Assorted suggestions

[iancoxleigh]

Over the time I've been using Photo.net, I have been compiling a few things I

would like to have/be able to do that I can't. I thought I'd share a few.

 

I'm sure others might disagree with some of these and I'm also aware that

changes to various elements of the site are underway. Moreover, maybe some are

not possible to implement.

 

All of these are about the critique and rating process. I have similar lists of

questions/suggestions for other area. But, I'll leave them for another time.

Here goes:

 

1. I would like to be alerted somewhere on my forum page that someone has left

me a new portfolio comment. I'm told about new comments on photos submitted for

critique. So, why not this as well? Similarly, I can see follow-ups to my forum

posts. I would also like to see if there has been further comments on a

portfolio I commented upon.

 

2. I would really like to know when someone leaves a new rating on an image of

mine -- even if they didn't comment.

 

3. I would really like to be able to allow a photo to be rated without putting

it in the critique forum. I have several images that are part of a various

series. If someone comes to my page and can see the whole series, I would value

their response -- even if it is simply to rate the photo. But, I don't want to

submit the image to the forum to be seen out of its context.

 

I can also imagine that there are those who feel their image shouldn't be seen

without the comments and would like to prevent their work from going through the

rate-recent interface. On that issue, why are we REQUIRED to give some sort of

comment on our image in order to submit it for critique and yet that comment is

NOT displayed in the rate-recent interface?

 

4. This is probably the most controversial. I think we should be allowed to send

a photo through the critique forum more than once. Sometimes that forum can be

dead and you only get one or two comments or rates. So, you can delete and

re-upload and re-submit. But, then you might loose the one (or two) comments you

received. If this would lead to too many photos going through that forum, maybe

we could reduce the daily number allowed per member. Maybe limit this to photos

with less than 12 ratings (or another number) and maybe have them appear in a

separate 'Second Chances: images for further C&R' page.

 

That is all for now.

[joshroot]

#1 & #2 are good ideas. I will see if they are possible. It's more likely that we could set up something to alert users when comments were left. It might be too much of a strain on the servers (and might create more mail than any user would want) to alert for every rating given.

 

#3 is something that I thought already existed. I have never submitted an image for critique, but some of my images have ratings. This must have been from a time prior to the creation of the critique forum. Again, I will look into it.

 

#4 will not happen. We already have way more images in there than can reasonably get a good number of ratings. I understand the problem and want it solved as well, but running the same image through again and again is not the way to fix it. It's just annoying.

[gordonjb]

No. 1. Has been suggested previously and I think it is a good idea.

 

No. 2. I could care less about ratings that's not what I'm here for so I do not care either way, although it is a good suggestion and I'd bet it would be popular.

 

No. 3. Also a good idea for the rating concerned. Perhaps the system could be set up so all images are available to rate unless a box is checked to specifically ask that the image not be rated.

 

No.4. Certainly going to be a contentious issue. I do think it is a shame that if I happen to post at a slow time and get little in the way of critique I would have to reload the image if I wanted to try again. I do not think this is fair to the people who have already taken the time to leave a comment. I know if I took the time to put together a critique and the member deleted it in order to garner more responses I would not be coming back to critique again. The lack of decent critique is a problem that is in need of being rectified but I do not think Ian's suggestion is workable, particularly when part of the problem is the volume of submissions.

 

Maybe breaking the critique forum down into sub groups would be beneficial. Another suggestion could be to have a rating forum separate from a critique forum so that people interested in critique wouldn't get lost in the shuffle of people hoping for a high score to get into the TRP.

[iancoxleigh]

A few follow up points:

 

Josh, you say: "but running the same image through again and again is not the way to fix it. It's just annoying."

 

I agree to a point. But, the thing is, a LOT of images go through the critique forum multiple times as it is -- it is just that they are deleted and re-posted between occasions. If you reduced the number you could put up for critique each day the total volume could be kept the same. This is particularly true since you used to be kept to 4 posts a day whether you deleted the images from your portfolio afterwards or not. Currently (since the last major update to the site -- unless this has been changed back within the past couple of weeks), you can put 4 up, delete 3, and then be able to put 3 three more up for critique. I have seen some photos go through the critique forum twice in the same day!

 

You also said: "#3 is something that I thought already existed". It clearly once did -- the FAQ for the site says "All photos can be rated or commented-on by other members." That isn't true anymore. All photos can be commented upon; but, only photos submitted for critique can be rated.

 

And about #2. You do get the notice for comments. And it is highly useful. I'm unsure if you get a notice about comments if the image has never been submitted for critique.

 

Gordon:

 

I primarily want #2 for the occasions when people come and leave a portfolio comment but not any comments on the images. Before I go visit their pages, I would like to know as much as possible. If they didn't comment, I don't know anything. I'm presuming they might have rated something.

 

I also like your suggestion for a separate forum for critiques only.

[gordonjb]

I had not thought about that aspect of suggestion No.2. Extra information is always helpful. As regards Josh's concern for burdening the server, perhaps if any new features could be turned on and off then only members who felt in need of them would have the features activated.

[Michael R Freeman]

Re #3: This was something that used to be possible. However, if I recall correctly, this was removed a couple of years ago specifically to combat out of control mate rating and hijacking of the TRP pages. If you wanted your photos to be rated, you had to submit them to the critique forum so that *everyone* participating had the opportunity to rate them, not just your "buddies" who you contacted by email asking them to nudge, nudge, wink, wink "Please 'rate' my photo" (with a 6/6 or 7/7 of course).

[Michael R Freeman]

Incidentally, #1 is an excellent suggestion. I'm not sure #2 is all that useful.

[joshroot]

I would think that if #3 was turned back on, the ratings given would not count towards the TRP.