The MakerGear Website - input requested

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rpollack
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The MakerGear Website - input requested

Post by rpollack » Wed Jun 01, 2016 4:55 pm

We are in the process of -finally- updating the website. What do you think we should focus on in terms of explaining the M2 to prospects and people new to 3D printing?

Thanks,
Rick

thunderbt3
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Re: The MakerGear Website

Post by thunderbt3 » Wed Jun 01, 2016 6:53 pm

-The ridgity and robustness of the 1 piece stainless steel chassis.
-Simplicity of the Rev E. style bed leveling.
-Responsiveness of customer support
-The large community of M2 users.
-3d Hubs ratings and awards for best enthusiast printer 2015 & 2016.
-Backward compatible updates that let owners pick what they want to update and not feel left behind.

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Jules
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Re: The MakerGear Website

Post by Jules » Wed Jun 01, 2016 7:27 pm

Just spit-balling here, but if I wanted to reach both newcomers and experts, I would consider:

1. Focus on ease of use to appeal to the masses.... A Video Gallery link on the front page with links to videos of the machine in action. (Show the initial purge, and the start of a print, links to all the videos of the setup process. The more you show the very basic stuff, the more likely you'll sell machines to those getting their feet wet.)

2. A M2 Prints Showcase link showing the things people have made with it. Break it up into sections.....Beginners/Intermediate/Advanced. Or Easy/Challenging/Expert. Put some of my stuff in the Beginner's section and some of Peckish's stuff in the Advanced section and have folks put their stuff into whatever section they feel it belongs in. For more difficult to work with filaments, folks can put it in the Challenging section, and then that gives people thinking about getting into the 3D printing the idea that it doesn't just spit out voronoi at a whim, but that it can do it if needed. The more pictures people see, the more excited they will get, but they won't be scared off if there is a Beginner section. And some of the stuff that is very easy to print looks pretty cool. I don't know....you'd need to get permission from all of the people who have posted on the forum to showcase their stuff.

3. Make a step-by-step setup/getting started with 3D printing graphic with cartoon characters if possible. Link to it with a "The Story of 3D Printing" or "How we Do it" graphic on the front page. (Kind of like a highly simplified Beginner's Guide in pictures)

4. Brag a little - "Awards Graphic" link - to a page with links to articles and reviews of the M2. (More reviews.) (Pics of Rick with the pres. for sure.)

5. Cleaned up links in the Store section - very important. People generally don't want to have to spend more than a minute or so searching for what they need. (Lose the drop down menus in the store.) Have individual picture links, with the Price or Temporarily Out of Stock. (Drop down options for different nozzle sizes are okay.) All Categories on one page - M2s, Nozzles, Plates, Parts, Filament, Etc.

6. Huge honking picture of the Rev.E with all the improvements it brings in a write-up for the front page. Make an Announcement! It's the new Rev E!!!!! (Folks have to know it's not the same machine - they need to get excited.)

7. Main graphic......Pristine pictures of the Dual and the Single side by side, so folks now know that M2 comes as a dual. (Shoot it against a nice background, outside, tropical background, swimming pool, monster truck rally, party with cool people exclaiming over printed swizzle sticks in the background....) White background shots inspire no excitement. Smaller graphics against white are fine for viewing details on the machine, but you want to pump up the adrenaline factor, and make folks picture themselves "there".

Time for lunch. :lol:

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sthone
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Re: The MakerGear Website

Post by sthone » Wed Jun 01, 2016 7:33 pm

DAMN!... Jules just Mic Dropped there.... :lol:
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Jules
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Re: The MakerGear Website

Post by Jules » Wed Jun 01, 2016 7:45 pm

sthone wrote:DAMN!... Jules just Mic Dropped there.... :lol:
I had to go look that up. :lol:

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Matt_Sharkey
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Re: The MakerGear Website - input requested

Post by Matt_Sharkey » Wed Jun 01, 2016 8:44 pm

-While probably kitschy, you could have a Twitter feed that looks for #makergearm2 or similar and echo's it. some of us post our fresh prints on twitter and instagram and its a good source for showing off new usage. You will have to police it though since this system is easily exploited by spammers.

-Be brutally honest with the market you're selling to. I don't feel like this printer isnt for kids or newbies. technical knowledge is needed to get this thing going.

-The support team is tops. I want to know how we can get you a "customer service of the year" award.

-A comprehensive archive of documentation organized by hardware. I recently had a run in where I didnt have the instructions for some hardware. it's caused a headache.

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Jules
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Re: The MakerGear Website - input requested

Post by Jules » Wed Jun 01, 2016 9:00 pm

8. Ohh, ooohh, ooooh! A Nailed It! section in the Showcase! Let folks see what can go wrong too - it's less scary that way, and everybody loves those "See what others did to bungle it" pins. :D
Last edited by Jules on Wed Jun 01, 2016 9:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

3dPrintingMD
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Re: The MakerGear Website - input requested

Post by 3dPrintingMD » Wed Jun 01, 2016 9:12 pm

Availability of parts and upgrades is a huge thing to me.

There also has to be something said about how few printed parts there are on the machine. That is one of the things I like most. Especially in the critical areas.

The community is incredible. Customer support is incredible as well !
M2 - V4, MIC-6 Build Plate, Astrosyn Damper's(X/Y), Rev. E, Geeetech LCD

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Jules
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Re: The MakerGear Website - input requested

Post by Jules » Wed Jun 01, 2016 10:31 pm

9. Okay - last one (maybe) .....you guys should post a little bio section, with a brief (amusing) writeup on all your people. So others can get to know the people behind the machines. Little history of how the machine came to be - that sort of thing. Could call it "The Peanut Gallery". Photos are optional, or you could use a cartoon character avatar - like those parody sketches you get in the French Quarter - that would be mega-cool! 8-)

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sthone
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Re: The MakerGear Website - input requested

Post by sthone » Thu Jun 02, 2016 1:09 am

Jules wrote:Little history of how the machine came to be - that sort of thing.
You want history just take a look at Rick's old Flickr Page :lol: (start on page 3 and work your way backwards) It's actually awesome to see how things came about.
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