"Post your..." Ugh!

[Levina de Ruijter]

It's a shame that there's always far more discussion about cameras and lenses than about photography itself. I get why, and people need to ask specific questions about how to get the best out of their equipment but as you say - engagement with the photography talk forums is waaaay less.

What I have learned during my years at POTN is that members to a high degree moderate the threads they are participating in. And also that threads change over time in a rather organic way. When I joined POTN in 2008, the birds forum was almost exclusively filled with individual threads. It was considered rude to post your own pics in such a thread as that thread belonged only to the thread starter. And then slowly the big, dedicated threads started to happen; they took off and then took over and when you look at POTN now, it's all Post Your... threads. It just happened, all by itself. People create the threads they need.

After we learned that POTN would be shutting down, a lot of us went to other forums and some forums had a very strict separation between Image Sharing threads and Discussion threads and moderation was very tied. Needless to say that most all POTN'ers hated it and some got in trouble (I won't name any names...). We won't go that route. We don't want to police threads in that manner.

If there is a need for less talking and more images then members will make that happen. If there is a need for talking in image threads, then members will make that happen. And the first, more images and less talking is already a fact in the big bulk threads in the image sharing section. If you look at Birds Portraits or Birds in Flight, there is an almost uninterrupted stream of images and very little talking. Right now most discussion takes place in the gear threads. That at least was the situation on POTN. I expect this to continue here at Focus.

 

[Cathy_B]

Tbh I like these threads, though I'm never participating because I either don't have the picture requested or it doesn't seem good enough to share, but I like seeing others works, it kinda helps to broaden your visual experience.

 

[Leigh]

I was going to start a thread in the Canon Forum, "Canon Fall 2023 ... post your Autumn images", similar to that on FM (https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1825709); but the Canon Camera Forum only allows Discussions with photos. So, I checked the subject Forums, and there you have to choose a specific subject forum to post an image.-; "We" wouldn't want a Bird Photographer forced to view a Landscape!

Everything on FOP appears to be exclusively Pidgeon-holed! R5 owners typically only view other R5 owners Photos, R62 owners only R6-2 photos, etc.; then if you go to the general image subject forum, you must choose a specific subject.

God-forbid, that anyone would be interested in a Canon photo thread that welcomed images from any Canon Camera or lens, or a variety of subjects!

Organization is generally a positive practice, but when it’s “Over-Organized it defeats the purpose.
You organize by placing things within a Subject or Category, for the purpose of quick access.
Over Organization is when a Subject, has so many separate Sub, and multiple sub-sub-Subject’s combined along with the Primary Subject, that it makes accessing them more provocative then with no organization at all.

 

[StephenM]

Just stepping back to the first few posts in this thread. I'm also not keen on the "post your" threads. I haven't used a lot of photo forums (most are now dead in fact, killed by the magazines that originally promoted them) and currently only use this one, Talk Photography, World Photography Forum, Camera Craniums (at least two others from that one here!) and POTN. So, I can't comment on whether the mega thread is common or not - just not something that I'm used to.

As Anton said (post 2), it does sound like a request for "what have you got" rather than "what do have that's worth showing" and puts me off.

Having seen the way Cameraderie operates, where starting new threads seems to be frowned on, and the presence of so many of this type of thread here acts as a deterrent to my posting. I did, a week or so back, attempt to start a thread with one of my photographs that I thought was worth sharing; but the immediate system response was to tell me that similar threads already existed, and I took this to be a "don't do it". So, I didn't. I'm also aware from comments here that the concept of "thread starter" is regarded as very important, and it would be stepping on someone's toes to start a thread that they have a prior claim to from POTN.

My serious photography is almost exclusively on black and white film; there is a film section, but no thread for black and white photos, only colour. And I'm not brave (or foolhardy) enough to start one. I have posted some photos in the (presumably digital) sections where I hope that the lack of exif data won't give me a black mark.

Put in a nutshell - I find the concept inhibiting, and inimical to a serious critique of an image, where a coherent conversation would be split by possibly many irrelevant to that photo photos and comments. The counter argument (from cameraderie, I think) is that single photo threads are lost in the mists of time, but photos posted in a mega thread will always be easy to locate (just trawl through 20,000 posts to find what you're looking for, rather than use the search engine to find a thread by words used in it or by poster).

I have zero intention of attempting to change this forum to my preferences. I'm just expressing my take on the matter. As far as I'm concerned this is a friendly forum, and well worth participating in. I'm just offering my perspective.

 

[West Coast Birder]

A picture is worth a thousand words. True in PowerPoint presentations and true on forums as well.

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

I did, a week or so back, attempt to start a thread with one of my photographs that I thought was worth sharing; but the immediate system response was to tell me that similar threads already existed, and I took this to be a "don't do it". So, I didn't.

Similar Threads show you threads with similar thread titles as the one you are creating for two reasons:

1. to alert you that maybe your thread already exists;
2. to alert you to threads that may be of similar interest to you.

Personally, if I start a highly individual thread I totally ignore the first reason but I never ignore the second. As the pages of our forum are being filled with new comments, Similar Threads becomes better and it has already happened to me that I saw something in Similar Threads that piqued my curiosity and I clicked on it to check out that similar thread.

So don't think of Similar Threads as a deterrent for posting new threads. Ignore that function and post away. But do look at its other function as it may lead you to other interesting threads.

 

[OhLook]

Having seen the way Cameraderie operates, where starting new threads seems to be frowned on, and the presence of so many of this type of thread here acts as a deterrent to my posting. I did, a week or so back, attempt to start a thread with one of my photographs that I thought was worth sharing; but the immediate system response was to tell me that similar threads already existed, and I took this to be a "don't do it". So, I didn't. I'm also aware from comments here that the concept of "thread starter" is regarded as very important, and it would be stepping on someone's toes to start a thread that they have a prior claim to from POTN.

At this stage, the algorithm that creates the list of "similar threads" just fumbles around and spews out irrelevant suggestions that often seem random. It doesn't yet have enough material to work with. So don't be governed by what it says. It can be useful when you try to start a thread on an easily described topic that someone has already initiated. If you have a question about how alerts or profiles work, it might direct you correctly to where such questions have been answered.

At POTN, the proliferation of threads was frowned on. I'm not certain what the norm will be here.

 

[StephenM]

It seems that my comment on the "similar threads" is the thing being picked up on, although it was almost an afterthought. I do agree that it does actually serve a useful function, although to be fair probably at least half of the main forum sections - those appropriate to digital camera equipment - are of zero interest to me, and it's not too difficult to look at new posts in the areas that are of interest.

I still have the nagging doubt that the posting of new threads is socially acceptable; an idea that took root on cameraderie and strengthened here by the twin phenomena of so many catch all threads, and the threads asking if someone can create a thread on whatever. As a new boy here, I'm very keen not to offend, and it does seem that the objective is to have as few threads as possible, and group everything into a few buckets.

Please don't take this as a moan - it's an opinion which can be safely ignored. I won't raise it again.

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

It seems that my comment on the "similar threads" is the thing being picked up on, although it was almost an afterthought. I do agree that it does actually serve a useful function, although to be fair probably at least half of the main forum sections - those appropriate to digital camera equipment - are of zero interest to me, and it's not too difficult to look at new posts in the areas that are of interest.

I still have the nagging doubt that the posting of new threads is socially acceptable; an idea that took root on cameraderie and strengthened here by the twin phenomena of so many catch all threads, and the threads asking if someone can create a thread on whatever. As a new boy here, I'm very keen not to offend, and it does seem that the objective is to have as few threads as possible, and group everything into a few buckets.

Please don't take this as a moan - it's an opinion which can be safely ignored. I won't raise it again.

No, you must not think of Cameraderie. There is no comparison. There is no policy behind the "catch all" threads here or on POTN. They came about organically. It just happened over time. So it's not something that the staff at POTN made happen, or wanted. It just... happened. All by itself. And that is how it will be here. People are free to start the threads they want or need. Unless it is a dedicated thread that already exists. Like "Post Your B&W Portraits" next to "B&W Portraits". Those are not just similar threads but the same. Threads like that get merged.

But if you start an individual thread called: Hooded Mergansers and somebody else also happened to have shot hooded mergansers and decides to start his own thread for them, then both threads can stay, as they are individual threads.

Also remember that we didn't start this forum from scratch. We have 22 years of POTN history behind us. POTN had a great many (very) long running, very popular threads. And people want to see them here again. We decided to honour the original thread starters of those popular threads, if they were still active on POTN, meaning we want to give them the chance to restart their threads here instead of somebody else taking over. Once all threads from the old place have been restarted here, that should all settle down.

So just go with the flow a little bit. And don't be afraid to start your own threads!

 

[Ltdave]

i dont mind mega threads.
i dont mind mini threads.

i typically wont read every single word in a photo share thread but i DO like to know a) WHERE the shot was made, b) a little bit of BTS and often c) WHAT THE HELL am i looking at? not everything is a super common item, available around the world so as was previously mentioned, a LITTLE BIT of context please..

 

[MakisM1]

My own 2 cents... When I came to FoP, I think on the first few days of its existence, I felt like I moved into a new house. Intending to make it home, I posted photos I considered decent from my 44000 photo database, as quickly as the opportunity arose. Little by little, more POTN expats showed up to share the load.

My pet peeve is when people post photos without a mention of what it is, where it was shot, especially in travel, urban, but also wildlife. That way, we learn something... Sometimes it can be useful, I go to Athens almost every year. When I see a fresh point of view from a location in Athens, I get motivated to replicate it or even do one better... When I see a different place, that I have visited, seen by someone else's eyes (and emotion), it rekindles something about that place.

 

[West Coast Birder]

I try to remind people to post the location of their photo in the Nature and Urban/Travel sections. It makes the photo so much more enjoyable.

 

[SkedAddled]

...My pet peeve is when people post photos without a mention of what it is, where it was shot, especially in travel, urban, but also wildlife. That way, we learn something... Sometimes it can be useful...

I second this.

I find that in particular, posts with pictures of architecture, urban scenes and some others make no mention of what, where,
and including no context to describe or identify.
Some photos I feel need no words to accompany them, but if I'm presented a picture of a gobsmacking architecture
example or a cultural scene without something to tell me what that scene means, I feel a bit of an outsider when viewing.

Are you showing us some medieval architecture from Slovenia or Vietnam? I'd like to know the where and what
so that I might learn more about it. Are you displaying a cultural rite from a lesser-known country or religion?
Please tell us the rite/culture so that I might learn more.

I've made a point of letting my world location be known in my profile, as well as stating locations of places
I've posted pictures of, especially since joining up here. Much of that was, I felt, sorely lacking on POTN,
and I'd hope to see that trend change here on FoP.

 

[Lubos-PM]

Obvykle se snažím napsat pár slov o tom, co je na fotce, kde to je, a pro kostely a další i něco málo o historii. Na POTN jsem často přidával podobné informace k fotkám, hlavně z Česka, které zveřejnil někdo jiný a bylo to docela pochváleno. Když Inphoto zveřejnilo fotku z Prahy ve vlákně Your Best Church Shots, zveřejnil jsem, o jaký kostel se jedná, něco málo o jeho historii a zeptal jsem se: "Zajímají vás podobné komentáře k fotkám z České republiky, nebo to není zajímavé?" Odpověděl pouze jeden člověk, a to "Ne". Takže už nepřidávám informace k fotkám jiných lidí.

I usually try to write a few words about what's in the photo, where it's in, and for churches and others, a little bit about the history. On POTN, I often added similar information to photos, mainly from the Czech Republic, that were published by someone else and it was quite praised. When Inphoto posted a photo from Prague in the Your Best Church Shots thread, I posted what kind of church it was, a little bit about its history, and asked, "Are you interested in similar comments on photos from the Czech Republic, or is it not interesting?" Only one person answered, and that was "No." So I don't add information to other people's photos anymore.

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

Obvykle se snažím napsat pár slov o tom, co je na fotce, kde to je, a pro kostely a další i něco málo o historii. Na POTN jsem často přidával podobné informace k fotkám, hlavně z Česka, které zveřejnil někdo jiný a bylo to docela pochváleno. Když Inphoto zveřejnilo fotku z Prahy ve vlákně Your Best Church Shots, zveřejnil jsem, o jaký kostel se jedná, něco málo o jeho historii a zeptal jsem se: "Zajímají vás podobné komentáře k fotkám z České republiky, nebo to není zajímavé?" Odpověděl pouze jeden člověk, a to "Ne". Takže už nepřidávám informace k fotkám jiných lidí.

Translation:

I usually try to write a few words about what's in the photo, where it's in, and for churches and others, a little bit about the history. On POTN, I often added similar information to photos, mainly from the Czech Republic, that were published by someone else and it was quite praised. When Inphoto posted a photo from Prague in the Your Best Church Shots thread, I posted what kind of church it was, a little bit about its history, and asked, "Are you interested in similar comments on photos from the Czech Republic, or is it not interesting?" Only one person answered, and that was "No." So I don't add information to other people's photos anymore.

Luboš, I looked at your post in Your Best Church Shots thread. Like here you posted the background information in Czech. But you have to understand that most people here don’t speak that language and not many people will take the trouble to translate it. The ”No” answer I’m sure was meant to be funny, indicating they can’t read it. So it should not be taken as a negative answer to your question. This example shows it is best for everyone to write in English, so misunderstandings like this will be avoided.

 

[Lubos-PM]

Translation:

Luboš, I looked at your post in Your Best Church Shots thread. Like here you posted the background information in Czech. But you have to understand that most people here don’t speak that language and not many people will take the trouble to translate it. The ”No” answer I’m sure was meant to be funny, indicating they can’t read it. So it should not be taken as a negative answer to your question. This example shows it is best for everyone to write in English, so misunderstandings like this will be avoided.

I'm sorry, unfortunately I made a mistake again... I type the Czech text into the translator DeepL, from it I copy the English text to the forum, but when I have the automatic translation into Czech set in edge, the post is pasted in Czech :-(. I have to watch it more.

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

I'm sorry, unfortunately I made a mistake again... I type the Czech text into the translator DeepL, from it I copy the English text to the forum, but when I have the automatic translation into Czech set in edge, the post is pasted in Czech :-(. I have to watch it more.

Ah, that explains it. I was wondering why you sometimes post in Czech.

 

[Stiga]

Images posted as thumbnail attachments

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

Images posted as thumbnail attachments

People can choose to do that (or maybe sometimes do it accidentally), but if you click on it, the image will open.

 

[Stiga]

Yes, Levina, I know a click will open it. But I still wonder why people choose to attach rather than embed