Comments in the POW galleries

[Riaanvdb]

Should we keep the comments closed or open them up in the POW galleries?

I include our reason for it being closed written by Simon: "we closed them due to the huge amount of VVVWD WOW etc, and a neglect of other images which are in need of technical crits. So we feel members can spend more time commenting on those needing help, and congratulate their friend/other members by PM/email etc. We do leave the images in the gallery for at least one week, well between 7 and 13 days depending on the day it was uploaded, so there is ample time for tech or congratulatory crits before they are moved to the WC galleries. It is seldom that images receive tech crits more than one week after uploading anyway, being at least 4-12 pages back by then, gallery dependant.

There is definite upswing in tech crits on the rest of images since the WC gall's were closed to comments, thanx to all for assisting us in this endeavor."

[HansieMyburgh]

I am going to vote to make it open but would like to add that we must make it clear to limit the WOW’s etc. The other thing is by the time photo reaches the WC it has already received most of the technical comments so what is there left for the people to say? So I am in two minds......LOL

[Mitchell Krog]

Either way does not bother me, at least having it closed for the last few weeks has ensured that the site does not fall over on a Monday morning as was the case in the past, or shall I say ... this is the way I understood it. Maybe try turning it back on and see how things go next week. My 2c worth

[Chad Cocking]

it is nice to get 30 comments on an image that appears in the POW gallery, but as Simon said, very few useful comments come of it...

that being said, there have been a few occasions where i have wanted to comment on an image not knowing it was a WC image, only to see no comment box...i got over it

so for me, if it is helping out the other galleries, then leaving the comments off WC images is fine...i do like the idea of adding the judges decision for including the image in the WC gallery, as is done in the nature gallery, not sure about the others...

[GroenHoender]

i prefer to have the comments sections for the POW (picture of the week) winners closed, as they were chosen for a reason, and therefor no "wow!" or criticsm are needed for theirs. after all, people can reply on their photos after a period...

in short, if closing the comments section for the POWs are working, in that people are now commenting on other photos that really need it, then why the poll to open/close it?

because, if by a small margin, people ask that the comments section to be opened, then everything will be back at square one again, and everyone will complain about not getting the real feedback or others' efforts (eg. Simon) are all done for nothing.

just my 2c's thoughts on it.

[Mitchell Krog]

Well put Chad & Thys, I think closing the comments on WC's has forced everyone to start commenting on other photos and not spending all week just commenting on POW's. I also like the judges comments added to a WC choice, adds a nice touch. My second 2c worth ..... so thats 4c now

[bomtek]

How about adding a congrats button which will simply add the words "Congrats from (insert handle here)" or something similar without allowing for commentary.

[troglodiet]

I voted "closed" for the very reasons pointed out by Simon, and also as Mitch rightly pointed out the fact that in the past the site was flooded by WOW's and Congrats come Monday morning after the photos has been selected.

The only (VERY small) gripe I have with it being closed, is that it has happened to me that a photo of mine got WC (yes there was a time very long ago that I too took photos that was selected for WC, sadly those days are gone now due to me only taking crappy photos nowadays ) and then you can't comment on your own photo, just to say thanks to the people who have commented on your photo.

I wouldn't perhaps be possible to open up the comments just for the person who posted the photo would it? If not, then I go for keeping it closed completely.

[Hetsekind]

Personally, "WOW" is a very useful comment to me, particularly when given by the class of photographer we have here on ODP. It shows appreciation as much as a detailed comment on the technical merit of a shot, for me in any case. As for opening comments in POW, I am not fussed either way.

[Billy Steenkamp]

Vote pow closed....although there is a lot of wow's and well done's in the generals, good crit comes from it as long as you are willing to learn and not diva yourself...yes more crit with tips on the beginners work from the old hands

[Ravilj]

What about creating a like button as facebook has? Only you can call it a VWD button? That way people can still express their like for it but leave the comment to crits?

[Francois Marais]

I like this one ^^^. Will be cool

I vote to keep it closed, cause you will get some nutter that leaves a comment like... "oh my world... Can crap images like this make POW"

[HeinrichR]

I d also like a 'like' or 'VWD' button, with the person's name next to it , or all the 'like ' -voters names in a group together visible to the person who's image it is, at the moment you can only judge a images popularity by the amount of VIEWS it receive , and you don't know who viewed your image, and because people don't like VWD /WOW , I (and others) don't give comments, because you feel you cant crit a master/pro, or what you'd like to say has already been said, but at least it will be some form of recognition if you can click 'like' or 'VWD' ,in any Gallery, not just POW

[Russ]

How about a "DIY" button in the gallery, every click adds a POW vote to the pic and at the end of the week the pics with the most POW votes are automatically selected - that way less work for the Mods and you can con all your fan buddies into voting for you, perhaps even more than once

[Surly Ghillie]

How about a "DIY" button in the gallery, every click adds a POW vote to the pic and at the end of the week the pics with the most POW votes are automatically selected - that way less work for the Mods and you can con all your fan buddies into voting for you, perhaps even more than once

you jest, but that is exactly what will happen.
too easy to manipulate. popular, or well known individuals tend to garnish more comments than low profile individuals. there is already an issue with too many photographers abandoning the site because of the inevitable 'cliquishness". i believe this will just increase the perception of clubs within clubs. great for the people getting a zillion vvwd's. a bit neglectful of the many images worthy of note that for one or other reason dont make it into a pow choice.

POW's are a SUBJECTIVE interpretation of a viewer/or group of viewers. Changing the criteria will just change the nature of the subjectivity, not the fact of it.

too many people pay more attention to the comments than they do to the images. shame. What's WRONG with y'all?

Let your image do your talking. Take the comments from whence they come, for better or for worse... be grateful for them, sure, but why define yourself by the comments? comments range from deeply insightful to just so much garbage. often they tell you more about the person making them than they do about the image. much too limiting on creativity.

[Peter Veitch]

In my view the gallery mods (or any of the mods for that matter) have a thankless job. Certainly they may subjectively choose a mediocre image at times, which in my view is better than the "clubbish" voting system proposed by others.

Provided the mods rotoate or change from time to time, a different perspective of what is considered a good image will be put forward with each of the changes.

That said, unless the mods are clones of each other!

[Mark Drysdale]

Peter, I would love to see a clone of me, cause then I would be the second most ugliest "oke" on ODP, and would only have to do half the work mate......

There are too many considerations in the different galleries, when making a Weekly Choice, to think of having that debate on this forum... A lot of people have asked me what I consider when making weekly choice for Avian so I will list a few for your perusal
Technical aspects of the image, ie. Focus, clarity, detail, colours, back-ground, composition.
Species of the bird.
Difficulty of the shot.
Validity of the shot. (false back grounds etc)
Aesthetic value of the image. (for eg. Hettie Naude's work)
Rarity of the species.
impact of the image.
Shooting natural birdlife or captive birds.
The conservation issues of the image, ie. baited birds vs vulture feeding stations.

These are to name a few. And I am sure one or 2 of the things listed above relate to the other galleries (In Studio Gallery...."baited birds vs vulture feeding stations") - I have often asked people in the Avian sector to help with the WC work and have been turned down flatly.....no reason, just a blunt no.....and only after a years contribution to the gallery, have I managed to get 2 people recently to help... (Kobus Saayman and Andrea Sada)- (try going through approx. 8 pages of 60 images every sunday evening for 52 weeks)

I digress... but getting back to the crux of the matter, as a mod I certainly wouldn't like to see the WC comments column open for comment as this not only gives me another aspect to "moderate" it also defeats the purpose of leaving the image in the Gallery for at least a week for comments anyway. If some-one really did want to leave a comment for whatever reason they could PM me and I would happily open that image's comments for a day or 2....

Having read the requests above, I certainly will post comment why I have chosen that particular image from now on, so that others reading will understand why......