Another new forum?

[Village Idiot]

This is only half in jest; you guys should open a "What should I buy?" forum. I've noticed that these What camera/flash/lens/lunch should I buy thread end up in the beginner's section, beyond the basics section, equipment review section, photography discussion section, and probably in five or six other parts of the forums...

 

[Big Mike]

I wish we would have a function that requires people to use the search feature before making a post like that. The questions are almost always the same, except that the model numbers change...and, of course, the answers are always the same.

 

[Village Idiot]

I wish we would have a function that requires people to use the search feature before making a post like that. The questions are almost always the same, except that the model numbers change...and, of course, the answers are always the same.

Maybe make a sticky in the appropriate forum stating that all "What should I buy" threads go here and move any that pop up else where. It might be annoying to do at first, but eventually people will get the idea.

I find the "Foundations of Photography" section to be a bit redundant in the fact that people post similar questions in pretty much all of the forums there except the assignment & tech challenges forum. Some one will post what filters work best in one the beginner forum and some one else will post it in the beyond the basic's forum. One guy even posted the same question in the beginner and the advanced forum, just several days apart from each other.

It's so you never really know what you're going to find in each. They're just seperated by the person's opinion of whether they're a beginner or an more advanced photographer.

 

[Big Mike]

Believe me, we have tried several different ways to get people to search and to post their questions in 'what we think' are the correct sections.

Unless we monitor and moderate the sections very actively, people will post all over the place...and few people read the stickies (or they read then, then forget or disregard them).

I do agree that it would probably be helpful to have some threads that addresses these standard/repeated questions.
One problem is that most advice doesn't apply to every situation and much of it is just opinion anyway.

We do/did have a section (from the home page) for articles, which would serve the purpose...but I think there are server problems with that, at the moment.

 

[Village Idiot]

Know anyone that's good with PHP? Whenever some one enters a thread with "what" "should" and "buy" in close proximity to each other and in the wrong forum without searching, it redirects them to a page warning them that if they do it again, they'll be banned from posting any other new threads that contain those words ever again.

 

[Big Mike]

I don't think it's online anymore...but I've often been temped to post at link to
www.googleityoumoron.com

:er:

And no, I don't know anyone who is a wiz with PHP code. Nor do I think that we really want to (or could) go that far...but it might help.

 

[Battou]

Believe me, we have tried several different ways to get people to search and to post their questions in 'what we think' are the correct sections.

Unless we monitor and moderate the sections very actively, people will post all over the place...and few people read the stickies (or they read then, then forget or disregard them).

I do agree that it would probably be helpful to have some threads that addresses these standard/repeated questions.
One problem is that most advice doesn't apply to every situation and much of it is just opinion anyway.

We do/did have a section (from the home page) for articles, which would serve the purpose...but I think there are server problems with that, at the moment.

I don't normally do this (ask for a stickie) but.....Stickie this thread

Yes I do understand what you are saying about people not reading/understanding or just disregarding stikies. This one is an expanding trove of information that could possibly lead to some of these repete questions being more thought out and whatnot. I think it is prolly the closest to addressing the bulk of situations and can still expand to include some of the missed ones.

A user with a more thought out question is far more easier to deal with than the standard issue "Nikon or Canon?" ones.


*EDIT*

We should also have someplace a thread of Scam sites that should be avoided. Containing not only the names of the sites but some general information as to how to spot a scam and how to find out a sites validity.

 

[Village Idiot]

And include resellerratings.com. A pretty valuable reasource right there...for American purchasers anyways.

On a lighter note, how about a usb powered finger device that the user is required to wear on one of their fingers and that won't let them post otherwise. When they post a "what should I buy" post that's been posted in the past 30 days, it zaps them? :mrgreen:

Ed: And as long as the forums aren't set to auto prune, you could actually make one sticky like an FAQ linked to other threads.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Would it not be of more use to just block any posts containing the phrases 'what should I buy' and 'which one is best'?

 

[PNA]

What about a thread which is titled just "Questions"...????

 

[Village Idiot]

Would it not be of more use to just block any posts containing the phrases 'what should I buy' and 'which one is best'?

What about the one person that asks a legit question? They would be devestated.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Life is full of little disappointments

 

[JohnMF]

i think this sort of thing is just part and parcel of a forum like this. There is always someone else willing to answer the same old questions if nobody else can be bothered