Tutorials and Tips

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How many of you would like to see a "Tutorials and Tips" section? I was thinking a place where people put together "How to" threads with interesting ideas or projects you could do on your Mac.
 
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How about starting off with a tutorial on how to make a tutorial?
 
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Well vegas if you know what your doing onscreen use can use Jing to capture what your doing on your screen....
Watch it HERE ..... lol 1st time i used it actually. Quite simple :)
Background noise is "Smokey and The Bandit II" HAHA
 

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I think that is a good idea. I was going to start a thread asking members for interesting projects that could be done using only the software that comes stock on a Mac. Might turn several into ATPM articles (with appropriate credit of course). Thought it would be a good way to illustrate some unique features of Mac life.
 
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I like the idea in theory, but a lot of tutorials would mostly be preaching to the choir, telling a lot of users something they already know. A lot of techies hang out here and you'd probably end up with critiques that made it obvious the aspiring tutorialist was being tolerated.

Not to mention the instructional approach is very different from the question and response method of these forums. I suppose it might work better if a tutorial were developed for each question asked by the public, but then everything would be answered in about two weeks. And then what? What would we all be here for? I don't know. :Shouting:
 
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FasterPussyCat: First off, I don't even have my Mac yet, probably a little over 2 weeks away. I will be coming over from Ubuntu and have just kinda been browsing the forums here getting an idea of what I'm getting into (also just kinda anxiously awaiting getting my Mac).
Over in the Ubuntu forums one of my favorite sections to browse is the "Tutorials and Tips" area. Linux users are pretty tech savy as well by the way. In that section they might have a tutorial on running a full screen video game in a separate X-session so that you can minimize it while you check on other programs, or maybe how to tether your Iphone using free open source software, but you get the idea. Maybe its just an inherent difference between OS' that wouldn't make such a section desirable but I could see things like "Using Ichat for your MSN contacts" or "Optimizing your bit torrent client" as being useful here. I would think lots of people have little tips and instructions that many other folks may not know about.
Who knows though, maybe I'm wrong? Anyone else?
 
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Specifics of what you need to know, and I'll see if I have a screen-recorded video of it. I have made a lot of tutorials for relatives that are soon-to-be switchers.
 
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FasterPussyCat: First off, I don't even have my Mac yet, probably a little over 2 weeks away. I will be coming over from Ubuntu and have just kinda been browsing the forums here getting an idea of what I'm getting into (also just kinda anxiously awaiting getting my Mac).

Don't take my word for it. I don't speak on behalf of any one else. Like I said I think its a good idea and if you really believe it would be a valuable addition to the forum you should make the case, much in the way you just did. What linux forum were you referring to by the way?
 
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cuhnool: Thanks, don't really have any specifics in mind right now, I was kinda just suggesting the idea of a forum section.

FasterPussyCat: The Ubuntu forums in specific. Always gave me ideas on projects or things to do that I probably wouldn't have even known I wanted to do until I saw them.
 
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OK, I just made a tutorial on how to make folder/file icons from web images. It's a 35.5 MB .mov file made in Quicktime. I'll be happy to upload it to the forum if there's a place for it. Please advise.
 
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VegasGeorge: Thats the kind of thing I'm talking about (although the forums I'm used to never used video). I would imagine more people would need to chime in if this was something they would like to see in you forum ( I know I would ). So let the powers that be know folks.
 
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My tutorials focus on applications, like iTunes and Safari, and I have a small number of tutorials on different ways to use Finder and organizing. Lots and lots of keyboard shortcuts too. I'm with VegasGeorge on this one.
 
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to initial thread sounds great to me - especially as some of us dumbies need all the help we can get (though i'm sure the same could be said for us all...)

Hannah. x x
 
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I like tutorials, even if it has been said a thousand times on the internet before I like having a different perspective, it makes understanding what is being said even easier, because sometimes things arent explained as well as I would like. Also, I like to cross reference :p.
Sorry if this thread is too old to be posted in, but I do like the idea of having tutorials.
 
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If you made the tutorial forum a sub forum of the switchers forum it might work. Then it'd be obvious who the tutorials are aimed at. And the pros can ask their pro questions without feeling all of mac-forums is dedicated to the switchers.

I think the tutorials should be done as locked topics. And all tutorials need mod approval before being posted. Just so there is not 150 of the same tutorial there. And so each tutorial is worded well. Cause we have a professional feel about this site. And if the tutorials are really good they can help others. And of you think a tutorual that passes mod approval needs to be fixed you PM the tutorial author. And of nothing happens there you then PM the mods about it explaning what you think needs editing in the tutorial. And if the mods reject a tutorial they should give a good explanation why. And the mods should not really edit a tutorial then post it. They should just be there to accept or reject them and point out all the spelling errors etc. Because with locked topics the tutorial authors can't edit their own tutorials. But it makes the tutorial authors really plan and write the best tutorial at the start and not post it and edit 50 times later. And in the mean time switchers could be getting potentially the wrong information.

I know that's a little more work for the mods here. But I think it's better. As I don't think every little thing needs a tutorial. Only the most important and most frequently asked questions should have a tutorial. I don't see this subforum as a question and answer session as the rest of the forum is. I see it more like the Apple knowledge base on the Apple site. A refrence you can go to for information.

And to kaidee you didn't necropost here so it's ok.
 
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We have tried to have FAQ and Tutorial forum a few times in the past. Unfornately there has been very little participation in them so we killed them off. It may be something to try again in the future, but for now, feel free to create threads in the appropriate forums.

Another option is to author a blog post with your tutorial and we can feature it on the Mac-Forums blog.
 

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