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08/03/2010 12:44:31 PM · #1 |
I want a hat too!!!
But back to Shall I Stay or Shall I Go:
I have been a tango dancer for almost 15 years. It is my life passion. I cannot breath without dancing at least once a week. And yet, every now and then, I'm just fed up with the whole scene, the pettiness, the sameness, etc. And I take a break. And then come back.
DPC is like any other social organization, it goes through cycles as much as we ourselves do, so in that sense yes, "it's not what it used to be". But no one is. If it was, then it WOULD be terribly boring. In the short time I've been here, I have experienced the discouragement of low votes, stupid challenge themes, idiotic flame wars, scandals, etc. On the other hand, I've also seen members reach out for personal support for non-photographic issues, and the ensuing support has been astonishing. My relationship with DPC has also changed: I have started becoming more involved, starting and contributing to threads, participating in side challenges, etc., suggesting challenges (which I recommend to anyone complaining about boring challenges). And I find I'm enjoying DPC more than ever. I don't anticipate being able to sustain this level of participation forever because life intrudes, and photography outside this site is income-producing. But like  smardaz, I can't see not being a member. And for $25 a year (!!!!) it's the best therapy I can imagine. Even if I only participate once in a while, it keeps me thinking, keeps me on my toes, makes me feel connected to a group of people beyond my viewfinder. Again, this may change as I grow as a photographer, but all the reasons you gave for wanting to quit are irrelevant to me.
I have searched for other challenge sites, and quite frankly, none is quite as satisfying as DPC. AS imperfect as it is, it's still the best site of its kind. |
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08/03/2010 11:15:52 AM · #2 |
Originally posted by FocusPoint:
Originally posted by SDW:
...If the site continues for another 5 year or more ... |
Good Lord... I paid 25 years in advance to  Langdon right before he went to his honeymoon... He better stay in business :=|
no mention I ordered 45,000 hats to giveaway, I need at least 15 years for that one... |
Hey....I don't have a hat! How can I get one? :) |
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08/03/2010 07:27:32 AM · #3 |
Originally posted by SDW:
...If the site continues for another 5 year or more ... |
Good Lord... I paid 25 years in advance to Langdon right before he went to his honeymoon... He better stay in business :=|
no mention I ordered 45,000 hats to giveaway, I need at least 15 years for that one... |
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08/03/2010 07:12:54 AM · #4 |
Originally posted by SDW:
Originally posted by Hussar1812:
Originally posted by Dirt_Diver:
I haven't been very active on here since May and I don't think anyone even knew I was gone .... |
I'm sorry If I'm miss-reading this....but it sounds a bit like a pity party post: "Boo Hoo no one on DPC missed me, no one begged me to come back...my talents are rotting away because I don't get enough praise."
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I respect your 2 cents but find it hard to for you to come to the conclusion that the OP was a pity party post. I know Dirt_Diver and he is NOT that kind of person. He has help this site more than the average user and was most likely posting to see if anyone else felt the same way. You've been here a little less than a year verses his 5 years. I see where he can have an opinion and what to voice it; after all he has threaded through the ups and downs of this site that a lot of us old-timers have.
If the site continues for another 5 year or more (which I hope it will) I can assure you that you will get to the point Dirt_Diver has as some point. And yes your right it is up to him to make the decision but no need in bashing him for posting.
Scott |
I wanted to say something but didn't know how to put it in words. Thank you. This is exactly what I wanted to say.
Message edited by author 2010-08-03 07:56:18. |
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08/03/2010 12:06:16 AM · #5 |
Originally posted by Hussar1812:
Originally posted by Dirt_Diver:
I haven't been very active on here since May and I don't think anyone even knew I was gone .... |
I'm sorry If I'm miss-reading this....but it sounds a bit like a pity party post: "Boo Hoo no one on DPC missed me, no one begged me to come back...my talents are rotting away because I don't get enough praise."
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i think you are way off the mark but since you are relatively new here you way of thinking could be different.
If you were here for long time you would have known that many people hang around here just because of forum and other members. Many people share strong bond here. Its more like a family.
You could have your opinion though, it is not necessary that others here on dpc should agree with it.
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08/02/2010 11:19:30 PM · #6 |
I unfortunately had to let my membership lapse. i hate it really. At first I was ok with not being a "member". But I honestly can't wait till I can afford the membership again cause I just plain miss it. Dirt, I had noticed you not around as much but it's not the first time we have had somebody just take a break. recently I can name 5 or 6 people that have done just that. They still post occasionaly. I would say, dont leave the site altogether, make yourself happy and the photos will follow. Good luck.
Chris |
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08/02/2010 11:10:54 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by Hussar1812:
Originally posted by Dirt_Diver:
I haven't been very active on here since May and I don't think anyone even knew I was gone .... |
I'm sorry If I'm miss-reading this....but it sounds a bit like a pity party post: "Boo Hoo no one on DPC missed me, no one begged me to come back...my talents are rotting away because I don't get enough praise."
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I respect your 2 cents but find it hard to for you to come to the conclusion that the OP was a pity party post. I know Dirt_Diver and he is NOT that kind of person. He has help this site more than the average user and was most likely posting to see if anyone else felt the same way. You've been here a little less than a year verses his 5 years. I see where he can have an opinion and what to voice it; after all he has threaded through the ups and downs of this site that a lot of us old-timers have.
If the site continues for another 5 year or more (which I hope it will) I can assure you that you will get to the point Dirt_Diver has as some point. And yes your right it is up to him to make the decision but no need in bashing him for posting.
Scott
Message edited by author 2010-08-02 23:12:55. |
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08/02/2010 01:24:39 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by Hussar1812:
I'm sorry If I'm miss-reading this.... |
Seems to me you are not miss-reading. The post has the very clear "own-user-name-in-topic-title" sign on it. ;)
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08/02/2010 12:55:25 PM · #9 |
| these last 2 posts are spot on! good stuff! |
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08/02/2010 12:47:47 PM · #10 |
To me,
If
[A] = Tasteful independent lens pictures
[B] = A false sense of 'site ownership'
[C] = Confident skilled aestheticians who are willing to share the knowledge
[D] = Insecure robotic photographers who will kill or die to defend heavy 'post' processing in the name of selling stuff to masses
[E] = The hope that what you shoot will get popular one day and you will ribbon
[F] = The belief that participating in more challenges per week will make you a better photographer
[G] = A peaceful haven to relax and meditate,
[H] = Virtual friends who will go to any extent to help you
DPC (for a paid member) = [A] + [B] + [C] + [D] + [E] + [F] + [G] + [H]
DPC (for just a registered user) = [A] + [C] + [G] + [H]
The decision will be clear to me when the time comes:-)
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08/02/2010 06:50:52 AM · #11 |
Originally posted by Dirt_Diver:
I haven't been very active on here since May and I don't think anyone even knew I was gone .... |
I'm sorry If I'm miss-reading this....but it sounds a bit like a pity party post: "Boo Hoo no one on DPC missed me, no one begged me to come back...my talents are rotting away because I don't get enough praise."
I see this a lot lately....Challenges are boring, the discussions are not what they used to be, blah blah blah. Still, many creative photographers on this site churn out some amazing images week after week. Forums everywhere go through cycles and there isn't much anyone can do about this. Photographers and artists also go through phases of their creative output. The decision is yours and should be rather simple. I fail to see how a post in the forum will make you decide one way or another.
I know you have contributed some great photos to DPC and got ribbons to show for it. The community definitely benefits from talent and creativity, but only when there is desire. However, if you no longer have the passion to be creative on DPC and no longer care then I doubt you have much more left to contribute. Luckily, no one is irreplaceable and there is always fresh blood around the corner who will come with new ideas. I've seen a lot of first entry ribbon winners lately.
Sorry if this sounded harsh, just my 2 cents. |
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08/02/2010 06:18:37 AM · #12 |
Originally posted by Smardaz:
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DPC, like most things in life, is what you make of it.
For those who find this place now boring. When was the last time you started a side challenge thread, asked/offered some mentoring, coordinated a get together, commented 100% in a challenge and challenged others to do the same. I for one, cannot forsee ever leaving dpc.
Originally posted by Sevlow:
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Well, for $25 a year it's a no-brainer for me, even If I am not as active as I used to be I still think it's amazing value. I enjoy browsing the photos on here and I feel the community spirit is second to none. Yes, it has changed but then most things do.
There is nothing to compare with DPC out there imo.
I agree with this two opinions...
many others on this Line of Thought makes me very happy to be here... is not always like i'd like, my average is low (and i work with photos, people pay me for my works) but i find extremely exciting to try to take a ribbon, often this target forces me to think and this is also good at my job.
for me is also more difficult because i do not understand everything in english language (tnx to google translator), but i still remain here to share and to learn all that i can...
so, now you should to pay for renew and take a pause from the site, i think that this is the right thing to do...
my two euros, ehm better two cents... |
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08/02/2010 06:00:13 AM · #13 |
RE: Should I dirt_diver renew for another year???
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08/02/2010 05:12:08 AM · #14 |
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08/01/2010 11:41:50 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by Dirt_Diver:
I haven't been very active on here since May and I don't think anyone even knew I was gone, however I did just enter the July free Study BUT only because I was waiting for my fence to make it to level 9 on Facebooks Kingdoms of Camelot game and I was getting bored.
I have just 4 days left and I've been pondering the idea but I'm not so sure it's worth it anymore. DPC isn't what it used to be and the challenges aren't all that fun anymore. I may just be moving on, who knows...
Decisions, decisions.. |
As usual, what you put into it is what you get out of it.
Most everybody can get discouraged with our favorites from time to time. (I'm no exception, having been in a DPC funk for a few months) but it's still a good game, and with time & effort can again be the best game in town.
You've been here and invested a fair amount of time. It would be sad to see you (and others) toss it overboard because of this downturn.
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08/01/2010 09:45:57 PM · #16 |
Whether you choose to stay or go, this image has been in my favorites list for a while. Fantastic emotion in this one.
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08/01/2010 09:41:39 PM · #17 |
Yes--it has changed, or I have, or both. It seems like a lot more edginess and animosity in the forums these last several months.
I still think the thing that would greatly enhance my user-experience here would be a user-block feature (like Facebook, ModelMayhem, etc.). I realize some forum threads might be discontinuous at times, but that is fine with me. There are a few folks who seem to turn normal threads into rants with regularity, or attack/put down others.
It is not as easy as "Ignore Thread" might suggest--one first has to encounter the unpleasantness in order to realize the need to ignore the thread--and it, of late, would require so many ignored threads as to make the value of membership questionable....
Langdon, I respectfully reiterate my request for a user-block feature, and I would be willing to pay a bit more per year for it. |
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08/01/2010 09:41:28 PM · #18 |
Dirt who?
;-P
And yeah '05-'06 was the prime of DPC. By running out the trouble makers it has made this place kinda stale. But Que Sera Sera ... |
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08/01/2010 09:40:46 PM · #19 |
DPC, like most things in life, is what you make of it.
For those who find this place now boring. When was the last time you started a side challenge thread, asked/offered some mentoring, coordinated a get together, commented 100% in a challenge and challenged others to do the same. I for one, cannot forsee ever leaving dpc. |
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08/01/2010 09:27:39 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by slickchik:
I didn't renew my membership this year... Things just aren't the same around here and I don't find the forums fun anymore. I used to LOVE this place... |
I too loved this place. It's like graduating from high school and visiting all your old teachers a few years after you leave, it just isn't the same. lol |
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08/01/2010 06:29:26 PM · #21 |
| I didn't renew my membership this year... Things just aren't the same around here and I don't find the forums fun anymore. I used to LOVE this place... |
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08/01/2010 05:20:36 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by chromeydome:
Originally posted by K10DGuy:
I'll wait until the current war of wills is over between the masses and the small core of hyper-geniuses that think they know more than anyone else and know what's best for everyone ;)
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I hear you, but you do realize that to escape that completely, you will need to leave the planet? Please advise me of your launch date--I will photograph it for a Free Study entry :-)
(view The Astronaut Farmer for some do's and don'ts as you build your rocket) |
Maybe it's the smart option? |
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08/01/2010 04:49:33 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by K10DGuy:
I'll wait until the current war of wills is over between the masses and the small core of hyper-geniuses that think they know more than anyone else and know what's best for everyone ;)
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I hear you, but you do realize that to escape that completely, you will need to leave the planet? Please advise me of your launch date--I will photograph it for a Free Study entry :-)
(view The Astronaut Farmer for some do's and don'ts as you build your rocket) |
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08/01/2010 03:41:00 PM · #24 |
Originally posted by Sevlow:
Well, for $25 a year it's a no-brainer for me, even If I am not as active as I used to be I still think it's amazing value. I enjoy browsing the photos on here and I feel the community spirit is second to none. Yes, it has changed but then most things do.
There is nothing to compare with DPC out there imo. |
I agree, I think the membership fees give good value. I haven't been able to find another site that administers challenges as well as this one. While I might not always like the themes, or get tired of the bickering in the forums, I still cant see where else I would get my photo challenge fix.
I know that recently, I haven't been feeling as connected to DPC as I was last year, but I know that it is because I haven't participated in as many side challenges (or hosted/run any side challenges) as I did in the past.
That being said, DD, your DPC Olympics side challenges were the most fun I had on this site.... just so you know. |
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08/01/2010 02:57:43 PM · #25 |
I won't be renewing when I'm up in a couple of weeks. The random challenge now and then is fun, but I haven't been using enough of what you get with the membership to make it worth it. There's always open challenges for that once-every-few-months urge.
I'll wait until the current war of wills is over between the masses and the small core of hyper-geniuses that think they know more than anyone else and know what's best for everyone ;)
See you in 2045. lol.
ETA: oh hell, I mixed up my renewal date with my registered date. I don't renew until November. oops.
Message edited by author 2010-08-01 14:59:32.
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