The things that are coming on Mattrunks.com

You’ve probably noticed that the site has been running a bit slow lately.
It’s time to explain this silence… and especially to finally share with you everything that’s coming to the site over the next few weeks.

This article is divided into two parts: the first is a little boring — a personal update. The second is much more interesting — all about what’s coming next! Plus a small bonus for premium members at the end.

Three months after the premium launch — the recap

Last December, the site reached a major milestone with the introduction of the credit system and premium subscriptions. If you’re interested, you can read the dedicated article here.
Of course, not everyone was happy — it’s hard to turn a completely free site (for four years) into a semi-paid one without upsetting a few people. I hope that by the end of this article, those people will understand how beneficial this change already is — and will be — for the site’s future.

Thank you

Fortunately, the vast majority of readers welcomed the change, which was a logical evolution for anyone who’s followed the project since the beginning. I want to thank everyone who’s placed their trust in my courses and made a deposit since the new model launched. Thank you. It’s thanks to you that the next version is coming so soon!

Around the world

One of the biggest surprises right after the premium launch was the number of international customers. I knew that about 25% of users were from non-French-speaking countries, but I didn’t expect to reach that audience with a completely French-language site (even though some tutorials are translated).
From day one, dozens of people from the United States, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Russia, and more subscribed to premium. Even today, the ratio of French to international buyers is impressive — almost one in three.
Of course, since the interface isn’t in English yet, and many sections use image-based text, navigating the site can be tricky for non-French users.
That led to a flood of emails from users abroad asking for help navigating the site, activating premium accounts, or making purchases. Which brings us to the next point…

Emails and customer support

The weeks following the launch were intense. As the only person managing the site, I had to learn to be far more responsive to emails than usual...

I have to admit — I’m currently not great at responding to emails or site comments. Whether it’s After Effects questions, project help, or business inquiries, I only reply to a small fraction. I know that can feel unfair, and I apologize. But right now, it’s just not realistic to handle every message that comes in daily. I’m planning to bring someone on board to help manage all that, because it’s taking more and more time — and every one of you deserves an answer.
But to be honest, if I can spend two hours experimenting in After Effects to prepare a new tutorial instead of replying to 20 emails, I’ll always choose the tutorial — because it helps many more people.

That said, I obviously can’t leave anyone who’s made a purchase without support. Customer service and responsiveness are a top priority. A ticket system has been integrated into the site, allowing for simpler issue tracking and follow-up. And I think those who’ve used it have gotten quick responses. :)

The customer journey — needs a complete overhaul

Anyone who’s purchased something on the site has likely noticed it — the buying process is too complicated. I’ve learned a lot over the past three months, especially thanks to user feedback, and activating a premium account should not be this difficult.

Go to the premium page, which links to the deposit page, which credits your account with credits. Then go back to the premium page to activate it with those credits… way too complex for many users — and I get it.

I tried my best to integrate the paid system into the existing site, but it’s still a patchwork, built on a WordPress setup that wasn’t designed for this.
Improving the user experience — making everything intuitive — is one of the main reasons for the upcoming redesign.

Content matters

Of course, if you subscribe to a premium plan for a month, you expect new tutorials during that time — and that’s fair.
Since the launch in mid-December, six new tutorials have been published, including two free ones. That’s still more than in all of 2011, but it’s far from what I want.
My long-term goal is simple: at least one new tutorial per week. And I intend to stick to it.

Publishing regular content — tutorials, in-depth articles, and contests (more on that below) — will be my top priority for 2012.
But then, why weren’t there more tutorials in February?
If, like many, you’ve wondered: “What’s he doing? Why are there no new tutorials? I thought this was his full-time job now!” — the answer’s coming in the next section. And I think you’ll like it. ;)

A new version of the site is coming!

A desire for change

The current version of the site was designed in 2009 and launched in August 2010. There are many reasons behind the need for a new version — here are the main ones:

The premium section is poorly integrated; it could be much clearer and simpler for users
The site is monolingual — a native English version is long overdue
The site is slow… very slow. Once logged in, caching disappears, and navigation becomes painful
Since 2009, both my vision and your expectations have evolved
A desire for a complete visual redesign to reflect these changes
A desire to use modern technologies (HTML5, CSS3, semantic code, webfonts, sprites, etc.)

Visual redesign

New site, new design! I had the pleasure of working with Théo, Art Director at Colorz, on this new version. I’m trying hard not to share too many pages yet… but the surprise will be worth it!
So I’ll stop there for now. :)

Rebuilding the platform

It’s important to understand that the new version will be much more than a graphic redesign.
I’ve spent several weeks designing a complete mockup of the next version, adding tons of new features and pages, with the user experience as the main focus. In total, there will be over 30 different pages. This isn’t just a new WordPress theme.
In fact, one major change is leaving WordPress behind. I love it and have used it for over four years — it helped me learn PHP (in a simplified way through the Codex) and HTML/CSS through trial and error.
But it’s time to move to the next level — in every sense.

Fast, multilingual, and scalable

The new version is being developed by my friend Grafikart, who also built the premium system a few months ago. Even back then, we were already discussing this new version, knowing the current setup wasn’t sufficient. But honestly, even I didn’t expect it to arrive this soon!

CakePHP, jQuery, PHP 5.3, Compass, and i18n are powering this new version.
One of the first things you’ll notice compared to the current site is the speed!
I have trouble going back to the live version after working on the beta — the difference is that big. For you, that means smoother navigation and much faster load times — and that’s a huge win. :)

The good news is that the hardest part is already done! The WordPress database import and management system is perfectly handled by Jonathan, the back office is built, and just a few pages remain to finalize… The bad news? I’m way too impatient to show it to you. ;)

To sum up…

I realize I’ve written another huge block of text… when my original plan was just to say, “Hey, the site’s still alive!”
So if your head’s spinning, here’s a quick summary of what you can expect — among other things — in the next version. I’ll of course go into more detail on launch day!

New design
New custom-built engine (faster and more scalable)
Available natively in French and English (mattrunks.com/fr/ and mattrunks.com/en/)
New useful community features for members
New pricing and offers (no price increase!)
New instructors
New tutorials
New contests, with improved organization to avoid delays like Contest #6 (my fault too, admittedly)
And many other surprises…
…coming April 2012. Yes, April!

2012 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the site :) I can’t wait to share it all with you — live, very soon!

A little bonus!

To celebrate the new version, everyone who subscribed to a premium account since the December launch will receive an extra 30 days on their account (or reactivation for older ones) on the day of the new version’s release.
Because it’s thanks to you that it’s happening!