YBW wants you!

[Serin]

Be nice lads.... grow up a bit

+1

What an unpleasant corner of the internet this is, sometimes. Negativityville.

Edited to add: People seem to like seeing each others' photos and reading each others' ideas and here's an offer to to give that a boost. If YWB makes a little bit of extra publicity on it, so what?

They must sometimes wonder why they bother.

 

[fireball]

They must sometimes wonder why they bother.

Ok - why would TimeInc want your photos/stories to publish on the web?
Answer - because content drives traffic, traffic = advertising potential and advertising potential = money ...

Dylan is quite right - the sheer quantity of content on the web has driven down the cost of amateur content - to a point where unless you self publish, you'll be lucky to get paid for it. However, it must be worth SOMETHING, otherwise why would TimeInc waste resources in putting it up.

TimeInc could put a revenue trace on their pages (they probably have already) and offer a contributor a %age of the take - but it's probably more bother than it's worth.

I must admit, I was surprised by the gmail address - perhaps it's because the OP believes the mailbox might be swamped with spam too ... but it doesn't look very professional!

 

[shan]

We all seem to forget that in exchange for our contributions, we get free use of this forum, which includes a massive platform of different people with like minded interests and knowledge to boot.

 

[Keen_Ed]

When something online is free, you're not the customer, you're the product.

 

[fireball]

We all seem to forget that in exchange for our contributions, we get free use of this forum, which includes a massive platform of different people with like minded interests and knowledge to boot.

Indeed ... there are other forums (free) available too ...

Another forum I occaisionaly visit has a yearly sub charge if you want to post, but is free to view (except attachments) - it's keeping the owners employed, although I have no idea what their dependance on subscription charges are ... it does seem to be on a similar scale to this site.

 

[shan]

When something online is free, you're not the customer, you're the product.

or perhaps it is called 'give and take'? Something it seems, that many people have forgotten how to do.

 

[Serin]

Ok - why would TimeInc want your photos/stories to publish on the web?
Answer - because content drives traffic, traffic = advertising potential and advertising potential = money ...

And, as I said, so what?

There's something very depressing about the idea that you must avoid (and, in some cases, deride) something that people might enjoy, just in case someone makes money out of it.

 

[hornblower]

plural of craft is "craft" otherwise you may be referring to knitting!

Sub-editor needed, Stef!

 

[fireball]

And, as I said, so what?

There's something very depressing about the idea that you must avoid (and, in some cases, deride) something that people might enjoy, just in case someone makes money out of it.

I don't think I said that you should avoid contributing - you asked why they bother - I answered you .... if you think that TimeInc are doing this out of the goodness of their hearts then you are misguided ... the only part I think they're giving a little more than their taking is the Lounge - but that's probably being treated as a loss leader ...

For some, they believe that their copy & photos have a value that they'd like to see a return on, for others, they're happy just to publish.
Some bloggers have advertising and other revenue streams on their sites - others don't ...

I'm happy to post on here - be it conversational, asking for or giving advice without financial reward ... occaisionally I'll post a photo, but not very often. My "reward" for posting is the conversation that I get back ... I'm happy with that (otherwise I wouldn't post) ...

Personally, if I wanted to share anything with boaters publicly, I'd post it here - in the forum, but then it's not likely to be much .... but if others want to send it to Stef then who am I to tell them not to?

 

[Richard Shead]

Wow.....some of you lot need to climb back into bed and get out the other side, whilst putting down your copy of 100 great conspiracy theories !

As for the gmail address we use gmail addresses for analytics (as do most companies) and besides it far easier than requesting a new email address from the US (Time Inc head office)

Read into Stefs request as you will but I think you will find all she is doing is sharing some of the community spirit, advice and pictures that are shared here on a daily basis.

Yes of course it will drive traffic, ybw is a website and Stef is the editor, what did you expect her to do!! you are of course creating traffic by continuously moaning (not all on here) about the subject in the first place!

Give new ideas / suggestions a chance and this place will be a far better place to be.

 

[jordanbasset]

Yes of course it will drive traffic, ybw is a website and Stef is the editor, what did you expect her to do!! you are of course creating traffic by continuously moaning (not all on here) about the subject in the first place!

Ah it all suddenly becomes clear

 

[Serin]

if you think that TimeInc are doing this out of the goodness of their hearts then you are misguided ...

Oh, for heaven's sake! On the whole the best way to find out what other people are thinking is to listen to what they say or read what they write. Otherwise, you may find yourself misguided by your own assumptions.

 

[Serin]

Wow.....some of you lot need to climb back into bed and get out the other side, whilst putting down your copy of 100 great conspiracy theories !

Sometimes it seems to me that people (some) have lost sight of the fact that its possible to live without being the eternal miserable moaning minnie, suspecting attempts to do them down around every corner.

 

[fireball]

Oh, for heaven's sake! On the whole the best way to find out what other people are thinking is to listen to what they say or read what they write. Otherwise, you may find yourself misguided by your own assumptions.

Er ...

Yes of course it will drive traffic, ybw is a website and Stef is the editor, what did you expect her to do!! you are of course creating traffic by continuously moaning (not all on here) about the subject in the first place!

I don't think I'm misguided at all .... in fact I think I got it pretty much spot on ...

 

[tatali0n]

While it's true that every man and his monkey has a digital camera, and there's no end to the queue of fools trying to undercut each other for 'exposure', it's still a case that the weakest link in the photographic chain is often the photographer.

Putting a camera in a man or monkey's hands does not make either a photographer. But then again the snaps they might then take are not necessarily without value or interest, especially if the audience has a shared interest in the subject.

People still appreciate a quality imagery when they are given a chance to see it, and I like to think my work stands out from the crowd..

They do. And if the pictures on your website are anything to go by, I'm quite sure it does.

The queue of fools trying to undercut each other for 'exposure' seems endemic to the arts in general. Music in particular seems to share this folly. Then again, exposure is everything. For art to have a value, it needs an audience. In my humble opinion, anyway.

I admire anybody able to make a living from photography (or music, for that matter), in this day and age I'm not sure I envy them it, however

All that said, to return to the original subject, we risk comparing apples to pears. I suspect the kind of "photographer" and level of photography Stef was hoping to attract with her invitation to contribute is not the kind trying to eck a living out of the craft.

I think the invitation was a fine thing, and no more than the digital equivalent of the letters pages publications like YM have been running and publishing for decades. Folks should get a little perspective

 

[Supine Being]

Ah it all suddenly becomes clear

Exactly... now we know that most of the traffic on here is generated by the Negativotron 2000 Moanbot shills that operate out of TimeInc's secret bunkers. Down with this sort of thing.

 

[shan]

This is like the auditions for 'A Christmas Carol'. We have any amount of potential Scrooges. A few potentials for the various ghosts of Christmas Past, Present & Future but who will be Tiny Tim?

 

[Serin]

Er ...



I don't think I'm misguided at all .... in fact I think I got it pretty much spot on ...

You mean you knew the aim was to drive traffic to the website? Well, that was pretty obvious, wasn't it? I wonder if anyone thought otherwise. Aiming at a straw man, perhaps?

This whole website, including the forums, exists for commercial reasons. Why people should happily use the forums and then get on their high horses because the users are invited to participate in a new way baffle me.

 

[fireball]

then get on their high horses because the users are invited to participate in a new way baffle me.

Because there aren't that many low horses - and if you get a low horse then it's unlikely to take your weight ... plus, from higher up you can see more clearly ....

so high horses are better all round ...

anyway - I can see why some people would get upset - if they think they're being invited to send in completed articles and artwork to make the website better for no more return other than that nice fuzzy feeling inside (or is that beer?) - I think that's a reasonable response .... "what's in it for me?" ... "er ... nothing squire, but we'll hopefully make a bit more money and I tell you what, we'll keep the forum going FOC for you ... " ...
Reasonable? well - that depends how highly you value your contribution ... and how much you want to keep control over it - afterall, once you submit something to TimeInc - they can do what they want with it, when they want to, for ever and ever (that's a long time to you and me) ...
if you want to publish - then why not create your own blog - like Shan has - and put advertising on it - (like shan hasn't) then advertise it on here, there and everywhere - you might make a few pennies .. if it's really good then it may just be worth some money ...

 

[shan]

At the end of the day, people don't have to contribute any photos or articles, so I really don't see the problem.