Beta testers page
First of all, thank you for volunteering to help test DomainingMindmap.com - I appreciate your time and look forward to working with you all. The site has just been placed online, but has not been publicly announced yet.
Overview
I get a lot of requests as to what domaining tools I use to buy, sell and monetize domain names and have decided to make my private domaining mindmap public. I created DomainingMindmap by reviewing my past 15 years of domaining bookmarks and notes and add to it on a daily basis as I discover new tools. In case you haven’t used a mindmap before, it’s an organized brain dump about a subject. A good mindmap can be invaluable when trying to master a body of knowledge. I’ve tried to structure the mindmap so that it can be easily browsed and hope it will be helpful to new domainers as well as seasoned pros.
Beta testing information
I appreciate everyone’s help and am hoping to be able to quickly work out any bugs and launch the site within the next week or so. I’m interested in any comments or suggestions about the site, including…
- Load time
- Browser compatability
- User interface
- Typos / bad links
- Suggested categories
- Requested features or anything else you think will improve the site
Let’s use this page to report any bugs or discuss any beta testing issues. I’ll parse all comments and update issues on a continuing basis.
Current Issues / Feedback Needed (updated 9/25/09 - 10:00AM)
- Load time - There have been reports that the initial visit to the site can take upwards of 10 seconds. I’m seeing a load time of about 5 seconds, and Pingdom is showing a load time of about 3 seconds. If you are seeing faster or slower speeds, please post your load time and internet connection speed.
- Interface - I’m concerned that visitors won’t know to click on the ‘+’ signs to browse the mindmap and may leave without realizing that some nodes have 10+ levels to explore. Unfortunately the package I am using (Mindjet) does not allow me to make the actual nodes themselves clickable. What do you guys think? Will most visitors figure out they need to click the ‘+’ signs and realize they can jump to sites by clicking on the ‘link’ icons? Does my ‘How to use ‘ page do an adequate job? Or should I find a way to squeeze in some additional instructions on the front page?
- Browser Compatibility - Had some initial problems with the mindmap flash applet loading correctly in some browsers. Would appreciate if you could post the browser/version you are using and let me know if everything is loading nicely.
- Wrapping / text formatting problem - I’ve received a report that text is wrapping in strange and unpredictable manner, but have been unable to reproduce. Is anyone else seeing this?
Thanks again!
DomainTweeter
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Load times seem fine for me from several locations (corporate OC45 and home cable).
No problems browser-wise with Firefox 3.5.2
I think the interface is intuitive enough, but as I worked my way down a tree I found the scrolling to be a bit of a pain and some of the areas really wrap things oddly, such as in the middle of a word (though not consistently). Is there any way to have it center the view when you expand a branch?
Thanks for your feedback Ed. I agree about the scrolling. I’m working with Mindjet, but the software doesn’t currently have the ability to autocenter when expanding branches. There are two icons at the bottom of the page which let you center or resize the map, but these are of limited use in my opinion.
Can you give me an example of text which is wrapping badly so that I can troubleshoot?
That’s part of the problem on the text wrapping; I can’t reproduce it consistently enough to tell you how to troubleshoot.
A few I got just now by expanding up the Domain Research tree were (this is how they appeared):
Wordtracke
r
KeywordSp
y
…and so on. It would wrap the last one or two letters of some names.
@Ed - Thanks for the additional info. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to recreate the wrapping problem. Would it possible for you to e-mail me a screenshot. Was also wondering what browser/resolution you are using.
On my first attempt to load it I didnt experience any issues regarding loading. Loaded within 3-5 seconds. As to the usability, I do think the requirement to click the link icon may be confusing, primarily because when you click the text it highlights it. The only other small criticism I would have is that the ability to scroll into white space could be confusing, but once I starting opening it up I realized why it was there. All of that said, I think its a really great idea and will be a huge benefit to newbie domain investors.
Load Times are Fine. The pressing the + sign vs the link is confusing and most people are intolerant of little thing like that.
Is there a way so the box doesn’t hilight, that is what is confusing. Like any new site or software there is a learning curve and once people figure it out, not a big deal. I think you did a great job, My hat is off to you if I wore a hat.
Cheers George
@George - Thanks for your feedback. I agree the ‘+’ is confusing. I’m going to see if the mindmap manufacturer can do a custom change. Until then, I may place a 1 line help ‘legend’ on the page, explaining what the ‘+’ and ‘link’ icons do.
I like all the links. Loaded fast and easy enough to figure out how to expand - you already know it would be better to be able to click on the bubbles. What I can’t find is any “editiorial” information - short blurbs about each of the resources telling me what it does and why I need it, what it costs versus other options, why you like it over other options, etc. Clicking just takes me away to the recommended site - but I want information about why I should go there.
@Michael - Great suggestion. I’m already incorporating editorial notes into a number of sections (eg. I include notes for each of the mini site services and Escrow services). I’m in the process of adding additional notes to many sections, but am trying to strike a balance of including useful tips without overwhelming the mindmap itself.
Special thanks to John Paul Davies for e-mailing me this great video walkthrough of his beta test!
I enjoyed watching the video (hearing your adorable baby daughter in the background while working brought back a lot of memories) and found it invaluable to see you work through the site for the first time.
Your suggestions were very helpful. I’m going to look into including a ‘beginners’ link to get people up to speed and consider modernizing/streamlining the header.