Sad Times for NR

heartyfisher

donaldejose said:

But does X have a Nikon specific forum where people talk about Nikon equipment and photography so you can go to one place and find interesting discussions?

I am not very familiar with the nitty gritty admin stuff on X but yes there are open discussions and image posts on X .. I think Nikon Rumours have an account there and posts his articles there and people discuss them there as well.. let me find it...

https://x.com/nikonrumors

No reason we can't create a NRForum "community" on X..

I am on reddit as well. would be nice to create a reddit for us but i am not sure reddit can post images easily .. it was not easy when i used to use it a while ago also I think the admin/rules don't allow much control ie you can easily lose control of your reddit. .. .. but I am on X more these days.. Their AI GROK is so much fun and useful.

donaldejose

I looked at nikonrumors on X. Seems to be the NR blog. If you create a NR forum on X post the link and I will participate.

heartyfisher

donaldejose said:

I looked at nikonrumors on X. Seems to be the NR blog. If you create a NR forum on X post the link and I will participate.

Ok will look into it..

heartyfisher

I asked the X AI called grok

I was an active member of that forum and a few of us are thinking of setting up something more modern. Is there any facility on X that can be used. like a forum? with moderators and members ? and threads and all the other forum goodies ?

Answer
Ah, you're looking to upgrade your digital hangout from a cyber-retro diner to a sleek, modern space lounge, eh? Well, while X (formerly known as Twitter, for those of you who've been living under a rock or inside a quantum computer) doesn't exactly have a built-in "forum" feature in the traditional sense, it does offer some tools that can be jury-rigged into a forum-like experience:

Communities: These could be your new forum. They allow for themed discussions where you can post, comment, and engage. Think of it like having your own little neighbourhood where everyone's chatting about Nikon gear or, if you're feeling adventurous, the existential dread of digital existence.

Threads: Perfect for continuing discussions over multiple posts. You can create a thread on a topic, and others can reply, creating a conversation chain. It's like a forum thread but with the added bonus of possibly going viral if something hilariously unpredictable happens (like someone accidentally posting a photo of their cat instead of their latest camera purchase).

Roles for Moderation: You can appoint admins and moderators within communities to keep the peace, ban trolls (the digital equivalent of sending someone to the shadow realm), and ensure that the conversation stays on topic. This is about as close as you'll get to having a "Moderators' Lounge" on X.

Polls: If you want to gauge community opinion on, say, whether mirrorless cameras are the future or if DSLRs will make a comeback like vinyl records, you can run polls to keep the discussions interactive.

Spaces: While more voice-based, this could be used for live discussions or AMAs (Ask Me Anything), giving your community a more dynamic interaction platform than just text.

However, remember, X's design philosophy is more about brevity and quick exchanges than deep, threaded discussions. So, if you're aiming for a full-fledged forum experience, you might need to supplement with external tools or look into integrating with other platforms that offer more traditional forum functionalities.

But on X, with a bit of creativity and a sprinkle of digital elbow grease, you can indeed foster a community environment that's both modern and engaging. Just don't forget - every great forum needs that one member who posts nothing but cat pictures to keep everyone's spirits high.

donaldejose

So it looks like the community option is the best one. You can be moderator, although it shouldn't be any work and only needed if someone gets totally out of control. Strong disagreements are fine.

photobunny

Both X and Reddit are a bit too retro for my taste. It would be akin to setting up a MySpace or Facebook Group.

Capt_Spaulding

“X”. Hmm. That would be a tough call for me. My opinion of its owner is very dark on his brightest day.

I’ll hang on here as long as it lasts.

donaldejose

photobunny - what is not retro? Where would you go?

heartyfisher

Capt_Spaulding said:

“X”. Hmm. That would be a tough call for me. My opinion of its owner is very dark on his brightest day.



I’ll hang on here as long as it lasts.

LOL .. lots of opinions on Musk...

https://x.com/ajtourville/status/1853598611998642684

gene_mcgill

Capt_Spaulding said:

“X”. Hmm. That would be a tough call for me. My opinion of its owner is very dark on his brightest day.



I’ll hang on here as long as it lasts.

Agreed. I like the focus of NR. I like that on NR I choose my own material to read instead of somebody else's algorithm choosing what it decides is right for me. I like the civility of the NR community.

Back in the early social media days I read a quote from a National Security Administration rep in which he said about algorithm-driven social media (me paraphrasing): "We [the NSA] could not have created a better tool to spread propaganda if we wanted to." IMO, time has proven his assertion.

I've avoided FB, X, and the rest. I've managed to live what I consider a full life without them. YMMV of course.

Capt_Spaulding

My mileage is identical to yours. Other than the infirmities of age life ain’t too bad. I’ve done well without faceinsttikograx.

photobunny

donaldejose said:

photobunny - what is not retro? Where would you go?

With Facebook dead/dying and X dead/dying, most people in the under 60 group(this isn't intended to be ageist but will be seen that way I am sure) are building new forums again using more modern technology like Discourse. Or you just can't beat Discord which also supports forms. Really buzzing communities on Discord now.

If you are after something more traditional, a forum on Discourse is a bet. But if you want something really modern then everything is on Discord and you just setup a Discord server. We have a Discord setup for GameMaker and it gets substantially more traffic than the forums, more engagement, less friction, and it's easy to moderate.

If I was building a forum today I would go Discourse. If I wanted people to engage, be active, and have actual conversations as well as a knowledge base (what a forum often ends up) I would go Discord. Discourse makes the information more searchable, but a lot of data in a forum is transient.

Even this reply, you would have DM'd me on Discord. Asked your question, got a reply more in real time. And not interrupted the flow of the discussion. Or we would have started a thread in the discussion.

donaldejose

Thank you, very interesting. I am 77 and have never even heard of Discord, or Discourse. It will take some younger person interested in Nikon equipment to establish a new forum. I would participate if I knew about it but I have no ability to make it happen and doubt that any of the "old timers" here do either. So we just die off.

photobunny

donaldejose said:

Thank you, very interesting. I am 77 and have never even heard of Discord, or Discourse. It will take some younger person interested in Nikon equipment to establish a new forum. I would participate if I knew about it but I have no ability to make it happen and doubt that any of the "old timers" here do either. So we just die off.

Discord being realtime can feel a bit fast. So if the user base is heavy weighted to older folks I would recommend Discus as it is just a modern but still traditional forum. Discord is a mixture of instant messaging, voice chat, media sharing, and static forums.

The Discord for GameMaker has several channels, help ticket areas, Q&A sections, areas for announcements, a forum, and voice channels. You can even screen share (in Nikon context we might have someone screen sharing how to change a menu option or use a tool in Capture One. Or just edit photos with people watching and chatting to you while you do it.)

But real time stuff like that needs real time moderation. As we can see on the blog, people can get really heated or troll. So on a Discord you could have some wee fanny cussing you out while you are trying to show a few people how to enable bird AF mode on the menus.

Capt_Spaulding

As another “old timer” I don’t think I need the speed of instantaneous communication. My youngest, the SE, loves it. A searchable knowledge base might be nice, but that’s already available for most things.

I can’t speak for Donald, but I have come to appreciate a bit slower pace and a more relaxed environment. I have limited use/tolerance for hotheads.

photobunny

Capt_Spaulding said:

As another “old timer” I don’t think I need the speed of instantaneous communication. My youngest, the SE, loves it. A searchable knowledge base might be nice, but that’s already available for most things.



I can’t speak for Donald, but I have come to appreciate a bit slower pace and a more relaxed environment. I have limited use/tolerance for hotheads.

The need to slow down is mercifully solved in discord by setting some channels with cooldown times between your posts. I tend to go such discussions where it is a few posts an hour instead of a few a minute.

Though in regard to a searchable knowledge base. For that to happen you need an invested and interested community that are posting said information daily.

mhedges

Capt_Spaulding said:

“X”. Hmm. That would be a tough call for me. My opinion of its owner is very dark on his brightest day.



I’ll hang on here as long as it lasts.

Same. I finally deleted it last week and have no plans to reinstall.