The Forestry Forum

You get two 2 choices.

I think the knowledge base here is great.  I sometimes forget about it, but there's some real good stuff in there.

I have visited it without knowingly doing so  and searched it out also.
May have even contributed once.

I ran it ragged untill i bought my mill. now i pick thru it everyday for one thing or another.

I think the Knowledge base is a good tool and idea.  We've kind of let it slip into the background the last few years. It has even been taken from the top row of options and hidden under "Forum Extras".

I've not tried to add or update anything in it since the new Forum software has been installed.  Is it still a bit cumbersome to manage a post into it?

I go in there once in awhile and have added an item or two. My visiting frequency is probably once every 2-3 months.  ;)

I have used it and find it quite handy.

Don

I wonder if the Forum Extras button shouldn't be in the menu bar. I think it gets missed because the button doesn't really stand out that well, it kind of blends into the graphics of the page. Once in awhile someone might click on it to see if it sends them into another page, out of curiosity. Could a script be written to have the button flash every few seconds to draw attention to it?

I clicked "don't know how to use it" because I have never visited it, and that's because I didn't know that there was such a thing ... typical newbie eh? :)


I guess I'll go have a look ...

cheers eh?


EDIT:  well .... having had a look-see ... that's an interesting part of the forum that I didn't know about. There's a whole range of interesting, useful, entertaining stuff there!!

I have used the knowledge base and the forum toolbox extensively. The experience and knowledge on this forum is PRICELESS. and the range of subjects covered is just awsome.
Thanks Jeff

I voted "don't know how to use it" because I didn't know there was one. I agree with SwampDonkey. The forum extras button blends into the page so well I almost gave up trying to find it.

I hear and heed.  :)

That certainly helps a lot Jeff, Thanks.  :)

That blinking light at the top right was blinding me. :o   I put a piece of masking tape on the monitor and now everything is fine. :D

I hardly ever use the Knowledge Base cause I forget we have it.  I do use the search function a lot.  Could Knowledge Base results be displayed when you do a search?

I think the blinking light is really cool. 8) 8)  Course it don't take much to keep me occupied anymore. ;D

The knowledge base is for the most part  taken from the Forum content and exists there as well and will be returned by a search in its original form. The Knowledge base is just a different way to display some notable things in a different way. Something to virtually "thumb through" to find interesting tidbits. Forestry Forum popcorn. :)

The knowledge base has more info in there then I will ever know in my lifetime.  Great place to research any thoughts and questions I have.  More often than not I'll search in the knowledge base before I post a question in a topic, hence my few posts in the time I have been a member here.  ;)  It would be a very big disappointment to lose it.

Did you know that any member can nominate posts or other informtion for the Knowledge base?  It's a part of logging onto the Knowledge base.    The applications are researched by an admin to determine duplicates or to keep spam out, but a precursor effort by the one doing the application will sure save a lot of time.   To be in the knowledge base info doesn't have to be on the forum first, even though that is usually the case.  If you have a good magazine, you might just want to tell about it in the knowledge base.  If you want to retain credit for the entry, put your userid in the bottom of the entry.

Hi,

I am a relatively new person to this site, and I dont mean to offend any one in any way shape or form.  If I wanted to I could have kept this to myself, but I am sharing it as a suggestion. 

For starters I didn't know about the knowledge base until I suggested that there should be one sort of like they have at the top of the timber framers forum (but weed out the "gee whiz thats cool!" comments that offer no "knowledge" ) when some one got a new sawmill in the milling section. 

Well I went to it then and I think it has one or two good entries with solid information , but it is not the give and take lets build on each other ideas type of thing that you might find if it was at the top of each respective forum.  I mean how many folks have asked "What should I look for when buying a sawmill?" type questions. 

My 2 cents.

I love this site(except the photo upload thing) , please dont take this defensively

I think that's where this board comes in and should cover what you are talking about with out any trouble.
Maybe you can start a thread there along the lines you are thinking, in order to get the ball rolling. :)
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/board,65.0.html

good idea shinnlinger.Yes,the photos does take time.Two reason for this that I know of.One is putting photos in a FF gallery.These pictures will always be there.You are not suppose to delete them.Once you post them in a FF album they belong to the FF.I have been on other forums and have got the dreaded red "X" where a picture should be.We like to compress pictures to a certain size for people with dail up.The compress pictures load much faster.I have dail up and I like it that way.I had a hard time at first with photos,but now I can breeze right through it without a problem.Unless I do something wrong.   ;)

I am getting better at the photo thing and what you said makes perfect sense, but it is things like you have to pick which gallery you want to put the photo in or it wont work, but there is only one gallery you can put it in.  Why cant it default to your gallery?  Or why can a photo be 38 kb but too big when 44 kb is the max size allowed?  Why cant you just click on a photo and have it go in your post instead of copy and pasting?  These are minor pet peaves though in the big picture and I do apprecaite that.  I also dont like how it takes FOREVER to load a thread that has a video in it, but you cant watch it any way.  Can you select threads in such a way that it will disable video links?

And I am getting off trackI  was just trying to suggest the knowledge poll might get more use if it were more visible.  My suggestion is to stick it at the top of each forum and post rules, like noe "gee whiz" type comments, only comment on what experinces are or have been.

This has really left me wondering what the suggestion is all about.  The Knowledge base poll served its time in the open forum, was closed and moved to this archives area.  what is more important to me than being able to post in the poll forever is for folks to contribute to the knowledge base.  That's actually a place on the forum with interesting stuff and it can be found in Forum Extras at the top right corner of the screen.  It's purpose has never to have been a place to banter.  The Forum is for that.  The knowledge base is for recording finite statements.

Gee, golly whiz stuff is common on most forums and Ienjoy seeing the exhuberance of new owners on the Forestry Forum.  I guess I just don't understand.

Well I think there is confusion about what/where the knowledge base is, versus the regular forum boards. There are lots of areas to explore and we hope the 'Forum Extras' gets explored and in doing so you discover some little jems. Don't forget the little toolbox either. ;D

Tom,

To clarify my suggestion, I was thinking that the hi lit blue threads which are always at the top of the timber frame forum and others, be used like the knowledge base(or perhaps a different color right under/above those).  Post rules to keep it concise and meaninful and that  only comments that go in it are from a posters first hand experience, things they know for certain to work or not work and then post topics in the different forums like How do you get a chainsaw running?"  What should one consider before buying a portable sawmill?  WHen should I put out my sap buckets?  That kind of thing and let people comment on what has worked /not worked for them.  

I have seen the above questions (well maybe not the sap one) answered over and over again in different threads, but they are not that easy to search and find, you have to wade through alot of fluff to get to the nuggets of knowledge.  You could come up with some topic starters for it and take a poll as to what folks would like to see asked.

Hope that clears up my idea a bit, I won't be offended if it doesn't happen.

I'm personally NOT going to open up a board and each time have to scroll through several threads of or even pages of threads to get to the current stuff.
I personally dislike having more than a couple of "pinned" threads on any board.

So what you would be suggesting is a child boad inside each board that contains a member editable knowledge base specific to that board ???

Yes, many questions have been asked and answered over and over and over again.
That's why we have a search feature as well and learning how to search properly goes a long way to finding the answers you need. Same goes when using a search engine elsewhere on the web.

I was thinking more that the "powers that be" would designate the "pinned"threads and would limit it to the 5-10 most asked questions.  SInce these things "explode" when you click on them, I cant see it taking up more than the top 1/4 of your screen even at 10 questions or topics.

My opinion is that if it isn't right in front of someone then they aint gonna see it and I think the same questions getting asked over and over backs me up on that.

But look, I am NOT passionate about this and I DONT want anyone getting offended or upset. 

Sometimes even when it's in plain sight, it isn't seen. In the ID board a thread has been started to ID trees by twigs, bark and buds and some have leaves and the same question comes up. How do I Identify a red maple, ash etc? If you can't ID by buds, twigs, leaves and bark I don't know what you can use. ;)  :D

Don't forget, there is a "fun" factor to some of these threads, especially something like plant ID.