I agree with that. This is a wonderful site. If we change too much, we could end up being just like all the others. The ones we passed over to join dGrin.
I agree I love the site. But not so long ago Andy was begging for more participation and voting in the challenge. As the site has grown over the summer, so the nature of the site will change, the greater the input from the members, the more threads that need to be read, the longer one spends on keeping up with the site, and the less personal the site becomes and the more like those other sites it becomes. To succeed the site has to grow, and as it grows new members become the regular contributors in place of those who leave or contribute less frequently
sure, we could have multiple polls .. but even the mere act of setting up the voting thread takes about 1/2 hour of my time .. so multiply that times 4 (3 polls plus the finals) and you have 2 hours a fortnight of my time. i simply don't have that luxury, and as of 9:55 a.m. tuesday october 19, baldy still isn't paying me to do this
You could always charge a membership fee to the site or an entry fee for the challenge
Good luck with the pay rise
Challenges
I was ready for bed, but decided to chime in for 5 minutes.
The first thing I read is that Andy needs more time for other things.
I can understand that. It is not valuated what volunteers put in, and how putting in can be tiring at times. I did not hear him (you) say Andy that you will quit the board, just that critiquing is to much.
I have found for myself that since I have enlisted on this site, that i have really tried to outdo myself. I kept my camera on automatic all the time. so I did not have to really think.
This afternoon, I bought a pumpkin, and set it up on my kitchen table with a little tripod so I could test out my camera. I did it on MANUAL!!!!.
What I am trying to say is that the challenge reaches further then be the best. If I am given a challenge, it is good for me to stick to it and try to find a picture that I can enter. That is new for me. Usually I picked some picture that I already had, without really doing something useful.
I will take landscapes over the weekend, not because i want to be a finalist, or want to be the best, no, I will do it because I know I will learn from it.
In watching the others on the board I have seen such good work in the four days I am on, that it inspires me to stretch myself to a new level.
I have learned more in the last four days then in the two years before.
I think it is a nice thing that we get comments on our photographs not only from masters like Andy, but also from others, because every comment I get is valuable. We can learn a lot from each other.
How many places like this board do we have, where we can get an honest opinion, and share and learn and enjoy?
This is a fun site, and a very good one. I like it here. If we all stop entering challenges because Andy would or could not comment (with all the respect I do have for you Andy), or if we would stop sharing, we will also stop learning. The sharing is what matters. Four cents from a newbie
I'm glad this has somewhat sorted itself out. We shouldn't be unhappy with the way this place is run. Lets everyone enjoy the way it is while its still that way, cause tomorrow it will only change even more. This is an awesome community that grows more everyday.
Snapapple, in regards to your comment about "being just like the rest of them", thats not exactly a bad thing. If this place was to one day hold challenges with 200 plus entries, then you can sit back and say that you were one of the originals to be here. Is it that bad of a feeling? If you don't win challenges because of the high number of entries, well, that just means that this site now houses more great photographers than it did the day before. This sounds like a good thing as well.
As long as the small community that 'once was' never leaves the forum, well, then everyone will always be here, plus some. Simple as that. Growth doesn't have to be a bad thing. You're still here, your past community is still here, and now more people can be a part of that as time progresses.
My issues are more at the level of what can we do to alleviate the hurt that I feel and others seem to be expressing in different ways.
Ginger, just look at it as a fun thing. If you are feeling hurt its no ones fault but your own. No one has done anything to hurt you. Your photo wasn't picked for a top ten list, who cares, neither was mine. Do you have any idea how long it took me to build the set for mine? I looked at the time challenge differently than our judges did, therefore mine wasnt selected. I'll do the same next time. This doesn't have to be something that will 'hurt' you in the end. If it does simply becuase you dont win, then entering the challenge is just setting yourself up for letdown later on.
We all spent time on our photos. You didn't spend anymore time on yours than others did on theirs. AND LOOK AT WHAT YOU CAME OUT WITH, a photo that you love! What more do you need?? Be happy with it!
No time for the old in-out, love, I've just come to read the meter
Comments
I agree I love the site. But not so long ago Andy was begging for more participation and voting in the challenge. As the site has grown over the summer, so the nature of the site will change, the greater the input from the members, the more threads that need to be read, the longer one spends on keeping up with the site, and the less personal the site becomes and the more like those other sites it becomes. To succeed the site has to grow, and as it grows new members become the regular contributors in place of those who leave or contribute less frequently
You could always charge a membership fee to the site or an entry fee for the challenge
Good luck with the pay rise
I was ready for bed, but decided to chime in for 5 minutes.
The first thing I read is that Andy needs more time for other things.
I can understand that. It is not valuated what volunteers put in, and how putting in can be tiring at times. I did not hear him (you) say Andy that you will quit the board, just that critiquing is to much.
I have found for myself that since I have enlisted on this site, that i have really tried to outdo myself. I kept my camera on automatic all the time. so I did not have to really think.
This afternoon, I bought a pumpkin, and set it up on my kitchen table with a little tripod so I could test out my camera. I did it on MANUAL!!!!.
What I am trying to say is that the challenge reaches further then be the best. If I am given a challenge, it is good for me to stick to it and try to find a picture that I can enter. That is new for me. Usually I picked some picture that I already had, without really doing something useful.
I will take landscapes over the weekend, not because i want to be a finalist, or want to be the best, no, I will do it because I know I will learn from it.
In watching the others on the board I have seen such good work in the four days I am on, that it inspires me to stretch myself to a new level.
I have learned more in the last four days then in the two years before.
I think it is a nice thing that we get comments on our photographs not only from masters like Andy, but also from others, because every comment I get is valuable. We can learn a lot from each other.
How many places like this board do we have, where we can get an honest opinion, and share and learn and enjoy?
This is a fun site, and a very good one. I like it here. If we all stop entering challenges because Andy would or could not comment (with all the respect I do have for you Andy), or if we would stop sharing, we will also stop learning. The sharing is what matters. Four cents from a newbie
http://photocatseyes.net
http://www.zazzle.com/photocatseyes
Snapapple, in regards to your comment about "being just like the rest of them", thats not exactly a bad thing. If this place was to one day hold challenges with 200 plus entries, then you can sit back and say that you were one of the originals to be here. Is it that bad of a feeling? If you don't win challenges because of the high number of entries, well, that just means that this site now houses more great photographers than it did the day before. This sounds like a good thing as well.
As long as the small community that 'once was' never leaves the forum, well, then everyone will always be here, plus some. Simple as that. Growth doesn't have to be a bad thing. You're still here, your past community is still here, and now more people can be a part of that as time progresses.
Ginger, just look at it as a fun thing. If you are feeling hurt its no ones fault but your own. No one has done anything to hurt you. Your photo wasn't picked for a top ten list, who cares, neither was mine. Do you have any idea how long it took me to build the set for mine? I looked at the time challenge differently than our judges did, therefore mine wasnt selected. I'll do the same next time. This doesn't have to be something that will 'hurt' you in the end. If it does simply becuase you dont win, then entering the challenge is just setting yourself up for letdown later on.
We all spent time on our photos. You didn't spend anymore time on yours than others did on theirs. AND LOOK AT WHAT YOU CAME OUT WITH, a photo that you love! What more do you need?? Be happy with it!
I just read your above post. Well said. I fully agree