Voting (uggh, this topic again) :(

[scotthop]

All the talk about voting...keep this in mind the all time top photo has received ONLY 32 votes (I assume galleries do a little better)

So even voting is for fun...having bragging rights over 32 votes (0.01% of the total population) considering their are over 16,690,000 photos online and over 240000 users with at least one picture online (sorry the engineer in me).

Any...vote or not who cares

If you really wanted to tick off the pbase community just have everyone that does a PAD to vote for one picture...that would be #1 for all eternity

KEEP SHOOTING AND HAVING FUN...I would rather you leave a comment good or bad than vote.

[jillburhans]

What PBASE has meant for me as a participant and a viewer. Certainly for me, it has not been about votes or popularity. I have viewed many of the galleries on PBASE and have found some so overwhelmingly good that at times I wondered why I even bothered. Yet, I feel too we all have a certain artistic quality and whether or not it gets voted for or not it is worthy of at least appreciation of how the artist does view his/her world. PollyAnna I am, I suppose. I have never seen a ugly thing in my life, shape, form, light, texture can deem it beautiful.

I have voted however and will admit to such...but have voted honestly and even with what I felt in my heart as in voting for the shoes. Not because of technicality but because of what we have accomplished as a group. Meeting of minds, friendship and the loyalty in coming together to show support for a member being verbally abused.

I do not consider PBASE somewhere where I feel I have to compete. If that were the case I certainly would not participate. Whether viewing PAD participants or non...each have a gift to offer.

There is enough strife in the world around us today. And even in my personal life. I come here for a welcome reprieve. For the joy I feel when I read a compliment, the visual pleasure at viewing hawks in flight, flowers painted with light, a newborn baby that was lovingly shared with us, farmlife, Asian traditions. I could go on and on with how PBASE enriches my life. It certainly is not about votes.

[ziggers]

Jill, you have the most wonderful view on things!! I wish more people were like you in your way of seeing beauty everywhere.

You are a gift to everyone!

[simonkirk]

Wow i never thought it would get this bad, i remember the image theft rants when i first joined Pbase, but i have not really had the time to check back, i definatly think the idea of the forums and Pbase has got a little lost on some one

[dazedgonebye]

I will try to remember not to vote for those who request me not to. I won't promise anything.
You know, it is so discouraging to find such a good group of people engaged in harmless fun, damaging no one, lifting each other's spirits and making good human contact...and then have a malcontent or two start tossing grenades.
I know who a prime mover behind the static is. I've seen a trail or two. Small minded, smaller heart, and worst of all, no discernable tallent for anything other than quantity of photos and ability to anger people like me.
I will continue to vote and encourage others to vote. If I mainly vote for PaD'rs (I vote all over the place when I have the time) it is because I mainly view PaD galleries.
I have to stop...before I get to "expressive."

[paulwalt]

I personally feel there's a good possibility that the PaD galleries get more votes because the people that the galleries belong to work harder at photography and have a more diverse gallery of pictures that people generally enjoy looking at.

The interesting thing about getting on the top of the Popular list simply by the other PaD people voting for you is that once someone has voted for you, they can't vote for your gallery again. So you'll move up to the front, then fade back real quick, then eventually if people (other than merely PaD people) continue to like and vote for you, you'll end up on the All Time list.

I think you shouldn't worry about it Angela. I think by talking people into avoiding voting for you, you're making it so the people that pick galleries by the Popular list won't find you as easily, and that's unfair to them because your gallery is EXCELLENT and it's a good thing that people can find it easily.

That's just my two cents. You'll always find some people out there that like to spread hate. They are the minority, and they're voice doesn't need to be heard.

Keep on with the Enjoyment of Photography!

Paul Walters

[annayu]

I'm guilty of not voting as often as I should. However, the images I do vote for are usually NOT PAD images/galleries. I guess the vast multitude of people on pbase never vote, which means that an honest vote from a "stranger" who doesn't ONLY look att PAD galleries is worth a lot. I think that 32 such votes is a lot and that number one image in the most popular photo page deserves to be there.

Of course this is not a life-or-death thing, or SOOOO serious as someone put it, but some people take it just as seriously as we PAD-ders take our own picture-a-day commitment.

That's why I think it's not really fair to limit yourself to only looking at PAD galleries and voting exclusively for them. There are so many wonderful galleries and images that are not PAD and they deserve a look and a vote too.

/Anna

[rash]

Since starting this project I ran a disclaimer o the top of the page:

"I'd ask one thing as you look at these. If one catches your eye, good or otherwise, leave a quick note. Think of it as throwing your .02 in a cup. I'd rather have that, than a vote."

For the most part I think it has worked.

I must say though, I was really tickled when 2 of the galleries made the top 3 at the same time. It is just as cool to see some of the ones from PaDers I recognize (PaD or not) show up there. I will admit to voting for a few myself. Some are just fantastic images and deserve to up there. It is also responsible for how this forum grew to what it is. I saw Paul Walters stuff on the list and clicked.

I think the separate Popular gallery is a good idea if Slug can/will implement it. Same with disabling the voting on certain galleries.

[annayu]

YIKES
I had a look at the most popular photos for 7 days and there are 5 feet pictures on the first page!!! This makes me cringe a lot. No wonder many people get annoyed. That's not very nice, by voting for fellow PADs like that we are not showing others the same respect we want ourselves.

Please don't hit me on the head, I'm just giving my spontaneous reaction after seeing that. Don't mean to annoy anyone here.

[rash]

And 7 of 8 of those photos are PaD photos....

[dazedgonebye]

We are showing that we are involved in each other's work and worlds. We're showing that we are a commuinty of sorts and that we support each other.
If others are offended by that then maybe they suffer from the the lack of community that we feel. If that's the problem then they should join ours or start one of their own. Unfortunately, the "normal" human reaction is often to tear down what others have and you covet, rather than to buid something of worth for yourself.

[annayu]

"The purpose of the popularity ranking is so we can easily find photos that other people think are worth looking at."

I agree that the PAD community is warm and friendly and I personally thank all that made me welcome when I joined lately. However, the purpose of the Popular metagallery is not for us to show each other support.

[dazedgonebye]

I guess it all depends upon how you define worth. I don't vote for photos that I think are just plain bad (not that I see many of those). But I do vote for images that are good for THAT photographer.
I've seen many images praised that I thought had no visual appeal whatsoever. I've seen images that would not garner the least attention were it not for bare breasts or @ss. So if I praise, and vote for, an image that's main value is in the effort and life that a photographer put in to it, I don't see how that is less valid than a vote for a masterpiece.
By the criteria stated, roughly that I think others should see it, I can sleep with my votes, no problem.

[dexmadden]

Whoa! You can vote for a gallery?!!
We've never voted for gallery or picture, just never saw much import in the feature

[auriga]

I personally think that if you are able to produce a good photograph daily and the gallery itself is of the quality that it receives a place in the most popular galleries, then that shows true talent. It shows spontanaity, creativeness, and the ability to come up with something new every day and I think it is worthy of votes.
However, it wouldn't bother me if the whole voting system and popular gallery wasn't there. Popularity contests remind me of high school and being petty and it's not worth singling out a few people who might be up there from talent, and might be up there from the amount of people they know, and might be up there because they happen to post a lot of nudity. It's not worth the competition, and it seems as if this website has become less about sharing and displaying your images and more about insults and contests.

Megan

http://www.pbase.com/auriga