Make "Critique Only" category an "Older Critique Request" link

As has been pointed out several times here in recent weeks, members

trying to access the "Critique Only" function have to use a "mystery

link" which becomes accessible only when it appears as a topic in this

forum. Even then, contributions to that "Critique Only" facility

appear in a list without thumbnails--hardly a convenient way to view

those images! A suggestion: make "Critique Only" a category in the

"Older Critique Requests" list of the "Critique Forum"--with

accessible thumbnails. The moderators should be able to do this with

ease. Their apparent reluctance to deal constructively with this issue

in a timely manner is becoming as mysterious as the missing link.

Thanks Bill for offering up a rather simple solution to resolve this issue. I am sure there are several methods by which visibility to the Critique Only Forum could easily be restored.

 

My guess is that they don't want the Critique Only Forum to be successful as it contributes nothing to the moronic ratings game that is so important to management here.

 

Cartens's visibility with his POW pointed out that increasingly the talent on this site is more interested substantive critiques than with meaningless ratings.

 

So just watch -- even if the visibility for the Critique Only Forum returns, it will return in the least visible manner possible.

 

Meanwhile, they are in no hurry to fix this problem. Their silence communicates more than they realize. Communication after all is not their strong point...

JMO, of course, but something needs to be done to help critique and communication, because the ratings thing is fast becoming a joke, with most all photos' averages falling in a narrow band of 4 to 5. Even those that deserve better (I've seen a couple today in the gallery) get the instant 3/3 to bring the average down. And I think with the RR queue feeding the newest pics first, mate-rating is probably back, as well.

 

So we really could use a viable critique-only forum for those interested in learning or teaching.

 

Of course, I'm one of the idiots who prefered the old critique gallery where I could look down the complete list of postings for the day and see what had been posted by my "interesting people."

 

Best Regards

Surely in a area like photography and art, which solely is a venue for communication. There would be some resolution to this problem, which seems to be a bother to some members.

I've waited to post this because I've been hoping this issue would get resolved, but I agree that the really rather abrupt explanations and lengthy silences of the administration speak for themselves. So ...

 

Sometimes (often, in fact) it feels like the photographers here are under the misapprehension that they're the site's customers. Really, they're the site's suppliers, providing content for the eyeballs that matter so much. Almost all of the eyeballs go to the gallery, where pictures are ranked in popularity order using the rating system. As has been noted before, there's little interest in challenging photography here meriting site resources, because it's not attractive to the vast majority of the eyeballs. And since Critique Only images don't even go to the gallery ... well, you get the picture. Suppliers who provide secondary product get treated accordingly.

 

As has also been noted, this ain't the only site in town. If you guys just want critique, it would be pretty easy to use Flickr to do the same. There are things I really like PN for, but for ease of seeing other people's images and arranging one's own, Flickr wins hands down. And, for now at least, its customers are the same people who provide the content. If we're dealing with a free market site, a little competition might be to the benefit of all of us.

Why does communication with PN management have to be like pulling teeth. Painful & difficult : ) I guess that's why so many have left or are thinking about leaving. But then as PN has stated many times they don't care if someone leaves. Sad. PN has the potential to be the premier site on the net for all levels of photographers. Thus, resulting in more revenue & the ability to hire a few more people to run the site, etc.... a vicious spiral UP! Apparently, PN has no desire to become hugely successful or is unaware of it's potential. Possibly a tax write off for the current owner? Who knows.

 

At any rate, I agree, put the "Critique Only" back. Please. A few of us peons enjoy it : )

Oh, come on, give me a break, will you? The Critique Forum design changed less than two weeks ago, and in the process the link to the "Critique Only" photos was lost. I've published that link twice and said several times that there will be further changes that will restore the visibility of "critique only" photos.

 

Meanwhile, if it is too much trouble to find the link for the "Critique Only" photos, why not just critique photos that catch your eye in the Photo Critique forum? I'm sure people submitting photos to be rated *AND* critiqued won't mind if you critique them, and I am sure that there are photos in that forum that merit your critiques.

 

Or is there something objectionable about rating a photo that was submitted for rating *AND* critique? I get the idea that some of the people complaining in these threads think that only "critique-only" photos merit critique, and that anybody who submits a photo for rating *AND* critique isn't interested in, or doesn't deserve, critiques. That isn't an attitude that seems good to encourage, from my point of view.

 

The redesign of the Critique forum was intended to encourage critiques, and most people seemed to appreciate the change, although it doesn't seem to have increased the number of critiques much. But it wasn't a hidden agenda to suppress "critique only", and as I said, I planned to bring it back. But, really, I must say all this whining is making me wonder whether I really want to put effort into encouraging a circle of people whose main point in common seems to be disdain for the rating system.

Brian, you never quite get it do you? A community had developed around the Critique Only Forum. A community based upon our interest to learn from one another. A community you pulled the rug out from under with out so much as a word of explanation. When you made changes to the Photo Critique Forum you eliminated the assess and visibility to the Critique Only Forum. To our polite requests for information for the plans to return the Forum, you gave us the most curt response possible. Never once have you taken the 5 minutes that would have been required to tell us of the plans to return the Forum. A simple explanation was all that was required.

 

When it comes to people skills Brian, you are quite blind. Now go on back to the comfort and security of your computers. The chaos you left in your wake, is behind you. Why should you have to respond?

David, I'm well aware that there is a group of people who have formed around the critique-only flag, and there is no need to be insulting or sarcastic.

 

What you don't want to recognize is that it is a very small group of about 100 people or so, and the currently active core of it is only a few dozen people. Since the critique only feature was implemented in February 2004, only about 7000 photos have received comments through this "venue", averaging 3 to 4 comments each. By comparison, 500,000 photos have been submitted for critique by 38,000 distinct photographers during the same period, receiving nearly a million comments.

 

So critique-only is small. Also, as I have said before, it is not particularly a group I want to see expanding, since in order to participate you, by definition, have to opt out of the rating system, the main system of the site for making good photos visible. It also doesn't help that many of the members of this "critique only" community seem to be on a mission to criticize and discredit the rating system, and to get others to opt out of it.

 

So, to be completely blunt, non-corporate, etc, the critique-only "community" is small and it makes a lot of negative noise, and doing things that only benefit this "community" is not near the top of my list at the moment.

Brian thank you for at least setting the record straight. Your honesty is appreciated. At least now we know where things stand with you.

I find this bickering upsetting and unprofessional on both sides of the fence. I use both forums, the point being I have a choice. Having a choice is nice. Not having a choice is not. Photo.net is a business with customers, cash flow, and so forth and so on. If you can't take the heat get out of the kichen.

Somewhat like Howard, I find myself sympathetic to both sides. The only substantive

contribution I feel I can make is this: Brian, a visible, accessible CO forum can be part of

the boilerplate response to those complaining about ratings (which I'm not doing, mind).

As long as it <i>is</i> a viable alternative, you can, as part of your rebuttal to this

perennial complaint, point out that there <i>are</i> alternatives. This could make that

part of your job easier. Just my opinion; I could be wrong.