squarerootofnine.com's dashboard

I'm somewhat concerned about the conversation at this point, especially as being singled out as an individual who has had an 'image deleted' due to over-photoshopping?

Erm, not to deflate your sense of what's possible with a camera but while the image in question did receive nominal exaggeration in photoshop, it certainly did not receive the level to which you imply, nor did it get 'deleted'? I would really like to know more about what you mean by "It took JPG forever to remove Karl Randay's The Last Lighthouse", as I personally received no notification that there was any dispute as to its authenticity and if it was not considered for publication due to concern about it would like to know why it would get removed from this list without any consultation or ability to argue against those who believe it to not fit the standard?

I left JPG a while ago, not because of a lack of published work, but mostly due to not feeling very original or that varied. It was great when it started, but really feels like it has lost the pizazz that was around when members like Myla Kent and Sara Heinrichs left.

yes, claudia! HASTA LA VICTORIA SIEMPRE!!!!!!!!!

yes, claudia we shall go forth on horseback and fight the good fight like the mujeres de la revolucion mexicana, las adelitas!!!!!!!!

"rrrrAa jaaa!'

The world belongs to the people of action. Give me horse, Gigi, and I follow you as amazone

i'm suggesting nothing. what i made was a statement.

suggestion time is over.

I'm actually confused by the length of this thread... aaahhhhh!!!

If I'm not mistaken, Gigi, you're saying the best way to rid the problem of non-participation is to eschew the mechanisms of that participation...

I just wanted to be clear, as there is so much back and forth here, I don't know who is saying what...

claudia you are one of my favorite communicators here, and you express the way life is perfectly and yes, with a bit of philosophy wisely thrown in (as a good peacekeeper would and should). philosophy has always been maddening for me because although it is the "place" where ideas are formed, mulled and pondered, unless an action is taken it's just laziness and self indulgence. there is no commitment in philosophy alone. we have to think a bit, and then get off the fence and take the most appropriate action we believe will yield the best results. and yes, the natural ebb and flow of our rhythms is inevitable. i too admit that i move and react differently depending on my mood, the day, the hour, etc.

that still does nothing to support the fact that some jpger's motives and rhythms remain in a constant state of inertia, save for their postings.

Gigi, you should set up an mp3 site or something... I think the JPG comunity is just a reflection of our society in general, which is as it is, as Struan says. But above all, it is a living organism, made of many living organisms, each one programed and conditioned in a singular way and with it's own life span. People come, people go, Here dies one, there is new one born, and that's what makes every adventure so exciting. I found this whole upheaval seemingly caused by the renouncement of one member very interesting. It shows we are alive. Does a silent member sitting in his isolated corner weigh so much? Sometimes I leave nasty comments, sometimes I share flowers, there are days when the contacts flow and sparkle, and days, when nothing happens and it seems that everybody has forgotton you and negates your undeniable genius, and then again, the sun shines brightly, everybody likes me and I'm ioh so cool, and some day I shall leave this place or die which is the same...So it is, always. (Well, maybe I should set up a philosophy site, hehe)

It's disappointing that there is no easy answer or quick fix to this issue, but you have been heard! This conversation will without a doubt have a larger influence than it may seem now.

Ha!!!!!!!!!

Honestly, i don't really think this a solvable issue - it is the way it is, and it's obvious that 5 people aren't figuring out a plan (a little disappointing how few people are coming over here, maybe it's the weird format - a plain old foru is better and less confusing)

this is a great summation of how i feel over this outcome.
feel free to copy and paste.

http://content.ytmnd.com/content/7/1/...

well so long to this long, tired thread i do pray. no sense beating a dead horse as they say.

personally i don't favorite these types anyway, not that it matters since the magazine runs like any magazine should run - via editors final picks (although they should skip over the ones who don't participate at all). confirms to me these other added shenanigans (aka bells and whistles) are for entertainment only. it keeps people coming here in droves too. vote for me, favorite me.

rather than beg for votes and favorites, i wish we all would focus on taking better photographs... maybe learn the subtleties of photoshopping since almost all the very best photogs on this site definitely use it. i think it is acceptable because of the way they do it. it's a real artform in itself, to improve your photo without raping it of it's original spirit. it's an enhancement, not a transformation when it's done well.

did i just bring up another "hot" topic? uh, oh.

I think a simple thing to do would be to just encourage participation, plain and simple. No rewards for doing it, no punishment for not.
Find fun ways to let people know that it's makes the place more interesting if they chip in.

Also, why not have a function that allows those who just want to showcase work to do just that. They could display photos, but would automatically have commenting/voting/favoriting disabled on their account. That way we'd all see what they have to offer, and won't waste time trying to make contact

Just a thought

So I'm thinking about it and thinking about it the issue of site-wide participation and every time I come back to -- we gotta live and let live! (1) We have no way of gauging anyone's participation but our own given that site mail, views, and votes are private. (2) It's not everyone's personality type to comment a lot and we have to understand that. (3) People have more reasons for doing what they do than you might think.

Using myself as an example -- as far as why I personally don't favorite or make contacts more than I do... well, I've thought about it a lot, and I have strong reasons for using the site the way that I do. I continue to feel like photo challenges, blogs, and outtakes are a better way for staff to encourage new photographers than directly. My thoughts on this, point by point:

-I'm concerned about someone getting their hopes up because I favorited or commented on their photo. (we never know which photos will make it till the very end) Or swaying people to vote or favorite a certain way because I, a member of the staff, did.

-The devaluing, our lowering my fave standard, is just that. It becomes less valuable and less meaningful to people I do favorite if I become less intentional about it.

-I use the site in a very specific way: I use my contacts for people whose work has impressed me so that I can keep track of what they are up to. I usually use favorites outside the main themes to encourage the photographer to submit that image to future themes, or just as a mark of support. I mostly use comments to ask for more information or to encourage folks to combine their images into a story. Site mail I use to encourage someone new to the site or to ask for more information on the photos.

So I guess I feel like the issue of encouraging newer or younger photographers can be handled in many ways that don't present as many other issues as asking people to change their public site usage. I also think other people's participation is really difficult to quantify, given that views, site mail and votes are private, and we also have to wonder if it's any of our business? Another issue that comes to mind is a problem with giving an incentive on the site to people who are active -- it is soooo gameable. Meaning that people trying to beat the system (and there are lots) would start favoriting or commenting willy-nilly just to rack up as many points as possible. And then we'd have a total mess on our hands.

So I hope this has sort of shed light on why we do what we do? Please let me know what you think, I'd love to keep this dialogue going. Maybe a good start would be to brainstorm other ways to reach your stated end goal, of more feedback on the site, through other means than asking people to use the site differently.

I implied the hierarchy, trying to say that in my mind, j mcelroy isn't the "minor player" suggested. And in my second paragraph, I was kind of referring to this
http://getsatisfaction.com/8020publis...

No need to blow my comments out of proportion!

the sex pistols describe what i'm talkin' bout perfectly:

You need hands to hold someone you care for....
When you fear...nobody wants to know you
You need hands to brush away the tears....

When you hold the brand new baby
You need tender hands to guide them all the way
You need hands to thank the Lord for living....
And forgiving us this day....

You need hands to show the world you're happy
And you need hands when you have to stop the bus....
But the hands that we love so dear
Are the hands that we love to hear
Are the hands that You give to us.....
Everybody holds the hands that You give to us...

THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH HANDS SHOWING THE LOVE ON THIS SITE! now get to it you diva dandies.

that's an actual song?! I'm glad my radio is broken.

No need to do that, I've just posted the text from the photo deletion email on a new topic thread.

http://getsatisfaction.com/8020publis...

Feedback welcome!

HA! and i hate that song so much, too. it's a bit too codependent for what i am talking about. i'm talking interaction and responsibility, not total life support.

Here are my thoughts on this matter:

http://www.jpgmag.com/stories/3394

"I'll make love to you
Like you want me to
And I'll hold you tight
Baby all through the night
I'll make love to you
When you want me to
And I will not let go
Till you tell me to"

I'm sorry.
I apologize.
For some reason, that song popped in my head after reading this thread.