Airliners.net: Difference between revisions
→Affiliated Websites: No one did spam the section and info on competitors is often found in articles. All the same, it's now shortened - please, no edit war! |
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In addition to the photo database and discussion forums, the website accepts aviation articles for publishing, has an automatic news service which gathers aviation news, maintains an information database about aircraft types (based on ''The International Directory of Civil Aircraft'' by Gerard Frawley), and hosts a flight and hotel booking service. |
In addition to the photo database and discussion forums, the website accepts aviation articles for publishing, has an automatic news service which gathers aviation news, maintains an information database about aircraft types (based on ''The International Directory of Civil Aircraft'' by Gerard Frawley), and hosts a flight and hotel booking service. |
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===2008 Redesign=== |
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On May 29, 2008, the site was redesigned by Demand Media. This was the first major redesign since the site's inception. Elements of the new design included a modified home page layout, and the ability to select the color of the background of any page in the site. Many elements of the site remain from the older version, or coexist with elements of the redesign: the discussion forums are of particular note, with the dark [[teal (color)|teal]] forum dialogs clashing with the user-selectable background color. It is clear that the majority of the forum members dislike the update, with numerous members expressing a desire to return to the old site design or at least have it offered as an option. Some have claimed that the new layout appears cluttered in comparison to the old layout. <ref>http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/site_related/read.main/74824/ Airliners.net forum thread discussing the site redesign, initiated by Demand Media representative Monique (Flyheligirl) </ref> |
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==Affiliated and Competing Websites== |
==Affiliated and Competing Websites== |
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Airliners.net has a sister website, [http://www.myaviation.net MyAviation.net], which accepts all photos and was started to cater for photos which do not pass the quality standards of Airliners.net's database. Another sister website is [http://www.flightlevel350.com/ FlightLevel350.com], showcasing aviation videos. |
Airliners.net has a sister website, [http://www.myaviation.net MyAviation.net], which accepts all photos and was started to cater for photos which do not pass the quality standards of Airliners.net's database. Another sister website is [http://www.flightlevel350.com/ FlightLevel350.com], showcasing aviation videos. |
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The site competes with both commercial and hobby websites such as [http://www.jetphotos.net JetPhotos.net] and [http://www.planepictures.net PlanePictures.net] which have an international character. Further competitors with a more local focus are, for example, [http://www.nycaviation.com NYCAviation.com] (from [[New York City]]) and [http://www.vie-spotters.net VIE-Spotters.net] (from [[Vienna]]). |
The site competes with both commercial and hobby websites such as [http://www.jetphotos.net JetPhotos.net] and [http://www.planepictures.net PlanePictures.net] which have an international character, a new site that is gaining popularity is [http://www.airspaceonline.com AirspaceOnline.com] Further competitors with a more local focus are, for example, [http://www.nycaviation.com NYCAviation.com] (from [[New York City]]), [http://www.detroitspotters.com DetroitSpotters.com] (from [[Detroit]]) and [http://www.vie-spotters.net VIE-Spotters.net] (from [[Vienna]]). |
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==Member Meetings== |
==Member Meetings== |
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Members of Airliners.net organize meetings in airports worldwide. Sites of meetings have included [[Amsterdam]], [[Copenhagen]], [[Manchester]], [[Madrid]]/[[Las Palmas]], [[Los Angeles]], [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]], and [[Toronto]]. In some meetings, people focus only on photography and spotting, but others such as Zürich included organized tours of the airport. Additionally, several 'Experience meets' have been held, during which the aim is not necessarily aviation, but instead to enjoy the location, its scenery and other attractions. These meetings have been held in [[Svalbard]] and [[Reykjavík]], with the next being held in [[Kiev]]/[[Chernobyl]] and [[McCarran International Airport|Las Vegas]]. |
Members of Airliners.net organize meetings in airports worldwide. Sites of meetings have included [[Amsterdam]], [[Copenhagen]], [[Manchester]], [[Madrid]]/[[Las Palmas]], [[Los Angeles]], [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]], and [[Toronto]]. In some meetings, people focus only on photography and spotting, but others such as Zürich included organized tours of the airport. Additionally, several 'Experience meets' have been held, during which the aim is not necessarily aviation, but instead to enjoy the location, its scenery and other attractions. These meetings have been held in [[Svalbard]] and [[Reykjavík]], with the next being held in [[Kiev]]/[[Chernobyl]] and [[McCarran International Airport|Las Vegas]]. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 02:01, 1 June 2008
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2007) |
| File:AirlinersNetMainPage2July06.jpg Airliners.net Homepage | |
Type of site | Aircraft Photo Archive & Database |
|---|---|
| Owner | Demand Media |
| Created by | Johan Lundgren |
| Revenue | Forum Memberships, Advertising |
| URL | http://www.airliners.net/ |
| Commercial | Yes |
Airliners.net is an aviation website founded by Johan Lundgren in 1997, evolving from his previous Pictures of Modern Airliners site started in 1994. On 27 July2007, it was announced that Airliners.net had been acquired by Demand Media, a company based in Santa Monica, CA, USA.[1] The site has recently been moved from Luleå, Sweden to Demand Media's servers in the USA. Since then some members have criticized Demand Media's practices at maintaining the "aviation community" and believe the emphasis may have changed towards profit. Demand Media state that this is not so and have explained their policies on the site's forums.
The site features a large photo database, discussion forums, a chat room, and an aircraft history and information section. It claims to be the world's largest aviation website with over three million page views from 200,000 individuals daily.[2]
Features
Photos
The photo database contains over one million photographs of aircraft (the million-photo milestone was reached in May 2006), with accompanying information about the aircraft featured in the photographs. The database may be searched by keywords including aircraft registration, line number, location, type of photo, airline and photographer. To ensure the high quality of photographs in the database, photos are screened by photo screeners prior to being accepted. Photos can be commented on, rated, and purchased by visitors.
Discussions
The discussion forums are divided into sections, such as Civil Aviation, Military Aviation and Space, Technical/Operations, Aviation photography, Aviation Hobbies, Non-aviation, and Site related. As of April 2007 there are over 50,000 members, and the Civil Aviation forum has passed 3 million posts. Forum moderators volunteer their time to monitor and manage these forums. In addition to the discussion forums, members have access to a chat room which is managed by chat operators. New users must pay either a one-time $25USD fee to join the discussion forums, or join as a "First Class" member for $5 per month, which provides additional features, such as full screen photos and ad-free browsing. If users decide to cancel a first class membership account, the site holds the account name so that if, at a later date, the user wishes to rejoin Airliners.net, the account and posts will remain intact.
In addition to the photo database and discussion forums, the website accepts aviation articles for publishing, has an automatic news service which gathers aviation news, maintains an information database about aircraft types (based on The International Directory of Civil Aircraft by Gerard Frawley), and hosts a flight and hotel booking service.
2008 Redesign
On May 29, 2008, the site was redesigned by Demand Media. This was the first major redesign since the site's inception. Elements of the new design included a modified home page layout, and the ability to select the color of the background of any page in the site. Many elements of the site remain from the older version, or coexist with elements of the redesign: the discussion forums are of particular note, with the dark teal forum dialogs clashing with the user-selectable background color. It is clear that the majority of the forum members dislike the update, with numerous members expressing a desire to return to the old site design or at least have it offered as an option. Some have claimed that the new layout appears cluttered in comparison to the old layout. [3]
Affiliated and Competing Websites
Airliners.net has a sister website, MyAviation.net, which accepts all photos and was started to cater for photos which do not pass the quality standards of Airliners.net's database. Another sister website is FlightLevel350.com, showcasing aviation videos.
The site competes with both commercial and hobby websites such as JetPhotos.net and PlanePictures.net which have an international character, a new site that is gaining popularity is AirspaceOnline.com Further competitors with a more local focus are, for example, NYCAviation.com (from New York City), DetroitSpotters.com (from Detroit) and VIE-Spotters.net (from Vienna).
Member Meetings
Members of Airliners.net organize meetings in airports worldwide. Sites of meetings have included Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Manchester, Madrid/Las Palmas, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Toronto. In some meetings, people focus only on photography and spotting, but others such as Zürich included organized tours of the airport. Additionally, several 'Experience meets' have been held, during which the aim is not necessarily aviation, but instead to enjoy the location, its scenery and other attractions. These meetings have been held in Svalbard and Reykjavík, with the next being held in Kiev/Chernobyl and Las Vegas.
References
- ^ Big News On The Future Of Airliners.net
- ^ "About Airliners.net". Retrieved 2006-06-05.
- ^ http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/site_related/read.main/74824/ Airliners.net forum thread discussing the site redesign, initiated by Demand Media representative Monique (Flyheligirl)
External links
|
- Airliners.net web site
- Rothfischer, Brigitte (February 2005). "Best of Airliners.net" (PDF Reprint). AERO International (in German). Retrieved 2006-12-27.
- Example of an Airliners.net meeting
- Alexa site information