Been pondering this for quite some time, but it came to a head a week or so ago when I was trying to drum up some interest from NZ/ Aus members/ visitors in particular.

Before that I had found it exceedingly frustrating to trip over a NZ poster who'd been on the boards for years but I was totally unaware of as I'd never caught any of their posts.

There seem to be shed loads of bods from NZ &or Aus here whom I cannot engage because I can't "get at them"

Before I start, here's what I'M NOT trying to suggest:

Start new "region specific" forums - I believe there is a better way.

Have a way to contact "region specific" members only - my proposal makes that easy without actually doing it (if that isn't a contradiction in terms).

How To:


So, "the system" knows where I'm coming from (geographically, if nothing else).

OK, so, lets say the "thread starter / post box" had a tick box for "region specific flag" (haven't figured out how to handle if you want to select a region different to your own, but early days).

If I tick the box, when the post is listed, it has an asterisc, star, red flashing light with klaxons, whatever against it, that only appears for any other member of the selected region [ before anyone has a cardiac arrest - every other member of DVinfo sees it - just no asterisc, star or klaxons]

Thus, someone in NZ/ Aus going through the listings will know there is stuff there (particularly) specific to their region. Everybody else still sees it as normal, just no asterisc, star, klaxons etc.

This "flag" would need to be "nested" in that an entire Forum would show it, then the sub forum etc etc so a casual glance through the site makes it obvious there is "regional stuff" there and you'd better start burrowing.

Genius. No new Forums etc etc etc and if I want to attract the attention of a specific regional group I can without ending up fragmenting the forums.

Take a case in point: One of todays latest recruits finished his post with "Anyone here from Norway"?.

If the "region flag" was available, every member in Norway, Sweden etc sees it's particularly relevant to their region (not sure what the Swedes think of being lumped in with Norway, hmm, maybe not).

Quite how this would work in North America I shall leave to others, can imagine local (state?) groups may find it handy for close quarter communication, then I suppose E/W/N/S/Canada etc or something similar.

Just wish I had worked out a (elegant) way to select a region other than my/ a posters own.

Hmm, I'll get there.

Actually, thinking about it, for the number of times any particular poster will use this function, the usual "drop down list from hell of every country in the known universe" (for international posters)/ US States/ Canada or International (for North American posters) may be the way to go.


Anyway, what does the team think of this idea?

Any merit?

More to the point - any chance?


CS

after more consideration, I'm going to change my statement and suggest THERE SHOULD be an extra forum entry on DVinfo after all.

I would suggest that the "DVinfo Community Contests" forum is amended to "DVinfo Community & Contests" with the inclusion of a "DVinfo Community Notice Board & Social Networking" sub forum.

With the exception of "DVinfo Net Announcements" & "These are the people............", neither of which stand out as appropriate venues, there is nowhere obvious for any discussions which are "social centric" as opposed to "all about the kit".

I'm talking about things like trying to set up a local/ regional video group for example, but am sure if people thought of it there would be a shed load of other things that would fall into it.

This would make best use of "regional flags" if they were ever to happen, although they wouldn't be confined to this (sub) forum.

I'm not suggestng we start using DVinfo (or any part thereof) as a "natter forum" by any means, just a corner where the more social aspects of our mutual interests in video can get an airing.


Just a thought.


CS

How's about a

"Search Forums by Selected Region" option.

or similar, so that you can troll through all the posts/ posters from, say, Norway (again) or India or The Bronx or even, dare I say, NZ.

Do I hear a "whattheheckfor"?

Simple.

I'm planning on going off touring around these islands sometime soon, it would be great to see how many like minded people (about vdeo) there are in NZ who might like to hook up during the tour for a spot of whatever. Going to die of old age waiting to catch them when/ if they ever post on DVinfo again.

If I can find 'em in one go I can either send 'em a mail via DVinfo or use the

"Region Specific flags" outlined above to send a general "Hi guy's/ guyesses" via the Community Forum (also outlined above), and hope they're regular visitors.

I've also got a trip to India in the pipeline and would like to do the same there.


There must be shed loads of DVinfo members planning trips for whom this info would be invaluable.

Also make the decision about setting up a Local/ Regional Video Club or somesuch a lot easier to boot.


CS

It's definitely a good idea. One way to do it would be to implement a thread prefix option which would as you suggest flag the country or region of the person making a post. Or maybe not an end-user option, but automatically derived by the forum software looking at the IP address of the poster. We'd have to agree on a not-too-overwhelming list of countries or regions which is diverse enough without overdoing it.

Such as US / CA / MX / UK / EU / AU / NZ / JP and so on... This list is probably too confusing: http://www.theodora.com/country_digraphs.html but if we kept it to a dozen or so, it would probably be pretty useful.

Glad you agree.

You're right, that list in the link is way too complex.

I think using the IP address for "flag my region" is great.

Where I'm struggling is with the "flag selected region", which either seems to be back to some sort of list OR the "click on world map" type thing.

The list has the advantage that you nail it with one clic, the disadvantage, as you point out, of getting a bit tedious the more regions/ countries are included.

The "click on world map" in my experience, unless done extremely well, requires sometimes three clicks & downloads to get the accuracy.

I have come across one version (wish I could remember where) which was real clever:- when you clicked on "select region", it downloaded the usual world map, but clicking on a specific country or region didn't initiate another more detailed download (with yet more graphics which take the bulk of the time) , but immediately threw up a list (alpha numeric) of all options available for the selected country/ region. Obviously, being a sub set the list was very manageable with no scrolling required.One more click and it was done.

Still a 2 click feature but allows infinately better targetting.

Interestingly, the one place I couldn't get any traction with at all was the USA. If someone in the States wants to "flag" a post, would they want local (city/ town/ etc), state, group of states, what?

Beats me, only because I don't know how people in the States "see" themselves geographically.

Guess that one will have to be worked out by someone with local knowledge.

One thing that has me really intrigued about this thread - how come we've got it all to ourselves? (so far)



CS

I'm all for setting some sort of region specific code to postings. Anything that will help a searcher/poster communicate more effectively is good.

As to why you two have the thread to yourselves... the heading is ITSELF a bit confusing. I thought it was about DVD REGION SPECIFIC CODES, and the "Flags" that are placed on DVD's by burners to read them!

Well, you may have a point about the thread heading, although why a thread refering to DVD regional codes would be in the DV Info Net Announcements forum has me at a loss (thinking about it, with the number of posts that start off in totaly innapropriate forums, it wouldn't be suprising).

[Think the mods would have been on it in a flash if so]

I'm all ears as to what you think this thread should be titled. I'm really not fussed one way or another about it as long as the subject gets a decent airing and as many points of view as possible.

However, when I wrote the opening post, I struggled long and hard to come up with a heading which reflected it's purpose without turning into a saga all on it's own (well, it's a pretty esoteric subject, if you think about it).

All suggestions gratefully received - what would you have titled it?

CS


PS. Thanks for posting!


PPS. OK, I'll come clean. The working title for the thread was, in fact,

"Pamela Anderson pregnant. Chris Hurd father............",

the first line of the first post should have read "of DVinfo."

Now, there were just a couple of problems with that title, as you can possibly imagine.

I know Chris has a pretty wicked sense of humour, but not entirely sure it's quite that wicked, and the thought of my membership of DVinfo being ceremoniously burnt at the stake was enough to give me pause.

Sure fire crowd puller? Oh yeah! Be the most read thread ever to appear on DVinfo. That my ass would probably get sued from here to kingdom come was, however, a bit of a bummer, and definately an incentive to go for something a tad less, er, exotic.

However, if any of the mods are looking for early retirement, feel free to re - instate it, I'll simply deny all knowledge.

CS

help sort this out...

back from the dead after all this time.

Two plus years, my, doesn't time fly!

Interestingly, despite a veritable shed load of hits, this thread got very little feedback at the time.

Never could work that out, but put it down to either the subject being a bit too esoteric or bods thinking it was a solution looking for a problem that they couldn't quite see.

I still agree with the general thrust of the thread, perhaps even more so with the passage of time.

I hope there'll be a bit more feedback this turn around the block.

Either that or Jeff just makes it happen.

Take your time Jeff, any time this week would be good!


CS

troops to come to the aid of the party.

This has surfaced again and this time I really don't feel like letting it sink without trace.

So, as it is pretty apparent that input from the home base (USA) is "missing in action" for reasons unknown, it's up to us to scare up some feedback and input.

You guys/ guyesses MUST have an opinion on this subject, for or against.

Did I get this wrong? Did I get it right? Did I miss something really important out? Did I make it too complicated?

I need all of you to park those bums on seats and hit that keyboard and POST!!

I can threaten Jenn with force feeding her Coors till it comes out her ears, it won't help if:

a. She's pissed as a brewery rat

b. Nobody else gives a FF.

I think this would be one of the best moves DVInfo could make, but I cannot make it happen on my own.

DVInfo NEEDS your input on this. Come on, it isn't rocket science, and for the International members at least, a boon of untold magnitude.

Why it isn't rocking the socks off the USA members has me totally bewildered, but heck, I don't live there so I have to look after my and other International members interests, not theirs.

Come on, let's hear what you think.

Post!


CS

It makes sense to me, but I don't know how it could be best done. Perhaps a flag graphic in the left hand side against our names?

On a side note, I sometimes get tripped up between the join date and the post date for individuals. Actually it happens just about every time I look. Is there a way we can give visual priority to the date of the post?

Andrew

One option might be to take the people in your neighborhood board, or create a new one, and sub-segment it by region. The problem we run into is that the forum list is already really long, but it might be worth having a place that's more directed than 'the world' to talk about specific things. Something like: North America, Central & South America, Europe & UK, Africa, Asia and Australia & New Zealand.

i propose:
Canada
East Coast USA
West Coast USA
Rest of North America
South America
U.K.
Western Europe
Eastern Europe
Africa
South Asia
East Asia
Australasia

For starters...add or take a few depending on demographics...the admins should have that infor anyway. The number of posts will remain the same, but it just takes one more forum subdivision. Makes it more practical. Otherwise, what's the point?

Australasia might as well be changed to "Australia" as New Zealand is pretty much just an extra state for us.

Andrew

Er, Andrew:

much as I realise that the "facts on the ground" may support such a move, I think a majority of those (few) Kiwis actually still living here might be a tad miffed.

The popular sentiment here is that due to the vast number of Kiwis actually living in OZ, Australasia is renamed New Zealand: South Island, North Island, West Island.

Jeff & Sareesh:

Simplicity is probably paramount at this point.

My suggestion is to put a new Forum in the "And now, for something Completely Different" section right down at the bottom of the Index page.

Working title of same: Region Specific Threads - Any Topic (except trading).

For this forum (and this forum only) clicking on "New Thread" brings up the standard post page with the addition of the usual drop down "list of all countries in the Known Universe" BUT with the addition of the "Super" groups both of you have identified at the top of the list.

This allows a poster to either select a "SuperGroup" or burrow down to a particular country if they so desire (everybody's happy!).

In the list of threads, the Thread title and posters name are displayed as normal BUT the last half acre of the thread title box is given over to the Supergroup or country selected IN BOLD!).

(This is a country mile from my original wish to have people notified automatically but "for the moment" it's better than nothing till we see how well this baby is gonna fly!).

Back on the Index page, the same format for "Last Post" is used EXCEPT that, as with the list of threads, that last half acre of Thread Title is used to prominently show the Supergroup or country targeted***

*** Having posted this I realised that there simply isn't any room in the "Last Post, Thread Title" area for Supergroup or Country, it will have to park in the last half acre of the Forum name box, which in many cases is empty and with the Forum Title proposed, will be as well.

The beauty of all this is that the "thread starter" only needs to select the Supergroup or country ONCE and any and all subsequent posters need do NOTHING different to normal.


NOW:

Having got that far, I am restrained by my utter ignorance of what you can and can't do with this web site with regard to identifying what region a page is going to.

For example, if I click on either a Forum to start burrowing OR the Last Post for same, can you (as in "the management or system") know where that requested data is going?

[ I must assume yes, which is why Sony USA keeps telling me to sod off and go look at Sony Australasia!]

Ah, but can it tell if I simply log on or request a refresh of the Index page? Yes?

If this is true, having established "home base" with the above changes, it must be a "relatively easy" (slippery slope, that one) job to put in a routine which identifies that there is an unread post in the "Region Specific Threads" Forum addressed to the Supergroup or Country the data requestor is living in, then flag the "Region Specific.." forum with a flashing star or whatnot.

Possible?


OK all, that's the best I can do for now. Whadaya think?


CS

For anyone who's got a bit lost in all that detail up above, here's how it works.

I want to contact all DVinfo members in India, say, 'cos I want to make a visit and meet up with some like minded souls there.

I mosey on down to the bottom of the Index page, click on "Region Specific Threads", then click on "New Thread".

I get the usual post box with the addition of a drop down Supergroup/ country list.

I scroll down to "India", click on it and proceed to write the post.

Post it, hey presto, the Index page now has a new "Last Post" (from me) and up bold and beautifull is "India" as well.

Down the track (well, when I've found a suitable bribe for Jeff) every DVinfo member*** in India will see a nice big flashing red star superimposed on the usual "new post" noticeboard over on the hard left of the Index page, telling them there is a new India specific post in the Forum.

Everybody else in the known Universe sees the same "Last Post", but no flashing red star ('cos it ain't aimed at 'em, natch).

Everybody in the known Universe who can post on DVinfo, can post to that thread too, hey, the more the merrier.

Sounds almost too simple, doesn't it?

It's so rediculously simple I'm staggered no one's thought of it before, actually.


CS

PS *** I can't see why any Indian lurkers couldn't see it as well, thinking about it. Might be a way of enticing more lurkers in off the streets.

PPS: Following this through a bit further, with the supergroup/ country list being such an easily amendable feast, and given the way the system as proposed works, it is quite concieveable that a DVinfo member in India or anywhere else, for that matter, could start their own "country" thread within the "Region Specific Threads" forum with no further amendments to the system.

Thus the massive UK contingent could, for example, start their own UK centric thread dealing with specifically UK problems and solutions.

I'm really looking forward to talking to more of my fellow Kiwis (yeah, even those on the West Island).

In the meantime, we can always invade New Zealand (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RenRILqwhJs).

(ducking)

Andrew

Must be sommat in the water.......

Bit late Andrew, there's nearly half a million of our troops (er, undercover operatives) stationed in Oz, er, the West Island already. You're ours!

Going back to that "New Thread" post page for a moment.

I can't see any reason why there couldn't be even three drop down boxes, based on relative member numbers ie:

1. USA, supergroups thereof and individual states, others by request/ negotiation.

2. Canada?

3. Rest of world

Based on info I don't have, must be in the works somewhere tho'.

Getting really excited about this now, I think this is gonna work.

Any chance for Monday, Jeff?


CS

PS: ROFLH

PPS: Based on Sareesh's comments below, why not make the drop down boxes "multi select" so you can hold down the Ctrl key and select, say, India + Pakistan, thus making your own supergroups?

Hey, this thing is gonna be cooking with gas!

Chris
It's a good idea...but my knowledge of forum software is non-existent...i don't even know what the index page is.:)
But I get one thing: allowing people from similar regions to network together will help scale it up a lot better - technologies keep changing, countries mostly don't.

Sareesh:

The Index page is the page that loads as soon as you log in or fire up the Forum. It lists every single forum and sub forum and the most recent post in all of them, it's basically station central. Down the left hand side there's a little blue "notice board" indicating the status of each forum for you alone, thus, if you've read every single post in a particular forum (or marked them all as read) there will be no post- it note indicating there is a new post.

More information on it than you can point a stick at.

Where was I?

Ah, yes. A question or three to the Management & OR Jeff.

A little bit of crystal ball gazing on my part threw up some interesting possibilities.

If (no, let's be positive) WHEN this all comes about, it is quite conceivable we will get bods joining DVinfo from lands far and wide across the planet, people who wouldn't dream of joining before because..........drum roll.........it is primarilly an English only site.

However, with access to Region Specific threads, I can forsee non English speakers joining and conversing with others from that region WHO CAN speak English, but in their native language, in effect using the English speakers as unpaid translators (to some extent, at least).

This threw up my first question.

Does DVinfo have on board a full set of International character sets, and I do mean a FULL SET? Japanese? Chinese (I remember diving into that subject some time back and backing out, thinking "We need a bigger boat")?

Now this leads me onto another subject that I really just want to leave under it's rock for the moment, but guess I'll have to prise out into the open at some point.

Given that Google Translator would appear to be, for our purposes anyway, completely useless (see my other thread next door on the subject, very popular, amazing) how does one keep the natives from becoming revolting when one doesn't have the foggiest what they're talking about?

[Aside: as no real tests have been done with an "average" post length and content, I'm probably being a tad harsh with the "useless" tag, it may well stand up quite well, we shall have to see.]

That really is rhetorical and I'm not expecting a hard and fast answer (from anyone) at this point, but I do think it needs to get into the collective conciousness as a subject of merit.

The usual "Report this Post" thing is all very well, but I forsee a problem or two if the adjudicators, can't.

And finally, Jeff, when are we going to see this? Chris, ARE we going to see this?

I have to admit I see this as a HUGE positive step for DVinfo, not in the effort to get it actioned, but in what it might bring to the site when it has been.

I'm quite aware that this isn't attracting quite the positive feedback I would have liked, but heck, if you think back to some of the negative mud slinging that went on over my "Google DVinfo" suggestion of a couple of years ago, blimey, this is five standing ovations by comparison - and how many times a day is that Google search bar used? Thousands?

And nary a squeak from the naysayers.

Jeff - next week, right?


CS


PS: BTW, The Google Search Bar: I have never accepted (except in jest), nor has anyone suggested, that there was a causal link between my suggesting it and it actually appearing. I just figured you were, as usual, way out in front and it was happening anyway.

Just in case anyone got the wrong end of the stick on that one.

It can't happen until after NAB, sorry Chris. All of us, Jeff especially, have heaping plates of work to plow through in preparation for NAB. It's pretty much the dominant aspect of our lives at the moment. We'll have to revisit this sometime afterwards.

Over the last two years I've noticed not a lot of South Asian forum members contribute regularly...so I'm sure it's not a pressing issue for this region anyway [The solution to all our problems is always a Sony].

Can DVinfo be made mobile friendly? Not everyone in the world is connected to a computer, but they are to the mobile phone.

The solution to all our problems is always a Sony].


Oh, if only it was that simple...........

Fair enough Chris, already factored that "little spot of bother" into the time frame and figured you guys would be in "one armed paper hanger" mode.

Everybody else (er, 1!) I know who has anything to do with it (NAB) is in exactly the same mode.

(Couldn't resist a spot of leg pulling tho', you know me.)

I can at least take comfort in the fact that IT WILL happen, which is great.

Really looking forward to seeing this roll out, going to be fascinating watching how it developes.

You guys enjoy NAB, catch you on your return once the shoe leather has stopped smoking.


CS

but is there "any movement at the station" on this one? (Banjo Patterson, I believe).

Just an update is all.

I'm well aware, from my mainframe years, of being the piggy in the middle, with CEO's asking "When's it gonna be fixed" to them not taking too kindly to the stock response (born after numerous "in an hour" responses and it taking an extra three days ) of _

"When it's fixed".

Just a hint would be fine.


CS

Chris s,

This sounds like a great idea.

I believe it's very simple, with only a few minutes of programing involved.

I have an extensive understanding of programing as I'll now demonstrate, There are 8 bits to a byte and .....oh bugga, someones at the door...gotta dash, back later..... I'm sure you'll work it out !!!! :)

Seriously, it sounds good, keep at it, if there's one thing you Kiwi's are good at, it's pestering people...... :)

Al

I long ago learnt that the steady "drip, drip, drip" method works best when breaking someone down, they'll have to give in eventually.

As the Daleks put it, so succicntly - "Resistance is futile",

especially when my Oz mates chime in with nice things to say about it!

Keep up the good work (and get some of your other Oz mates to "write to the Editor" as well!)

I have visions of Jeff and a host of others, slaving over super heated terminals, way into the wee smalls, trying to figure out how and then make this fly.

Brownie points if they can, reckon they could license it across the known universe if they can crack it, could be a nice little earner for DVinfo (less my cut, of course).


CS

Forgive the nit-pick Chris, but actually it's the Borg that say "Resistance is futile." The Daleks rarely say much beyond "Exterminate!"

As for your idea, it's a great one, and I'm sure Chris Hurd will incorporate it eventually.

Aloha,

Larry Price
Obssessive Trek Fan and Whovian

Lots of irons in the fire right now... but it's still on the short list. Thanks for your patience,

Of course, Larry, you are correct, how could I forget, "1 of 7" or whatever it was, most amazing human form I've ever seen in Spandex!

Chris H, appreciated.

"lots of irons in the fire" (aren't there always?),

I know you'll get there eventually (Jeff and the staff working 36 hour days?).

Site's looking good tho'.


CS

Any news?


CS

PS:

Wow, 3,518 hits since first launched, not bad for a beginner.

Still a country mile behind my "Foreign Language" thread a few doors over at 7,833, but that was always going to be a hot topic.

When this gets launched, people won't be able to believe just how powerfull it can be.

It'll happen.

However, another reason to get this working.

Some of you may be aware I've scored the camera support revue of the century, by getting Vinten, Sachtler, Miller, Libec and Manfrotto to commit new series equipment in the light medium camcorder/ medium heavy HD DSLR category for a head to head shoot out (whether I'll see all the gear is still a bit fuzzy based on reponses to mails, but I'll keep chipping away).

On the basis of that supposed coup, I thought there must be bods here in Dunedin that would gnaw their own arms off to get a stab at playing with this gear whilst I had it.

So I tracked down the local Film/ Video Club here in Otago and had a good chat with the guy "in charge".

It appears that, because of the changing demographics, the old style "clubs" that met at a local hall one Monday a month are dying on their feet.

Added to that, the older members are just plain dying, period, and they simply cannot recruit younger members, as they want to do everything on line (and are too young, busy, lazy or whatever to commit to actual physical presence at a meeting), and, of course, the existing clubs web sites are nothing short of a disgrace.

Cue DVinfo and regional codes! Get the school and college kids hooked up, host their own club sites here, where they can chat to other locals and still have all the advantages of DVinfo's amazing Forums.

At the moment they are, apparently, using their own school/ college networks for whatever talking they do do, but it's the blind leading the blind.

There's scope here for amazing things IF we can get the regional codes off the ground.

Heck, I'd even be prepared to personally do the school/ college circuit on a suitably based recruitng drive.

Yeah, I guess that was another drip.


CS

Drip.

Wow, 6,762 hits (and no, they ain't mine, either), not a world record, I admit, but pretty good for such an esoteric subject.

Still think it's a very good idea, even after all this time.

What do you reckon Chris, any chance (of even a part) or just too hard/ expensive/ not cost effective?


CS