General comment on the use of the Actinic forum

[george]

Free to good home: Three spazzy teenagers. PM me. No, they ain't imported, etc.

[TraceyHand]

I'll swap you, G, for 2 "tweenagers" so you can go through it all over again

[RuralWeb]

Well Polly I have been waiting to see a flurry of posts from you helping out some of the newer members of the community but as yet you have made no further posts. I can only take that as meaning that your original comments were made to upset the apple cart on the forum - did you ever really exist

[jont]

did you ever really exist

Most likely a designer you were rude to Malc

[Kev Challis]

I thought I would post up my experiences of this Actinic community seeing as I'm very new here and also new to actinic and probably posted up some of the annoying threads you have been talking about.

I have received help from a few individuals here such as Lee Hack, RuralWeb, los_design, pinbrook, olderscot and peblaco, to name but a few. I can't really give much back the forum and the community other then my eternal gratitude for all the help I have received here. All of you have been a great help I have just made a thread about shipping classes, which maybe of some help to first time users.

I have got a lot of use out of the search function and the knowledge base, I'm familiar with using this type of the forum, however some are not, it might be worth creating a sticky with a general overview of the site, basically what's been discussed here with a title "read before you post"

I always create my threads with the most informative title I can, this way if anyone else needs information on the same topic and my questions have been answered, if anyone searches for it, then it will come up. I agree that topics called "I need help" will not help advance the search feature of the site at all.

Without this forum and community I would have never got my site live, well I might have done, but it would have took a lot lot longer.

I know it might not be the most pleasing on the eye actinic site every made, standard skin etc, but it's working and taking orders.

I'm continually developing the site and making additions where I can. When I get more time to learn and develop my skills I'll look at customising the site further.

Thanks
Kev

[Jan]

it might be worth creating a sticky with a general overview of the site, basically what's been discussed here with a title "read before you post

It's already here http://community.actinic.com/showthread.php?t=25620 it used to be quite prominent but with the reorganisation of the forum it's a little bit hidden now. Perhaps we should have a new users click me button.

Regards,

[RuralWeb]

Most likely a designer you were rude to Malc

Oh those pesky designers - they are SO rude.

Thanks for the "thank you" Kevin its nice to have been of help to someone who is prepared to do some work for themselves - Ive watched you building your site and it looks pretty good IMO. Keep using the forum and it can only get better.

[RuralWeb]

Perhaps we should have a new users click me button.

Is there not a way to setup the new member registration so people have to read the guidelines before they are allowed to become a member

[Kev Challis]

Oh those pesky designers - they are SO rude.

Thanks for the "thank you" Kevin its nice to have been of help to someone who is prepared to do some work for themselves - Ive watched you building your site and it looks pretty good IMO. Keep using the forum and it can only get better.

thanks

I certainly want to continue the development of it, this side of christmas is hard due to the amount of orders I have to process before moving on to the design aspect of it during a day.

I just don't design the site, I run the business as well, so as orders come in I have pack them up and get them out. Our handmade premier gifts are made to order as well, which is time consuming.

Web design is something I really enjoy doing, however if the internet side of business does well enough to support me, I'll continue to run it.

Kev

[pinbrook]

One of the biggest benefits of thisforum ( and loads of others) is if you keep regular contact with it, you learn by default, and wil lpick up all sorts of tips and tricks to improve your store that you never thought of

[gabrielcrowe]

oh, i dont know... i quite like the gravy colour you selected.

mmmmm, gravy.

[jont]

commercial designers who treat the forum as a free design service and NEVER make a contribution.

Or even better email you off forum for help and advice, get it and never say a word of thanks in return.. probably too busy cashing in their pay cheques.

Compounded when you find out they have copy and pasted the exact same email requesting help to other forum members and also never said a word of thanks.

I would out them but that would only serve to creating a new screen name.. better to let them post and go unanswered and run the gauntlet of emailing again.

Cue Mr Hack..... who I am trying to calm down after he found out I had been emailed also (some of his comments off forum are enough to make Gabe blush)

[pinbrook]

Personally I never reply to any unsolicted request for help outside the forum. To me it defeats the whole concept of the forum -

a - I choose which posts to reply to
b - anyone who bothers to search than then benefit from the reply

The forum is a community not a place to get unpaid for help. I should have been brought up in a commune

[leehack]

I agree in principle Croccy, but not quite so black and white in my eyes. If a forum regular contacted me off forum, i'd be happy to help, in fact i have done this a few times as some have with me. None of us are beyond help at some stage, you can't know everything, that's for sure.

I think the main point is to not feel that you are having the pee taken out of you and being used at some level. A designer contacting a number of other designers with the same question, in the hope that one answers is plain wrong IMO. It is also very desperate, much like having 5 for sale boards from different estate agents, when selling your house

It's a toss up as to whether you leave your email on the forum nowadays, the amount of emails you receive asking for free help is growing in my experience. It's a shame when you feel forced to do certain things to combat the minority - i'm still not sure what is the right approach. If i am emailed, i find it extremely hard to ignore it, as that is plain ignorant in my eyes, but it also annoys when I do answer - can't win lol, i sound like a sheila.

[TraceyHand]

i sound like a sheila.

not even close


Personally, I would never email for help/advice OFF the forum (I don't think I ever have) but I have received it and am always grateful of it when it comes (and big thanks go to Lee in this area too!)
Having said that, even I have been emailed for advice through here before!!

I think emailing for design/technical advice especially, by other designers, is just wrong and I would be inclined to ignore it regardless (but, then again, I have no problems with hanging up on cold callers either!)..unless it was someone I know well, of course.

It's presumptuous and, IMO, rude to email someone for advice OFF forum unless they have suggested it themselves (and I know some do)

JMO, obviously (in one of those moods today lol)