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10/12/2008 06:36:04 PM · #1 |
…in voting and commenting?
I consider myself to be a regular here at DPC but over the past several months I have noticed that I have lost interest in voting and more so in commenting. But yet I can’t seem to pinpoint the reason. Am I the only one? Or is this happening to others?
The point of this thread is to see if others are feeling this way and to have a non-rant discussion on how we or DPC can peak our interest and make us want to vote and comment on a regular basis.
I mean, what is it that is making me/we not want to sit down a few minutes a day and vote and comment like we use to? Is it...
...the lack of time
...not wanting to vote in a challenge we have entered
...cherry picking the images that we want to vote on
...fearing the possible repercussion of commenting
...we’ve become tired of seeing the same type of images
...greed. Expecting others to vote and comment on our image but not holding ourselves to the same standard
...the 1-10 scale that we have become afraid of. Concerned we vote to low or to high.
All of these are legitimate concerns I have. I will be the first to admit I have not been caring my load in this area and I'm not pointing fingers accusing others of the same. I was wondering if anyone else has had or is having these same feelings. I want to play a more active roll in voting and commenting; I can’t seem to find the reason I have lost interest.
Scott
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10/12/2008 06:46:15 PM · #2 |
I like to leave comments, and vote. But I don't do it for all images
Usually I only vote on about....75% of images in a challenge and comment on about 5% yes I admit those percentages.
The reason being is a) I vote on a few images a day for every challenge (so i have more to look at than just one subject ie pajamas or ice or hot you know) and b) I comment if 1)the image stands out and 2)if I feel like commenting or not and 3)if I feel like I can actually help |
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10/12/2008 06:53:52 PM · #3 |
My level of interest comes and goes. I haven't been voting much lately. Commenting has gotten lower too. (I probably spend too much time reading about how people don't like the comments they get on their images... :-)
I spend most of my comment time in the critique club. Though even that has suffered in the last couple of weeks, as I'm working 7 days a week at the moment. I like the critique club, because I can spend more time with each image, and the random nature of the club ensures I get a cross section of the entries as opposed to just the ones that catch my eye. |
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10/12/2008 06:57:41 PM · #4 |
I imagine participation just varies for most people. I'm a teacher and thought I would do more DPC over the summer break. Ironically, I spent this past summer doing other things and barely participated in DPC. Now that school is under way I'm ramping up my DPC time, so for me I think this has become a refreshing creative outlet during the school year. Perhaps many other DPCers experience their participation ebbing & flowing more as a result of what's happening in their lives & their interests than anything that is happening with the site.
Message edited by author 2008-10-12 18:58:43. |
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10/12/2008 07:03:42 PM · #5 |
| I urge you to vote. Even if you don't comment, just vote on the images. It helps the site out (despite what others may say). |
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10/12/2008 07:32:39 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by JMart:
I imagine participation just varies for most people. I'm a teacher and thought I would do more DPC over the summer break. Ironically, I spent this past summer doing other things and barely participated in DPC. Now that school is under way I'm ramping up my DPC time, so for me I think this has become a refreshing creative outlet during the school year. Perhaps many other DPCers experience their participation ebbing & flowing more as a result of what's happening in their lives & their interests than anything that is happening with the site. |
I find myself in this same boat. Oh the irony! |
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10/12/2008 07:42:53 PM · #7 |
| I have yet to enter a challenge, but since I started actively using the site in May I try not to miss voting... I usually sit down and do all the voting for a challenge in one sitting, I also vote for every single entry. I hate missing a challenge for voting (I'm a big geek), I like seeing how well my favourites do. I do however need to start commenting more, I usually just comment on my favourites which isn't really fair. So I guess I will start commenting more.. maybe even start entering. ;) hehe. |
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10/12/2008 07:51:48 PM · #8 |
I think the biggest thing for me is a very simple thing, yet it seems to escape a lot of people. Here it is. Ready?
I don't feel obligated to do anything. Ever.
I'll do what I want, when I want to, and won't feel bad if I don't.
Try it, it's amazing. |
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10/12/2008 07:58:56 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by K10DGuy:
I think the biggest thing for me is a very simple thing, yet it seems to escape a lot of people. Here it is. Ready?
I don't feel obligated to do anything. Ever.
I'll do what I want, when I want to, and won't feel bad if I don't.
Try it, it's amazing. |
I agree, I'm not obligated but I feel it's only fair to return a vote for a vote [so to speak]. |
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10/12/2008 08:03:06 PM · #10 |
I learn more by voting than almost any other thing I have ever done. When you vote you observe, and through that you make better decisions when you pull the trigger. You see things you like, things you dislike and your mind is able to flow them together and form a balance that expresses best who you are. The more I observe through voting the more of a "style" of my own I tend to display.
If you do anything on this site it should be observing the images for voting. |
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10/12/2008 08:30:09 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by Jason_Cross:
I learn more by voting than almost any other thing I have ever done. When you vote you observe, and through that you make better decisions when you pull the trigger. You see things you like, things you dislike and your mind is able to flow them together and form a balance that expresses best who you are. The more I observe through voting the more of a "style" of my own I tend to display.
If you do anything on this site it should be observing the images for voting. |
I completely agree with Jason here, well said. It could be very easy to become narcissistic on this site and only ever enter challenges, waiting for people to make the effort to comment or vote on your images. But if we all did that, there would be no point to the whole thing. If you don't look at other people's work, you deny yourself the chance to work out what you like, and dislike, what effects work well, etc etc. And then you can hound the really good ones for their tech specs!
SDW, maybe its been the challenge subjects that have been bothering you....personally I think some of them have been a bit weak, and there hasn't been the energy in the photography (other than a select few) that I've noticed in other challenges. |
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10/12/2008 08:32:10 PM · #12 |
Even more than voting, I find that commenting has been the single biggest boost to the quality of my own work since joining the site. I have to spend time looking at images, finding what works or not, and then providing meaningful and useful critique or comment.
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10/12/2008 08:52:05 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by SDW:
...fearing the possible repercussion of commenting
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I just got smacked with that. I gave a photo a low mark, and usually like to leave a comment. So this comment was the lighting was too harsh for the photo. Well, got a nice long evil email chastising me because I should have told him how to improve himself, rather than just letting him know what i thought was wrong. he event went to my profile and start throwing some of my profile information back at me.
I don't think I'll be leaving comments any more. |
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10/12/2008 08:54:48 PM · #14 |
Originally posted by johnmcboston:
Originally posted by SDW:
...fearing the possible repercussion of commenting
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I just got smacked with that. I gave a photo a low mark, and usually like to leave a comment. So this comment was the lighting was too harsh for the photo. Well, got a nice long evil email chastising me because I should have told him how to improve himself, rather than just letting him know what i thought was wrong. he event went to my profile and start throwing some of my profile information back at me.
I don't think I'll be leaving comments any more. |
This saddens me. In my experience here, I hardly ever run into that. |
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10/12/2008 08:55:32 PM · #15 |
| Oh, ya if you see my image, give it a good vote. |
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10/12/2008 08:58:18 PM · #16 |
Have you considered outside influences as reason for apathy/not feeling like voting or commenting?
We are inundated daily with news about politics, the poor global economy, corporate downsizing, record foreclosures, working harder for less net pay, etc.... stress in general leads to apathy. This may not be your situation, but then again, perhaps it is something previously unconsidered. If so, this too shall pass. |
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10/12/2008 09:04:00 PM · #17 |
| Na, just the league. That will kill voting quicker than small pox. Everybody starts knowing what everybody else is entering ect... The spirit of competition drives them mad! |
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10/12/2008 09:07:23 PM · #18 |
Originally posted by fldave:
Have you considered outside influences as reason for apathy/not feeling like voting or commenting?
We are inundated daily with news about politics, the poor global economy, corporate downsizing, record foreclosures, working harder for less net pay, etc.... stress in general leads to apathy. This may not be your situation, but then again, perhaps it is something previously unconsidered. If so, this too shall pass. |
You mean the stress will go away? Whew! Am I glad to hear that! :D
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10/12/2008 09:08:05 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by johnmcboston:
Originally posted by SDW:
...fearing the possible repercussion of commenting
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I just got smacked with that. I gave a photo a low mark, and usually like to leave a comment. So this comment was the lighting was too harsh for the photo. Well, got a nice long evil email chastising me because I should have told him how to improve himself, rather than just letting him know what i thought was wrong. he event went to my profile and start throwing some of my profile information back at me.
I don't think I'll be leaving comments any more. |
John - I have received less than 3 such emails in the 2 years and 7600 comments I have given on the site. But then again, I generally don't give 'ummmmm' or 'it doesn't do anything for me' as comments. Part of the value of commenting is finding why you say 'ummmm' or 'it doesn't do anything' and explain it to yourself and to the photog. That is when you start making improvements. |
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10/12/2008 09:09:40 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by johnmcboston:
I just got smacked with that. I gave a photo a low mark, and usually like to leave a comment. So this comment was the lighting was too harsh for the photo. Well, got a nice long evil email chastising me because I should have told him how to improve himself, rather than just letting him know what i thought was wrong. |
I leave a lot of comments, sometimes harsh, and sometime I can offer no suggestions either. However, a comment such as telling me the lighting was harsh does help. It tells me I may need to educate myself about lighting a bit more. I've never had a nasty response from anyone to date. Please don't let one bitter person stop you. Most of us appreciate it, but sometimes new folks don't catch on the the protocols and courtesies here. They don't understand that leaving a comment about why you did not like it is something to be appreciated.
I did have one time when I was tempted to respond to a commenter who said my entry was blurry, after I saw which entry was his, and how OOF his was. I took the high road on that one. |
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10/12/2008 09:10:56 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by bassbone:
Originally posted by johnmcboston:
Originally posted by SDW:
...fearing the possible repercussion of commenting
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I just got smacked with that. I gave a photo a low mark, and usually like to leave a comment. So this comment was the lighting was too harsh for the photo. Well, got a nice long evil email chastising me because I should have told him how to improve himself, rather than just letting him know what i thought was wrong. he event went to my profile and start throwing some of my profile information back at me.
I don't think I'll be leaving comments any more. |
John - I have received less than 3 such emails in the 2 years and 7600 comments I have given on the site. But then again, I generally don't give 'ummmmm' or 'it doesn't do anything for me' as comments. Part of the value of commenting is finding why you say 'ummmm' or 'it doesn't do anything' and explain it to yourself and to the photog. That is when you start making improvements. |
This has been my experience (not near as many comments though). What helped me was joining the Critique Club, it helped give me a good general outline for leaving helpful comments. I'm nowhere near perfect, but I think it's essential for the site and the individual both receiving the comment and the individual giving the comment. If done right, all benefit. |
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10/12/2008 09:11:23 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by bassbone:
Part of the value of commenting is finding why you say 'ummmm' or 'it doesn't do anything' and explain it to yourself and to the photog. That is when you start making improvements. |
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10/12/2008 09:24:48 PM · #23 |
Observing the photos and casting a vote is more important to learning than receiving comments in my opinion. If you critically observe photos you will begin to uncover your taste in art.
I have never received a bad e-mail from a comment. I also try and be nice. I tell them my likes and my wishes. If I can't find anything at all good to say about a photo, I move on. It isn't worth commenting on something in a way that will hurt the other persons feelings. Saying "this sucks" or "try again" or "waste of my time" or "read the manual" would not be constructive to anybody. If you have the urge to be rude, click a score and move on.
Message edited by author 2008-10-12 21:27:02. |
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10/12/2008 09:34:06 PM · #24 |
Originally posted by bassbone:
John - I have received less than 3 such emails in the 2 years and 7600 comments I have given on the site. But then again, I generally don't give 'ummmmm' or 'it doesn't do anything for me' as comments. Part of the value of commenting is finding why you say 'ummmm' or 'it doesn't do anything' and explain it to yourself and to the photog. That is when you start making improvements. |
Well, that begs the larger question. Why are there comment fields when you are there to vote? Yes, some of my comments are light-hearted. Some are just short comments if I rated a photograph low. Then again, I have also left constructive comments on a voted photo to be yelled at along the lines of "what do you know and what right do you have to give me advice". There is no winning.
If someone wants feedback on an image, there is the forums where someone can post and gets lots of feedback. Add to this the volume of photographs. Right now there are over 400 photographs to be voted on in only a week's time. That's hours if you were to actively provide constructive suggestions to all.
So why is there a comment field on votes? |
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10/12/2008 09:35:08 PM · #25 |
Honestly, Scott, I have noticed the same lack of interest for quite some time now. I went from March 31 through October 5 between leaving comments on the site. Honestly, as I mentioned in an earlier thread, a lot of mine is site driven. Without ranting, I just don't see the site itself growing or progressing. Very little has changed in the 3 years that I have been here. I have gone from hitting every GTG that I could afford, all the way to not even visiting the site for a week at a time. My last rant was about one change that I see as a simple fix. Give us a size increase in all the challenges. Sounds easy. We heard a few months ago that there was some site overhaul in the works, and since have been left in the dark. Add to this, we get the same images over and again.
We all know that the photographers and image quality on this site is very cyclical. Looking through the two current open challenges, I am disappointed in the overall image quality. Given, the detail I can see in the current size allowance is minimal at best. Even still, there were very few of those that I would have considered scoring high if I could see the quality in the image. I think that ignoring the extras also drops overall site interest and quality.
Remember the WPL? of course you do, Scott, but how about others? It grew into the DPL and was an instant success. Then it was tossed by the wayside. Personally, I like it better when it was a side tournament, ran by then Southern Gentleman. Even as the DPL, it drew interest and, I'd be willing to bet, site growth. I'm sure that a lot of work goes into building and maintaining a site like this, but that is what member fees are for. It saddens me that my interest has faded from DPC. I fell in love with this site the instant I found it. From here, I have tried Fotofight, EyeFetch and others, but this was the place to be. I think that some overhaul is needed, but, even more importantly, some communication about what plans are in the works. This is an amazing community, and I'd hate to see it lost and forgotten.
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