MindViz

MindViz_Frontpage.png

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, music playlists, and much more for its members. Currently based in Burlington, Vermont, it hosts approximately 145,000 members with 150 new sign-ups per day and growing. 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, Mindless Self Indulgence, IMA Robot, Mary Magdalan 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 a unique and highly customizeable experience that other social networks cannot, while maintaining all the same purposes and respects toward the internet public that any other community network would.

Customization and navigation

Anatomy of the MindViz

Through a MindViz account, a member is given a highly customizeable homepage and profile. 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.

Themes

MindViz is the most themeable social platform available to members. You can apply themes to MindViz as a whole, your MindViz Profile, your MindViz Groups, etc... Each section can have its own separate theme, generating a very unusual experience for members.

Theme Directory

Members can browse hundreds of Themes created by MindViz Members. Members can review, rank and preview Themes. Themes are easily applied with a drop down menu that gives access to all the available areas with which you can apply that theme.

Theme Maker

MindViz provides a simple yet powerful point and click Theme Maker. Simply click the area of the theme preview you want to modify. Themes can be downloaded, imported, submitted to the Theme Directory, etc... A build in Undo feature allows you to back out changes you aren't satisfied with.

Your Layouts

MindViz provides highly customizeable layouts for a Member's frontpage, profile and groups. Each separate layout can be given differing layout styles with different Modules. A module is equivalent to a "Window" on your computer. Modules can be drag & dropped to new locations, minimized, etc... This makes MindViz a perfect platform for a default homepage because you can fully customize how your homepage will look as well as what information is provided to you.

Free Form Layout - MindViz.com|300px|right|Free Form Layout Screenshot
Layout styles
  • Fixed Column - A typical 2 column layout style where Modules can be re-ordered simply by dragging and dropping them.
  • Free Form - A new and innovative layout style for profiles, groups and the MindViz homepage. This style allows members to interact with the Modules as if they were working with ICONS and windows on their desktop. Modules can be resized, moved via drag & drop (snap to grid included), minimized & maximized, etc... Quick layout manipulation tools are provided to allow icons to be arranged, modules to be cascaded or tiled, etc...

Modules

Module Privacy

Profile Modules have Privacy Settings that allow you to make them vieweable by "Everyone", "Friends Only", or "MindViz Members Only".

Module Directory

The MindViz Module Directory includes hundreds of modules that you can use to fully customize how your homepage and profile look to you and your visitors. Currently modules are only being developed by the MindViz staff, but at some point in the near future, if there is a demand for it, MindViz will release a development API to allow external developers to create their own Modules.

'Some of the Modules you can use on your profile...'

  • Custom HTML ( can add an unlimited number of these to your profile to make it as custom as you want - used for HTML codes, Graphics, Flash, etc.. )
  • Your Bio
  • Profile Information ( Here for, Kids?, Hometown, Website, Hair Color, etc... )
  • Your Friends ( settings page allows you to select how many are displayed )
  • Latest Forum Topics
  • Latest Blog Posts
  • Latest Poems
  • User Poll ( get feedback from your friends or visitors to your profile )
  • Latest Theme
  • IconHell Icons
  • AvatarHell Avatars
  • DollHell Icons
  • Shared Files
  • "My Schools"
  • Upcoming Events
  • Quizzes
  • Test Results
  • Comments ( similar to a guestbook )
  • Profile Photo ( includes caption & voting )
  • Member Stats ( how ACTIVE you are on the site )
  • Tagboard
  • Your Photos
  • Your Videos
  • Favorite Bands
  • Your Groups
  • "My Site" (which is an artwork, icon, avatar, poem, short story gallery site extension of MindViz)
  • Music Player
  • Random Facts and Quotes
  • Local Weather
  • News Ticker
  • Horoscope
  • Post-Its
  • Realtime Clock
  • Realtime Date / Day
  • Realtime Counter ( how many days until ... )
  • and many more

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.

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.

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.