Welcome to the Forums
THIS IS REQUIRED READING FOR ALL FORUM MEMBERS
We will post a questionnaire on it later. The Title Fairy will consider your score before acting.
Photography on the.net Forums is a community for photographers, both hobbyists and professionals. Please take time to read this document through to get a feel for what the forums are like, how to start your life among us and how to make the best out of your time here. We are often referred as "POTN" (Photography-On-The.Net). If you have difficulties pronouncing POTN convincingly in dinner table discussions just say "poutine".
Foreword
My words "Feel free to discuss..." started the first post on Photography on the.net Forums. At that time, 27th of March 2001, digital cameras were in the slow process of maturing from merely technical curiosities to real expressive photographic tools, cameras that anyone could afford. Discussion forums with knowledge of both the digital tools and the art of photography simply didn't exist, the cameras were treated more like computers. I felt we needed a place to talk about Canon digital camera systems and especially about using them in real photography, how to get it done out there. I also wanted to get away from bad vibes and competitive bashing mentality to something more cosy, intelligent and on topic. I had gained some visibility with my Canon G1 gallery so people joined the new forum eagerly. I decided to make the forums moderated from day one, to get rid of spam, bad apples and sour grapes.
The community has grown very large but I am very happy to see we have been able to maintain that helpful and relaxed mood POTN is famous for. And we do strive to keep it going. For this we should thank our excellent staff of moderators who are always there, and our large base of resident members who gently guide newbies to the community and into the finer art of shooting ducks.
POTN founder,
Pekka Saarinen
The POTN Culture
When you start your journey with us you will notice a strange combination of relaxed mood and serious dedication to photography. You will learn why ducks are important, you'll get to know "man panties" and that POTN is spelled out "poutine" (greasy, but good). You will also notice how people who know a lot share their experience and talent without hesitation. This culture has been developed and refined over years, combining witty humor and having fun is what our members value most: the POTN mood is unique and enjoyable.
POTN has members from all countries, both professionals and amateurs, male and female, diverse ethnic backgrounds. Please respect this diversity and do not push your views down other people's throats - discussion, fun, knowledge, sharing and caring is what we value most.
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Then, let's get on to some practical issues:
Registering to POTN
You must register as a user if you want to
- view hosted photos in full
- create new threads
- reply to posts
- upload photos
- see hidden content like the Glamour & Nude forum
- .. and access many other things and preferences
Registering is free.
Note that multiple registrations are not allowed. If you for some reason registered more than once, PM moderators about it. If and when we detect multiple identities all those accounts will be banned.
Lost your password?
You can have the forum software send you a new pass if the old one is lost. Make sure you write down what email you used when registering because that is the mail address to which POTN will send instructions how to create your new password.
Posting
POTN uses the English language. We all can't speak perfect English (even those who are native English speakers), but with each try we all get more fluent with it. It's not a spelling contest. We write using western alphabet.
Take care where you post
Digital Photography Forums is divided into several subforums.
Take the time to read the forum descriptions on the front page so that you know what is where. Pay close attention to the larger divisions:
'Equipment Talk' section' - means gear talk
'Sharing Knowhow' section - share photographic knowledge, POTN community and pro discussion
'Photo Sharing' section - places you post photos for others to enjoy
'Marketplace' section - selling, buying, services, market discussions
'Forum Feedback' section - things related to POTN forum software and serverWhen you post, you should take time to post in the correct forum as this will give you the widest and most interested audience for that particular subject. Note that share forums are only for sharing photos and discussing those photos, not technique or gear talk.
Think before you post
Think of POTN as public plaza where everyone can hear what you say and everyone can reply to you. A place where you meet regulars every day and all the strangers know you too even if you don't know all of them yet. Remember:
- do not post when you are angry or under the influence (seriously!).
- respect members (especially newbies) by giving full answers, "do a search!" is not cool.
- personal attacks or harassment are not tolerated at all.
- political and religious discussions are not allowed.
- you must own copyright to all photos you post, or have permission from the artist.
- image posting rules are important for making POTN more readable to all
Rules
We do have rules. One of the most important is image posting rules in https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=51022. Signature rules are also important, signature size is limited for readability reasons.
Main rules can be read in https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=50442. Read it through. If you behave like you would normally behave with friends, strangers, family and elderly you'll be fine. Respect others!
Image rules are here: https://photography-on-the.net/forum/imagerules.php
When you post, the post editor will have all the uploading and embedding tools you need.
REPORT IT!
You seldom see any spam in POTN. To fight it we rely on our members, you, to report any post that is:
- spam
- rule violation (rude, racist, politics, religious, hate, personal attack and so on).
- in a wrong forum
- you want your post removed
- you see in title spelling errors that matter
- Marketing ANYTHING using forums'
PM or email system will be considered as spam, and that activity will end very fast into permanent ban for the offending member. Please report those as well.
By reporting you help keeping POTN spam free and flowing well. When you report a post, all mods will see it immediately in their own moderator area, and it will be handled ASAP. Moving posts may not happen if mods do not feel it needs to be moved. Reporting a post is also a quick way to bring some urgent matter to moderator attention.
Thank you for reporting posts!
Spam
Posts deemed as being spam (unsolicited advertisements for products or services) will be deleted immediately. Users that post spam will be banned immediately.
Following threads
You can follow threads by clicking FOLLOW THREAD button, they are all around. By following threads you get notifications on new posts and also emails of those if you wish. Notifications info is located on top of every page and you can click it to view the list. All settings are explanations are in FYEO: https://photography-on-the.net …eo.php?show=notifications.
Searching
We have a very fast search tool. Use it as much as you like!
It can be accessed from top right corner of every page, or at https://photography-on-the.net/forum/search.php. Many pages like member info has automated search links which open search up and set it up as needed.
Search has history, search result sharing etc.
Also, check out stickies on each forum. Master Sticky list is available on 'Forum Talk' forum. It is a good way to start, a vast array of information gathered by members.
Common problems
Where did my post go?
If moderators finds your post in the wrong area they will move it to correct one. If you misplace your own posts you see a list of them through your post subscription page.
If your post is deleted this was done for a reason. Think back and you'll know the reason why the post was removed. Sometimes mods move controversial thread to storage before the actual decision of removing or locking is done.
I get an error page when I try to post or reply!
Glamour & Nude, Marketplace and some other areas may have restricted access. Read the stickies on those forums and you'll see how it works.
If you get an error page when reading a thread you have already been to, it is most likely that that thread has been removed from public view.
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/fyeo.php is full of tools to track down your post and view history.
The Staff
The Moderator is your friend.
Please respect and obey our moderators. They are volunteer workers, active members of POTN, who help maintain POTN. If they ask you to do something or else comment on your behavior just learn from the experience and simply comply. Remember: if you start a fight with a mod, you will always lose. If you are polite and respect the voluntary work mods are doing, you will be treated well even if you blunder. Mods are there to help you.
..but when you are bad the moderator is your jury
Most serious offenders will be banned from the forums, forever or for a specific length of time. Moderators discuss ban decisions together, banning is not done on a whim. Complaints are put to the bottom of bottom drawer. Don't let things come to that, read the rules and oh, behave!
Admins
Pekka and Cyberdynesystems are admins. They have absolute power on everything.
Donations
Servers cost money, POTN is free for all.
If you feel POTN Forums and great and should go on and on and on and you have some extra lint in your pocket feel free to donate some for server & bandwith costs. See this thread for more info: https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=57667
Have fun with POTN!
The Staff
