DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Sounds like a good idea to me. A trial period may be in order to check out the participation. I'll bet it would be positive.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Yes,just like we frequently see now,only without the sniping. I think that we have enough good people to make it work.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

Not necessarily a bad idea, but I can see several difficulties. What's a newbie? No idea which end of the camera to point at the subject? Or someone with 6 months of experience, or perhaps 1 year. Will only those with no experience be allowed to post? If so who will b e able to answer questions. How will "newbies" be identified and who will do it? And how will trolls be kept out? Who and/or what will make the determination as to valid advice? Too many questions and not enough answers.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Exactly so. One of the things that create this situation is that "newbies" often are too new to recognize non-factual replies. Then there are the obfuscations, and pedantic lectures with posters dualing to prove who is right or impress (intimidate?) those who may be new to photography.

One of the things I appreciate about you, Bob, is that although you clearly know photography AND can demonstrate it, you do not engage in these pointless exchanges. (Note to self, here!).

It would be nice to have some way to "authenticate the facts"....

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Whoever moderates the section would do well to only allow comments from certain people. That has worked in other sections. My concern is that newbies are susceptible to all sorts of misinformation. This only causes more confusion and frustration. The worst is that they give up entirely and loose the fun of taking and making good photographs.
--Bob

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Snide remark, "so what is a person with over 2000 posts and replies doing asking about a newbie site"
Nice remark, "so what business is it of yours to care about newbie questions?" "your post has nothing to do with photography"

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

I understand what you are trying to say,Bob. Essentially,if the rude comments and blowing people off stopped there would be no need for a new section. If someone has nothing constructive,they should simply pass.

chevman Loc: Matthews, North Carolina

This is what I think. The idea is a good one, but I'm not sure that a "newbie" discussion area would be the answer. One thing I have noticed since joining, there doesn't seem to be any moderators for this site and I don't find a rules page to inform those who are createing threads or posting on a thread. I belong to another forum and it has rules and moderators who have the power to delete a post or an entire thread if the rules are violated. Usually the posts and threads are left alone and there is alot of freedom of expression. Another feature is you as a poster in a thread can delete your post for whatever reason as well as being able to delete a thread you may have started. There should be no reason to do this unless the thread becomes hostile or other posters launch personal attacks on the thread author, which I have seen here as well as elsewhere. To make condescending remarks or launch attacks toward another user is not good indeed, but some think nothing of doing so. In the early days of the internet this type of behavior was frowned upon and generally did not exist. For the most part if one chooses to be a part of a forum you just have to learn who the trolls are as well as growing a little thicker skin unfortunately. All in all a thread for new users is a good idea for newbies as well as an oldie who would like to learn about something new to him or her, and just ignore the condescending remarks because they are bound to happen

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Thank you very much for the compliment. I appreciate that.
--Bob

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

On the contrary, we do have moderators, of both site and sections. As for the site, there is a rather large latitude granted to all posters. The individual sections vary per moderator, some more strict than others.
--Bob

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Dave, that is very true, but we have what we have. It's unfortunate in that that leads to people becoming discouraged.
--Bob

chevman Loc: Matthews, North Carolina

Thank you Bob, I didn't know that. Is there a page that lists rules for conduct for the different threads?
________________________________
Jerry in NC

twinhearts Loc: Southwestern Michigan

I would definitely post in a newbie category. I come here quite often and read through the questions posted. There is a wealth of info on here. There are times when I have Googled an issue I had and got technical answers but when I tried those, I would still have undesirable results. I would like to have the opinion of person, whom I could actually ask detailed questions pertaining to a particular photo. I read many questions that have such snide comments directed at the OP for asking a stupid question, or they tell the person to research the question before asking. It makes me hesitant to ask for fear of being called ignorant for not knowing. We must remember that everyone had to start somewhere. We are not born with the knowledge and we learn best from our peers but it is hard when so many think they are above everyone else.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Generally, if you click on the Section Title, there are some posts that never expire or move, they are FAQ related. One of the sections in which I regularly post is For Your Consideration.
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-119-1.html
If you go to that link, you'll see some bold type topics. Those are the ones to which I refer. They are posted by the moderators and stay at the top of the topic list. Each of the Sections should have something similar.
--Bob

Jaackil Loc: Massachusetts

Unfortunately not everyone follows that rule of Human decency. I never understood why people have to jump into a post and make rude comments instead of just passing it by. But it is the nature of the beast that being so I don't think a section for beginners would be a bad thing. Newbies often ask really good questions about things that veterans may have forgotten or maybe something that can bring veterans back to looking at their photography in a different way.