Well, two simple enough questions but the answers are going to be a little longer!
Firstly, what happened to HarphamPix? Well, as most of you know, I was getting a little tired of the website as it stood. It wasn't cutting the mustard anymore as it did in the early days. Back then digital cameras were new, Photoshop was the new digital darkroom and the internet was in its infancy. All these things taken together provided a market for photographers both seasoned and new to the game.
We had some good times as a close knit community, helped each other out and maybe learned something along the way. I know I did. But times move on, and nothing seems to move faster than the internet!
Flickr was born, Youtube came along, followed by Facebook and Twitter (someone please explain to me why Twitter is so popular!). Web 2.0 is here and it's alive and kicking!
I realised from day one that HarphamPix would never be popular forever, and it started to decline in 2007. Running costs were high, and interest was dropping. The web was awash with some great websites giving people a whole new way to communicate and share. Social networking was the buzz. I was starting to take an interest in Youtube, Flickr, Facebook etc. and wondered if I could combine all the good things from those websites and make one website with all those features. Well, it CAN be done, but I needed a powerful hosting company to support it. I tried various attempts at V3, with video featuring highly, but nothing really came of it. (Thanks to those who tested the websites!)
At last, eventually, and after a long wait, and a lot of time, and money, and effort, I present to you what is, and will remain...... VERSION 4!
I needed a domain name, and I came up with hpv4.com , not so innovative, not so smart, but EASY (I hope) to remember! Version 4, it's HPix with more!
More? Well yes! The main focus of the new site is still on images, with comments and ratings as before, but this time there's a whole lot more! "So what's new?" I hear you asking. Read on please.....
OK, it's Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, HPix and more.
It's a Dating Script (well, a flirting script) and a Social Networking Script and a Community CMS and a Blog and a Classifieds and a Chat and a Shoutbox and a Shopping Cart (sell your photos and anything else) and a Forum and a... <insert anything here!>
So what can you do? Well....
Apart from uploading photos, you can make comments (including video comments! So cool!), Rate photos just as before. And you can also....
And more....
Give it a try... It's FREE to join to get most features. Some other features cost a small annual fee, but most features are free! Every new member gets FULL access to everything for 7 days after joining, then you can decide if you want to upgrade your membership to access other features.
Click here to test drive the new site. I look forward to seeing you there. Regards, Chris.
Well, I moved hosts, and it seems that the new host can't run the old harphampix site. So it's time to move on.... HPV4 is here now! TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW!
I know this new site has a few members only right now.... Don't let that put you off... Join now and use the site. We can build it up to be the "friendly one". Facebook is too big and impersonal these days. PLUS it's banned and unavailable in China. Let's give it a try.... I'd love to see you all there again...
Chris Harpham - HPV4