Sometimes, when I have nothing better to do, I’ll take a peek at the stats page of this blog.
Its kinda interesting to see how many folk have visited, the posts they’ve checked out, and so on.
Its also kinda interesting to see what search terms some folk have used to arrive here. Some are just a single word; some are phrases. Some make complete sense; others not so much.
(Its also, rather sneakily, quite useful in helping me refine my tagging. Heh heh)
Sometimes the search terms are quite funny. And its been a real eye-opener discovering how bad some of the spelling is. (Don’t they teach that sort of stuff in school any longer? Or don’t folk bother with it any more? And if the latter then its real bad news cos ultimately it can only lead to even more misunderstandings and confusions. Oh dear!)
And some of them, it has to be said, leave me mouthing to myself one of a mate’s fave expressions… “wtf?”
This one, for example, that popped up some time earlier today…
velbon cx mini f user guide
Now, unless I’m much mistaken, a Velbon CX Mini is a tripod. This tripod in fact, an example of which happened to come into my possession earlier this year.
Is there some other Velbon CX Mini of which I’m totally unaware?
Well, curiosity aroused, I enter exactly the same phrase into my fave search engine (not the ubiquitous Google as it happens, but Yahoo; that, nine times out of ten, I find to be rather better).
And, as far as I can determine, the only Velbon CX Mini knocking around is said tripod.
But just to be on the safe side I also check with the despised Google.
Same thing; short of trawling through all the thousands upon thousands of returned results, a quick scan suggests there ain’t anything other than the tripod using that particular name.
That raises the question I now find myself pondering in total puzzlement…
Who on earth would want a User Guide for a… er… tripod? More specifically, one as obvious in its use as the Velbon CX Mini?
Whoever it is, if they require a User Guide for it then I don’t rate their chances very highly of being able to use, let’s say, a camera. Hell, even I knew how to use a basic tripod… before I was into photography. Its sort of… er… common sense. Isn’t it?
Which isn’t to say of course that knowing how to use a tripod is synonymous with actually using one. I, for example, am notorious for not bothering to use one in circumstances where I know, absolutely and certainly, that I should. I also have a habit of using them in ways that aren’t really intended. But then, I’m a bit cavalier like that. In most things as it happens.
Ok, some particular models may have their “peculiarities”, but surely the basic functions and usage are fairly obvious… aren’t they?
Hmm.
But, just cos I’m a really helpful sort of person, here’s some links re info on using tripods:
helix.webphotoschool.com
www.weatherscapes.com
photography.lovetoknow.com
en.wikipedia.org
Or perhaps I’ve totally misunderstood what it is that constitutes a “user guide”? Perhaps what’s actually meant is some sort of maintenance manual but they just don’t know how to spell the words (there’s that spelling issue again!)… not that the Velbon CX Mini is provided with such anyway. At least, mine wasn’t!
On the other hand, if indeed there is some other sort of Velbon CX Mini would someone be kind enough to enlighten me please?
Thankyou so much.
Well the only thing I can think of is they are selling the tripod on Ebay and are looking for the manual, either to sell it as new to put up the price. As most manuals are now just a printed sheet of illustrations to get around the language issues etc.
But the biggest question is what is this networked blog thing?
Its a pain to comment with!
What networked blog thing? You don’t mean that farcebook app thingie do you? In which case I haven’t a clue how you’d comment with it. Didn’t even know you could!
Oh yes I forgot to say its one of my fav past times as well
Heh heh
Hhhm, I wonder whether they meant a user review. I have to admit to being sad enough to check out reviews for my Manfrotto kit – mind you, I habitually look for reviews for many things that I end up buying.
Ah… now a user review would make perfect sense. And there’s nowt wrong with them. I don’t think so anyway. Before I’m gonna part with hard-earned dosh for any sort of hardware I generally try reading a few user reviews first… very often from different sources too. And often they prove far more useful/revealing than the blurb the manufacturers put out.
The thing I try to avoid though are those “product reviews” by allegedly independent bodies that are actually little more than rehashes of the promotional hype.
[Edited for typos. There were so many of them someone else must have typed it!]
Yup, I avoid “product reviews” like the plague (well, even just a common cold at the moment but that’s another story).
I tend to seek out forums and user groups, and sift through the ‘Wow! Fab!!!! Ths is teh best fone eva!!!??!!!!’ and the ‘waste of money didn’t make me a cup of tea and walk the dog whilst juggling elephants, lousy camera, avoid’ kind of things, in search of the shy, elusive, well-written and erudite reviews.
Yeah, that’ll be the one. Not always easy to find though
Ah… so am I to assume you have a cold at the mo’ then? Poor you. I’ve only just managed to get over one and I didn’t enjoy it one bit. Its this damn weather y’know
I’m in the process of fending one off at the moment, having only just got rid of the last one! Youngest son has lurgy and hubby is showing signs of succumbing … echinacea a gogo.
Bleugh, hate the bloomin’ things. I blame the horribly stuffy and warm environments we find ourselves in. Long walks in the country for all, that’d sort ‘em out.
Yeah, I have to agree. What with central heating and all the rest of it I’m sure we’ve actually made ourselves more vulnerable to such bugs.
Loadsa vitamin C and zinc supplement… that can help as well.