a collector-centric replacement for photobucket. And more!

[scubafuel]

Hi All,

I posted this ATS to good reviews, so I'd like to offer it up here as well.

 

I’ve been working on a new tool for collectors: Collectivecoin.com. I created it as a way to easily view, note and display a collection online, for free, from anywhere.

 

Using Collectivecoin, you will always have your collection available, even if the coins need to stay in the SDB:

You can:

 

• Easily load and display coins in your collection, with thumbnails, full-size photos and gallery viewing.

• Keep public and private notes on your coins.

• Use the searchbar to find what you’re interested in.

• Drag-and-drop to sort your collection just as you’d like.

• Link coin photos to the boards. Works the same as Photobucket, but without all the ads and junk videos.

• Have your collection and notes at your fingertips during shows.

• Message other members easily.

 

There are some pretty spectacular coins to browse through already, and it’s growing. So welcome! If this could be a useful tool for you, please create a profile and have at it. I’d love to hear any comments or feedback you might have. There are already some cool updates in the pipeline based on members’ recommendations. (infinite scroll, view counts, and more)

 

Thanks to everyone that has loaded coins and helped me test it so far:

 

My username on Collectivecoin is also Scubafuel, so feel free to check out my bust quarter collection or shoot me a message. Please see below for some quick screenshots from the site:

 

Homepage: Click "browse around" to see member's coins.

 

Collection page: Drag/Drop to re-order coins.

 

Coin Loading page: Here you can add info, descriptions, and notes that only you can see.

 

Enjoy! Matt (Scubafuel)

[Lastufka Collection]

I'm heading over now to check this out, sounds cool. I was just thinking about how much I hate using photobucket earlier today. This looks much more elegant.

[Mr. Smith Guesser]

I only browsed it for a few minutes. But it looks great. I like the nice clean design. I'll register and start uploading photos tonight.

[jpcienkus]

I'm sick of photobucket. Too many ads and request to download software because "yours is out of date".

 

I'm going to try this as well.

[bstrauss3]

I hate to rain on parades, but two questions

 

In the terms:

 

•Files are limited to a maximum of 5mb.

 

Is that 5mb per picture or 5mb total per user?

 

 

What is the business model here? I see no ads, no fees, and that seems to be a recipe for disaster - why should I upload a lot of files if there is no assurance the site will be here tomorrow or next week? Somehow you have to be paying the hosting fees...

 

 

Finally (ok, that's 3?s) - being on one of GoDaddy's shared servers makes it awfully easy for you to get on one of many blacklists. What are the plans if that happens?

[scubafuel]

Hi BStrauss, a little rain is fine, as long as the parade goes on anyway.

 

Answers to your questions:

 

1. It's 5mb per picture. I figured most users wouldn't need to upload anything larger, and it's quicker to view smaller files anyway. There's no total max. I just ask that people keep it to coin pics.

 

2. It started out as a way for me to share my collection online, and also reference it easily during shows. A technical-minded friend helped me build it, and it came out well so we ended up offering it up to some friends. I think it would be really great for the coin community to be able to browse and search collections. Plus I've met more coin folks online in the 3 weeks since I began than I have in 3 years of lurking the boards.

Hosting is not too costly, and if it gets enough interest I hope to add a collector-to-collector bid board and offset the hosting fees that way. Loading and displaying pics will always be free though.

If I do decide to fold it up eventually due to lack on interest, it will be with plenty of warning.

 

3. Not sure what this one means. We're on Amazon, not Godaddy.

 

Thanks for taking a look. It was a lot of fun to build, and I hope it works for you guys.

 

Matt (Scubafuel)

[david3142]

I love the idea of a bid board. I like the way Heritage does it, where you can set which items would potentially be available and at what minimum price. If someone hits it, you get an anonymous email asking for a response.

[scubafuel]

David, I could definitely set the board up that way if it's popular.

 

I'm trying to get to 50 users before I put in a bid board, so people can be reasonably sure other collectors will see their coins. The site's about halfway there so far.

[Mr. Smith Guesser]

Can I make a very small suggestion for the Browse page...

 

I like the infinite scroll feature. But could there be a 'jump to top of page' button that scrolls down with the page -- sort of like the 'scroll to top' button on eBay's home page, which also has infinite scroll and seen below.

 

[Redbrains-migration]

Hi Matt

 

Looks cool, I am giving it a try!

 

Cheers,

Mike

[MarkVIIIMarc]

If it gets popular you may have to up the money you pay for bandwidth or whatever they are calling it. Google ads is probably the easiest way to recoup some cost.

[coinman_23885]

Hosting is not too costly, and if it gets enough interest I hope to add a collector-to-collector bid board and offset the hosting fees that way. Loading and displaying pics will always be free though.

If I do decide to fold it up eventually due to lack on interest, it will be with plenty of warning.

Matt (Scubafuel)

 

I think that is an excellent idea. I appreciate what you are doing, and it looks so much cleaner than Photobucket and is easier to organize photographs. I look forward to uploading more stuff soon.

 

P.S. Is there a way to organize the collection links in the right pane in alphabetical order or by special user defined order?

[coinman_23885]

P.S. Using Google Chrome, I am able to right click and select "copy image URL" for purposes of posting links into a thread. I know this functionality may not be immediately apparent to everyone.

[scubafuel]

Hi Coinman, it's actually even easier to post coins into threads. If you click into a coin for a full screen photo, at the bottom you'll see links for "full size" and "Forum" .

 

Clicking "Forum" copies the IMG code for the photo directly to your clipboard, so you can paste it into a post.

 

I don't have a way to sort collection titles yet, but i'll add it to the list. thanks!

[coinman_23885]

Your site was well thought out. My only other suggestion would be to consider allowing users to download albums.

[jpcienkus]

Can you add a coin to more than one collection?

 

For example, keep photos in collections by type (SLQ), but also create a collection called Dansco 7070 US Type Set, where you keep photos of the coins that make up the set?

[coinman_23885]

Can you add a coin to more than one collection?

 

For example, keep photos in collections by type (SLQ), but also create a collection called Dansco 7070 US Type Set, where you keep photos of the coins that make up the set?

 

Yes.

[scubafuel]

Hi All, we've added the ability to see member's coins ranked by view count on Collectivecoin.com, as well as the most recently uploaded ones.

 

The current top of the heap is is fellow board member's R4 1809 bust half.

1809 O-108 Half

 

But I have two quarters in the top 5, so perhaps they can overtake soon.

 

For those who've added coins, would you want to see a view count next to each of your coins, or would that just be distracting?

[oih82w8]

Sounds promising...just registered. Photobucket is getting real annoying on my phone with all of the pop up ads.

 

One coin loaded...so far so good.

[scubafuel]

Excellent, thanks for trying out the site oih82w8.

 

It looks like Coinman_23885 will have the top-viewed slots locked up pretty soon.

 

Matt (scubafuel)