About the Yateley Camera Club Forum and How Members Can Join

What is a Forum?
A forum is often referred to as a bulletin board. It resides on a web site. It allows its members to post to a topic information (such as notices, questions, requests for help). Members can reply back to these topics or create new ones if required.
If you are still struggling with the concept, think of it as a very large, structured and flexible notice board that is always available to access and that you can pin new notices to it anytime without first having to extract a drawing pin embedded in the sole of your shoe. Such physical notice boards cannot exist in reality, electronic forums offer so much more anyway

Why not just use email instead?
Email is fine when exchanging information between two or three people, but if there are several recipients involved, all replying with their views, suggestions and some going off on tangents (creating rat holes), inboxes become very disorganized and it becomes very difficult to search for any nuggets of information required. Also, if a person has been missed out on the distribution of the email, then it is often quite messy to rectify that situation if it becomes apparent.

Why we should have a forum
Often our meetings have a full agenda resulting in little time for members to have discussions with each other. As a result our meetings more often resemble a presentation. A forum will give everyone the opportunity to discuss with others any topic they wish to do. As a result of this, I think we will get to know each a lot better and get a lot more out of our great club as a result.

Is the forum moderated / what does a moderator do?
This forum is moderated by the webmaster. The role is to keep the forum in order and ensure that everyone contributing to it does so in a courteous manner and in keeping with the spirit of the forum's aims. In the unlikely event of a serious breach, it may result in errant messages being taken off line and persistent offenders suspended from contributing.

Hint and Tips on using a forum

Do not use capitals all the time; it is uneasy on the eye and some people would say you are SHOUTING.
Treat everyone with respect on the forum. Do not use abusive language or insult anyone, forum members or otherwise. Do not write negatively of people or other organizations (you might get sued); say instead something along the lines of "I looked at company A and Company B, but were more impressed by Bs products and services." Resist the temptation to say that company A are a bunch of charlatans.
Avoid heavy banter, even with those you know are okay with it. Those reading it that are not privy to the nature of the relationship might find it intimidating.
Before posting a new topic, please check that it would not better be located under an existing topic. However, don't worry excessively about it.
When posting an entry, please ensure that the subject (title) is relevant and useful; don't put "Somebody help me please" but something more specific such as "Problem with Nikon D200, control panel shows [-E-]" Put enough information in the body of the message such as the circumstance in which the error occurred and what you have already tried to resolve the problem.
Use it often; this is the most important rule! The more people that use it the better it will be for all. Don't be afraid to use a little humour from time to time. If you post something that turns out to be a bit too silly you can either a/ Remove it or b/ Leave it there and let everyone have a laugh.

How to join the forum
To register for the forum you must be a paid up member of Yateley Camera Club. Please send an email to:
webmaster@yateleycameraclub.co.uk with a subject YCC Forum Membership Request
and provide the following information:
First Name:
Surname:
Email address:
Date of joining YCC: (This is only required if this is your first season with the club. It doesn't need to be exact).

I will endeavour to create the account as soon as possible, usually within 2 days unless I am on holiday, in a technology black spot or the like. As soon as the account is created, you will receive an automated from webmaster@yateleycameraclub.co.uk (via hosts.co.uk) specifying your account name and password. Instruction on how to change the password will be included in the mail.
If you have any questions, you can email me at webmaster@yateleycameraclub.co.uk or catch me (Richard Pullan) on a Wednesday evening.

Direct Link to the Yateley Camera club Forum