see title (and comparison to all other thread titles which werent created by mods/coords...)

I must say I noticed the same. I've never been really active in the forums myself but the last year (or more) I've posted even less. Why? Can't really say.

A lot of the people that were here when I first came here have left rendo alltogether.  Those people were pretty active in the forums and I they never really got replaced by people with the same interest in the forums.

I responded to a post/question a while ago, but that person never responded. That's not really encouraging.

I wonder how many active users we have here.

Anyone remember this? Those were fun times at the forum :)

I am guilty as i am not so active on the forum.

I do try to reply as soon as i receive a notification of a posting on the Renderosity Forum.

Blessed day and weekend.

God Bless.

I must say I have no idea what you are asking or saying from what you posted? My best guess is that you bemoan the lack of interest in discussing thing on the various forums. My answer is that people will only respond to what interest them and most have busy lives and only so much time available for Renderosity. And some people have left Renderosity probably because of the proliferation of similar sites in the past few years. It doesn't mean that they have been driven away by mods or coordinators. I have nothing but praise for the many people working or volunteering behind the scenes at Renderosity! They make it possible for me to play here and connect with others to the extent that my time permits.

Whaleman - my reference to the other posts by cords/mods was to highlight that there is no real "user" community here, not as a slight on their abilities in their positions.

The fact that ouf of the current grand total of 22 whole threads on this forum, 13 of them are LWITG/GOM etc related created by a cord/mod, kinda speaks its own story.

That is what i am bemoaning.  Time was that we actually went onto more than one page of threads...

I dont have the answers, but it is a sad state of affairs...

I have to agree with Whaleman on this.

I am with whaleman as well.

It sometimes feel if i do not have enough time in a day.

God Bless.

Just an observation:

There were times when a thread like this would have generated hundreds of views and tens of reply posts.

Rich - and everyone else - I share your concerns. There has definitely been a drastic decline in Forum participation since I joined in 2008.

I would partly blame it on folks with very busy lives as mentioned above.

I am also to blame I guess. I need to spend more time in the Forums and initiate chats. My time is just so limited as we are only 2 people looking after 8 galleries. I'm not tryinh to make excuses - just mentioning it.

From my side I will make more effort to be more active.

I would definately not put the blame on anyone in particular and certainly not the mods. I also don't see that that's what inshaala meant.

After thinking about it for a while I think it has to do with the explosive popularity of social media.  Back then, people reached out more in forums like this.
But with the advent of things like facebook I think they jumped into another type of community which made them forget this one.

I for one don't use FB of Twitter, but I can see how it would draw one away from the classic forums.

3DGuy - no problem - I really did not take any offense and Rich made it quite clear! :)

I think you are right - FB and Twitter are so popular that many folks now have less time for the forums. Good thinking - I never even thought about it.

Well, I've also noticed that ther are less ans less artists on line too (I remember the time when it reached 5000 and more !). It is certainly for the same reason.
I guess that the previous post are right : there are other social communities.
As for me, I don't really have a lot of time even if I like Rendo very much

To be quite honest I´ve never really bothered with the forum, so now I´m feeling rather guilty. I must do more in this respect.

Renderosity always has been and always will be a 3D site/market place.

Sites like this can't compete with Social Media. (Facebook, Twitter, Flckr..etc etc..)

After I left the staff, I found myself spending more time with a local group I started.

Now, I even that has slowed to a trickle.

I stopped coming here for very personal reasons..

Honestly, the over use of Social Media is causing a backlash...People get tired of all the bull shit..nit picking..politics..etc etc..It's stopped being FUN...

I spent YEARS...trying to make this place better..Trying to keep people interested and enjoying activities..

Once I left the staff..I couldn't buy a comment...not even a negative comment..Maybe nobody is interested in concert photography..BUT..outside of Renderosity..I had decent reactions from people..including the performers I had photographed..and constructive comments from my peers in the field..

On a personal note..yesterday I said goodbye to my best friend in concert photography..42yrs old is way to young to die..His struggle for the last 9 months has changed me forever...

I, myself, am not really a big forum poster..  Especially in a photography forum since I concider myself a newbie when it comes to photography.. 

I do however browse the forums alot to learn new things, but it's as you say, they feel quite empty unfortunately..

I guess people are different.. Personally I'm quite shy.. I feel that if I don't have anything worthwhile to contribute on a subject then I'd rather not post just to "increase my post count" so to speak.. I realise that's not really helping much here tho :P

Do 3DGuy, Bruce and Rich remember the times when there was much more of a learning environment on the forum?  I am sure you do.  Questions were asked or put out there and interesting threads developed.  A bunch of "pool tournament" photos where put up and some suggestions made to the photographer...a rather accomplished photographer today it appears.  That was fairly typical some years ago. There were "disposable camera" challenges and a decent number took part in those.  That was then. I enjoyed it and have truly developed my skills both through this forum and during the time I have been a member of Renderosity.   There were also incidents of feelings being hurt or "injustices" seen leading to some quite skilled members hitting the road.

Why are forums not so active as in previous years?  Yes, social media likely does affect it but that becomes so tiresome when an excellent image is posted and is hardly noticed amongst the tide of "got up sleepy today", "u off today?" and babble of all sorts. The photo forum here is specialized and more focused than social media and I am grateful for that. I would not think of posting my last two photos on Facebook out of a sense of dignity but did do that in my gallery here.  Yes, threads are down and some kinds of postings have all but disappeared...I honestly cannot say just why except it must in some way reflect the current population of photography membership and perhaps a concept of what the forum is for in the first place.   Lots of photographers are here who simply do not post, such as JenniSjoberg from Nov 28.   There was a time when newbies might have been more apt to post and ask techinical assistance. I am sure that help is still readily shared and many photogs here are qualified to help.  No newbie need avoid the forum because of being a "newbie"!  I believe you will find the company helpful and friendly.

As for me, l lost my "regular" job on New Year's Eve of 2010.  Boy, that was great timing to be told BYE right out of the blue.  So, I have several reasons I suppose for not posting so much or uploading many images...pushing to establish my own photo business is difficult in an ecomomy of finances and competiton when many photographers are going out of business, not into it.  Finding the best niche in the marketplace is not easy and I have fallen into three primary directions and am pretty good at each of those, spending time doing the work and developing me in that regard as something worth having on the team for contracted work.   Oh my...there is so much more marketing to do and that is a continuing work.   So, if and when I get to the forum I will likely reply...but visiting the forum is something I simply do not do as much as in the past.

As for those who worked so hard in the past to develop and encourage, my hat is off to you and I say "hurrah!" to you.  To the present cords and mods, I encourage you to keep it up in what is a somewhat different environment than ih past years, keeping the door open to all sorts of us with all sorts of skill levels...as you are doing now.  Maybe a sign is needed outside that open door saying, "come in and sit around the table for a little while.  Take some tea and lets get to know eachother better."   No one here whom I know is going to say your gallery is not good enough.  I will more likely say something like, "wow..what a wonderful landscape you have in Sicily. I haven't seen that in travel books", or I might ask Bruce if shooting a performer up close and personal during a rock concert is just as sweaty as a front row prize fight. How did you do that photo?  And if you ask, how could this photo be better, if I feel qualified to answer I will certainly do that.        Thomas (tomdart)

It is possible to use sitemail to encourage folks to visit the forum for some special challenge or event...evenso, it is their choice to look, post or disregard.

http://thomashaynes.zenfolio.com

I remember Tom. There was alot of back and forth with questions and answers.

Back in 2005 we did a community project:

Dandi was the name and traveled around the world visiting several members. I eventually lost track of where Dandi ended up. You can see all of the pictures here(click).

I wonder if something like that would work again.

Just noticed last week was my 10 year anniversary on Rendo

Now that stirs dome memories!Dandi got a good sampling of booze along the way! I saw some of the travels but was not sure what it was at the time.  Of course Tedz is gone as is his Texas friend Cynlee, and Doug.  I would love to see more of the info sharing and help with stuff.  We did try diti revived for a while but I have not seen a "cirtique" thread in a long time.  If people have other interests going, it will be difficult to change that but who knows.

My 10 year anniversary will be this coming May.  I am glad you posted in reply.  I have not been visiting every day and got in late on this thread.

Have wonderful Christmas season...

I must admit I participated more in the Forum and some other places in earlier times, but my current endeavor doing free photography has just been so busy and so rewarding I find my time stretched to the limit, and I'm unwilling to give up any part of that because I don't know how long I have until it all goes away, LOL.

Well I started up a quick Xmas greeting video link here last week, and so far not one person has bothered to contribute a video. So maybe that answers your question! I know members are busy at this time of year, but it took me fully 2 minutes at the most to do it.............

My DSLR has no video option... It's not that I don't applaud your efforts, I just don't have the means :)

It took me a while to left a note here...I don't post anymore here at RR for 4 months already...nobody notice it....and nobody has asked me.
I lost my passion to post, I have my reasons for that.
But that does not mean that I don't look to others work...I still do and left comments.....I have some friends here I still  follow.

I must admit that the PHOTO-COMMUNITY is dead

I agree with you inshaala...and also with girsempa....
And virginiese....I see the same daily....uploads in the photography is less lately...in the past there were many many more uploads....
now if I count on a good day about 50/60 but sometimes less. And sometimes 3 from 1 member.
And 3DGuy......O yes I remember that time.....when Tedz and Cynlee where join RR. I really liked to follow that DANDI thing....

blinkings I have seen your video and I really liked it. Nice idea...I have a cam....I have a mobile phone with a video function ... I think we all have such phone
the reason that I didn't make a video is because I don't feel connected anymore in the forum.

I have had a very tough year behind me.....and lost my father in January and two sisters in law last August within 18 days...
that has shaken me awake and live my life day by day.....I make more time for myself and people I love and care about...
I am not asking for pity but life is hard and I'm emerged stronger....

everything I've written is my honest opinion and I hope you respect it...

Hopefully 2013 will be better for the PHOTO-COMMUNITY..and I wish everybody the best and a good health

Greeetz Ilona Krijgsman in the past aka vlaaitje

The forum is and was, for me while I was on staff, a place to learn and gleen hints for better skills. I felt the challenge, the different games played and the announcements of achievement/personal elations were s big draw. Every day I checked for something. I tried to find hints and links after Bruce left but with the backlog of the 7 galleries I stood over, and keeping the features active in each one, I fell short. Tom Dart and Jeroni threw in and filled out the form from time to time with threads that made the community respond, but no one seemed to want to perpetuate the discussions or initiate anything.  I remember posting questions in several forums I moderated about what types of things people wanted to see in the discussions. I asked for input for ideas I was developing to peak interest. Even when I ran the occasional contest in the forum, out of all the photographers in the community, I would be lucky if I got 30 voters stepping up to simply say "1, 2 or 3" as their vote.  The appathy is astounding.

I don't blaim it on anyone or anything, but, Rich, you are right. Our community is shrinking. The other day I found only 40 posts in the Photography Gallery were done in a 24 hour period. Only 2 pages archived for the day. I remember when 7 pages per day was not unusual in a day's time. Now it seems sad to see the few struggling photographers posting and trying to find someone who has the same passion; who  wants to reach out and say more than "nice photo," or "good job."

MrsLuber:

I have learn as well from topics I have read in the forum......You touch the right chord....that's exactly what I mean....the two words comments.....copying and pasting...
the quality of the photos is declining...and the bad pictures get the most reactions because some members spend 24/7 at the pc
I'm not saying I'm a professional photographer.....I often see pictures of members that are great....with less comments
I think a lot members agree with me what I try to explain but not say it in open...but I do....I have nothing to lose.

There are also members they complain about it as well...but never leave a comment to others either  "I call them selfish" and they have no right to complain.

but you will surely agree with me.....the photos are qualitatively less
some websites first approve the photos before they are accepted.
I think that an approval is also an option...I know it is a lot of work...I was coordinator myself

there also was the option to put the poorer photos in the beginner genre.....a long time ago there was a topic in the forum about this.....but nobody MOVE it ... I've watched it ... and found it very annoying because good photos need to be more appreciated

and that is one of my reasons that I don't post anymore.....

now I read only the last week in the gallery and gallery of the month in the forum.....and so now and then an interesting link to look at

I hope that some good photographers who are left keeps this community alive

I still look around and will leave honest comments what I really find from a picture

Good luck with all....

greetz Ilona

PK,Ilona, others, 

You are both on spot with your posted thoughts.  As to "reasons why" speculating will serve no useful purpose.  Is it the seemingly total tech takeover of thinking and social events in the developed world?  I do not know.   What I will do is as I have the past year: 1. Post a thought when I have reason  2. Post a decent photo when I have the desire and the photo  3. Participate in a challenge or game when it catches my attention.   UNFORTUNATELY, my visits to look for new actions on the forum are much more scattered than in the past and I really do not have a consistent explanation for that.

My working situation has been in distress for 2 years, better lately in some ways with my optomism ready to kick it into gear after a rest through the holidays and the arrival of the new year.  I have at least erased the least productive roads from my map and survived the rugged and quite difficult paths to no where.  A better road awaits in 2013 and that is planned, organized, ready for full marketing and effort. Will it work for me?

**Only doing it will provide that answer because I control to a large extent what I do but cannot control the responses of others or prevent being involved in unexpected events which pull me and my available time into other places. ** The same may be applied to time spent on the Photography Forum and in the galleries.

**
**I have seen the dedication of those working the mod and coordinator positions. Those people both present and past are due a full round of applause and appreciative thank yous.

When I posted to this thread on Dec. 17, the previous post was on Nov. 28. The thread was dormant 19 days. Honestly I am surprised at the recent responses but am quite glad to read it all and hear from those for whom I hold respect from recent times and what seems an eternity ago.

Carin, you are doing a fine job, no doubt of that.  As I said, we cannot control the responses of others or even expect a response.  It is keep it up and keep going.  When it comes to helping others and newbies, I am not a Rich, Onslow or Danny O but if I see the post will still give it a go.  (Rhyme not intended but ok to smile!)    

Thomas aka TomDart.

Love ya Tom, Ilona, Bruce, Rich...and of course Carin who stepped up to the plate when I left my post.  You are all people I respect and for good reasons. I only hope that in our strive to produce quality products for the public, we can educate those coming up behind us about how to view art and, more importantly, create good artwork. Not all things we do are perfect but when we hit on the perfect image, it needs to be appreciated and when it is not, I hope the community will help to teach us the better way. The forum and the comment section are more than a place to pat us on the backs.

It is really difficult to pinpoint the exact reason for a community like Renderosity to get inactive.  It must be because of several reasons and not because of poor photos or bad comments or what who is doing right or wrong or not doing etc.

I for one was quite inactive in 2011/2012.  Some life changing events, challenges and work held me up.  I am taking photos as a hobby and am having a full time job as an IT Manager for a government institution.  This in itself causes me to have very limited time to spend on social networking sites although I am still trying to participate because of what it means to me.

I post here because I WANT to and I like viewing the photos of people who share their thoughts and photos here.  Many might not be of a professional standard but that is not what Renderosity is suppose to be in my honest opinion.  For me it is a community where you can share your photos, get more ideas and inputs from other people.  It is about making friends and sharing things you like with them. 

I have a photo page on FB as well and to be honest I don't have people leaving comments there like they do here.  You might get your occasional 'like' and that is about it.  At least here at Renderosity people try to comment, even if it is to pass on critique about the shot you took.  You also learn things from other people sharing their work here since the technical side is also discussed many times. 

In short, Renderosity is what YOU as a user make of it.  Nothing more and nothing less. 

True. Not as many seem to want to make anything more than a photo gallery out of it these days which is sad. We all have things to say, share and learn. This is a perfect place to do that and it's free.

I have read every post in relation to this subject that i can and my honest opinion -Like it or Lump it-differs from many if not most.
People express how they are disappointed with A B C D E.
They also state that they cannot find true reason why the forum is failing?
I noted that none expressed what they believe the forum should actually be or represent?
At the moment there is a place we call a forum where mixed item's are placed randomly.
No set criteria and where a few decent moderator's struggle daily with idea's in an attempt to keep the forum alive.
People should first decide what the Photography forum should be.
Sound's simple enough. Yet not...
I believe that the forum should be divided into section's.
For example:

(HELP)---HAVE A PROBLEM WITH LIGHTING,ISO OR CAMERA SETTING THEN ASK HERE.
(INFORMATION/TIP'S)---CAPTURING NIGHT IMAGE'S,BIRD'S IN FLIGHT,SETTING WHITE BALANCE ETC.
(LENSES/CAMERAS)---ITEM'S RELATED TO TYPES OF LENS/CAMERAS.
(CHAT)---TALK ABOUT ANYTHING RELATED TO PHOTOGRAPHY OR JUST SIMPLY WANT TO TALK.
(USEFUL LINK'S)---LINKS TO USEFUL PAGES IN RELATION TO PHOTOGRAPHY.
(FUN)---POST YOUR FUN IMAGES HERE.
(PASS THE TIME)---SMALL CONTESTS RUN FOR FUN BY THE COMMUNITY.
(NEW'S)---PHOTOGRAPHY NEW'S FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
(BEGINNER'S TIP'S AND INFO)---ANYTHING TO HELP A BEGINNER
The forum will never hold the attention of everyone.
Consider that a post has just been made which receives no view's?
Surely this would simply imply that no-one was interested.
Yet another different post could receive quite the opposite interest.
There has to be a selection of topics available to suit all user's in one respect or another or people will simply not find what they are looking for and move on.
The user's build the forum and the user's use it.In other word's they make it into what they want it to be.

Some emphasis has been placed on the posting,commenting and quality of image's.
So for now i will use myself as an example.
I pay a subscription hence i will post up to my daily quota as i see fit.
I appreciate that this can be a pain in the backside for other's who have friended me etc.
Mail notifications from not only myself but also their other 50 friend's in relation to new post's."ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
Obligation is the word that i would use to describe how they probably feel they must act toward's commenting on the new post's.
Personally i would rather someone not comment rather than tell a lie to prevent upsetting me.
I won't comment on an image out of obligation.
I comment because i want to-Perhaps in simple term's or even now and then in elaborate term's.
I do not understand photography too well to comment on intricate detail's so more often than not i comment-LOVE IT.
The truth being that i do love it.
Copy and paste is a thing that occurs everywhere on different sites the world over.
Language barrier's is one reason given but at the end of the day someone has taken the time to copy and paste a reply and pay attention to your post.AT LEAST THEY DID NOT IGNORE IT...

I don't really choose to compare Renderosity to other site's as there really is no comparison.
We as individual's have the right of free choice and speaking for myself i choose freely to be here.

Many people know of the cLIQUE'S here but for some reason avoid the subject.
The clique's were not built to be such but were simply a build of friend's etc over a period of time.
But this annoy's so many people.
What the clique's actually cause unintentionally is for certain individuals to alway's appear the master of their craft although they could in fact have presented crap image's/render's.
This deludes the individual's who can clearly see the truth and rightly becomes upset.

I do not believe that we should check photo quality to see if it is good enough to be posted here?
This is supposed to be a friendly community where we help each other not belittle individuals because we feel they are not presenting work good enough for our own standard's.
My photo's are not the best,i know.
So do i elect not to publish them because i believe they are not the best?
Do i stand in judgement of other's better than myself and send their images to hell because i do not believe they are quality images?

Renderosity has alway's been render based and photography is alway's just an extra page.
People "HAVE" left because of the attitude toward's fairness for the photography section.
Many idea's have been put forward over the year's in respect of photography, for instance give photography it's own chart's.
But i doubt anyone will find any photography chart's?
The mod's in general are great but this site is money orientated like many other's.
Whereby the power's that be want thing's introduced that will make more money not cost more bandwidth.
Photograph's should not have to compete with render's even here yet they do.
This make's people angry and scornful and eventually some leave.
How many photographer's over the year's have topped the ART CHART'S ?

It is time to stop skipping around the bushes and face the problems head on.
Renderosity should listen to the individuals from the photography world and take action rather than sit back saying well we have idea's of our own.
The users will revive the forum if they have the true backing of RR
If not then what is the point of pretending to still have one.

The unfriend button is next to ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Not only do you express a great many of my own thoughts, but you also echo many of the thoughts I heard while I was a coordinator and moderator here. Because photography was an add-on to the site it is not well developed. Why? it doesn't generate the revenues that keep the sight alive.

I have always thought more photography-based products should appear in the MarketPlace and host a sponsored feature/link with a printing entity so novelties and prints could be sold. Reaching out and marketing to photographers in camera shops, photo galleries, etc. would bring in new blood and new talent.

Yet, to expand on a speculative market when trying to build and maintain the original one, takes a lot of money and effort, so for now, we need to pull together as our own community here and make this the best we can to show we are a viable market waiting to be tapped and not just a best-friend society.

I think since this post was originally started, several members have started looking in and contributing to the forum discussion. One of the things I like about this forum is the informality of the posts. We don't have to decide what heading to put our thread under...we just smile and put it next in line. :-)

Thank you so much MrsLubner.
The informality of the forum is excellent to say the least but simply to place a couple of extra pages into the site script take's nothing more than a couple of minute's.
Renderosity i would guess is almost unique in not having to decide what heading to put a thread under.
If i required help in adjusting my white balance for example i would have to browse all the post's to see if any information was available.
If i were to look under a heading for example named Camera setting's then in all probability i should find it there quicker since this is where the information should be found.
Wall's cannot be built without foundation's being laid.
Many people are avoiding saying what they feel for reasons unknown to myself.
Possibly feeling the wrath of Renderosity and all it's might is keeping them quiet.
It would be interesting to know how many people involved in photography have actually put forward ideas to Renderosity whereby their idea has been nurtured and turned into reality.
It is actually only small silly thing's that are driving people away-And one of those small silly thing's is the fact that Renderosity is not listening to the user's wishes.
Renderosity make's very little revenue from photography at this time and i truly hope that eventually they can.
So to offer a seperate - for example - photography art chart would cost them nothing extra but would keep many many people happy and contented.
Ilona-Krijgsman i noted is being as truthful as other's are.
Although some of our opinions differ greatly i accept her opinions as her own and valid,Yet she is clearly stating reasons why she does not post, as again other's are also doing.
But apart from being part of a discussion nothing will be done about her reasons for leaving.(She has great image's by the way)
In all probabilty her departure is regarded as no loss since she did not generate revenue.
Renderosity does not make the forum's.
The user's do, which is why the forum is struggling.
Renderosity is trying to run it without the user's and the user's have given the forum the thumb's down and let them get on with it.
There is no magic answer's but there are simple answer's.
The first being Renderosity should listen.
Hopefully the forum will survive but at this time i really do not see light at the end of the tunnel.

Quote - I have read every post in relation to this subject that i can and my honest opinion -Like it or Lump it-differs from many if not most.
People express how they are disappointed with A B C D E.
They also state that they cannot find true reason why the forum is failing?
I noted that none expressed what they believe the forum should actually be or represent?
At the moment there is a place we call a forum where mixed item's are placed randomly.
No set criteria and where a few decent moderator's struggle daily with idea's in an attempt to keep the forum alive.
People should first decide what the Photography forum should be.
Sound's simple enough. Yet not...
I believe that the forum should be divided into section's.
For example:

(HELP)---HAVE A PROBLEM WITH LIGHTING,ISO OR CAMERA SETTING THEN ASK HERE.
(INFORMATION/TIP'S)---CAPTURING NIGHT IMAGE'S,BIRD'S IN FLIGHT,SETTING WHITE BALANCE ETC.
(LENSES/CAMERAS)---ITEM'S RELATED TO TYPES OF LENS/CAMERAS.
(CHAT)---TALK ABOUT ANYTHING RELATED TO PHOTOGRAPHY OR JUST SIMPLY WANT TO TALK.
(USEFUL LINK'S)---LINKS TO USEFUL PAGES IN RELATION TO PHOTOGRAPHY.
(FUN)---POST YOUR FUN IMAGES HERE.
(PASS THE TIME)---SMALL CONTESTS RUN FOR FUN BY THE COMMUNITY.
(NEW'S)---PHOTOGRAPHY NEW'S FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
(BEGINNER'S TIP'S AND INFO)---ANYTHING TO HELP A BEGINNER
The forum will never hold the attention of everyone.
Consider that a post has just been made which receives no view's?
Surely this would simply imply that no-one was interested.
Yet another different post could receive quite the opposite interest.
There has to be a selection of topics available to suit all user's in one respect or another or people will simply not find what they are looking for and move on.
The user's build the forum and the user's use it.In other word's they make it into what they want it to be.

Some emphasis has been placed on the posting,commenting and quality of image's.
So for now i will use myself as an example.
I pay a subscription hence i will post up to my daily quota as i see fit.
I appreciate that this can be a pain in the backside for other's who have friended me etc.
Mail notifications from not only myself but also their other 50 friend's in relation to new post's."ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
Obligation is the word that i would use to describe how they probably feel they must act toward's commenting on the new post's.
Personally i would rather someone not comment rather than tell a lie to prevent upsetting me.
I won't comment on an image out of obligation.
I comment because i want to-Perhaps in simple term's or even now and then in elaborate term's.
I do not understand photography too well to comment on intricate detail's so more often than not i comment-LOVE IT.
The truth being that i do love it.
Copy and paste is a thing that occurs everywhere on different sites the world over.
Language barrier's is one reason given but at the end of the day someone has taken the time to copy and paste a reply and pay attention to your post.AT LEAST THEY DID NOT IGNORE IT...

I don't really choose to compare Renderosity to other site's as there really is no comparison.
We as individual's have the right of free choice and speaking for myself i choose freely to be here.

Many people know of the cLIQUE'S here but for some reason avoid the subject.
The clique's were not built to be such but were simply a build of friend's etc over a period of time.
But this annoy's so many people.
What the clique's actually cause unintentionally is for certain individuals to alway's appear the master of their craft although they could in fact have presented crap image's/render's.
This deludes the individual's who can clearly see the truth and rightly becomes upset.

I do not believe that we should check photo quality to see if it is good enough to be posted here?
This is supposed to be a friendly community where we help each other not belittle individuals because we feel they are not presenting work good enough for our own standard's.
My photo's are not the best,i know.
So do i elect not to publish them because i believe they are not the best?
Do i stand in judgement of other's better than myself and send their images to hell because i do not believe they are quality images?

Renderosity has alway's been render based and photography is alway's just an extra page.
People "HAVE" left because of the attitude toward's fairness for the photography section.
Many idea's have been put forward over the year's in respect of photography, for instance give photography it's own chart's.
But i doubt anyone will find any photography chart's?
The mod's in general are great but this site is money orientated like many other's.
Whereby the power's that be want thing's introduced that will make more money not cost more bandwidth.
Photograph's should not have to compete with render's even here yet they do.
This make's people angry and scornful and eventually some leave.
How many photographer's over the year's have topped the ART CHART'S ?

It is time to stop skipping around the bushes and face the problems head on.
Renderosity should listen to the individuals from the photography world and take action rather than sit back saying well we have idea's of our own.
The users will revive the forum if they have the true backing of RR
If not then what is the point of pretending to still have one.

The unfriend button is next to ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Pete.

Thank you for your thoughts on this topic.

I enjoyed to read through your post.

God Bless.

AZBO

Since you are pretty new to the site and the forum, I'd like to fill you in a little bit.

I was on staff at Renderosity for almost 10years. I spent a fair amount of time moderating this area.

Renderosity was more than willing to let me run with ideas..I had (in the past) had some really cool things happening here..We had actual photography type prizes for contests..We had a lot of activities..

The thing is..this takes a lot of time and effort to accomplish these things and maintain a level of participation in the forum. The folks that came before me laid a decent foundation for this forum. I learned a lot from them.

I tried..and had a lot of help from a lot of people..It takes a rather large investment of time to keep things going..Anyone who was or is a staff member can testify to this.

I saw a lot of changes over the time I worked here..Most of them positive..but not all of them. It came down to a personal decision on my part. It was taking up more time than I was willing to give..I tried to participate after that, but as I stated earlier, I'm very happy hanging out with my local photo club.

If ANYONE wishes to help...please let the staff know..I'm sure they can use all the help they can get..

Hi and thank's

Thank you for your information which i greatly appreciate.

As you have said RR was more than willing to let you run with idea's.(Staff)

But if you do as i did and scroll through the archives (where i got my info)

Anything that i have written about can be clearly found.

The only thing about the info found on RR is that it is scattered.

Even a couple of step's above this post dear Mrs Lubner who was also on staff confirm's the thought's of many-not i alone.

There are a few archived post's where (staff) member's have been giving a free run to introduce new and often better idea's within the forum.

But there is not one single item whereby the request ( numerous requests ) for a seperate Photography chart's for example has been accepted.

I know first hand how time consuming running a website can be and how grateful people should be to those behind the scene's.

But what i have written is not fiction and it is not my thought's but the compilation of what other's know is being said.

Simple fact

The forum is failing? Why?

Easy answer really-Because it does not supply anything that makes people want to return.

Example-I this morning posted a link based on Photography tip's for beginner's.

43 visit's so far.

Not great i know but consider that 43 is not far behind most other normal post's.

As i tried to say in my previous post-The user's are who make the forum-Not the website owner's or staff.

I jump about all over the place reading post's and looking at image's-I post in the forum to bring another box up that someone may be interested in.

I see someone with a problem i try to help if i can.

If i asked if i could help?

Not here long enough,no experience, in all probability.

Somebody want's to use some of my free time-I am all ready and willing....

Before i forget i ran my own website for 16 year's-I was a domestic appliance engineer who contracted to Vax,Hitachi and Goblin where i stocked over 30,000 part's online.

PS.

It is not i who said the forum is failing - I simply wrote a possible reason, which more than i have said the very same.

Thank you

Bruce is spot-on and his work here was incredible.

I still stand by what I said - many complain about the clique mentality but that is human behavior and you can't remove that.

I also was tried to gleen particiation with photography-type prizes and tried several challenges and weekly games in hopes of pulling more members in. If I got 5 members participating, I was doing good. I worked on this an average of 6 hours every day including weekends and still there was more that needed doing. Bruce and I produced a lot of change in so many areas, changes that are still being enjoyed today - some disappearing with my leave.

I totally agree with Bruce - anyone wishing to help make the Photography section of this site grow, please email staff and join the team...give your talent and time. That's what will lead us to growth and a louder voice here. Will the compaints about cliques and quality of photograhers posting ever go away? No. That'a also human behavior, but we all can agree on one thing...the more we all participate in Renderosity, the more it will be what we'd like to see.

I already wrote. And i cerainly understand the strain on those running the forum.

The daily struggle to make it better and to give people what they want but they then don't use.

To be honest i don't give a hoot about Clique's and i would not want to be in one-If my image is Kerap i would rather know than not'

Ego tripper i am not but concerned about the forum i am.

:-)

Thanks so much for your offer and I will certainly be in touch with you if something becomes available. We do appreciate the time you spend with us.  :)

I am willing to offer help where I am needed.  I am not new to moderation of a forum and is in fact a moderator on a debating forum as well.  Something I intend to get out of since I served there for 4 years now. 

AZBO got it right and it will take quite a few people who would support these ideas for the love of it.

ElusiveAngel, contact Meisiekind with your offer.  She's always on the look for members who are willing to help out. :-)