Photo Tips Forum?

[Photo-John]

A few weeks ago, Photo Girl requested a "Tip of the Day" feature. I've been chewing on this one for a while and I think it's finally formed itself into something implementable. What do you guys think of having a dedicated Photo Tips forum? It would be a way for the community to contribute their own How-to and guide content. If we use the thread rating feature, the best posts can be floated to the top. And even better - the very best stuff can be edited and formatted for the Learn section. Maybe one tip per month gets selected for the Learn section and the author gets a $100 gift certificate for B&H. It's a good way for people to contribute, for the community to judge what's good, and for people who make a real effort to get some attention.

Thoughts?

[another view]

That could work, but would every tip be a new thread in that forum? Or set up a thread for "post processing tips", "studio lighting tips", etc? That might be easier to follow.

[Photo-John]

That could work, but would every tip be a new thread in that forum? Or set up a thread for "post processing tips", "studio lighting tips", etc? That might be easier to follow.

Good question.

I'm not sure we can even start it out as a standalone forum. We'd have to get it started within a current forum. If it takes off then we can create a new forum. But in order to rate the threads we'd need to make each thread a separate tip. You can rate threads but not posts. To help people search and sort we could have a naming convention and preloaded search links for each category. I'm good at figuring out workarounds

[walterick]

Hmm...

Something dawned on me John as I was sifting through the drop-down menu the other day...

Do we have too many forums?

I didn't realize we had a dedicated Nikon forum until yesterday. Or a photo business forum. I see that a lot of people are posting in most of the forums so I guess they are being frequented. But I wondered if the forum count is getting a little out of hand. I liked it when the photo project was part of the Viewfinder for instance. I don't think to go over there to look or contribute to it. The same with Studio and Lighting, I love the forum but I always forget it's there.

Just a thought. I know a lot of people are using the forums so I may be a minority here. But I figured I'd voice my concern.

I love the idea of a photo tips... forum, thread, anything. I remember we had one back in the day. I'd love to see it started in Viewfinder and see where it goes from there. I guess another forum wouldn't hurt. I just can't keep track of them all now

[Speed]

I'm with Rick. While it is great having specific forums, the fact is I don't frequent most of them because there are so many.

Also like Rick, Iove the idea of a Photo Tips area/forum/whatever.

I really like your idea of rating them so the best ones go to the top. That way they don't get lost in the shuffle. No wonder you're the Captian of the Ship!

[ken1953]

I have put in my 2 cents before, but I really like your idea about the rating system. I for one have really benefitted from tips and suggestions from everyone, but when I go back and try to find most of them, well...lets just say, for the most part...it's been impossible. Having a dedicated site would be great.
As for too many forums, as discussed about the Photo as Art forum, what is important to one person may not be important to another. It does seem like some forums get much more traffic than others, but that doesn't mean the less frequented forums aren't valuable.
I, like everyone else, have my favorite forums and others that I rarely visit. I do think right now, we have a good selection of Forums to choose from. Too Many??? that's kind of subjective, but I know that PJ is keeping an eye on it and if it looks like something needs to be archived, he is on the ball!! I really liked the addition of the Manufacturer Specific forums. Admittedly, I rarely go into the "other" forum....hehe...but I have been known to venture there when something sounds interesting. hehe..
Let's see...my 2 cents before + my 2 cents now = -4 sense that I didn't have to begin with...hmmmm...hehehe
Ken

[dmm96452]

There would need to be a way to organize them so that the same tips aren't posted over and over just because they get pushed to the second page.

[walterick]

I'm with Rick. While it is great having specific forums, the fact is I don't frequent most of them because there are so many.

Also like Rick, Iove the idea of a Photo Tips area/forum/whatever.

Damnit man try to have a thought of your own!

[Speed]

Damnit man try to have a thought of your own!

Sorry Rick.

You beat me to it, so all I could really do was second what you said.

Hangs his head in shame...

[Speed]

Yes, "too many" is a subjective thing. And I really like the ones I frequent. I spend most of my time on Viewfinder. I piddle in the Nature and Wildlife Forum, dabble in Critique, and pop in fairly reguarly on the Nikon Forum as well. I only go to the Business Forum, Help Files, or Sudio and Lighting if I see something of interest on the main forum page. There are some that I've never been to. To each his own.

And for the record, as long as PJ has it under control, I'm NOT complaining!

:-D