MindViz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| URL | mindviz.com |
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| Type of site | Social network service |
| Registration | Required |
| Owner | Morgan Demers |
| Created by | Morgan Demers |
MindViz is a social networking website constructed of 24 network extensions dedicated to providing free, extra functional and customizable profiles, photo albums, blogs, member polls, quizzes, instant messaging, live chat services, videos, internet-wide email service, music artist promotional profiles, and more for its members. Currently based in Newark, Delaware, it hosts approximately 320,000 members with 800 new sign-ups per day. Dedicated to the privacy and enjoyment of the members, it is currently not a majorly commercialized network and wishes to keep ads to a minimum for least amount of visual intrusion of profiles, although some advertising does take place on non-sponsoring accounts.
MindViz is home to a growing number of signed, unsigned, local, and other underground artists such as State, Angerfist, Black Flood Diesel, Factory of Angst, Evaline, Biofuze, Still Standing, G.R.A.M, Mia, and more. Songs from music profiles are able to be added and embedded into member profiles via a single click of a button.
Overall, the purpose of the MindViz network is to provide members with unique and complementary features and customizations that networks such as Myspace.com cannot, while maintaining all the same purposes and respects toward the internet public that any other community network would.
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[edit] History
In late 2001 Morgan Demers created a software product called .:MV:Spec which could be used to rapidly develop community based websites such as iconhell.com, poetictimes.com, 12gracestreet.com, and others, all without the knowledge of any programming. MindViz was named as Morgan's software company and MindViz.com was born. The name MindViz was initially based on the "Vision of Morgan's Mind". Three community sites based on MindViz's .:MV:Spec core technology were released at the same time in order to promote the .:MV:Spec product. These sites included IconHell.com, PoeticTimes.com and 12GraceStreet.com - all offering public profiles, commenting, forums, private messaging, and more for its members.
Morgan continued to develop new community websites with the .:MV:Spec product. In July of 2004, Morgan came to a realization that his community sites were doing a lot better than the sales of the product that ran them. At that time the network contained 10 different websites, and members would signup for at least two or more of these sites, creating the same profile on each separate site. Having realized this, it occurred to Morgan that one website should be setup as the community focial point, where members could instead, login with one account and access all of the network sites provided.
With lack of a new name, it was decided to convert MindViz.com into the community focial point. Afterwards, the MindViz ID emerged and members were able to login to all 10 different websites via their single MindViz ID. All the various social services provided became the integral part of MindViz.com, allowing members to interact with each other on one site versus each of the 10 sites separately.
From there, 14 new network extensions were created, and due to the work of Morgan as well as the many supporting members who help moderate and contribute their ideas, MindViz.com has grown into the ever expanding service it is today.
[edit] Customization and Navigation
[edit] Anatomy of the MindViz Profile
Through a MindViz account, a member is given a primary profile, capable of customization very different than that of the limited functionality provided for profiles from networks such as MySpace. Included in the customization is a built in, user-friendly theme generator, so that the members do not have to scour the web for external websites to provide them. Also included on the network is an easy-to-search-and-apply, theme directory assorted into categories with which one may simply click a selected theme to be taken to a preview of their profile with the theme applied, and given the option to accept the changes or decline.
Included to be shown on any profile is a
- Sandbox (similar to MySpace's "blurbs", but capable of applying any HTML codes and scripts for any use- The creation is credited to the MindViz User DCslayerX)
- About You
- Profile Information
- Top Friends (up to 20 entries)
- Latest Forum Topics
- Latest Blog Entries
- Latest Poems
- User Poll
- Latest Theme
- IconHell Icons
- AvatarHell Avatars
- DollHell Icons
- "My Band"
- Shared Files
- "My Schools"
- Upcoming Events
- Quizzes
- Test Results
- Comments
Side Column Features:
- Profile Photo
- Side Sandbox(also credited to the Mindviz User DCslayerX)
- Member Stats
- Tagboard
- Latest Visitors
- Your Photos
- Favorite Bands
- Your Groups
- "My Site" (which is an artwork, icon, avatar, poem, short story gallery site extension of MindViz)
- Music Player
- Recent Referrals
- Random Facts and Quotes
- Your Videos
- Local Weather
- News Ticker and
- Horoscope
All features above are able to be turned off or on and reordered in anyway via the Layout Settings section. Also, the "Modules" section is a page provided to let you fill certain sections such as the main and side sandbox as well as configure how certain objects such as the top friends module, news module and profile music player in the profile are shown.
Members are also granted the ability to customize, and hide, any section of the network's frontpage.
One of the more unique features that comes with being a member of the network is the fact that any theme used on a member's profile will follow them to most other sections of the network they visit such as the forums and the frontpage.
[edit] Network Navigation
At the top of every page in the network, exists the MindViz navigation bar. This is the most intended means of navigation throughout the network, providing access to all the major sections of the network including all of the member's profile services like friends, groups, blogs, etc, as well as community navigation to places such as the forums, bulletins, games, browse people, blogs, videos, etc, MindViz Music sections, and all major network profile settings.
[edit] The 24 Sites of MindViz
Currently there are 24 sites included in the MindViz network all designed to provide members with as many literate and expressive services as possible. As of this writing, there is talk of better integration of these services into the main areas of MindViz so that members will not have to use a different domain for each of them, but rather using MindViz.com alone for each of them.
When one first has an account at MindViz, these 24 site services are not all enabled until the member goes to any one of them and "activates" them by signing into them with their main MindViz account ID and password. No re-registering is required.
[edit] External links
- MindViz.com MindViz Homepage
- Morgan Demers MindViz Founder Homepage
- Music.MindViz.com MindViz Music Portal
