YOUR ideas for the ultimate strainbase

a few of us here at grasscity (including that site's webmaster) are revamping wikistrains
http://www.wikistrains.com/Main_Page
from the ground up to be the best resource in the world for strain info. aside from hosting it's own grow reports, smoke reports, photos, info etc. it will also have a search engine for additional info from every other forum out there with strain reporting with less junk results than google.

the site will keep the handy wiki style crosslinking, and add it's own content too like breeding how tos & FAQs, top strain polls etc. but be laid out so that anyone can easily get anywhere in the site with just a few mouseclicks. "old fashioned" text searches and alphabetical listings etc. will be available too, but the basic idea is a simply laid out home page with a FEW buttons leading to deeper info for categories like info (general information), search (with advanced field searching or favorite method), strains with basic info including lineage, phenos & offspring, an illustrative pic or two, a general description and under that, buttons for digging deeper into seperate specifics eg. smoke reports, grow reports, photos, search engine results outside site etc. and so on. basically, you can just click on down in the site by getting more and more specific the deeper in level you go & info like med use would be shared in multiple "zones" as needed.

the site will have a new name (any ideas?) and MIGHT absorb the old overgrow strainbase
http://www.onlinepot.org/OGStrainGuide/Strainguide/OGSeedStrainsIndex.html
into it's own to start. unlike that strainbase though, listing strains by seedbank would only be ONE option. text searching by name is more intuitive when you want info on a specific strain, but you could also browse alphabetically or even search by advanced means such as trippy, lemon, sativa etc. in the advanced search page. the site would try to make finding info easier and more intuitive. another thing the new site will do that OG didn't is make fields that don't get filled out in smoke reports etc. invisible to the viewer so you don't waste time skimming through empty data. that's the idea behind seperating pics & smoke reports etc. i have NO interest in pics myself, you can't smoke 'em, but maybe someone else gets off on masturbating to "juicy plant pics" LOL

the new site will feature much deeper reporting on strains and try to put a stop to all of the vague "oh man! this shit is dank!" type smoke reports and make users select from all of the qualities of high for better (searchable) ratings besides OGs basic potentcy & head vs. body categories and include (but not limited to) med use, trippiness, energy vs. couchlock, clear headed vs. spacey, time distorting, creeper vs. instant, length of high, flavor, odor, color, lung expansion etc. the site will also seperate grow reports from smoke reports and photos so dialup users don't waste time slogging through junk they're not interested in. basically, the new site will seek better info and organize it intuitively.

it WON'T be a forum. it will be all about info and organizing it logically. there are already plenty of forums out there. there has to be some killer ideas for the site we haven't thought of yet that you have. things you wish a site did or info it had, things you hate about typical websites and so on. we're STILL banging out ideas and haven't really organized them all yet. tell us what YOU WANT in a strainbase.

BTW here are some homepage concepts if you'd like an idea on the POSSIBLE look of the site too.
http://pokernaut.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album02
BTW... make sure to visit page 2 for the latest revisions
voting and feedback here is appreciated too. DON'T dismiss a design because it's a little sloppy. those are just down and dirty SKETCHES for concept, NOT finalized designs. maybe someone here has a killer idea to take the idea or look in a new direction. it's a work in progress and in need of some fresh input. bear in mind too, that the homepage is just the START, every page below it could have an entirely different look. i personally feel that the more simple icon only designs are "more mysterious" and encourage visitors to push a button and see what's next yet the concept is clear... a picture of a leaf means there's going to be SOMETHING about marijuana behind it right? i think once you navigate using simple "tell me more" buttons to get at info quickly you'll love it.

thanks a million for taking your time to read this far and many more thanks for any useful input you can add. think of the site as the strainbase YOU WANT, not what you are forced to accept. if there's something you dream of, speak up and it might become a new feature or data section.

BTW... no more small text! everything there will be big enough to read easily. the site will also try to make navigation easier for med users who have visual or motor skills impairment.

HOPEFULLY you'll want to stop by and add your own data at the site once it's up and running. if you know any ideas easier than having people manually scour all of the various weed forums for scattered bits of HIGH QUALITY strain reports, that would be "the million dollar application". good reports are scattered all over various topics in all of the forums and usually buried under a few pages of spam.

 

if you're talking about the un-named weedopedia design on page #2, that's my favorite design. the colors aren't just there for looks, they're color coding so once someone learns the sites color coding, whatever it is, IF it uses it, they'll know what something means at a glance just like reading a round clock at a glance is easier than a digital one. time is wasted when the brain interprets info when a user knows a green highlighted button for example has something to do with weed while a burnt orange one has to do with growing it and yellow always means more info. it's a visual language just like you KNOW a red sign means stop and don't actually read it and yellow means caution. same idea. the buttons are like roadsigns.

i've already made a note to the webmaster (i have PAGES of them!) suggesting that members could select "old school HTML" style browsing too in their control panel. "home" wouldn't be the "start page" as you see, but would literally be a member's home where the page is something like pookersweedbase.com. there, you'd do EVERYTHING from check PMs, write reviews, chose preferences, follow pages of interest, see your most recent visits, select to see new info added to site when you log on as well as browse the site with smaller versions of the visitor buttons on the main page. well that just gave me an idea, use an add info button in the strainbase etc. areas where members can log in after the fact if they browsed from the main page without logging in. if you like boring 10 point arial with blue underlinedtext for links and no graphics, then that could be a preference. i'm sure people on dialup would consider it or those who want to see more text and scroll through it.

that's why i suggested MULTIPLE ways to organize searching from the beginning. different people have different ways of browsing or different priorities. someone might like text searching, while another person wants alphabetical browsing and yet another wants to browse by seedbank. THAT was one of the things i hated about the OGbase. they scattered all of the strains everywhere. skunk #1 was in a dozen SEPERATE places.

so if you're not cool with simplified graphics, then that'll be a vote to offer HTML too. i can't stand it myself.

regarding the original wiki, the new site will FUNCTION like the wiki with crosslinking and all etc, but instead of underlining links, they will be bolded or color coded. personally, i HATE the bland tiny text look of MOST websites. the text in the 1st "ABC" draft is a bit too large, but big bold type makes skimming easier and would help med users with glaucoma etc. read.

i ALSO hate when a page is too busy. it wastes alot of time finding info when it's buried in a bunch of stuff you're not interested in. the new site would be organized so users can browse SEVERAL ways, text searching, "wiki crosslinking" and of course with navigation buttons. when you get to the site, you should be able to find ANY specific info you're looking for in just 4-5 easy button clicks without being overwhelmed by everything at once which wastes time. 5 seconds of button clicking is easier than 10 of button pushing & typing or who knows how many wasting time skimming a bunch of material of no interest.

one last point, that white background on the wiki is harsh. pure white screens give me eye strain. that's what all those orange and gold designs were for, easing eye strain. studies have shown that amber red is the color that causes the least eye fatigue. thats why early monochrome computer monitors were orange. darker 7 more natural colors don't blast the retinas like white and flourescents.

as to smoke reports, that's just it, there ISN'T a complete list yet as there are likely qualities (particularly med use) that i can't remember or haven't experienced. what i have so far is the original overgrow categories which were often too vague, but could be ported seemlessly into the new base instantly if the webmaster will OK it for an instant big database. maybe the old data can use that system & transfer the useable fields, but the new one will replace a few
overall rating
potentcy
yield
ease
appearance
odor level & odor
taste LEVEL (???) & taste
grower's tilt (?)
SI rating (?)
effect (couchlock, body stone - all in the head) which is SUPPOSED to be "indy vs. sativa" but strong sativas like thai have body effects too, just the opposite of couchlock... energy and a light floating feeling, but still in the body
stature
phenotype
indoor
outdoor
sexes
vintage

and add more descriptive categories replacing some of the old ones
couchlock - ENERGETIC
euphoric - paranoid (anti-anxiety seperate or in the middle?)
trippiness (with notes for senses affected?)
lung expansion (coughing)
flavor (by types & sub types eg. sweet > fruity > blueberry, sour > lemon, & spicy > pepper or garlic, but EVERY category would allow for additional comments eg. pheno differences & unexpected things missed in planning)
pain reduction
appetite stimulation
dry mouth
smooth - harsh
instant - creeper
length of high
tolerance buildup
spacey & confusing vs. clear headed
floating
numbing
creativity

and any other variables that there are that i can't think of. THESE are the types of things that no-one EVER discusses in text only threads. OG did a good job of getting more info out of the typical smoker who thinks "man this shit is dank!" = a good smoke report or growers who only want to talk nutrients and post pics, but there's more info that should be coaxed out of contributors for BETTER results

BTW, maybe the sites mottos could be
we hate when people think saying "man this shit is dank!" is a smoke report

now i've got to post those new designs i said i was going to an hour ago before browsing threads. they're minor updats to the 1st ABC browsing page to give a better example of info that's easy to skim at a glance

 

i think the OG could be a backbone, but i think it's generic and limited categories SUCK. they don't tell enough about the SPECIFICS of a high that matter most. my FAVORITE type of high is trippy sativa, you just can't get that info with the OG's limited system and to put it bluntly, most posters are either lazy SOBs who can't be bothered to get specific or don't KNOW the specifics to voice them. like i said, the new database, could make exceptions for the old data, but "all in the head - couchlocking body stone" sucks crap out of a dead skunk's butt that was pulled out of another dead skunk's butt as far as smoke reporting goes.

the ONLY thing i cared about in that whole database was the smoke reports and unless someone (1:10) took the time to type specifics in their review, they were more or less useless to me. even with the notes, it was a pain because they were buried who knows where in the grow report wasting alot of time on what was spam to me. don't get me started on waiting for pics i don't care about to load.

that database was decent sized, and useable when it had it's search engine intact, but otherwise, most of it was a waste of time because the data sucked. the new site could take the useable stuff there, but add the newer specifics to onsite reporting.

i actually got banned from there because it took me over a YEAR of chasing nothing but useless crap reports and BEGGING people to describe highs in terms other than "this is awesome", "this was the most potent ever" or "nice up high". OK, i hate couchlock, but THE ONLY THING IN THE WORLD i really care about is finding weed with trippy highs like i haven't had in 20 years. if a site can't get me to that impossible to find info, it sucks as far as i'm concerned. it was like pulling teeth trying to get specifics, so i think a good site should goad people into giving the goods up. they don't HAVE TO, but it never hurts to ask.

as to ripping it, i don't think it's copywrighted or anything, but isn't it in bad form to do it without asking. besides, someone needs to go through it and report the hundred or more dead links.

 

BTW, THIS is my idea of the RIGHT way to do a smoke report and at OG as well as here, i was about the ONLY one who'd take the time to be this specific

thai, kali-mist & durban smoke reports:

Thai
the thai i smoked wasn't necesarily "haze". it smelled like pinecones and had golden pistils. it wasn't sticky at all, but 3 bong hits, and you're happy. i remember when i'd smoke it before work, sometimes my feet felt like they wanted to float upwords as i walked. 4 bong hits, and it would start to get really trippy. the very first time i smoked it (the first time i ever smoked weed period) i remember the newscaster on TV looking like he was in 3D. then, when i listened to an OMD record that had a sort of godzilla sound... i was a little freaked out. everything seems more intense on thai. i did experience some paranoia especially whenever i misplaced something. i was always convinced my family was hiding things on me. despite the occasional paranoia though, it was more often euphoric. one would laugh ones ass of at the stupidest joke. generally, it just made everything fun.

one time though, after drinking a beer, i took 4-5 bonghits straight and the last one was a major woofer. take a huge bonghit, and you will cough like crazy on that thai. once it started to hit me, i got dizzy and puked in the toilet. after that, i laid down ,still dizzy, and could just vaguely see visuals that looked like glowing CGI effects when i closed my eyes. thai is the best if you don't overdo it. if i would wake and bake and maintain through the day, i'd get burned out and couchlocked by evenening, but it took time for it to happen. i think that the couchlock might have had to do with late harvesting. the trichromes on it were golden amber and not clear. the buds themselves were pale lime green with light orange hairs.

many an evening i'd go out dancing on thai until i dripped sweat and got dehydrated. you just can't do that on indicas. it went awesome with anything stimulating, food, movies, music and of course sex. after thai... almost everything is disappointing except other sativas. i HATE indicas and hybrids. they aren't as up and alert as thai is. NOTHING i've smoked since has been THAT fun and most of it has just pissed me off for being evil indica.

Kali-Mist
kali mist isn't trippy like thai, at least not when you're nursing the one gram you're given like it was gold, but after 15 years of indica contempt, it nearly brought a tear to my eye. it's my 2nd favorite smoke ever. KM is really special. it's pure euphoric energy and has a tasty spicy flavor. it's like smoking straight up crushed red peppers. the flavor was way more exotic than thai, but i missed the trippy edge. i don't think it was as potent either, but i wasn't doing three big one hitters at a time one it.

i tried to trip out on tunes with it like i used to on thai, but it just wouldn't let me sit still. i ended up cleaning my house and fish tanks with a stupid grin on my face humming "don't worry, be happy". it was very similar to the one shroom trip i did, but much more energetic. KM is rumored to be a favorite with the ladies and also good for menstrual cramps and despite it being my #2 favorite would be the bud i bring along on a date. i can't of anything that would make a gal have as much happy energy. KM is best for activities and keeping a clear head.

Durban Poison
durban also had a nice up high like thai, but wasn't as strong or trippy either. the durban and kali buds i had were indoor and i was told that the thai came from hawaii. that might account for the potency difference some, but thai is considered the strongest sativa anyways. the really interesting thing about durban poison is that it tastes like you're smoking black licorice! it's a very authentic flavor, but unfortunately, black licorice is one of the most digusting flavors in the world to me and smoking it gave me slight dry heaves.

despite that taste, i'd smoke it again in a heartbeat because it has a true anti-couchlocking sativa high. i can't remember, but it might have been euphoric, but that could also have been my joy at breaking 15 years worth of indica loathing. it's a great "pure sativa" (but it looks like it has indica in it with thos wide leaves) that grows fairly compact. i only wished i liked that particular flavor because it's very exotic and has massive bag appeal. beware though... one seed producer crossed it with an indica. get pure sativa durban if you do.

Skunk #1
other than that, the only bud i ever smoked that i knew the name of was a skunk #1. i knew skunk #1 was 75% sativa and got extremely excited when i came across it, but the high was pure indica. at $50 an eigth vs. the $40 a quarter i used to pay for superior thai, it was a huge disappointment. i think it could be because the grower was only using orange sodiums and harvested it too late. i also think it was either hydro or grown with ionizers because it had practically no odor and tasted practically like cardboard. it was extremely dense, but dry and crumbly and a light golden green in color.

Mendicino Madness (?)
recently, i was passed a doobie that was supposed to be mendicino madness. i was surprised that it wasn't couchlocking at all, but then again, i only took a couple hits off it with no tolerance from over a year's worth of dry spell. it tasted like cloves, but that could have been cloves in the doobie to mask the odor. the buzz came on quick and was euphoric. it was pretty potent, clear headed and couclock free and lasted well over an hour when i got home. the buzz might not have couchlocked though because recently i bought a gram of bud that i vaped with a similar high, but when i got it home an smoked it, it had a creeping couchlock effect and a seriously paralizing spacey effect that would just leave me staring blankly for several seconds at a time trying to remember what i was thinking, so MM might not have been as energetic as it seemed, but either way, it was nice to break the dry spell.


THAT'S how you do it! anything less isn't a smoke report... it's a suck report. i used to despise everyone putting so much time into who gives an eff nutrient report and "pretty, but you can't smoke it" pics. i hate that sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit! the world is STARVED for good smoke reports that aren't advertising hype that can't be trusted and that often sucks too.

WTF does
leaves you circling this plane of existence into a new realm of smoking bliss
mean?

i'm not keen on the site becoming a rorum too. there are already plenty of those. besides, i'd probably get banned there too losing it from everyone holding out on the smoke reports... THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS... the rest is junk as far as i'm concerned.[/color]

the trouble i had trying to edit this yesterday maght have had something to do with the PC i was using as i think i tried using the same one today and it was buggy as heck.

 

oh... i see. take it up with the man. a java chat with everyone some time wouldn't hurt either.

i was trying to edit my last reply to include more detail after i pasted it and the darn interface locked up on me.

there's a huge idea for the new site... make it copy and paste friendly! i write stuff on wordpad at home, but when i paste it here, it gets wierd hypertext markup and smilies.