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05-27-2012, 09:48 AM   #1
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Possible New Forum Index Layout

I couldn't help but notice that every time I would scroll through the Forum Index, (Pentax Forum - Camera & Photography Community - PentaxForums.com) it always seemed like it was a never ending list of forums. There are still some that I've never ventured into. Not out of disinterest, but just pure volume.

One of the reasons that I have felt this was a bad thing was that posts are just simply missed - if they are posted in a less-frequented forum, it may be missed, or at-best not seen by the SME (subject matter expert) that would be able to identify with and direct the proper action against a certain issue. One of the reasons that I love DPReview's Pentax forums is because there are only 2. I will always choose the PF community over that of DPR, however the convenience of opening two (usually just one since I tend to frequent only the SLR discussion) forums is refreshing. Not to mention easy to stay up to date with.

One of the other issues that I noticed with the current layout is the sheer mass that it entails. For me (and most of you that have learned the ins and out of PF), at the end of the day it's not that big a deal. But I can remember when I first joined PF after being a member of DPR for over a year, and it made me nauseous trying to navigate this place. I won't lie, it took me a long time to even warm up to directing my attention over here because it was like I said - SOO much. And I'm very computer savvy.

But what about those that aren't? I know a lot of people that get lost opening their email. I feel like one of the greatest assets of this community is how enticing it is for new Pentaxians - a place to learn the ins and outs of their brand new Pentax from those that have already scraped their knees in the process. So therefore, the forum, in my opinion, should cater to being as user-friendly as possible. Not saying it isn't right now, it's just I personally feel (and please feel free to tell me I'm completely out of touch) the following changes would enhance the PF experience.

I counted all the Heading, Forums, and Subforums to come to a total of 9, 45, and 35, respectively. That makes 89 distinctions! 89! After 4 hours (I'm a committed s.o.b...), i was able to consolidate and reorganize it to 9 (I deleted one heading but added another, so it remained at 9), 41, and 25, respectively, for a total of 75. That's 14 less distinctive forums/subforums. 14! I think it's for the better too. Here's why I think so:

Significant Changes:

  • International Forums added to original placement under General Pentax Forums
    • It feels like it belongs better here, since the linguistic corners aren't really "Off-Topic," and it's nice to see if you are one of those new visitors to BAM! right up front there's a forum dedicated to your language.
  • Forum Help and Suggestions added to General Pentax Forums
    • Same thing - if someone has a question or a suggestion regarding the forums, it isn't "Off-Topic," it's under the nexus of the Pentax Forums. Also, it was renamed to "Suggestions and Help" as opposed to "Helps, News and Suggestions" as it is now. News is always put under one locating (News and Rumors), so there isn't a need to cater to any type of news here.
  • Camera Help Central heading deleted
    • I felt this was an unnecessary group of forums since the three forums within it all were better situated within other parent headings. THe most significant relocating here is the "Ask B&H Photo!" was relocated to the Photographer's Marketplace heading and under "Retail Partners."
  • "Photographic Troubleshooting, Technique, and Industry" Heading renamed, and added to
    • previously the "Photography" forum, it has now been renamed to better correspond with what is contained within it. Also, the "Pentax Beginner's Corner Q&A" has been relocated from the aforementioned deleted "Camera Help Central" heading to here.
  • DSLR/Mirrorless Specific Forums
    • They have been relocated to be under respective "General Discussion" forums, and the current system of "DSLR/Mirrorless Discussion" and "Specific Forums" have been consolidated under one forum for each system type.
  • APS-C Tiers
    • We all know what the models are, but what about those who are just starting their research, or are confused between the model numbers? I remember when I first got into DSLR photography I didn't know the difference between a 500D and a 5D. Clearly the 500D is better, right? For newbys doing their research, all ambiguity is gone and they can either choose the General Discussion (logically in the form of the parent directory), or their subforums from Profession, Mid-Range, and Entry Level models whose respective forums are dedicated to those cameras.
  • Photographer's Marketplace moved to second heading
    • If a newby came to the Pentax Forums, he/she knows they will be finding forums dedicated to the cameras and lenses Pentax makes. But how many figure out the first visit about the Marketplace? Truly one of the greatest aspects of PF, keeping it buried all the way at the bottom is a crime and is inevitably missed by many visitors. I know it took me a few weeks before I discovered it because I went straight to the camera forums and stayed there. Why should I explore? I found what I came looking for. This will help entice new members and further reinforce/showcase the uniqueness of the PF community.
  • Reviews, Articles and Comparisons consolidated under one heading
    • It is just much more convenient to go to one central location for all the reviews and be able to instantly navigate to where you need to go, right from there, as opposed to for lenses, find the lens heading, but cameras, find the DSLR heading, and then for accessories, go back to the lens heading. This consolidates them all under one parent directory.
    • "In-Depth Reviews" is now found as the "In-Depth Reviews Index" and within it, are the four sub-species of Reviews, Camera, Pentax Lenses, 3rd party Lenses, and Accessories
  • Removal of "General Industry and Photography"
    • After researching what exactly went in here, I came across Adam's explanation - "what companies (including Pentax) should do ("I wish this, I want that) or have done, products that people would like to see, etc. Speculate here, not below [Pentax News and Rumors])."
      • These exact postings have found their home in the News and Rumors forums, where all speculating and griping and reporting of any and all whispers of products to come can be found. Also, it is in the bottom half of volume per forum measurements, and is thus a redundant forum.
  • Pentaxian Lounge deleted
    • 41 threads total in over an entire year - all the topics would fall perfectly under "General Talk"
  • "Pentax Lens Review and Accessory Database" and "Genuine Pentax Lens Reviews" redundant
    • The links are the same, and therefore have been consolidated under the new "Genuine Pentax Lenses" subforum within the Reviews, Headings, and Comparisons parent heading.
  • Professional Photography and Publications upgraded to "Forum" status
    • previously a subforum, it now is a forum under the Photographic Troubleshooting, Technique, and Industry Heading
  • Pentax Flashes and Lighting Technique" renamed, relocated
    • Renamed to now include "(Strobist)" within its title, it has also been relocated from the Lens heading to the "Photographic Troubleshooting, Technique, and Industry" heading.
The changes look like this:





I know that will probably make your head hurt (it does mine lol), but this is the actual product. In case you are wondering, yes, it took me forever to first figure out all the fonts and colors, and then manipulate all of the fields into the arrangement you see below. Yes, this was done in Paint. Yes, Paint lol




Thoughts?

-Heie

05-27-2012, 11:26 AM   #2
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I really like some of your suggestions, but hate to think about how much time that first diagram took to make, as the second one proved to be much more illustrative (for me).

I've just made several changes to the forum index layout: some taken directly from the suggestions in this post, some with variations, and some original ones. Renaming forums isn't something I like to do, as (1) it breaks old forum URLs, (2) users can over over each forum to view a description, and (3) guests will see each forum's description when browsing (they're hidden for members).

I will continue to monitor how users like the new breakdown of the general mirrorless / DSLR discussion forums, as well as how the placement of the marketplace at the top works out. A significant portion of traffic to the marketplace comes from google, so I'm not sure that moving it to the top will benefit us as much as one would think.

If you're feeling overwhelmed when browsing the forum, I recommend the following links. The first one is basically what DPR's entire forum consists of; the fact that we categorize is an added bonus
All these links are found in the "The Latest" dropdown at the top of the page as well.

Adam
PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide | Site Help | My Photography)



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