Is traffic on photo boards way down?

[tilman]

I know that my own online/forum activitiy comes and goes in waves... I could imagine that this happens on a larger scale too - resulting in busier times and quieter times.
Nothing wrong with quieter & more laid back too. Especially at a "Lounge" where you hang out and relax.
This site and its members have always been helpful, supportive and friendly. When you look at other parts of the internet you realize that that is something pretty incredible
Even though I initially wasn't 100% taken by the change of the site's title (since my own focus still was on "compacts"), I now think that it's pretty perfect.
It's a laid back lounge here, the perfect place to chat - be it with words or with images

 

[rayvonn]

MU-43.com does get a bit of traffic and you tend to get a lot of people who either fleetingly or sometimes never have ownership of m43 stuff going on about their gear there rather than the relevant Leica/Sony/Fuji forum. I suspect this may be because they're seeking more involvement or want to be heard by more people and occasionally this can get testy (especially if one's going to bang on about how superior to m43 their gear is). No such issues here, all gear is treated the same and I like it that way. I like both sites but it's nice to come hear to hear from people across the board in such a relaxed manner.

 

[john m flores]

I like the gear agnosticism of this place. I'm tired of gear wars and just want to shoot.

As far as quality and constructive criticism, that's an issue everywhere online. Some places do better than others, but very few venture beyond technical critiques with some rule of thirds thrown in for good measure. Part of the issue is that when you post a single image, all that people can do is evaluate that image at a superficial level-whether or not it is a "pretty" picture. Only when you submit a body of work that is focused on a particular topic or subject and have a particular point of view or opinion of that place can people start discussing whether or not you are achieving something. This is something that I struggle with myself, making more than pretty pictures.

Someone did that here (I think) a short while ago. They were getting lessons from a local pro and went to a local market multiple times to try and capture the place as a photojournalist would.

 

[Steve Noel]

Even as personal issues have diminished my actual photography involvement, it has not died after over 50 years. The truth is, that this site, is responsible for keeping me returning to photography forums. This community has and does help me keep prodding myself, to not give up a hobby that has outlasted all others. I've been a member of several forums, but this has been "home", even though I can't always be found at home. So, I want to take this opportunity to say, thank you all, yes all, for making this a place to "sit and visit a spell", without a lot of stress and controversy.
Now I need to go to the PO to pick up my new (to me) Em5 and get today's picture!

 

[dalethorn]

I like the gear agnosticism of this place. I'm tired of gear wars and just want to shoot. As far as quality and constructive criticism, that's an issue everywhere online. Some places do better than others, but very few venture beyond technical critiques with some rule of thirds thrown in for good measure. Part of the issue is that when you post a single image, all that people can do is evaluate that image at a superficial level-whether or not it is a "pretty" picture. Only when you submit a body of work that is focused on a particular topic or subject and have a particular point of view or opinion of that place can people start discussing whether or not you are achieving something. This is something that I struggle with myself, making more than pretty pictures. Someone did that here (I think) a short while ago. They were getting lessons from a local pro and went to a local market multiple times to try and capture the place as a photojournalist would.

I prefer that people don't (or don't often) discuss whether I'm achieving something or not, on this site. I never got the impression that that's what this site is about. OTOH, you can go out to the flicker and other sites where people post their "body of work", and there seems like an appropriate place to comment and discuss the person's skills and level of achievement, etc. I have my own site with hundreds of images grouped by camera, and although I don't have a comment field, there is a contact link, but I never get an email about image quality issues.

 

[Biro]

It's been my anecdotal observation that traffic is down on all the photo sites over most of 2015. Among Amin's sites, FujiXspot seems to be way off over the past year. But I don't tend to look at the Sony and Leica sites as often as I do PL, mu-43 and the Fuji site. I hope Amin continues to enjoy enough support to keep them all going.

 

[john m flores]

I prefer that people don't (or don't often) discuss whether I'm achieving something or not, on this site. I never got the impression that that's what this site is about. OTOH, you can go out to the flicker and other sites where people post their "body of work", and there seems like an appropriate place to comment and discuss the person's skills and level of achievement, etc. I have my own site with hundreds of images grouped by camera, and although I don't have a comment field, there is a contact link, but I never get an email about image quality issues.

I'm talking more about a specific project with a specific goal/theme/message in mind, not a person's full body of photographic work.

This is the thread I was referencing earlier: Mentorship/Image Critique

I applaud Antonio for taking on such a project and opening himself up to constructive criticism. I'd like to see more project-based submissions and constructive criticism. I think there's room in the lounge for that.

 

[wt21]

Part of the issue is that when you post a single image, all that people can do is evaluate that image at a superficial level-whether or not it is a "pretty" picture. Only when you submit a body of work that is focused on a particular topic or subject and have a particular point of view or opinion of that place can people start discussing whether or not you are achieving something.

Does an image stand alone? Is it meant to? What is the eye someone is trying to develop? I find it hard to critique a single image unless I know what the person meant or was trying to achieve.

This is something that I struggle with myself, making more than pretty pictures.

We are all in different places. As someone with kids in high school and parents going into homes, I want to see pretty pictures sometimes as an escape, and if my pictures are pretty, that's about the best I can hope for. I've no time to go into gritty places and take street, etc. Or to design pictures with more meaning. But I'm more than happy to look at others' work!

 

[wt21]

It's been my anecdotal observation that traffic is down on all the photo sites over most of 2015. Among Amin's sites, FujiXspot seems to be way off over the past year. But I don't tend to look at the Sony and Leica sites as often as I do PL, mu-43 and the Fuji site. I hope Amin continues to enjoy enough support to keep them all going.

This was my larger observation. I think it's even down on DPR.

 

[john m flores]

Here's 2015 data. I found out where everyone is going...

Dpreview_com_Traffic_and_Demographic_Statistics_by_Quantcast

• john m flores
• Jan 5, 2016
• 2

 

[wt21]

And that's just over 2015!

 

[dalethorn]

I'm talking more about a specific project with a specific goal/theme/message in mind, not a person's full body of photographic work.
This is the thread I was referencing earlier: Mentorship/Image Critique
I applaud Antonio for taking on such a project and opening himself up to constructive criticism. I'd like to see more project-based submissions and constructive criticism. I think there's room in the lounge for that.

There's room in the lounge for a lot of things, but unless someone starts pushing someone else, or in the case of SIJ 2016, what you see now is what you get.

 

[dalethorn]

Here's 2015 data. I found out where everyone is going...

Dpreview_com_Traffic_and_Demographic_Statistics_by_Quantcast

• john m flores
• Jan 5, 2016
• 2

DPReview is mostly a camera** site. My wife posts a lot of interesting stuff on Instagram. Although she hasn't ever been a photographer in the sense of what you see here, her artistic sensibilities make her Instagram photos interesting, and a good idea generator.

**I've belonged to several photo clubs, and there are clubs that are mostly camera oriented, but either way there's usually discussion now and then in those clubs (esp. the photos clubs) about the differences.

 

[Jock Elliott]

Here's 2015 data. I found out where everyone is going...

Dpreview_com_Traffic_and_Demographic_Statistics_by_Quantcast

• john m flores
• Jan 5, 2016
• 2

The only one of these that I have any knowledge of is DPreview. Can somebody give a capsule description of the differences between the others?

Cheers, Jock

 

[wt21]

Instagram is/was ostensibly a photo sharing site, where you could apply all sorts of filters to your phone camera shots. (there's even a term "instagram filter")

My experience with Instagram, though, is mainly through my teenage daughter. At first it was a site where she posted pictures for her friends to see. It morphed into a place where she would follow random angry teens across the world, who would post screen grabs and chat in vulgar terms about the latest in politics or entertainment. It also became a place where random "young men" would try to friend her (no telling who these folks really are). She became obsessed and her grades started to slip. It is now off her phone.

I am sure there are good things that happen there, but I have not had any good experiences with it.

 

[Lightmancer]

Instagram is owned by Facebook - that is the best reason for avoiding it like the plague. Similarly Flickr is owned these days by Yahoo, ditto the best reason for avoidance. When Yahoo took them over I said at the time that it would be like watching a toddler pulling the wings off a butterfly as they drove it into the ground and judging from those stats I was right.

 

[john m flores]

Some of the people I follow on Instagram:

Magnum photog Pinkhassov (does great abstracts with light and reflections) @pinkhassov • Instagram photos and videos
Magnum photog David Alan Harvey (recently did a series in Rio De Janiero) David Alan Harvey (@davidalanharvey) • Instagram photos and videos
Magnum photog Michael Christopher Brown (currently in the Congo) @michaelchristopherbrown • Instagram photos and videos
NY based street photographer Ruddy Roye "Humanist/Activist." (@ruddyroye) • Instagram photos and videos
NJ based photog and friend Mike Peters Mike Peters (@mikepetersfoto) • Instagram photos and videos

I get to see what these great photographers are working on every day.

Like any social network, digital or otherwise, it all depends on who you hang out with.

 

[bartjeej]

Amin, do you know if the number of visitors / amount of google search traffic saw a notable change around the change of the site name? It might be incorrect, but in my perception, the name SC popped up on other sites from time to time, whereas I haven't seen PL mentioned as often.

 

[Amin]

I don't know the answer to that, @bartjeej . All the sites have seen similar declines in Google traffic though. I also don't know if the site software change a year ago had an effect.

 

[dalethorn]

I don't know the answer to that, @bartjeej . All the sites have seen similar declines in Google traffic though. I also don't know if the site software change a year ago had an effect.

One of the grave sins of software development is to remove functionality that users have enjoyed previously, such as showing latest posts first. Apple gets away with it, but smaller sites lose followers when they do that. It's a common thing though - lots of sites use common software that cares nothing about prior functionality. While the performance upgrades here have made most threads usable to an extent, it's still very painful to have to wait for large pages.