Problem with the gallery.

The gallery (which I shall call gallery proper) is becoming more popular, and some good pictures are being posted there.

They get very little comment because gallery proper, unlike this section (also called "gallery"), is inaccessible. If you post a comment, you can't see if it has elicited a response without having to trawl through the gallery looking for it.

So gallery proper is depriving this section of good pictures, and depriving those who post to gallery proper of comments.

Why not amalgamate gallery proper with this section?

We could upload directly to this section, without linking, and the search facility could be adapted to provide a set of thumbnails of all pictures posted here by whatever criteria one chooses.

Alternatively, just scrap gallery proper altogether. There's far too much in it, and some of the older stuff is mediocre anyway. Although I suppose it does have some value in showing how the advent of digital has raised standards. Much of the early film stuff is dire.

G

Not sure I entirely follow, George.

I agree up to here (although this section is called "Your Photos forum"), but now you start to lose me.

The trouble with uploading to this section is that there will be those, like me, that have other online galleries, and post pictures elsewhere as well as sharing links with people.

Having to upload them here brings issues with duplication, external linking, and thence to bandwidth issues.

I like linking images here, precisely because it keeps everything in the (two - I'd rather not make it three) online galleries I use, and I can use them elsewhere easily.

Having a specific thread for a C&C picture is good since once it's no longer current it drops off the radar as it should.

Also, I'd be surprised if the dev team particularly like the idea of substantial changes to the search system.

So I'm not sure I see many benefits of such an amalgamation. But maybe I haven't understood you.

I tend to agree with this. Mostly I'm only interested in the recent stuff, anyway, and not often even that.

What I am saying is that there are two places to post images, and it would be better if there were one. Having two means those who peruse the forum don't see the gallery images, and vice-versa. Gallery images are less accessible, so some good images don't get seen, or don't get the comment they merit.

If you were designing this site from scratch, I don't think you would incorporate a separate gallery. There just isn't much point in it.

I've nothing against linking, as such, though I personally like being able to upload directly.

G

Not at all disputing this.

I'd agree with this, too ... especially for those whose main purpose here is the forum.

The thing about galleries is that they take time to visit. It's nice to spend an afternoon at a gallery sometimes and look at lots of pictures but it's a very different pastime from what we're mostly engaged in here.

I suppose they're trying to cater for two populations - those that hang out in the forum and those that don't - and those that spend time in both lose out a bit.

Those that just want to see what people visiting the gallery say about their pictures can easily bookmark them and then find them again easily. FAIK there are lots of people that just browse the gallery without spending any time in the forum.

Are we perhaps unnecessarily creating a problem here?

My understanding is that you post pictures in the Your Photos section if you want critique and comments.

If you just want to show off your best pictures, put them in the Gallery.

If one of my entries in Your Photos happened to receive high praise, I would certainly then consider entering it in the Gallery.

Or am I completely off track?

I think that's a good way to do it Terry. You'll get an instant response here and if it's a good shot it can always go to the gallery later, at a proper size perhaps so it can be also considered for the magazine.

It is possible to post directly into forums, but most foums have this switched off as it causes bandwidth issues. Many block linking to outside sites for the same reason.

The problem will always be getting an integration of website and forum, because the two things have different purposes and users often only use one or the other. I hardly ever visit the forums at EPZ, for example, but I always look at the galleries. Here it tends to be the other way round.

Thanks, John,

Good to se others think along the same lines. I was kind of getting used to upload an 800 pixel version to Photobucket anyway and don't consider this a major hindrance. And as you say, a larger version can be uploaded directly to the Gallery whenever one feels like it.

No,you are not This is exactly how I like to use the new system also.
And this is how it was "intended" by the Team , if I am not mistaken.

Martin.

I would guess that having seen how successful the competition and Your Photos threads were they were trying to enhance the experience.

Now we will have the best of both worlds - the Competition Gallery seems to be tidying up as we speak. It even looks neater now the titles of the competitions are properly formatted.

Successful?? Hmmmmmm, I wonder. Of course for all the regulars participating active on this forum it was and still is a success. But looking at the big picture (6000 plus registrated members) I wonder if "They" look at it as a success. Not that I mind if they don't. The most successful competition round had about 40 participants, joining I believe. I personally would be shivering with fear, having to judge much more than that.

I wonder if there are figures available, about which percentage of all the registrated members are really participating over here, in lets say the last year. I mean.....They must be somewhere, doing something on this site. It just doesn't reflect back on this forum.

Martin.

They are successful in relation to the level of activity on the forum. Sometimes when I get here in the evening there are maybe ten new threads of images, so if you look at that as a proportion of how many people are around the forum then that's pretty good.

The maximum number of people online ever was 121 I think, at one time that is, so 40 is also excellent.

The figures are here on the site available for all to see. Nowhere near the over 6000 registered members actively post so I think you should measure success from the number who participate. The rest are maybe just content to watch.

I have just discovered that the gallery does have a practical use:

https://www.pentaxuser.com/photo/Desk-1161

Read the text.

G

I saw that, maybe we should start our own fleabay

Martin.

Could that be Mr. Bargh's desk?