Suggestion For Date and Restore Requests

[McGroger]

A few things I’ve noticed since starting to contribute to the photo board early last year:
*Very few people post the backs or even the whole of photos for dating;
*Very few people new to the board post high resolution images for restoring;
*When asked by the daters/restorers to do either of the above two things, it usually doesn’t happen for various reasons: the poster doesn’t come back; restorers date or restore without the better detail and posters accept the answers/restores as is; posters don’t have access to the originals; posters have trouble with posting.
*Very few people read the help tutorials before posting. (Who reads instruction books anyway? )
*A lot of new posters don’t clearly state what they want.

I think some of the outcomes of this are:
Posters (particularly new posters) can became frustrated and/or not come back;
Restorers can become frustrated, having to give the same message to almost every new poster;
Both posters and restorers can achieve either nil or less than best outcomes.

I’d like to suggest that the wording at the top of the board be changed/expanded in an effort to cure most of the problems mentioned above.

From this:
“Get your Photographs restored or dated completely for free by the generous people on RootsChat. Please Include Family Names and Country in Titles of Photographs if known, or how the image relates to your family history. Posts without any details will not be allowed to be posted.”

To this:
“Get your old photographs dated or restored completely FREE by the generous people on Rootschat.
“For Best Outcomes:
“For DATING, scan & post the photo in full (front & back, showing the edges), and prefix the post, “DATE PLEASE for …” Also include family names and country (where known) and how the photo relates to your research.
“For RESTORING, scan your photo at the highest resolution (usu. 300 or 600dpi) that creates a file that just fits under our limit of 500kb, and prefix the post, “RESTORE PLEASE for…”
“For both a date and a restore, prefix the post, “DATE AND RESTORE PLEASE for…”
“(Note that posts without any details will not be allowed.)
“If you have any trouble posting your photo, after trying the TUTORIALS below, please ask our friendly restorers for help.”

Perhaps other daters/restorers would like to comment on/shoot down my suggestions and say whether they (or something like them) are worth recommending to the board administrators.

(Now I’ll duck and run for cover. )

Peter

[Handypandy]

I'm sure that we all feel your pain Peter, but if folk don't read the current instructions then its unlikely they'll read a revised set. Just keep plugging away 

[Wiggy]

I'm sure that we all feel your pain Peter, but if folk don't read the current instructions then its unlikely they'll read a revised set. Just keep plugging away 

Agree!   

[McGroger]

Thanks Andy and Wiggy.

However, my point is that at present the “quick-start” instructions at the top of the board (which people do read when they first post a photo) don’t include any of the vital best-practice how-to-post instructions. They are buried in the tutorials (which people don’t read unless they have to).

Compare it with what happens when you buy a new car. You need to know how to open the doors, turn on the ignition and release the parking break and so on. You don’t read the owner’s manual unless you run into trouble.

I just think that putting a few of the vitals into the “quick-start” guide at the top of the board could make life easier and better for both posters and daters/restorers.

Peter

[Wiggy]

  

I have NEVER noticed that info at the top of the board before this minute!

[Gadget]

A very old timer here 

This topic has come up often and, as Wiggy and Andy have implied, the ideal is rarely achieved so we have to do what we can or stop doing restores/dating  on all but good scans.

Gadget

[Treetotal]

Whilst I agree with much of what you say...I don't see things changing any time soon. As most posters are of a certain age, they may not be that technically minded. For some, just successfully posting an image is an achievement. If there are too many rules it may put people off and the chances of them being read is slim. It is usually only first time posters  who don't follow the guidelines and once they understand the best practise, they give us what we need to give them the best outcome.
Also, many posters don't have the original photo as they are frequently sent my email or they have acquired them some time ago and don't have contact with the sender.
We just have to remain welcoming and friendly and hope they continue to use the board and familiarise themselves with how the board works. It can be quite daunting finding your way around when you are a newbie.
One suggestion that I would like to make is that when people ask for a better scan, the restorers wait until a better one is posted, this used to be an unwritten rule in the past. If people post low res scans and still get a restored version, then they will take what comes and not bother to re-scan. If people restore low res photos then the poster is unlikely to give us a better scan. Sometimes it is all the poster has and in that case, we do what we can with what we have to work with. I often don't bother with the low res ones anymore as it is too hard on the eyes and I am not always happy with the outcome.

Carol

[McGroger]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I'll crawl back into my hole.
Peter

[Treetotal]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I'll crawl back into my hole.
Peter

Oh no you won't...you don't escape that easily 

Carol