MusicHawk Member Blog

Buddy Creative Challenge

hi hawkers, it's buddy. i want to challenge you to shoot (dig up) some of your most creative photos to post to our band pages. below are a few photos i've posted that may give you some ideas (once you click through click the thumbnail to see the larger image):

Mix cd before iTunes
reading in a bar

also, don't hesitate to share the stories behind your photos. your stories really bring our band pages to life.  fyi - we have increased the photo description size to allow for longer stories and more detail.

New Feature: My Photos!

Great music and great photography go so well together..."it just works" (like gravity). Have you ever noticed that many people that are into music also really appreciate the art of photography? To celebrate this timeless mystery we have added a new feature simply named "My Photos".  Now, instead of letting those great photos you've taken die a slow death on your hard drive you can share them with the world. 

To get started, login and look for the My Photos area.

Keep in mind, when adding a photo to a Band page you will need to add the Band to your "My Bands" list first.

Make Your Mark on our Charts!

In case you haven't noticed, we have extended our charts to show the Top 50 bands! The MusicHawk Charts are 100% powered by our Members in real-time. Unaffected by payola or paid placement. Not driven by radio airplay or retail sales. So why is this cool? This means an unsigned garage band who hasn't even burned their first CD can rally the troops and make an impact on the charts. The magical end result is our charts are an ever-evolving eclectic mix of Unsigned, Indie, and larger bands. So if you don't like what you see, then join our growing community and make your mark!

To see the Top 50 look for the "see more charts" link on our home page:

As usual, we've got a cool twist that Bubba dreamed up. You can put your own list of bands next to the MusicHawk charts. This way you can see how tragically hip or lovingly un-hip you are.

Share Your Top Bands!

we have a really cool feature we think you're going to like. drum roll please...we've named it "BandBlobs". you can now add your top bands to your own website or blog. to see an example of how it looks I've posted my own BandBlob on the right hand side of this blog. also, ted with BAGeL Radio has one on his blog.

to start using your BandBlob login to your My Stage and look for the "Add to my website" orange button in the My Bands area and follow the easy instructions. enjoy!

My Page is now My Stage

hey,

we have changed My Page to My Stage. yes we know it's a little goofy but we just thought it fit our world just right. let us know what you think. cheers, buddy

Customizing Your Messages

Along the same lines as our previous post about "Customizing Your Page" you can also customize your Messages.  Below is a screen shot of a Message with a video inserted. 

Want to give it a try?  Insert the code below into one of your Messages and wala your messages will roxx. 

<embed style="width:400px; height:326px;" id="VideoPlayback" align="middle" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvp.video.google.com%2Fvideodownload%3Fversion%3D0%26secureurl%3DowAAAFpImqEl7MJBWcc-BZNBLvqU4qu8-5MUKHgVZKjJI4y985AQAg8PwTs0Iim3XSwDJWVFPQPb8SD5BHTu-jAxg09Hfgy6wRdJrT9JHgpGCj0hZ2f9rzCA3FNxfKMPVFqJb3RQ5oid0UseVyYeTWazsHA7HgeEiQm5XaZWJjlaU8jBOvgTr_oZhyMrjgEJXLm9qKRGE4pUftOWJ-xBO8-p01__B2BpbQqL44pWvZjd-JOE%26sigh%3DY9JyoK6Uvx_SNcEkrdi62tVyeoM%26begin%3D0%26len%3D45011%26docid%3D1469328012574892651&thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer%3Fcontentid%3Dab521f9e1c3b6cf4%26second%3D5%26itag%3Dw320%26urlcreated%3D1142713333%26sigh%3DJsda5cHG3RQFNg7ihb7ZPmS5xfY&playerId=1469328012574892651" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" quality="best" bgcolor="#ffffff" scale="noScale" wmode="window" salign="TL"  FlashVars="playerMode=embedded"> </embed>

This Clash Documentary is just one of the many videos available at Google Video.  Look for the "Put on site" link to get the code. 

Customizing Your Page

We now support "html schmack" (tags/code/schmack) so you can customize your Page!

How to Customize Your Page:
1. Log-in to your My Page
2. Click the "edit profile" link in the left hand column
3. Place your text/code in the Public Description box and click "Submit"

Below is a screen shot of a Page that has html links and a streaming video. To see the actual page live page click here.

 

If you want to practice below is some sample "video code" that you can insert into your Public Desciption.  We have modified the default pixel width to make it fit nicely within the page. 

<embed style="width:240px; height:207px;" id="VideoPlayback" align="middle" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvp.video.google.com%2Fvideodownload%3Fversion%3D0%26secureurl%3DpQAAAO-9m8LfEFijeW79HNCEYhFk71GRsS8CELdOTA6F7jtfuSL3PSLvDIUngSE0oSHmWe3KvGwZa_Fc7N2no6mQcKiE44H9jA_SKKUJDlVBna83SXusVOzK38V_Wq7m5C3iZA9NFN12ct-om0FZsxa1vqcQU-sYb6g4LY9JQhC1Zqt09YiW7LdYrUu0vOgugk1P_R7p1oq1rE3eBmGC9aCSpzwudWMIh4F5t-w1WRfP8MOr%26sigh%3DaiXYHIqbZKAqu8p3V7vD_4vlAUM%26begin%3D0%26len%3D224640%26docid%3D-5254163908744678741&thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer%3Fcontentid%3Da289dc8f259ae64c%26second%3D5%26itag%3Dw320%26urlcreated%3D1141952349%26sigh%3D5i7yMwJlEOTiPl_XQVcwDCcMu1M&playerId=-5254163908744678741" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" quality="best" bgcolor="#ffffff" scale="noScale" wmode="window" salign="TL" FlashVars="playerMode=embedded"> </embed>

You've Got Messaging!

We now have Member to Member Messaging! Look for the "My Messages" area in the left hand column when you log-in to your "My Page".  Messaging was the most requested new feature by our Members.... So please keep the new feature request and feedback flowing freely via the Feedback page.   

And of course, our Messaging has flare! We hope you wouldn't expect anything less.  When you send a message you can add bands from your My Bands list to give your message the "wow factor".