Suggestion Box

[PaulaIA]

Hello,
I have been looking around the site hoping to find a place where members could post suggestions for features that they would find helpfull. I have not found any place yet. Douse such a forum exist? if so please show me the way to get there. If not could I make a couple of suggestions here?

Thank You
Paula

[PaulaIA]

Well it has been 4 weeks since I posted this thread and I have been wondering why I have not received any replies to my questions. I thought a guide, moderator or administrator would be looking at the posts in this area and I would have an answer to my questions rather quickly. When that did not happen I wondered why. I began reading things more closely and discovered that I am in the right place to make the suggestions I want to make. I think I did not get any replies because no body wanted to point out to me how stupid I looked with this thread. So now (having already made my self look totally stupid ) I will make my suggestions and hopefully receive feedback on them.

1) I want to suggest having a sticky with the title " Suggestion Box" there by hopefully eliminating the embarrassment that I caused my self by not reading things with more care.

2) I would like to see a page that contains the names and flags of all the countrys that are represented here on WC. That way when I see a flag that I don't know I can click it and be taken to the page and find out what country it represents.

3) Have a sticky on the Town Center page that contains explanations of the commonly used words and phrases here on WC. (I have tried asking in the past but was ignored and never got an explanation. When one gets ignored one tends not to try interacting again)

Ok that is it for now
Thank You
Paula

[Yorky]

Sorry I missed your previous post Paula. I may have been away.

In fact this Site Discussions forum is where you should make any suggestions about changes or improvements to the site.

Suggestions for new sub forums have been acted upon when there has been enough support.

Maybe a sticky for suggestions would be worth considering, and meantime I'll make this thread a "sticky".

That would however mean I had two threads to keep an eye on. So far all suggestions have been simply posted in the forum as new threads.

Whilst I am sure the site owners are not deaf to suggestions for improvements, they are limited by the forum software they use which has limited scope for changes.

Hopefully when the migration to the new servers and updated software is complete there will be more scope.

Doug

[PaulaIA]

Thank You Doug!
I know that things can't be done instantly but I think they are worth waiting for.

In the mean time, could someone find a page from somewhere else that has the flags and names of countrys and put a link in here so I can bookmark it? That way I can see where people are coming from (literally ). It helps to understand what is being said (and satisfies my curiosity) if I know their cultural background.

And as for the last suggestion (the Town Center sticky) it would provide a another opportunity to enhance the learning here on WC.

Oh yeah, and having a permanent suggestion box would show that WC seriously wants member input by having it so easy to find.

Again Thank You for reading and replying to this post.
Paula

[Yorky]

Paula if you hover your mouse over the flags you should get a popup indicating the country.

For the wetcanvas acronyms, check out this link to be found in the NEWBIES thread in my signature.

Doug

[PaulaIA]

Hi Doug,
On the flag thing... Wow!! I never noticed that before(duh). I tried that once awhile back and did not get any results. But it is working now.
As for the link to the dictionary, it is very helpful but what I need is explanations on things like the phrase "push the darks", and other instructions of that manor. I think I know what it means but am not sure and when I asked I was ignored. I guess what I would like to see would be called something like "Drawing Instructional Phrases for Dummies". Something that would explain clearly things that are assumed to be self explanatory but have room for a wrong interpretation.(cus I can usually find the wrong interpretation when left on my own ) So if that already exists somewhere here on WC please point me to it.
Thanks for all your efforts in helping me I really appreciate it
Paula

[MonicaB]

Hi Paula, this might help. You might have to look up various related words, like tone or value:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/support/ind...3&pcid=0&nav=0

[PaulaIA]

Thank You Monica,
This link is also helpful and I bookmarked it too. Now if there were a way to look up explanations of the phrases that are used I would be all set
Paula

[Deborah Secor]

Well, this probably isn't the place for this discussion, but since I'm here...IMHO, pushing the darks means heightening the contrast by adding more darks. It probably came from the idea of "push development" in photography, where when a roll of film (remember that stuff?) was underexposed you could compensate by developing it for a longer period of time, thus making more contrast. So when someone says "push the darks" they're probably suggesting more, stronger or darker darks. Hope that helps...

Deborah

[PaulaIA]

Deborah
Thank You so much, it helps to know the exact meaning of the instructions that are given when someone is trying to improve there work.
Paula

[Scarefishcrow]

Originally Posted by PaulaIA

Deborah
Thank You so much, it helps to know the exact meaning of the instructions that are given when someone is trying to improve there work.
Paula

Paula,
As a fairly new Guide, I thought I would say I think there is some merit to your idea of a Sticky suggestion box, but perhaps it is something that should be considered by the various channels for their forums, as well. Many people are not as "cosmopolitan" as WC! tends to be as a whole. In many ways it is more like a group of small communities that are close to one another. Many never venture outside the town limits, a few might visit some nearby towns, but fewer still might be everywhere. There are both advantages and disadvantages, but mostly that is simply the nature of such a large beast.

I take your thought of making sure that users know we care about their input seriously. In fact, I hope to implement such a "SUGGESTION BOX" thread in the OP Channel where I guide in the future and want to thank you for the idea.

If I can make a suggestion about your concern with regard to art phrases that are confusing. It would be hard to compile a comprehensive list and different areas of art might have slightly different connotations for a particular phrase. If I could make a suggestion to you, I think your best strategy is that whenever you encounter a phrase, acronym or statement in a post that you do not understand or feel is not completely clear, then right then and there make a Post, prefereably Quoting the context of the phrase or term used and ask the individual using the term if they could explain more clearly what they mean.

I can only speak for the area where I guide and certainly don't pretend to speak for any other areas, but as a Guide in the OP channel I take every opportunity I can to encourage participants to ASK, ASK, ASK. If I or the Mod do not know (which is sometimes the case) almost always someone else around pipes up with a great explanation. Sometimes this is the way very interesting discussions get started in the forum.

So, I hope this makes some sense to you, and I encourage you to ask in the context of the threads where you encounter terms and that way you are most likely to get the most rapid and useful feedback.

Thanks to all for their ideas and thanks to Doug who works tirelessly to try and provide support and answers for users regarding the WC! site. In so many ways we all are guides and we all are learners. Titles don't always mean we are all knowing. Hopefully, we will all foster a sense of community where everyone tries to help everyone else.

Thanks for reading this.

BILL

[Scarefishcrow]

In the sense of trying to not contribute to anyone's confusion,

OP = Oil Pastel
Mods=Moderators

BILL

[PaulaIA]

Hi Bill
I think each channel/forum having it's own suggestion box is a great idea. That way the users of that forum can make suggestions that they feel are relevant to that forum and not other forums. Then the guides or mods in each forum can read and respond to the users who post in that forum. In this way more people feel comfortable make a suggestion, fewer posts get missed, and one or two guides aren't trying to do the work for all the forums. If the suggestion is something that would benefit other forums then the G/Ms can forward the suggestion on up the chain of command for further consideration.

As for the suggestion for a glossary of terms is concerned, I think that if all the forums have a FAQ sticky that is relevant to that forum, when a question for clarification of a term or phrase is asked for, the question and answer can be added to the FAQ .
And you are right about needing to ask for clarification. It is just that I did ask and never received an answer. I asked the person who used the phrase in the post and then the thread ended with my question. I came away with feeling like I had spoken when I should not have. It take me awhile to become comfortable with a situation or group of people before I feel safe in saying anything. I guess it didn't help that it was my first post and was not very familiar with the forums. But my first impulse was to go away and never come back to WC. I wonder how many others have had a similar experience and have left never to return? This is my idea on how to avoid that.
Thanks for your input Bill.
Paula

[Subbia]

Hello,

I joined WetCanvas a few weeks ago. I enjoy the amount of technical information and practical experience that many of the people here share freely. As I am new to the community, my intention is not criticism but rather pure suggestion, as the title denotes.

In the case of painting forums, casein, gouache, and egg tempera are all lumped together into one forum. In addition, there is a seperate forum for oil painting. However, no forum exists for fresco or mural painting, the most tried and historic of painting mediums. I understand that tempera is similar in many respects to fresco, but I don't personally believe it warrants to be lumped into the same forum. As well, truefresco.com seems relatively unknown and underused.

My second suggestion refers to the Art History forum. Everytime I browse that forum, I am choked with Mystery masterpiece posts. It seems that the volume of posts regarding MM is large enough to consider it becoming its own subforum. It would make free the main Art History forum for engaging in particular disucssions outside of the MM focus.

Finally, it would be of interest to the creation of a Renaissance forum, discussing the materials and methods utilized during the Renaissance- a period which brought about the realization of perspective, naturalism, and vastly expanded the experimentation with material and technique.

It is my hope that you will take these suggestions under consideration, and I look forward to hearing your feedback regarding them. Thank you.

[Subbia]

After reading over the Knowledge base, I realize that this post should be cross-posted in the Mixed Media forum. I apologize- is it possible for a moderator to cross post this for me? Thank you.