Pentax User Club (Take 2)

Hi, its Dan from the Pentax User team. I have been working at Pentax for just over a month now and one of my tasks is to find ways to improve the Pentax User Club. I want to here from you. Let me know what you like and what you don't like about the Pentax User Club. I am a complete novice when it comes to cameras but I am sure I can make the Pentax Club more enjoyable than ever. Please get in touch.

I was going to suggest a monthly e-newsletter and then noticed on your e-bay listings that you already do one.

I've been a member since January this year and have yet to receive one

Is this new or will they start soon :

Hi
You could take a look at the poll started by Mannesty - 21 March I believe.

mind you, only 10 people cast a vote and only two people expressed a view. Perhaps the general members of this forum are happy as things are, or perhaps they are not too interested

make the changes - you will soon find out if they are not welcome.

Dan,
Generally, this forum works very well.
The only thing I might suggest at the moment is a "Guidelines for Posting" note... some things that need addressing or stating more plainly are:

* Please don't create new threads on existing topics to gain attention. Posting a reply will automatically put the thread to the top of the list. Creating duplicate threads increases "noise" and makes it harder to moderate, answer, and search.

* Don't cross post (ie post in more than one forum area). Moderators and regulars always read all the posts. (And use the "List posts since last Login" feature of the forum)

* Oh yes, and please don't let personal attacks bring down the tone of the forum!!

* If you have to post images, either post a URL link, or resize the image to sensibly small sizes. Some users are on slow connections, or devices that don't easily show large images (like my Pocket PC!)

Re: Image posting for critique - some users are reluctant to join epz as well, which is my preferred method for gaining critique and help. It's probably best to have some clear place for critique, or a new system like epz (or even partly joined to it to increase the critique base). The Pentax Forum could provide a "window" onto a subsection of the epz photo section so that Pentax Users only see that subsection, while epz members see it all??? That way the Pentax Users get the benefit of a broad section of photographers (not just "Pentaxians", without having to wade through a ton of non-Pentax related images...

That's about all for now!
Thanks for the hard work on the site
Matt

I've just added some thoughts to the FAQ thread that Old timer refers to.

I have also found myself using and viewing the lens review section of another Pentax forum site quite a bit recently.

Matt,

EPZ already has a Pentax gallery (under manufacturers gallery, along with Oly and Ilford, but not kanikon, for some reason (not good enough perhaps )

http://www.ephotozine.com/gallery/pentaxgallery.cfm

Nothing personal, Dan, and good luck to you, but I am very surprised that "a complete novice when it comes to cameras" is charged with "improving" a forum which deals with cameras and photographic equipment. I don't know about the other aspects of the club but this forum seems to work well. I don't post very often but I'm a frequent visitor and find it most enjoyable.

Howard

Me again!

I forgot to mention the Pentax User news letter - when I first joined last October I received a news letter and there was one in November since then however - not a dickie bird Will it be restarted : :


Howard

There's some good stuff, there, and I like the simplicity of "A New Hope".

G

To be fair i never mentioned improving the forum! I am looking at ways of improving the Club. I've plenty of experience in doing so and was looking for peoples views on the Club, rather than the Forum. Regarding the newsletter this is something I will look into.

Thanks

Dan

Some of us do not just have slow downloads, we still have very limited download allowances

So if I click on a posting with images in it, I have to do a quick reverse for fear of using up my precious monthly allowance.

So please, if it is at all possible, is there somone who can set up a separate section specifically for images, or alternately flag postings that contain images? It is not that I do not want to see them, just that I do not want my connection grinding to a halt because I have run out of bandwith or whatever they call it!

Graham,

Are you sure about your internet limitations, I've never had any particularly exotic kit or ISP stuff, just bog standard - I cant imagine a few jpegs causing you to excede an allowance. There is another point here, however, wee pics dont do themselves much justice and I cant really see how folks can pontificate about resolution,pixels,sharpness etc. on photos that easily fit on a monitor screen (and yes, I know all the arguments about not posting full size) It just seems to me to be a fairly fruitless exercise. For example, for all the chat about the relative merits of the 18-55 and the 16-45, on the postings on this forum you cant tell which one did what.

Ken

Hi Ken

I live "right at the end of the line". Although officially rated at 1GBS, all ISPs agree that 512mbs is top side. (if that is the correct terminology)

Anyway, since I will not pay for something I cannot get, I am on the 512mbs package which in turn carries a limit of 2GB download per month and even that is subject to "reasonable useage" conditions.

All I know is that it seems quicker to use dial up on many occasions.

Well that is a pain but these things seem to be improving all the time.

Ken

2Gb should allow you to download about 20,000 of the jpegs that we tend to get on here. Sometimes they're bigger files, but you'd still get 4,000 of the largest you're likely to find here.

I wouldn't worry too much about exceeding your limit, unless you download a lot of TV programmes too.

Dan