POLL - 'Beer, Wine or Soft Drink' 13 - 19 Jan

[spikeyjen]

Please vote for your favourite image....

[Reinardina]

Bump

[Reinardina]

Fifteen votes so far.

Will 'bumping' do, what the dead horse didn't?

C'mon folks, you've got this far, now just give your support to your favourite image. Please?

[kerbside]

Think people need more than a bump Reinardina  more like a rocket up there Arss 

[Reinardina]

No Jeff, you can't force people to vote. They might rebel, and vote for the image they least like.

Now, that might attract attention: a competition to choose the worst image. Might be fun.

[kerbside]

yes. I suppose you are correct, my frustration with all forums is that there is a base core of people that participate and then the ones that pop on , have a look around and go again, only takes a few seconds to vote and the more that vote, I think, the better the result.

I also think that voting is better on a 1-3 basis as per another forum we both go on from time to time. Right that's it.

[DigiDiva]

What a great idea Reinardina - I might win then haha

[ABERS]

The same old moan again this week.

I would hazard a guess that if most of the pictures entered for the weekly competition were just put on the gallery on a stand alone basis they wouldn't receive a second glance or even a comment, like all the others that are posted there.

The fact that they're in a competition doesn't make them special to all those that visit the forum and so are treated in the same way. If people can't be asked to vote for one winner, going down the 1-2-3 route will exacerbate the problem.

Just a thought.

[kerbside]

Abers, totally agree with your comment on the stand alone theory, however just trying to find a way to get more people interested in the competition.

Again agree that as they are in a "competition" does not make them special, in fact some weeks I question if a certain picture actually meets the topic set.

Reinardina has tried hard in the past to stir up support for the weekly competition, just trying to support the forum and not trying to be negative.

Other forums have been and gone ( not only camera ones) due to lack of member support and I would hate this to go the same way.

That's my two pennies worth so now I will 

[jinky]

As Abers says people will vote if they want to / can be bothered to vote. No amount of bumps / cajoling is likely to alter it. It`s a relatively low number member site so we cannot expect lots of voting in what is a small competition. It`s one of the reasons why I think the old critique / comments method of approach was useful whereby people got feedback on the image that was often as valuable as the whether it got a vote or not - at least to me.

[Reinardina]

Alan, you are right of course.

People visit the site with different interests and different 'needs.' It was always thus. The 'old' site was the same: a more or less steady group that regularly got involved in the competitions; others that were regular visitors, but hardly ever were on the competition thread, and spent their time on the other forums. Probably also sticking to the one or two, that catered for their specific interests.

And no, no one seems bothered about looking at photos in the gallery, let alone comment.

So why do we do it?

A competetive spirit? With the low numbers, there isn't much competition. Yet there is the urge, with me anyway, to get something different. Not always successful, but worth a try.
Compulsive disorder? It may look like that.
To have a reason, and a goal, to take the camera out, and look for something specific? This could well be a prime reason. It certainly is mine.
To 'force' people to have another look? Yes, but it does not seem to work, as people have their own interests and it is difficult to change those, or to add to them.
A way to make more people communicate? Definitely. Doesn't work either, but at least we tempt you to 'jump in' on occasion. So it works. A little.

There are probably many more reasons, but till the competition moves out of 'domestic' images, into the field of world class, attention grabbing, dramatic photography, things will not change, I fear.

So we have to aim for that, and once we get there, the photographers will move to more lucrative environmments, and the competition will be where it started.

A never ending circle of trial and error and hope and disappointment, and yes, fun too!

As long as we keep that (fun) in mind, the few who regularly participate, will be haapy enough. I hope.

[jinky]

TBH even if we got "world class attention grabbing images" in the weekly comp ( however they might be defined) the voting pattern would be little different. It`s a small site that Mick manages beautifully. You need to see the weekend comp as a bit of fun challenging you to get the best image you can within the time /theme available. If you expect more you will be disappointed.

[Andrew]

I suspect the issue with the competition is the same as that of numbers actively engaging in forums.
The numbers are down for a variety of reasons, mainly i suspect because people are busy working themselves stupid to get money to survive in this new recovering climate.

Another area with digital photography is that it has reached saturation point in much the way that computing did. You don't have to spend much on a digi cam that will produce extremely good images - and the cost of Lightroom nowadays or PSE and what they can do to 'recover' or 'enhance' an image - then you have smartphones. The excitement of how to maximise these wonderful 'old tools' has gone. You can get it all free on Youtube or some ones blog! 

History tried to tell us with the waning of the original DCM site - we just didn't listen.

[Reinardina]

Not doing too badly: 18 votes so far.

[jinky]

Well done kerry. Nice shot. My vote went to H `s beers this week. Simple and appetising - the beer I meant , not H. He only meets half that criteria