One single thread by species/category ?

[G-FOTO.de]

When going through the differents posts here, I noticed that there were only few comments and views for each post.

Wouldn't it make sense to have a common thread by species/category where everyone throws in his pics for that species/category ?
For example
- birds general
- waterfowls
- Owls
etc.

We do similiar in our german speaking Sony Forum and it works fine.

Of course this does not prevent someone from presenting his pics in his own thread.

Its just an idea to concentrate the action somehow and make things alive.

What do you think?
I have started a 1-week poll

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

There is already a Bird Subforum, but posts there don't seem to get looked at very much.

 

[Ziggy]

I think it can work well.

There's one for grebes here if memory serves.

 

[G-FOTO.de]

...There's one for grebes here if memory serves.

I couldn't even find it...

I feel kind of lost with all these short 3-4 replies posts.

But I will wait for further feedback.

 

[Doug Herr]

Anyone is welcome to add more woodpeckers to the thread I started.

 

[garuda]

Another option that might be easier on Tim to mod forum format — keep the current format, but add an entry field in the top banner of Thread's start-up panel to allow posters (OPs) to enter descriptive info about that specie; So this desc field might be filled in like this; ie. — Photo, Bird, raptor, eagle, bald, (etc), (etc) | or — Photo, Bird, BIF, Owl, horned, white tail, (etc);, (etc) | or — Photo, Dinosaur, T-Rex, Herrerasauria, (whatever describes the specie). In other words, you use KEYWORDS to find specific species. And you can do the same format for Animals.

So if interested in a specific specie, put category or specific name in your search argument so it brings back only what was searched on. Using the search engine might be easier than adding hundreds of animal or bird categories, since the forum splash panel would look so busy with so many top-level category selections, new users may become less attracted by thinking, "so many categories, and sub-categories, and sub-sub-categories."

By putting PHOTO as the first Keyword, it takes you to the photo screen. Then if you want to see the Thread the specie was cited on, then left-click on the "Thread" name in upper right corner of photo display screen. This will likely require Tim to mod software so that keyword "Photo" searchs in Gallery first for the described specie in search argument.

As I think Kev mentioned, sub-sub-categories don't get accessed so much. likely because people are unable or unwilling to drill down thru the dialog.
Just a thought.

Below would be a search for all eagles and owls:

 

[Jeff A]

Geez, Mike! You have to back off on some of these big words you insist on throwing around. Not all of us have the same kind of edumacation that you do.

 

[garuda]

Good one, Jeff .

My apologies for perseverating on the specificities with copious perspicuous descriptions that tend to overwhelmingly perplex you.

Don't tell anyone, but I have a perfezsional writer who compooses these posts, so as not to expoze myself as the village idiot.

 

[Tim Mayo]

When going through the differents posts here, I noticed that there were only few comments and views for each post.

Wouldn't it make sense to have a common thread by species/category where everyone throws in his pics for that species/category ?
For example
- birds general
- waterfowls
- Owls
etc.

We do similiar in our german speaking Sony Forum and it works fine.

Of course this does not prevent someone from presenting his pics in his own thread.

Its just an idea to concentrate the action somehow and make things alive.

What do you think?
I have started a 1-week poll

Thanks for your feedback Guido and sorry that I've only just spotted this. I've moved it into the feedback/suggestions forum .

People are more than welcome to start a common thread for different species, but I don't think I'm going to start creating these myself as this would result in thousands of threads for all the different species, many of which would remain empty.

I could add some prompt text to encourage people to create a species thread if one doesn't already exist, and add to the existing ones, but it might be overlooked. If there are existing threads then these will normally be suggested automatically when people start entering a title.

If we came up with a list of say 10-20 popular species/threads to get the ball rolling then this could work, and be a lot less work for me

Another option that might be easier on Tim to mod forum format — keep the current format, but add an entry field in the top banner of Thread's start-up panel to allow posters (OPs) to enter descriptive info about that specie; So this desc field might be filled in like this; ie. — Photo, Bird, raptor, eagle, bald, (etc), (etc) | or — Photo, Bird, BIF, Owl, horned, white tail, (etc);, (etc) | or — Photo, Dinosaur, T-Rex, Herrerasauria, (whatever describes the specie). In other words, you use KEYWORDS to find specific species. And you can do the same format for Animals.

So if interested in a specific specie, put category or specific name in your search argument so it brings back only what was searched on. Using the search engine might be easier than adding hundreds of animal or bird categories, since the forum splash panel would look so busy with so many top-level category selections, new users may become less attracted by thinking, "so many categories, and sub-categories, and sub-sub-categories."

By putting PHOTO as the first Keyword, it takes you to the photo screen. Then if you want to see the Thread the specie was cited on, then left-click on the "Thread" name in upper right corner of photo display screen. This will likely require Tim to mod software so that keyword "Photo" searchs in Gallery first for the described specie in search argument.

As I think Kev mentioned, sub-sub-categories don't get accessed so much. likely because people are unable or unwilling to drill down thru the dialog.
Just a thought.

Below would be a search for all eagles and owls:

This is similar to tagging, which is currently disabled. Mainly because it's impossible for me to manually enter all of the different tags that could be used to describe an image, and if I allow members to create tags then you can end up with many duplicates that are misspelt and overtime it becomes difficult to manage these. I might look into it again though, or run it for a trial period to see how it works out.

 

[garuda]

This is similar to tagging, which is currently disabled.

Tim, I have one more comment for when/if you decide to reconsider this format change in the future. Would it be expedient to add to the OP Thread Startup panel — a series of radio checkboxes similar to the “Tag” function using preset keywords (hit labels):

CHECK ONLY IF PHOTO INSERTED: Birds Landscape People Animals Other

And if any of these boxes are checked, you could have already “coded-in” that the search applies only to photos, but not threads/posts (just in case someone includes a “hit” label in their Thread title).

This might preclude problems with misspells, etc. and yet allow searches based on the categories checked.

P.S. --- Tim, I just opened a thread start panel to screen print a copy, and it looks like the Tag option not disabled. See screen shot below for sample of my suggestion for future, if prudent:

 

[Tim Mayo]

Tim, I have one more comment for when/if you decide to reconsider this format change in the future. Would it be expedient to add to the OP Thread Startup panel — a series of radio checkboxes similar to the “Tag” function using preset keywords (hit labels):

CHECK ONLY IF PHOTO INSERTED: Birds Landscape People Animals Other

And if any of these boxes are checked, you could have already “coded-in” that the search applies only to photos, but not threads/posts (just in case someone includes a “hit” label in their Thread title).

This might preclude problems with misspells, etc. and yet allow searches based on the categories checked.

P.S. --- Tim, I just opened a thread start panel to screen print a copy, and it looks like the Tag option not disabled. See screen shot below for sample of my suggestion for future, if prudent:

Good suggestion, but if people are posting in the landscape forum for example then they wouldn't really need to tick a landscape box as well, and having a check box for lots of different subjects wouldn't really be viable as there would be too many. I think that perhaps threads for popular animals in the wildlife forum along with tagging 'might' be the best option to trial for now. I enabled the tagging option just after I finished writing my last post Also it's already possible to search the gallery and InstaView based on categories like wildlife, birds, landscape, people etc...

 

[Reciprocum]

Usually this kind of classification issues are well approached/solved by the use of #tags, don't know if this forum software allows for those.

 

[garuda]

Usually this kind of classification issues are well approached/solved by the use of #tags, don't know if this forum software allows for those.

It does, Afonso. Tim recently enabled it. But I think it hits on the entire thread/post, not just the photos only. Maybe someone knowledgeable can clarify this.

I'm not sure I want to see all the posts/threads w that tag, but rather only photos.

 

[Tim Mayo]

It does, Afonso. Tim recently enabled it. But I think it hits on the entire thread/post, not just the photos only. Maybe someone knowledgeable can clarify this.

I'm not sure I want to see all the posts/threads w that tag, but rather only photos.

In the forums the tags only work for the main thread, so not replies/posts or images. If you upload an image directly to the media gallery then you can add tags to these as the media gallery handles images a little differently. Of course, tags will only display if they have been added, and I've limited them to 5 tags per thread/image to stop people going crazy with them.

 

[garuda]

.... tags only work for the main thread, so not replies/posts or images.

Is it possible to add tags to the Thread after the fact? How?

 

[Tim Mayo]

Is it possible to add tags to the Thread after the fact? How?

Yes providing you started the thread. You just need to click the tag icon at the top of the thread:

 

[garuda]

Got it. Thanks again, Tim