Looking for feedback on my new website

by truck
32 replies
Hello all,

I was hoping I could get a little bit of constructive feedback on a new site I have built and I am preparing to launch. The site name is Facebook Back (facebookback <d o t> c o m). The premise of the site is that it is a web based tool for facebook users to create and download a back up of any or all of their videos, tagged videos, photo albums, and tagged photos.

The only alternative to this tool is facebook itself. Facebook back is a better tool for creating a backup of your facebook photos and videos because of several reasons. The first is that requesting a backup of all of your photos and videos through facebook may take several days where as facebook back is instant. The second is that the facebook backup request only includes photos and videos that you have uploaded yourself. Facebook back does this as well as allows you to download photos and videos uploaded by your friends that they have tagged you in.

Any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
#facebook #feedback #photos #videos #website
  • Profile picture of the author jamesrich1
    The look is simple and the message is clear. Is something supposed to happen when I click on the links or are you still building?
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    • Profile picture of the author truck
      Originally Posted by jamesrich1 View Post

      The look is simple and the message is clear. Is something supposed to happen when I click on the links or are you still building?
      That is one design flaw I am trying to decide on. From my traffic stats, I can see that many people are trying to use the links on the front page BEFORE logging in. Although registration is not required, facebook does require that the user authorize facebookback to acquire the photos and videos they are requesting. So yes to use the site, you have to use the facebook login button, then choose photos, tagged photos, videos, or tagged videos. It will show the albums with thumbnail preview with check boxes to select which ones you want to download. I think I am going to have to include a sentence in bold red on the front page that says "you must login to this site using your facebook account to begin downloading your photos and videos"... what do you think?
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  • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
    This looks like a cease and desist just waiting to happen.
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    • Profile picture of the author TMW
      I think it's an awesome idea IF you don't run into legal problems.

      I wish I would have had that service available before I cancelled my FB profile a while back. I was tagged in personal photos that I wish I could have saved, now gone forever lest I track hunt down my friends and make them cough them up.

      Great idea!! As long as the lawyers don't get involved!!
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  • Profile picture of the author Denis Kampl
    It's perfect tool for obsessive Facebook users, but otherwise it get's me thinking who would backup their stuff on facebook, but one guy just said he would so there is an audience for it afterall
    Like there is for everything out there.
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  • Profile picture of the author Harvey M
    As soon as you become successful, Facebook's going to tell you to get lost.
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  • Profile picture of the author steven Clayden
    You are going to run into huge issues with the domain name.

    You might want to read this http://www.expertlaw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136168
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    • Profile picture of the author truck
      Originally Posted by steven Clayden View Post

      You are going to run into huge issues with the domain name.

      You might want to read this -link removed- Notice of Facebook Trademark Infringement - Must I Comply with Their Demands
      I am not a lawyer, but here are a few problems I have with that logic.

      A) Facebook is admittedly named after a previously trademarked Harvard University publication, "The Face Book". Therefore, I can't see how facebook could prove originality which would be necessary to enforce any trademark.

      B) "facebook" in merely to extraordinarily common words, Face and Book. While I could see a strong case being made by something like google or ebay, how can one company own all rights to any domain containing 2 of the top 100 words used in the English language?

      C) Facebook has been built over the last several years on the backs of virtually every other website on the internet. They have offered for free and highly encouraged every website owner on the face of the earth to plaster their name, logo, and even content from facebook all over their websites.

      D) The writer of that post did not disclose the full domain name or the type of content offered through the site. Because of this and because of the thousands of sites that have the words face and book in the domain that have never been approached by facebook in the years these sites have been operating, some of them very popular, I am going to assume that the nature of this individuals site was distasteful material, facebook hacking software, faccebook clone or knock off software, or some other defaming offering or content.

      E) Facebook (although I am sure its just BOTS) seems to be very well aware of my site and the nature of it. From the time that the code was written and integrated, my analytic software has shown visits to the site by facebook nearly ever single day. In addition, the site has many other tie-ins with facebook such as facebook ads which were reviewed, and approved by some member of their team and shown all over facebook to millions of facebook users. The adds linked to the site, contained the word facebook as well as the domain facebookback (d o t) com in the ad.

      So I am not saying you or the people who wrote or replied to the post are wrong, rather that it seems unlikely. If they did approach I would find that rather petty and meaningless. In the meanwhile, I will consider a contingency plan (Alternative domain name) in the event they may decide to dislike my site. Until then, I only hope people will realize the importance of creating a backup of their photos and videos in one safe place on their computer. As was stated in a comment above, not everyone lives their lives on facebook but there are millions who do and have hundreds of photos and videos that they have accumulated over several years and likely several devices. The likelyhood that a longtime facebook user has all of their photos in one safe place other than facebook is rather slim. You have to consider many of these photos came from one or two or even three mobile phones, a laptop and desktop or two, photos from friends and families. The problem really is that everyone assumes their cherished memories are safe and sound on facebook, when the truth is that facebook deletes or suspends over 20,000 facebook accounts every single day for policy abuse, multiple failed login attempts, attempts to login from multiple geographic locations within short periods of time, etc. This number doesnt even account for the number of accounts that are hacked into and vandalized or stolen by hackers or friends of the user who just happen to know the password.
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  • Profile picture of the author creativesnaps
    I cant seem to get your page up !
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    • Profile picture of the author truck
      Originally Posted by creativesnaps View Post

      I cant seem to get your page up !
      Hello,

      I just took a look at the site and it seems to be working fine so I couldn't tell you what the issue may have been. The current host is not that great so If there were a lot of visitors at that time, it may have slowed the server down to a crawl. Other than that, it should be working now. Thanks for letting me know.
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  • Profile picture of the author ibmethatswhoib
    I would add more content on the homepage, no idea what it's about without you saying so. I mean I know it says "Download your facebook photos & videos free" but I would put reasons why you would want to for the average person. Put backup your photos in there to remind people they could lose them possibly. But it's a good idea that people could be interested in, I just think as it is now it's a little too mysterious.
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    • Profile picture of the author truck
      Originally Posted by ibmethatswhoib View Post

      I would add more content on the homepage, no idea what it's about without you saying so. I mean I know it says "Download your facebook photos & videos free" but I would put reasons why you would want to for the average person. Put backup your photos in there to remind people they could lose them possibly. But it's a good idea that people could be interested in, I just think as it is now it's a little too mysterious.
      Thanks for the idea. I thought about adding more information to the front page, but as you can see, I opted to go with the very clean front page. I thought doing it this way would help visitors to see how the site works right away when visiting the site. Clearly as you have pointed out, this has been proving more confusing than clarifying. I currently trying to think of how to lay this out to include more information on the front page while keeping the look clean and clarifying the purpose of the site. Very open to any advise / suggestions from anyone
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  • Profile picture of the author steven Clayden
    Truck,

    All i was trying to point out was that Facebook do go after sites if they feel their trademark is infringed. You have their trademark in your domain.

    Ps, not a lawyer either :-)
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    • Profile picture of the author truck
      Originally Posted by steven Clayden View Post

      Truck,

      All i was trying to point out was that Facebook do go after sites if they feel their trademark is infringed. You have their trademark in your domain.

      Ps, not a lawyer either :-)
      Thanks,
      I understand that you were merely pointing out a possible issue that may occur. I appreciate your, and everyone elses feedback on my site. I have received some very helpful suggestions.
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  • Profile picture of the author Martyn Wilson
    I think its a great idea. I can't see Facebook havinga problem with it as it is a tool to assist their users.

    Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author hellow0rld
    I don't use facebook much but I ilike it. Is it integrated into facbook as an app?
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    • Profile picture of the author truck
      Originally Posted by hellow0rld View Post

      I don't use facebook much but I ilike it. Is it integrated into facbook as an app?
      Yes it is. I do not have enough posts to post a link, but yes... about half the visitors actually visit this site through the facebook app.
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  • Profile picture of the author kenboss
    I too think that Facebook may try to squash you because your page actually gives a very strong first impression of being part of, or associated with FB itself and is therefore misleading. But I know you have your own thoughts on that & not what you are asking here, so:

    I find the site initially baffling. "Facebook back" is in itself a fairly meaningless, or at best ambiguous phrase. "Facebook Backup" would be infinitely clearer.

    But it's not that you need to clarify the purpose of the site any more on the front page. You just need to tell us what to do next! The subtitle clarifies the purpose, but I found myself scratching my head as to where to go from there. I clicked on 'blog' only speculatively, which turned out to be a possibly good choice, but I would suggest changing the word 'blog' to something like "How it Works".

    Except that, alas, the blog doesn't tell us how it works! Neither, sadly, does the FAQ. In fact nowhere on the site do I find any clue as to how to go about downloading my stuff. Also there is 'Log In', but no 'Register'. After some time I discovered at the bottom of of your blog post, (which by the way is way too wordy and longwinded), that there is no registration required. All very well, but then how do I get login details to log in with???

    I was going to advise you to engage a writer for your blog, but there is no need: the little paragraph in your opening post to this thread explains the concept neatly and precisely. If I were you I would just delete your overlong blog post and replace it with that nice little paragraph!! And then tell us how your service actually works!

    The giant play button in your blog post looks like it is begging to be clicked on but it leads nowhere. And that is kind of the last straw -- by this time, as your hypothetical website visitor, I am seething with frustration.

    I genuinely want to be helpful here, and I would love to be more constructive, but I have to be honest: all in all, it's a totally frustrating visitor experience, and as a potential user I would be long gone from there within 60 seconds.

    Hope this has been of some help.
    Ken
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    • Profile picture of the author truck
      Originally Posted by kenboss View Post

      I too think that Facebook may try to squash you because your page actually gives a very strong first impression of being part of, or associated with FB itself and is therefore misleading. But I know you have your own thoughts on that & not what you are asking here, so:

      I find the site initially baffling. "Facebook back" is in itself a fairly meaningless, or at best ambiguous phrase. "Facebook Backup" would be infinitely clearer.

      But it's not that you need to clarify the purpose of the site any more on the front page. You just need to tell us what to do next! The subtitle clarifies the purpose, but I found myself scratching my head as to where to go from there. I clicked on 'blog' only speculatively, which turned out to be a possibly good choice, but I would suggest changing the word 'blog' to something like "How it Works".

      Except that, alas, the blog doesn't tell us how it works! Neither, sadly, does the FAQ. In fact nowhere on the site do I find any clue as to how to go about downloading my stuff. Also there is 'Log In', but no 'Register'. After some time I discovered at the bottom of of your blog post, (which by the way is way too wordy and longwinded), that there is no registration required. All very well, but then how do I get login details to log in with???

      I was going to advise you to engage a writer for your blog, but there is no need: the little paragraph in your opening post to this thread explains the concept neatly and precisely. If I were you I would just delete your overlong blog post and replace it with that nice little paragraph!! And then tell us how your service actually works!

      The giant play button in your blog post looks like it is begging to be clicked on but it leads nowhere. And that is kind of the last straw -- by this time, as your hypothetical website visitor, I am seething with frustration.

      I genuinely want to be helpful here, and I would love to be more constructive, but I have to be honest: all in all, it's a totally frustrating visitor experience, and as a potential user I would be long gone from there within 60 seconds.

      Hope this has been of some help.
      Ken
      Thank you for the very detailed description of your experience with my site and suggestions to improve the experience for future visitors. I will take you up on some of your advice. As you explained in your response, there is no requirement to register to use the site. However it is necessary to authorize the site with on facebook. I hope to receive a lot of suggestions on the site over the next week or so, and then I will begin to revise based on the remarks I receive yours. Again, thank you for your honest opinion.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    You should consider changing your domain name. I heard from Judge Greg Mathis on TV say that this is totally illegal.
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    • Profile picture of the author truck
      Originally Posted by Randall Magwood View Post

      You should consider changing your domain name. I heard from Judge Greg Mathis on TV say that this is totally illegal.
      LoL taking legal advice from Judge Mathis would be like taking investment advice from Jim Cramer. Thanks for the tip though.
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    • Profile picture of the author truck
      Originally Posted by Usmile View Post

      I bet it will be a great site, how many percent are you now? I salute your idea. Is it integrated to facebook app?
      Im not sure what you mean by "how many percent" but I am assuming you mean the completion of the site??? The software is 100% functional, just working on the design, layout, SEO, etc. to optimize the appeal of the site.
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  • Profile picture of the author truck
    Also if anyone has any suggestions on how to monetize the site, please let me know. I have been using adsense for years on other sites and it seems to divert so much traffic away from my sites and only pay pennies. Theres got to be something better
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    • Profile picture of the author truck
      Just added new features to the download pages if anybody could give me some feedback on this... Thank you so much for everyone help.
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  • Profile picture of the author internetx2020
    Nice Name and design, Good luck
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    • Profile picture of the author sherys
      I think you'll run into lots of legal issues with this site
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      • Profile picture of the author truck
        Originally Posted by sherys View Post

        I think you'll run into lots of legal issues with this site
        Ok... Again... Thank you. I honestly do appreciate the advice... However, there is nothing I can do with all these comments about the URL or website name... I am looking for advice, criticism, suggestions, etc, that I can use to improve the site. Thanks.
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        • Profile picture of the author 808glass
          Just wanted to put my 2 cents in here....

          Personally I love the look of it, very clean and colors are appealing to me. I think you have a great idea here and may have a great niche on your hands. As for me though I don't like anyone else knowing my facebook login info...I may just be one crazy person but I just wouldn't use your site and obviously that is only my personal opinion as someone else said earlier that they would.

          Nitpicking on your page I think your lettering of "facebook back" could be of higher quality as it looks pretty pixelated on my screen and at the bottom of your page after all rights reserved facebookback.com is spelled wrong just being a grammar nazi here but it looks bad when you cant even spell the name of your website right.

          .....As for monetizing your site, jeez where do i start.....

          1.Adsense (as you mentioned earlier)
          2. Buysellads.com
          3. You can go direct to other site owners

          There's plenty more on monetizing in this forum just do a search for it.

          But Patience is the real key here, you may want money now but it only comes with time.

          Best of luck
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  • Profile picture of the author paul_1
    Looks just like facebook and the graphics need some refinement...
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  • Profile picture of the author joshmstanton
    Truck,

    I don't actually think it matters whether or not you're legally able to use the domain name you've chosen. Eventually once you get noticed, FB will do all they can to squeeze every last dime out of you via legal fees, etc.

    The concept is great, just wondering if you can use it on another domain?

    I'm on your side here, with FB's history of trademark exploitation, they shouldn't be able to say anything...but unfortunately we know they will.

    Best of luck no matter which direction you choose to go in :-)
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