No, you're right Eivind, they're not.
It's a good thing that you can access this hobby in many different ways, but as you say, a hobby such as this requires structured factual information that often requires accessing as quickly as possible as and when the need arises.

I cannot imagine the length of time I've spent over the years trawling through the search engines on various forums trying hard to retrieve specific information that I suddenly find myself requiring and for the most part, what I undoubtedly know exists somewhere on that particular forum. Often articles I've read previously but now struggle to bring back to the forefront again.

This can be applicable for projector technical information, information regarding a print release or cover art, technical repair information,manuals, catalogues, magazine cuttings, access to any screenshots that may be out there somewhere to give us all an idea of what we may expect if we purchased a particular similar print, should one suddenly appear etc etc etc...

The list quite frankly, is endless regarding such topics that could be as such, categorized in this factual and catalogued indexed manner.

Given the amount of readers we regularly see here versus actual people posting anything, there is argument for opening sections within this forum just simply for nothing more than uploading information.
I know we have the gallery and dealers lists for this already, but maybe it would beneficial to open up many more sections to cater for all the other obvious categories to allow authors to upload all kinds of different information without it necessarily having a box beneath to allow anyone to comment on any of it.

More like a magazine with various articles rather than a standard formatted forum?
Who knows? But it's good to bounce ideas at this stage of all this here for the time being.

I post when I feel I have something worthy to say and will (hopefully) be of interest to some members. You can't please them all as the old adage says. As Eivind points out so well. the main ingredient we all have in common here is film on reels. As much as I love the hobby (more like a love / hate relationship some days), it's not my main hobby. Scale modeling and music (I play piano and dabble with other instruments) have been part of my life for many more years. Forums are a great source of information and a place to share current purchases, which has the added benefit of making some members aware of a title they never knew existed. On the technical side not all topics interest me. I don't own a scope lens (I might one day) and my machines are modest by most standards. But being of a limited income has forced me to learn as much as I can to do my own repairs. Just last night I disassembled two lens for a thorough cleaning. I learned the ins and outs of that by checking forum posts here (and elsewhere.) In closing I feel keeping it relaxed and simple will entice more folks to visit and to possibly post. If not, well if they find some content of interest than its all good in the long run.

By the sounds of things then Douglas, you're advocating very much, that things stay as they are.

That of course is yet another point of view that of course, must be considered as paramount in importance terms. It would head the list of options available to us all, it goes without saying..
However, do please bear in mind, that often things that simply stay unchanged in any way shape or form, especially in these times, often lose their appeal unfortunately.

Change is almost universally accepted as periodically being absolutely necessary now in just about any walk of life I can possibly think of.
Sometimes often initially to the complete frustration of many, myself included at times. But then some time later, many will admit, it was often for the better in the long run, while ever genuine improvements can be clearly seen in results terms overall.

What I've often seen, is if allow yourself to do nothing at all and just sit back, then the rot begins to set in, whether we like it or not.
Change is as good as a rest, as they say, but not just for the sake of change, equally I'd add.

I welcome more view points on this initial subject matter in question here please.
All are being documented.

I have no issues with change ( I've certainly been through a great deal in my life) but there is some comfort in keeping certain aspects of a forum "as-is". No member should ever feel obligated to post (though it's welcomed of course) but some people by nature prefer to remain lurkers in cyberspace. I respect that point of view as well.

Yes agreed, which is why Douglas, I bounced a few ideas around making greater sections of the forum "read only" in their format.

Hopefully these would provide a great deal of information for anyone caring to seek any of it, authored by anyone who ever cares to post any of it into a carefully indexed easy to access catalogue here.

It's becoming obvious here and elsewhere, that if on these places all we do is wait for something new to be posted on the general forum sections, we may wait quite some time to find anything of interest to all of our varied needs and individual interests here.

Why not then, simply allow our members or in fact anyone to catalogue the things that DO interest themselves and upload those articles here for those with similar interests to research and read without necessarily feeling the need to reply to any of it?

Just a thought.

Anyhow, I began the evening by saying we had at least 1600 people who still enjoy reading about our hobby even if not talking about it.
Already in a short space of time, that statistic has changed to over 1800 despite only two or three more feeling the need to actually post anything here.

Who knows how many readers our forums may attract by posting read only subject matters, especially over time?

I hope to receive many more ideas and suggestions regarding this subject with any luck, before we have anything like a true reflection of what may or may not work for the majority of our readers and members here in future.

Keep em comin' please 😊

Any more, for any more then please??..

I´m a member of this forum because:
My passion for reel film since 55 years. I hope that we stay strictly film related. There are so many other forums for general chat, DVD/Blueray/Video etc. if someone wants to discuss non reel film matters. Let´s keep the forum friendly and stay out of political, religious etc. discussions.

In my opinion this kind of forum, is a great way for oldtimers to share their knowledge with newer enthusiasts. There is so much knowledge here and also after 50+ years in this great hobby, I sometimes need advice from fellow collectors.

I would like to have a section were we can keep technical information, repair and maintenance tips etc.

Based on a recurring theme running through many of the helpful advisories from our members in this thread,..
I'd like people to compile a list or suggest individual models please, of all possible models on any gauge, that users of this forum would like to see indexed here, with a view to adding some technical information for each of the machines and possibly some general maintenance tips etc etc.

I'd like also for volunteers of owners of such models, to offer their own user expertise and services by adding posts for these machines to start the ball rolling, come the time.

AMEN Mats! :-)

No religion here remember Tim! 😂😂😂

So far this thread has now received over twelve thousand views (now over 13,000 since raising it again this morning!).
That is more than the most popular "What are your most recent film purchases? " thread.

As a result of its apparent popularity, I was hoping that more of our members wishes for a forums layout and formula would have been expressed here by now.
We still haven't heard from many of our members and so far no one who isn't a member but would be if we offered them what they are seeking.

I'd like therefore to appeal one last time for ideas and formats on how our forum may be improved to cater specifically for an individual's needs in order to hopefully boost our active membership here, but also to serve the collecting community en masse a little better in the future.

Your ideas and opinions are both welcomed and valued here and once sufficient new ones of a diverse nature have been placed here, we can then look to putting some changes to the vote after discussion here on each of the points raised.
The most popular suggestions will almost certainly go ahead here I'm certain.

Without a diverse range of opinions and ideas, there is little can be done to improve or enhance on what we already have.
It's your choice.

I quite like it as it is at the present.

My only change would be in the section marked "manuals",this like a number of others have suggested I think could be opened to technical advice on various machines and film equipment.
Divided up into the various sections 8mm,S8mm,16mm and so on.

That is my only thought.

If a "Manuals" section could ever be started here to offer a catalogued and indexed advice section to this forum for basic and routine service pointers for each of our machines, we will need the members input here to post such articles. Any volunteers please and could we begin to list the models we would like advice for also please?

I am a dimwit, not understanding what you want here. You mean do changes to Manual section? The manuals are in two places, in Picture Gallery and under Manuals. PDF in Manuals and JPGs in Picture Gallery

Sorry for being stupid

You're nobody's fool Vidar, don't do yourself a disservice.

No this isn't about just adding your projectors handbook to the forum. For the time being at least, we have compartmentalize this one already.
What this new section would be about, is what has already been discussed at length already within this thread.
Gwyn unfortunately used a fictitious, undecided, already in existence term, to describe this Newly proposed section.

There have been various proposed names to call this new proposed section of our forum if it comes off, but unless people here are willing and prepared to give us some input here for their machines, it will all be just hot air sadly.
I hope I'm wrong though on this one.

Plenty are saying they would welcome a section dedicated to just posting routine service tasks and basic repair instructions for the various machines on each of the gauges, but who is going to provide the input needed?

And to answer my own question, as seemingly no one else will very sadly,..perhaps here lies the problem?
No one willing to provide the forum with further information on their machines to even begin to assemble a "How to..." section here for a complete variety of machines on each of the different gauges.

One snippet of good news from all of this however, is the news that the Super 8mm Small Format portal will now be going ahead.
Hopefully, as this covers information from over 3500 different cameras and 3000 projectors, there should be some very interesting articles making it to print in the future, technical and otherwise, for anyone subscribing and interested only in the S8 format.

I think the idea is great. But I am still quite new to the technical part of projectors. Not sure what I could write about maintenance that most people didn't know already or could figure out themselves. At least it feels that way.

Where is this Super 8mm Small Format portal? I haven't heard about that.

Hello again Eivind,

These comments were not not aimed to provoke controversy or to guilt anyone perhaps, just merely pointing out the stark reality of things on the forums in general recently.
We do have people on here that could, if they so wished, provide heaps of handy tips and useful everyday information regarding their own as well as numerous other machines.
The problem these days is that those that could are very very reluctant to do so for one reason or another.

I feel if we could make this a new and worthy section of the forum, the only possible chance it would have, is if it was made into a rhetorical section, with no reply intended or indeed permissible.
This is one of the known reasons why some wouldn't be prepared to share their learnings I believe and for individuals who have been involved in maintaining various pieces of kit and gained vast experience from doing so, I suppose its understandable really.

My only concerns with any of this, that if people are not prepared to share their learnings with others involved in this hobby, then the hobby simply cannot survive in the years that ought to otherwise, lie ahead.
More and more fairly decent machines will just be broken up for parts to attempt to keep serviceable the few that outlast the rest.
More than ever before, users of this equipment simply have to learn more about the running of their machines and come up with new innovative ways to keep them all running for the future.

Original new spare parts are becoming fewer as each year passes and only through adapting different lamp technologies, for example, do we stand any chance of keeping them usable all too soon.

I have dealt only with Standard 8mm projectors in the early years and then in far greater depth, Super 8mm projectors and films in the last 30 something years on and off. I have some experience with around 10 to 15 different models, but this still leaves hundreds if not thousands that I have little or no experience in working with.

Then there are the hundreds of portable 16mm machines that so far at least, only Tom here has written an article about so far as maintenance is concerned.
It really would need far greater input here than we are currently experiencing before even the very grass roots of this could be nurtured.

I asked initially for a list of machines that people would wish to see featured here based on members requesting basic tips and pointers for some of these.
Not one member posted the make or model of any machine?

The Small Format Portal has been launched again following sufficient funding being raised by enthusiasts over the world. They needed around 20k euros I think and managed to get it before the deadline.
There is more information on this portal from former writer of the magazine Jourgen Lossau. Take a look on his post in film tech for those interested in pursuing this avenue further.

For ourselves here, I await further response but if there continues to be a complete lack of interest in developing this section here, then this idea for something different is already looking to be dead in the water and this was something which was spoken about initially with the most enthusiasm in the request for changes desired.

So though this idea once again fell well and truly flat on it's face here due to a complete lack of any interest or any enthusiasm shown in bringing about an indexed technical section to this forum for our machines on the various gauges, luckily it appears the concept has been taken on board by Doug over on the other forum without any input or intervention from myself.

This therefore, is good news for anyone who enjoys reading and learning from such articles as indeed I do myself on a regular basis.

Here is a useful link for what no doubt will become the place to visit for any such information in the future.

http://8mmforum.film-tech.com/cgi-bin/ub...ic;f=1;t=011528

We could have had one here first, but hey, once again the silent majority determined the eventual outcome!