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12/14/2014 08:55:43 PM · #26 |
Originally posted by PennyStreet:
Originally posted by bohemka:
To Ms. Street's point: For the first time in ages I'm voting on a challenge I've entered, because I now see the importance. |
Woo Hoo! Call me Lynn:) |
You sly fox you, Scott. |
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12/14/2014 09:14:04 PM · #27 |
| I've missed a fair bit lately because my computer has been sick - in and out of computer hospital a couple of times. I totally missed Concrete which I suggested, missed chairs which I felt inspired about, missed most things in the last few weeks. On the plus side my house is tidier than usual - now that I have my computer back I hope it can stay that way til Christmas. I'm glad to be back because it was like I'd suffered an amputation and even if nobody noticed my absence I really missed you guys. |
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12/14/2014 09:24:48 PM · #28 |
| Well, I'm back!!! I've been submitting entries but I've been slacking on voting and commenting. I am going to try and improve on that though! |
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12/14/2014 10:28:59 PM · #29 |
| And I see I'm still a thread killer. �� |
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12/14/2014 10:46:30 PM · #30 |
| nah, hippiegal, we're all voting and entering and such :-) |
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12/14/2014 11:14:52 PM · #31 |
Originally posted by PennyStreet:
Voting and commenting is key here I think.
Checking scores and reading comments on my entries over the week is what I login for first.
Then I glance to the threads to see what's new.
I only have 50 some votes on the challenge that ends tonight and the score thread only popped up today. That is not going to inspire participation.
The problem is that, short of requiring a minimum voting or commenting standard, there isn't much that can be done about it. If those who want to continue entering here are not figuring out that we need more than just an image per challenge, this site will continue on its slide into oblivion. And where would we go?
I, for one, am finding myself not taking pictures regularly anymore because nobody cares and it's not worth the effort. Sad for me? Well I'm realizing that I need to find a different outlet somewhere if I want to stay active. Any suggestions?
Or wouldn't it be better to just bite the bullet and go vote and comment a few here? Anything to pick up the pace a bit.
Go out and shoot a plant... enter something you never would have suspected you would do! And then vote like your neighbors do:)
Please! |
OK. I got it Lynn. Just snapped a shot 20' ago and posted it a minute ago. Plant based. Looking forward for some mean comments, but totally justifiable.
I'd like this site to continue so I threw my two cents - and by the way, I vote on 99% of challenges.
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12/14/2014 11:25:57 PM · #32 |
i'll try to vote more and comment more
i'll participate as much as I can
...i'll try |
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12/14/2014 11:26:06 PM · #33 |
Neil, I really respect your opinion, but just posting "this doesn't help" doesn't help.
I believe these threads serve a purpose: they alert us to a condition which needs addressing, and show us that people still care and want to help. Personally, I wish they were titled DPC needs our help, or something more positive. But the bottom line is that this is a membership-driven site, and it is the membership which must sustain our existence. Our debates over processing, styles, rules, are secondary.
As I said above, if I accomplish nothing else on DPC SC-wise, I will do my part to make, and keep, the forums as friendly as possible. We will all still be able to vehemently disagree about stuff but we'll have to learn to do so without condesention. We are all entitled to respectful discourse. |
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12/14/2014 11:34:59 PM · #34 |
Originally posted by mariuca:
Originally posted by PennyStreet:
Voting and commenting is key here I think.
Checking scores and reading comments on my entries over the week is what I login for first.
Then I glance to the threads to see what's new.
I only have 50 some votes on the challenge that ends tonight and the score thread only popped up today. That is not going to inspire participation.
The problem is that, short of requiring a minimum voting or commenting standard, there isn't much that can be done about it. If those who want to continue entering here are not figuring out that we need more than just an image per challenge, this site will continue on its slide into oblivion. And where would we go?
I, for one, am finding myself not taking pictures regularly anymore because nobody cares and it's not worth the effort. Sad for me? Well I'm realizing that I need to find a different outlet somewhere if I want to stay active. Any suggestions?
Or wouldn't it be better to just bite the bullet and go vote and comment a few here? Anything to pick up the pace a bit.
Go out and shoot a plant... enter something you never would have suspected you would do! And then vote like your neighbors do:)
Please! |
OK. I got it Lynn. Just snapped a shot 20' ago and posted it a minute ago. Plant based. Looking forward for some mean comments, but totally justifiable.
I'd like this site to continue so I threw my two cents - and by the way, I vote on 99% of challenges. |
Ha! And thanks... you may be surprised, you never know what's gonna float around here. |
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12/14/2014 11:59:08 PM · #35 |
Photography in general has gone through a lot of changes since this site was started.
Just a year or so before it was started, a 4 megapixel DSLR cost $8000. The iPod wasn't even out yet, let alone the iPhone or any Android smartphones. Nokia and Sony were coming close, but there was still a clear advantage in the quality of a dedicated point-and-shoot camera over a phone.
640 pixels was an appropriate image size for web use, and people were used to the speed of 56k dial-up internet connections.
The first affordable DSLR cameras came out and a lot of die-hard film users saw the writing on the wall, but there were still camera stores and independent one-hour-photo labs.
The smartphone era began, and the vast majority of people stopped caring enough to use dedicated digital cameras. It's a natural progression in the history of photography - automation and convenience win out over quality every time. We're not all out there shooting with 8x10 view cameras and 50 ISO film anymore, are we?
After that, with increased availability and quality of high speed internet services and processing power, the internet shifted from a text/small-image medium to be heavy on video, scripts and interactive content.
A still photo, from a digital camera, on a website, just isn't new or cool anymore.
Do I think DPChallenge is dying? Yes; to say otherwise would be ostrich-like. Everything is dying and becoming obsolete.
Will it be around for another 13 years? I hope so, sure.
Is there a massive wealth of information and a history of excellent work and inspiration here? Absolutely.
Should we recruit new members and get them hooked on a medium that the general public just isn't thrilled by anymore? We can try, but we have to face the fact that only enthusiasts will keep doing what we're all doing. Like a group of fans of Kodachrome, really... |
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12/15/2014 12:06:22 AM · #36 |
Originally posted by tanguera:
Neil, I really respect your opinion, but just posting "this doesn't help" doesn't help.
I believe these threads serve a purpose: they alert us to a condition which needs addressing, and show us that people still care and want to help. Personally, I wish they were titled DPC needs our help, or something more positive. But the bottom line is that this is a membership-driven site, and it is the membership which must sustain our existence. Our debates over processing, styles, rules, are secondary.
As I said above, if I accomplish nothing else on DPC SC-wise, I will do my part to make, and keep, the forums as friendly as possible. We will all still be able to vehemently disagree about stuff but we'll have to learn to do so without condesention. We are all entitled to respectful discourse. |
I took a long break from DPC and have been back only about 2 months. I used to lurk around the site, and I see a huge difference in the quality of the forums, things are less acrimonious recently, so Tanguera I think your focus on civility is making a difference. There will always be negative Nellies, not much we can do about those folks except agree to disagree and stay focused on what brought us here in the first place.... online photography challenges and opportunities to try something new.
I know that for the past 2 weeks my schedule has been absolutely crazy with holiday related activities, almost every day/night has been booked solid, as a result, I haven't been voting or commenting as much. For me things will get better the closer we get to Christmas, but I know that isn't the norm. How about we just be kind to ourselves and our fellow members and ask that everyone do what they can until the holidays are over? |
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12/15/2014 02:00:54 AM · #37 |
Ha even the main man is too busy to post the next challenge.
I wonder if the problem is simply not enough active members.
Message edited by author 2014-12-15 02:30:15. |
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12/15/2014 04:05:15 AM · #38 |
| Probably too busy accepting all the new members that have been drawn to the site by this thread :) |
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12/15/2014 06:49:30 AM · #39 |
Every time I see one of these threads it reminds me of the old Commodore 64 BBS's that I used to love so much back in the late 80's early 90's. We would get together for our monthly meetings at the pizza joint and commiserate in the dying days of that great pc and talk about how to get more people into our user group meetings.
Looking back on it, it was simply a matter of loving an old pc that no one cared about anymore, Commodore made a last gasp with the Amiga but there was no hope on the horizon of a new pc coming from them.
I think the same is true here, you have a site that a core group of people love, but the owner simply does not care about. There is no hope on the horizon of any changes and other sites just do things differently. Some even give actual prizes out, I'm not saying that's what needs to happen here, but that's hard to compete with. I think everyone just should enjoy what they have here, I don't really see any kind of renaissance happening. |
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12/15/2014 10:12:31 AM · #40 |
Yes, it is true that there are other challenge sites and other challenge models. There is now something for everyone and a lot of competition for DPC.
What I love about DPC is that it IS sticking to its guns and remaining true to its origins. We are not running out and playing catch up, and "me too". This site has never been about bells and whistles, but about community and photography. If you want actual physical prizes, you should go to a site that offers them because what we get here are virtual ribbons.
And while THAT will never change, much has: we've increased pixel size, updated the dropdown menus, are in the process of tweaking the rulesets, etc.
There will be a day when DPC will close its doors. It is inevitable. But that day is not here, and there are plenty of people who love and will support this community now. Everyone has a right to their opinion, but please don't come here just to tell us we're outdated, or delusional. For a good number of folks, a great community is the best prize, and we are working on rebuilding it.
Bottom line: if you want a strong community, be a strong community. Use it or lose it. |
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12/15/2014 10:55:31 AM · #41 |
Originally posted by tanguera:
Everyone has a right to their opinion, but please don't come here just to tell us we're outdated, or delusional. |
For what it's worth, Outdated & Delusional is where the bulk of my wardrobe is from. Sure it's lousy quality, but the prices are decent, and there's always a Pretzel Time nearby. |
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12/15/2014 11:01:22 AM · #42 |
Originally posted by tanguera:
Everyone has a right to their opinion, but please don't come here just to tell us we're outdated, or delusional. |
Seriously Johanna? I hope that was a statement in general and not directed solely at me. I was just using an experience of my own for comparison sake. If I thought everyone here was delusional why would I still be around?
Don't make me take back all the nice things I thought about you after our secret rendezvous at the skate park ;)
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12/15/2014 11:13:56 AM · #43 |
No, Jason. Not directed at you. These threads tend to elicit a lot of "if only we fill-in-the-blank we wouldn't be dying" comments. I was attempting to be pre-emptive. Bashing DPC for what it is just makes everyone feel bad, and does nothing to change what it is.
I fully recognize that the DPC model may be considered outdated and a "dinosaur" in this day and age. But even extinct dinosaurs have their fans and following, and are hardly "dead". |
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12/15/2014 11:24:06 AM · #44 |
Originally posted by P-A-U-L:
I wonder if the problem is simply not enough active members. |
Winner winner, chicken dinner.
But even so, this community is more active and robust than most local camera clubs, which is kinda how I view this place these days. People stop by for a while, participate a lot, fall off, come back, and do it all over again. Meanwhile there are a few dozen -- three dozen? four dozen? -- core members (yeah, Bear, I'm talking about you, among others) who keep this place going, and without whom it would have died long ago.
Long as they are around, this place will have value for anyone that stops by, whether for a day or a year. Once they check out, its all over, baby blue.
Take what you need, you think will last, but whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast
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12/15/2014 11:27:08 AM · #45 |
I don't think it has much to do with the site -- but with the people. I do love the change to 1200 pixels, but I don't need much more than that. Other than the people. Maybe we've just heard it all at this point? I don't think so.
Everyone just needs to go start an interesting thread. See -- this one caught on! :)
Maybe I'm just still freaking out because I spent way too much on lights (and I bought the cheap ones).
My wardrobe is definitely outdated. I'm not sure it was ever delusional, though. *sigh*. way too many shortcomings.
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12/15/2014 11:35:03 AM · #46 |
Originally posted by EstimatedEyes:
Originally posted by P-A-U-L:
I wonder if the problem is simply not enough active members. |
Winner winner, chicken dinner.
But even so, this community is more active and robust than most local camera clubs, which is kinda how I view this place these days. People stop by for a while, participate a lot, fall off, come back, and do it all over again. Meanwhile there are a few dozen -- three dozen? four dozen? -- core members (yeah, Bear, I'm talking about you, among others) who keep this place going, and without whom it would have died long ago.
Long as they are around, this place will have value for anyone that stops by, whether for a day or a year. Once they check out, its all over, baby blue.
Take what you need, you think will last, but whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast |
Why don't we have the members? Why did we have 200+ members in each challenge back in the days before I knew it existed. Was that simply because that DSLRs were new and exciting at that point? I see those challenges and am floored that there was ever that many entries. To be honest, I'm glad there's not!! Voting on 200+ entries in a SPAM competition would get very old very fast.
I honestly don't think it's the site not growing. It does what it intends, imo. The 1200 pixels was necessary and here.
If you look at the user list and how many people join each day but never look at a single photograph, it boggles the mind. Are they just the robots that go out and join everything, and that's why too many sites make you type in some random crooked letters.
Part of me also wonders if the people started leaving when the quality went up on challenges. Some of those old challenges were truly awful. Do people not bother joining if they don't feel competitive?
It is what it is. I'm just curious at this point. I've wondered since I've started how they ever had that many people entering. |
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12/15/2014 11:37:14 AM · #47 |
| I also wonder, with photography so much more available to everyone, on such a simplistic level, if there just isn't as many serious photographers around. Ones that are truly interested in perfecting their art -- and seeing it as an art form instead of just as a means for selfies. :) |
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12/15/2014 11:38:05 AM · #48 |
I honestly think a bit part of it is the common-place spot that digital cameras have carved out in every household; people don't see them as "The tool of a photographer" as much as "another part of my phone/tablet/laptop/ipad etc"; as such, people are content with taking random snapshots to post on social media and using pre-defined filter applications to make it "social media appealing", and if the first one is blurry, delete and retake without regard to how the image is being produced.
Add in the economic recession that is still in everybody's minds, work places are demanding more results from fewer people "or else", lives feel busier than they did a few years ago, and a general sense of burnout from the "overworked/underpaid" phase that is going on, and many people don't have the energy to go out and come up with a creative idea, shoot and edit within the week, and after a few weeks of "i'll wait to see what next week has in store" it becomes harder and harder to go out and get any shots without a serious butt-kicking to get started.
THOSE things, more than anything else, are what are responsible for lack of entry, voting, commenting and discussion participation on the site. |
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12/15/2014 12:04:48 PM · #49 |
Originally posted by vawendy:
I also wonder, with photography so much more available to everyone, on such a simplistic level, if there just isn't as many serious photographers around. Ones that are truly interested in perfecting their art -- and seeing it as an art form instead of just as a means for selfies. :) |
Food for thought. |
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12/15/2014 12:46:49 PM · #50 |
Originally posted by vawendy:
I also wonder, with photography so much more available to everyone, on such a simplistic level, if there just isn't as many serious photographers around. Ones that are truly interested in perfecting their art -- and seeing it as an art form instead of just as a means for selfies. :) |
Perfect what? Everything looks good on a phone. ;) |
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