The People Forum

[Moppie]

Yes, this is another thread about splitting the people forum :)


I understand the difficulties in doing so, I moderate a forum with over 1,000 sub forums, so I understand quite well how hard it is to get around ever increasing numbers of sub forums.


However, I feel the need to split it up is getting closer, its one of my favorite subjects, now I have the gear for it, its something I can finally get into. I enjoy browsing the forum, looking for inspiration, and hopefully soon will have some shots I consider worthy of submitting.

But, it is moving very quickly, it looks like its getting a pages worth of new threads almost everyday (I could be wrong there), if it isn't it can't be far from that.


I also understand the problems with splitting it up into different sub forums based on subjects.
One persons baby snap shot is another persons art, and vice versa.

But what about breaking it down into location?
Start with one subforum for Studio work, i.e. all work done under controlled lights.
This would cover everything from Franks fantastic photos to my up and coming attempts in my lounge.

Then if more are needed, break it down into:
Studio
Indoors
Outdoors


Then there is no subjugation based on age, sex or type of model, or the skill and experience level of the photographer.


Anyway, just an idea, something maybe to discuss. :)

[condyk]

How about starting with 'Baby and Family' shots, then 'my GF (or BF) making a funny face' and then have another one of shots that are actually worth looking at? :p

[Claire]

How about starting with 'Baby and Family' shots, then 'my GF (or BF) making a funny face' and then have another one of shots that are actually worth looking at? :p

Auch! Thank god you're not a PM for the 'People' section...:p

[condyk]

Auch! Thank god you're not a PM for the 'People' section...:p

Agreed ... I am on my knees every day saying the same thing :lol: :lol: ;)

[Moppie]

Just for you condyk

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/Moppie/collinanddianewithtwins.jpg

:p :p :p :p :p :p





I think the problem is sorting out the snap shots like the one above, that only have any meaning to the people in them, and the person that took it (its friends with thier twins at the naming ceremony), from the people photos that have appeal, or are designed to hav appeal to a wider audience.


Its a bit hard to say to people: "If you took this just because you think your kid/gf/bf/mother of the bride, is cute and you just wanted to share, then please post it else where."

[Claire]

Yeah, I know what you both are saying, but I'm not sure a "snapshots" & "portraits" divide is the way to go. I wouldn't mind one though...

[schmoelzel]

I think the way it is done now is sufficient! Most postings that I see in the PEOPLE forum are photogs who are trying new techniques either camera-wise or PP. Getting feedback is a way to learn and discuss. Yes, there are some who post a snapshot that seems to have not much in the way of 'artistic' merit but even these shots can sometimes be made better by giving advice. (crooked horizon, busy background, OOF eyes etc etc). Not every shot you view will be to your liking and I think Pekka and the mods here are quite ok with giving criticism as long as there is a point. Telling someone that their shot is bad because you think it is just a snapshot is wrong.......give a photographic reason as to why you think it is not a worthy shot and I am sure the photog and those reading the thread will appreciate it a lot more.........

[Moppie]

Yeah, I know what you both are saying, but I'm not sure a "snapshots" & "portraits" divide is the way to go. I wouldn't mind one though...


I would love for it to happen, but its been discussed before, and its just to hard to define.

At least with a controlled lighting/studio subforum it should have mostly photos in it that were intended for viewing by others, that have had some thought put into them, and transcend the level of a snap shot :)

[Claire]

I would love for it to happen, but its been discussed before, and its just to hard to define.

At least with a controlled lighting/studio subforum it should have mostly photos in it that were intended for viewing by others, that have had some thought put into them, and transcend the level of a snap shot :)

I don't agree. Not everyone has a studio/can fix a home thing. Also, all my portraits & people shots are outdoors.

It's hard to define snapshots etc, that's why I'm not sure it's good to divide the forum.

I do think it'd be good if titles are better so you know what to expect. But, I admit I'm crap at titling threads.

[condyk]

I think the way it is done now is sufficient! Most postings that I see in the PEOPLE forum are photogs who are trying new techniques either camera-wise or PP. Getting feedback is a way to learn and discuss. Yes, there are some who post a snapshot that seems to have not much in the way of 'artistic' merit but even these shots can sometimes be made better by giving advice. (crooked horizon, busy background, OOF eyes etc etc). Not every shot you view will be to your liking and I think Pekka and the mods here are quite ok with giving criticism as long as there is a point. Telling someone that their shot is bad because you think it is just a snapshot is wrong.......give a photographic reason as to why you think it is not a worthy shot and I am sure the photog and those reading the thread will appreciate it a lot more.........

I look forward to reading the constructive critiques that you'll be offering to the multitude of drooling baby shots posted there :p tho' I do think if folks want that they can post in the critique section. I don't mind personally truth be told as I hardly never look there ... too many shots I'm not interested, which means I miss the gems that may be posted there. I dunno why folks post half the shots there as they are just like Moppie's above, i.e. personal/family ... but I defend their right to do so ;-)

[Claire]

They post there as it's People Share...:p

[condyk]

Exactly ... and the price we pay for such a multitude of unfiltered contribution is chaos and then folks not bothering to check stuff out because of it.

[tommykjensen]

You can often "filter" the worst snapshots out on the title.

I don't spend much time in the people forum. I don't look much at kid photos but there is a select few members here whos posts I often if not always view even knowing it often is kid photos.

So over time you will also know which members post the good stuff.

[Claire]

Condyk, wait until I have a kid one day. I'll bombard your email with pics.

And yes, it can be tough to find the gems as the forum moves so fast.

[Moppie]

And yes, it can be tough to find the gems as the forum moves so fast.


Thats the problem Im finding.
Im pretty good at sorting what I like from what I don't, but it often means working back over 2-3 pages sometimes, especialy if I havn't checked the forum for a day or so.
Any longer and I just don't bother.

[SYS]

This is an interesting topic, as I've recently found out myself that sooner I post a new topic in the People forum, it's in the second or third page a few hours later without even having people the chance to look and view the new topic. Now I try to avoid that forum as much as possible unless I'd like to post something that doesn't fit in anywhere else.

[condyk]

Condyk, wait until I have a kid one day. I'll bombard your email with pics.

... and I'll still deny paternity :lol: :lol: ;)

[SYS]

... and I'll still deny paternity :lol: :lol: ;)

Are we talking about the "People Magazine" or the People forum here? :lol::lol:

[condyk]

I think we're talking 'Science Fiction Weekly' ;-)

[Annabel Doskey]

Moppie,

I agree with you 100%. Many of the images placed throughout this forum are MISplaced. Perhaps the only area in which photos are NOT misplaced is in the Glamor and Nude and Glamor (I forget which comes first, hence the repetition of one term) section. As long as the subject is nude, it fits. Glamor? Too subjective a term.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to police the placement and categorization of any image without going to the extremes to which the owner and mods have gone to restrict the G&N&G forum. Even then, it's difficult to see much success there except that most of the images DO contain nude subjects.

HOWEVER, what I think would be more effective would be to ask members to be a little more critical of their own work and to place their images where they REALLY belong in the forum.

I'd LOVE to see a section devoted to baby pictures, and another section devoted to seniors imagery. After all, these are distinct imagery genres, just as G&N&G is a genre. Weddings has its own forum. It is actually a subsection of people, but it has its own forum.

Maybe we can post a sticky saying "Post Your Baby Pictures Here", and another saying "Post Your Bad Attitude Seniors Pictures Here", and maybe another saying "People Lighting Critiques Here." Perhaps then the board would be more functional for the people photographers.

I enjoy people photography myself, but when I have to wade through fifty Aunt Nelly with Baby pictures, I give up.

[cfcRebel]

Well, we bird guys had to deal with similar situation before the Birds forum was born. The "look what my kitty did" and "my dog loves to chase its tail" photos have flooded the "Nature and Animals" forum. Don't get me wrong, i love dog and cat but a snap shot of them in N&A forum is just like a snap shot of "gf making funny face" in People forum. Thanks for mods and Pekka, Birds forum becomes a reality.

[Moppie]

Maybe we can have a "birds" subforum in the people forum? ;)

[cfcRebel]

Maybe we can have a "birds" subforum in the people forum? ;)Or a "Cool People" subforum under Birds forum. :lol:

[Annabel Doskey]

Maybe we can have a "birds" subforum in the people forum? ;)

If it's plucked, should it be placed in the Glamor and Nude and Glamor forum?

[Moppie]

If it's plucked, should it be placed in the Glamor and Nude and Glamor forum?


We'll let you be the judge of that shall we...... :lol:

[CyberDyneSystems]

If you are going to lobby for a new forum,. than let me suggest that you do just that.

A sure fire way to get yourself ignored, is to lobby to have images you don't particularly want to look at removed from your favorite stomping grounds.

ie: If the birders had argued as above, that they did not want to share bandwidth and forum space with kitten pics,. they'd still be in Nature and Animals.

What got a bird forum were arguments like;
* A large percentage of the N&A forum is now made up of bird images from avid birders.
* The quality level of the birders is getting higher and higher.
* The forum is attracting more and more very skilled avian photographers. Give them there own forum and we may see an influx of an even greater level.

...etc.

The same sort of arguments worked for the Motorsports section.

So go back to the drawing board, dream up what the missing forum is and why it needs to be here, and that will be the start. Come up with a real reason for a new forum,. not "my pictures drop off page one too fast" //insert whiny voice here
(aka "there all on Scottes' side" )

Dismiss the idea of fracturing a forum for fracturing's sake as it won't happen that way.
POTN will not be likely to "break up" forums for the purpose of giving anyone a more exclusive place to post. And don;'t come back with a place to toss out the ones you don't want to see either, as that's more of the same (ie: "Family Snapshots" forum so you can avoid it. )

[Moppie]

Exactly why I suggested a Studio/controlled lighting forum :)

Altough the reasoning I gave was a little different.

At some point in the future I think pure traffic numbers will drive a need for a topic or subject based split of the people forum, and I'm just offering what I hope is a non-judgemental solution. :)

[CyberDyneSystems]

Studio sounds like a good direction indeed :)

I still don't think traffic numbers has any bearing really. All the shares are getting faster.

Two notable categories were once contained within the "People" share, and now have forums of there own
Although G&N is a special case, it and Performing Arts were all lumped in with People until recently.

And as mentioned, Birds and in fact Macro came out of N&A.

[calicokat]

I do not know if more forums will help much. There are so many people on these forums now, and the volume of pictures even higher that alot of photos are buried on page two :eek: in a matter of minutes. And we all know, once a photo is on page two, its dead. I have seen some awesome shots with zero replies and then some snapshot with 15 replies, I guess the people have spoken

[queenbee288]

When most people get a new DSLR, the first thing they start off doing is taking photos of their friends and family. By posting those shots for comments they can learn and hopefully improve. I remember 3 yrs ago when I first got my dslr, my first couple of posts were my dog in the nature forum. Totally ignored. I began shooting my grandaughter when she came along. I found the people forum to be the most supportive and along with the "cute shots" some really good tips were thrown in. I don't have a studio set up (my dream) but I do some outdoor portraits for which I am paid and I think I have come a long way. A couple of mine done in the fall ...
I have a long way to go but I would not have come this far if not for the encouragement on my initial "cute baby pics".
http://queenbee288.smugmug.com/photos/104727221-M.jpghttp://queenbee288.smugmug.com/photos/104725803-M.jpg

[Claire]

Char, nice images. I keep looking at her gorgeous hair, looks perfect for a fall shot!

[queenbee288]

Thanks Claire, The amazing thing is that she doesn't color it at all. Of course I have boosted it a little in PS but the real thing is really lovely. I only posted these to prove that you can improve from the baby pics. If they seperate the forum then the only people hanging out in the snapshot section will be the newbies. Then who will advise them?