Quality Posts

Anyone know anything about ConceptDesignForum.com? Im gonna join, I think, but are there any people here who use it, or are members?

Pganguly, although I haven't been to that forum, I guess one of the ways to decide if a forum is good or not, in general, is to scope out their Miscellaneous section or General Discussion and see the attitudes of the majority of the members. If most of them seem to be actual mature people, then I guess it's not a bad idea to try and mingle in with that forum. I think the perfect example of a forum where 90% of the members are immature 14 years olds would be www.gotfrag.com .

I always seem to respect the posts by people with a higher post count, since they have invested more time in the forum, and are most likely more knowledgeable on whatever topic the forum is about.

Exactly. I do the same thing. The last example... i was looking for hosting over at webhostingtalk.com...reading all the reviews...and then i based the reviews i read on the post counts. Also i looked up the post count of the guy who runs my host to see how active/smart he is. Post counts actually come in handy now and then!

Also, I think it may be time to think about the posibility of segregating the forum into 'Pro's' and 'Newbies'. Namely for the sake of allowing new members, who are already professionals, from knowing who is an industry professional, with experience under their belt, and who is not, but can offer a valid opinion, that may not bear as much weight upon their final choice for a design amendment, based on member feedback. I guess what I'm saying is that it's Time to separate the men from the boys, specifically to help boost the number of professionals who use the forums as a real tool for networking and getting feedback on real issues that effect their work on a daily basis.

Hmmm. Seperation huh? Thats not actually a bad idea......though it may cause controversy like post counts...

What about something like a test though?? Like when u sign up...u take a quick 20Q PS test and that sets your "status". And maybe later on as ppl advance there skills.....they can apply for the test again to gain a higher status?? It would seperate the men from the boys...and also squash the controversey (cause ppl's status is based upon there own knowledge....)....unless they cheat. but its an idea.........

nah, I don't think we need a mandatory test.

I don't think pank or any of the mods want to turn people away, which is exactly what a test will do. How many of us have talked trash about the ACE (Adobe Certified Expert) tests??? What's the difference? Most of the younger folks here take enough damn tests in school!

The original problem here is members' conduct and relating to other fellow members, not creating more of a caste system.

Watch, though... this bad attitude trend will come and go - I've been in these forums for a couple years, and I went rounds with a few people when I first got here - they either chill out or go away.

Here's my deal man. When I joined TPS it all started from purchasing some graphics from pank. Then I posted up a site I worked on and displayed it and only got some stuff from a couple of people.

The only ones who told me what was up was pank and Marble and that was it.

I remember when I purchased the graphics I asked pank, "Are there any requirements for joining Team Photoshop?" and he said, "Nope, just sign up."

So I did and it was cool like that. I really wanted to come to a place where I could get some real answers from some real people who knew what they were doing. It was tough trying to sound like I knew what I was talking about and then to have someone belittle me cuz I didn't know the lingo.

And it felt like the more experienced looked down on the new jacks and for some reason created some kind of virtual segregation. I could tell from the posts who the "fellas" were that hung with each other and did the cool things and knew each other, kind of like a high school ASB displaying some exclusivity.

So breaking in wasn't too easy, but I've added my opinions here and there and made alot of lengthy comments from time to time. I've sought to encourage those who are new, who have only 1 post, before I belittled them and sent them off to lick their wounds.

Now I'm not part of anybody's bandwagon, you know, you can't break into some of the other guys' groups without being the "cool" guy, so in some parts I'm not "one of the boys". It happens. But I've learned that you gotta be who you are when you're alone or when you're with a thousand people. Never let the environment change you, just be who you be.

Now I'm not one to lend an ear to those with a higher post count, it means nothing to me really, other than they just got here before I did, but not that they have as much experience as I might have. But that's just my shindig.

But if we're going to separate the novices from the wise, then we might wanna change "team" photoshop to "yourphotoshopmyphotoshop.com" and have different sign in sections. I'm sure pank would go for that all the way *sarcasm*.

These are simply my two cents....enjoy.

Happy Holidays!

Wow. I agree totally.

Actually I'm going to say something that REALLY pissed me off, although I didn't say anything about it. I honestly can't remember who it was, but it was a noob, and also if i knew i wouldn't say his name anyway.

But basically what happened was that somoene made something, and Kranekick said, "That looks pretty crappy because of this and that and etc" and that is completely fine by me. But then this noob right under him posts, "Yeah, that's pretty bad. Sorry."
But whenI saw it I really dug it and said "I disagree with kranekick, I like it because of etc etc". Then what happens? The noob right before me posts again, saying, "Now that you mention it, yeah that is pretty cool."

God, we need people who have opinions of their own, rather than depneding on what other people say.


We also need people who can spell.


Finally, I'd like to mention on the level of harshness at this board nowadays. I feel like i'm to blame for this... or at least for a part of this. i've been giving pretty harsh critiques since the day I got here, but when I first got here and gave them, I got told off by the admins and mods for doing that.. Now it's kind of done frequently.

I apologize if i did anything wrong :P

But honestly, I do try to give harsh critiques because people learn. And yes, I do back up every harsh critique with a full fledged explanation of what I think is wrong.


Oh and one more thing... Yeah, I'm guilty of retarded posts too. A lot of them.

I guess i'm still a postwhore after all :D

You know what else has been happening lately thats gotten on my nerves? People posting responses to threads asking for critique with "welcome, but don't link directly" or "your sig is too big" or some other piece of advice. The advice is good, its kinda rude to post just that.

Either don't post at all, or give a hint as well as critique IMO. Anyone else noticed this?

tom

Anyone else noticed this?

yeah...but i really dont mind. We need some form of order/rules round here...... also (this is my opinion) if the person doesnt care enough to read the FAQ (!!!) then they shouldnt expect pleasant ppl with nice crits ya know what i mean. Respect the forum first...then get respect in return....kinda thing.

These are gettin kinda picky though... this is more an annoyance than a problem (right??). We really need to focus on how to handle the orig.(main) problem

Many time me or one of the other mods will post and tell someone to reduce their sig or not post images in the forums directly just to keep order. Most of the time those are total newbies to design and the internet in general, so I normally don't have any interest in critiqueing their stuff, but I see a sig that is going to cause our dial-up users some trouble, so I need to say something. And many times people don't check their private messages either, so it gets posted in the threads...

Lots of good points being made here. It got a bit off topic, but for the most part, it seems the "senior members" are agreeing. It is curious that a few high profile "new members" have yet to say anything about this. They reply to every other thread, but not this one. Don't hide.

I also would like to hear what Pank has to say. I know he's read the post a few times. I think some insight from the forum host would be appropriate.

I like Deker's idea of the ranking rather then post counts. It shows seniority without the bragging rights of post counts. (I am going to point the finger here, I wish you had of replied before someone mentioned your name, it looks like you were forced into the thread. You, Pank, and some of the older members would do a lot of good speaking up on these issues.)

And so what someone asks a question a million times? You moderators are here to regulate. I know its a time consuming job, but no one forced it on you. No one is forced to be here and read and comment on posts. Thats why its unfair to say, "Marble, go everwhere and make good critiques", or "Utopian23, you should be pulling your weight more, there are 12 design posts you missed." Thats not the case, we are free to post when we feel like it. But if everyone realized the benifit of insight, then I think a lot of the redundancy problems would clear. And if the moderators continue to moderate the crap, then everything flows smoothly.

A point was made to me privately about not wanting to post in threads put in the wrong spot. Who cares? Again, unless you are a moderator, either answer the question or leave it alone. The moderator will be more then happy to move the thread and point out the error. A misplaced thread is annoying, but someone jumping to point out that is wrong is twice as annoying. Someone will be by to handle the error shortly. If it bugs you that much, use the report button. It's not there just for looks.

I don't mean to bump the thread annoyingly, but I do feel it's important. I mean, when it comes right down to it, this forum doesn't affect my day to day life so I won't lose any sleep if some of the big wigs here don't want to help pull this forum's socks up, but I do like to have solid resources, and I do love getting solid critique. I personally send work privately to a few people on here and get their feedback, but others are genuinely looking for help from anyone. I would love to be in here and seeing people truely happy because their skills are evolving. It's a great feeling when you start to understand why or how you do something. At least if you are half serious about design.

I also am not sorry for naming names here. I think there a few people here that are looked up to and should care about whats going on. Pank at the very least. I assume he's cares about the forum to some degree and would want the best. Nothing anyone has said is unreasonable, and it makes for good discussion. The fact that a few select members have yet to say anything on the subject says a lot to me and maybe the attitude this place really carries.

These are my feelings on the subject, but take it with a grain of salt. Peoples lives don't revolve around the forum, and if not a thing changes, most people will still be happy and there will still be good topics of conversation. This is mearly something to chew on.

By the way, on the subject of moderators (wish I had a sign).

Marble for mod

:Edit: It's also a shame how so many have expressed their losing interest to either post work or post in general. The people that said this are exactly the people this forum doesn't need to lose. The more of their work I see, the more excitied I am about design.