Doug Aurand
Posts: 3282
Location: Albuquerque, NM, United States
Registered: 2 Jan 2008
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A B&B that got the idea
Posted: 13 Jun 2009 at 13:37 GMT
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I recently sold a 3 scene virtual tour to a local Bed & Breakfast and they finally got it online.
They definitely got "the idea" that showing their little inn will sell it. They put thumbnail links to the virtual tour on the right side of the home page where you can't miss it.
Take a look at www.innatparadise.com
Now I'll make a print-screen graphic of that page and send it to every B&B in Albuquerque and Santa Fe
Later
Doug Aurand
Albuquerque, NM
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bigwade
Posts: 821
Location: Utrecht, Netherlands
Registered: 19 Oct 2005
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Re: A B&B that got the idea
Posted: 13 Jun 2009 at 19:06 GMT
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Hey Doug,
with the tools and knowledge you have right now, why on earth are you (still) selling this 2004 iPix junk??
You have a customer, you are doing your thing and this is all you can show ?
I (we) know you can do better but does the customer ?
Why didn't you make a FullScreen Flash VR set as well ?
Almost no extra work......
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Doug Aurand
Posts: 3282
Location: Albuquerque, NM, United States
Registered: 2 Jan 2008
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Re: A B&B that got the idea
Posted: 13 Jun 2009 at 19:27 GMT
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bigwade
The customer loves it!!
They book weddings in the Courtyard and now they can guide the bride-to-be to a 360° scene of the Courtyard over the phone
The point of the post is the B&B put the links to the virtual tour in a highly visible location on their homepage, really making use of them to show off their property.
I guess you missed the point??
BTW scenes were done in 2008 before I got the hang of PTGui, I need to change the year on that tripod cap
Doug Aurand
Albuquerque, NM
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bigwade
Posts: 821
Location: Utrecht, Netherlands
Registered: 19 Oct 2005
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Re: A B&B that got the idea
Posted: 13 Jun 2009 at 22:11 GMT
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Doug, I guess I'm missing your point..
This iPix stuff is crap.
If you did the same tour in Flash, people could see it in a better way and bigger with the same loading times.
Man, go for QUALITY and not this tiny crap.
If I was this B&B owner and surched for more VR's and see FS Flash on the web, I would be very disapointed.......
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DennisS
Posts: 1210
Location: Los Anglels, United States
Registered: 1 Sep 2007
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Re: A B&B that got the idea
Posted: 13 Jun 2009 at 23:34 GMT
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Doug,
When I was learning the machinist trade, an instructor told me something that has stuck with me in everything I do.
"Anybody should be able to tell who made the part by looking at the craftsmenship."
When I first saw the panos, I was rather dissapointed. "Oh no, not another IPIX disaster" I thought. Well, if the customer is happy and paying for it, then ok.
However, your name is on the pano. Your reputation is also on the pano.
Imagine what a virtual tour would look like if Dorin, Hans or John ( to name just a very few talented people ) did one?
I think the point bigwade was trying to make is that there is no replacement for quality. We all know you can do better, so why not? It would not take much more effort to produce a quality pano.
I would like to apoligize in advance if you find my remarks offensive. None intended.
Dennis
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bigwade
Posts: 821
Location: Utrecht, Netherlands
Registered: 19 Oct 2005
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Re: A B&B that got the idea
Posted: 13 Jun 2009 at 23:55 GMT
updated: 14 Jun 2009 at 0:19 GMT
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Dennis, that's it !
"I would like to apoligize in advance if you find my remarks offensive. None intended."
wow Dennis , Doug can have this 
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Doug Aurand
Posts: 3282
Location: Albuquerque, NM, United States
Registered: 2 Jan 2008
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Re: A B&B that got the idea
Posted: 14 Jun 2009 at 1:07 GMT
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Dennis & bigwade
When I shot that tour in Sept 2008, I had just bought my Sigma 8mm a few weeks before, but hadn't learned how to use it yet
I was still relying on my Coolpix 5400 and FC-E9 for all my work
My apologies if the best I could do at the time isn't up to your high standards.
You both still missed the point of the thread; many hotels pay to have beautiful virtual yours done, then the web designer hides them in the website.
Take a look at www.InnoftheMountainGods.com and www.HHandR.com to see how quickly you can find the virtual images. (Not all the hotels on HHandR.com have virtual tours) Then you'll see the point of the thread.
Doug Aurand
Albuquerque, NM
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Peter Stark
Posts: 389
Location: Glasgow, United Kingdom
Registered: 12 Sep 2007
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Re: A B&B that got the idea
Posted: 14 Jun 2009 at 12:58 GMT
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You both still missed the point of the thread; many hotels pay to have beautiful virtual yours done, then the web designer hides them in the website.
Well that is quite true, sometimes it can be a a little difficult tracking down the VR Tour on a web site, you know it is there, but cant find it again  I sometimes wonder why they bothered in the first place if they hide the damn thing later. 
Peter
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Doug Aurand
Posts: 3282
Location: Albuquerque, NM, United States
Registered: 2 Jan 2008
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Re: A B&B that got the idea
Posted: 14 Jun 2009 at 14:04 GMT
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Peter
Thanx for "getting" the point of tbis thread.
Some sites are so bad that even though I know there's a virtual tour, because I produced it, its difficult to find.
bigwade and Dennis seem to have missed the point that if a hotel, resort, etc hides their virtual tour, it doesn't matter how good it is, because few people will see it.
While I'm doing significantly better quality work these days, what excited me was that not only did the Inn at Paradise Golf B&B put the links to the tour images on the home page, they used the thumbnails I provided so they links are even more eye catching to potential customers & guests.
The tour will get looked at by potential customers. What a concept!!!
I'm hoping that with the virtual images and this webpage design, the little place will get more business which they need.
Take care
Doug Aurand
Albuquerque, NM
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Marcus Hamilton
Posts: 12
Location: London, United Kingdom
Registered: 31 Jul 2008
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Re: A B&B that got the idea
Posted: 23 Jun 2009 at 11:19 GMT
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I too sometimes wonder what else I can do to get my 360s on the client's site. I recently supplied the images as thumbnails, QT movie and Flash movie. Months later I get the word "their IT guys can't open the files". Everyone else can - doesn't say much for their IT department. The images look good on MY web site though.........
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Doug Aurand
Posts: 3282
Location: Albuquerque, NM, United States
Registered: 2 Jan 2008
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Re: A B&B that got the idea
Posted: 23 Jun 2009 at 14:19 GMT
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Marcus
I had the same problem with the Inn at Paradise even though I sent them a CD with "plain" but working webpages that I verified were working from the CD before I mailed it.
It still took their webmaster 3 months to get them added to the site with several failed attempts.
Only after I called the owner about not getting paid after 3 months (he was withholding payment because they couldn't get the tour to work) and sending the him links to 2 other websites that were using my supplied webpages, did they get the job done.
Have you figured out anything that gets the "IT" people to wake up?
Doug Aurand
Albuquerque, NM
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Marcus Hamilton
Posts: 12
Location: London, United Kingdom
Registered: 31 Jul 2008
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Re: A B&B that got the idea
Posted: 29 Jun 2009 at 9:26 GMT
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Hi Doug,
I have been lucky with this recent commission as I was dealing through a designer and he had no problems, so I got paid.
In a previous incident, client was having problems so I quickly knocked up a web page in iWeb with rotating QT movie embedded and posted it on my server. I sent them a link and said "I'm no web designer, but even I can do this!". Seemed to do the trick!
Marcus
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Doug Aurand
Posts: 3282
Location: Albuquerque, NM, United States
Registered: 2 Jan 2008
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Re: A B&B that got the idea
Posted: 29 Jun 2009 at 13:15 GMT
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Marcus
I think that's what I'll have to do too, put the same webpages I deliver on CD up on the Internet temporarily until they get them working on their website. Then take the tour down
I would have done that, but the work on the B&B is from my old camera & lens setup and I was only putting samples of work done with my new equipment on the Web to show potential customers
Thanx for the reminder though
Doug Aurand
Albuquerque, NM
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