Little Things That Piss You Off

[pgflyer1]

In the past few years I've posted some pictures of places and got some tips from others in here. On how to make my pictures look better (cropping) etc., which was a great help. Recently I posted some photos that I shot with my Nikon P510 and never got any response... Well at least I have responses from friends that have looked at my new photos I sent them! I considered everyone in here as new friends too! And probably never meet because of distances between us, which is OK.
People driving 50 mph in a 65 mph zone because "they're pickup truck is saving fuel!!!
(drive on shoulder or take secondary streets)...please !

people who say " yes I'll go with you on new photo shoots" - Then never have the time to go........

[Kelly]

In the past few years I've posted some pictures of places and got some tips from others in here. On how to make my pictures look better (cropping) etc., which was a great help. Recently I posted some photos that I shot with my Nikon P510 and never got any response... Well at least I have responses from friends that have looked at my new photos I sent them! I considered everyone in here as new friends too! And probably never meet because of distances between us, which is OK.

Hey Marty.....sorry we let you down. We have all had things we post that get no response....heck - there's even a clickable tab titled "unanswered posts". It happens - try not to let it get you down. Some tips for eliciting responses:

1. Post in the best topic available - be specific - if your shot is of a waterfall, do a search for that specific waterfall on here and post in that topic. If none is found - create a new topic. (I took a minute to look at some of your posts.....and while "new quests" probably sounded like a good title initially, it may not get lots of views now, because it's rather generic.)

2. Ask a question in addition to posting a picture.

3. And I wholeheartedly believe in this one......participate in other topics. Check the General Discussion thread for some humor and a chance to get to know the other members. Check the Photography Tips section and ask questions or offer advice. This is called a community, because, if done correctly - that's how we all behave. If you comment on other people's photos, they may be more likely to comment on yours. You and I joined the community at roughly the same time, over 4 years ago. Check the number of posts we each have. The more you participate, the more activity your own posts will receive.

4. And my own rant.....many have the misinformed notion that the staff here "works" on this website full time and for monetary gain. Not so. We all volunteer our time here, for a variety of reasons. These may include, but are not limited to: passion for photography, passion for nature, passion for befriending people with similar interests, crush on Matt, promise of a horseBQ. Your reasons could be totally different. They all work. And we all do our best to keep up.

You are valued. Please keep posting your pictures. But also, join in other discussions and let us know who you are. Sorry we dropped the ball. Please give us another chance.

[Brenda]

Hey Marty, I'm sorry too. I'm certainly not the person to critique anyone's photos, but I enjoy seeing each and every one that people post. My problem is that I spread myself too thin, so I tend to do a "fly-by" here a couple of times a day to see what's new without stopping to comment.

[Matt]

Hey Marty,
Things have been a bit busy for me recently with a redesign of the main content site, so I haven't had much time to stir things up on the message board.
Surely your posts don't go unread. I recently did an analysis of the message board here and found that on average... and this is only an average of all the photos posted here, including random funny joke ones and such... a picture will get viewed 166 times in the first year. That number is a low estimate and seems to be increasing quite a bit. Posts (textual) are read an average of 190 times. Also, once you post, Google indexes the content, and it most likely ends up helping several hundred searchers over the years.
That being said.... No post goes unappreciated. The message board is the first thing I check in the morning; I even read it during work meetings... And I am trying to boost activity in it.
My only complaint is that of our hundreds of members, a lot of them are lurkers, I wish they would get a bit more involved.

More feedback on photos is needed here. There is a fear of being too critical. I ask for it on my pics. I don't get it much. I value all comments I get, though. We have some amazingly talented people on here, whether in photography or other areas, and what posts we do get are usually golden.

We all need to put in a bit more effort to preserve this community section as one that is welcoming and sustaining of each other's work.

[pgflyer1]

Thanks Kelly & Matt for the response to my rants. I've looked at both of your photos (and others) in the past and "wish" I could do pictures like you two! And I know that it must be very hard keeping up with everything that goes on in here for the staff people to keep up with. Overall I think this the best inter-active website there is around! Keep up the great work. I'll take a look at "unanswered posts". I hope everyone has great Holidays this year and beyond. And I'll try posting in related subjects of where I've been recently too! Now at my age and health, I know I cannot climb up hill, not good for my BP !!

[George]

Nice response Kelly. My own perspective is that I came from a forum that was hypercritical, and I got tired of all the nits that were being picked. As a result I tend not to comment on other peoples photos. I echo Matt's comment that if you want constructive criticism, be sure to ask for it. I'll make a point of giving positive feedback when I like something, instead of just enjoying it

[Winnie]

Headaches that do not go away after trying everything to get rid of them.

[Brenda]

Sales tax due five days before Christmas!!! I know, I whine about it every year...