View Full Version : Front page needs updating more often
Main example is the voting panel to right...2 months old now ? Just some advice if you want to keep the new punters coming back :thumb:
The vote is automatically updated with the latest one, it just so happens that the 2 month old vote is the last one that we had :(
I appreciate the concern and regard for the well being, development and progress of the site though, unfortunately I have just gone through several months of sorting out with me emergrating this week, and EosD who does the vast majority of the front page work, has been busy doing his full time job.
We are equally as bothered by this but are still just a small site run by part time staff with good intentions. Keep proding us and hopefully we will get everything covered. :)
the site seems to e getting more popular now, i've seen mentions on fredmiranda and some other big site, there are more members now, maybe you should think about 'employing' another member or 2 to help out, voluntary of course :)
The vote is automatically updated with the latest one, it just so happens that the 2 month old vote is the last one that we had :(
OK new vote idea for you. Take a look at post here (http://www.thephotographyforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=35035#post35035)......choose a suitable face & give people a week to submit thier versions :icon_cool
the site seems to e getting more popular now, i've seen mentions on fredmiranda and some other big site, there are more members now, maybe you should think about 'employing' another member or 2 to help out, voluntary of course :)
The site generally only has a maximum of 30 members online at once, even in its busy times. As much as we would like it to be busier moderating 30 well behaved members is not really a struggle for one staff member let alone the six that we currently have.
The problem is not the moderation or the level of staff but the content that is mainly driven by the members (note I include the staff as members) which keeps the site interesting and hopefully makes everyone want to come back regularly. Unfortunately due to recent real life issues, some of the staff and more active members have had to step back from the site to deal (quite rightly) with more important things. Both of the Admins have had/still have other things to do, and to be fair only one of them (thanks EosD) does the updating to the main site. We also have two of our moderators less active due to real life issues, again this can't be helped and is a reflection of what we expect being a small site where everyone is noted by their contributions and also their absence.
That leaves us ticking along but development has all but stopped for the moment. We do have further ideas for improvements, articles, etc but as none of us do this as our job it has to be as and when we can make the time to develop them.
Bringing extra staff on board currently is not going to change that, as a normal member you can affect and influence the site more, in fact if you ask any of the staff here, it’s a disadvantage rather than a benefit.
Undoubtedly as the site does grow more (hopefully) then the staffing levels will be increased to match the members but for now the site doesn’t want to be a "staff only" zone. ;)
OK new vote idea for you. Take a look at post here (http://www.thephotographyforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=35035#post35035)......choose a suitable face & give people a week to submit thier versions :icon_cool
Its a nice idea and a stunning example but we recently tried something similar and it died on it ass. We simply posted one photo and asked everyone that wanted to alter, edit or generally just change it as they wished. Then we had a vote on which was the best/funniest etc. It only ran for two rounds as it wasn't very well supported.
Take the photography competition, it is well orgonised and recently the subjects have been easy yet unless the staff here constantly plug it the number of entries is very low. 5 entries for "food and drink" which everyone should have been able to enter something. If we can't get that running what chance do we have with something as advanced as the tutorial as you suggested? Don't get me wrong, I would love to see stuff like this being done on the site and would 100% support it, but I don't honestly think it would work.
Maybe we should have a poll to see what everyone else thinks? ;)
I'd say don't give up on the 'activities' just because there is a poor response to one or two.
I feel guilty now for not entering the food+drink one ;)
You'll never see me enter a editing challenge. I edit only if I really have to.
We have lots of members here who are real newbies at Photoshop et al, and the original thinking behind the Photoshop competition was just to fire peoples interest and get them to put that toe in the water by showing what could be done. The couple of stabs we've had at it have really only attracted interest from the more able 'shoppers and have often exhibited techniques way in advance of what most people need. It's just basic processing help which most people seem to need in the main and we do have some basic tutorials available for those folks, although we could do with more of them.
The problem is that writing these tutorials is extremely time consuming, involving lots of screenshots to get the message across and explain things properly. We're still a young site and as we grow the tutorials wil no doubt get added to and we can begin to cater for more advanced users too, but at the moment I tend to agree with Steve, the Photoshop Comp hasn't worked well in the past and I can only see it falling on it's face, but I agree - a poll might be the way to go to guage interest.
I've plenty more Photoshop tutorials in the pipeline to use here, but I'm currently studying the application in depth which is going to take some time.
Although I'm more interested in the advanced techniques at the moment, I'm learning (and re-learning) stuff that I would love to share with others without insulting their intelligence.
When you get past a certain level, what is advanced and what isn't becomes a blur and it's easy to presume too much.
When I see others work here too (CT is a classic example when it comes to post processing) I realise I don't really know that much :icon_eek:
What kept me here after my first nosey around was the excellent set of tutorials. many of which are now a permanent part of my workflow.
Having a front end like the one here makes all the difference between wether people sign up or sign up and stay.
I'm looking forward to throwing my tuppenceworth at it :D
Hello!
Steve has said pretty much everything that needs to be said, i may disable the poll option on the front, as it really doesnt do much at the moment!
*edit* No actually its ok!:coat:
I'd say don't give up on the 'activities' just because there is a poor response to one or two.
Sorry to dig the thread up again, but since I'm quite new here I'm still catching up with what goes on and trying to get a feel of things.
I'd like to show my support for getting more activities going aswell. At every other forum I've been involved with it has allways been extreamly hard to get new things going, all for the simple reason that people just arn't used to doing new things there, they're used to doing their usual thing then off they go to spend the rest of their spare time elsewhere. It can take a long time for people to commit their spare time to new things at an internet site... but stick with it and things will start to change, allbeit slowly :D
I've only been fully into photography for the past 3-4 months or so and have slowly been building up my kit and learning all I can about the main area's that interest me, and have now made this site my first port of call when the PC gets turned on. The main reasons for this, quite a bit of good info here, lots of friendly people, and it's a UK site based solely on photography.
The final point about it being a UK site is valid to me because it allows members to be able to interact with each other alot easier than the bigger foreign sites. Since the UK isn't that big a place you can realisticly organise members getting together at various points around the UK for shooting days etc. you only have to look at the interest in the TPF Winter Get Together http://www.thephotographyforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3680 to see you can pull things like this off. This is a great way to really make this feel like a community... You don't need loads of people at each day, a car full is easily enough to get things going but the more the better of course. Get someone who was there to write a report on the day with the others posting pictures and commenting on what a great day it was and you have the inspiration right there to get people involved in another shooting day, maybe in another part of the UK to let others who cant travel far enjoy it, things like the TPF Map http://www.thephotographyforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3810 make this alot easier to work out. Lots of things can roll on from it too, polls and competitions on the best pic of the day etc. etc.
I know everyone running the site has alot on (who dosen't, eh?) and I don't really mean this to sound like a pep talk, or maybe I do... Many times all you have to do is mention some of these things and you find members pick it up and run with it.
All these things (and plenty of others) can start to be gradually introduced as more members join, all that's needed is a bit of a consistant push in the right direction every now and again.
I hope this dosn't all come over as too much, especially from a new member, but to be honest this is the first place I've been to that has the potential to offer just about everything a UK person interested in photography would need... Great work so far folks, keep it going :)
Regards,
Iain.
Sorry to dig the thread up again, but since I'm quite new here I'm still catching up with what goes on and trying to get a feel of things.
First off Iain thanks for writing up your ideas and for your very kind words about what we have done so far. Also never apologise for speaking your mind especially if it with meant with nothing but good intentions as it is here.
I'd like to show my support for getting more activities going aswell. At every other forum I've been involved with it has allways been extreamly hard to get new things going, all for the simple reason that people just arn't used to doing new things there, they're used to doing their usual thing then off they go to spend the rest of their spare time elsewhere. It can take a long time for people to commit their spare time to new things at an internet site... but stick with it and things will start to change, allbeit slowly :D
The site has been live now since the end of January this year and although has gone through several changes design wise (both the main site and forums) our intentions and direction have not varied at all. Like you say it takes a while for people to buy into things and also not everyone will want to take part in everything as people just like different things. We will continue to try new things and support the old, the odd hiccup will not put us off but there will be ideas and suggestions that although are sound, may just not work here for one reason or another.
I've only been fully into photography for the past 3-4 months or so and have slowly been building up my kit and learning all I can about the main area's that interest me, and have now made this site my first port of call when the PC gets turned on. The main reasons for this, quite a bit of good info here, lots of friendly people, and it's a UK site based solely on photography.
We are very fortunate to have gained many members that are not only skilled and willing to share that knowledge and help but they are also very friendly and a lot of fun too. We like to keep the site as family friendly but not prudish and I feel we have that balance just right. Maintaining that as we grow is the hard part but it remains one of the goals that we are committed to. We don’t mind discussing any topic but the site will always be a photographic site, its main content will therefore be aimed at people like you who have just set of on the photography route right through to the professional side as well. We all want the best equipment but there will always be room on this site for people with any interest in photography, no matter what camera they have or aspire to have.
The final point about it being a UK site is valid to me because it allows members to be able to interact with each other alot easier than the bigger foreign sites. Since the UK isn't that big a place you can realisticly organise members getting together at various points around the UK for shooting days etc. you only have to look at the interest in the TPF Winter Get Together http://www.thephotographyforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3680 to see you can pull things like this off. This is a great way to really make this feel like a community... You don't need loads of people at each day, a car full is easily enough to get things going but the more the better of course. Get someone who was there to write a report on the day with the others posting pictures and commenting on what a great day it was and you have the inspiration right there to get people involved in another shooting day, maybe in another part of the UK to let others who cant travel far enjoy it, things like the TPF Map http://www.thephotographyforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3810 make this alot easier to work out. Lots of things can roll on from it too, polls and competitions on the best pic of the day etc. etc.
Some good points there but the web is world wide and we welcome any English speaking/writing member. That does not stop any members organising get-togethers and meets and indeed we have already managed to do a Chester Zoo trip before I emigrated to Germany. The Donna Nook event that Matt is currently spearheading will be a great day out for all that attend and it will give some great opportunity for photos. I am sure there will be a great buzz on the forums following that day and only wish I could make it back to join in. I welcome all and any suggestions about activities irrespective of them being web based as in polls or mini comps or in real life using the forums as a board to arrange. Any of the admin/Moderators here can help with polls and the members can start threads at will, calling on the assistance of us if needed. We will be glad to help.
I know everyone running the site has alot on (who dosen't, eh?) and I don't really mean this to sound like a pep talk, or maybe I do... Many times all you have to do is mention some of these things and you find members pick it up and run with it.
All these things (and plenty of others) can start to be gradually introduced as more members join, all that's needed is a bit of a consistant push in the right direction every now and again.
That’s a small issue at the moment, the site is funded privately by myself so everyone that helps here, including the members that I never overlook, do so out of kindness and a willingness to help…basically they do it for free. As such I welcome any assistance no matter how little as and when they can. I expect nothing and gain a great deal from everyone. In return we get a site that is friendly and offers a small service and friendly place to hang out on the net. We have a lot of ideas and plans for the future but it does take time, at the moment that is limited for the core staff so development is slow. That is not ideal but it is a situation that is out of my hands for now. It will change in the future though.
I hope this dosn't all come over as too much, especially from a new member, but to be honest this is the first place I've been to that has the potential to offer just about everything a UK person interested in photography would need... Great work so far folks, keep it going :)
Regards,
Iain.
As I said in my opening passage, all comments are welcomed, good and bad. We try to answer and explain what is going on behind the scenes and are willing to attempt most things if we feel they will be a benefit. If not we will explain why it is not possible, some ideas we do like but may find impossible to implement at that time, if that’s the case they will be held and attempted when possible.
Hope that helps a little and thanks for the ideas and encouragement.
I forgot to add that if there is anything that you feel we have overlooked or forgotten about, just either bump the thread or drop the person concerned a private message to remind them. We are all human and forget/overlook stuff that we may have said we would attened to, but none of us will mind the odd polite prod every now and then to jog our memories ;)
That's great Steve, thanks alot for the detailed reply. :thumb:
I didn't mean my points about this being a UK based site to come across as that it should be a UK exclusive site, I mean't more that since we have such a high number of UK based members that we should take advantage of that situation and push to do more things that maybe cant be done as easily or at all on a more international board, sorry if I was unclear with this.
I understand this is a young privately owned site and that it'll take a lot of hard work and time to get it to the places you obviously have hopes for it to go... but just reading through the thread I got the feeling some of you were getting a little downbeat about the lack of interest shown from members towards some of the ideas presented. Lol, so I suppose it was a bit of a pep talk :eyesup: but I'd hate to see your spirits drop after coming so far allready... I'm now seeing that this isn't the case. Good luck mate :)
Regards,
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