It seems not a day goes by without discussions in this forum of cheats, sandbaggers etc. It seems to me that nothing can be effectively done about the problems of this site. This is the internet after all and by definition there can be no effective control of the participants and the inputs they/we make.
Most of us here are trying to get some effective counter-cheating tools from DPR, and once their MO bars them from entering ever more challenges on account of their previous "qualifications", they might either change their ways, or leave.
So instead of taking this site too seriously I suggest we use it as a place to have some fun. Submit images in challenges, admire (or not) other people's images, vote and then see what happens. If there is cheating point it out but laugh at the idiots that cheat, because they are the ones that probably cheat at solitaire as well.
Having cheaters around is not a laughing matter. They already know they're dishonest, but simply don't give a sheesh. They also know we think of them as idiots, and care about it the same. But our concern as hosts is about honest participants having fun and a chance to learn, compare and advance their skills. Removing cheaters and other misfits (yes, there are more
) awards the honest with more accurate data and does good to the learning ones.
You might say, this is only fun photography, cheaters are not relevant... but cheaters show that there is Something to be gained for Nothing, and this attitude needs to be globally eradicated, regardless what activity, by all effective means. Every day the dishonest take away some tiny crumb of your work and mine... and it is not enough to say "that's bad", sigh, and go on.
If you really want to improve your photography and learn from your peers join your local camera club. There your photos will be judged by people who know what they are talking about and will give you constuctive criticism without having an axe to grind. That is how you can improve your skills.
To my sorrow, all the clubs I ever knew were pretty much similar, and I say that for photo, archery, ham radio, and diving clubs. These all had an internal hierarchy that was not readily visible at the moment of joining.
Long story short, if you're not taking photos the way the President and several vanity-ridden brown-noses around him think that you should, there is not much learning to have. IMHO, most clubs are run by enthusiasts who think theirs is the best way, and their knowlege is usually also a ceiling there. I have been a joiner when I was younger, but left very early when I discovered there is no real creative freedom, and too many among my questions were met with blank stares. I used to be very mechanically minded and tended to do things with my cameras that other people found interesting but mainly they'd comment something like "you shouldn't change the way it's working, what's the use risking its function for a few specialized shots?". So I quit.
Outright beginners may try and join, there is at least a chance to talk about basics, but advanced photogs get their information from trying out their ideas the way they wish, from lots of reading, and primarily from lots of shooting.
