The Blintz Bird Base

gr82bart · Post by **gr82bart** » August 26th, 2007, 9:13 pm

Hi Folks,

I will be setting up a new website devoted to origami. I still have to configure Joomla to manage all my content. In the meantime I have set up the forum software, so please take a look and sign up.

http://www.blintzbirdbase.com/forum

I'll be setting up the gallery software soon where you can have individual galleries for your images of your models / artwork.

I also have a link back to this site.

Regards, Art.

Post by **origami_8** » August 26th, 2007, 11:02 pm

What for do we need a second Forum?
Isn't this here enough?

gr82bart · Post by **gr82bart** » August 29th, 2007, 11:08 am

origami_8 wrote:What for do we need a second Forum?
Isn't this here enough?

First off I'm not really part of the 'origami community' - last year was the first year in my 20+ years of doing origami that I went to a convention or any gathering for that matter of origami enthusiasts. I honestly never met another origami enthusiast before.

So, I am not trying to compete, but just trying to create a website to show my designs, my models that I have done and create a resource where others can gain some value.

I know I'm an underdog and an unknown, but hey, I like a challenge and I just want to make a decent website of a hobby that I love to do. With the Joomla, Gallery and Cart software that will added to my site, I will try to offer more features and functions, more capabilities for members to use, if they wish - for free! For example a searchable and updateable directory of suppliers, maybe even an area to put reviews of papers and books by members, members will be able to have their own gallery of the model images, etc... It's a nexus of my computer geekery and origami really.

The forum I have up right now was just the first feature I loaded. I added more topic / subject areas. Areas for associated origami subjects have a specific area for posting messages. This weekend I'll add attachment capabilities to messages. Also planning to add multi-language features so that you can post messages in your own language and if people want they can have their areas too. For my local club, I've got an area just for the club that is hiddent to everyone but the club members. I can offer the same feature to other clubs too. They can also decide if they want to make it public, they can have their own topic areas, and it will be in the language of their choice. I should have the nested feature up this weekend too so that there will be forums within forums. For example is there was a Spanish language forum, it will have topic areas and threads specifically for that group of people. For languages I am planning to start with Spanish, French, German and Japanese. If I have time this weekend that feature will be up then. But my focus is getting Joomla and Gallery up so that I begin to manage all the future content and images.

I'm starting an origami club this fall where I live at my local library, since there isn't one nearby - the closest one is NYC which 1.5 hours away by train. My plan was to use my site mostly for the club (promotions, way to communicate, resource center, etc...), but thought it would be good to open it up to the world.

In the end I'm just offering another choice. That's all. The world and the net is diverse and having many choices means the hobby is rich and vibrant.

Regards, Art.

gr82bart · Post by **gr82bart** » August 29th, 2007, 12:59 pm

I found another forum here: http://www.topix.net/forum/hobbies/origami

Just goes to show that origami is a growing hobby and the more people that get together and promote the hobby, the better it is for everone.

Regards, Art.

gr82bart · Post by **gr82bart** » August 29th, 2007, 1:01 pm

And another one in French: http://origami.kwoon.info/forum/

Regards, Art.

gr82bart · Post by **gr82bart** » August 29th, 2007, 1:02 pm

One specificaly for people in Vietnam: http://www.vietnamorigami.org/forum/member.php?u=630

Regards, Art.

gr82bart · Post by **gr82bart** » August 29th, 2007, 1:03 pm

Here's one for the people who speak Czech (I think): http://forum.gazeta.pl/forum/71,1.html?f=16475

So should we eliminate these forums and assimilate to this one only?

Regards, Art.

gr82bart · Post by **gr82bart** » August 29th, 2007, 1:27 pm

Here's a youngster who started a forum just for kids: http://origami-kids.com/Kids-forum/?CategoryID=3

The fact is there is no uber-forum for everyone and IMO there shouldn't be either. I think it's OK to have such diversity.

One of my other passions is photography. The number of forums about photography eclipses those I listed above which shows the level of membership in the hobby but more importantly the vibrancy and richness of the community.

Regards, Art.

denori · Post by **denori** » August 29th, 2007, 8:29 pm

gr82bart wrote: In the end I'm just offering another choice. That's all. The world and the net is diverse and having many choices means the hobby is rich and vibrant.

You have confused choice with diversity. Two (or more) sites with the same information may offer a choice, but they are not diverse. One site with searchable information on many subjects, from a wide range of sources, places and opinions can be diverse in itself. And two sites where one has a wealth of information and opinion (from across the range of ability and across the world) and the other site doesn't, isn't really much of a choice. Which is why the multitude of net-literate people here haven't set up other fora. Diversity is in the CONTENT and it's a lot of work to set all that up again.

If it was possible to integrate all the origami fora into one searchable forum irrespective of language, then I'd say that that would benefit the community as a whole by adding to the availability of diverse opinion and therefore would be worth doing.

Having choices does NOT make the hobby rich and vibrant.

Having access to all the existing knowledge and a place to further that knowledge in the company of like- and unlike- minded opinion DOES make the hobby richer.

gr82bart · Post by **gr82bart** » August 29th, 2007, 8:47 pm

Whatever.

Look, I'm not here to argue or debate semantics. Nor should I point out the out the circular argument you made about content. I'm just another enthusiast trying to combine several of my passions together - origami, photography and computer geekery. Call it a start up company, if you will. The underdog. No one's going to discourage me from my passions - especially unknowns on the net. If people like what I've built, great. If not, no skin off my back. It's about enjoying what I do in the end. That's all.

Let's forget this thread and get back to folding paper, k?

Thanks, Art.

denori · Post by **denori** » August 29th, 2007, 8:56 pm

Hi Art,

My apologies. I hadn't intended to upset you.

Please keep us informed of updates to your site.

Sorry again,
Dennis

gr82bart · Post by **gr82bart** » August 29th, 2007, 9:10 pm

Dennis,

I'm really not upset at all. If I come across that way, believe me, it will take a lot more.

In all honesty, I think I showcased my whole site wrong. I should have started with the Gallery and Joomla, then added the members of the local club I'm starting. You know started slow. Frankly, I was so isolated from 'the rest of you' that I didn't even know this site existed! You'd think I'd do a Google search before - duh, eh?

No worries. I'll have images of my models up soon in a gallery and options for people, should they want to join.

Seriously, let's get back to paperfolding.

Regards, Art.

origamimasterjared · August 29th, 2007, 9:45 pm

Art, that's a nice little thing you have going there. Here are some suggestions though:

You have WAY too many forums there. Keep it simple. Maybe try using subforums or something, but you don't need different main page forums for birds, insects, sea creatures, etc. Rather than a whole forum for "wetfolding", how about one for techniques. That would include wetfolding, finishing techniques, preparing paper, MC-folding, etc. Tessellations, corrugations, tension-folding, don't need to be separate either. I would also stick all those origami societies in one forum. Maybe have a second one for local groups. You have events overlap. All those separate forums, and you don't have one for crease patterns??

Not trying to discredit you, just help make your forum more manageable.

Good luck!

--Jared

gr82bart · Post by **gr82bart** » August 29th, 2007, 9:57 pm

Jared,

Thank you so much for the reasoned and insightful suggestions. I will take it all in.

Regards, Art.

Jonnycakes · Post by **Jonnycakes** » August 30th, 2007, 12:29 am

I think what Jared said is valid, but it is indicative of a broader philosophy: trying to do too much and ending up with something over-complicated and impractical. I tend to do this a lot, so just be careful not to overwork your site (like having so many threads). That said, I think what you're trying to do is really cool-best of luck to you!