The Future of Photo.net

This conversation has been great and I've learned a lot from reading your interactions!

 

I haven't forgotten about y'all. Been working behind the scenes to get some mockups together. I haven't loved any of them yet, so we're still working on some ideas. I want to keep the same "feel" of this site in it's current form, but also have a little bit of an upgrade/evolution.

 

Stay tuned, I'll start a new thread when we're ready to show off some designs, and want your feedback!

Looking forward to the designs with great anticipation .

Thanks for your update, Matt! It's refreshing to have direct (and positive) communication with a representative of 'the owners' of PN after so many years.

Mike

This conversation has been great and I've learned a lot from reading your interactions!

 

I haven't forgotten about y'all. Been working behind the scenes to get some mockups together. I haven't loved any of them yet, so we're still working on some ideas. I want to keep the same "feel" of this site in it's current form, but also have a little bit of an upgrade/evolution.

 

Stay tuned, I'll start a new thread when we're ready to show off some designs, and want your feedback!

Is it my imagination , I am finding that the PN web site has become very slow and unresponsive today ?.

Not seeing it on mine. There have been browser differences on occasion.

I think the site is slower to load, slower than others I visit. Not a major issue but noticeable.

I'd like PN to re-introduce the email addresses, as well as perhaps an entire email service.

I've seen the future and it will be

I've seen the future and it works

Just love the old time stuff. Seems a kinder world with pleasant dreams of the future.

The future is not ours to see...

Just one more thing, Matt. Though I know that many other members disapprove, I believe that the binary "likes" (or not) are outdated. In practice (IHMO) a ''like' v

In defense of likes, they represent a wholistic response (to a photo) vs analysis, which reduces to a textual exparession of a visual experience. 'Tho I have indulged in text myself, to try to understand why.

analysis, which reduces to a textual exparession of a visual experience.

Neither a textual analysis nor a more simple verbal or written response is necessarily a reduction. Talking about stuff can be eye opening (pun intended) and expansive.

Then again, I may be fighting an uphill battle, the death of thought and conversation by a thousand emojis. :) (emoji irony intended)

Talking about stuff can be eye opening (pun intended) and expansive.

Very well said, Sam!

Hi everyone,

 

This is a strange post to write, but I’d like to start by introducing myself. I’m Matt Jensen and I’ve been running the Fiverr forums for almost 6 years. The Fiverr community has grown from a WordPress site all the way up to (at last count) 141,413 unique contributors and over 800k accounts. As mentioned by Rodger, Creative Live was recently acquired by Fiverr so we can expand our online education offerings.

 

In that acquisition, we found ourselves asking, what is this community and how can we help it flourish. Being the “Community Guy” at Fiverr, I volunteered to start the conversation about Photo.net, the community, and how was can help each other.

 

To be honest, it seems like this community could use a little love and resources and I’d like to help change that. I love that everyone here is so passionate and I’d love to find a way to make sure we all can encourage that passion to continue to grow this amazing site.

 



From a hosting standpoint we have, unfortunately, found that the site urgently needs technical upgrades. Needless to say, some infrastructure and updates would need to happen, which may require a migration to another platform.

 

Don’t worry, before anything changes, I want to hear from you. I promise to be as transparent as I can be and include everyone in this process.

This is where you come in. I’m new to this forum, but not new to the world of photography. Not a professional by any means, but a hobbyist (Canon 60D, EF Zoom 24-105mm F/4.0 is my go-to).

 

I’ve met and talked with the amazing moderators and admins, but want to hear from everyone about what this forum is all about, what it can be, and how I can help us grow this community together.

 

-MJ

Dear Mr. Jensen:

I'll cut to the chase. The last thing I want to see in the next version of PN is it's looking more like Facebook, et.a. Indeed, it is my fervent hope that "likes" be replaced by a rating system that would piggyback on critiques. This might entail that the ratings wouldn't be accessible unless a photograph has been critiqued.

My best,

Michael H. Linder (a long-term PN member)

Though I have a personal aversion to “likes”, I’ve modified my views based on the fact that a lot of people seem to … like … them. My hope for the future of PN is as few restrictions as possible other than those that maintain a semblance of order and coherence. So likes should be available to those who want to use them without qualifications and others might get the opportunity to turn them off should they want. Wherever a choice can be supplied rather than a rule, that should be given consideration. I also think the old rating system was ok and some version of it could be brought back.

I agree that Facebook should not be a model going forward, but if numbers are important, some Facebooking or social-media-izing might be impossible to avoid. Still, I’d look to PN’s very successful distant past for some ideas moving forward. Some of those features could be brought back and updated to a more contemporary feel. Things like Photo of the Week, Contests, interesting articles and interviews, etc., so much of which, due more to neglect than positive decision-making, leaves the site feeling somewhat hollowed out.

I also hope that ease and some personalization of creating and sharing individual galleries will be a priority.

Though I have a personal aversion to “likes”, I’ve modified my views based on the fact that a lot of people seem to … like … them. My hope for the future of PN is as few restrictions as possible other than those that maintain a semblance of order and coherence. So likes should be available to those who want to use them without qualifications and others might get the opportunity to turn them off should they want. Wherever a choice can be supplied rather than a rule, that should be given consideration. I also think the old rating system was ok and some version of it could be brought back.

 

I agree that Facebook should not be a model going forward, but if numbers are important, some Facebooking or social-media-izing might be impossible to avoid. Still, I’d look to PN’s very successful distant past for some ideas moving forward. Some of those features could be brought back and updated to a more contemporary feel. Things like Photo of the Week, Contests, interesting articles and interviews, etc., so much of which, due more to neglect than positive decision-making, leaves the site feeling somewhat hollowed out.

 

I also hope that ease and some personalization of creating and sharing individual galleries will be a priority.

I know that social media are here to stay. However,I'm skeptical about the next PN version being patterned after them.

I like what Samstevens said above: "Still, I’d look to PN’s very successful distant past for some ideas moving forward. Some of those features could be brought back and updated to a more contemporary feel. Things like Photo of the Week, Contests, interesting articles and interviews, etc., so much of which, due more to neglect than positive decision-making, leaves the site feeling somewhat hollowed out."

I could see it as a feature page with the interesting articles and interviews linking to the forums for commenting and discussion. I could see known photographers, critics etc. enjoying and desiring to share their knowledge with people if they know the platform has some vibrancy to it.