Unanswered Threads....I issue a challenge.

posiview

posiview

Suspended / Banned
Messages
19,304
Name
Andy
Edit My Images
Yes
OK, so a bit of a dramatic tread title :)

However, having been here a while, I often peruse the unanswered threads, and I'm often disappointed that there are posts that have had 50+ and often 100+ views with no comments.

So, the challenge, if you view you comment. There must be something positive you can say about the photograph and I suspect any photograph that has 100+ views and no comments could be classed as a 'bad' photograph, or maybe having viewed it doesn't interest you so you don't post (:thinking:). That said, the member who submitted the photograph will not learn if other member don't comment.

I feel like I'm ranting, which I don't often do on here, but we are a community.....

Cheers all.
 
I do view unanswered and sometimes make an comment,but find very rarely do the OP come back and and say anything :confused:
 
I never view the Unanswered Post section.
 
posiview said:
There must be something positive you can say about the photograph
Click to expand...

Sometimes I click on a post, and certain types of image I'm sick of seeing appear, and I just immediately click back.
 
Sometimes I click on a link, and can't think of anything to say. Sometimes I'll come back to it and comment, sometimes not.

How do you view all unanswered threads anyway?
 
Last edited:
simonblue said:
...but find very rarely do the OP come back and and say anything :confused:
Click to expand...

Fair comment, never noticed that.

BRASH said:
I never view the Unanswered Post section.
Click to expand...

OK.

Pookeyhead said:
Sometimes I click on a post, and certain types of image I'm sick of seeing appear, and I just immediately click back.
Click to expand...

Must be hard being so jaded ;)

TimmyG said:
Sometimes I click on a link, and can't think of anything to say. Sometimes I'll come back to it and comment, sometimes not.

How do you view all unanswered threads anyway?
Click to expand...

:thumbs: to the highlighted section.

I don't view them all, I tend to concentrate on those that have a high view/no comment count.

I don't want to come across as 'holier than thoug', just my thoughts.

Cheers.
 
I do try to do this but it's difficult sometimes. Sometimes I look at a photo and it is just a bit average and I don't really know why, or what it needs to make it better. If I can think of something to say, good or bad I do say it but if I can't think of something constructive I'll say nothing.
 
I sometimes go into a thread not knowing what it's about due to a bad title and end up walking away. But I do try and find threads with no answer to help people out. I'll redouble my efforts :)
 
I have answered one or two.:)
 
So arnt the answers your now adding ..just because you dont want to see an unanswered post.....like....pity answers ?
 
In order to know what a thread is about one has to read it, especially with some of the cryptic titles people choose.

Having read the thread some people will decide they have nothing to offer on the subject.

If you cannot say anything constructive then say nothing.
 
Brian G said:
In order to know what a thread is about one has to read it, especially with some of the cryptic titles people choose.

Having read the thread some people will decide they have nothing to offer on the subject.

If you cannot say anything constructive then say nothing.
Click to expand...


Exactly. Saying something for the sake of it, when you've got nothing to say will just reduce the thread to "nice shot" comments that do essentially nothing for the OP.
 
Periodically go through it but I do hope that people that specialise in the subjects reply this is the shame we are all here to learn. I offer what I can when I can and that's all I can do.
 
Tintin124 said:
Periodically go through it but I do hope that people that specialise in the subjects reply this is the shame we are all here to learn. I offer what I can when I can and that's all I can do.
Click to expand...
That's all any of us can do.

To me, the idea that we should comment on threads against our own judgement just so that someone has is ridiculous. It gets worse if we all start to prioritise unanswered threads if I'm commenting on stuff I know nothing about, so that the next person (who could have offered something useful) then posts on the next unanswered thread that they know nothing about.

So we all end up being mutually unhelpful :)
 
I think this idea that there's some imperative to ensure all threads are answered is potentially harmful. It will result in replies for the sake of it. You can't reply to every unanswered thread you see.. you'd just spend all day in here. IF someone posts an image that gets no responses.. that in itself is a response. Often with me, it's those images that are just snap shots, with so much wrong that it's just not worth replying, as there's no way you could give an adequate response to all the points. I usually just advise that they need to go back to basics, forget about processing, and then post a link to the tutorial I wrote. You can only do that so often though before you just feel like you're wasting your time. If I see such a post these days, I just give up usually. If people are adamant that they process crap shots, that's up to them. You can only post so many "Processing is not the answer" replies before you see the futility of it, ESPECIALLY when there are regulars in here who REGULARLY start advising on how it can be processed better. The OP ends up having to decide who's advice is best, and as it's easier to arse about in software than it is to learn how to be a photographer, guess which one wins out?

When you complain in thread, the ones advising that processing is the answer will just reply with "that's just your opinion" etc...


Massive facepalm....


I do what I can.
 
While i agree that commenting for the sake of commenting could probably be a bad thing, it must be so disheartening to post your efforts and get no replies.
 
Swissy said:
While i agree that commenting for the sake of commenting could probably be a bad thing, it must be so disheartening to post your efforts and get no replies.
Click to expand...


Yeah... life's full of little disappointments.
 
You may take a light hearted view of it, but isn't members posting photo's on here the heart and soul of the forum? If people are disheartened and stop posting where does that leave us?
 
Last edited:
Swissy said:
You may take a light hearted view of it, but isn't members posting photo's on here the heart and soul of the forum? If people stop posting where does that leave us?
Click to expand...

I'm not suggesting anyone stops posting.. I'm suggesting it's impossible to have some kind of SWAT team, poised to go in at a moments notice to lay down some covering fire of crit in case someone gets upset.

If you're bothered.... there you go: That's your new role in life... scouring these forums for unanswered posts. :)

Like all of us.. I do what I can. If someone doesn't get a reply to their post, then.. (shrug).
 
Swissy said:
You may take a light hearted view of it, but isn't members posting photo's on here the heart and soul of the forum? If people are disheartened and stop posting where does that leave us?
Click to expand...
Or maybe they'll examine their lack of a response and realise why, and come back with a different post, continuous improvement and all that.

I'm not sure the photo sharing is 'the heart and soul of the forum' though. I don't think we're all here for the same things. There are people who post regularly in the gear forum who never discuss 'photography'. In the pro section who never mention gear or share photos, in the sharing sections who never post their own, etc. etc.
 
Phil V said:
I'm not sure the photo sharing is 'the heart and soul of the forum' though.
Click to expand...

Me neither. We've got Facebook and Flickr for that.
 
Oh ok the forum is called Talk photography though, maybe 'Talk gear' or 'talk something else' would be better lol


Pookeyhead said:
Me neither. We've got Facebook and Flickr for that.
Click to expand...

If people just want mindless likes maybe you're right.
 
Last edited:
Swissy said:
Oh ok the forum is called Talk photography though, maybe 'Talk gear' or 'talk something else' would be better lol
Click to expand...

Are you suggesting no one talks about photography?
 
Of course i'm not suggesting that, are you suggesting i'm stupid? I thought we were talking about the posts with no responses?
 
Last edited:
I just don't get this thread. Some people may not get a response to their posts on a massive internet forum. (shrug). Seriously... what do you propose we do about it?
 
posiview said:
So, the challenge, if you view you comment. There must be something positive you can say about the photograph
Click to expand...

I assume that this is just referring to threads where people have posted photos?

Well, I can look at a photo and think that the composition is awful, the image is a poor copy of something that's been done many times before, the colour balance is off. Should I then just find the one positive thing I can say and post "Well done - the focusing is spot on?". I'm not convinced that that helps anyone.

It always comes across as harsh, but I think that if someone posts a photo and genuinely wants feedback, then if the only thing you can say to help them improve means tearing the image apart and showing why you think it's poor, then that's the only thing you can do. But I also know that in the real world this isn't acceptable - at least, not when you don't "know" the person. If someone wants critique, there's a section and a flag they can use. Anyone not using it I assume doesn't want to hear anything negative.
 
StephenM said:
It always comes across as harsh, but I think that if someone posts a photo and genuinely wants feedback, then if the only thing you can say to help them improve means tearing the image apart and showing why you think it's poor, then that's the only thing you can do. But I also know that in the real world this isn't acceptable - at least, not when you don't "know" the person. If someone wants critique, there's a section and a flag they can use. Anyone not using it I assume doesn't want to hear anything negative.
Click to expand...

TBH i really appreciate it when someone tears apart my pictures. I can make up my own mind about if they are right or not, but usually it offers some insight and helps me improve, so I see it as a gift. Even if I don't agree with it, it helps me understand how others perceive my work and that could be beneficial. On reflection, it's when I have been told the harsh stuff in a direct way that I have been able to make a big leap forward. It sticks in my mind when I am out shooting again and this is why I use the "critique" tag on all my image posts.

There are a lot of threads here condemning people for not being subtle in their critique, or maybe delivering it in a way that could be taken as an insult. I don't really mind how it gets delivered (this is a public forum after all, so you should expect all sorts), at least they felt compelled enough to offer their opinion.

Personally I always try to highlight the good points, along with the bad (delivering the classic "s**t sandwich"), but admit it is difficult at times. It's not always possible and sometimes you can only focus on the bad points. On the flip side, I will resort with a "nice pic" comment if I can't find anything obviously wrong that hasn't been previously mentioned, just as a nod to say I've spent some time admiring it. I certainly don't expect everyone to adopt this approach (and it would probably be a pretty dull forum if they did). Anyway, some people just like looking through the posts without participating and that's fine too (so don't worry about the number of views).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top