PLEASE, be aware...

[back alley]

we have a bunch of new forum sections.

as a moderator, i am already constantly moving threads to the 'correct' section as many folks just dump their post in 'general discussion'.
with the new sections i assume this habit will only get worse.
remember, the mods are volunteer members and we like to enjoy our time here as well, and moving threads is just a pita and boring to boot.

i ask for your cooperation and sincerely thank those who pay attention to this small detail.

thanks folks.
joe

[Al Patterson]

can be in multiple fora. A Canon QL17 is a Canon AND a Fixed Lens RF. I'm sure there are Scale Focus 35's that are also Fixed Lens Rfs.

And the plethora of Medium Format fora makes me glad I have a TLR.

I'm sure we'll figure it out eventually...

[Gabriel M.A.]

Could there be a "I don't know where else to put this since the names are too general and sometimes overlapping - moderator, please move" forum?

[Topdog1]

Why don't the new forums show up on the forum list on the left side of the page? I'm sure that would help alot!

/Ira

[Gabriel M.A.]

The Paris RFF meetup thread I just posted, I put in the "Members Only" forum because it's not really an RFF club (that I know of), and it's not Rangefinder General Discussion. Suggestions?

[back alley]

i usually go on a post by post basis and hope that i'm moving things to the 'right' section.

i see off topic as a good place for unsure posts as well as members only. both are pretty open.

joe

[back alley]

and please, i hope this is not seen as a complaint or criticism.

just trying to make it easier on me and the mods.

[clintock]

Wow, there sure are a lot of new forums.. I hope the mods don't suffer as a result..
That's allotta forums, many.. mucho..

[dcsang]

Where's the "Dave's Fun Forum" ? ;)

Dave

[CameraQuest]

I added the new forums in hopes they would benefit the RFF community. Some new forums may not prove popular, and will eventually be combined with other forums in time.

Yes, some posts are suitable for multiple forums. Just use your best judgement. There will be no RFF "forum posting class."

Moderators, in time the new forums will take on a life of their own, and old posts in the "wrong forums" can still be found with search. Unless a thread is particuarly important, I would not bother changing an older post into a newer forum -- simply because it can drive you nutz trying to get EVERY post in the right forum.


Stephen

[Nick R.]

We just went through similar posting problems a short while back so Jorge eliminated a bunch of forums which seemed to help. Now we're back to too many forums. I don't see the need to micro-catagorize everything. It makes browsing the site tedious, imo.

[Gabriel M.A.]

I don't see the need to micro-catagorize everything. It makes browsing the site tedious, imo.
Perhaps we need a "I want this new forum - talk amongst yowselvs" forum, and another called "I don't want this new forum". Of course, the inevitable "I don't agree with any of them" forum will need to be created. :angel:

[dnk512]

It would be nice if the user who starts a threat has the option to list it in more than one forums. So, though the thread exist only in one location inside the database it shows up in more than one forums. Not very difficult to implement but it may require a new table in the db in addition to the small changes in the GUI.

[back alley]

...Moderators, in time the new forums will take on a life of their own, and old posts in the "wrong forums" can still be found with search. Unless a thread is particuarly important, I would not bother changing an older post into a newer forum -- simply because it can drive you nutz trying to get EVERY post in the right forum...

i may be too neurotic to let that happen.
i'll talk it over with my therapist and see what we come up...;)

[Rich Silfver]

We just went through similar posting problems a short while back so Jorge eliminated a bunch of forums which seemed to help. Now we're back to too many forums. I don't see the need to micro-catagorize everything. It makes browsing the site tedious, imo.

I agree. Some of the new forums are also redundant and overlapping.
Jorge had a pretty good handle on what forums were needed - this seems to be an unnecessary exercise in 'doing something new'.

Maybe, if new forums ARE needed, take a step back and think about if forums should be;
- BRAND specific (Canon, Leica, etc), or
- TYPE specific (fixed lens rangefinders, M-Mount, LTM, etc), or
- FORMAT (35, MF, etc).

Some the ones above could be sections with others as forums inside them but to mix them on the same forum-level as now will create a lot of redundancies and make it a pain to figure out what forum a post should go in to.

A site like RFF that has been around for some time have already gone through much of the growing that flushes out the need for new forums (and new ones have been added when enough momentum was there).

I'd hate for RFF to end up looking like CameraQuest which is great example of a really good site with a horrendous structure.

[Topdog1]

" I'd hate for RFF to end up looking like CameraQuest which is great example of a really good site with a horrendous structure."

The problem with the CameraQuest site is that it has NO structure - great information - but no structure.

/Ira

[Spyderman]

Rich, Topdog: How dare you criticise CameraQuest.com ? :eek: Don't you know HE is listening ;)

[Ash]

hey joe i apologise for the times my threads have been in the wrong place!


If you need any help with the mod stuff let me know, I'm on the forum often enough (and I'll make sure my threads are in the right places from now on ;) )

[Gabriel M.A.]

Looks like the one that is getting Babelized is the "Bigger than 35mm" section.

What's going on?? What happened to the expand-forums-as-necessary, and also the communicate-to-the-community-about-the-changes-so-that-they're-not-confused-and-make-the-owner-and-moderators'-life-more-miserable way?

Looks like things are changing already.

[Ash]

Gab,

check my join date and tell me things haven't been changing since then :eek:

[popstar]

I agree with Rich's basic premise - thought needs to go into how new forums are launched. When type and product overlap (which is often!), which one wins out?

RFF has a legacy of being a useful teaching tool and community. In time, when newbies are searching through old posts looking to learn, something valuable might be missed if they are in the wrong forum. Granted, a site search might be better, but might not always be practical.

I guess we'll see how it shakes out...

[Buze]

I'd like to add my "vote" to the "too many forum" topic. It doesn't serve any purpose BUT to make it hard to find where to post, and also having quite a number of forums that will have a post every 6 months.
How many of us shoot a large format rangefinder ? Why not have a forum called "Even Bigger" in the Medium format section and be done with it ?

Buze, from the "Manual Focus forum" and all of it's ... 6 forums :D

[Socke]

I fear that we'll have another forum split in the works. The Contax froum where we discussed Zeiss and Kyocera Contax cameras is now named Zeiss Contax :(

[nasmformyzombie]

I agree. Some of the new forums are also redundant and overlapping.
Jorge had a pretty good handle on what forums were needed - this seems to be an unnecessary exercise in 'doing something new'.

Maybe, if new forums ARE needed, take a step back and think about if forums should be;
- BRAND specific (Canon, Leica, etc), or
- TYPE specific (fixed lens rangefinders, M-Mount, LTM, etc), or
- FORMAT (35, MF, etc).

...A site like RFF that has been around for some time have already gone through much of the growing that flushes out the need for new forums (and new ones have been added when enough momentum was there).

Rich is on the mark here. Too many forums!