Where is every one

[bigbob]

It seems to me that this forum has gong quiet over the last few months so where is every body

[Tim N]

I know what you mean Bob, I have noticed that some people have dropped off the radar totally and some others seem to only be posting rather infrequently. I know I have been busy with school and now with the new job search so havent been taking the camera out as much as I would like but hopefully soon !

[Analog6]

I've been somewhat busy too.  And now I have a rotten cold so have spent most of the last couple of days in bed.

[Tim N]

I hope its not the same cold I am STILL recovering from ... its been hanging on for about 2 weeks now !
Did you get my email Odille ?

[Ross and Cher]

Bob

Like everyone else, we lead a relatively busy life – two jobs, plus two boys playing footy down the road plus time with the  grandkids – we have travelled 15,000 kilometres in 3 and bit months and yes we have still taken a lot of images not posted here.
 
What attracted us to LAF originally (and we signed up a month or so after it kicked off) was the community feel that Mark AKA Admin Dude set out to foster! In my opinion this “spirit” has waxed and waned over time but for me at least (Cher can add her own opinion in due course) over the last 6 months the spirit has dropped considerably – little to no commenting on images, etc etc.

Maybe time to cut with the bull&*&^  -and decide what we are about -  if we are all  trying to improve our “art” , what about some serious C & C rather than “I like number two” or “nice set” etc – only my opinion but time others stepped up to the plate!

What is the future direction of LAF - If it is going to be a “community” and serious about helping each other improve, happy to be involved , if not, I, like many others, will drift off into cyber space!!!!
 
Solution – as I/we have said from the day we joined – if you want an active and vibrant community, it takes effort and interaction from the community!
 

[bigbob]

You are correct Ross there dose seam too be a small group of us mostly the ones that joined in the first few months that bother to even post never mind comment. I had the same reason for joining as you the intended community spirit and you all sounded so friendly and helpfull ( i joined about a month after you ).
I belong to another forum where all members are required to be active, if you do not post for 4 weeks without notification you are dropped as a member, if you are not out taking pictures yourself then you are expected to comment on others pictures this site has only 92 members but they are all active, they charge a membership fee of £5 not a lot but it dose stop time wasters and a lot of spammers from joining.
I would like to see L.A.F carry on but you are again correct it needs a huge kick in the rear end and perhaps a new direction, let us have a page just for critique this way you will not get comments like ( good shot, yes I'm guilty of that myself ) you will get genuine feedback. It really dose annoy me when members take the trouble to welcome a new member only to findout that that is the last that we here from them. I'm going to call it a day on this subject before you all start calling me a whinging pom. Hope to here some good news on here later

[tommykelso]

I for one am guilty of not posting as much as I should... Usual excuses being busy with work, kids & life in general.  The fact is I don't get out wit the camera as much as I would like.. I work 6 days a week and work long hrs and when I am not working I am having fun with my 2 young children and wife. 

I really like this forum/community as it's a friendly place and, unlike other forums, when you post a picture, it actually gets noticed and not lost in hundreds of others being posted as what happens in other forums.

I think the vibe has been lost from our wee community. 

Not to pick on admin dude but even he doesn't seem to take much interest in it.  Simple monthly competitions get messed up due to lack of admin duties etc.. makes it very frustrating.  Too many threads opened and not even being followed up on.

I will try to participate more guys! 

[Tim N]

Ross, I like the idea of serious C+C on some photos, Perhaps we can get a dedicated section on the front page so people can post photos on which they would like some serious C+C ?
OR
Like I know Odille sometimes does, ask if you want some C+C on your photos, I know I have a couple of times and people have come up with some excellent suggestions on how to improve my photos, either through some photoshop tweaks or going back and totally re-composing shots.

I too feel that there has been less and less participation over the last couple of months (guilty as charged ) and I REALLY hope we can keep this forum going as I agree with Tommy that in the larger forums your photos get lost in the hundreds and rarely get commented on.

[bigbob]

I have had some time on my hands over the last week and i have spent it looking through our membership list or more accurately there websites did you know? from our forum you can buy anything from Viagra to a boat or even a Russian bride even borrow money from loan sharks, these are professionals who know how to bypass the the simple scrutiny of the average photographer. So take a guess at how many people are using L.A.F to do there shopping it just needs a link from another site and hay presto they are buying from here and no one knows anything about it.
Sorry to keep on but i want to see this forum survive so i will not let this thread die. So i will keep posting here until someone tells me to shut up or you kick me out but we do need a big sort out.
Thanks for listening Bob

[Carmyllie]

I've not added to this thread until now , simply because I've been feeling sad about the apparent demise of our much loved forum.

When I resumed my photographic interests early last year and chanced upon LAF, I was truly excited. There were many reasons why so, primarily because I was able to share. Sharing in the pursuit of a passion, an interest, in the opportunity to lay myself open as an artist to receive much valued comment and critique.

I hear what you are saying Bob. I also agree totally with Ross's sentiment.

Survival of the fittest is only ever going to be possible IF our administrative powers actually administer. We're only going to crawl through this abyss IF we want to.

I want to.

I believe in my fellow photographer's work, their art, their attempts to excel.

If we retrack the contributing members and individually contact them asking puropse meant questions on a simple questionannaire, then perhaps we'll know why everyone has vanished or chosen NOT to participate? We need to try at least.

I personally know of members who have chosen to abstain because of the fact their works were removed without authority. we got through that. We can get through the current apathy also I believe.

What do you all think?

Jenn

[Tim N]

I personally know of members who have chosen to abstain because of the fact their works were removed without authority. we got through that. We can get through the current apathy also I believe.

Jenn, the problem was with the forum program itself not someone removing pictures because they felt like it !

I have written to Mark privately and expressed the possibility of another helping with the administrative load but it needs someone with very savy computer skills (not to mention time) from what he was saying, plus he doesnt want this site to become over moderated.

Bob, these people who are signing up and just putting a web address in their signature are not technically spamming the site until they make offensive / nuisance posts ... same as people who are signing up and not making any posts ... I have a couple of forums where I have signed up and rarely if ever post ...

Even still I agree with the issues which have surfaced through the thread ... Not enough proper C+C to help develop peoples skills, too few members actually posting and those few members are starting to drift away now ... we are in danger of collapse !

I hopefully will get some photos up soon which I have taken recently now that I am going to have some time on my hands !

[bigbob]

Tim i can understand Mark's concern about over moderating the forum and letting someone Else loose on the admin side (we haven't herd from Mark yet ) but i think that we have reached the point where it has to happen or we are in danger of disappearing and i for one don't want that to happen. Those of you on here that post and comment on a regular basis i concider to be friends, we may never meet but through pictures we have met each others families,children, grandchildren and of course our latest addition Isla we have known her since birth well just after. So laf is to me a family comunity that has temporally lost it's way hopfully we can get sorted out and come through this,once again thanks for listening

[tommykelso]

I say we all do a blitz on advertzing the site???

Any social networks we are part of (facebook, twitter etc) post a link up

Post links on free classified websites, such as Gumtree etc, in the photography or groups sections??

Any photography groups we are part of or in photography circles??

Attract new membership and rejuvenate the site??

[Analog6]

It's really puzzling as I get at least 2-3 new member emails a day - as a moderator I get notified when a new member joins - yet these people never post.

Blitzing it on all your social networking sites sounds like a good idea to me, I have it on my blog and in my signature on other forums where permitted.

[nishi59]

I know I have been busy with school and now with the new job search so havent been taking the camera out as much as I would like but hopefully soon



صور