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by Tom Reichner on Thu Mar 05, 2015 7:35 pm
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So much of the enjoyment experienced in online photography-related forums is derived from participation in group photo sharing threads.  These are threads that have a theme, and then anyone who wants to can post their images to the thread (images that fit the particular theme of the thread).  

Examples would be titles such as:
"post your hummingbird photos here"
"SUNSETS: post your best"
"Short lens (under 200mm) bird pics.........post yours!"

These types of threads are extremely popular.  They provide a venue for less accomplished photographers (who may not yet have much confidence in their work) to post images when they might otherwise feel intimidated doing so.  

Think about it - if almost all of the self-started threads feature very good work, then a newcomer who has not yet honed his/her skills would feel rather intimidated starting a thread of their own.  But if we provided threads that they could merely contribute to, that might generate a lot more activity from such people.  It would give them a way to get their photos seen, and perhaps critiqued, but in a less formal, more casual way than starting their own thread.

I do not see any such threads on NatureScapes.  So, my question is, how can we get some group threads going here?   Or, have they always been forbidden, or strongly discouraged?   

What is the overriding philosophy here :
a)  to weed out sub-par contributions in an effort to keep the "quality" up
  -OR-
b)  to reach out to a great number of people who represent a great range of skill levels, and to encourage everyone to participate equally?

If "A" is the goal of the editors, then I understand the dearth of group share threads - it makes total sense if such is the case.  But personally I'd love to see a lot more activity here on these boards, and I think that perhaps a proliferation of group sharing threads might be a way to gain a bunch of new members.  It would also provide a way for current members to be more active on the forums.
Wildlife photographed in the wild

http://www.tomreichner.com/Wildlife
 

by Gary Briney on Mon Mar 09, 2015 7:15 am
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For quite some time in the past each of the image forums had an optional monthly 'motif' or theme topic, which enjoyed varying degrees of success. Motif's have gone away for the most part largely due to declining interest. We'll look into the possibility of reviving them, and take into account your suggestions.
G. Briney
 

by Tom Reichner on Mon Mar 09, 2015 10:16 am
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Thank you for replying, Gary

I remember the monthly motifs well. However, what I am talking about is quite different - it is a single thread to which many, many members post photos. The motif was cool, but it still worked so that each person started a thread of their own.

With the group threads, you end up with an incredible amount of participation - there are literally dozens, if not hundreds, of photos posted to the thread every month (by many, many different members). The dynamic between motifs and group sharing threads is quite different.
Wildlife photographed in the wild

http://www.tomreichner.com/Wildlife
 

by SantaFeJoe on Mon Mar 09, 2015 11:26 am
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Hey Tom
Can you post a link to an example so we can see what they are like? You've peaked my interest in knowing about them. Thanks!

Joe
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso
 

by Tom Reichner on Mon Mar 09, 2015 11:52 am
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SantaFeJoe wrote:Hey Tom
Can you post a link to an example so we can see what they are like? You've peaked my interest in knowing about them. Thanks!

Joe
Sure, Joe!

Here's one from a very busy forum with tons of traffic:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/sho ... p=17466737
In 9 1/2 years, it has gotten 5,527 replies!

Here is one on the same forum that I just started a month ago.  90 replies in that time..........not too bad.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/sho ... 022&page=1

And here's one from a much smaller, more "intimate" forum, where practically everybody knows everybody else:
http://www.huntfishnw.com/index.php?topic=4564.0
Only 1340 replies in 4 years, but it is a very small forum.

The real value to these threads is that they generate a lot of activity, and posts are often from some of the more "shy" members who would most likely never start a thread of their own.  I think it's a good way to get more people involved and contributing.
Wildlife photographed in the wild

http://www.tomreichner.com/Wildlife
 

by SantaFeJoe on Tue Mar 10, 2015 10:54 am
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Thanks, Tom!

Joe
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso
 

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