollar for everytime I was asked for this feature, I would have sold the site and retired in the Caribbean by now. YOU CAN NOW EDIT YOUR BLENDS!!! (insert applause here)  However this is a privilege to be unlocked, you are not granted this amazing new feature automatically. Why is that? I usually spend a lot of time going through every model that is uploaded and correcting grammar, spelling, categories, and tags.  A LOT OF TIME, so blend editing is going to be reserved for those people who really pay attention to what they are doing. First you are going to have to hit [sg_min_limit] shared blends, then you'll have to do good edits and follow our guidelines on editing. If you missbehave we can shut down your editing privileges. So please, do your best and triple-check everything when editing blends.

Documentation.

Holy crap, we have a lot of new documentation, something like nine pages of documents. That's a ton, trust me I read through them all multiple times and it's a pain to do just once. We did this though to help inform you, as already registered users and new users coming to the site, about the rules of the game and your rights around Blend Swap.

We also added The Swapper's Handbook which informs and shows you how to use the site from the very basics to editing your profile and blends. Also as the site has grown we have noticed a need for you as users to know what we expect of you. So if you read only one thing on the site, read the Terms Of Use. This is a must, we really should of made it a requirement but we didn't, this will tell you what we expect of you as users of this site, it's nothing drastic but as the site grows we will expect a certain code of conduct for users, and if users do not follow this, they take the risk of losing their account on the site. This is truly meant to make the site a more enjoyable place to be. So PLEASE read the Terms of Use if nothing else.

I could go on and on, but after looking at this page, I'm just giving you another document to read, sorry. There's tons of new stuff on the site, have fun playing with all the new features. If you find a bug, want to comment, or have a request please don't hesitate to ask. I think we have shown we take all your guys/girls input very seriously.

So have fun, I hope you like the new site, we do this for you and the Blender Community, thank you for sharing your amazing work and being super cool people.

OH! and if you think this version is sweet, we have some crazy stuff planned for Version 3.1. But we'll give Jonathan a little break before we lock him to his computer chair again.

Matthew Muldoon/mofx Blend Swap Moderator and Owner.

p.s. Please guys if I could ask you to do one thing better it would be if you download a model, please rate it, and leave a comment for the author. This is the best way to show your appreciation for what they have shared. Ok that was really two things but oh well.