Notice Some big changes coming to TP

It'll be a great shame if the forum is lost and I sincerely hope that it's not the case. I'm a member of another - non-photography-related - forum that went through a similar situation where the founder and owner took the decision to step down for personal reasons. That one has gone from strength to strength since, although it did take work and dedication to get things set up and running in a sustainable format (it had to be set up officially, with elections and stuff, and has a voluntary paid membership programme which helps fund it's operating costs - although full forum functionality still exists for non-paid members). I'm hopeful that, given the membership of TP and the wealth of resource and content it provides, that it too will continue to thrive long into the future.

I've only been a member here a few years, so was unaware of the early days of the forum and it's inception. I can imagine the work that has been put in over the years by @Marcel the mod team and others, and I'm greatful to have found the place fully formed and full of life when my photography itch kicked back into gear. Whatever the outcome of the situation, thank you.
 
It'd be a shame to see this place disappear, but the health of you and your loved ones is all important. The rest doesnt really matter. Make sure you look after yourself Marcel
 
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As everyone has said Marcel, your own welbeing is the most important.

I do hope that Talk Photography does continue though. I've learnt so much on here over the last 8 years.
 
I've hardly been a prolific member over the last 10 years but have always found the forum a friendly and informative place, would be sorry to see it go and from the comments above it sounds like there should be enough interest to keep it going. Well done to Marcel and the team for keeping this going and something gets sorted.
 
Id like to echo the comments already made. This is my main residence on the internet. While I have slowly been using my camera less and less, I hope that when I do start to take some more photographs TP will still be around to give me some really high quality advice. As well as those well meaning comments that people make instead of telling me my photos are cr4p!
Ive made occasional donations to other forums and would happily do so for TP. That would be my preference as a subscription will remove the open door policy a forum needs to be successful.
 
Ive made occasional donations to other forums and would happily do so for TP. That would be my preference as a subscription will remove the open door policy a forum needs to be successful.

I agree, I think subscriptions probably won’t work. Possibly donations with an advertised monthly max, min, average and totals but otherwise anonymous might work. I give a monthly donatation to a free photo blog via Patreon, which I don’t recommend for donations but they handle small sums cheaply as I understand it, charges being a problem.
 
Thanks @Marcel - hope you look after yourself.
TP has been such a part of my photography journey since 2009 - not many posts here but so much inspiration and advice from members.
 
Blimey, it would be awful if the forum were to fall by the wayside. That said, thank you @Marcel for the amazing job you've done to date, and all the very best for the future. Your health is far, far more important than an Internet forum.

Fingers crossed that a solution is found, as this is one of the better hangouts that I know of.
 
I can't really add anything to the rest of the comments other than to say my sentiments echo them. Would love to see this place continue, lots of good people on here and i have learnt a lot from many of them but you have to put your own health first above all else.
 
You've given a great deal to this forum Marcel, and it's time to look after yourself now. Take care, and all the best for the future.

I've been a member for a few years, so thanks to the other staff and mods too. I've never met any of you, but I appreciate everything you've done.
 
I agree, I think subscriptions probably won’t work. Possibly donations with an advertised monthly max, min, average and totals but otherwise anonymous might work. I give a monthly donatation to a free photo blog via Patreon, which I don’t recommend for donations but they handle small sums cheaply as I understand it, charges being a problem.

Subscriptions don't have to be mandatory though. Another forum, to which I subscribe, has a number of options including society memberships and donor memberships. These cost at maximum £10 PA. Other than supporting the forum financially, the only additional benefit is access to a subscriber-only sub-forum. All the rest of the content is available whether someone subscribes / donates or not - all they need to do is create a forum account to access it. Even without an account, many parts of the forum are available to browse by anyone with internet access.

Voluntary subscriptions allow a forum to be funded by those willing and able to do so without removing access for those who choose not to.

Obviously funding is only part of it though - the question of time and effort to manage, maintain, and moderate is also important
 
Subscriptions don't have to be mandatory though. Another forum, to which I subscribe, has a number of options including society memberships and donor memberships. These cost at maximum £10 PA. Other than supporting the forum financially, the only additional benefit is access to a subscriber-only sub-forum. All the rest of the content is available whether someone subscribes / donates or not - all they need to do is create a forum account to access it. Even without an account, many parts of the forum are available to browse by anyone with internet access.

Voluntary subscriptions allow a forum to be funded by those willing and able to do so without removing access for those who choose not to.

Obviously funding is only part of it though - the question of time and effort to manage, maintain, and moderate is also important

Its a knotty problem :(. There are people (no idea what proportion) who are unable unwilling to make regular payments and the system you describe doesn’t ‘advertise’ the effect/results of subs so how does it encourage more subs?
 
Live Long and Prosper.

Your Health is the Most important thing, so take this Big step and know the Talk Photography Site has meant a lot to Members and Guests alike.

Thank YOU for giving Me something to do through the Years.

All the Best.

Richie.
 
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As a relatively newbie here, being an occasional poster but a frequent lurker, I would like to add my thanks to @Marcel and all the others behind the scenes for a very informative and friendly forum. I have learnt quite a lot here (whether I can remember it is another matter) for which I am very grateful. As others have so eloquently said your health must come first.

I sincerely hope that somehow TP continues, I wish I could be of assistance but my skills regretfully are all out of date.

Good luck.

Howard
 
Just like to say thank you to all who worked tirelessly behind the scenes.

I see a few posts offering subs and such and I’ve also seen a few saying it’s not the money.

Could I ask how or what this needs to stay alive ?

I’ve not been here long but from absolute complete novice and getting advise on my first ever Camara to becoming not such a noob but still could catch a cold with my camera

Every bit of advise and help throughout has come from here, and still is, it’s always my go to place.

Hopefully all goes well.
 
Its a knotty problem :(. There are people (no idea what proportion) who are unable unwilling to make regular payments and the system you describe doesn’t ‘advertise’ the effect/results of subs so how does it encourage more subs?

The benefit of becoming a subscriber (for me at least) is that it helps ensure that a forum I use regularly doesn't disappear. I'm not sure how many active members there are on TP, but it's likely that it will only be a certain percentage of them that will voluntarily subscribe, but probably* enough to provide the funding required. Everyone else gets to continue as before. Some people won't want to subscribe or donate for financial reasons, others because they are only occasional visitors etc. but I'm pretty confident that there will be plenty of people who would contribute.

Thiis may all be academic as it's possible that advertising will cover the costs of the forum in whatever shape it (hopefully) continues to operate. I just wanted to point out that subscriptions don't need to be a barrier. A lot of people will not subscribe and notice no difference. The ones that do get that nice warm fuzzy feeling of helping out. :)

* I'm making assumptions, but hopefully not unrealistic ones.
 
I know from running my own forum that you need to be a multi-hatted administrator.

- IT - you generally have to be reasonably IT literate and able to manage a hosted server with php and mysql and all that involves - backups, cronjobs. You have to be able to install and run the forum software which is generally php based using mysql as a database. Hosted servers with plenty of bandwidth costs money, and the software is licensed and has an annual cost. You have to keep on top of security patches as you don't want to accidentally become a distributor of malware or viruses and you don't want people to hack in stealing passwords and emails. Popular forums get bombarded by spam bots trying to boost traffic to websites, so you need to set up policies to help prevent those

- Moderator - you set the rules so you have to be seen to police the rules with a fair and consistant manner. You can appoint moderators to act on your behalf.

- Financial - whilst subscription packages is largely automatic, if you are seeing sponsorship or advertisers then you need to be able to pitch to them, and to be able to provide stats. You're also now running a tiny company so have to keep on top of accounts and any tax return you may need.

There are companies who can assist with management of servers and forums, but at a cost, so many forum members use their own time and possibly seek some skills that its members can provide.

And doing all this takes away from the opportunity to do the think you started the forum in the first place - photography.
 
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Wow. I didn't expect there to be this many responses!
I'm honestly and truly humbled by the number and content of your replies, and I'm overwhelmed at the messages of encouragement and offers of support, both on here and via PM.
Thank you so much. I know it sounds corny, but TP has been a massive part of my life for 16 years. To step back is a hard decision to take.

Thank you also for the kind words of support regarding my mental health.
I just want to clarify this isn't the reason I'm stepping back. I'm fine :)
It's just a part of some bigger decisions I need to make. My full time job takes a lot of my time now too, so doing all the things like andrewc describes above I don't really have the time for.

However I have a responsibility to you all as a community, so I think it only fair to the membership that I hand over the baton, hence why Im stepping down and handing over the reigns to someone trusted.
I could try and sell out to one of those companies that will just ram it full of advertising, but that goes against everything I beleive in and the whole ethos I've used to shape the forums for the past 16 years. It's why the advertising on here is very minimal and unobtrusive. It's a free, welcoming and user-friendly community for like minded people, and long may it stay that way.

I know from running my own forum that you need to be a multi-hatted administrator.
....

Absolutely spot on. There is a lot to it. (There is also a lot that can be automated!). It's a big juggle some times!!!!
Especially when I get a WhatsApp from Cobra telling me the forums have fallen over!

But it's the middle of the day
I'm in work
Don't finish for another 7 hours.
Can only try and do my best remotely on my lunch break with my phone. (Can't even use work computers).
Fail
Eventually fix it when I get home, hungry.
:D


I'd also like to thank everyone for the private offers of involvement. I currently have someone to potentially take over the running of the forums, but if that falls thruogh then I'll contact those with an open mind to alternative suggestions.

Now, where did I put my camera?
 
Wow. I didn't expect there to be this many responses!
I'm honestly and truly humbled by the number and content of your replies, and I'm overwhelmed at the messages of encouragement and offers of support, both on here and via PM.
I think the problem is that you've created a monster (in a good way). TP in a strange way is a part of a lot of people's lives. We check in most days, we feel involved, we have made friends through the site, we've become part of the site, it's become part of us and that's all down to you and your commitment to keeping it all going. So I can understand why there has been so much gratitude towards you.
 
That's what I have always loved about this forum, it's open ness and honesty, even with the current situation the forum finds itself in.
I really do take my hat off to Marcel and all concerned, a really top bloke. (y):)(y)
 
Marcel, thank you for all you have done. I was once a House husband with lots of time two of my children are adults and the third not far behind. I've been logging on and posting for quite sometime now. Good luck in the future and I hope any Mental issues anyone has including your good self can subside with Help. Wishing you good therapeutic family time!
 
That sounds like the best news this week .hope it works out as intended ..
Just looked at my stats I joined in Oct 2013. ,I already had a large following on Flickr as it was back then , one of my initial posts was an enquiry about a canon 1Dmkiii as I wondered if it would improve my photography , within a few hours a member who I didn’t know from Adam offered to meet me on the m56 motorway and lend me his for 3 weeks as he was off on holiday . That’s the sort of thing that makes this forum great ,and I also made a good friend of him ,and a lot of others on here , I have helped or tried to help others in the time I have been a member and made some good friends along the way to repay that initial trust shown to me
 
I think the problem is that you've created a monster (in a good way). TP in a strange way is a part of a lot of people's lives. We check in most days, we feel involved, we have made friends through the site, we've become part of the site, it's become part of us and that's all down to you and your commitment to keeping it all going. So I can understand why there has been so much gratitude towards you.
I think this sums it up perfectly, it’s spiralled out of control in to something much bigger that was planned but in a very good way and is something the op should be rightfully very proud of :)
 
@Marcel thank you very much for the update, and I'm especially pleased that you are fine. You've given us what I think is the best overall photography forum on the internet, and one which I've enjoyed being a member of.
 
I stumbled on the forum back in it's early days and enjoyed being an active member. In recent years I haven't posted much mainly for the reasons Marcel is struggling, life gets in the way, but I always find time for a quick look through the forums when I can.

Good luck with whatever path you choose Marcel
 
Really sad to read this, the forum has been really influential in my development as a photographer.

I hope it is able to continue.

Thanks to you guys for your service and running such a great forum for so long.

100% this. The C&C sections of this forum really helped me become the landscape photographer I am today. The helpful pointers, the sharing of ideas (artistic and technical) helped me come from a casual snapper to a medium format digital commercial images photographer.

For all my differences in opinion with a number of members on here, I will be sad to see it go but 100% thanks to Marcel for the time and effort to keep this place going for as long as he has.
 
That sounds very positive Marcel, thanks for the update. (y) :D
 
Wow. I didn't expect there to be this many responses!
I'm honestly and truly humbled by the number and content of your replies, and I'm overwhelmed at the messages of encouragement and offers of support, both on here and via PM.
Thank you so much. I know it sounds corny, but TP has been a massive part of my life for 16 years. To step back is a hard decision to take.

Thank you also for the kind words of support regarding my mental health.
I just want to clarify this isn't the reason I'm stepping back. I'm fine :)
It's just a part of some bigger decisions I need to make. My full time job takes a lot of my time now too, so doing all the things like andrewc describes above I don't really have the time for.

However I have a responsibility to you all as a community, so I think it only fair to the membership that I hand over the baton, hence why Im stepping down and handing over the reigns to someone trusted.
I could try and sell out to one of those companies that will just ram it full of advertising, but that goes against everything I beleive in and the whole ethos I've used to shape the forums for the past 16 years. It's why the advertising on here is very minimal and unobtrusive. It's a free, welcoming and user-friendly community for like minded people, and long may it stay that way.



Absolutely spot on. There is a lot to it. (There is also a lot that can be automated!). It's a big juggle some times!!!!
Especially when I get a WhatsApp from Cobra telling me the forums have fallen over!

But it's the middle of the day
I'm in work
Don't finish for another 7 hours.
Can only try and do my best remotely on my lunch break with my phone. (Can't even use work computers).
Fail
Eventually fix it when I get home, hungry.
:D


I'd also like to thank everyone for the private offers of involvement. I currently have someone to potentially take over the running of the forums, but if that falls thruogh then I'll contact those with an open mind to alternative suggestions.

Now, where did I put my camera?

That's good to hear Marcel. Tbh it's good to see you are holding down a job which has been a challenge for many last year.
I hope everything works out smoothly and it's very encouraging that you are still doing the best you can for forum's future.
 
Many thanks for all your time and effort in maintaining and running the forum. I have gain many useful skills and knowledge from using the forum over the years, let alone the members market which is a great place to buy and sell.

Again, many thanks for your commitment.

T
 
I can’t add much to what’s already been said, but just an enormous thank you for everything you and the rest of the team have done over the years.

The forums have helped my photography improve immeasurably, and I’d be gutted if it can’t continue, but obviously the needs of the people giving up their time to keep the wheels turning come first!!

Keeping my fingers crossed it all works out, but whatever happens, thanks so much for everything!
 
Joined in 2008 and this site has made me very poor.

But it has also made me a far better photographer, and I've made some great friends on here too. That's what it's all about.

Hoping for a good result.
 
I've only recently started using this forum, it seems like a good one and it would be a shame for it to go. If a paid subscription was the only way to keep it going then I'd be happy to subscribe...
 
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