What happened to the POTN forum?

I took a short hiatus from photography for about 18months or so and when I came back to this forum I feel like the volume of posts has been drastically reduced.

Did something happen, am I missing something? Did people migrate to a new forum? Or am I mistakenly thinking that that forum used to be much, much more active a year or 2 ago?

Facebook, Instagram etc

Choderboy wrote in post #19071513
Facebook, Instagram etc

What a shame. Things change quick. Instagram and Facebook have their places, but definitely no substitute for the level of discussion/learning that can be achieved on a forum

mannetti21 wrote in post #19071510
I took a short hiatus from photography for about 18months or so and when I came back to this forum I feel like the volume of posts has been drastically reduced.

Did something happen, am I missing something? Did people migrate to a new forum? Or am I mistakenly thinking that that forum used to be much, much more active a year or 2 ago?

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There are a good many members who used to be quite active, regularly making several posts a day. . These very active members were the mainstay of this forum. . Somehow, many of those folks have just disappeared, and don't post at all anymore. . And then there are some members in that category who still frequent the forum, but only post a few times a week instead of 5 or 10 times a day. . It is frustrating to me, because I want this forum to be even more active than it used to be, not less active.

An enormous number of members have been been permanently banned from the forum; I wonder if this has had a cumulative effect that has resulted in fewer posts and less activity. . I mean, a few dozen bans over a decade wouldn't have a big effect, but when there are hundreds of bans over that time, and many of the banned members were those who posted most frequently, that has to have had a severe effect on overall post volume.

Personally, I like lots and lots and lots of activity, and the more controversial, and more heated, the more enjoyable it is. . Those feisty, argumentative members brought a lot to the forum that really made me want to engage.

Those who are left are nice enough, albeit a bit "soft" when it comes to heated, argumentative discussions. . They just aren't cut out for it the way I am, and I feel like there's nobody left to really get into it with.

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Travel is restricted in many places, limiting the chance to go far from home for photos. If you want to see frantic activity, though, check out the Bird Portraits thread!

Activity reduced long before COVID.
EOS Cameras: the 11th post was yesterday. Then 2 posts for the day before.

I remember when the entire first page would be less than 24 hours old.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #19071518
...An enormous number of members have been been permanently banned from the forum; I wonder if this has had a cumulative effect that has resulted in fewer posts and less activity....

I don't wonder.

Choderboy wrote in post #19071601
...EOS Cameras: the 11th post was yesterday. Then 2 posts for the day before. I remember when the entire first page would be less than 24 hours old....

And this one is perhaps my favorite forum. I like helping people with technical questions (which helps me learn more). I'm a little bit sad that there isn't more activity in this forum. In fact, I can see my own "last post" in the screen shot above and that was 4 days ago. Yeah, it's gone quiet.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #19071518
An enormous number of members have been been permanently banned from the forum;

I was not aware this had happened at all....

It's a reflection of what's happening to photography, casual photographers switch to cell phones. They don't need the technical expertise and there are plenty of sharing platforms out there. Older members who fade away are not replaced at the same rate.

I've been wondering about the bans. When I first signed on after the hiatus, I saw so many members with the banned sticker over their name, many who had thousands of posts and I specifically recalled being contributing members. Did someone go on a power trip, was there a change in rules, was there a specific hot topic that resulted in people losing their minds?

The only "event" I can loosely connect the decline in volume with would be when they changed the name/layout of the forum... or maybe I'm imagining this....but was the forum not "Canon Photography on the Net" some short time ago? I remember most topics being Canon related and then a few subforums for other brands. I feel like the name and format change happened and then the next time I showed up, bam, ghost town. Could be coincidence, but the entire forum experience here feels different since then.

Inspeqtor wrote in post #19071682
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I was not aware this had happened at all....
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Charles,

It is rather surprising to me that you have not been aware of the prolific banning practices here. . Do you not look through old threads in the archives? . If you did, you would see what the OP sees:
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mannetti21 wrote in post #19071712
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I've been wondering about the bans. When I first signed on after the hiatus, I saw so many members with the banned sticker over their name, many who had thousands of posts and I specifically recalled being contributing members. Did someone go on a power trip, was there a change in rules, was there a specific hot topic that resulted in people losing their minds?
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I don't know that it's a power trip, necessarily. . But I will say that of all the online forums I frequent, this one is the most aggressively censored one, by a long shot. . And posts are removed in the most heavy-handed, authoritative way I have ever seen anywhere.

On every other forum I frequent, I feel free to be open and honest - to say what I really think and really feel on any topic. . Here, I can't do that. . If I say something honestly, then it will be removed or I will get warned and threatened with a ban, or, even worse, the thread will get locked so no one can ever respond to what I've said ever again. . It's just the way it is here, and you have to just shut up and take it or they will get rid of you.

The software here is the best I've ever seen or used, so there are some really great things about this forum. . Most other photography forums have software that is quite clunky and doesn't always allow you to do things the way you want to. . I do really enjoy using software that is well-written and a forum that is laid out and organized in a most sensible way. . If only they weren't so heavy-handed and authoritative with the censorship, it would be absolutely perfect!


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Choderboy wrote in post #19071601
Activity reduced long before COVID.
EOS Cameras: the 11th post was yesterday. Then 2 posts for the day before.

I remember when the entire first page would be less than 24 hours old.

Hosted photo: posted by Choderboy in
./showthread.php?p=190​71601&i=i184646924
forum: The Lounge

Exactly. There were times when I would make a post and have to search through the first 3 pages to find it again if I was away for more than a hour or two.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #19071725
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Charles,

It is rather surprising to me that you have not been aware of the prolific banning practices here. . Do you not look through old threads in the archives? . If you did, you would see what the OP sees:
.

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I don't know that it's a power trip, necessarily. . But I will say that of all the online forums I frequent, this one is the most aggressively censored one, by a long shot. . And posts are removed in the most heavy-handed, authoritative way I have ever seen anywhere.

On every other forum I frequent, I feel free to be open and honest - to say what I really think and really feel on any topic. . Here, I can't do that. . If I say something honestly, then it will be removed or I will get warned and threatened with a ban, or, even worse, the thread will get locked so no one can ever respond to what I've said ever again. . It's just the way it is here, and you have to just shut up and take it or they will get rid of you.

The software here is the best I've ever seen or used, so there are some really great things about this forum. . Most other photography forums have software that is quite clunky and doesn't always allow you to do things the way you want to. . I do really enjoy using software that is well-written and a forum that is laid out and organized in a most sensible way. . If only they weren't so heavy-handed and authoritative with the censorship, it would be absolutely perfect!

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I disagree. This forum is one of the best managed, and consistent with its rules. I've had one post removed, and I did get a reason from the moderators.

Thank you to the moderators- it's a tough job, and they do it well.

Maybe some well targeted advertising dollars would make a difference. I've never seen this forum marketed anywhere on Flickr, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or any other place you would expect photographers (casual or professional) to be browsing.

There is a HUGE market for new forum members, not in spite of cell phone photography, but BECAUSE of cell phone photography. People are happy shooting with their phones because many of them don't know any better. Enticing the casual photographer to join would be a great way to get people engaged and allow them to develop their skills while adding new blood to the community.