CC ethics

[TomOScott]

I have my own website, but I also use FB and Instagram. I use them exclusively to display work that's on my website. Amazingly enough, I've actually sold quite a few images to people on FB.

 

[TCampbell]

Maybe I don't browse around enough on FB to see many examples. The examples that I see tend to be somewhat poor quality (and I know part of the problem is that FB seems to reduce the quality of images you submit.)

The photography "community" is much stronger on Google+... but if you were to hang on G+ looking for customers, FB probably has more. I'm not entirely certain how good FB is at reaching customers given how they are about advertising. If you have anything other than a personal page, they block your posts from showing up in any feeds (even if those users "like" you) unless you pay to advertise (there is a way a follower can configure their preferences to tell FB they want to see every post you make but this requires that they know how to do that and most people don't know how to do that.) I only learned this because I work with a non-profit that does community events and people "follow" us and still don't know when we have an event because of this.

 

[jsecordphoto]

Maybe I don't browse around enough on FB to see many examples. The examples that I see tend to be somewhat poor quality (and I know part of the problem is that FB seems to reduce the quality of images you submit.)

The photography "community" is much stronger on Google+... but if you were to hang on G+ looking for customers, FB probably has more. I'm not entirely certain how good FB is at reaching customers given how they are about advertising. If you have anything other than a personal page, they block your posts from showing up in any feeds (even if those users "like" you) unless you pay to advertise (there is a way a follower can configure their preferences to tell FB they want to see every post you make but this requires that they know how to do that and most people don't know how to do that.) I only learned this because I work with a non-profit that does community events and people "follow" us and still don't know when we have an event because of this.

Yeah, the way FB limits post reach is ridiculous. Using certain words in your post, adding an image with a lot of text, posting too often are all things that their algorithm factors in to kill your post reach. I gave in and started paying $5-10 for a lot of my posts and I'm reaching all of my audience, which then results in a ton of shares and stuff which brings on even more people. It's a dirty game but I find it to be a necessary evil. For every few bucks I spend promoting my posts, I make back in print sales by far

 

[Derrel]

I find that most "serious" photographers (whether pro or even amateurs at an advanced level of skill) are probably NOT posting their gallery pages on Facebook. I technically have a FB Google+ has a MUCH MUCH stronger photography community.

At the rate Google continues to develop, then summarily DUMP applications, I doubt their photo community will ever amount to much that comes anywhere close to Facebook's worldwide force. Just today, they announced they are dumping yet another app...

Google to phase out Google Photos Connect

Google develops a platform, and then with no warning, they dump it. That is Google's modus operandi. People only have so much tolerance for being jerked around.

 

[TCampbell]

It's not really Google photos or picassa, etc. It's Google+ itself that is much stronger in photography.

Facebook never had a concept of "communitites". The friends lists were based on people you probably knew in real life (somehow... either family, relatives, real-life friends, school, work, etc.) Google is based "circles" or communities of common interest. This means when you're making friends in Google, it's more likely with people who actually share common interests.

Also, their ability to present images is much better than Facebook (that's not necessarily saying much because I think Facebook probably has the worst presentation layer of any social media site out there.)

Ever since I got on Google+ I pretty much stay away from Facebook. Facebook is basically the new MySpace.

 

[vfotog]

I was recently sent an angry private message on facebook telling me not to comment on his images.

I was invited to "Like" this guy's photography page and one of his images caught my eye. It was a BW portrait of a semi nude girl. It was side lit with one off camera speed light. However, he had a bit of light spillage in the background and the image did not have a clean dark background which is what I believe he was trying to achieve. There was a reflection off a wall or background object that left a visible horizontal line going across the image and intersecting the models head.

I commented on the image complementing him and mentioning that I thought this particular image was the strongest of the set. Since he is a beginner photographer I thought I would offer some support and point out what I mentioned above, since it's an easy fix.

A few moments later my comment was removed and I got an angry PM saying not to offer CC if it is not asked for and that he would never ask for CC on an open page.

So it got me thinking to what exactly are the ethics of CC? Why invite me to Like your page if you don't want me to say anything?

What are your thoughts....

I would have been annoyed with you too. It's a page to promote photography, read by potential customers, clients, friends and family. It's not a site for cc read by photo geeks like here. I have a lot of photographer friends on FB and am in some photo groups there too, and no one is doing CC on their business page. Critique defeats the purpose of the page. When you posted something negative, it's like criticizing someone in front of everyone. It's embarrassing. If a friend makes a mistake, I private message them so as to not embarrass them. If you must criticize someone, especially someone you are not that close to, pm them. Common courtesy is still a good thing.

 

[Bryston3bsst]

Common courtesy is still a good thing.

It's a very good thing. Unfortunately, in the past few years, it has also become a very rare thing. People don't give a thought to kicking you in the nuts in public. In fact, to most, that's entertainment!

 

[c0ldc0ne]

I'm firmly in the "if you don't want people to comment on your stuff, don't post it on a social media platform" camp.

Also, there is nothing inherently discourteous about providing feedback. Again, if you don't want it shown alongside your stuff, don't use social media. There are plenty of ways to publish your photos while remaining in control of their presentation.

Using Facebook for commercial / promotional purposes does not entitle you to enforce your perception of etiquette onto the world.

 

[jsecordphoto]

I'm firmly in the "if you don't want people to comment on your stuff, don't post it on a social media platform" camp.

Also, there is nothing inherently discourteous about providing feedback. Again, if you don't want it shown alongside your stuff, don't use social media. There are plenty of ways to publish your photos while remaining in control of their presentation.

Using Facebook for commercial / promotional purposes does not entitle you to enforce your perception of etiquette onto the world.

Actually it's just enforcing your views about etiquette onto your own business page, so you do have that right. People seem to think that using social media means you can just act however you want. Try this- next time you go into a restaurant, start critiquing the food loudly to the waitstaff and cooks in front of other customers. "Oh, not bad, but you should season the steak like this!".

It's the delivery of critique in that way that seems entirely self serving to me.

 

[FeatherMonkey]

They do that restaurants aren't any different

 

[Dagwood56]

My opinion is this. If you are invited to like someones FB page and its an "artist" page specifically for their photography, then its not appropriate to offer open CC on images. If you truly feel something is wrong with a photo, either ignore it by not liking the photo or send them a PM to tell them what you think. Open CC on an artist's page is like spray painting your opinions of a store you don't like on its facade!

 

[c0ldc0ne]

Drawing parallels between virtual and physical entities is fraught with problems.

A proper comparison would be to critique a restaurant's food on its Facebook page which to me is equally okay.

And posting constructive criticism as put forth by the OP hardly qualifies as "act however you want". It's not like he launched an all out smear campaign.

 

[c0ldc0ne]

Open CC on an artist's page is like spray painting your opinions of a store you don't like on its facade!

No. Just... no.

You are comparing an act of criminal vandalism to using a website the way it was designed.

The photographer's Facebook page was not defaced. He received a well-intentioned suggestion by way of the social component of the platform he chose to present his work on.

 

[jsecordphoto]

Open CC on an artist's page is like spray painting your opinions of a store you don't like on its facade!

No. Just... no.

You are comparing an act of criminal vandalism to using a website the way it was designed.

The photographer's Facebook page was not defaced. He received a well-intentioned suggestion by way of the social component of the platform he chose to present his work on.

Do you have your own photo business?

 

[Dagwood56]

Open CC on an artist's page is like spray painting your opinions of a store you don't like on its facade!

No. Just... no.

You are comparing an act of criminal vandalism to using a website the way it was designed.

The photographer's Facebook page was not defaced. He received a well-intentioned suggestion by way of the social component of the platform he chose to present his work on.

The point I was trying to make was that people who have artist pages on facebook, don't expect people to come there and tell them what is wrong with their photos art or whatever. The page is to display their art and gain a bit of recognition. By placing negative CC to something that is visible by the public, is in a way defacing that persons credibility. CC belongs in places like this, forums where people come to learn, not an artist page.