Contingency planning for the future of F&C

sirch said:
@Harlequin565 has summed up the joys of running a forum very well, as is so often the case the software, servers, etc is the straight forward bit, the wet-ware is the trouble. Small forums IME don't get enough new content so they wither and die and I think that means it would need in the hundreds of regular contributors.

I too was thinking Flickr would be a convenient solution and I did even make a very half hearted attempt to kick something off for the more contemplative TP members earlier this year - https://www.flickr.com/groups/14722736@N25/ but it hasn't (yet) reached critical mass.
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Just to say thanks to all who have joined the flickr group and please feel free to add photos old or new to the group. One interpretation of the title "TP Collective" is Thoughtful Photography and I think (hope) that is the ethos we are trying to engender. Also feel free to start discussions there but it isn't in any way intended to replace Talk Photography so lets keep things going on here too.
 
Another thing that people might like to think about (or not, of course) is capturing some of their "legacy" content. There are a few extended posts of mine that I might download and update, then put them on my blog (which isn't really a photography blog; I've been meaning to make such a one for years, but needed a suitable Wordpress "theme" to get started and somehow, TP takes the energy that might otherwise go into that). Not that many folk do blogs these days, though if you're a Mac person and haven't downloaded NetNewsWire, then do, it could change your life!
 
There's a problem with moderation on forums with a subscription model, that should be obvious.
 
Someone said these words to me 'private subreddit' . Now I don't know what it means but it may have some bearing on this situation, discuss. :)
 
Andysnap said:
Someone said these words to me 'private subreddit' . Now I don't know what it means but it may have some bearing on this situation, discuss. :)
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My understanding is thus:
Reddit is like a massive forum, and each sub reddit is like a sub forum under it. So the content of the F&C section would be a good example of a subreddit. However in a forum, the newest post is at the top, whilst on a sub, the most voted post is at the top. Posts can be voted up (we think it's good) or voted down (we think it's bad). Content literally becomes a popularity contest.
Responses to posts are nested within the post and you can reply to individual replies, which sparks more conversations. It's a bit like the quoting system but it can kinda derail the conversation. Not worse, just different to forums. One of my favourite subs is /r/dadjokes as an example.

Images are pretty badly catered for in Reddit. You can't embed them into the post (only the OP). Something like "Show us your film shots" would be just a list of links out to Flickr or Imjur or some other image hosting platform. Can't even embed the images from Flickr like you can here.

In short, it would work, it would be free, but it wouldn't have the same functionality. And if you wanted to have separate "areas" to discuss things you would need a separate subreddit for it.
 
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I consider myself informed, thanks Ian :)
 
Harlequin565 said:
In short, it would work, it would be free, but it wouldn't have the same functionality. And if you wanted to have separate "areas" to discuss things you would need a separate subreddit for it.
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While you can't have separate areas, you can use tags to separate the topics. I believe you can have pre-determined tags too.

I did think of Reddit but a sub exists already for pretty much every topic this forum covers. Making another one doesn't make sense albeit being for UK folks (starting with those from this forum).
 
Andysnap said:
Someone said these words to me 'private subreddit' . Now I don't know what it means but it may have some bearing on this situation, discuss. :)
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This is probably getting a bit nerdy but Discord would seem better than Reddit because within a Discord server there can be sub-sections etc. However as I said earlier whatever alternative was used it would need a critical mass of people and in general if that means people using a new platform there will be a lot of inertia to overcome.
 
sirch said:
This is probably getting a bit nerdy but Discord would seem better than Reddit because within a Discord server there can be sub-sections etc. However as I said earlier whatever alternative was used it would need a critical mass of people and in general if that means people using a new platform there will be a lot of inertia to overcome.
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The issue I had with Discord (and it's similar to Reddit in this respect) is that it's not really designed as an information repository. It's mainly just for chat. You don't have self-contained "posts with replies" like Reddit (and forums) you just have "what you say" in each channel.

Edit: Sunny 16 podcast tried to launch a Discord (invite link here if you have Discord and want to have a look). I joined for about 3 days then left because it was a hot mess. As you can see they have about a billion channels to try and keep conversations on topic which doesn't work well IMO.
 
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Andysnap said:
Someone said these words to me 'private subreddit' . Now I don't know what it means but it may have some bearing on this situation, discuss. :)
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Yeah, Ian has it right. each sub has its own name which comes after an r/. Some examples if you want to have a look would be r/mediumformat, r/filmphotography or r/analog for filmies (which has 1.3 million members!) I also follow other subreddits for house plants, 3d printing, woodworking and even one for Lord of the Rings specific memes! Your home screen will show a mix of posts from all of the different subs that you are in.

Posts can be sorted in a group by popularity which means that the good posts rise to the top and the uninteresting ones fall to the bottom, which I guess is a good thing if you have a million+ members in a group. You can also sort by new so that the latest posts are always at the top, which would be better for a smaller sub. As Ian says, photos can only be posted as new individual post and will be the main subject of the post sitting at the top, so you couldn't have an ongoing lengthy photo thread. Comments are left underneath the post and those comments as well as every reply to them are nested rather than flat, which means that any tangent discussions or off-topic chat can be left to run without interrupting the main discussion. Useful when a certain few members here go off-topic!

This post on r/analog would be an example of a photo that's posted and then commented on, and this post would be an example of a discussion.

You would need to have a subreddit for each area of photography, as you can't have a sub-subreddit like you can with subforums. You could have a TP Fusty and Crusty sub on its own or an overall TP sub in which everything is posted, but you couldn't have a main TP one that's then subdivided into nature/film/landscapes etc. You can add a flair to a post (kind of like a tag) but I'm not sure if you can only view specific flairs.

To sign up you just need an email address and to think of a username, so no different to a normal forum really. Unlike FB you don't need to give Mr Suckerberg your name or mother's blood type.

I like Reddit because I can see a lot of different things that I'm interested in and it doesn't have all of the crap that comes with Facebook and Twitter. If you pick the subs that you're interested in then you only see posts that you'd want to see. Not what someone you don't remember from school's pet dog had for tea last week.

In short, I think a private subreddit specific to filmies could work as the group would be small and you wouldn't have to worry about trolls or having to moderate a large number of people that you don't know. But, if you are looking for a replacement for the whole of TP then it's not really suitable.
 
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Harlequin565 said:
The issue I had with Discord (and it's similar to Reddit in this respect) is that it's not really designed as an information repository. It's mainly just for chat. You don't have self-contained "posts with replies" like Reddit (and forums) you just have "what you say" in each channel.
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I know what you mean, I think both allow for Posts and Replies to a post but posts are just time/upvote sequenced so they are very different to a forum like this.
 
Carl Hall said:
even one for Lord of the Rings specific memes!
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This is what makes reddit shine when you find a very niche sub that seems to have been created just for your amusement. /r/bonappletea for malapropisms is mine :)
 
dmb said:
full of pointless argument.
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This is what I have found with most other forums and groups and is what will stop me ( and many others I would guess) from continuing to participate as an active member outside of TP.
Similarly , depending on what, if any changes are made here should new ´owners’ be found, will determine wether or not I stay around.
 
Harlequin565 said:
My understanding is thus:
Reddit is like a massive forum, and each sub reddit is like a sub forum under it. So the content of the F&C section would be a good example of a subreddit. However in a forum, the newest post is at the top, whilst on a sub, the most voted post is at the top. Posts can be voted up (we think it's good) or voted down (we think it's bad). Content literally becomes a popularity contest.
Responses to posts are nested within the post and you can reply to individual replies, which sparks more conversations. It's a bit like the quoting system but it can kinda derail the conversation. Not worse, just different to forums. One of my favourite subs is /r/dadjokes as an example.

Images are pretty badly catered for in Reddit. You can't embed them into the post (only the OP). Something like "Show us your film shots" would be just a list of links out to Flickr or Imjur or some other image hosting platform. Can't even embed the images from Flickr like you can here.

In short, it would work, it would be free, but it wouldn't have the same functionality. And if you wanted to have separate "areas" to discuss things you would need a separate subreddit for it.
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It’s a good job somebody’s up on the techy stuff and down with the kids. (y)
 
Asha said:
This is what I have found with most other forums and groups and is what will stop me ( and many others I would guess) from continuing to participate as an active member outside of TP.
Similarly , depending on what, if any changes are made here should new ´owners’ be found, will determine wether or not I stay around.
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No you won’t because unless it actually closes down the F&C section of TP is like the Hotel California.
 
I had to Google that, and I'm no wiser. The relevance of a song track escapes me. I must just be too old to appreciate modern allusions.
 
I just looked it up again. 1977 was virtually the day before yesterday. I never really left the (18)60s. I know that there was/is a TV program "Never mind the buzzcocks" (I think) but I've never seen it. My "education" has omitted popular music, literature (except that written in Latin or Greek), films etc. I'm appallingly ignorant on most things.
 
Well, you CAN leave but you MUST collect a refund of your joining fee in person from the office.
 
Nod said:
Well, you CAN leave but you MUST collect a refund of your joining fee in person from the office.
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Not as bad as the Hitchhikers Guide To the Galaxy

For years, the fabulously beautiful planet of Bethselamin increased its booming tourist industry without any worries at all. Alas, as is often the case, this was an act of utter stupidity, as it led to a colossal cumulative erosion problem. Of course, what else could one expect with ten billion tourists per annum? Thus today the net balance between the amount you eat and the amount you excrete while on the planet is surgically removed from your body weight when you leave; so every time you go to the lavatory there, it is vitally important to get a receipt.
 
I have to say guy's although I don't hang around here that often, I do admire the camaraderie, and your intentions of forming a contingency plan. ( lets hope that it isn't needed eh?)
Its just a shame that I haven't noticed anything like this in other the forums.

I've also noticed that many of those that only post in none photographic area's haven't had the decency to wish Marcel well, or indeed just post a (y) in his thread :(
 
Cobra said:
I've also noticed that many of those that only post in none photographic area's haven't had the decency to wish Marcel well, or indeed just post a (y) in his thread :(
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that's an interesting correlation...
last year has been sh*te for everything and everyone inc. photography :(
I hope TP doesn't make it to the "all the things I'll miss" list (even though I know this isn't plague related)
 
nandbytes said:
I hope TP doesn't make it to the "all the things I'll miss" list
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Me too I still have away to go, to hit that magic 100,000 posts :D
 
Perhaps it says something about the kind of person who uses film?[emoji6]

However I've noticed a welcome that goes beyond the medium from this group, and having met up with some, I'm happy for them to be friends in meatspace too.
 
Cobra said:
I have to say guy's although I don't hang around here that often, I do admire the camaraderie, and your intentions of forming a contingency plan. ( lets hope that it isn't needed eh?)
Its just a shame that I haven't noticed anything like this in other the forums.

I've also noticed that many of those that only post in none photographic area's haven't had the decency to wish Marcel well, or indeed just post a (y) in his thread :(
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This part of TP has always been a refuge of polite insanity, I have made so many great friends in this tiny section of the forum, I'd hate to lose contact with everyone, apart from Asha obviously, he can just f*** right off!
 
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