It’s impossible to know all the answers or even who to ask Fortunately there’s a lot of great forums for interacting with video pros. I offer a few simple pieces of advice when participating forums (the ones I hang out in are at Creative COW).
- Lurk a little. Get the hang of the tone and community first. It’s just like a party, don’t walk through the door and start yelling.
• Use the search function first. If you ask a question that has already been recently answered recently, you’re going to feel ignored.
• Post short questions. Nothing turns off a potential responder than the feeling that they’re taking a graduate school exam. Eight-part essay questions are fun for no one. Keep your questions short and direct.
• Give context. Let people know details about the system or gear you’re using, software versions, etc. Even smart geeks aren’t mind readers.
• Give a little, get a lot. If you only ask questions in a forum, you’re going to have bad karma. Most forums have unpaid hosts who do their best to answer questions. Helping out is good for the health of the forum and community.