Potential changes to the forum to prioritise good content, suggestions welcome...

[richg101]

ban anyone selling stuff on the forum.  why should someone earn a quick buck off your hard work building this forum?  If i want a lens i search google and ebay.  I don't think we need listings here any more - particularly from leaches who don't contribute to the forum discussions.

[nahua]

I think the moderator idea is a good one.  Take the people who contribute the most and have them vested in the site.  It would be a shame to see this site become like Cinema5D - fragmented mess. 

 

On a side note let's see who you pissed off with your opinions:

 

Sony fanboys - A7S rolling shutter?

Blackmagic fanboys - sensor issues?  Firmware?  Truth in your face?

Canon fanboys - overpriced?  C100/300 hurt much?  Nothing at NAB?  Aww...

Nikon fanboys - alias much?  Moire?  Unfortunate lack of features?

Panasonic fanboys - crazy russian hacker?  Weird personal views?

Everything else - keep your politics/public/copyrights to yourself damn it!

 

You know Andrew this is your blog.  Do as you see fit.  I like it this way.  Better than Reduser, DVXuser, Planet5D, Cinema5D, and all the rest.  Let's have some open honesty.  But no more personal attacks.  I guess you can understand why Bloom has all the damn "disclaimers" on his blog...

[Andrew Reid]

I'd say, live and let live.

Not all readers of your blog are of the same professional level as you are, but still the same, they learn a lot from your post and the forum.

Throwing these beginners out, as some suggest here, not only undermines the whole concept of having a blog/forum, Andrew

 

Who says anything about throwing out beginners? I am not sure where you got this from in my post? Everyone is a beginner at the start, creativity is not exclusive to those with experience and high knowledge levels. It isn't beginners I have a problem with at all actually. It is some of the personalities and attitudes of hardened professionals that I find most challenging to deal with on the whole. Anyway it is wrong to generalise or point the finger at a whole group. This is not about pros vs beginners or anything of the sort. Membership of the forum should be on an individual basis and based on the quality of the posts.

[Andrew Reid]

Thanks for all the views so far. It has given me a few ideas.

 

I think the vote system to relegate or delete comments is interesting but in practice it won't work because it would render a thread unreadable. It breaks the flow and may make a nonsense of the good posts that remain or cause them go out of context.

 

Sometimes the bad posts makes others respond with good posts, so maybe I should just keep the forum open to all.

 

Maybe it is a necessary process in life and in creativity to trawl through the rubbish to find the diamond in the rough?

[Flynn]

I think you're gonna end up offending a lot of your readers who don't make the cut and might negatively impact your traffic. My guess is most of us who visit your site aren't professionals, we're looking to learn. In a way, you're saying our thoughts don't matter going forward, only those of your handpicked experts. People are bound to be offended. I partially understand why you want to limit the posters, you've had to put up with some really cruel and unfair comments. It's your forum, do what you think is best for you and your sanity. But I probably won't be spending too much time on any forum that won't allow me to post or makes noobs feel unwanted/unwelcome.

[Andrew Reid]

This is pretty much exactly the kind of thing I am getting at.

 

People who don't properly 'get' or even read the main topic or article and make a quick comment.

 

It is like you're paying more attention to Ivan's words than my own.

 

Just this moment said it and clarified that I am not picking on beginners or non-professionals and yet you feel that is the case. Why?

[Flynn]

And I don't mean that to sound harsh, I still appreciate all you've done Andrew, I'll continue visiting the main EOSHD site, that's where I spend most of my time. There's so much sniping and meanness on the board lately, not good. People always complaining and attacking you. It gets old. Like I said, I totally understand your exasperation. Just, if I can't post, I'll probably spend more time on other sites where I can continue to post.

[Andrew Reid]

I just want the place to be even more constructive than it already is really.

 

Keep the suggestions coming :)

[itimjim]

Can you not implement some of the following:
- No new topics (manually set/required number of replies)
- Dislike button (below threshold auto hide)
- Temporary ban (for abuse or out of line)
- Add a ' on a warning' marker and display it with the user stats and profile pic on the left
- Report button
- Add a reputation feature

This is your house. You've been very lenient to be honest with you and I think it could be much better with a bit of tighter governance that promotes slightly better etiquette.

[Flynn]

Andrew, when you say, "In preparation for the potential change over the next few weeks I will name the top quality people on here. Those who contribute interesting and cool stuff to the forum..." I took that to mean primarily pros/experts. Those are the people I've tended to learn the most from, folks like the fellow who shot with the RX100s for Mtv (can't remember his name!) or jcs, etc.

[FilmBrute]

Some common options are: moderators, and low content forums/threads. Many people just want to argue. It's become a form of socialization; arguing with ppl online. Well, on several forums I'm on we have low content threads that help contain the bickering. Closing off the forum will prevent any new knowledgeable people from joining, and people will not be able to interact with this site as well. It's a pretty niche site. Where else can people talk anamorphics like this?

[Andrew Reid]

Some common options are: moderators, and low content forums/threads. Many people just want to argue. It's become a form of socialization; arguing with ppl online. Well, on several forums I'm on we have low content threads that help contain the bickering. Closing off the forum will prevent any new knowledgeable people from joining, and people will not be able to interact with this site as well. It's a pretty niche site. Where else can people talk anamorphics like this?

 

Yes but in your other post, you said something about 99% of non-pros being bozos and shooting nothing but static trees.

 

Do you see what I mean by being constructive in posts from now on and now putting stuff out there that is designed to instigate a huge argument?

[FilmBrute]

Yes I regret that Andrew, especially after seeing this thread and that you are struggling with maintaining quality level. It was a worthless post and I should have made my point differently. 

[DanMorrison]

Okay, this is going to be out there... but.. consider the way that evolution shapes living things over time.. It's a natural process of trial and error, going through all the different variations until one mutation works a bit better.. and the species evolves in that new direction... 

 

I know we all don't have millions of years here... but, I see the value in allowing for every possible kind of post in a forum, because who knows... it could be the most idiotic post that inspires a terrific post from another... 

 

This thread, for instance, is the result of an increase in nonconstructive posters... you could say that they are responsible for the improvements being discussed right now. 

 

Though, I also think that we have a certain capacity to know what direction we should each take for success, growth, and happyness. So, it is not a case of just letting things happen mindlessly... 

 

In the end, I don't think there is one single correct path for the forum, but I think it's important that the creator, Andrew, steers the forum in whatever direction he feels will make him and those here most happy. Whether or not it will lead to the forums success, or downfall will remain to be seen. Either way, it exists as an experiment, and should be allowed to adapt. 

[Bruno]

I think the vote system to relegate or delete comments is interesting but in practice it won't work because it would render a thread unreadable. It breaks the flow and may make a nonsense of the good posts that remain or cause them go out of context.

 

I've seen forums/comment sections where down-voted posts get collapsed and there's only a line saying "post hidden due to low ratings", but if you click on it you can still expand it and read it, this could be an option...

[Henry Gentles]

There's no such thing as a perfect Forum, but honestly as a Film and TV Student, this is best crowd of ppl on the planet if you really want to know what is actually happening in terms of camera technology and production values and technique, and all the Pro's here are only too happy to pass on their knowledge and experience. You can spot the dissenters here a mile away because of their competitive tone and besides everyone else is always so nice, helpful and friendly! I think that's worth protecting!!

[maxotics]

The main audience of EOSHD is not the audience I think you have in mind when you work on it.   In the end, most of the forum members will seem phony for you (and that will both sadden and annoy you).  As others have pointed out, who you reply to, or don't reply to, say more about you than you realize.

 

Are you a film-maker?  A camera reviewer?  A video gad-fly?  How anyone could possibly support themselves doing what you do is a complete mystery to me (or, anyone with a family).

 

I've been expecting you to one day shut the site down, or abandon it.  I don't see how you can keep up this pace.  Something will have to give.

 

I don't know how long I will be following this site.  I used to be on the Magic Lantern forum all the time.  I no longer visit it.  I will follow threads on DPReview, but I quickly burn out (for the reasons you mention).   If I was making videos, instead of experimenting with equipment, I wouldn't have time for this forum (a catch-22).  

 

I'm very curious to see how you evolve.  I see no way to "prioritize" content on the forum.  Are there problems?  Yes.  But less than most other forums.   Are the forums worth your time?  My 2-cents is you don't really have the personality for it.  You're neither warm nor fuzzy.

 

You don't seem to want to charge for a lot of your original content.  And you don't run adverts.  Do you understand that money, beyond its monetary worth, also separates the serious from the frivolous.  Money could be part of the solution somehow.  Money talks and bull___ walks.

 

As another posted, you can't have it both ways, tons of viewers and high quality.  They are inversely proportional.  What makes you happiest?  What do you do best? 

[jasondhsd]

 

I am considering a change to the forum which would effectively see it closed but for a few selected members who have a proven track record of good posts. The forum would have a lot of exposure and readers. Like a 'second blog' to EOSHD that everybody can get something interesting out of.

 

 

If you did this what would be the criteria for new members to be accepted into the forum to be able to post something?

 

Instead of closing it off I would recommend the following:

1. A 30-day read-only period, figure if they're patient enough to wait 30-days after signing up they're probably not out to troll the site.
2. After 30-days the can only post a maximum of 5 posts per day to encourage quality over quantity do this until 150 posts are reached if they hang in there for that long they're probably going to be a good forum member.
3. Delegate some moderation powers to a few trusted and productive forum members like the ability to mark and hide a post as off-topic or even issue bans. 

[Lucian]

You don't seem to want to charge for a lot of your original content.  And you don't run adverts.  Do you understand that money, beyond its monetary worth, also separates the serious from the frivolous.  Money could be part of the solution somehow.  Money talks and bull___ walks.

 

 

A lot folks buy Andrew's guides, including myself. Much better than ads!

 

* I agree, some moderators and just ban folks if they are causing excessive issues. I know I'd probably lose interest if it were a closed forum.

[Axel]

I subscribe to the 'evolution' theory above.

There are so many changes in the video market, one just can't google everything. I receive newsletters from Adobe, Avid, BMD, Apple, Panasonic, Sony, CreativeCow, NoFilmSchool, Wolfcrow and a bunch of german sites, but I learn faster and more from EOSHD.

Here is how it works: Andrew shovels in articles. People leave their comments, many in the way of dogs who set their marks on new trees. But very quickly you have a broad scope of opinions, of aspects. They aren't reliable, many aren't even on topic, but in the end, one knows more.