 Gianna Stadelmyer |
New Contest OK, I try not to be a complainer or "squeaky wheel", but I have to say I am SOOOOOOOOOOO disappointed with some of the changes to the monthly contest. It was SO much fun entering something each day and seeing what others had to offer each day. Now it's been cut by TWO THIRDS???? I knew changes were on the horizon, but thought it would mostly be to the categorizations and had heard about a theme. But ten entries a month? Even on photography-unlimited you are allowed to enter 5 photos per category per month (there are at least 5 or 6 categories) and on many of the daily sites you can enter 1 photo per category per day (again, usually 5 or 6 categories). I know it was a huge task to go through so many photos, but why the DRASTIC change. If it was doable in the past, why not now? ALSO- I am a bit confused. Do the ten allowable entries have to comply with the monthly theme (in this case indepenedence)? Since I was on a plane all day yesterday, I left instructions for my hubby on how to post my entry, which he did, but now that I have gotten to see these changes, I feel like I have wasted one of my ten precious slots since my photo doesn't really show "independence". It's a favorite photo of mine, but not for independence.... Seems to be it would be hard to show a theme in macros and flowers as well. So is the monthly theme a parallel or do all 10 entries need to show that theme to be considered as finalists for the contest? BP, Thanks so much for straightening out the categories. You did a great job! The monthly theme.....I could take it or leave it. Would be nice if it was just a suggestion of things to try, but not required. BUT, I for one am very disappointed in the entry limit. Guess I will have to get my daily fix through other sites that allow one per day. Shame though...I like the set-up here and feel I have really made some nice friends through this site the way it is set up. Would appreciate anyone else's thoughts on this. Am I alone in my feelings on the contest? Can anyone explain the theme to me as far as the allowable entries and finalist consideration? Thanks for providing me the forum to "vent":-) Jan
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Diane Dupuis |
Hi Jan, I have to agree with you in several areas. One - the categories seem much clearer now. Glad that was adjusted. 10 per month !!! What am I going to do the other 2/3rds of my mornings?? I realize that 14,000 entries is too many, but... Would definitely like to know that answer to your questions re: the theme -I've already posted 2 photos this month - and neither one has to do with independence (they are a flower and a lion's tongue!) PS: Jan - could you post links to the other contest sites... or e-mail me? I love BP, have become totally addicted, love the friends I've made here and the chance to show off my hobby. Diane
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Gianna Stadelmyer |
Thanks for responding, Diane! The other ones I submit to are: www.bestfoto.com (digital only but NO LIMITS on the number of photos one can submit), www.shutterbugs.biz, www.steves-digicams.com (one per month), and photography-unlimited (but I will have to look up the exact address since I am away from my home computer and need to find my notebook in my suitcases!). They don't give you the feedback that this site does, but unless I indicated, they allow you to enter one image per day per category. Hope that can fill some of those mornings a bit, though I know it won't be the same. I've been totally addicted to BP since I have joined!
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Rob Friedman |
I wholeheartedly agree with both of you. I really like being able to post every day...it certainly makes it more of a "community." After a while, you even get to know who is going to upload photos at specific times of day. :) I do wonder how they monitor "entries". Can you still post photos, but not officially "enter" them (just like if you posted two in one day, only the first one counts, but people presumably can comment on both). If so, how can you pick which ones are entered and which aren't? Also, is the limit officially 10? I've pulled up the site a few times and some times it says there's a new limit and other times it says the old "one per day". I really hope this doesn't drive folks away to other sites for 2/3 of the month.
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Diane Dupuis |
Hi Rob It's under Contest, Terms and Conditions... "Entrants are allowed to enter only one photo into the contest per day, to a maximum of ten per month. "
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Casey A. Hanson |
I too am a little confused about the theme and what role that plays on your entries for the month. Only 10 per month? Why only 10? This leaves a great deal of the month where people will go elsewhere. I love BP for the people, pictures, and the learning value that I receive everyday. I hope there is a happy medium to this.
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Michael Brown |
I can understand 10 per month. With the ever growing amount of images submitted, it is getting very hard to keep up. Has to be! With the 10 per month limit in place, it also makes the submitter to "self critique" their own works, which is something everyone should learn to do. Mike
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Brinn MacDougall |
I have to agree with Jan.ect..I hate the new limit! Why not just adjust the entry form to black out after posting for that day! It's a sad day for our wonderful group.
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Brinn MacDougall |
P.S maybe we should contact Heather and express our feelings!!
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Rob Friedman |
I emailed Heather earlier today, and she has been very responsive and seems open to ideas. I would imagine that they would reconsider if they sense that folks aren't happy (since a large part of the value of BP is the community). We only complain because we care. :)
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Diane Dupuis |
Rob - that's great news! I really think that if they could find a way to stop people from posting more than one photo a day they would cut the numbers down by several thousand. I'm sure there is a technical way to do this. Where are the computer gurus??
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Leesa White |
I have a thought. Maybe they cut down the entries, because people get so upset when the finalists aren't ready by the 15th? I've noticed before that if the finalists aren't posted on the 15th, there are several postings asking why it's taking them so long. Maybe the less photo's entered, the judging time will be shorter. Now don't get me wrong, I loved entering photo's daily and will now have to be more selective on what I choose to enter, but it seemed like it made sense to decrease entries. Just my two cents though!
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Leesa White |
Oops, I messed up the dates there. The winners are supposed to be posted by the 15th. Sorry!
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mandrphotoart.com - Michael Wehrman Contact Michael Wehrman Michael Wehrman's Gallery |
I agree I will sure miss entering a photo everyday and watch the comments as they are posted but the bright side is now I will be able to comment on three times the number of people and make more friends. Just my two cents worth
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
You complained, got changes, now you're complaining again. There could be several reasons. Cut down on redundency. Cut down on judging time. Need the server space. Like I said, can't please everybody.
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Damian P. Gadal |
http://www.digitalphotocontest.com allows 5 entries per day with daily winners (with monthly grand prize winners) and has a sister site for photo critiques.... hth DPG
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher  Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
This is a business!! Businesses are supposed to please their customers!! WE are the customers. And WE ain't happy, guys!!! I could maybe live with 15 per month and adjust to an every other day schedule and find another site to go to on alternate days. Many of the other sites don't allow the interaction such as we have here, so let's try to work with BEEPEE!! I've had MANY e-mails asking me if I knew of other sites, so somebody probably better pay attention. They could also maybe have separate judges for each category that would cut down on the number they would have to go through...Also many of us would be happy to be "guest judges" now and then. This is really upsetting to many of us since we are so pathetic we don't have any lives except amongst y'all on this site! Don't do this to us folks!!
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Damian P. Gadal |
Seems the focus of this site has changed to revolve around the contest, rather than photography - maybe if they got rid of the contest the focus could get back to the essentials of photography....
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
Damian, my dear!! We LOVE the contest! There are plenty of sites and classes for the essentials of photography. WE want the contest!!And we're going to whine and beg and grovel if we have to.
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Damian P. Gadal |
LOL
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
And that brings a question. Since it's a business!!, where does this business!! make it's business!! money? I can see how the contest can be fun for some, but do all these people really take so many pictures that they have over 2 per week, every week, that they can enter? Besides, people complained about somebody winning twice. They wanted it spread out more. Now, maybe they said "okay, we'll give you a chance by not letting people flood the contest" Now, back to complaining. It's a free contest anyway. I think they'd be lost without a microwave.
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Rob Friedman |
Where does the business make money? Well, for one, everyone on this thread has at least a gallery if not a web site (they paid $). I doubt many of us would have even heard of BP w/o the contest. Second, if it continues to attract people, I would imagine that there are a number of advertisers that would pay to reach this audience of dedicated photographers (PLENTY of sites have been supported by advertising and made a ton of money). Third, by having more folks participate in the contest, people "get addicted" to the friendly competition and want to improve. That's where the classes come in. I think having more entries plays perfectly into the "business" of this site. That being said, I also understand the need to limit entries into the contest to allow judges to fully consider each photo instead of being overwhelmed. What I would think would be a good answer to that would be allow one photo upload per day (as is currently allowed) and have the photographer check a box for up to ten that would be considered in the "contest". Keeping the sense of community and interaction (through daily uploads) feeds perfectly into a very sound business strategy. And Gregory, why the unwarranted attack on all of those innocent microwaves? :) BTW, I don't think anyone on this thread complained about people winning twice or more. In fact, I would think that everyone supported the idea that the best photos should win regardless of the photographer.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
I already knew how it made money. How is checking 10 boxes different than having 10 per month? Pick your 10 and upload them. I really wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't necessarily just too many, it was each person doing too many too similar photos. Anybody who wants to upload daily can still upload to the non-contest site gallery. Ah, but then you have to go from contest entries to gallery entries. Another complaint. But then again, you could do that any way.
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Rob Friedman |
My thought was that it's best to have all the photos in one place to comment on for usability reasons and this has helped to create a community at BP. You can call it "complaining," but if folks are trying to make suggestions on site usability (or make improvements to the current system) rather than leaving in droves, that's a good thing for BP. No one has to jump at every idea per se or agree with every suggestion. My point above regarding how this site makes money was to show that having a happy community is important to the "business" of this web site, since it seemed like you were possibly implying that the contest was not important to the money-making of the site (I think it is closely related). Any way, have a good long weekend!
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
Right on, Rob!! It's very important. Maybe the most important to many of us, sad though it may be.
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clifton Mair |
I can understand that the increased number of contest entries consumes more server space and judges time. I'm fine with the 10 entries per month into the contest as long as space is provided for daily postings elsewhere on the site. Gregory said there's a non-contest site gallery, I hadn't seen it but it's sounds like ideal place to continue the daily encouragement which is now going to be lost. If that grows too large for the servers, postings could be deleted every 6 months or so unless they are in people's own galleries. I think I would work harder for those 10 shots than I sometimes would for a daily non-contest gallery and that would improve my photography. Please, please, please don't allow advertising on this site, find some other may to make money :)
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Terry R. Hatfield |
Hi Everyone Well For Me I Have To Applaude The New Cats This Should Have Been Done A Long Time Ago!As For The Amount Of Uploads Per Month That Was A Huge Drop And Quiet Shocking To Alot Of BPers I Feel That Should Have Been Done Gradually Going From 15,000 Images A Month To 5,000 Will Drive Some People To Other Sites Less Images Mean Less Finalists! I Can Only Speculate The Reasons For This Action As Some Have Noted But The Bandwith Consumed Has To Be Huge! Anyway I Dont See This As Whinnig Or Complaining As To Voice Your Opinions Are How Things Get Changed For The Better. The Contest Is This Sites Main Draw Of People It Dont Take A Scientist To Figure That Out It Gets Them In The Door Where The Buisness Can Then Sell Them Their Classes,Gallerys,Websites Ect. This Still Is The Best Photo Site Thats Out There My Fellow Bpers!!Thats My 2 Cents Anyway!
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Dan Holm |
I understand the need to manage the immense volume of photos posted, but 10 per month feels a little TOO severe. At least 15 enteries per month seems much more reasonable. Posting a shot every other day leaves us free to post elsewhere on another site on alternate days. ... Eliminating the clutter (i.e; multiple same day postings - taken in some cases to the extreme) would also help make the volume more manageable. This is a great site and I hate to see the change but I understand the need to manage the ever increasing volume of images. I'd like to see it remain a great site and only hope the folks at BP will work with the membership to reach a happy compromise.
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Brinn MacDougall |
I still feel that it is possible to limit to one per day. Other sites do it. Everyone has an ID# once you post you can't post another in the same day. So easy and problem solved. As far as making money, BP has a wonderful way in offering websites, galleries and classes.
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Gianna Stadelmyer |
Excuse me Gregory, but I never complained about the contest and actually defended the photgrapher that won 13 finalist and 3 places in one month. The only thing I thought that could be improved upon in the contest was the categorizations. At times, I was faced with trying to decide if something was to be put in a graphics category (which also grouped it with flowers and details) or if it was better to put that into a photo category. That was the only thing I had said when the original complaints about the contest came in a couple of month ago about it taking too long for the finalists to be announced. I stated then that I knew it had to be a huge task and commended BP for doing it. I simply used this forum as a way to express my opinion and hopefully facilitate a useful discussion on what could be changed, if anything, and to see what others felt about the changes. Didn't know if I was alone in my thoughts about the new contest or not....and it turns out I wasn't. I knew changes were on the horizon, but I had no idea they were going to be this drastic. I agree with the other people that have suggested 15 as a happy medium. Every other day. I takes TONS of photos. I try to get out at least every other day, if not every day and "work out" my "photography muscles" to strengthen my images. I am inspired by the posts on this site often and get new ideas on techniques as well. If I hadn't seen this site, I wouldn't have a gallery here and I wouldn't have bought Jim Miotke's book. I would love to take a class, but financially, that has to wait. And a web site is something I aspire to as well. I agree that the site profits from the contest greatly. That's what got me involved with BP in the first place. It's what brought me in to buy a gallery and buy books and one day purchase more. It's also a place where I have made some good friends. I love sharing images with the community here, and the contest gave that an exciting edge. Anyhow, that's all I have to say on the issue. Guess we will all have to just wait and see what happens - if anything. Thanks to everyone for voicing your opinions:-) - on BOTH sides of the issue. Have a fun and safe holiday weekend!!! Jan:-)
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Diane Dupuis |
Jan- you couldn't have said it any better! (that's twice in one day and one thread that I totally agree with you!). In less than a year, I've gone from an occasional family snapshot taker to taking 4000 pictures in 6 weeks since I upgraded my camera(that's an average of a little less than 100 per day!). I bought a gallery (which by the way I find to be extremely reasonably priced), 2 books, waiting for another one to be in stock, and made so many friends! I'd love to take courses, but they are simply out of my price range. I guess I could live with every other day, but what irks me so much is when people post more than one a day. I've even taken to writing them back pointing out that they won't be considered for the contest (so why are they posting it there?) They've always said they know - but they really like having them commented on so they posted them in the contest anyways.
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Casey A. Hanson |
I really have to respond to Greg's input to this discussion~ Yes...I take pictures everyday. When my workday is done and my family work is at a chance to sneak away for a few shots, I do. And I post one EVERYDAY. Not to win a gallery or a camera bag, heck that's just a bonus! But to learn! The art itself, and to understand it. This site ,and it's members have taught me a great deal since I began here. I'm not as far into the "field" as alot of you but everyday it's a new adventure at BP. And I learn something new Everyday about a picture that I have posted. This site isn't just about the contest, Greg, we are friends here who help teach, learn, critique, and most of all, enjoy photography! I think 15 per month would be perf! And yes... I love my microwave :O)
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Damian P. Gadal |
I agree with you Casey! I shoot so much now that I had to buy a portable hard drive to carry with me in the field and I'd starve without my microwave... This is a great site - and a great place to learn and get ideas!
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BetterPhotoJim.com - Jim Miotke Contact Jim Miotke Jim Miotke's Gallery |
I've put a lot of thought into this and have come up with a few modifications: 1) I have removed the 10 per month limit. Even though the contest has grown to be so large, I love that you come to the site every day and want to encourage this kind of involvement. I considered the suggestion of compromising and having a 15 per month limit. However, I know from personal experience that when I say I am going to do something every other day, I forget. I want to keep it as easy as possible for you to enjoy the site and each other's friendship each and every day. Many people have complained to us about there being too many entries but, instead of limiting the monthly amount, we will strive to improve navigation so that it is easier for you to browse the photos that are being uploaded. 2) I have clarified that the monthly theme applies only to the Monthly Theme category. We did consider having themes that would apply to all categories across the board (both to encourage contestants to get out shooting new material and to lesson the load on our small staff). However, we decided not to go this route because we thought it would be too difficult to come up with themes that would work across the board. So the monthly theme is an optional category for those of you who do like the idea shooting new material and spicing up the contest. 3) We have made it so that it is impossible for members to enter more than one photo each day. Now, if you try to enter a second photo, the category pull down list will not be displayed. If you are uploading multiple photos - as when you are uploading images to an online class or to your Deluxe site, then only the first set of input fields will include the contest category pull-down menu. So if you want to enter an image when uploading multiple images, it has to be the first image on the list. I am hopeful that this restriction will make it a bit easier for BetterPhoto members to view the current contest entries. 4) We plan to work on making it easier for you to see that you can upload photos without entering them into the contest, solely for discussion. The navigation needs to be improved and we will put some work into making this better. I want to clarify a couple of points: a) Nobody that I know of has made a ton of money from advertising. Fear not, Cliff, we do not plan on doing any major advertising on the site. We would never survive if we tried to live off of ad revenue. BetterPhoto's hosting fees along already cost 20 times the amount I would expect to get from ads. b) I did not decide to remove the 10 per month limit because of the few mean-spirited remarks that have been made. I made this decision because many of you have been very supportive and constructive. Please do not get the wrong idea that "muscling" us is the way to get things done at BetterPhoto. We are a very small staff and respond best to loving patience, constructive criticism, and supportive pats on the head. c) Please do continue to improve with your self-editing skills. Think twice before you enter a photo into the contest. We still do want to make it as easy as possible for members to browse through current entries. Learning how to self-edit is such an important skill, anyway. Hmmmm... maybe we should offer a course on this ;-) d) I want to discourage you from visiting other contest sites. This has been known to be bad for your health. Anyways, BetterPhoto is the best contest site around. I only recommend visiting the other sites if you are doing so to come back and tell me how to make BetterPhoto better ;) Also, BetterPhoto is a lot more than a contest site. Please take some time to look around. You might particularly enjoy the Discussions section. Even though we are planning to make improvements to this section soon, many of you will find that it offers just want you were asking for: a place to discuss photos even if they are not in the contest.
I hope you all continue to enjoy the contest and grow as photographers. I have seen so many people become GREAT photographers here. I look forward to seeing your stunning images every month. Thanks again,
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clifton Mair |
Thanks Jim, those are clear, constructive and understanding responses.
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Kathleen Clemons |
Jim- Thank you for your thoughtful response, and for creating and maintaining a place that we all have come to love and appreciate on a daily basis.
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
WHOOPIE....THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU HAVE MADE MY DAY, WEEK, YEAR ETC..
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- William C. Raco Contact William C. Raco William C. Raco's Gallery |
Thank you, Jim. Thank you, also, everyone that offered an opinion. That's what makes a great community; the ability to work through problems to everyone's satisfaction. BP is a great place that just got even better. Best wishes to all, bill
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Joy Brown |
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Diane Dupuis |
JIM YOU ARE THE BEST!! I'm so very happy to see your response and your changes! I'm so excited !!! Thank you so much! I'm especially pleased that we can't enter more than one per day in the contest! That was really irking me when people did it anyways... I for one am totally addicted to BP, am discovering new things about it every day and love the work you do!!! Keep it up!!
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Charlene Bayerle |
Thank you Jim....I was having withdrawal!!!!! It's wonderful that you have re-considered and you made alot of people very happy!!! What a compliment to you that we all love your site and have gained to many friendships!!!!! Thanks Charlene Bayerle
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Casey A. Hanson |
Thank you Jim~ Not only for providing a wonderful site for us all to share and learn, but for taking the time to hear us. You are the best!! Thanks again and God Bless!
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Gianna Stadelmyer |
YEEEE-HA! THANK YOU SO MUCH JIM and ALL you folks at better Photo!!! I am so glad (Just read this now - was out trying to find a vehicle today.) Hope I was constructive and not mean-spirited....I tried to be nice:-) Anyhow, I am now SOOOOOOOOO glad to have things back to "normal"! Joy - Love that photo:-) Thanks again Jim:-) Jan
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Rob Friedman |
Jim- Yippeee--major thanks to you and the entire team!! This is exactly why this site is the best photography site on the Web...and why we didn't want to have to do without the daily interaction. We love BP and the community, and are addicted! :) I do hope that nothing anyone said was taken as mean spirited at all. If anything, it's probably just grumpiness (you know how addicts get when they are cut off! I know that everyone is very thankful that you have created such a super place for the photography community to "hang out" and learn, and make new friends, share ideas, etc. You and the entire staff ROCK! Thanks again, Rob
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- Kelly Abernathy Contact Kelly Abernathy Kelly Abernathy's Gallery |
:) Thank you so much Jim and the entire BP team!! I agree with Charlene - what a compliment to you that so many people have come to love so deeply your website and the community you have fostered! I appreciate deeply all the changes you have made and you and the BP team have my support!! You've made a lot of people very happy with this site. Sometimes we probably don't tell you how much it means to us. Thank you so much! -K And Joy - very funny pic! -K
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Donna R. Moratelli |
THANK YOU JIM! You've made a lot of people very happy!!Betterphoto has become a big part of our lives. We love it! ~Donnarae
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Allan L. Whitehead |
Jim, thank you very much. I want to add my name to the growing list of our community here at BP that has always and will always appreciate the work you do and the compassion you have for the feelings of our (family) members. I've been saying for almost four years that this is the best photography site on the web and will continue to be so as long as you are involved. I appreciate the rule enforcment as to limiting entries to one a day for all participants. That has been one of my pet peeves for a while now. I, on average, get about 600 + emails a day from the site and had decided that anytime I saw more than one entry per day from soeone, that I just wouldn't comment on any of that persons photgraphs for that day. I enjoy the family and community ties which I feel have be re-solidified by your actions above. Thank you so much for all the work and support that you've provided over the years and now that I'll be commenting on more photos on a daily basis I'm sure I'll find away to look at an additional 200 emails a day, somehow - your devoted community member - Allan Whitehead
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Dan Holm |
Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!! An important part of developing any skill is not only encouraging, constructive feedback but also the discipline of doing it on a regular (daily) basis. Now we're able to continue doing both at Betterphoto. Also, the one entry per day limit is a GREAT modification! Thanks again, Jim! You've proven once again why Betterphoto is such a great site!
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Murry Grigsby |
Thanks Jim, Heather and all at BettePhoto for keeping the contest alive and well. Hey Jim I would have rolled over too if Carolyn pointed a gun at me :0) It really is the best site on the net to post and comment on photos and I still tell everyone about BP!! Murry
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
No need, Murry! I couldn't hit anything anyway! LOL
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Leanne M.E. Boyd |
Thanks so much Jim, I can now have my daily dose of BP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
And yet thru all of this, the world kept turning west to east.
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
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Casey A. Hanson |
What a shame... Here we have all collectively come up with a wonderful solution to this dilemma, and yet we have to deal with one mean spirited person who feels the need to continue this childish "game of words". Thank Heaven for the delete button on the keyboard. Keep on smiling Carolyn( the go-get-'em gal ), we , and the BP community are better than that! Have a wonderful 4th everyone!! :0)
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Colette M. Metcalf |
Thank you so much Jim and all your staff! This is a one WONDERFUL sight!! The best!
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Bob Cammarata |
Wow! I was away for a few days and a lot has happened. Thanks Jim, for addressing the issues so promptly and fairly.
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- William C. Raco Contact William C. Raco William C. Raco's Gallery |
Carolyn, Are you being bashful? I believe you forgot to leave a note.
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
I didn't forget..It was removed by the politically correct censors. I requested for Gregory to respectfully shut up. He was being sarcastic....And mean.See his response to Char's comment on the next thread.
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Janet Detota |
Thank you, Jim!!! Doing the Happy Dance here in central New York!! :-)))
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Carolina K. Smith |
Sincere KUDOS to Jim, Heather, and the staff at BetterPhoto.com ... Because, I think what transcends the Contest is the sense of community that the ability to upload daily engendered. I think that sense of community actually aids us in becoming better photographers, because we are openly encouraged to try new styles or things we have seen other photographers try, and thus we grow. Someday, I just might try a Raco Fence or a Joy E Brown wonderful super saturated architechtural colored photo, or a Lori D. flood photo. It is in the spirit of fellow photographers wanting to grow in their artistic and technical expression, and not seen as 'copying'. I think it would have been hard to keep this community spirit with only 10 photos per month, just like it would be hard to nurture a spousal relationship if you could only interact once every third day! We often show our greatness during times of conflict, and to me, Jim and Heather and the Staff (how many are there ? :))have graciously responded. I am very happy that only ONE photo is allowed to be entered each day. This is where we should be challenged to strengthen our self editing skills. I have taken over 100 photos of the same subject over a period of a couple of days, and still stewed over them, slept on them, taken more, until the 'right' one resonated with me. But sometimes, that 'last photo' on the memory card was 'it' and needed no more. So I am glad that the once daily upload will encourage us to self edit, but still allow daily uploading. I like the new categories, especially that Flowers became their own, and I look forward to seeing the themes for that extra push into shooting 'for assignment'! Thank you again,
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Fawn S. |
I first want to thank Jim for mkaing everything so clear and for providing a nice, safe, fun, photographer's web-site that we all can enjoy and share on. It has made my becoming passion much easier to control. Thanks so much for both sides of the issue, new light has been given. Thanks again. Fawn S.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
You never lost the ability to upload daily. Just a limit was put on how many could go into the contest.
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Wally Orlowsky |
I had asked some questions about the new contest limit and Heather pointed me to this discussion thread. It was good to see that I was not alone in my disappointment. And it is even nicer to see that the issue has been fairly resolved. I certainly fall into the category of an old-timer, but relative neophyte to photography. A former professional photographer turned me on to this site. I was concerned that this was out of my league. However, by checking out the work of others and getting feedback on my entries, I do believe that I have improved considerably, though I still have a long way to go. I have certainly become addicted ... I set up a makeshift studio for indoor stills several times a week and have begun to play with lighting too. There is probably not a flower in my garden that hasn't been auditioned to become the next "star" contest winner. I don't always have time to enter a photo each day and I miss seeing and commenting on the "regulars" in my small group. Thank you, Jim, and all your staff for a wonderful and inspiring site.
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Janice Rios |
Thanks Jim for keeping this family together. YOU ARE THE BEST. I love this BP. You can tell your a very down to earth kinda guy. What other site would make changes, listen to the complaints, and not do anything about it. We all care about our Better Photo Family I'd like to say GREAT JOB to ALL the staff.
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Kelly M. O'Connor |
Okay, so just to reiterate, and make it clear, I know there was a 10 entry limit implemented, then everyone was upset, BP responded and said that maybe the 10 limit was too strict and raised the limit, but it doesnt seem clear to me, if the limit was put back to the original 1 per day, or if it was more than 10 but still not the original 1 per day. Can someone please clarify this for me?? Thanks =)
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
It's back to one per day, Kelly! We are all thrilled! The new categories are still in there.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
It's one per day. However, if you have something to put in the contest, make sure it's the first one to be uploaded for the day. To prevent more than one per day, it's been made that after the first upload for the day, no others can be entered into the contest. So if you had six photos to upload, and one of those six you wanted into the contest. Make sure the one you want entered into the contest is the first one uploaded. And make sure you signify that picture to be in the contest with the category box. Although I see on the horizon people getting upset over the special affects vs. digital darkroom categories. Isn't digital manipulation special affects, what if I only do a little bit of manipulation, what if I use photoshop to do the same thing that a color filter does, if they used photoshop instead of filters wouldn't that disqualify them from special effects and they shouldn't have won. Ahh, what's instore for chapter two?
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Kelly M. O'Connor |
Okay, thank you for clearing that up for me. SO far I only upload 1 per day anyways since I dont have a whole lot of great material at this time. One more quick question, is there any easy way I can find all of the pictures Ive entered into the contest for the entire month?? So I can make sure not to duplicate an entry by accident??
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Allan L. Whitehead |
Kelly, I was wondering the same thing about three months ago and came up with a solution for myself. I keep a record on a calendar entry # (145428, etc) of all my entries on a daily basis. This is not really quick, but when I want to look back, I just go to any photo discussion in the contest then simply enter my # in the title bar ("http://www.betterphoto.com/forms/discussionDetail.php?threadID=145428")and get my picture. If you then use the back button on your browser you can enter as many numbers as you'd like to check by using the procedure. How that's what you were looking for - Allan
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Gianna Stadelmyer |
To the "negative individual" commenting on this page (and you and I bet everyone else knows who you are), do you know what it means to be happy, encouraging, or supportive? Or to offer useful suggestions to potential problems instead of just sarcastic remarks? I don't think it's useful to create problems. If you foresee potential trouble, post it as a useful, well-presented Q&A or ask the helpful folks that run this wonderful site and I am sure they can address it. It's fine to disagree, but a differing opinion will always be better received if nicely put:-)
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Debra Booth |
I'd like to join in and thank Jim and the BP staff for responding so positively to the concerns of the BP members. I also really appreciate the new categories and the fact that only real contest entries will now appear on the Contest pages. This is a very caring, passionate, and supportive community, and I am very happy to be a part of it.
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Diane Dupuis |
Hi Kelly, I keep a Word document where I type the date - the title of my entry, the BP number and the name of the photo on my computer. It's one way of keeping track of what you've entered.
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Debra Booth |
Kelly, Before I submit a photo, I append "submitted2004mmdd" to the file name, where mm is the month and dd is the date. That helps me keep track of what I've submitted.
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Gianna Stadelmyer |
Great ideas for tracking all! I keep a medium-sized notebook by the computer and just scratch down each day what I enter. I also keep the image info in there so it is handy if I need it for anything else:-)
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BetterPhoto Member |
Hi Everyone! I just read the recent threads on the unique ways all of you keep track of your images that you upload to the contest. They are such great ideas, I'd love to see them in their own individual thread with the appropriate title. Many BP members would appreciate the advice given. Thanks!
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Janet Detota |
For those of us with member galleries, our entries are listed so I'm a bit confused why you need a separate record for these. For those without galleries, I can understand it. Am I missing something?
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Noel Baebler |
Hi Jan, I believe these ideas are best used for those who do not have member galleries. Either way they are great ideas to compile your lists of entries to avoid duplicate uploads.
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Diane Dupuis |
Hi Janet! I started tracking my entries before I got my gallery, but I continue doing it now, because I don't want to scroll through 100 pictures to check if I've already entered something. Heather! Great idea. Is there a physical way to put these keep track comments in a separate thread? Thanks!
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Joy Brown |
THE SYSTEM IS WORKING - TOO WELL!!! Just a note to let you all know that the "one a day" entry feature is definitely working. I entered a wrong image and then deleted it totally from my site. When I went to enter another image, the "subject drop down menu" does not appear because the system thinks I already entered one! Bottom line - be absolutely positive about your entry for the day!
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- Bonnie C. Lackey Contact Bonnie C. Lackey Bonnie C. Lackey's Gallery |
My thanks to the BP Staff for their quick response to our disappointment. I have only been a member since the first of the year but because I already feel a sense of belonging, I am paying more attention to what I post and I am trying harder to take pictures of merit and I am truly delighted to see other people's work. I have learned so much from this daily contact and certainly have a much greater appreciation of the talent that many of the members have as I see their work on a regular basis. This is the most caring and supportive group of people and I would hate to see that diluted because of a more casual contact. Again, thank you...
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Joy Rector |
Just wanted to add my thanks for being so open to suggestions about the contest and with all parts of this wonderful site. I recommed it to everyone even non-photographers just so they can see the beauty of this world through so many eyes.
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- Dr Silly Contact Dr Silly Dr Silly's Gallery |
I e-mailed Heather Young early today to ask about the contest rules, on photo uploads and received an answer this afternoon. Thank you BP for the quick answer. I am fairly new to BP and I think people should spend more time editing what is upload in to the contest. There are a lot of general pictures that are uploaded I think just for people to look at. And if they whould would get a gallery that would be a great place to put those photos. I think BP is a great site and I love the great photos that are uploaded. Thank You and Have a great day.
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- Dr Silly Contact Dr Silly Dr Silly's Gallery |
P.S I think a great category whould be funny photos.
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
I totally agree! We could use a humor category!!
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Joy Brown |
I totally agree with William and Carolyn - we need humor category!!!
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Charlene Bayerle |
Im already confused on the new categories....please no more!!!!!!!!
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Janice Rios |
The funny photos are a GREAT idea. There are already too many serious issues in this world....I'm all for the funny stuff, BRING IT ON!!!
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Peggy Wolff |
10 entries? Hmmm, I totally missed that. Good thing I found this q&a area. I am sorry, but I think it is a good idea too. I think I read somewhere that there were 32,000 members. I think with 15,000 entries each month they had to limit us. I can easily figure out which my 10 best photos are each month and if I want to show off more then I will put them on my gallery and just not check the contest area box. But I started doing that about 6 months ago already. I do love the idea of a humor catagory!
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Dan Holm |
Looks like you're still a bit confused about the number of entries, Peggy. We're back to one per day!
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Zachariah Schnepf |
It's too bad it went back to one per day. I like the idea of only 10 per month. It's a good discipline to filter your photos down to the real winners. I think there was just too much confusion to implement the new limit.
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Peggy Wolff |
Well, aren't I always a day late and a dollar short! LOL That is what I get for only reading the first couple of notes and then responding. Dan, confusion is my middle name. My 4 kids have sucked any clear thinking right out of my head. ;o)
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- Mette Vendelboe Allison Contact Mette Vendelboe Allison Mette Vendelboe Allison 's Gallery |
I think the new categories are great but would laso very much like a humour category! So many pics I see daily fall into that category! Thanks, Mette:-)
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