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11/26/2012 08:40:01 PM · #251
Ivo, Ivo, Ivo...Now WHERE have I heard that name before!

Yup, one of the powerhouses (!) of DPC of days of yore. Welcome back. I see you were actually
in the forums, let's see, 36 months ago, four months ago, NO, two months ago! And again, now.

Dang it, Ivo, get yourself membered again and start/continue stirring up this pot.

Your energy is good for the site.

(Oh, yes, quit picking on JulietNN - she's a 'good guy')

Edited to add:
Spork99, dear. Time to calm down and contemplate your navel for a few time periods, maybe?

Message edited by author 2012-11-26 20:42:47.
11/26/2012 08:48:47 PM · #252
Originally posted by sfalice:



(Oh, yes, quit picking on JulietNN - she's a 'good guy')



Not so much a good guy, as a guy who is trying to drop some very massive passive aggressiveness, sledge hammer on your head HINTS, of what is coming and what is of as now.
11/26/2012 09:28:06 PM · #253
Actually, I only started this thread looking for some really simple ideas to make life a little better for us and easier for Langdon. I was looking for things like:

1. Have the SC pick the challenges, and email them to Langdon so he doesn't have to think about it and he doesn't have to train someone in how how to do the coding.
2. Hire SDW to do WPL. The majority seems to love it, he's had some really rough times, and the increase in membership could help pay for it.
3. Someone else recommended keep the file size limitation the same, but remove the limits on pixel width and height, which was a great suggestion. People could make up their mind if they could live with the decrease in quality on their shot -- if there was one.
4. Try an intermediary for 1/2 a year and see how it works.

That's all it was supposed to be. Langdon's got kids. little bitty baby. There's no time to do anything bigger. But maybe some really small easy things, that would make some big differences to us could make us all happy.

That's all this was supposed to be.

Sorry guys.

Bad idea, I guess.

I've already been doing the other stuff: the help which one feedback threads, the photoshop what can we do with curves, how do we better, select, those types of things. I just thought maybe we could try some simple suggestions.

I guess it's my oops entry. :)

Message edited by author 2012-11-26 21:30:46.
11/26/2012 09:31:51 PM · #254
email sent to you wendy
11/26/2012 09:55:39 PM · #255
Wendy, I am sorry that you feel like you did something that you feel the need to apologize for. In my opinion you did what I (because I can't speak for anyone else) should try to do - insert some positive action - action as in more than complaining and coming up with a plan on making things better.

The 4 things you listed are all excellent - I would also love to see SDW paid and have him run the DPL again - I would chip in for that gladly as then I would enjoy this site again and want to stay. That's not a complaint either - it's just that playing on a team is what I enjoy the most for various reasons.

I know you aren't looking for thanks or recognition but thank you all the same.
11/26/2012 10:41:20 PM · #256
Originally posted by vawendy:

Actually, I only started this thread looking for some really simple ideas to make life a little better for us and easier for Langdon. I was looking for things like:

1. Have the SC pick the challenges, and email them to Langdon so he doesn't have to think about it and he doesn't have to train someone in how how to do the coding.
2. Hire SDW to do WPL. The majority seems to love it, he's had some really rough times, and the increase in membership could help pay for it.
3. Someone else recommended keep the file size limitation the same, but remove the limits on pixel width and height, which was a great suggestion. People could make up their mind if they could live with the decrease in quality on their shot -- if there was one.
4. Try an intermediary for 1/2 a year and see how it works.

That's all it was supposed to be. Langdon's got kids. little bitty baby. There's no time to do anything bigger. But maybe some really small easy things, that would make some big differences to us could make us all happy.

That's all this was supposed to be.

Sorry guys.

Bad idea, I guess.

I've already been doing the other stuff: the help which one feedback threads, the photoshop what can we do with curves, how do we better, select, those types of things. I just thought maybe we could try some simple suggestions.

I guess it's my oops entry. :)


VAWendy, you've got more than one person casting about for ways to make this site even more attractive.
You have developed a lot of interest in the success of DPC.
Unfortunately, the naysayers will come out of the woodwork and gripe and complain.
When they have something interesting to say - and do, constructively - it'll be time to listen to them.
Until then, you and the folks like JulietNN and Bassbone who have proposed ideas
that work now, are the leaders and winners on DPC.

Hang in there!
11/26/2012 11:06:59 PM · #257
Gack, people!

I just meant that the thread went in all different wonky ways!

That's all I meant by it. :)

Ok -- so what are we doing, Juliet ?

I vaguely remember the olympics -- is it a team type of thing?
11/26/2012 11:28:03 PM · #258
Originally posted by sfalice:

Originally posted by vawendy:

Actually, I only started this thread looking for some really simple ideas to make life a little better for us and easier for Langdon. I was looking for things like:

1. Have the SC pick the challenges, and email them to Langdon so he doesn't have to think about it and he doesn't have to train someone in how how to do the coding.
2. Hire SDW to do WPL. The majority seems to love it, he's had some really rough times, and the increase in membership could help pay for it.
3. Someone else recommended keep the file size limitation the same, but remove the limits on pixel width and height, which was a great suggestion. People could make up their mind if they could live with the decrease in quality on their shot -- if there was one.
4. Try an intermediary for 1/2 a year and see how it works.

That's all it was supposed to be. Langdon's got kids. little bitty baby. There's no time to do anything bigger. But maybe some really small easy things, that would make some big differences to us could make us all happy.

That's all this was supposed to be.

Sorry guys.

Bad idea, I guess.

I've already been doing the other stuff: the help which one feedback threads, the photoshop what can we do with curves, how do we better, select, those types of things. I just thought maybe we could try some simple suggestions.

I guess it's my oops entry. :)


VAWendy, you've got more than one person casting about for ways to make this site even more attractive.
You have developed a lot of interest in the success of DPC.
Unfortunately, the naysayers will come out of the woodwork and gripe and complain.
When they have something interesting to say - and do, constructively - it'll be time to listen to them.
Until then, you and the folks like JulietNN and Bassbone who have proposed ideas
that work now, are the leaders and winners on DPC.

Hang in there!


Alice, let me preface this with saying thanks for learning who I was and suggesting I was a "power house" ... you made me blush. Regarding your comment and the ones you have quoted, I'd say this perfectly illustrates the most prickly aspect of DPC.

DPC is less about what you have to say and more with how you have to say it. I have discovered in my short 47 years on this planet that the denser my filter, the less I learn.I have reviewed the comments in this thread and there are some really viable ideas from members like Venser, Cory, Kasaba, Ann ... and the list goes on. Some rather passionate players I might add. The problem is unless ideas are presented in cuddly kitten booties, they usually get dismissed. Now granted, I have little use for fluff and generally find myself having to tape my fingers together at the risk of shooting off some wisecrack which I get lambasted for. Hence the reason I was able to fuel enough emotion to get certain members stirred enough to buy me off the site. Come to thing of it, I also created a heap of activity with that fiasco ...thank you.

This is why I suggested getting the forum off the front page. It really has no use here as it does little to exhibit the finer side of the site. Maybe featuring SC handpicked and relevant forum excerpts in an RSS feed format luring in those who want to learn about photography, but otherwise ... take all this stuff off the front page.

I think I had the best time when I was too afraid to post in the forums. It gave me an opportunity to concentrate on taking pictures. Then I got sucked in and that is where I personally lost my enthusiasm. You see, I don't see this as a photography site anymore, it is a forum site where the community takes pictures but mostly create cliques, bickers and complains. Now that is okay, but not at the expense of what we have repeatedly been told this site is about. This is why the forum page should be in another room.

Regarding Langdon and the suggestion he is experiencing hardships ..... well ..... I know many families who have many kids and are able to juggle numerous tasks with vigor and competence. Langdon has a cash cow that has been neglected by choice. It may be reasonable to place sympathy with those who seek help when things get derailed?

What may be best for the site is to wrench it away from Langdon. If that was to happen, his baby would have lots of new clothes, he would have more time and the site might be revived.

If this comes off as negative, then I kindly ask the reader to unclog their filter.
11/27/2012 12:25:20 AM · #259
Originally posted by Ivo:

I don't see this as a photography site anymore, it is a forum site where the community takes pictures but mostly create cliques, bickers and complains. Now that is okay, but not at the expense of what we have repeatedly been told this site is about. This is why the forum page should be in another room.

+1
Same people say same things over and over again. Same cliques continue to function. Same ideas get recycled. Over and over and over again. With the ever decreasing number of participants, and fewer and fewer new faces.
11/27/2012 12:29:20 AM · #260
I totally agree that:

Langdon has started something that has become... my home.

DPC and its members have coaxed me from an awful photographer into someone who people other than my immediate family say nice stuff about my images.

(Occasionally, admittedly)

Langdon, a busy hubby/dad/breadwinner, has too much on his plate to care about this site. (I wouldn't care either.)

This site need something... MORE to keep up to date... to grow and continue.

I want this site to continue... (See the first agreement.)


What I'd like to see is:

Langdon to have the time to make this site "come alive again" and make it enticing for the new photographer wannabees and the folks who are wanting just to play with their trade with like-minded people

OR... Langdon to hire someone who DOES have time to care about this site.

OR... Langdon to SELL to someone who DOES have time to care about this site.



What I don't want to see is:


This site to "exceed its livelyhood" by not growing/changing with the times.

This site to "peter out" because of no attention from the Powers That Be.

A missed opportunity for someone to profit from what this site could continue to be.


11/27/2012 12:37:37 AM · #261
Originally posted by LydiaToo:

I totally agree that:

Langdon has started something that has become... my home.

DPC and its members have coaxed me from an awful photographer into someone who people other than my immediate family say nice stuff about my images.

(Occasionally, admittedly)

Langdon, a busy hubby/dad/breadwinner, has too much on his plate to care about this site. (I wouldn't care either.)

This site need something... MORE to keep up to date... to grow and continue.

I want this site to continue... (See the first agreement.)


What I'd like to see is:

Langdon to have the time to make this site "come alive again" and make it enticing for the new photographer wannabees and the folks who are wanting just to play with their trade with like-minded people

OR... Langdon to hire someone who DOES have time to care about this site.

OR... Langdon to SELL to someone who DOES have time to care about this site.



What I don't want to see is:


This site to "exceed its livelyhood" by not growing/changing with the times.

This site to "peter out" because of no attention from the Powers That Be.

A missed opportunity for someone to profit from what this site could continue to be.


Very well put. If I may, this may sum it up;

"The two things you should give your kids are roots and wings".

Langdon gave this place very deep roots.
11/27/2012 12:47:13 AM · #262
Lydia - awesome. Very well said!
11/27/2012 02:22:10 AM · #263
a) Lydia, I object to the expression "Peter Out". Petering Out as I know it is being completely awesome and bringing joy to the masses. (eg. wow, that snowboarder-guy just Petered Out! It was AWESOME!)

2) This site is what it is. I learned most of what I know here, and made some wonderful friends here. If Langdon doesn't have the time anymore, then that is the organic nature of this medium. I was chatting with my good friend Ivo earlier (which is how I learned of this thread) and I said to him that I always felt a comfort knowing that this site was still here, despite not having submitted in almost 5 years. I see now that I'm here that my membership is set to expire in 10 days. Despite my lack of participation I've always kept my membership active...just shy of 10 years now. I've always supported the site with a degree of loyalty out of respect for what it's done for me. I make my living through photography at the moment and would never have been in this position were it not for DPC. If the site is just a candle in the wind at this point I may or may not renew. It's kind of irrelevant at this point. I don't think it's the members responsibility to revive it, frankly. If Langdon and Drew (whatever happened to Drew?) are content to let it go, then I'll respect that and bid a fond farewell. If people need a place to go, they'll find another place. I don't think dragging out the inevitable benefits anyone (aforementioned creators included).

3) Crystal Lite makes mojito mix. It's magnificent.

P's out
11/27/2012 02:33:03 AM · #264
Maybe the biggest change is more in the members than in the site. Sometimes people need to step away from what is taken for granted to appreciate it again. I think new members enjoy this site as much as 'we' did when we first came here. Just realise there exists no perfect site, there is always room for improvement but also try to be happy with what there is or.... move on and see if you can find a better place. You'll be back ;)
11/27/2012 03:38:54 AM · #265
Originally posted by HCvE:

Maybe the biggest change is more in the members than in the site. Sometimes people need to step away from what is taken for granted to appreciate it again. I think new members enjoy this site as much as 'we' did when we first came here. Just realise there exists no perfect site, there is always room for improvement but also try to be happy with what there is or.... move on and see if you can find a better place. You'll be back ;)


To me, this is the crux of the issue. I feel we are making mountains out of molehills over spelling errors and an occasionally poor challenge selection. It has become a pile-on, and I note with interest that most of the loudest voices clamoring have been here a very short time. It is not hard to extrapolate that any joy at change would be short-lived, before further change is demanded.

I want to make it clear that i agree that a little coding updating couldn't hurt. But the heart of what made DPC great is still here. There have alway been issues, and bickering, and things that needed fixing. What has changed is that the number of people predicting DPCs demise has reached a critical mass and is suffusing everyone with dread and despair. Is it like a bar where people hang out and it feels cliquish? It has ALWAYS been that way. When I first joined, I thought everyone knew each other and I felt like an outsider. That lasted a couple of weeks until I became more active and realized it was only because people didn't know ME. The more i participated and gave of myself, the friendlier the natives become. I am amused that folks with an acerbic style claim this is an unfriendly place. choosing to express ourselves using confrontational language is usually not the best way to make friends.

But I have certainly noticed that there is a low tolerance for people who tend to come across as negative, complaining (especially if not also offering solutions),or who don't take criticism well. The latter being, after all, one of the main reasons folks come here in the first place. Lately there has been a large number of people who want DPC to be something it's not, to grow beyond itself and offer things that everyone else offers, forgetting that the one thing it does offer, no one else does. And most importantly, that this is a community, not just a file sharing site.
11/27/2012 04:03:32 AM · #266
Very well said Johanna. I've been reading this thread since Wendy first started it and there have been Sure, many good posts but, I feel there are definitely mountains made of what are molehills here. DPC is such a great place that I've learned so much from. People need to realize that the core of what DPC is is still there.

Now to get to what is really what it's all about for me....
throw on the headphones...listen to Dead Can Dance...and edit my November Free Study entry.

Originally posted by tanguera:

Originally posted by HCvE:

Maybe the biggest change is more in the members than in the site. Sometimes people need to step away from what is taken for granted to appreciate it again. I think new members enjoy this site as much as 'we' did when we first came here. Just realise there exists no perfect site, there is always room for improvement but also try to be happy with what there is or.... move on and see if you can find a better place. You'll be back ;)


To me, this is the crux of the issue. I feel we are making mountains out of molehills over spelling errors and an occasionally poor challenge selection. It has become a pile-on, and I note with interest that most of the loudest voices clamoring have been here a very short time. It is not hard to extrapolate that any joy at change would be short-lived, before further change is demanded.

I want to make it clear that i agree that a little coding updating couldn't hurt. But the heart of what made DPC great is still here. There have alway been issues, and bickering, and things that needed fixing. What has changed is that the number of people predicting DPCs demise has reached a critical mass and is suffusing everyone with dread and despair. Is it like a bar where people hang out and it feels cliquish? It has ALWAYS been that way. When I first joined, I thought everyone knew each other and I felt like an outsider. That lasted a couple of weeks until I became more active and realized it was only because people didn't know ME. The more i participated and gave of myself, the friendlier the natives become. I am amused that folks with an acerbic style claim this is an unfriendly place. choosing to express ourselves using confrontational language is usually not the best way to make friends.

But I have certainly noticed that there is a low tolerance for people who tend to come across as negative, complaining (especially if not also offering solutions),or who don't take criticism well. The latter being, after all, one of the main reasons folks come here in the first place. Lately there has been a large number of people who want DPC to be something it's not, to grow beyond itself and offer things that everyone else offers, forgetting that the one thing it does offer, no one else does. And most importantly, that this is a community, not just a file sharing site.
11/27/2012 04:58:25 AM · #267
I agree with what you say Johanna. This is a place different from all the ogher sites and that's its real value.

And I also agree with 4 points listed by Wendy. A few things to improve this machine that is getting a little old. DPL/WPL is something that most people want here and SDW could be the right person for it (I mean in a official way).

And 800 pixels is meaningless with the new monitors, I feel my images crying when I upload them.

As for the challenge titles: I think langdon should only pay a little attention at what he does with the challenges, otherwise he could delegate that task to SC.

Originally posted by tanguera:

To me, this is the crux of the issue. I feel we are making mountains out of molehills over spelling errors and an occasionally poor challenge selection. It has become a pile-on, and I note with interest that most of the loudest voices clamoring have been here a very short time. It is not hard to extrapolate that any joy at change would be short-lived, before further change is demanded.

I want to make it clear that i agree that a little coding updating couldn't hurt. But the heart of what made DPC great is still here. There have alway been issues, and bickering, and things that needed fixing. What has changed is that the number of people predicting DPCs demise has reached a critical mass and is suffusing everyone with dread and despair. Is it like a bar where people hang out and it feels cliquish? It has ALWAYS been that way. When I first joined, I thought everyone knew each other and I felt like an outsider. That lasted a couple of weeks until I became more active and realized it was only because people didn't know ME. The more i participated and gave of myself, the friendlier the natives become. I am amused that folks with an acerbic style claim this is an unfriendly place. choosing to express ourselves using confrontational language is usually not the best way to make friends.

But I have certainly noticed that there is a low tolerance for people who tend to come across as negative, complaining (especially if not also offering solutions),or who don't take criticism well. The latter being, after all, one of the main reasons folks come here in the first place. Lately there has been a large number of people who want DPC to be something it's not, to grow beyond itself and offer things that everyone else offers, forgetting that the one thing it does offer, no one else does. And most importantly, that this is a community, not just a file sharing site.
11/27/2012 07:40:59 AM · #268
Originally posted by Pedro:


P's out

Whoa!!! A Pedro sighting? Glad to see you're alive and kicking. :-)
11/27/2012 09:15:58 AM · #269
Originally posted by Pedro:

a) Lydia, I object to the expression "Peter Out". Petering Out as I know it is being completely awesome and bringing joy to the masses. (eg. wow, that snowboarder-guy just Petered Out! It was AWESOME!)


Interesting. I've never heard it used that way. I think of petering out as something slowly coming to an end... dwindling away to nothing

Edited for grammar

Message edited by author 2012-11-27 09:19:13.
11/27/2012 09:44:31 AM · #270
Originally posted by HCvE:

Maybe the biggest change is more in the members than in the site. Sometimes people need to step away from what is taken for granted to appreciate it again. I think new members enjoy this site as much as 'we' did when we first came here. Just realise there exists no perfect site, there is always room for improvement but also try to be happy with what there is or.... move on and see if you can find a better place. You'll be back ;)

Yah....there must be quite a few of us that are satisfied, yet feel no obligation to get picked apart by mentioning that we love this site and the community by mentioning that...

I've noticed every time I've tried to throw some love into the mix it's been nit-picked, taken out of context, or otherwise dismissed by someone or other. It makes it very frustrating to simply bring up positive points when you're accused of either being proprietary, or that you don't want anything to change.

Of course I'd love to see improvements, and yes, I feel an attachment to this community since this place has done so much for me on so many levels.

I've also been around long enough that I don't get too much upset by individual attacks and negativity, but I'll always wonder what people think that negative behaviors, attitudes, and perspectives are going to accomplish.

I know I'm here voluntarily, and I know how to utilize the site and its community for my maximum photography enjoyment.

I've got four entries in, and I'm having a blast!
11/27/2012 10:10:06 AM · #271
Me too and I love you all so much.
11/27/2012 10:23:23 AM · #272
There are plenty of things that could, and probably should, be changed for the better here at DPC. These discussions and debates about what those things are and how they should be done go back as long as I have been a member. Changes have been made at a snail's pace. I remember being promised great changes to DPCPrints and things that were coming to help facilitate sales etc. I'm not sure that ever really happened. I have noticed that at any one time there's a core group of members (specific members come and go, but there's always a core group) who have very strong ideas about DPC and how it should be improved. Some members of that core group, go on to bigger and better things (Skip, mk, Pedro, Librodo, grigrigirl, etc), but others come along and generally seem to suggest many of the same improvements. Along with that constant of a core group is a decline in interaction with and response to the members by Drew and Langdon. At one point, I suppose that I was one of the group with strong ideas about DPC, but eventually, I gave up expecting things to change in all but the smallest of ways.

So, when these threads pop up, I can't help but be skeptical. It reminds me of a family member who has been in jail, has a drug habit and can't seem to find a job. You want to believe their story that they're turning their life around because you love them, but you've been fed the same line of BS over and over that inside, you know that $25 you're giving them isn't going to buy groceries.
11/27/2012 10:57:49 AM · #273
Originally posted by slickchik:

Originally posted by Pedro:

a) Lydia, I object to the expression "Peter Out". Petering Out as I know it is being completely awesome and bringing joy to the masses. (eg. wow, that snowboarder-guy just Petered Out! It was AWESOME!)


Interesting. I've never heard it used that way. I think of petering out as something slowly coming to an end... dwindling away to nothing

Edited for grammar

Was a joke! A good one as well.
11/27/2012 11:09:19 AM · #274
love.......love.......love.......love......
11/27/2012 11:13:54 AM · #275
@Wendy - from your original post, I had this initial question;

Does curiousity breed creativity? If so, then I enjoy DPC for the curious circus we all have made it.

So, alas, I offer no new twists, bends, folds, (or further mutilations). ;-)

@Langdon...my two cents can only be the two words "THANK YOU" for as long as your two cents do not become...

"THE END"

Message edited by author 2012-11-27 12:02:23.
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