Does anyone know a good forum where grown-up photographers meet?

[Dmitri]

Sadly, this is what happens when owners change from someone who loves the forum they created, to someone who looks at the bottom line. The art goes out and the "business" comes in.

Why don't you start a forum and let us know in a few months how it feels to spend a awful lot of time on not shooting photos for zero money...

Food for thought.

Not really food for thought because you completely misunderstood my post and, surprise surprise, got snotty about it. No one says that people who run a forum can't, or shouldn't, make money from it. But when a forum goes from an owner who loves the subject (in this case, photography) to a owners who know and care nothing about the subject and only the profit - that's when you get the silliness that we've seen the past few months.

But I have a feeling you don't care - you just like to be rude.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Actualy most of the forums I am on take a different view (and serveral are very much run as a business). An employer has you caught because you have to work or you don't get paid, whilst most businesses also have customers stuck because they provide a service that they can't get anywhere else - or that is only availble from a few others (most of which are doing the same things anyway). Rather like how if canon annoy you you jump to nikon and if they annoy you - well you lump it or wait for sony to catch up

Forums though don't offer quite the same since - as you say - you can go elsewhere. So its in the best interests of those running the forum to at least consider their membership.

An employer does not have you caught in anything. Nothing can stop you from changing job and, until a little while back, it was the way of it here in the US. Businesses on the other hand, for the most part, do not offer anything that is not offered somewhere else. I say "for the most part" because I didn't have a real photo store in the town where I lived. But it didn't keep me from going on the web...

If you don't like Canon, yes, you can jump to Nikon. At a cost, though, because no matter how much lenses retain their value, they don't retain 100% of their value. Switch brand and it's going to cost you.

Do you really think forums don't consider their membership? They are businesses. Of course they consider it. And they make their decisions based on that. No matter how you or I understand it.

Sadly, this is what happens when owners change from someone who loves the forum they created, to someone who looks at the bottom line. The art goes out and the "business" comes in.

Why don't you start a forum and let us know in a few months how it feels to spend a awful lot of time on not shooting photos for zero money...

Food for thought.

Not really food for thought because you completely misunderstood my post and, surprise surprise, got snotty about it. No one says that people who run a forum can't, or shouldn't, make money from it. But when a forum goes from an owner who loves the subject (in this case, photography) to a owners who know and care nothing about the subject and only the profit - that's when you get the silliness that we've seen the past few months.

But I have a feeling you don't care - you just like to be rude.

And you misunderstood mine... Yes I like being rude. I make a life out of it. :lmao:

 

[Kristov]

I gave up out of frustration, as one poster pointed out, with all of the newbie questions, rants, and generally sophmoric threads.

I finally pulled the plug on posting a lot here because there seemed to be so many members here with very little quality content. Oh, there were a few really good photographers, but they were far and few between. And now this.

So basically, asking questions that are considered common knowledge (to those that have been around awhile) is bad? While I generally look in my books, or google, asking more knowledgeable people is a bad thing? I get you don't like being bothered, but to leave a site because of people asking questions that you think are too easy, speaks volumes.

I personally think asking questions is a good thing, no matter how mundane they are. If it has been asked, politely post a thread of the same question, or ignore it.

I don't mean to sound rude (I really don't) but your post while honest, looks to me like somebody who only wants help from people, and is not willing to help. You were a newbie at one point, and out of curiosity, who did you ask for your questions?

 

[Mike_E]

Will the one last to gnash their teeth please turn out the lights?

Do,
or don't.

But do get on with it!

mike

 

[jbylake]

I gave up out of frustration, as one poster pointed out, with all of the newbie questions, rants, and generally sophmoric threads.

I finally pulled the plug on posting a lot here because there seemed to be so many members here with very little quality content. Oh, there were a few really good photographers, but they were far and few between. And now this.

So basically, asking questions that are considered common knowledge (to those that have been around awhile) is bad? While I generally look in my books, or google, asking more knowledgeable people is a bad thing? I get you don't like being bothered, but to leave a site because of people asking questions that you think are too easy, speaks volumes.

I personally think asking questions is a good thing, no matter how mundane they are. If it has been asked, politely post a thread of the same question, or ignore it.

I don't mean to sound rude (I really don't) but your post while honest, looks to me like somebody who only wants help from people, and is not willing to help. You were a newbie at one point, and out of curiosity, who did you ask for your questions?

That's a very polite way of stating what I already said in an earlier post in this thread. I wish the arrogant stooges WOULD leave. There is a "beginners" thread in the forum. Some of these arrogant jerks, such as the one you quoted think that they were born with a camera sticking out of their ass. Apparently they suffer from either short or long term memory loss. They forget that they were new to photography once, or are so arrogant that they won't even admit to that. I wonder if the Pro's/Advanced photographers that they had the "audacity" to ask a question of, thought of them as lesser forms of life. This site would be much better off without them than with them. There are several threads in this forum that are suited towards more advanced and professionals. I'd suggest that they just start their own forum, and require that all members be at the professional level. That way they can just sit around and admire little anecdotal snips and posts of how great they, themselves are. Wouldn't be much else to do there, since they already have all the answers. This place sucks because of the arrogance of these types, and their worthless moaning about how many "noobs" bother them with questions. Personally, I don't understand their problem. If they do honestly believe they were born with a telephoto sticking out of their butts, why not just skip over "noob" questions, and possibly ask the site to start a thread named "arrogant, assnine, experts only." I'd love to read the posts in thay hypothetical thread.
DISCLAIMER: This reply is in no way directed to the great many professional or highly advance photographers, who graciously give thier time and effort to help people new to the art of photography. There are a bunch of them here who are always more than friendly and kind enough to help a new person to the art/hobby/profession, of photography, and I think everyone involved are thrilled and grateful to have them, and do greatly appreciate their time and effort to share their knowledge with others.

J.:mrgreen:

 

[Rocky8]

Aha!

I came on board just now to see what all the fuss over here was all about. You see I recently saw an avalanche of new members on other photo boards that all came from here. They are ex-TPF members. They claimed, in a nutshell, that this place is dead and backhanded. So I wanted to come see for myself.

If first impressions – like this thread – are anything to go by this one, right here, doesn't look good.

 

[Garbz]

Hello and welcome to TPF. Let me be the first to say layball:

It seems to me, that about every three months, a group of people decide/threaten, whatever to jump ship. I notice that a lot of them are usually back within a week to a month.

As someone who has been here for many years, let me assure you that the dim witted crybabies who temporarily get upset at the internet are the ones who will likely return, however over the years this forum has lost a HUGE wealth of knowledge welcoming questions from newcomers, and replaced it with rude idiots who's soul goal seem to be to make this place as unfriendly as possible.

A lot of people whose opinion was worth listening to have came and gone over the past few years and the forum has changed in tone with each high profile emigration.

 

[jbylake]

Hello and welcome to TPF. Let me be the first to say layball:

It seems to me, that about every three months, a group of people decide/threaten, whatever to jump ship. I notice that a lot of them are usually back within a week to a month.

As someone who has been here for many years, let me assure you that the dim witted crybabies who temporarily get upset at the internet are the ones who will likely return, however over the years this forum has lost a HUGE wealth of knowledge welcoming questions from newcomers, and replaced it with rude idiots who's soul goal seem to be to make this place as unfriendly as possible.

A lot of people whose opinion was worth listening to have came and gone over the past few years and the forum has changed in tone with each high profile emigration.

Yes, I agree 100%...I belong to many forums of different interest groups.
These forums always have a dynamic, rather than static evolution.
One theme that always seems apparent, is that the people who first frequented the site, those with 3 to 5 years, often seem to feel that the good old days, when they and a handful were regulars, were perfect, and seem to feel that as that forum grew, "their" turf was being invaded by "newbies".

A couple of sites I belong too, one in particular and not photography related is very much like that. Trouble is, "their" site remains static, because they treat new forumites like crap, causing them to leave immediately. However, their lack of growth makes for an extremely boring forum, in which, essentially, all they are doing is using it as a "meeting" place. Their numerous categories have posts that were last visited one or two years ago, so there is not much new content, and not worth reading over and over, and like I said, they are no longer a true Forum, but just a social gathering place where they like to pat each other on the back about the "good 'ol days, before the "invaders" came. They are static (those forums) with old content, and don't grow. The forum mods at one of these, can't understand why his forum hasn't grown. I suggested that he read the threads in his forum, where origional members have started a "boy's club" , old member's only, a sort of "fanboy" club, where members just want to state how much they admire each others skills.

I actually read a paper published by someone doing their thesis on this exact same subject, and how the "dynamics" of forums and websites react, with a major emphasis on participants, or forumites, if you will, determine the sucsess/failure of the forum or website and blogs.

As much as I hate to see some of the people here go, most are really friendly and always willing to welcome a new member or someone new to photography, it's an inevitable result of the ebb and flow of the attitudes, and degree of participation, or lack of, of all members, not just the members with the longest longevity, that determine growth, popularity and success.

I see way too often, a real nasty disdain for "newbies" by a few members on this site. And I've seen a few new members to the site come and go quickly due to this. I personally haven't been a member for a full year yet, but as a commercial website owner, tend to pay attention to these trends, and I often read threads that I'm not even interested in, just to gauge the "feel" of it's membership and participation.

It's kind of interesting, but since this isn't my site, I just sort of watch it as a point of interest, as I have no control over any aspect of the site's policies and operation.

J.:mrgreen:

 

[benhasajeep]

We need a button next to the Thank You button that says Jerk or something of the sorts. And keep stats on who gets the most Jerks. Since most people just let rude or unhelpful comments go right on by. Maybe the "jerks" don't really know they are bothering others. This way you can complain about a poster without getting into all the bs of wasted posts arguing.

I don't go to the beginner forum that often any more. And it's not because of the repeated questions that have been answered a hundred times. It's becuase of the self appointed post police that say search newbie and nothing else. If you can give constructive advice, don't post! Post counts as far as I know, doesn't count for jack. So, why waste the key strokes??

I vote for a "JERK" button!

And if you don't like this idea, if we had a "Jerk" button you could give me one! :thumbup:

 

[Overread]

We have a Jerk Button - we've had it for blooming ages but no one uses it.

It's this one

click it and you get a one way chat line to the forum gods - deliver thy message unto them concerning the jerk and sit back and await rightfull justice.

It's far more effective than a +- thingy that most forums have (besides if we had one I'd want tobe bad cause bad get red thingies rather than green) and its not open to abuse either.

 

[jbylake]

We need a button next to the Thank You button that says Jerk or something of the sorts. And keep stats on who gets the most Jerks. Since most people just let rude or unhelpful comments go right on by. Maybe the "jerks" don't really know they are bothering others. This way you can complain about a poster without getting into all the bs of wasted posts arguing.

I don't go to the beginner forum that often any more. And it's not because of the repeated questions that have been answered a hundred times. It's becuase of the self appointed post police that say search newbie and nothing else. If you can give constructive advice, don't post! Post counts as far as I know, doesn't count for jack. So, why waste the key strokes??

I vote for a "JERK" button!

And if you don't like this idea, if we had a "Jerk" button you could give me one! :thumbup:

Hahahaha...I like that idea

But if there was one, it would turn into a retribution mechanisim, and would eventually fill every nook and cranny of the forum, eventually reaching the scale of a full blown thermo-nuclear war. The forum would eventually melt down. It would be, "I'm a Jerk?" "O.K., I'm going to "jerk you" on every thread I could find in the search function". Eventually, friends of the people who were "jerked" would begin "jerking" friends of friends of said "jerked" posters, until enough people were jerked-off the site, that eventual melt down would occur.

J.

 

[benhasajeep]

We have a Jerk Button - we've had it for blooming ages but no one uses it.

It's this one

click it and you get a one way chat line to the forum gods - deliver thy message unto them concerning the jerk and sit back and await rightfull justice.

It's far more effective than a +- thingy that most forums have (besides if we had one I'd want tobe bad cause bad get red thingies rather than green) and its not open to abuse either.

I know that button and have used it. And no doubt probably used against me. But that button does not show newbies or infrequent posters if a certain poster is full of bull, or not really there to help them out. Maybe it should be a "BS'r" or "BULL" button.

 

[Overread]

We need a button next to the Thank You button that says Jerk or something of the sorts. And keep stats on who gets the most Jerks. Since most people just let rude or unhelpful comments go right on by. Maybe the "jerks" don't really know they are bothering others. This way you can complain about a poster without getting into all the bs of wasted posts arguing.

I don't go to the beginner forum that often any more. And it's not because of the repeated questions that have been answered a hundred times. It's becuase of the self appointed post police that say search newbie and nothing else. If you can give constructive advice, don't post! Post counts as far as I know, doesn't count for jack. So, why waste the key strokes??

I vote for a "JERK" button!

And if you don't like this idea, if we had a "Jerk" button you could give me one! :thumbup:

Hahahaha...I like that idea

But if there was one, it would turn into a retribution mechanisim, and would eventually fill every nook and cranny of the forum, eventually reaching the scale of a full blown thermo-nuclear war. The forum would eventually melt down. It would be, "I'm a Jerk?" "O.K., I'm going to "jerk you" on every thread I could find in the search function". Eventually, friends of the people who were "jerked" would begin "jerking" friends of friends of said "jerked" posters, until enough people were jerked-off the site, that eventual melt down would occur.

J.

From what I know of TPF history that is almost exactly what happend when they first had the mode. Vbulletin has a reputation mode as standard for giving + or - points. The problem is members often take them far more seriously than even post counts.

 

[Big Mike]

The problem is members often take them far more seriously than even post counts.

Not to mention that they would be more accurately called 'popularity points' rather than reputation points. People started giving them to their friends & the popular people, and they became utterly meaningless.

 

[benhasajeep]

Well the way the Thanks button is set up I don't think the Jerk button would be abused like the 'popularity' could be in the past. But I do see that people could get together and bully someone by just clicking it for no reason. But not too sure that would happen. There are a few younger "acting" individuals on here. But I don't think there are gangs of them though. There are a few individuals on here that would have a very high count from honnest use. If it would help anything the the long run, I have no clue.