There is a fine line between overcontrol and heavy-handed administration/moderation, censorship, and allowing the free flow of thoughts, ideas, opinions, information and debate. Videomaker is among a very few forum sponsors that has successfully walked that line.
I would hesitate to suggest restrictive measures limiting access to newbies/noobs when the very foundation of Videomaker is based on instruction, information and helpful content important to those just enterting the fold.
I also would hesitate to implement so many subject/topic categories that are so specific as to prevent at least the perusal of more general topics. It is not likely that so-called experts or long-time video people will pop in on a newbie forum. Occasionally, sure, but for the most part if too many specific forum topics thin the focus, really important topics might die of inactivity.
Personally, a more general approach, though it often results in OT posts/responses, even those hated spam marketers, is to be preferred IMHO.
How a site looks, colors/graphics used, isn't as important to me personally, as is the ease of navigation and content. While the addition of clips, images, etc. etc. might, to a degree, make some aspects of this forum more interesting to a few activists, it will likely end up cluttering the forum so much that ease of navigation and accessibilty to specific topics will take a hit. Plus I am not sure if even Videomaker has the resources to maintain/sustain both a broad, and specific, forum that could lead to participant anarchy.
I like the idea of chat. I like the idea of notification when something new has been posted to a topic or post I am following, or have responded to. I like the idea of a newbie category, but not the limiting of newbies to ONLY that for ANY period of time. I like open access, freedom of expression, and moderation only to the extent that those unable to control their attitudes, anger and abusive language are monitored and admonished.
Perhaps a healthy debate section would be in order, along the lines of a WWW cagefight approach, but the rest of the boards are doing a good job as they are. Simplification of access should be top priority. Overloading Videomaker Forums with a boatload of special stuff, that often is available or can be found elsewhere on a specific site would be redundant IMHO.
We all like to upgrade/update our looks, content, etc. on web sites, but sometimes change simply for the sake of it results in a law of diminishing returns. I might sound adverse to change, but actually I am not. I only wish that changes made were more constructive and purpose focused than they often are.
People get tired of what THEY perceive as the same old, The Chicken Dance at weddings for example, but for the people who enjoy getting out there and flapping their arms it's still fun. No forum, in my experience, regardless of the ease with which it offers archival search, can successfully eliminate the redundancy of questions, comments or posts. Often there are sufficient changes in the industry to warrant a renewal of certain questions like, what brand/model of camera should I purchase.
Like most anything available to us here, or elsewhere, we all have the option to NOT read it, post to it, or bother following.
