Re: Information required for (idiot!) newcomer

Hi there

Can someone please tell me what to log into in order to discover how things work? How many forums are there? Where do I find them (apart from the one I used regarding the non-arrival of the swallows in central France) and exactly what is a group? Also have no idea what RSS feed is. And there's this "Add group to favourites" - presumably this means add to my favourites? And "tags" - how do they work? 

Sorry about all this but I trust that someone who has once been equally puzzled and is now familiar with the system, will help me out.  Balepy  

Try downloading the forum map from this link.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/about/f/1251/t/60411.aspx

It's a PDF file which will open with Adobe Reader if you have it on your computer (most do).

It not only gives you a visual map of the forum but you can also use it to go to any of the forums because all the links are active.

I produced it for the very reason you have stated - many people have trouble with navigation. Hope it works for you.

Hi Balepy

Holding my breath i'll give it a go..the others will add their bit.

1 How many forums..no idea lol..quite a few.

2 You can find the using TJs forum map on the community homepage

3 A group is a specific area of interest such as a RSPB Reserve or Loch Garten Ospreys, you have to join the groups to join in and reply (which is no big deal there is an option top right of the page)

4 RSS i,ve never used them so just googled it lol, if you subscribe via RSS i think they can send you info direct to your desktop..bit like a newsletter.(could be wrong there though lol)

5 You can add to your favourites to make them easier for you to find at a later stage.

6 You can add tags to a post which the software uses to collate and make it easier for people to find if they do a site search..

lets out a gasp of air lol.

edit x post with TJ hope my bit helps too

Hi Balepy and welcome to the forums from me in Lancashire.

TJ and Doggie have answered your questions. My advice is to use the forum map to find the most appropriate forum should you want to start a thread, and to use the main community front page where the latest posts are listed to join in any discussions you find interesting. Other than that, just keep pressing buttons and links and see what happens!

TeeJay and Alan have explained the forum as best anyone can. It's a mess and difficult for anyone to find their way around. If it wasn't for the fantastic friendly and helpful people here I would have given up and left long ago. There are still times when I think "OMG , is it worth all this hassle ?"

One tip I will add . .  if you have trouble finding posts you have taken part in , click on your own name and you'll find a list of all your activity.

I am fairly new myself but managed with the kind of help that has been offered above (and probably by the same people). The people on here are very friendly and the moderators are happy to move posts that are in the wrong place.

One thing to bear in mind is that the Photography Forum is really intendec for discussions about Photography - ie settings, how to improve technique etc. So you could post a picture there and ask something like " how do i get rid of this type of error? etc. It shouldn't really be used for posting photographs that you just want to share with people - All creatures great and small, Tea Rooms or a RSPB llocation specific Group should suffice for that.

I agree with others that its not an ideal set up - there are many times I have wanted to congratulate someone on a photo or comment posted to a specific location eg Rainham Marshes but you can't unless you join the group. As I have never been there and am unlikely to go there in the near future and will never be a regular visitor, I don't feel right joining just for the odd post. that is something I wish could be fixed.

Welcome, by the way(-:) and whereabouts in Central France, may I ask?

bob's_retired_now

I agree with others that its not an ideal set up - there are many times I have wanted to congratulate someone on a photo or comment posted to a specific location eg Rainham Marshes but you can't unless you join the group. As I have never been there and am unlikely to go there in the near future and will never be a regular visitor, I don't feel right joining just for the odd post. that is something I wish could be fixed.

Bob i urge you to join any or all of the groups i didn't used to bother because of not living near or ever going to visit but in the past i've seen posts go unanswered or without a response and i hate seeing that..it was a big mistake by the techies to get people to join groups as it just makes people feel they are intruding..

rant over.

I agree with Alan. If I see something in a group that is worthy of a comment I don't hesitate to join. You can always leave again if you should want to.

I also agree with Doggie. I join lots of groups simply because I want to make a comment. It costs nothing, you can always leave again, but make sure you disable emails from that group or you will be inundated with emails of all the new threads that you may not be interested in.

If I see a post from a Group that I want to contribute to I just join. It costs nothing.

I think in some way people who only go to their groups are the losers because they only see those posts. Those of us on the main forum see everything.

TeeJay

If I see a post from a Group that I want to contribute to I just join. It costs nothing.

I think in some way people who only go to their groups are the losers because they only see those posts. Those of us on the main forum see everything.

OK, the consensus appears to be  that I should join a group if I want to make a comment, which I will do from now on - even though it does seem counter intuitive when I can see all postings without joining all groups(-:)

In the past I've joined a group to make a comment then left it again just like Galatas. See nothing wrong with that. The whole site arrangement is not tailored to members - they could have done that by doing a trial launch but that was too easy. I also get the impression the RSPB is tied to certain technical specifications which means they can't always alter it to get what they want (without spending another load of money).

But in the end, I just use certain bits in my own way and nothing else bothers me. I'm just glad it's still here.

:-)

Jackdaw

The whole site arrangement is not tailored to members. . . . . . . . 

Whilst we're on  the subject  , I notice the number of Stickies has been allowed to grow again leaving less room for new posts and undoing the improvements that were recently made.

When I open page one of the forums I can't see any new posts at all until I scroll down the page. I'm sure it's worse for widescreen laptop users.

Thanks so much to all who have replied with helpful and some very amusing comments, loved the one about clicking all the buttons and see what happens -  I will download the map and try to navigate my way from there (but don't have GPS!)

I live in the country in the Loire valley region beside a large pond with a fascinating array of water birds and a resident coypu family. It is a man-made pond fed by run-off from the surrounding fields so it dries up in the summer and my family of birds disappear just before this occurs, and reappear after the rains. I want to know how they know the pond is filling up again?

The permanent residents are two pairs of mallards, two bossy coot families (with cootlings) little grebes, a pair of twitchy moor hens, a solitary stork who isn't always there and a million trillion chortling frogs. They survive the dry months somehow beneath the dried and cracking mud and as soon as it is spring and warm the orchestra commences. Wonderful!

Thanks again for your prompt  replies - I don't feel quite so stupid now I know there are others who've had the same problems.

P.S. No sign of my swallows - sob sob. I am sure it is too late now isn't it?  Balepy.

Hi Balepy,

What you could (should) have done, was to post the above on your original thread by pressing any one of the reply buttons. Then it would all follow on and make more sense to those who didn't see your original thread. Not to worry, you aren't the first and won't be the last!

It sounds idyllic where you live. Any photos?