jewel said:
I visit many other photography sites out on the net, as I"m sure most of you all do as well. I was just curious as to why the galleries are free here on this site and we don't have to pay for it annually like most other sites? Will a fee eventually come into play one day?
Jewel.
Thats a very good question Jewel. The whole idea of this site was to give something back to the community for free, be that advice, a place to hang out, a fun monthly competition, critique on pictures, somewhere to meet like minded people or just to show off some of your pictures. I get a great deal of enjoyment from my photography and would like to help others achieve the same. I also get a great deal of satisfaction watching others improve; here I can see that from the comfort of my home and just maybe take a little credit for helping along the way.
At this time I am bearing all costs personally, including my time to develop and maintain the site. I have the kind assistance of Matt (EosD) on the design front and the other two Admin Team members are always lurking keeping an eye on things and offering sensible opinions to keep us on the straight and narrow. These other three people give their time and effort totally free as well, and for that I am eternally grateful. Without them these forums would cease to be.
As the forums and the community grow, so will the team that oversees the site. We are good (well the other three are) but cant monitor the whole site continuously and will need to increase the team by adding moderators. This will be by personal invitation only as and when we feel the time is right but unfortunately is an unpaid position.
The costs (money wise) to maintain the forums at this time are very reasonable, at least I think so and for the time being thats all that counts. As long as I can afford to pay the bills I will not be asking for any contributions from our members. If the costs escalate beyond my expectations we may at some point in the very distance future think about approaching manufacturers, software companies or other potential sponsors for donations in return for adverts, promotion etc. However this is not a route I would like to take as it could have a bearing on our independence, something that I am very proud off.
The galleries are the single biggest cost in terms of bandwidth and may get closed at some point to new members, or may become donation based for new members if the costs become excessive. However as long as the site and forums remain, those of you that have been here from the beginning supporting us will have The Photography Forums supporting them for free.
Hopefully that answers your very good question.
One last thing, the site may belong to me but its the community that makes it, if any of you have ideas on how it can be improved, what you would like to see, you may have an idea of a direction it should take..whatever, please post it on the forums, it will be discussed and whenever possible implemented. We also need help with articles, reviews, tutorials etc. anything that you feel could benefit your fellow members or potential new members. If you think you can offer something please contact either EosD or myself, we will be very happy to discuss how we can help.
[smilie=s: Still there is no harm in us having our dreams :wink: