whitewolfowner

A couple of pet peeves here (can go beyond that) that I have been meaning to bring up:

The first one: Someone will post a question about a problem they are having or looking for advise on something and they will reference what they are referring to with initials only. Now some may know what they are saying but in a lot of situations people have no idea what they are talking about. Abbreviating something is fine to save typing, but is it too much to define what they are abbreviating in brackets the first time they use it so everyone can follow what they are talking about? It may get them better and more complete answers too.

The second one: When someone posts a photo the poster may say "Abadale park" and nothing else. I sit and wonder where is this place? What state? What country? What continent? I can appreciate a photo a lot more when I know where it was taken but "Abadale Park" tells me nothing. We have a beautiful world out there and as photographers we appreciate that so much more than others do, so why not tell where it was taken in a fashion where everyone can tell where it is. For example, say someone posts some photos of Letchworth State Park in New York state. Instead of just saying Letchworth Park, say Letchworth State park which is located about an hours drive south of Rochester, NY and is considered the Grand Canyon of the east. Now everyone knows where the photos were taken and not only can appreciate them more but may be interested in visiting the site themselves.

Adicus Loc: New Zealand

One of my pet peeves is advice and advise getting used wrongly and the too's and the to getting used wrongly but its a new world nowadays with abbreviations being used all the time. I take your point however and hope that folk do explain more of where a place is as its a huge world we live in.

blackest Loc: Ireland

Did you mean abbadale park in Perth, Australia? Google is pretty good at this, but you can always ask the poster for clarification.

I'm in 2 minds about the abbreviations, If you are looking for good advice then surely the abbreviation is going to be familiar to someone with expertise in the field. On the other hand if you are advising somebody from an expert's perspective to a novice, say talking about LR5 (lightroom 5) then it is better to introduce the abbreviation and then you can talk about LR5 all day.

Then there is the basic intelligence level of the poster an IQ of 100 is supposed to be an average. Although when it comes to photography it has little relation to the quality of the photographs. Empathy may be a more important factor, if you take photo's which feel good then you may well be doing better than someone who fully understands the exposure triangle and the effect of depth of field, it's often more about how the photograph makes you feel than the technical excellence of the shot.

There are other factors too that can make a difference to how a post is presented maybe the poster is dyslexic, or suffers from REPUBLICANISM WHERE EVERYTHING HAS TO BE TYPED IN CAPITALS. You usually only see it present in the advanced stages, most sufferers are able to lead full and active lives, but there is no known cure. Unfortunately advanced cases are known to lose their sense of humour.

It's probably best to just try and get along inspite of differences and if people say things which are unclear just to ask them to clarify what they mean. Most web browsers will spell and grammar check as you type, you come across better if you use these tools and try to be polite and friendly.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

I don’t feel I’m so important that I have to understand everything.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

One thing that might help with #1 is that there is a list of photographic abbreviations in the UHH FAQ section. You could familiarize yourself with those.
For #2, if you really wanted to know more about a location that someone mentions you could do an internet search.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

I was thinking that same thing just as I started reading your response.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I'm right behind you whitewolfowner!

Regarding the first-
Most people in my area will know what VFP stands for, and I don't mean Visual FoxPro. But someone in Albuquerque will have NO idea what I'm talking about! Someone in Norway, even less chances. Especially if there is no text with the images that explains where they were taken.
Since I don't use it, I would have no idea what LR5 stands for. Maybe some I can guess?

To go along with the second, if I see a title of "Valley Forge Park", I'm expecting to see images taken at the park, but SO many time it turns out to be "I'm going to Valley Forge next month and ..."
Or "Need Suggestions"... about what? I have to open it to find that I can offer no assistance.
Or "Moon Photography Advice"... Oh, you're asking for advice, I thought you were offering advice.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

If they elaborated a little, I wouldn't have to spend the time doing that!
There are about 90 posts here daily, so I don't want to spend another ten or fifteen minutes trying to figure out to what or where the poster is referring. I could read the post, then figure if I want to further research the item.

blackest Loc: Ireland

LR5 the clue was in the brackets (lightroom 5) i introduced the abbreviation so it shouldn't be a problem. I can understand it being an issue when abbreviations are used without any explanation but some are more than reasonable in the context of photography jpeg or jpg iso for example.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I saw.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

"REPUBLICANISM"? I'd call it Democratism myself. Basically, it's just yelling over the crowd--and annoying.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

If it's a common set of initials, that's one thing, but if it's something obscure, the poster should use words. Otherwise, people will either ignore it, or they will have to make a post just to get clarification.

Yes, I agree with "Abadale Park." Where is it?! In a few years, we'll have to say what planet it's on. :)

Thanks for the tip about Letchworth State Park. Good to know.

https://parks.ny.gov/parks/79/details.aspx

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

I agree on the locations, i've often wondered where on earth some of the referenced places might be.
Letchworth State park which is located about an hours drive south of Rochester, NY I stopped there a few years ago,
it was a nasty day , raining off an on, I got some shots but we didn't stay. we kept heading north with plans to stop on the way home.
Then we went west instead of south and didnt make it.

Valley Forge, nice place to visit, I've gotten some nice pix of the log cabins.

HEART Loc: God's Country - COLORADO

I'd like to complain about the complaints...but, that would be complaining.
Ask the guy bounced off the United flight. Now HE has a complaint!
"If there's no seating, take the beating."
"OUCH."

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

INNAE (I never need abbreviations explained)- Aj (a joke)