I'm with Mike and PNA

[elsaspet]

I answerd you. They are all in it. Motcon is a puppet dictator. That's what ****ed me off.

 

[Big Mike]

I'm a mod but I had nothing to do with the new critique forum...so I don't want to speak for the committee.

I would just like reiterate that the critique forum hasn't been what we want it to be, perhaps for several years, so we are trying something different. The new format has only been around for a few days...we expect will take a lot longer to get it working smoothly...and that includes both the mods and the members.

Please don't get upset and try not to get frustrated. Not everyone is active all the time and it does take some time for things to get put into motion.

Again, if you have concerns, please post them plainly and calmly and they will be taken into account.

 

[elsaspet]

Actually, I totally agree. Give me your opinon, panel, but don't hide behind the curtains. We all know who you are, and we respect your opinon or we dont. Why do this who clandestine bs Motcon thing? Say what you mean. Put YOURSELF out there, and don't cry if there is a disagreement.

 

[elsaspet]

Come on Mike. I've seen the thread. You visited but didn't leave an opinion.
Call as spade a spade. I'm not afraid to, and I think you have higher morals than that.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

I get a strange sense of deja vu reading through this thread. I wonder why...

Now I remember. It's just like the ones that were started a year or two back when the Critique Forum had to be revamped because it had got into a state.
A lot of people got very worked up for a while about the guidelines - and particularly cross with the two Mods who policed it.
Things settled down over time as it all bedded in and people got used to it.
But those two Mods sure were *ssholes and I'm glad they've gone.

 

[Chase]

I'll post more on this later, as I am sitting in an airport terminal typing this, but please keep in mind this is one area of an overall forum (and the rest of the forum hasn't changed). The bottom line is that critique has never worked well, and we've had several attempts at different methods to handle it.

Critique has been discussed time and time again over the life of the forum and the bottom line is that we've never yet found a way to really make everyone happy. If its largely unmoderated, we're told the content is crap and that there is no value in that section....essentially, it may as well be a normal gallery. If we try to impose rules, we're told we are too strict and taking things too far. Unfortunately, I have not yet seen a middle ground that is acceptable.

To answer another question, I am the owner of the site. I had actually made the decision to go ahead and close the critique area completely, but ended up having a small group of members who offered to get together and attempt a revamp of that section. I decided to give them a shot at doing things there way after lengthy discussions and this is the format they put together. There will definitely be debate over how closely the current handling of the section maps to what their ideas were, but this is the overall process.

Again, this is one area of the site that we are focusing on and are attempting to improve. No other area on the site has been changed. I'd like to ask everyone to keep this in mind when I start reading posts about how this change is affecting the site as a whole. Also, as Matt said, we welcome input on this. However, I'm really hoping for specific ideas on how it gets improved (and "fixed" in the long run), and while I realize the need to vent and welcome it, I hope to see more ideas on how to make it work along with the venting I am seeing.

 

[newrmdmike]

in response to cindys last post

exactly. what do the other mods think . . . i know some don't approve, but i cannot speak beyond that publicly...

ok. heres my concern- Who all is part of the panel. why was none of the decision making process public to our eyes? do you think we are incapable of coming to rational conclusions?
lets make a public sub-thread or whatever that can publically house the discussions going on, lock them from the general public if you want, but at least let us know whats going on.

seriously, put yourself out there.

 

[mysteryscribe]

Police is a funny word for a photo forum Hertz and YOU were the moderator I think lol.... You must love being able to sit back and watch this unfold. I know I am loving it but from the other side of the coin from you.

R-E-V-0-L-U-T-I-O-N or was that U-N-I-O-N I must call Norma and find out again.

 

[newrmdmike]

thank you chase!

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Police is a funny word for a photo forum Hertz and YOU were the moderator I think lol....

Me? Never.
I chose 'police' because that was how it was Moderated. Only get involved if there was a breach of the peace, otherwise it was just 'move along there, please. There's nothing to see'. :lmao:

 

[newrmdmike]

once more who all was in the panel determining the new rules? was it only motcon and matt?

 

[Chase]

in response to cindys last post

exactly. what do the other mods think . . . i know some don't approve, but i cannot speak beyond that publicly...

ok. heres my concern- Who all is part of the panel. why was none of the decision making process public to our eyes? do you think we are incapable of coming to rational conclusions?
lets make a public sub-thread or whatever that can publically house the discussions going on, lock them from the general public if you want, but at least let us know whats going on.

seriously, put yourself out there.

In all fairness, open a discussion over specific rules and guidelines to potentially hundreds of people and the chance of coming to a clear resolution is a pretty slim one. So, although I'd love to take that idea and run with it, it tends to end up completely chaotic.

I don't think anyone is standing up and saying "this is the right way to do it, anyone who disagrees is wrong", but you have to stand up and start somewhere, and this was a shot at that. If it ends up failing, it will disappear, but we're going to give it a shot.

As stated earlier, toss out your ideas, I'm very interested in them. I'd love to have a crit area that EVERYONE enjoys, I'm just not sure such a possibility exists. Otherwise, continue to enjoy the rest of the site as you (hopefully) always have.

 

[elsaspet]

if this new ministry of information and communication on the forum is going to monitor and censor us closely within the critique thread then can we at least during the developmental stage GIVE IT A REST. I mean, chill with the moderation, in each case it needs to be discussed between the users, resolved by the users, and the mods need to be there to remind and make sure it doesn't turn into name calling or get too off topic, but don't close a thread that is making progress . . . you close it and it means your impeding the progress. her thread is a perfect example of this.

if this isn't the case then i know i'll abandon the critique section for sure, and if it spills over into other sections then goodbye photo forum.

she obviously doesn't agree with the panel, and i don't either, it is about the panel though, because the discussions have all been behind closed doors. if its about the community then why was there a small panel making decisions behind closed doors instead of them presenting us with a series of carefully worded polls to base the new critique section on.

WHO ALL IS IN THE PANEL? I"VE ASKED A FEW TIMES AND HAVE NOT ONCE RECIEVED AN ANSWER.
motcon, digitalmatt and?

Here is your answer. Every single one of the Mods. The only one who makes me sad is Terri. I love that lady.
But I have read the backroom thread, and frankly I am totally POd.

It's not your job folks to tell me what is revelent. I can figure it out on my own pitiful sense.

 

[mysteryscribe]

BUT BUt there is blood in the water...

 

[elsaspet]

In all fairness, open a discussion over specific rules and guidelines to potentially hundreds of people and the chance of coming to a clear resolution is a pretty slim one. So, although I'd love to take that idea and run with it, it tends to end up completely chaotic.

I don't think anyone is standing up and saying "this is the right way to do it, anyone who disagrees is wrong", but you have to stand up and start somewhere, and this was a shot at that. If it ends up failing, it will disappear, but we're going to give it a shot.

As stated earlier, toss out your ideas, I'm very interested in them. I'd love to have a crit area that EVERYONE enjoys, I'm just not sure such a possibility exists. Otherwise, continue to enjoy the rest of the site as you (hopefully) always have.

No one is being the thought police? Check again. I'm not the sole voice in this.