Reorganizing catalog

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Luiz Paracampo wrote:

People
If we converge all our member's knowledge in Russian equipment in this forum, we will be in a near future, probable the first reference in Soviet and Russian equipment (and contribute for the price rising of such equipment). As I see things, those cameras very little known for so much time in the west, are now bringing more and more interest of several people world wide.
I sugest in the near future to reorganize data in the "Equipment Catalog" in order to be easily accessed for consultation by everyone interested in knowing detail of a so unique industry.

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Luiz,

I want to hear your ideas on reorganizing the catalog, if we are to do it, it should rather be sooner than later while the amount of entries is still manageable.. What do you think are current deficiencies? How can I make them better?

Also if anyone else has any issues/suggestions please I want to hear them, this way I can make appropriate changes if they make sense in the current system.

Thanks,
Vlad

Hi Vlad,
I have few suggestions (and wishes) how to reorganize the site. Although the amount of entries is still manageable, as you said, but finding certain camera is complicated enough:
1. to split the huge section into smaller groups. For example KMZ section could have few subdirectories: Moskva, Zenit, Zorki, Others, etc (as I suggested you at the wery beggining).
2. to list the cameras in an alphabetical order (now we can find Moskva both on the top and at the end of the list).
3. It would be great to have "Known examples" section for every single camera entry. Now we started project "Serial Numbers" and I like it a lot. Recently we have at least 5 cameras in this group, but I would like to have hundreds of them ... If you are a camera collector, serial numbers mean (and tell you) a lot of information about development of particular camera. We already have a great list of uncommon cameras in WIKi catalogue. I would like to know the known serials of "Elikon' numberless, Kiev-35AM, let's say "Sport" or "Reporter", which period "Kalimar TRL100" were exported to USA and in what quantites, etc... I don't know is it easy to do technically, but let's talk about such ideas.

Regards,
Aidas

This is not about catalog, but may be we can have section(s) about restoration and rebuild old and not so old cameras and lenses. As well as tips how to store them, how to display them. I personally have many questions how to clean cameras, how to get rid of ugly spots on chrome, how to make them shine. What chemical to use, and specially what not to use. How to prepare cameras for long time storage. What errors to avoid and so on.
Also would be interesting to have reports about camera shows all around the word. Reports about auctions.
And may be we can have catalog of owners of rare and special cameras (who has what)? Voluntarily of cause.

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Originally posted by AidasCams

Hi Vlad,
I have few suggestions (and wishes) how to reorganize the site. Although the amount of entries is still manageable, as you said, but finding certain camera is complicated enough:
1. to split the huge section into smaller groups. For example KMZ section could have few subdirectories: Moskva, Zenit, Zorki, Others, etc (as I suggested you at the wery beggining).

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Aidas, it is a great idea and that is possible to do, although I cannot introduce a third level inside KMZ for example, it'll mean almost completely rewriting the site, but instead of KMZ - Zenit - Zorki category we can do KMZ - Zenit, KMZ - Zorki, KMZ - Moskva, KMZ - Other

This will be essentially the same thing. You are right, it is way too cluttered in there now.

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2. to list the cameras in an alphabetical order (now we can find Moskva both on the top and at the end of the list).

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Well that tell me you have not been using the catalog much, man! Shame on you! LOL I've added 3 different sortings about 2 weeks ago, you can sort by Chronological which is default, also Alphabet and Most Recently Added and that setting is saved for your account once you click on it so it carries over through the rest of the site. So if you pick By Alphabet, it'll stay by Alphabet in all other categories unless you change it again.

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3. It would be great to have "Known examples" section for every single camera entry. Now we started project "Serial Numbers" and I like it a lot. Recently we have at least 5 cameras in this group, but I would like to have hundreds of them ... If you are a camera collector, serial numbers mean (and tell you) a lot of information about development of particular camera. We already have a great list of uncommon cameras in WIKi catalogue. I would like to know the known serials of "Elikon' numberless, Kiev-35AM, let's say "Sport" or "Reporter", which period "Kalimar TRL100" were exported to USA and in what quantites, etc... I don't know is it easy to do technically, but let's talk about such ideas.

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That is a good idea, I did think that it kind of makes it redundant to have that separately, if it is tied to the camera in the catalog it may be better organization... maybe the simple way to do it, just paste it in the end of the WIKI description of that particular camera with heading "Known Serial Numbers" what do you think? If it does need to be separated I can in the future create a second text box int he wiki entry for that purpose, but I don't really see the point where you can pretty much put anything int he textbox of the current entry... just create a heading and paste those numbers in there... If that is ok with everyone, I can move the created serial number entries into camera entries themselves.

Vlad

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Originally posted by okynek

This is not about catalog, but may be we can have section(s) about restoration and rebuild old and not so old cameras and lenses. As well as tips how to store them, how to display them. I personally have many questions how to clean cameras, how to get rid of ugly spots on chrome, how to make them shine. What chemical to use, and specially what not to use. How to prepare cameras for long time storage. What errors to avoid and so on.
Also would be interesting to have reports about camera shows all around the word. Reports about auctions.
And may be we can have catalog of owners of rare and special cameras (who has what)? Voluntarily of cause.

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Okynek, that is what the Member Content Articles and Blogs sections are for. Right now there isn't much content but as it grows I can start to categorize it more depending on what content we have. Like for example I just posted my research on Svetozor Polariod there... Also if that article section starts to see some use, I may introduce separate section on the home page called "Featured Member Articles" so your article will stay there for people to click and read. But for now, not many articles are added.. we'll see if that changes.

Regarding cleaning cameras - that is my favorite thing to do, I may post an article on what I use and how I do it and what I've learned at some point, you gave me an idea for a good article now. I am writing a really cool module for this site right now (I hope you guys will like it), when I'm done with it and posted it, I will start writing some blogs myself as well.

Vlad

Vlad and members
At first the overall lay out of "Equipment" is good.
We must hear from each of you all the best FEASABLE sggestions.
My prime suggestion is to built a kind of separate page - not different than the present one but a large calling of "Equipment Catalog" That should now be called "Reference Data - Equipment, Technology and Historic"
Second, I want to call your attention that I feel that the splendid photos that illustrate some conversations can't be lost in the amount of words talked abroad. So a suggest an auto opening of a calling link since any picture should be posted, making a natural complement information to the present index opening a direct call icon to each forum in a new index. This new index should be called "Extraordinary References".
Let us discuss the ideas.
Alea Jacta Est
Regards
Luiz

Hi Vlad,

I like your ideas - may be let's try ..


Regards,
Aidas

It might be good to have a sort of "site map" page, but just for the WIKI catalog. It would be a clickable table of contents where you could go to any entry, any camera, or any area of the catalog with just one or two clicks because all the entries in this index would be "links" to the right page.
So you would not have to look down the list of photos ... just read a list and click on the right entry. Maybe even when you click on an arrow in front of the "ZENIT" listing on this page, a list of the major types would open right up below it without going to another page.

My idea is to make this index page have the list with no photos or anything else on it, and it would cover the whole screen, not just a long list on the left, but maybe 3 or 4 columns wide. No ads, no photos, nothing but a very clean uncluttered page.

Regards, Bill

That's a good idea too, maybe I'll add a link called site map on top...

Whew!!! That was a lot of work.. I reorganized the categories in the wiki catalog, if you see something out of place that I missed please use "Request Category Change" feature under the wiki entry.

Also let me know if the categories I created are OK... I can still make modifications if it's not satisfactory... next is to move the serial #s into the camera entries themselves..

Vlad.

Bill,

I've added that site map for you.. It's on the Catalog page under the search box you will see "Wiki Catalog Index".. that gives you everything in catalog.

Vlad.

Vlad,

Your site now becoming better and better ... Thanks!


Regards,
Aidas

Vlad,

I only can do a "copy-paste" from Aidas's above message

Your site now becoming better and better ... Thanks!

Michel.

Thanks for your kind words everyone, still working on more changes!

Vlad

As you noticed I also added an avatar image to the forums. You can upload an image via image upload feature on the forum that is 150x150 pixels and stick the link to it into your profile, just make sure to strip off the [ img ] tags.

Vlad.

quote:

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Originally posted by Luiz Paracampo

Vlad and members
At first the overall lay out of "Equipment" is good.
We must hear from each of you all the best FEASABLE sggestions.
My prime suggestion is to built a kind of separate page - not different than the present one but a large calling of "Equipment Catalog" That should now be called "Reference Data - Equipment, Technology and Historic"
Second, I want to call your attention that I feel that the splendid photos that illustrate some conversations can't be lost in the amount of words talked abroad. So a suggest an auto opening of a calling link since any picture should be posted, making a natural complement information to the present index opening a direct call icon to each forum in a new index. This new index should be called "Extraordinary References".
Let us discuss the ideas.
Alea Jacta Est
Regards
Luiz

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Luiz,

I've renamed the Equipment Catalog link into "Wiki Catalog" it is much more general definition. Since "Catalog" term is a centerpiece of the site I am hesitant to actually rename it to something else that does not have word "Catalog" in it, it may create some serious confusion. You are correct it is not just Equipment Catalog anymore, it is much much more... so I would hope that "Wiki Catalog" should suffice...

And to state something to all members here that don't know - Luiz Paracampo was the person who came up with the idea of having a central knowledge site about the Soviet/Russian cameras and the one whose passion for it had pushed me to create this site. Luiz gotta be the "sickest" person of us all who is sick with the Soviet camera disease. I guess you can say he is one of the forefathers of USSRPhoto.com and I can't thank him enough for pushing me to create this resource. Saying that, Luiz I hope you like this current reorganization of the catalog... I always take anyone's ideas seriously since you are the users of this site, and all you suggestions help improve the overall user experience here.. So please! DO NOT hesitate to write about anything that you seem to dislike in using of the site... I want to make it as simple and comprehensive as possible.

As promised the serial #s for the cameras were moved to its respective entries (see Recently Edited section on the home page) and the Serial Numbers section is removed from catalog, actually replaced by Advertising Brochures, to which I've added the only entry I had but it has a LOT of different brochures in it.

I also need suggestions on how to reorganize the History, Documents and Ephemera section of the catalog since I don't particularly like how some stuff is sitting together in the same section even though it's different. If we can make a lot of very specific categories it would help tremendously. I am open for any ideas.

Thanks,
Vlad

Vlad,

The History, Documents & Ephemera category could have separate sections for:

"Camera Manuals & Schematics"
and
"Lens manuals & Schematics"

and then they could be put in order just by making sure that the entries were properly named, ie:

all jupiter lens entries begin with "Jupiter-12 Schematic" instead of for example, "Schematic for Jupiter-12". Then they should line up correctly.

Otherwise everything looks good to me.



Regards, Bill

Thanks Bill, what about actually separating Manuals and Schematics? And also by language like:

Camera Manuals (Russian)
Camera Manuals (English)
Lens Manuals (English)
Lens Manuals (Russian)
Camera Technical Schematics
Lens Technical Schematics

"Очень круто ;-)

Regards, Bill

LOL! I shall make it so then!