UKAI Closing

[Carole]

UKAI is closing and going over to Facebook in case any of you were unaware.

I don't think FB works for forums, can never find a past post on FB and don't like looking at images on FB.
It's a shame but I understand their reasoning.

This forum has become very quiet of late, have some people gone over to FB as well? 

Carole

[MarkS]

Agreed. 
Facebook is not designed for forums.

Mark

[ApophisAstros]

i find it a lot easier to post images, as its more flexible on image size /format etc. Also all your messages and replies are on one place (ie notifications on your FB page) and not sent as an email so lowering your inbox.
Roger

[Carole]

But trying to find a thread your remember and want to remind yourself about some info contained in it, or you want to go back to for some reason i find it impossible on FB.

I recall on a group I belong to (nothing to do with Astronomy, to do with the Adoption Group where I got my dog) I wanted to go back and view a video on a particular topic some months down the line.  After scrolling through months and months of posts I failed to find it and what a waste of time.

Also I don't know if it has changed now, but I did belong to Disciples of the Dark Arts (an astronomy group on FB) and you could not view the images at a decent size.

I like to browse through specific forums and if its all muddled up together you can't see the woods for the daisies.  I also belong to a local neighbourhood group and I find the same problem with that, all you manage to really see if the latest posts and you miss all the stuff that went before.

Well each to his own.

Carole

[MarkS]

i find it a lot easier to post images, as its more flexible on image size /format etc. Also all your messages and replies are on one place (ie notifications on your FB page) and not sent as an email so lowering your inbox.
Roger

It's easy to upload images to FB - that's the only advantage.

FB fails as a useful place to upload images because a year later you can never find that fantastic image of the Elephant's Trunk Nebula that so-and-so posted some time ago, I don't quite remember when, I don't quite remember who.

FB also fails as a repository of useful advice and problem solving, again because it is impossible to find that useful information some time later.

If you don't want email notifications from a forum then switch them off!!

Mark

[Carole]

Exactly my reasons Mark.

Carole

[ApophisAstros]

You can save any image on your own site so its always handy.
i have created an album for just images i find/like to keep..i also get annoyed about a lot of FB stuff though its not perfect.
roger

[Carole]

I know I am hijacking my own thread, but I find Astrobin wonderful for researching and hosting images. 
You can post your images there and then link them to any forum. 

You can watch the images posted every day and get ideas of ones you might like to do.  This is where I get the ideas from for some of the less usual ones I have done over the last year.  They mostly get plate solved and you can see where they are in the sky.  You can also book mark any that you might want to refer to at a later date.

You can search for particular images and it will bring up all images with that name and you can compare kit and number of subs used provided the author has put them on, which is more likley than not.

You can have a separate gallery for stuff you don't want on public show.

You can even upload RAW/FITS files and keep them on file.
Great site.  Unfortunately the author had to start charging as the site got so huge but for me £30 per year for such a valuable site is worth it.

Carole

[ApophisAstros]

totally agree with that , it is very good.
Roger