Moving on ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[dicklaxt]

,,,,,,,to a more active forum with more experience/help.I'll just look in on the others, not participate and absorb what I can.

I'm not saying the experience is not here only that there needs to be more activity.I also know thats a hard thing to promote.

dick

[Tom Jones]

Dick,

Huh?? I must be missing something.

Don't look at the website as just one forum. Look at other forums in addition to "Beginners Macro ". There is an extraordinary level of skill and experience here. Look at the entire set of forums and you'll see amazing participation and generosity. Many of the best photomacro and photomicrographers in the world post here. They are very willing to discuss their techniques and help you with any problems you may have.

This site is a wonderful resource!

Tom

[Chris S.]

Dick, nobody would like to see you go. But the norms here at PMN differ from most other Internet fora; one should probably look here for what is uniquely valuable, and look elsewhere for other things.

I for one like it that this forum has loads of content but not much chatter. People ask serious questions and get serious answers. They post images like none the world has ever seen, and teach the techniques that made the images so. This community is driving the boundaries of photomacrography forward very rapidly. And wonderfully, everyone is welcoming. An unspoken message seems to be "We're going great places--come on along!"

Elsewhere, a common norm is that people post pictures--often not good ones--and other people respond with endless affirmative comments. There is certainly a place for this, but I'm very grateful that it's not here. Tough, constructive criticism is, I think, a much truer manifestation of respect than is mindless praise. But nobody here wants to hurt anyone. So when you post an image, you may need to say something like, "Take the gloves off--I want to learn," to get responses. And even then, perhaps you won't get many, as people here don't tend to repeat what has already been said, if they agree with it. At other fora, agreement tends to be expressed with a "+1." Here--wonderfully--it tends to be expressed more often with abstention from comment. I think it's a sense of, "Already said, no need to repeat."

In my professional life, I often facilitate project teams made up of incredibly talented people. This experience gives me a basis to note that this forum has a lot of resemblance to a very well functioning research organization. Conversely, most other fora resemble social clubs, where people meet to chitchat and feel good. Both approaches have their place--many top researchers relax in a bar after work.

This community may, I suspect, be written about in future case studies. Think Manhattan Project, Bell Labs, Menlo Park--but conducted on the Internet in virtual space, with participation from all over the world and open to everybody. Part of this successful equation, probably, is that top-quality administrative services are being provided by a person highly experienced in running research organizations. Part of it is that the best and brightest practioners have congregated here. Part of it is the collegial tone of the community (which may be attributable to the above two factors). Other vital components are likely unrecognized at present. This forum may be unique in human history--if not for its performance, however rare, for the fact the performance has occurred in a public, well-documented setting. Since I have a strong professional interest in best practices among research organizations, don't be surprised if I eventually write a case study on the PMN community.

So maybe, Dick, you might continue to participate here, but also participate in one of the fora that has more informal back and forth communication? But please, let's not wish changes on this forum that diminish its unique and vital contribution, eh?

Cheers, amigo,

--Chris

[arby]

[dicklaxt]

I guess I didn't word that very well.I only meant leaving the Beginner part of this forum.I was or will be looking at the other areas within this forum.

dick

[Harold Gough]

[dicklaxt]

Harold I never plan to get good at this because of age and health but would like to take some macro pics to pass the time.I need to use all static subjects as I can not get out and join the chase,,,,its fun experimenting and comparing the results captured.

dick

[Harold Gough]

[dicklaxt]

Hey my friend thanks for the tips,,,,,,,,,I'll take advantage of some of them.

dick

[Harold Gough]

[desert bluegrass]

I'm only two days old here and the info is overwhelming, but in a fantastic way! Since I purchased my Canon 100mm macro and modified 35-80mm macro I have found that my peanut butter and jelly sandwich doesn't quite look the same anymore. It's exciting viewing the world through a macro lens. I'm excited and I'm glad that you are able to keep exploring in other areas of the forum.
_________________
Charlton Vaughan
The world is what we make it. http://limestoneandpumice.blogspot.com/