Why do people leave?

[The_Traveler]

Virtually every on-line forum, photographic or not, has an active contingent that is much, much smaller than the official 'number of members.' [From a quick look at several member rolls, my guess is that the a graph of the posts by member would look like a poisson distribution.]

I have always been curious why other people have chosen to leave forums when they have. Since I can't poll the people who have left TPF, altho that might be a good idea as a method to direct improvement of this site, I am asking you why you have left where you no longer are.

So, how many have you left?
Why did you leave?
Are you still active at all?
How can we keep good people here?

 

[TheLostPhotographer]

I usually get banned before I get bored!

I still read other forums I don't post on and read here regularly even if I don't post to often. However, it's the nature of forums that they can be very repetative. I also dislike forums that turn into places to post very average photography looking for false praise. Much sooner see constructive criticism.

 

[SYKES3]

I'm very new here. I came here looking for specific information. Photography comes in third on my list of needs. It is a necessity for my other art. I have only been on three other forums before. Haven't completely left any of them. Although the main reason I don't return to them much is a lack of participation. Not enough artists to talk to.

I haven't been here long enough to connect with anyone yet but I hope I can find someone who knows about lighting and what to consider in a camera to photograph my other art. Mainly studio, close up photography.

I am always nervous about asking the redundant questions, but that's what would hold me here...getting answers. SYKES3

 

[Jon, The Elder]

I spent a lot of time here:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php

A Canon exclusive forum.

Over a period of time you see the very same (slightly reworded) questions come up regular as clockwork. After a while my answers got shorter and less enthusiastic.
Some hotshot newbies love to show off information they got the week before from a previous inquiry.
Others just love to find fault with previous comments and use it as a excuse to expound and criticise the responder.

Answers in the vein of "I don't have that lens, but a friend of my brother in law, says it sucks" really bugs me.

After a while it just gets plain boring.
The argument is that to each OP it is an "original" question and should be treated as such, no matter how bad the spelling, grammar, lack of details.
I'm sorry, if a OP hasn't spent at least some effort to find the answer, then I get impatient and sometimes blunt in my response.

I hang around here and hope that I can throw in answers that reflect my experiences and gear knowledge (Canon) in hopes that it will do some good overall. I still find the site interesting enough to participate.

If I don't get kicked off for not being "politically correct" or nice and polite, I'll probably move on and never be missed. After 40+ years in and around the craft, its not all that important to me.

 

[Mesoam]

i'm part of a few other forums and there definitely tends to be a group of consistent posters on every forum...then there are people who just forget or don't care anymore...or they register just to get access to certain portions and don't really ever post

 

[teachflute]

I am still very much a lurker trying to pick up tips and ideas. I would consider my abilities to be at an intermediate level. When people ask questions, I sometimes will respond, but more often than not I wait to hear the other responses to make sure what I would say is accurate. I'm finding that the more I read, the more I learn and the more confident I'm feeling to offer critique or advice. I have a feeling there are alot of people out there like m.

 

[Mike_E]

I stop by where ever there are posters whom I enjoy reading. Should a forum become dull or argumentative or (gasp) pompous, I move along.

Getting a new POV on something, or giving one, is just a bonus.

 

[D-50]

The forums get very repetative with people asking "what camera should I buy" or "what do you think f this photo its my first with my new camera" I feel forums get overrun by people new to photography who want to learn, thats fine but unfortunatly for people here who know the basics its boring also I feel bad for members like Big Mike or Digital MAtt, they have effectivly become teachers on this forum. I guess they like passing on advice but how many times do they need to explain things like DOF and what a lens hood is used for before they too become bored and leave.

I agree with the false praise statement as well. People post avergae pics and then numerous people reply "wow great shgot" or "fantastic I wish I could take photos like that" In reality the photo was poorly concieved, poorly framedand slightly out of focus but those comments are rarely heard. Back to Difgital Matt I love his honest critismof these type of posts and I can sense frustration in many of his posts. Big Mike on the other hand seems to have more patients, with out these two and a couple more Sw1tch comes to mind this forum would be full of people praising poor quality photos.

It would be nice to have an forum where not just professionals but people who understand the basics and do not need hand holding could post work for honest critism and discuss techniques, equiptment..etc. No newbies allowed.

Bottom line there are just too many newbs on here again which is fine and a great way to learn but it offers little to people who understand sensor size vs megapixels, dof, framing, lens hoods etc.

My 2 Cents

 

[The_Traveler]

Is it inevitable that people will become bored with one place and move on?

 

[skieur]

One element is the moderators. I would say it should be a good mix of very experienced photographers through to some less experienced but the less experienced should at least be willing to learn and not take offence at a thorough critique of their work. One board (not this one)had, for moderators, a sixteen year old , a 20 year old with only 1 year of photo experience and a couple of pros with experience that was limited and narrow in scope. The main administrator was a biker. Need I say more.

Another main element is that the board administrator(s) and moderators need to have in mind a perceived direction for the board, since moderator participation on the board will be a strong controlling factor. What should the mix be between newbies to photography and the very experienced? Too many newbies and the very experienced move on. If that happens, then the newbies will not be getting the kind of assistance and knowledge that they come to the board for. The moderators control this factor too, either intentionally or inadvertently.

Whether the guidelines are being followed and enforced/pointed out or not. Multiple photos discourage all but very limited comments. Comments that are vague to the point of being photographically meaningless such as "I like it." etc. Obvious and necessary follow-up.. WHY do you like it? and Why do I even have to ask this question? Then there are comments that amount to: "I like over-exposed, blurred photos with colour balance problems and large areas with no detail." Obvious thought comes to mind: "Why are you on any photographic forum?" A lot of this kind of thing, tells the very experienced that they should be looking for a new site with more experienced photographers.

The level of experience on the site is another factor. Beginners for example will get limited and perhaps even incorrect help from other beginners. The very experienced don't mind helping beginners...to a point.
They don't want to be constantly repeating and explaining what should be extremely basic and obvious and particularly the difference between Basic Photography Techniques 101 and personal subjective opinion.

It is a challenge for the moderators and administrator to try and deal with these issues as well as with members who vary from those with their first new camera to those with half a century of professional work in all areas of photography and videography. I don't envy the moderators, their tasks and recognize that here at least they put one heck of a lot of serious work and effort into their roles.

skieur

 

[zendianah]

I know why I have stopped posting as much. I have 3 kids and take care of a sick mother in law. When I get a chance to work on the computer I am either fixing and proccessing photos. I love this forum. This is the only one I am on. I have learned so much. Still am learning..

 

[JDS]

Is it inevitable that people will become bored with one place and move on?

Only if there's never any new content in that one place.

I ride a motorcycle (When I have good tires..but that's another story ), and there's a motorcycle forum that I'll jump on now and again. But it's mostly when I need to find something. If it can't be found there, I know there are people there that have the answers.

One thing that I think helps this place is the contests, challenges, etc. It sort of keeps things a little more 'fresh'. But only if people participate - I'm guilty there.

I've also found that if a person invests time/effort/energy into a place, (as opposed to your posts consisting entirely of "that's cool!") you tend to stick around as it becomes a part of you in a way. Sounds cheesy, I know, but I don't know how else to put it.

 

[sabbath999]

I have left forums for several reasons... I recently left a forum that I had thousands of posts on because it had become increasingly political & religious... instead of personal finances (which is what it is stated to be)... and people were intolerant of other views.

I also left a forum where I had thousands of posts (a bicycling forum)because of poor moderation (a bunch of immature jerks took over and started flaming everybody, or making stupid comments).

I LOVE TPF because it has neither of these problems, and you can see by the green **TPF Subscriber** line under my name that I put my money where my mouth is... I would encourage everybody who posts regularly here to financially support TPF as well.

 

[mentos_007]

simply...because of the people and the atmospheare... Here I know a few people personally and I like to be here...

 

[gmarquez]

Over a period of time you see the very same (slightly reworded) questions come up regular as clockwork. After a while my answers got shorter and less enthusiastic.

Bingo. Plus, sometimes excessive forum posting takes the place of "real" social interaction. When I'm spending more time "in the real world", I tend to check forums only about once a week (here included).