Is this a photography forum or what....

[OlyMike]

After following this forum for a few weeks I have to make a comment. Not to be ugly or rude but seems like a lot of people take the time and effort to post legitamite questions on this forum about photography and a lot of times no one will answer but something about being sober for a week or whether or not theres multiple personalities using the same screen name gets lots of attention. Just take a look at the other forums sure they are not as active but then again most of the stuff posted has to do with photography not as a means of getting attention or whatever . It's disheartening that a few can demand so much attention by being clowns and some of the truely sincere people get ignored.

If you want to make a joke whats wrong with doing it with a funny picture or something like that. If you want to get therapy then why not go to a self help forum. My opinion I am sure doesn't count for much as I WAS a newbie but for now toodle de doo. Makes you wonder what kind of folks are posting here.Some are sincere and my hats off to them but to the others who use this forum for something besides photography get a life people....
Thanks It was entertaining to say the least
MJ

 

[Inigo Montoya]

The traffic on this forum results in a very high turnover of messages off of the "front page". Sometimes you need to "bump" your message to get some attention if it's gone unanswered for say more than 8 hours.

As for postings about being sober, etc.... you'd do well to search the archives of this forum and see just how much people like Ergo have contributed to this forum....

After following this forum for a few weeks I have to make a
comment. Not to be ugly or rude but seems like a lot of people take
the time and effort to post legitamite questions on this forum
about photography and a lot of times no one will answer but
something about being sober for a week or whether or not theres
multiple personalities using the same screen name gets lots of
attention. Just take a look at the other forums sure they are not
as active but then again most of the stuff posted has to do with
photography not as a means of getting attention or whatever . It's
disheartening that a few can demand so much attention by being
clowns and some of the truely sincere people get ignored.
If you want to make a joke whats wrong with doing it with a funny
picture or something like that. If you want to get therapy then why
not go to a self help forum. My opinion I am sure doesn't count for
much as I WAS a newbie but for now toodle de doo. Makes you wonder
what kind of folks are posting here.Some are sincere and my hats
off to them but to the others who use this forum for something
besides photography get a life people....
Thanks It was entertaining to say the least
MJ

 

[Mofongo]

Yes, it is a photography forum...it's also a community of people who have taken the time to get to know each other...

Your post doesn't seem to be the most "neighborly" way of introducing yourself...

Why not make a positive effort to belong and contribute instead of posting negative remarks about an established community and knocking people? Geez...

Take what you need and leave the rest...

Bob

 

[dboogie]

Yes, it is a photography forum...it's also a community of people
who have taken the time to get to know each other...

Your post doesn't seem to be the most "neighborly" way of
introducing yourself...

Why not make a positive effort to belong and contribute instead of
posting negative remarks about an established community and
knocking people? Geez...

Take what you need and leave the rest...

Bob

--
If ya don't use ya head, you'll end up using your feet

 

[Skaliwag]

Forums, eventually become like clubs.

As with a photography club, while much photographic discussion will take place, there will also be general discussion, humour and even, at times. very personal conversation.

 

[RichO]

It is the Olympus Talk Forum set up by Phil Askey as way for owners of Olympus cameras to share their issues, needs and enjoyment.

More than that it is a forum that is owned by Phil and his wife. They set down the rules and guidelines.

I understand your frustration with wanting to find informaton. I and several others here give hours each week doing tests, sharing their experiences, using different settings, helping others learn how to get the most from their cameras. We do this because we love the cameras, the art and the skill of capturing and writing with light.

I fully realize that this is a "technical forum" and not a self-help forum.

Nor is this a "tech support" forum. I for one do not get paid to come here and share what I know, I do it because I love to share. When a group learns to share, the group becomes more than any "forum" was designed to be. I encourage you to go visit the official Olympus forum on the Olympus website and see how many people are helped there.

Sorry you feel left out of the fun.

Your comments are bit hurting when you consider that most of the very talent folks here not only share valuable knowledge, their time, but they also donate $$$ to dpreview so that Phil can continue to provide this service.

--
RichO
San Antonio, TX
http://www.pbase.com/richo/
http://www.richo.org/LearningCenter/faq_olympus.htm
'Life is a dance, Love is the music.'

 

[BillMW]

I agree with Inigo Montoya. I joined just a week or so ago and I have gotten invaluable advice on both choosing my new camera as well as hints and constructive criticism on the first few shots I have taken.

ALTHOUGH... I will make one honest comment (sorry). Although all of my posts have gotten replies and I have received wonderful advice...it's pretty much the same few people who reply to me over and over - Daniella replies EVERY time, dmlove, laLady, and Yogi have also been wonderful and helpful. I'm not whining by any means, but I am slightly agreeing with the comments (albeit in a nicer manner) by Michael James. It seems there are a few here who have developed a "clique" and haven't taken the time to help some new people out. I have also seen one or two slightly rude replies about doing a search before posting a question that has been discussed over and over. I do searches EVERY time but often the threads don't lead to the exact answer I need. I think it's disappointing that people who have enough time in a day to spend playing around and joking on this forum can't reply with a nice, simple, concise answer to help out the new guys.

I love the forum so far and have found it a great resource for learning about photography and beginning a new hobbie. Thanks to everyone for the help. But, before we all blast Michael's comments...think a little about how you use the forum and whether or not you are being open to new members.

Thanks!

BillMW

As for postings about being sober, etc.... you'd do well to search
the archives of this forum and see just how much people like Ergo
have contributed to this forum....

After following this forum for a few weeks I have to make a
comment. Not to be ugly or rude but seems like a lot of people take
the time and effort to post legitamite questions on this forum
about photography and a lot of times no one will answer but
something about being sober for a week or whether or not theres
multiple personalities using the same screen name gets lots of
attention. Just take a look at the other forums sure they are not
as active but then again most of the stuff posted has to do with
photography not as a means of getting attention or whatever . It's
disheartening that a few can demand so much attention by being
clowns and some of the truely sincere people get ignored.
If you want to make a joke whats wrong with doing it with a funny
picture or something like that. If you want to get therapy then why
not go to a self help forum. My opinion I am sure doesn't count for
much as I WAS a newbie but for now toodle de doo. Makes you wonder
what kind of folks are posting here.Some are sincere and my hats
off to them but to the others who use this forum for something
besides photography get a life people....
Thanks It was entertaining to say the least
MJ

--
BillMW
C-700 Stealth Bomber

 

[matt j]

I agree, this is a photography forum.... and yes the bulk of the posts should be about digital photo, but a lot of off-topic posts come from people that are active on this forum. Aside from feeling that the people reading the posts are "friends".. if you spend enough time on a forum, you run out of photography questions and comments that are improtant enough to post. I look to this forum to get advice, learn, see what others know and do, and spread what little knowledge I gain to others.

There are a lot of questions and comments that frankly aren't as entertaining as some off-topic posts. Once all your questions are answered.... what do you come to forums for?

Matt

As for postings about being sober, etc.... you'd do well to search
the archives of this forum and see just how much people like Ergo
have contributed to this forum....

After following this forum for a few weeks I have to make a
comment. Not to be ugly or rude but seems like a lot of people take
the time and effort to post legitamite questions on this forum
about photography .....

 

[BillyBoy02]

well said Michael ! I've certainly noticed this as well. You have to be one of the "elites" to command attention. And believe me it can be a simple photo by some and some people here can't wait to fawn all over it.As I said before a photo isn't jugded on it's merits here but who posts it. I could go on and on........

After following this forum for a few weeks I have to make a
comment. Not to be ugly or rude but seems like a lot of people take
the time and effort to post legitamite questions on this forum
about photography and a lot of times no one will answer but
something about being sober for a week or whether or not theres
multiple personalities using the same screen name gets lots of
attention. Just take a look at the other forums sure they are not
as active but then again most of the stuff posted has to do with
photography not as a means of getting attention or whatever . It's
disheartening that a few can demand so much attention by being
clowns and some of the truely sincere people get ignored.
If you want to make a joke whats wrong with doing it with a funny
picture or something like that. If you want to get therapy then why
not go to a self help forum. My opinion I am sure doesn't count for
much as I WAS a newbie but for now toodle de doo. Makes you wonder
what kind of folks are posting here.Some are sincere and my hats
off to them but to the others who use this forum for something
besides photography get a life people....
Thanks It was entertaining to say the least
MJ

 

[OlyMike]

Like I said I didn't mean to be rude and hats off to the sincere people interested in photopgraphy .Theres a lot of talent on this forum and it is appreciated .

 

[R. Slaughter]

I personally regret that anyone feels so strongly about the existence of threads of which they don't approve. The lack of adequate responses to some threads (in your opinion) may well be something that all of us need to work on to ensure that everyone gets the proper assistance. I'm all for that. The fact that the threads that you don't like exist... well, it seems there will always be some that you don't like, sorry. There are many threads here that I don't find interesting, some are inquiring about things of which I have no knowledge and others that have a subject line that fails to pique my interest; know what happens then? I don't read them. It really is that simple. Good luck in your search for the ideal public forum.

Don't tell me where it is, as I won't go there; I prefer the flawed version that exists here.
Sincerely,
Ricky

After following this forum for a few weeks I have to make a
comment. Not to be ugly or rude but seems like a lot of people take
the time and effort to post legitamite questions on this forum
about photography and a lot of times no one will answer but
something about being sober for a week or whether or not theres
multiple personalities using the same screen name gets lots of
attention. Just take a look at the other forums sure they are not
as active but then again most of the stuff posted has to do with
photography not as a means of getting attention or whatever . It's
disheartening that a few can demand so much attention by being
clowns and some of the truely sincere people get ignored.
If you want to make a joke whats wrong with doing it with a funny
picture or something like that. If you want to get therapy then why
not go to a self help forum. My opinion I am sure doesn't count for
much as I WAS a newbie but for now toodle de doo. Makes you wonder
what kind of folks are posting here.Some are sincere and my hats
off to them but to the others who use this forum for something
besides photography get a life people....
Thanks It was entertaining to say the least
MJ

--
R. Slaughter
'Pay no attention to the Man Behind the Curtain' OZ
C 54.772256-E2 (Z)

http://www.pbase.com/nufsed/galleries

 

[Daniella68313]

welll...you have not seen the worse of it..wait till you get to the vaccun in sexy dress thread, or the marriage photo of me and 3dTim with our body as appliances and our head pasted on them...

Yes, they were dumb..totally..but they did include photos

After following this forum for a few weeks I have to make a
comment. Not to be ugly or rude but seems like a lot of people take
the time and effort to post legitamite questions on this forum
about photography and a lot of times no one will answer but
something about being sober for a week or whether or not theres
multiple personalities using the same screen name gets lots of
attention. Just take a look at the other forums sure they are not
as active but then again most of the stuff posted has to do with
photography not as a means of getting attention or whatever . It's
disheartening that a few can demand so much attention by being
clowns and some of the truely sincere people get ignored.
If you want to make a joke whats wrong with doing it with a funny
picture or something like that. If you want to get therapy then why
not go to a self help forum. My opinion I am sure doesn't count for
much as I WAS a newbie but for now toodle de doo. Makes you wonder
what kind of folks are posting here.Some are sincere and my hats
off to them but to the others who use this forum for something
besides photography get a life people....
Thanks It was entertaining to say the least
MJ

--
Daniella
http://www.pbase.com/zylen
C700 FORUM: http://www.c700uz.com

 

[BillyBob]

I, for one, agree with Michael. If I want bleeding heart stories, I'll go to the proper forum for such which I do all day. I visit several AA support groups to help me maintain my over 26 years of sobriety. I visit a Smoker's group but not having a lot of success and that is the main reason I visit a special forum for the terminally ill. (could make it for another year if I throw the cigarettes away which probably won't happen) Within the past 4 months I have joined a sujpport group for spouses of Alzhiemers which my wife was diagnosed with recently. Threw away all the Prozac 3 months ago as it was doing nothing at all for my depression. Seem to be coming out of it now or at least I'm feeling a bit better. But.....BLEEDING HEART!!! You want stories? I could pour out stuff constantly and still not make a dent. But...I don't. Why do I keep coming back to this forum? Because I have an Olympus Camera and I pick up little tidbits of information every now and then and about all I have left are my computer & camera. I don't let the other stuff bother me. I take it all with a grain of salt and skip over & around most of the threads. I answer questions sometimes when I think I have a proper response (which isn't always correct) Sometimes I'm pretty harsh & abrupt with folks and If that has been the case in the past, then I apologize but deep down I'm just an old softy.

Bottom line is that I will keep returning to this forum as long as I'm able to do so. It has become a daily ritual along with all the others I visit. I know that everyone has the best of intentions when posting but sometimes things can get a little carried away. As I stated above, I just take it all with a grain of salt.

I Wish the BEST for Everyone
BillyBob

 

[BugHunta]

well said Michael ! I've certainly noticed this as well. You have
to be one of the "elites" to command attention. And believe me it
can be a simple photo by some and some people here can't wait to
fawn all over it.As I said before a photo isn't jugded on it's
merits here but who posts it. I could go on and on........

I've actually thought the same on both counts over the last week. It's only when someone goes to the trouble of writing it out that you realise how ridiculous it is. This is a community of people, not robots.

You can't expect the conversation to stick to photography and nothing but. Any human activity is meaningless without personal context. Naturally, the old hands and frequent posters will seem to command more attention. This is not just due to the quality of the photos, but due to the fact that other people know the story behind the photos - they know the personal context by having got to know the photographer as a human being, rather than a collection of images on a screen.

Despite the supposed open and neutral nature of the internet, it still takes time to overcome millions of years of genetic programming, so all newcomers will be treated warily at first. It's not rudeness or arrogance, just an inbred survival instinct. Luckily, we all have the ability to cope with that - or should have.
--
BugHunta
C700UZ, Bilora Pro tripod, MicroGraphx PicturePublisher 8, QuickTime 5 Pro.

 

[Jeff S]

"I find this forum is the BEST on the internet bar none.With a combination of professionalism,humor and compassion for each other I feel it a joy to have it as a means for hints and tips to make my hobby better."
--
Jeff S
WB9ZPO
UZI 21OO A-2OO,C-2000, 8X HB converter and alot of extra stuff.

 

[BillyBoy02]

yes BugHunta I must say you make very goods points.

well said Michael ! I've certainly noticed this as well. You have
to be one of the "elites" to command attention. And believe me it
can be a simple photo by some and some people here can't wait to
fawn all over it.As I said before a photo isn't jugded on it's
merits here but who posts it. I could go on and on........

I've actually thought the same on both counts over the last week.
It's only when someone goes to the trouble of writing it out that
you realise how ridiculous it is. This is a community of people,
not robots.
You can't expect the conversation to stick to photography and
nothing but. Any human activity is meaningless without personal
context. Naturally, the old hands and frequent posters will seem to
command more attention. This is not just due to the quality of the
photos, but due to the fact that other people know the story behind
the photos - they know the personal context by having got to know
the photographer as a human being, rather than a collection of
images on a screen.
Despite the supposed open and neutral nature of the internet, it
still takes time to overcome millions of years of genetic
programming, so all newcomers will be treated warily at first. It's
not rudeness or arrogance, just an inbred survival instinct.
Luckily, we all have the ability to cope with that - or should have.
--
BugHunta
C700UZ, Bilora Pro tripod, MicroGraphx PicturePublisher 8,
QuickTime 5 Pro.

 

[R. Slaughter]

I am able to see many issues "from both sides" and I uderstand the basis for some of the feelings expressed here (if not the vehemence). When I was new here I, too, felt ignored to some extent. I found that my questions did get answered, but not as rapidly or as thoroughly as those posted by some others. This didn't last, tho. I began to participate more and danged if I didn't start to feel included.

As to the "bleeding heart" stuff: perhaps in our quest to be personal we stray too far. Everyone has trevails in their world and some have many more than others. It is clear from your post that you face more serious trials thatn most of us will ever face and yet you don't where them on your sleeve for all to pity you. I greatly respect the resolve that you have and I can wish you only the best possible outcome for you and your family. By sharing the info that you have, you have changed the way that many will view your future posts here. That's not a bad thing, but its just a part of human nature. Its not that revealing something personal is the "price of admission"...not at all; its simply that your sign-on is not just anonymous bits and bytes anymore, it now seems to have a face and a person behind it, thats all.

Sincerely and from the depths of my heart,
The Best,
Ricky

I, for one, agree with Michael. If I want bleeding heart stories,
I'll go to the proper forum for such which I do all day. I visit
several AA support groups to help me maintain my over 26 years of
sobriety. I visit a Smoker's group but not having a lot of success
and that is the main reason I visit a special forum for the
terminally ill. (could make it for another year if I throw the
cigarettes away which probably won't happen) Within the past 4
months I have joined a sujpport group for spouses of Alzhiemers
which my wife was diagnosed with recently. Threw away all the
Prozac 3 months ago as it was doing nothing at all for my
depression. Seem to be coming out of it now or at least I'm feeling
a bit better. But.....BLEEDING HEART!!! You want stories? I could
pour out stuff constantly and still not make a dent. But...I don't.
Why do I keep coming back to this forum? Because I have an Olympus
Camera and I pick up little tidbits of information every now and
then and about all I have left are my computer & camera. I don't
let the other stuff bother me. I take it all with a grain of salt
and skip over & around most of the threads. I answer questions
sometimes when I think I have a proper response (which isn't always
correct) Sometimes I'm pretty harsh & abrupt with folks and If that
has been the case in the past, then I apologize but deep down I'm
just an old softy.

Bottom line is that I will keep returning to this forum as long as
I'm able to do so. It has become a daily ritual along with all the
others I visit. I know that everyone has the best of intentions
when posting but sometimes things can get a little carried away.
As I stated above, I just take it all with a grain of salt.

I Wish the BEST for Everyone
BillyBob

--
R. Slaughter
'Pay no attention to the Man Behind the Curtain' OZ
C 54.772256-E2 (Z)

http://www.pbase.com/nufsed/galleries

 

[Sandman]

Michael,

Welcome to the forum! Please let me say that this IS a photography forum. We all came here from the corners of the Earth to share our experiences with digital photography, learn from one another, and get advice on matters about our cameras. Many come, many go, but there is a core of the membership who have remained for quite a while. I've been here almost a year.

As you have noted, there is quite a range of topics that get discussed here. Most are relevant to photography, some are not. But this should not be a surprise! This is a community....and communities just do this...they talk about all kinds of stuff, some of it clearly off-topic. Think about your workplace, your church, your neighborhood get-togethers, even your family gatherings. Listen to the range of topics that get discussed. This is simply a natural phenomenon of human nature when people get together with others with whom they share some common threads. Taken out of context, many threads are off-topic. Taken within the context of the friendships and relationships that have developed here over the years, they are really on topic.

Certainly you are welcome to do what you wish, but I hope you would hang around a while, use the forum for what you need, and for now, disregard the rest. Over time you may find that there is an off-topic discussion that you ARE interested in. Over time you may find that this forum fulfills more than just your need for information about digital photography. Over time you might make a friend or two over here. If so great, if not, that's ok too.

Best wishes,

jim

--
galleries at: http://www.pbase.com/sandman3

 

[OlyMike]

Sandman,
I certainly plan on doing that. Thanks
MJ

 

[RichO]

Your response shows the spirit of the person you are...and supports my nomination of you as Forum MVP!