We should be helping each other, not hurting each other

Gothic Image are you talking about the post I made?

ANDY00 said

MaristarOxley said

ANDY00 it's progress that it took up until page 3 to get negative input from someone.

I'm at a loss as to the meaning of the comment. The 70s were different, but we as humans are still the same.

True, as i said most comments were encouraging to be honest.

I believe the key difference lies in whether a comment contributes meaningfully to the discussion—whether positively or negatively. If it adds to the narrative, it becomes valuable. However, if a comment neither enhances nor moves the conversation forward, then why waste the effort?

For example, those who chime in merely to boost the ego of someone who posted a negative response are adding nothing of substance to the conversation at all imho

 

Edited by ANDY00

To be clear and fair, I am more likely to want to work with someone because of something positive they've said on a forum than I am to reject working with someone for something negative.

The Ghost said

ANDY00 said

MaristarOxley said

ANDY00 it's progress that it took up until page 3 to get negative input from someone.

I'm at a loss as to the meaning of the comment. The 70s were different, but we as humans are still the same.

True, as i said most comments were encouraging to be honest.

I believe the key difference lies in whether a comment contributes meaningfully to the discussion—whether positively or negatively. If it adds to the narrative, it becomes valuable. However, if a comment neither enhances nor moves the conversation forward, then why waste the effort?

For example, those who chime in merely to boost the ego of someone who posted a negative response are adding nothing of substance to the conversation at all imho

 

Edited by ANDY00

To be clear and fair, I am more likely to want to work with someone because of something positive they've said on a forum than I am to reject working with someone for something negative.

Yes thats what i would expect tbh,

But still, I've been told several times on this forum that people won't work with me because I talk too much—as if that's an issue on a forum. It's like saying you talk too much on your phone; that's literally what it's designed for. Despite that, I do free retouches for people, and in the last two weeks, I've done over 70 retouches, some of which have already been featured as FPIs.nobody has said i dont want to work with you cos you talk,  But yes, I agree, I do talk a lot, i like conversation, posetive conversation. 

Edited by ANDY00

parkway said

Gothic Image are you talking about the post I made?

I was indeed,  could you please explain? 

Castings are the place to seek collaborations. Admin will remove any posts that should be castings

Is the point of the thread about finding fashion work but not being able to? Mainly because of the belief photographers are in majority shooting nudes.

Or is it about it being a more productive less negative forum ?

I'm not sure how one could be achieved through the whole site , I think it takes an individual to start a practical photography group and inspire others , whether that's for profit or charity.

I think the forum has improved and is less biased and less supportive of negative comments. For example when someone looked down on my port, I didn't report it but the comment was sin binned.

People are much more supportive of models too , so I do disagree about this pushing models out of the forum issue. If a photographer wanted to discuss their struggles with tfp it definitely would not receive as much understanding as this thread. I think people view things from where they stand and if it feels like someone is criticising them or a group they belong to it blows up into something larger than it may be.

Edited by Lenswonder

Gothic Image ah. thank you. I thought the thread was looking a bit weird after I posted my contribution to it. it seems people have maybe not understood what I was saying or decided to put a negative spin on it. I was just saying really that life is tough these days for alot of people so the pressures of life can get in the way of things, for example, models having to charge money for shoots simply because they've got bills to pay and need to put food on the table etc, but if you go back in time to say the 70`s there was not such huge pressure on everybody as compared to today and things were a little easier. you may wish to argue that's not true or whatever argument you or anyone else wants to raise but honestly I thought this was a lighthearted contribution to the discussion and I'm surprised it appears to be taken as negative.

I keep seeing people using the word forum, and can't help but recall Russ saying - back in the early days of the site - how he deliberately chose to call this section of the site "groups" instead of forums, specifically to try to encourage people to form groups who would work together.

(Indeed, I think he said something about even the word 'forum' making him shudder, presumably with bad memories from elsewhere).

Going back to my very early online days, we would have joined "special interest groups" on a topic, and "forums" for debating only came along later.  Groups feels more positive, more collaborative. 

I don't really see a lot of toxicity in the forums(a), so I guess that means that I'm either of a different mindset, blocked by more than I thought so I don't see any new threads that they've started ... or I'm part of the problem.

One thing that should always be remembered is that you read in the mood that *you* are in. If you're in a shit mood, everything is gonna rub you up the wrong way.

I remember - fondly - times where these forums were awash with life and energy ... now, the Recent Group Discussion widget is a ghost of its former self, with only 4 threads being shown as updated in the last 4 hours ... and that includes this one.

(a) .. I turned off games years ago, so I've no idea what's happening there.

Sensual Art said

I keep seeing people using the word forum, and can't help but recall Russ saying - back in the early days of the site - how he deliberately chose to call this section of the site "groups" instead of forums, specifically to try to encourage people to form groups who would work together.

(Indeed, I think he said something about even the word 'forum' making him shudder, presumably with bad memories from elsewhere).

Going back to my very early online days, we would have joined "special interest groups" on a topic, and "forums" for debating only came along later.  Groups feels more positive, more collaborative. 

It's the English language, not just the title given by the site. A forum is a communal talking space, whether you choose to call it a group, conversation, or something else. 'Forum' is a perfectly acceptable description, this has nothing to do with the topic tho. 

Maybe we should just close the groups that cause problems, such as general chat, off-topic, etc. and just have the games, share a shoot, and single image critique, along with the member created.

Gerry is right that it was called groups rather than forums to try to change how people used them, but this sort of topic reappears periodically, so it's fair to say that the experiment failed.

As mentioned, IG doesn't have forums, and people say it's better than sliced bread, so perhaps just ditching them is the answer.

Personally, I favour getting rid of them as it would certainly reduce the burden on our lovely Admin and the community team.

Russ Freeman said

Maybe we should just close the groups that cause problems, such as general chat, off-topic, etc. and just have the games, share a shoot, and single image critique, along with the member created.

Gerry is right that it was called groups rather than forums to try to change how people used them, but this sort of topic reappears periodically, so it's fair to say that the experiment failed.

As mentioned, IG doesn't have forums, and people say it's better than sliced bread, so perhaps just ditching them is the answer.

Personally, I favour getting rid of them as it would certainly reduce the burden on our lovely Admin and the community team.

Seems unfair to those that want conversation to be honest and those trolls that only want to kill conversation—what would they do then? They'd be lost 

Haven't read to the end of the thread but MaristarOxley   could you explain the plea not to hurt each other in the title ? 

PP certainly does have a bias towards male photographers in the second halves of their lives, shooting female models in the first halves of theirs, frequently in various states of undress. I started doing this when I was still (I hope, based on actuarial tables) in the first half of my life wanting to do nudes which were interesting, didn't turn the erotic up to 11 all the time blah, blah, blah, but yes shoot women half my current age not wearing a very great deal. I'm all for variety, and what floats my boat might not be someone else's thing - and I'd hate to think that because the level (if not the intent and style) f what I do fits with the majority it makes other people flee the site feeling hurt.  Some people will always be a minority, but they shouldn't feel excluded, or that people are actively unhelpful, much less feel hurt. 

IG does not have a forum but photos and videos do have a comments section if allowed by the account holder. Would people migrate discussions on to photos if this forum was stopped?

Edited by Lenswonder

Russ Freeman said

Maybe we should just close the groups that cause problems, such as general chat, off-topic, etc. and just have the games, share a shoot, and single image critique, along with the member created.

Gerry is right that it was called groups rather than forums to try to change how people used them, but this sort of topic reappears periodically, so it's fair to say that the experiment failed.

As mentioned, IG doesn't have forums, and people say it's better than sliced bread, so perhaps just ditching them is the answer.

Personally, I favour getting rid of them as it would certainly reduce the burden on our lovely Admin and the community team.

threading is the answer, that way people just go down a rabbit hole that few people will follow them into and those that do can chat to their hearts content.