PRO Critique suggestion

[Overread]

that is the intention!
my only points to a specific section were raised since others have suggested it and because it has happened in the past - and my point was that whilst such a section is an easy focus for attentions it has lead to problems in the past and that we are unlikey to get it.

C&C is also a very common post term and I was hoping to get views on an alternative flagging term that can be used to facilitate the plan outlined in the first post -- which by the way does need moderator support to work and I would very much like to get some moderator feedback on this - it just won't work without the mods to help enforce the inital input component from the OP of threads.

 

[rubbertree]

Why not just call it "Detailed Critique Request" or similar.
Regardless of what you call it, if you don't get a special section for it, it will be near impossible to get the word out. What are there? 40,000 members here?

 

[Overread]

I very much doubt that we have 40,000 active posting members - certainly not all at once!
Getting info out about it would have to be done by way of stickies (I know I know nobody ever actually looks at them but they are there for a good refrence link for others to use) and also by filtation of the idea - people will likley notice the posts and the comments people are getting. We could even make is a requirement that any post to use the scheme have a link in the first post as well as a mention to the scheme sticky page.
It would be more tricky to get the commenter support needed - and it is the sort of plan which would benefit greatly from even just a few key members making note and taking interest in supporting it

 

[abraxas]

So, not having a special section is stopping you from helping others?

 

[Overread]

either I am writing a lot worse than I think I am or your reading things I am not writing.

I don't even surf TPF by sections anyway - just through new posts - so where a post is has little effect on my content of posts - what does is the title of the thread, content of the thread and then the section (mostly only if its posted in the for fun section). I try not to assume any understanding on the part of the photographer save what they can clearly tell me in their post.

This whole concept is about 2 things
1) allowing a member willing to learn to help find members willing to teach
2) allowing those willing to teach to find members willing to learn

As an aside the member already is encouraged to learn by the required content in the first post - this also should help them assess their image and discourage those with a view that their work is without flaw.
Having a section makes things easier as its noticable - no section means less easy publisity in the early stages of the project - something that is needed for it to work as a viable option - it needs the right members to partake at both ends - if one end fails to be present then the whole thing fails.

 

[skieur]

Or the one's with the biggest egos

Sure, and people will always characterize comments in any manner they see fit, and experience can always be characterized as ego or vice versa.

skieur

 

[abraxas]

either I am writing a lot worse than I think I am or your reading things I am not writing.

...

I'm asking a question.

What is either stopping you from giving critique, or asking for it, regardless of if there is a specific formal structure or not?

 

[Hertz van Rental]

...and experience can always be characterized as ego or vice versa.

Hmm. I can think of a few names from the past that would indicate the opposite

 

[Overread]

I'm asking a question.

What is either stopping you from giving critique, or asking for it, regardless of if there is a specific formal structure or not?

ahh right - just wanted to make sure I was not talking total rubbish

As for stopping - its not. However many a time I have read members (some with respected levels of understanding) state that they no longer critique members photos because they have been met with a bad reception - and some people go as far to say that they never wanted any critique in the first place (and yet did post outside of the fun section). Further many a person says that they don't like to see just a photo and no input - its fine for displaying work, but for comments and crit it leaves the person commenting little to work with. They can comment on composition and style, but only as far as their own tastes go - with no idea of the original photographers intent its limited.
Though in truth a photo should be able to stand on its own I feel that the display of thought and input into improvement and self assessment as outlined as part of this project is a sign from a member to others that they are serious about learning and that they are willing to put effort in - it also helps display the level of competance that they have = its very hard to judge just what a photographer does and does not know from a simple image.

 

[abraxas]

Not they, you.

 

[Overread]

time restrictions mostly - and being in the right mood
edit - and subject type of course - I am no good with people shooting for example

 

[bjorkfiend]

...

 

[Hertz van Rental]

People post in the wrong place, continuously drag topics off topic and inject quite meaningless opinions into every thread possible.

This has always been the case here - at least during my sojourn. In fact it is not so bad now as it has been.
Many ploys have been tried to make it otherwise but in the end it is still a part of the Internet and so attracts those strange people who can only be trusted with crayons.
Whatever you do, though, you tend to end up with either something which is so pretentious, elitist and up it's own arse that you get annoyed and leave, or something so peurile, trivial and idiotic as to only appeal to those with a mental age of six so you get annoyed and leave.
The best you can hope for is to find something somewhere in the middle - which is what this place is sort of managing to do. And you put up with the crap for the small handful of people who are actually interesting, intelligent and fun.
I stopped doing crits on here a long while ago. I got fed up with people who believed that because they disagreed with me that meant they were right and I was wrong - as if any crit can ever be said to be right or wrong. Opinion doesn't work like that but they mistook theirs for fact.
I now do crits by PM and only when asked directly - or in public on a different board to this one (I've done my stint here as the Crit Forum Mod, thank you. At times I came as close to committing murder as I am ever likely to)

 

[Onion]

Not having a critique section is the least of TPF's problems. What in the hell happened here?

 

[Hertz van Rental]

The cleaners went on strike.
But if you made the effort to wash your own cups and put things away when you finished with them it wouldn't look so bad.