Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

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Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

Ernie Aubert
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p.4 #1 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

When I read that, I went back and re-read all the replies, to see if I could detect which ones he might have been referring to; I couldn't.

Oct 09, 2012 at 06:22 AM

Access
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p.4 #2 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

Actually a dropoff is pretty normal as the summer season ends.

For me, I don't post much here because of audience, this is a photography site and that's not really my intended audience (other photographers that is). The only time I post here is when I'm looking for commentary from a photographic or photo-technical perspective (not very often). Or when I get 'fed up' with nothing but positive commentary from people when I know inside that something is wrong or that I can improve. I think my MO and basic philosophy differs from most here anyways. I mean, I don't have any real interest in photography as a general hobby, for starters.

What would make someone like me post more is more non-photographers, but that's just me. It's not that I dislike photographers, irl I do know a lot of them and am active in several groups. And I do think there's some really good photographers here. I just don't need that type of commentary for the far majority of my work.

I think the other thing I could sometimes use is asking too much. But basically, more pre-shot advice or commentary.

Oct 09, 2012 at 07:56 AM

ESC in KC
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p.4 #3 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

I've been an active member for 7 years and have learned a lot, but I've posted a lot less this past year.

Here's why:

#1) It's hard to stay excited about participating (even just with comments) when so many people on here act like anonymous d-bags to others. And when they aren't being jerks, they're being obsequious.

#2) Too often people on here confuse a model's beauty with good photography. It gets tiresome reading all of the "omg's that's such an awesome photo!!!" just because some girl has beautiful eyes that happen to be in focus or some chick looks really hot in her short shorts. I've seen several folks post really well done photos of very ordinary looking people, and they get 500 views and only one or two comments.

I swear, if everyone was in a room together like a big classroom setting or convention, no way would some of these internet heroes SAY face-to-face the rude and childish things that they type. It's gotten pretty lousy this past year. And I think some people don't realize how recognizable they are.

Ed

Oct 09, 2012 at 01:35 PM

Steady Hand
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p.4 #4 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

ESC in KC wrote:
I've been an active member for 7 years and have learned a lot, but I've posted a lot less this past year.

Here's why:

#1) It's hard to stay excited about participating (even just with comments) when so many people on here act like anonymous d-bags to others. And when they aren't being jerks, they're being obsequious.

#2) Too often people on here confuse a model's beauty with good photography. It gets tiresome reading all of the "omg's that's such an awesome photo!!!" just because some girl has beautiful eyes that happen to be in focus or some chick looks really hot in her short shorts. I've seen several folks post really well done photos of very ordinary looking people, and they get 500 views and only one or two comments.

I swear, if everyone was in a room together like a big classroom setting or convention, no way would some of these internet heroes SAY face-to-face the rude and childish things that they type. It's gotten pretty lousy this past year. And I think some people don't realize how recognizable they are.

Ed

+100

Oct 09, 2012 at 02:05 PM

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p.4 #5 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

ESC in KC wrote:
I swear, if everyone was in a room together like a big classroom setting or convention, no way would some of these internet heroes SAY face-to-face the rude and childish things that they type. It's gotten pretty lousy this past year.
Yeah, that's what draws me to the rl groups much more than the online places. Am fortunate to have enough of those where I live, a lot more quality interaction there than here. But the face-to-face thing can also be a downside when people would rather praise than provide some honest critique or constructive criticism.

Oct 09, 2012 at 02:34 PM

Steady Hand
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p.4 #6 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

Access wrote:
ESC in KC wrote:
I swear, if everyone was in a room together like a big classroom setting or convention, no way would some of these internet heroes SAY face-to-face the rude and childish things that they type. It's gotten pretty lousy this past year.
Yeah, that's what draws me to the rl groups much more than the online places. Am fortunate to have enough of those where I live, a lot more quality interaction there than here. But the face-to-face thing can also be a downside when people would rather praise than provide some honest critique or constructive criticism.

What is a RL group? (sincere question)

Oct 09, 2012 at 02:36 PM

Gerry Kerr
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p.4 #7 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

I find myself visiting less and less often. What I've found is that this forum has resolved to 3 core types of images

1 What you guys refer to as Seniors - something that strikes me as mainly either pro or semi pro images that are of limited interest outside of the family/friends circle and/or people involved in the industry of providing senior shoots

2. Weekend snaps of children mixed in with a number of very creative images. Not quite sure why people would post weekend snaps of their children in a forum like this, but they do...

3. The Nude /NSFW images - While this is not the style of photography that I go for or practice, Most are very creative and very well done.

Occasionally I see some street, travel or environmental images (which are what I am into) but they are rare.

It has occurred to me that we should ask for warnings on the child images WCII (warning - child images inside) to go with the NSFW tag :-) I don't mean to be cruel but, I don't visit this forum to see pictures of children playing in the garden or local park

Like a lot of life - the above is my impression - we often get blind to things that don't fit our prejudices but rightly or wrongly, we I think of the people forum on FM - I expect shots in one of the three categories above.

Gerry

Oct 09, 2012 at 03:26 PM

tonyfield
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p.4 #8 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

Lisa_Holloway wrote:
I REALLY wish there was a separate forum for the NSFW/nude photography. I'm not interested in it and don't click on those posts, and it skeeves me out a little to see those posts right next to seniors/kids/family/newborn/etc stuff.
....

One of the objectives of "portrait photography" is to depict people in such a way that it conveys a cross section of "who they are". This is usually not possible in a single photograph. IMHO, a portrait of a person is multi-image representation of the breadth of the person. If the person wishes to be represented interestingly clad or nude as part of their self-image, that is merely part of the accurate portrait. If a photographer ignores that aspect of a woman's psyche, the photographer is doing a disservice.to the client. A woman is intrinsically beautiful in all aspects. There is nothing wrong with nudity - only the viewer of the image assigns some degree of moral badness. I find odd that nude or other NSFW images are considered bad or inappropriate.

I remember the days in which seeing in public a girl's upper calf or thigh was considered "indecent exposure". Not too many years later, the micro-skirt became socially popular.

For example, the group of images (some of which are NSFW) below is what I consider to be a portrait of a lady.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1127277/0#10763207

Too many photographers impose their technically stylistic formula on portraits - and are very pleased when people recognize their "photographic signature".

Oct 09, 2012 at 03:40 PM

Gerry Kerr
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p.4 #9 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

Of course, I've just had a look at the first 30 or so posts on the first page of the people forum and its made a complete liar out of me :

A much more diverse set of images

Gerry

Oct 09, 2012 at 03:45 PM

penpro
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p.4 #10 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

As an amateur I came here because I was at another forum that was full of idiots that, as was pointed out, would never talk to me in person they way they did on the forum. The whole forum was full of posts like this so I looked else where.

This forum appeared to be more professional and maybe better moderated. After being here for some time now I see that it is not moderated at all and again we are started to see the same behaviour from so called professional adults. I have to say that I see it far less then I ever did at the other forum.

The Nature and Wildlife forum appear to have little or no issues at all with this sort of behaviour and for the most part is very active and professional. When I ask for help I get it. Maybe it is just a more relaxed life style in general.

I have often posted in this forum hoping to get constructive criticism and just don't get anything at all. They might be pics of my kids but I still want to know where I can get better with photography. Just because I'm not lugging around mounds of lighting equipment doesn't mean there are not more things that I should consider.

Over all I have not had many issues on this forum or forums here but I have seen many cases where users step out of line. I run two forums for my business, I'm admin on one of the biggest and frequent others. I can tell you that forums die when they stop being managed.

Oct 09, 2012 at 04:06 PM

Access
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p.4 #11 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

Steady Hand wrote:
What is a RL group? (sincere question)
'real life' group. Local photographic clubs, meetup, etc.

Penpro, I think part of it is this. People who photograph people tend to be quite social irl (in real life), but that doesn't necessarily translate to keeping something working online, especially for an extended period. Online, a lot of the social stuff gets totally skewed; like the whole joking thing. Irl if someone makes a joke, or an off-hand remark, people will laugh (or groan, if it's not really that funny), but at least everyone gets that it's not intended to be taken seriously.

Also being ignored; irl this is negative socially, but online, posting a picture and getting a lot of views, but no commentary can be perfectly acceptable or even intended.

"forums die when they stop being managed" - Yes, but they can also die when they are over-managed, it can be hard to find the right balance. And in some cases a catch-22, it can die even though the admins made the right choice(s).

Edited on Oct 09, 2012 at 06:12 PM · View previous versions

Oct 09, 2012 at 05:25 PM

exposedme
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p.4 #12 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

Maybe people just realized that it's a waste of valuable time to post here and started to devote more time to their work? Or maybe there are just better places to go to get feedback. The users here are very "bandwagonish", I know that's not a word but hopefully you get my meaning.

Oct 09, 2012 at 05:28 PM

liamh
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p.4 #13 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

Oct 09, 2012 at 05:34 PM

Steady Hand
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p.4 #14 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

tonyfield wrote:
Lisa_Holloway wrote:
I REALLY wish there was a separate forum for the NSFW/nude photography. I'm not interested in it and don't click on those posts, and it skeeves me out a little to see those posts right next to seniors/kids/family/newborn/etc stuff.
....

One of the objectives of "portrait photography" is to depict people in such a way that it conveys a cross section of "who they are". This is usually not possible in a single photograph. IMHO, a portrait of a person is multi-image representation of the breadth of the person. If the person wishes to be represented interestingly clad or nude as part of their self-image, that is merely part of the accurate portrait. If a photographer ignores that aspect of a woman's psyche, the photographer is doing a disservice.to the client. A woman is intrinsically beautiful in all aspects. There is nothing wrong with nudity - only the viewer of the image assigns some degree of moral badness. I find odd that nude or other NSFW images are considered bad or inappropriate.

I remember the days in which seeing in public a girl's upper calf or thigh was considered "indecent exposure". Not too many years later, the micro-skirt became socially popular.

For example, the group of images (some of which are NSFW) below is what I consider to be a portrait of a lady.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1127277/0#10763207

Too many photographers impose their technically stylistic formula on portraits - and are very pleased when people recognize their "photographic signature".

I enjoyed reading these comments...but think they are good for a separate topic to discuss them more fully.

That said, that does not mean I agree with any or all of what was written; some, but not all..

Oct 09, 2012 at 05:45 PM

Steady Hand
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p.4 #15 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

penpro wrote:
As an amateur I came here because I was at another forum that was full of idiots that, as was pointed out, would never talk to me in person they way they did on the forum. The whole forum was full of posts like this so I looked else where.

This forum appeared to be more professional and maybe better moderated. After being here for some time now I see that it is not moderated at all and again we are started to see the same behaviour from so called professional adults. I have to say that I see it far less then I ever did at the other forum.

The Nature and Wildlife forum appear to have little or no issues at all with this sort of behaviour and for the most part is very active and professional. When I ask for help I get it. Maybe it is just a more relaxed life style in general.

I have often posted in this forum hoping to get constructive criticism and just don't get anything at all. They might be pics of my kids but I still want to know where I can get better with photography. Just because I'm not lugging around mounds of lighting equipment doesn't mean there are not more things that I should consider.

Over all I have not had many issues on this forum or forums here but I have seen many cases where users step out of line. I run two forums for my business, I'm admin on one of the biggest and frequent others. I can tell you that forums die when they stop being managed.

I appreciate your POV and comments above. Thanks for contributing to this discussion.

I suspect your experience is shared by many people who came here from other forums and after a while have seen some (or all) of the negative things that can happen in forums.

Oct 09, 2012 at 05:49 PM

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p.4 #16 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

I find this board not much different from the ebb and flow of other boards. I do think those who post images here on FM have much better and more refined skills than those on other sites...BUT, its also true that when serious sites become more chattish, then actual work is not occuring and coversation is.

So...maybe people are just working more and chatting less.

Oct 09, 2012 at 10:26 PM

Nikons4Me
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p.4 #17 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

Some in this thread have express that they think the amount of NSFW post is causing the lose of interest in the forum. Maybe that's so, maybe not. I personally don't have an issue with it, because if I don't like it, I'll just move on. If adults want to pose nude its their business. But I know one thing that will surely cause the slow demise of this forum, and that is nude photos of children. I don't think it's proper for a forum to display nude children images, whether the parents approve or not. I don't think I'm alone in my opinion. Posts like the following will not be healthy for the forum. http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1156055
What is the purpose of this type post, is critique wanted, is it to show one's liberal views, is it for shock value? Are we to think there is an artistic value with photos of nude children. Are we to comment on how good they are in B&W versus color?
I draw the line on images on nude children, no matter how innocent they are portrayed.
I have posted this because some members asked why the forum seemed slow. This is a reason I think may be affecting forum activity. I am in no way trying to be the forum moral cop.
Before anyone slams me, don't bother I won't hear it. I will not return to this forum. To the many that I learned from thank you. And to those that brought me great pleasure in seeing your wonderful work, thank you also.
by best regards to all
Ed

Edited on Oct 10, 2012 at 11:29 AM · View previous versions

Oct 09, 2012 at 11:25 PM

Josh Evilsizor
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p.4 #18 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

Those of you all "boo-hooing" about big meanies saying all kinds of nasty things let's see you put your money where you mouth is and produce some examples... I'm on here daily, I have read just about every post on the people forum for the last month minus the NWS tagged threads and I can't recall seeing anything that could be considered mean spirited or hateful...

Maybe my view is skewed since I moderate a forum that if you post a bad shot, you're going to get called on it and it's going to get ripped to shreds.

Oct 10, 2012 at 03:30 AM

zalmyb
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p.4 #19 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

Josh Evilsizor wrote:
Those of you all "boo-hooing" about big meanies saying all kinds of nasty things let's see you put your money where you mouth is and produce some examples... I'm on here daily, I have read just about every post on the people forum for the last month minus the NWS tagged threads and I can't recall seeing anything that could be considered mean spirited or hateful...

Maybe my view is skewed since I moderate a forum that if you post a bad shot, you're going to get called on it and it's going to get ripped to shreds.

Agree.

I see way more posts about how nasty comments get than actual nasty comments. It seems to be very very rare (especially on the people board).

Someone mentioned earlier than he couldn't understand why someone would post weekend snaps of their kids here (which is something I do quite a it). I'm not entirely sure I get why. As a parent who is into photography, a large majority of his photography will be capturing his kids childhood ( and beyond). Wouldn't this be the perfect place to post sets to get feedback on how to do that better? I've gotten some really good (and sometimes a bit harsh, though it was deserved) feedback here. Of course I'd like to get more, as would most, but I'm not the first to comment on others sets either (I try to post what I would consider helpful comments and very often I don't know enough about the type of photography to do that).

Oct 10, 2012 at 03:47 AM

penpro
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p.4 #20 · Slow forum? Less people posting? WHY?

@Josh Evilsizor, I have not seen much of it but I have seen it. Happened in one of my threads that I started, I don't really care and take things as they are but it isn't a good way to keep forums alive. The harshness that was one one of my threads was meant to be helpful but it didn't come across very well.

People have to remember that they need to speak to people here the same way they would if it were face to face. If that person started to speak to me in the tone used on the forum but in person I would not have given that person the time of day. I don't care how good they are.

Giving harsh criticism isn't the problem, I do it every day in classes where I teach 3D, I tell them exactly what I think. I do it how ever in a way that they know it is not personal and I am trying to help them.

Forums are even worse as it is very easy to make a comment that can be taken in the wrong tone unless the poster take time to ensure the tone is set.

Please rip all my shots to shreds that deserve it, but please do it with constructive criticism

And please just do it, I'm trying to get better!

Oct 10, 2012 at 01:32 PM

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