This forum...

[Mike Shaw]

Well, afraid I totally disagree with having all posts piled into just one General forum. This is the only Forum I know that has such a limited 'filter' - and leaving it to posters to define their topic subjects better simply isn't going to work.

I really do believe the comparatively small membership here is a direct result of the limited forum category range (i.e - one).

I'm not clear, either, on the comment that it would take too long switching from one to another - surely no longer than switching from one thread to another? How do you manage on the Creative Cow forum with its plethora of categories (http://forums.creativecow.net/forums.php).

I rather imagine that, anyone solely interested in, say Adobe Premiere, will make that their target destination for each visit (no switching necessary unless they wanted to browse) - and they would have the knowledge that all the posts therein are focussed on their topic of interest. That isn't the case now

How can that be worse than having to search through every topic heading to find anything related to their particular interest? I suggest it takes far longer to search through the posts for a heading of interest than to simply switch categories.

Sorry Michael, fine name (! !), but I totally disagree with you on this one!

Actually the Creative Cow link shows how advertisements could look for 'non-IAC members. Not too bad at all, IMO. Better without, perhaps - but maybe there ought to be an option to 'See the current advertising...'. Who knows - there may be something of interest amongs all the offers!!

[Mike Shaw]

Adding to my last post - regarding the 'starting of empty categories and making the forum look like a ghost site ...

It has been suggested that the site could be pre-primed with posts of relevance and interest.

The IAC has a reputation for erudition - I know many individuals well experienced in their field, and I am sure many companies within the movie making area - who would be delighted to get involved with an IAC ful;ly fledged forum, offering some launch 'tips' and information to get the ball rolling. I'd be more than happy to canvass all my own contacts in the biz (Avid and Pinnacle related only) for such support (looking at the Creative Cow Forums, for example, I know several of the moderators and am sure they would be more than happy to subscribe).

[billyfromConsett]

I've got to support having a forum with a number of sections. I have used the dvdoctor forums, and the fact that you can go straight to the one you need to look for an answer to is one of its strongpoints.

They have a search option too, but that's well down the line when 1000's of threads are in the vaults.

The one issue I noticed on one particular forum, when a technician from a certain company offered help, well his help always, and I mean always without fail, pointed to the exact products that his company sold. He never seemed to offer a rival device as the answer. So we have to accept this if we invite companies in.

[Michael Slowe]

OK, OK, I'm convinced. Separate forums for separate subjects!

[Mike Shaw]

...and I mean always without fail, pointed to the exact products that his company sold.

Sadly that is sometimes inevitable - just like the old insurance brokers etc.

However, if the 'plugger' for say Premiere is posting in the Premiere section, then it isn't too bad because he would almost be preaching to his own flock.

Its when they point their finger when answering a more general question that it gets a bit biased.

But I'm biased too ( ) - I'd always push the editor I use over any other (Avid Liquid. Knocks spots off Premiere ... but that's just my opinion and I'm stuck with it. I mean really stuck - Liquid is being completely revamped, so heaven knows what it will be like when the new version eventually sees the light of day ...

Michael - glad you've seen the light! (Just kidding, truly!)

[billyfromConsett]

I went to the Adobe CS4 production suite launch presentations in Newcastle a couple of weeks ago - and they got me all excited...
It wasn't the things Premiere, After Effects, Photoshop, Encore, Soundbooth etal can do. It is the fact that you can have all of these running and one won't crash your project when you launch another part of it. (ok, they claim that...)

I've been looking out for a new version of Liquid since for a while, you might of mentioned it earlier this year. Where my quad core chip could get out and do some work, Nothing sprung out, so I'm still with Prem 6.5 right now.

[Mike Shaw]

Well, regarding Liquid, disclosure agreements and all that. The fact that it is being totally revamped from the bottom up or top down - is now in the public domain. The story is it will be completely new, will be even better than it was before (?), will outperform anything else on the market, be ready for all new developments, etc etc etc. and - will not be aimed at the 'broadcast market (like Liquid), but fairly and squarely at the 'prosumer' market. The Premiere/Vegas/Edius market, in other words. Mid range. Problem was, when Avid took over Pinnacle, it competed with some of Avid's higher level products - for a much lower cost. I think that embarrassed them. So they gave it back to Pinnacle and said 'change its target market...' to protect their own products (that's my opinion of events, based on ... things)

But, the new product isn't going to appear in the near future, of that I am fairly certain. It also will most likely not be called Liquid. I will be hanging on with the current Liquid (7.2), mainly because I don't want to invest in Vista at this stage (which most current products - and the 'new' Liquid will need), and because it does everything I want (more than I really need in fact).

So, apologies for not letting the news out earlier.

[Chrisbitz]

umm...

THREAD DIVERGANCE!!!!!

get a room, guys!

Or maybe you're helping to cut down on the excessive number of threads in this forum??

[Roy]

Chris, You should be udef to this divergence by now. Thr last time I mildly complained about it, I was told to get a life. Then they wonder why more people don't use the forum. I took their advice and got a life , On another forum where the members give a serious answer to a serious question and they don't indulge in infantile remarks to each other. Roy

[Mike Shaw]

THREAD DIVERGANCE!!!!!

One of the penalties of having just one forum - and no structure to the threads. If a new thread had been started, it would have required links to point from one thread to another and the new thread would look quite weird in isolation.

In a structured forum with proper category headings, the Liquid information could have been imparted ages ago and everything would have been in a relevant pplace.

C'est la vie Chris.
Just following current forum structure!

[ned c]

Good grief!! I go away for Thanksgiving and all hell breaks loose here. Some thoughts, a minimum of separate forums please, but make sure this is not just another techie site, there are plenty of very good technical sites out there but not many that discuss actual film making and the aesthetics, problems, delights of n-c film making.

I have been a long time member of this forum and I am not really aware of the "unpleasantness" that Michael Gough implied in his postings. But then perhaps I have a thicker skin and can't take any of this too seriously. If he, or any Council member posts we will not assume they are speaking officially unless it is signed an official posting. So, Michael please join in and contribute your individual thoughts and ideas.

One of the problems we face is convincing management and members of the IAC that the Internet is the future of communication for this and all organisations. Eventually the quality of video on the internet will be such that we will be able to view the Festivals in the comfort of our home, but be assured getting together and talk/viewing will still be a part of life.

This is an interesting Forum and although there are relatively few posters the debates/information are generally stimulating. I do agree that the threads do wander about the scenery but then I don't have a problem with that either.

Have to go now will add more later

ned c

[Chrisbitz]

From what I've understood from conversations since last posting, the IAC management do ("honestly, really, we do") regularly read this forum. ("no really, all of us read it, honestly")

But the problem is that they appear to be scared into inaction, because of the fear that anyone reading will assume that their post is official IAC policy, and not merely their own opnion.

Well, fear no longer, IAC management, you can put an automatic signature at the bottom of every post you make, saying that "this is only my opinion, and not that of the IAC"

If you want help to set up a signature, any one of the regular forum posters would be happy to help you, and we look forward to reading your posts in the future.

[Chrisbitz]

I've been doing some nerdery in Excel, and this is what I've come up with...

We have 148 registered posters.

Of that 148:

• 54 are registered, and have never posted.
  20 have made just one post.
  74 have posted more than 1 message.
  42 have posted more than 5 messages. (there's no date info, so I can't tell how recent those posts are)

If we're very lucky, and someone puts a big advert or noticable mention in the next IAC magazine, it'll be interesting to see how/if those figures change significantly!

The only problem is the 42 of us will have to be on best behaviour for a while!

----------------------------------------------------------

This list is registrations per month, but I coulnd't find an easy way to show a graph. Doesn't really show much anyway, other than a comparitive flurry of registrations in the first 3 months.

Jan-07 13
Feb-07 13
Mar-07 12
Apr-07 8
May-07 9
Jun-07 5
Jul-07 7
Aug-07 2
Sep-07 6
Oct-07 7
Nov-07 3
Dec-07 4
Jan-08 4
Feb-08 7
Mar-08 6
Apr-08 3
May-08 6
Jun-08 2
Jul-08 7
Aug-08 6
Sep-08 8
Oct-08 6
Nov-08 3
Dec-08 1

[Dave Watterson]

Wow! You know more of the stats than I do.

Can anyone remember when we changed the registration process which made it harder to join ... and helped reduce the number of spammers?

Dave

PS

Number of posts: 7698
Posts per day: 11.39
Number of topics: 1204
Topics per day: 1.78
Number of users: 148
Users per day: 0.22

[Mike Shaw]

... they appear to be scared into inaction ...

Or, more likely I think, found little of sufficient interest in the topics to warrant pounding a keyboard. This could also explain the slow rate of new membership and the low rate of posting for most members of this forum. One or two people here regularly strive to create new topics to promote discussion - without their input, this forum would surely take a very steep dive!

If you pop into a small store with a limited range of product, you'll have a quick look around, and if there isn't anything of particular interest, you'll soon wander off and not pop back too often.

On the other hand, visit a buzzing store with a good range of departments and chances are one of them will be of immediate interest - maybe only the coffee lounge on the first visit, with like minded coffee drinkers. Aware that there are other areas of potential interest - and where problems can be resolved - the chances are you'd want to revisit. There's also a good chance that more people will be attracted through the door.

This forum is great as a small friendly (yes, friendly) 'clubroom' for a few people to pass the time of day 'en passant', but I think an organisation with the kudos and prestige of the IAC should perhaps offer more. It should be a beacon for all n-c film-makers from all round the world, with areas of interest to anyone even remotely interested in making movies.

Just a thought. Someone has to manage all that, and while there will be volunteers to help, ultimately someone is going to be extremely busy managing the whole caboodle. Its a lot to ask.