vipergts831....."POTN stopped being canon only a long time ago. Many brand users were posting in here before this change".
As I've stated elsewhere, nobody ever said it was strictly 100% Canon as you're portraying. It however was overwhelmingly Canon centric and I don't see how anyone would attempt to debate that. You look silly doing so. Again, the motto as stated by Pekka was, "For digital camera enthusiasts using Canon cameras".
Secondly. Many of the different "brand users" as you state were actually former "Canon" users who had joined POTN because of such. They simply changed brands or added a different brand and stayed on POTN because they had history here. After all, I can see you were once a Canon user but obviously Sony is your preference now.
Dedicated Nikon, Fuji and Sony users weren't flocking to what was a dedicated "Canon" forum. Yes, it has become a little more diversified in recent years and Pekka decided to address that. He has however completely ditched the original intent of the POTN website.
I see this website becoming more like FM and others now. Nothing sets it apart. Yes, I can block large sections of undesired and cluttered threads but what does that say?
vipergts831....."Heck the for sale area also had plenty of brands being sold differently. This is just a natural evolution. Pekka has already stated a revamped marketplace will be coming linking it to the gear section you have today".
With due respect, you're mistaken and admittedly contradictory.
First, the camera gear listed in the Market Place "For Sale", "Want to Buy" and even the "Market Watch" was overwhelmingly Canon related. I'd easily say 98%. I Buy and Sell quite a bit of gear, so I visit those threads numerous times daily and have for years.
The thing that was great about POTN was I rarely had to weed through non-Canon related gear which is the problem with FM. It's very tedious to browse through the FM marketplace. In addition, you're most apt in missing out on a deal or in being to late in answering a request by others.
The fact Pekka is addressing this problem is an acknowledgement that it is and will be an issue. He should just put a Marketplace in each relevant thread (Canon, Nikon, Fuji, etc). He could then have a "general" Marketplace for non camera or manufacture-specific gear. This is how Digital Grin is setup and that would quickly solve this pending issue. http://www.dgrin.com/
vipergts831....."Constructive criticism is welcomed and if you offer solutions they will be listened to".
Uh, that is what I and others have been doing. We have been getting a lot of flack over it though from those who obviously really don't want to "listen" to the concerns we are raising.
vipergts831....."Understand however that only 1 man coded this together. Be patient as he does this out of his own time....
I can appreciate that! I'm assuming he is profiting or has some gain involved with the website though? There is nothing wrong with that, btw. It's a mute point because even if he does it for pure enjoyment it's all fine.
All I know is, he created a dedicated Canon forum but has for some reason completely kicked that to the curb. Yes, I can block entire and large sections of the website but there will be no way of limiting non-Canon gear setup or talk in the many "common" areas, such as "Family" or "Weddings" or "Gear talk", etc, etc, etc.
I don't care to hear about how a Nikon or Fuji user got a fantastic shot using their Nikon or Fuji gear or related gear. Nor do I want to waste my time making an inquiry about how someone got a fantastic shot only to then get a reply explaining their Nikon/Fuji setup and related gear. That is completely irrelevant and un-helpful for me.
I want to hear how a Canon user setup his Canon related gear in getting that fantastic shot. That is most helpful to me because I use Canon gear.
This may not seem a big deal but there will be a significant increase in the "percentage" of such posts within common threads. It's unavoidable because this site is no longer Canon centric. I hope it works out but again I see it going the way of other general Photography forums now.
This has long been my favorite site but if another thriving Canon specific forum is created, I will naturally end up jumping ship with POTN and drifting there. I simply don't have time to spend weeding through non-relevant posts or categories. That is why POTN was created in the first place and why I and many others joined. After all, this isn't simply about Pekka as us POTN members also helped make the site what it is.
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LASTLY: Maybe it all works out and I'm able to block all the additional threads of clutter! Maybe the site will be much as it was before in doing so. That would be fantastic! However, I cannot even get past the white background or general look of the new site. It's ugly (w/due respect) and very taxing on the eye's. He could have just tweaked the old site in adding a few new features and other manufacturer specific threads. He could have avoided the drastic overhaul, IMHO. I cannot even figure out how to highlight a word and then insert a link now. Most of the new features seem gimmicky, youth oriented or unnecessary to me, sorry.
God Bless,
Ralph
Ha, Ha. Yes, I have 6 (now 7) (now 8) edits as displayed for some reason below. I've in part had to fix a few quirky and annoying features with this post.