Picture Thread Comments/Suggestions

[lilredstiffy]

I think its always sucked but I figure I'd ring in the new year and speak my opinion

Not commenting on pictures is lame
Deleting/locking threads with just pictures and new parts is lame

To me the whole fun of checking out a message board like this is posting and discussing parts and different cars' styles

[Phlip]

Okay, now imagine as a moderator, you have members who start a thread every week with "w00t! I washed my car this morning, new pics" as the title, or something equally lame.
Imagine the "new" body kit picture threads with kits that people STOPPED using 3 years ago.
Imagine the "check out my wheels" threads.
Without the rules as they regard the picture thread, there would be about 50 of these threads every day. The problem with that is not their existence, as they'd usually slip back to another page in a couple days or even hours on some days. The problem is the existing members who would SURELY use these threads to tee off on peoples' choices in wheel sizing, kit fitment, how old the information being provided in these threads usually is or just generally free flame. Most times I cannot say I blame them.
Now look at this thread:
http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=26959
... that is what happens when you allow people to freely comment on a picture thread, you have a 144 page thread with what MIGHT be about 45-50 pages of pictures, so we lock it off and start over the right way. There is no need to comment in the picture thread, any needed information can be acquired by PM/IM without black-holing bandwidth.

[ThatGuy]

When comments were allowed, the picture thread got too cluttered with BS. If you'd like to comment on the cars, or ask questions, do so through the PM system. We lock the extra threads because they are not needed. When we allowed them, then we had a new "Check out my car, I just washed it" Thread, everyday. It got ridiculous. The way we have it set up now works, and it's what we are sticking with.

What really bugs me is, you offer no solution. You just sit there behind your keyboard and spout off "The Picture Thread Sucks". Could you be any more non-productive? The New Picture Thread was set-up with recommendations from Zilvia members. People who actually wanted to help, rather than just complain. The Thread works perfectly for what it is designed to do: Display Pictures. This isn't CarDomain, this is the one and only Zilvia.net.

[lilredstiffy]

I don't think there is a solution but just a choice between having a picture thread or allowing all sorts of threads. I think forcing all pictures of parts and such to the picture thread is too much. Put the 'wash my car' stuff in a no commenting picture thread?

My big problem with the way it is now, is the threads (or should I say questions?) in the general forum ( http://www.zilvia.net/f/forumdisplay.php?f=7 ) are always easy things that can be answered with a search or a question which is completely stupid. I find these way more worthless than a "got a new bumper" "bought new coilovers" etc...

[Phlip]

^^^ And in such becomes a matter of comparative importance. The things that you complain can be answered with a simple search are the very things that make these sections of the forum valuable. Someone posting a new thread to show off his new wheels/bumper/skirts/steering wheel, especially knowing Zilvians' habits to endlessly flame each other with little or no remorse had fueled the necessity of alternatives.
1. Picture thread IN IT'S CURRENT FORMAT
2. Gallery (another registration/login, but hey)
3. Buy a premium membership and you are able to create your own member rides page, including pictures of your own.

It is far easier to moderate ONE thread, simply removing posts withbout pictures than it is to moderate a new one every 23 minutes with non groundbreaking information and being ruthlessley flamed.

[Jonnie Fraz]

Ok I don't get fired up about much, but this is the best picture thread out there. Try going to Fresh alloy, or Nico where there are 200 plus pages in the pic thread and about twenty pics total. Nothing pisses me off more than going to a pic thread and having to wade through ten pages of worthless banter back and forth about " Hey have you seen that new Initial D vid? It's tyte yo." Think I am kidding go to one of those forums and check it out.
Guys the picture thread is the best!!! Please do not change a thing, I will admit I am a major web surfer and have looked at hundreds of sites, Zilvia's is the best.

[codyace]

I to am not 100 percent fond of the picture threads, however I think on a site like this it may be the only option available.

I think the best example of a picture thread or forum is the one found on Honda-Tech. It is easily one of the most viewed sections of the site, and has simple ground rules that prohibit outward flaming of other cars and because of this it works smoothly. I know Matt (www.sr20forum.com) and Mike (www.altimas.net) run their members ride sections in similar fashion, but they do not nearly have the traffic H-T does, so costs to host such a forum aren't overwhelming.

A full section would function great, as long as mods stay ontop of the flaming (possibly warn/pink those who find nothign better than to do than poke fun). Proper titles would also be a necessity, as I think that would help make searching for specific things easier and less stressful ("Hey check out my Volks" would be a good title, vs "I've got new bling"). If mods deleted threads with weak titles, and ones that become to long or off topic, it would help streamline the section even more...

Lastly, I think a properly maintained picture section would help function as a great place for people to search for specific things. Now those who want to see a kouki s13 front will be able to just search the picture side, instead of the countless threads that pop up if you search it.

HOWEVER:

I'd love for this site to have a simple 'member rides' section (aside from the vbGallery), but as Phlip pointed out, it would put a huge strain on the servers that host this site, and ultimately raise costs to run it. It also would need a full time mod JUST for that section alone.



As for now, the picture thread works, but is not nearly as smoothly as a full section would. Until more advertisers sign up for Zilvia, it may be the admins only financial option, as the full out section would undoubtedly raise the cost to run the forum.

[Jeff240sx]

We have enough to do without getting into controlling flames from picture threads. It's not that we can't control flames, but it's that when we know flamrs are going to come, we simply won't implement that idea.

This isn't really up for discussion unless you have a low-resource and low-moderation idea. So far, this is it. And we appreciate Jonnie Franz's post - and that he understands how streamlined and drama-free our pic thread is.

Want to show your pic? Find your post in the Pic Thread, hit the post number (top right, this post will be #8), click it. It brings you to a page with only your post. Copy down that link, and you can put it in your sig, show to other friends/forums. Our current setup is amazing if you put 2 minutes of thought into how to single out your post and pics.
-Jeff

[mrmephistopheles]

One of the major reasons the Pic Thread rules are the way they are is simply for less work on moderators' parts.
See, if we allowed comments by every user on every picture, the thread would become an incoherent tangent pretty quickly, instead of just being about pics.
It's more in the spirit of keeping trouble away from something nice. In the same way nobody wants a for sale thread crapped on, most people don't want a post showing their car to stir up trouble and create drama. That's pretty much all there is to it.

No drama, no trouble.
All car pics in one nice central spot.
If you want a better place to showcase your car, spend the 10 bones to get a premium membership and get a vBPicGallery.
It'll remain even after your membership is gone (should you choose to let it lapse).
Here's an example (using my 180sx)
http://www.zilvia.net/f/vbpicgallery.php?do=view&g=71

[Armysweitzer]

i agree with what most of you are saying but what gets me is that someone with thier stock car gets deleted. Then you got joe blow with some RB or something a little more intresting then stock and its allowed to turn in to a 3 page thread... whats fair about that i ask you?

[ThatGuy]

Just posting "Hey here's my car I just bought" and then a couple pictures will get deleted and asked to be moved to the pic thread, everytime. However, posting a shop car, or project car with some good Tech information has been allowable. If you do a little more research, you'll see we mention that in almost every Picture Thread that gets left open.

[West]

The Gallery will be up and running soon enough and be better than ever. Its just being a PITA converting it at the moment.

[TurK]

w00tzor!

[Phlip]

Gallery section up and going:
http://www.zilvia.net/gallery/index.php
... you better thank WeST... GO HEAD, THANK HIM!!!

[01SaturnL200]

just a thought... have a picture section....not under general to were there are nothing but picture threads....would let people post their new rims, and body kits etc...

[Revolver Ocelot]

This picture section is cool. Ive been on a few other forums lately and they are terrible. Take EvolutionM.net, its picture threads are rediculous. About a page or two of pics and twenty of: Nice pic, looks good or +1.

[Jeff240sx]

HA! You guys want us to let you post comments in the picture threads about cars, an item that can be decorated extremely questionably.. but you can't even stop the personal insults in the 'pics of yourself' thread. Good luck.
http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=98292&page=3

When the forum collectively acts as a 12 year old, we'll moderate it as such.
-Jeff

[DrtyRat]

I have to agree w/the mods here. Have you ever tried to look through any threads that center around pics(i.e. how low can you go?, and the orig. pic thread). You end up w/10+ post for every 1 pic you see. I can assure you that the IM function is very simple to use, but I think some people just want to see there post count go up or see a comment about how they just OWNED someone for flaming them. Seriously go check out other pic threads somewhere else and you will see that the way that the new one is done is one of the better ones out there.

[r-b-x]

bump

i'd like to suggest have people that post pictures write a few comments on it. that'd at least make pictures a wee bit more searchable. the picture thread is just too huge to navigate quickly and takes a lot of time, but this forum has a "search this thread" feature so make use of it. enter thread, enter search term, go directly to the relevent pictures.

but then you have the problem of deciding how much descriptive you want to be. a short blurb on new wheels or an entire description of the car?