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DPChallenge Forums >> General Discussion >> DPChallenge as a coffee shop ?
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02/01/2007 07:59:29 PM · #1
Should it be that different than one?

Pull up a comfy chair and take a few minutes to think about something.

DPC is a living, breathing, ever-changing community, and in many ways so very similar, or at least should be similar to a popular neighborhood coffee shop anywhere.

The day took it's toll, you're tired and don't want to think about work anymore and stop by the local coffee shop - I'll call it the DPCoffee Shop. You know it's always there, rain or shine, 24 hours a day. It's a place where so many like-minded people hang out, with a similar passion and hobby. You know as soon as you pass through the door, you can leave your work behind you, go in and relax, have a cup of coffee and shoot the breeze with people there. Never know who is going to be there, sometimes each time you pass through the door, it's all new faces, sometimes some of the regulars are there, but no matter what, it's somewhere you WANT to go, partially because it's comfortable and feels like a second home.

You pull up a comfy seat, and look over on the table and see some of the new faces as well as some of the regulars are passing around pictures taken recently and swapping stories about how or where they were taken, and discussions are floating about in small circles, exchanging likes & dislikes about pictures that they are looking at. You came in prepared, as this is the normal venue here after all, as pretty much everyone shares the same hobby, and ask if anyone wants to see a few pictures you took recently, and of course, everyone wants to, and as they leave your hands, you know that no one is going to take one and tear it in two and toss it in the trash.

Suddenly one of the regulars says - "Hey - I head a great joke today" and all ears listen up to hear a funny story, followed by laughter, smiling faces and a slow return back to discussing the pictures that are making their rounds at the table. A bit later, something sparked a conversation about religion, but could just as easily have been a silly game, politics, a death in the family, news of a new camera, the new refrigerator someone bought or even gay marriages.

Not once in the DPCoffee Shop was there ever heard - "You're stupid" or "Why did you even bother to take that picture" or "Hey - this is a coffee shop, not a comedy club" and as a living, breathing community, the flow stays fluid, ever-changing, never judgmental, and always, an open door policy to come in, feel welcome and enjoy.

Is DPChallenge really any different? It really shouldn't be, but the major thing missing, besides the coffee, is person to person communications that have tone, inflections, smiles, a wink in a comment, and so many other forms of communication. In the cold, deaf & dumb world of text only, communications break down, timing gets out of whack, things get mis-interpreted, followed by a chain reaction of he said/she said words that so often add to the fire.

A couple years ago, DPChallenge was far more relaxed, more fun, and yes, a lot has to do with it's size now, but there really is no reason it can't work at getting back to being an internet community that greets it's members with a "Come on in and enjoy yourself - we don't bite"

Well there is a lot of biting. If you don't think a thread should be going on about xyz whatever, let the site's Administration make that decision. If you think a large community such as DPChallenge should only be about photography and no fun, and no life, then it is doomed. Without promoting a healthy mental state when you walk through the DPCoffee Shop doors, everything goes downhill.

Let's all have a cup of coffee, relax, and and make this community one that welcomes it's people, not break their hearts watching it turn into a feeding frenzy of biting it's members and slowly coming apart. It really IS breaking my heart to see DPC slowly but surely running out of it's coffee....
02/01/2007 08:02:59 PM · #2
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Message edited by author 2007-02-02 02:50:14.
02/01/2007 08:03:16 PM · #3
well said

p.s. can the dpcoffee shop be situated in amsterdam? :)
02/01/2007 08:05:12 PM · #4
Very well spoken Brad. Bravo, bud.
02/01/2007 08:05:48 PM · #5
Amen :)
02/01/2007 08:08:30 PM · #6
I don't drink coffee, but I love your analogy, Brad. Well put.
02/01/2007 08:13:19 PM · #7
Totally agree with all that you have said here Brad.....

DPC has not only changed my life, but also improved my skillsm and made me get out of my shell, and live life to the fullest.

I made so many wonderful new friends, and enjoy all the positives about DPC, as they definately outway the small amount of negitives.


02/01/2007 08:30:43 PM · #8
I'll take my dpc latte with extra cream and sweetener (suger-free of course) & lots of extra friendship! Maybe the only coffee shop in the world that can offer that! What a treasure.

02/01/2007 08:32:10 PM · #9
THe first thing that came to mind after reading the first couple of sentences of bradp's post (no worries, I've read it all) was Cheers! (remember Woody & Co in that little Boston coffee shop).

I'm sure that someone will eventually make a movie (even if only distributed via youtube or google video) about what transpired at DPChallenge.com in the early 2000s...

With increased alienation of people in real life across the globe, internet chat rooms and sites like this one slowly take over and people are naturally attracted to places where they can communicate with others. DPC is ahead of some thanks to its artistic nature - when you get bored or annoyed with threads such as some rants and other incompatible topics, you can slip into current challenge photos and give back by voting and leaving comments on things you liked as well as on the photos you disliked for whatever reason.

As much as I would prefer to meet you all on the street somewhere and shake your hand or pat your shoulder, I realize that this way of communication will take over soon. And we will be ahead when that happens since we are already living in this new world.

Enjoy!
02/01/2007 08:55:39 PM · #10


THIS IS A HOLD UP! PLACE ALL YOUR WALLETS, PURSES, JEWELRY AND CAMERA EQUIPMENT ON THE COUNTER!

LOL! HAAhaa - just like real life. ;-)

Great post, Brad. Coffee's on me for anyone I startled into spewing their mocha. :D
02/01/2007 09:17:35 PM · #11
Hi all... My name's Terry, I like the corner booth facing the door and I take cream in my coffee.
02/01/2007 09:41:11 PM · #12
i liked the "Cheers" like idea, "where everybody knows your name" :)
quite an oldie movie, but the theme song is nice.

crayon
02/01/2007 09:49:23 PM · #13
Quite the apt metaphor Brad, and very fitting. I'm an absolute coffee fanatic (the pure stuff, no fancy circus drinks), and this was one of the first images I remember being so impressed at when I first joined the site:


morning essentials by BradP
02/01/2007 09:56:49 PM · #14
Can I get a chamomile green tea until this damn bronchitis goes away? After that I'll switch to a nice espresso to sip.
02/01/2007 09:58:06 PM · #15
Originally posted by Art Roflmao:



THIS IS A HOLD UP! PLACE ALL YOUR WALLETS, PURSES, JEWELRY AND CAMERA EQUIPMENT ON THE COUNTER!

But no coffee? Something wrong with you, man.
02/01/2007 10:03:59 PM · #16
*Bows down to Brad* You're my hero. :)
02/01/2007 10:20:22 PM · #17
Hear hear! Cheers to that bearded man!

Masked men, well, be careful.
02/01/2007 10:25:02 PM · #18
good post brad! stop by the team suck forum, we're always friendly and supportinve. really!
02/01/2007 10:34:27 PM · #19
Very nice analogy Brad, though at times you'd think it was more like the corner pub. Some tend to over do it and then get a bit loud and wild.
02/01/2007 10:36:26 PM · #20
Great analogy!
My wife and I are in the process of opening a coffee shop/photography studio in Colorado Springs. You can check out our progress here:

www.nemoscoffeeshop.blogspot.com

Feel free to give us some input! We would love to hear it.
JD

Message edited by author 2007-02-01 22:36:53.
02/01/2007 10:43:29 PM · #21
Brad, great post. Possibly one of the best I've ever read on DPC.

If I may stress one point:

Originally posted by BradP:

If you don't think a thread should be going on about xyz whatever, let the site's Administration make that decision. If you think a large community such as DPChallenge should only be about photography and no fun, and no life, then it is doomed. Without promoting a healthy mental state when you walk through the DPCoffee Shop doors, everything goes downhill.


If you see someone making things not fun for you or anyone else, please tap that "report post" button let your friendly bartenders (Site Council) know about it. This coffee shop is kind of crowded. There are a lot of conversations going at once, and try as we might, we can't hear them all. We really do pay attention, though, when someone hits that button. Even if we don't appear to immediately act on it, in many cases we're giving the person a gentle, friendly nudge behind the scenes, or at the very least, simply paying attention to what's happening in case it becomes a problem or gets out of hand. We really do care about making our "regulars" feel at home, and our new guests feel welcome.

Brad, thanks again for the great post.

~Terry
02/01/2007 10:46:42 PM · #22
I am drinking tea. Does that mean that you coffee types won't talk to me?
02/02/2007 12:17:38 AM · #23
Iced coffee for me please, no sugar. Oh, and can I have my regular chair next to the window?

Great post. Really well said. I'm a member on one or two more photo sites, and let me tell you, DPC is the best I've found.
02/02/2007 12:27:01 AM · #24
Brad, you're dead on target. :)

I was just discussing this with my wife about 20 minutes ago. She sees DPC as yet another one of my endless obsessive activities. I see:
- a community that spans the globe, chock full of people who are looking to interact

- a group of people I can share all kinds of things with, from photography to religion to cultural exchange to goofy jokes. And I don't feel like discussing a particular subject, I can go to another thread and discuss something else, usually with many of the same people

- a place where I can participate at my own pace and on my own timing. That matters a lot because I have two young daughters and we don't get both of them to bed before 10. I can't necessarily make local club meetings on a weekly basis, nor can I count on a group of people to be available whenever I'm available.

- a place to get inspired and awed. I've seen shots here that just rock me back on my heels. And not all of them are ribbon winners or even high-scoring images.

- a place that pushes me to try new things. That matters a lot, too.
02/02/2007 12:38:45 AM · #25
I never knew dpc in the early days, but I feel like dpc is that coffee shop even now with all the noobs and rants. I really have no interest in all the other sites. There is something special about this place...for sure.

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