[Tursiops2]

For what it’s worth, I’d like to make an observation on this topic.

On a few occasions recently, it has fallen to me to be the first to welcome a newcomer to the site and explain the procedure for submitting photos to the Unidentified or Forum galleries. Like others, I’ve been puzzled as to why so many intelligent people fail to appreciate the difference between these galleries and the moderated galleries, and why a procedure that is so easy to explain should apparently be so difficult to understand.

Having given it some thought, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s simply down to presentation. If you’ll bear with me, I’ll try and explain what I mean by taking the viewpoint of a newcomer who is perhaps new to wildlife; new to computers; new to the internet; and/or new to forums*; and wants to get an ID for a bird they’ve photographed in their garden.

If, as a first-time, unregistered visitor with a photo to post, I get as far as registering and clicking on the Galleries link, I’m taken to the top of the Galleries page. Very pretty it is too, but nothing at this stage is of obvious relevance to my mission.

If I scroll down in search of more options, the first thing that catches my eye is the “Bird Photography” gallery. This would seem to be the obvious place to put a photo of a bird for identification, and there is no indication that it is not. Nor is there any indication that this gallery is for reference only; or that it is moderated (or what that means); or that photos submitted here that do not meet certain criteria will be rejected.

At this point, I think a lot of people assume they’ve reached their objective and post their image, and so would I. If, however, I do take the time to explore the options on this page further, and I scroll down to the bottom, I reach, at last, my true objectives - the “Unidentified” and “Forum” galleries.

These, however, are tucked inconspicuously away at the very bottom of the page, and there’s no obvious indication of their relevance - the Unidentified gallery has some technical stuff about copying and pasting URLs, but nothing about what it’s actually for**; and the Forum gallery specifically states that it is not for photos of wildlife (a proscription which, happily, is ignored by most contributors). Given this lack of information, even if I find these links, I think it is likely that I’m going to return to the Bird Photography gallery and post my photo there, with the inevitable consequences.

I honestly don’t think that further explanation of what is actually a fairly simple process, once you get to the point where that process is applicable, is necessary. All I think is required is a small design modification, with clear signposting to the appropriate destination.

To be specific, I think the “Unidentified” gallery should be renamed “For identification” and its purpose explained; the “Forum” gallery’s criteria should be redefined; and both links should be highlighted and repositioned at the top of the Galleries page, where the first-time visitor will see them before they get to the reference galleries. Do this and I think a lot of problems could be solved.

I really hope this helps
Tursiops2



*Every forum I’ve visited over the last two years seems to have a different system for posting photos, and even an experienced forum-user can get confused if an unfamiliar system is not clearly explained.

**I believe (correct me if I’m wrong) that the original function of the “Unidentified” gallery was to serve as a sort of “holding-pen” for otherwise-acceptable Gallery images where the subject species had not been identified. If I’m right, then its role seems to have changed, and I don’t think this has helped matters.