Whatbird.com

I think you need to create a FAQ tab on the top of the main page, along with Home, Bogs etc...every 2 days someone asks "how do i post a photo", or "i am getting this or that message when i try to post"...etc... i think it would help eliminate some of the new peoples anxiety about getting involved...thanks..but this is still the best birding site on the web, no doubt

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http://whatbird.com/forums/photos/early_summers_birds/

I 2nd that! I would be helpful to know they size limit on pictures that you can post.

Amen!

perhaps this thread should be used to get a list started. already suggested: how to post a pic and error messages received while posting.  i would add one about how to find somebody's gallery. also, it would be nice to get a definitive answer on what causes a post to be reviewed by the moderator. 

i bet that even the experienced users would benefit since there is often a way to do something that is better than the old habit. 

we will still get posts from people who have not read the FAQs, but it would be much easier to direct them to the FAQs than it would be to repeat the tips in the forum. 

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"A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song."
--Chinese Proverb

+1.  This site does not work like others and it is not intuitive.  A FAQ is absolutely necessary.

I, for one, would like to know how to post more than one photo in a single post. Even when I downsize them so that the total is within size restrictions, I still cannot get more than one file to load---the new one just replaces the old.

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Newest bird: Slate-colored Fox Sparrow, seen during the Portal, AZ CBC

YES, YES, YES!!!!!

 

I am one of those frustrated NEW users... I can't even FIND the FAQ on this website so I can figure out how to create a profile.

This website is quite frustrating. 

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I am an oil painter and I LOVE to paint birds... http://www.camille-engel.com

Don't get too frustrated...everyone gets stumped at some time... the fastest way to get an answer, is make a post. most of us here have been through it all before, and someone has helped us find our way. and usually quite promptly. don't give up...ok, i guess i should answer your question while i am here.... in the upper right corner , after you sign in, is your name.. click it, and it will take you to your page where you can fill in any information you want us to know...

 

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http://whatbird.com/forums/photos/early_summers_birds/

The fact that so many users have the exact same questions is strong evidence that the site is not intuitive and that a FAQ should be prominently located on a high-traffic page.  Of course people can start yet another thread asking the same questions as dozens of others, but there is an easier way (a FAQ!) and the site probably loses potential users due to the failure to include this simple feature, something found on virtually every site of any size. 

This is not the easiest forum to navigate I have been on. That said there is a FAQ of sorts, but it’s more about Whatbird than a how do I do this FAQ, there is some info under the Help menu also. If you want to read the FAQ it’s under the Sight Map at the bottom of this page, the small type stuff no one ever reads. If you want to try finding a bird ID on your own click on the Browser, it will bring up a list of the states, click on your state to see what is there. To find the forums just under your login name in the upper right is Shortcuts and at the bottom is Forum Subscriptions. Click on it and a list of all the forums will appear. Photos will show the recent uploads and at the bottom left of the page is a View All click that to see a list of the galleries. See a pic you like? Click on the thumbnail to enlarge it, at the bottom left just under the photo is a View Size. Click or mouse over, I don’t remember witch it is and a drop down menu will show, click on original to see the larger size photo. Move your mouse pointer off the pic then back on to it and it will change to a circle with + in the center click again to view full size. Hope this helps someone a little. Yes I agree a better FAQ is needed.

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Kurt

jmmoon:

I, for one, would like to know how to post more than one photo in a single post. Even when I downsize them so that the total is within size restrictions, I still cannot get more than one file to load---the new one just replaces the old.

Add them to your own gallery. Make your gallery an easy name to remember like moon_photos, and it will appear under your user name and account information when you click on your user name to review your account information. Then next time you want to add more than one photo to a post it's simple to then cut and paste the link of each gallery photo into the compose window using the icons. Just re-use the edit function, if you get stuck.

We already have a forum for such things:

http://www.whatbird.com/forums/forums/45/ShowForum.aspx

Anyone who has spent more than a few minutes on this site knows that many people never find the information they are looking for about posting images (to take one example).  They make mistakes and/or give up and/or create new threads asking questions that have been answered many times in threads started by other frustrated users.  A FAQ is the universally accepted way of conveying information to new users and this site doesn't have one and it shows.  There can't be much debate that this site fails on intuitiveness, user friendliness, and easy-to-find instructions.  It is good in other ways, but not those.  Fortunately, it would be incredibly easy to fix.

This is certainly a good idea.  The only thing resembling this now is a forum that's buried several groups down on the main forum page.

I see that we've now made some progress on this for the bird ID thread.  Thank you.

http://www.whatbird.com/forums/forums/thread/117221.aspx

One minor suggestion:  rather than linking to another thread that explains -- in two short paragraphs -- how to post an image, I think it would make sense to copy that text into that sticky thread and eliminate the link.   That way everything is in one place. 

JAC6:

I see that we've now made some progress on this for the bird ID thread.  Thank you.

http://www.whatbird.com/forums/forums/thread/117221.aspx

One minor suggestion:  rather than linking to another thread that explains -- in two short paragraphs -- how to post an image, I think it would make sense to copy that text into that sticky thread and eliminate the link.   That way everything is in one place. 

I was going to write that out myself but quoting from him would probably make more sense. Hold on while I change that...