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DPChallenge Forums >> Photography Discussion >> this place needs more open challenges
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11/23/2016 06:39:06 AM · #1
there would likely be more participation if more challenges were open to non-members.

11/23/2016 08:51:36 AM · #2
Originally posted by Mike:

there would likely be more participation if more challenges were open to non-members.

sounds like you're trying to have your cake and eat it. just pay the measly $2.10 a month and become a member

Message edited by author 2016-11-23 08:52:19.
11/23/2016 08:58:33 AM · #3
everyone complains about participation, so how about open it to more people to enter the challenges. members get enough benefits (selling/side challenges/portfolio sharing etc.) no need to charge just to enter challenges, leave some some challenges for members only but one challenge per week inst enough to encourage more participation.

fwiw i was a member for years. im not any longer since i don't have the time to enter or vote in so many challenges but i would likely enter more than none if they were open to non members.

its just a suggestion.

11/23/2016 09:00:23 AM · #4
Originally posted by NiallOTuama:

Originally posted by Mike:

there would likely be more participation if more challenges were open to non-members.

sounds like you're trying to have your cake and eat it. just pay the measly $2.10 a month and become a member


This site needs more open to suggestions, and less snobbish replies. I don't intend to renew my membership because od the attitude towards new members.
11/23/2016 09:08:11 AM · #5
but think of the knock-on effect. if there are more free challenges, fewer people will pay for membership, meaning that the site can't sustain itself. it's not so simple as making more open challenges, since other things will have to change as a consequence.
11/23/2016 09:09:52 AM · #6
Originally posted by gipper11:

This site needs more open to suggestions, and less snobbish replies. I don't intend to renew my membership because od the attitude towards new members.

Probably a fair comment in general, but here i was interacting with Mike, whom I have known on this site for years. hardly a new member.

however, in reflection i think i did misjudge mike's initial post believing him to be referring to participation for himself rather in general, so apologies for being sharp.

Message edited by author 2016-11-23 09:12:00.
11/23/2016 09:12:57 AM · #7
Originally posted by NiallOTuama:

but think of the knock-on effect. if there are more free challenges, fewer people will pay for membership, meaning that the site can't sustain itself. it's not so simple as making more open challenges, since other things will have to change as a consequence.


cant sustain what? how much does it cost to run this website? the mods are free, the suggestions are free, the code in been in place for years.

users pay for an almost entirely user driven experience.

if you want more users, open it up to them.

i don't play much here not because i'm cheap, ts because the competition is lacking. i'm not saying that to offend. it used to be a real reat to compete against some of the people who were regulars, you felt an accomplishment when you outscored them. this place needs more new blood and you wont get any hiding behind a paywall.

Message edited by author 2016-11-23 09:17:41.
11/23/2016 09:15:37 AM · #8
In general, we all need to realize that in any endeavor, what we get out is in proportion to what we put in. If we really want more participation, we need to participate more ourselves. If we want the site to grow and succeed, then we need to consider supporting it, and yes, that means opening our wallets. Perhaps I shouldn't talk, I don't currently pay the yearly fee because I served 4.5 years on site council, but I would *gladly* give up that benefit to ensure that DPC stays viable.
11/23/2016 09:19:23 AM · #9
offer up a free month or two to new users or lapsed members, see what happens.
11/23/2016 09:19:47 AM · #10
Originally posted by Mike:

cant sustain what? how much does it cost to run this website? the mods are free, the suggestions are free, the code in been in place for years.

Storage and bandwidth were what I was thinking of.

i haven't ever costed these so can't speculate on cost. it is surely more expensive to maintain this site than anybody's personal photography site.
11/23/2016 09:20:46 AM · #11
Originally posted by Mike:

offer up a free month or two to new users or lapsed members, see what happens.

good idea.
11/23/2016 10:19:14 AM · #12
Suggestion noted, but an observation, using you as a test case: there is at least one open challenge a week. You haven't entered any since August 2015. So why would having more open challenges make you enter again? What exactly would?
11/23/2016 11:33:31 AM · #13
Originally posted by Neil:

Suggestion noted, but an observation, using you as a test case: there is at least one open challenge a week. You haven't entered any since August 2015. So why would having more open challenges make you enter again? What exactly would?


the open topics aren't actually inspiring, and if it is, its minimal editing, never any expert challenges, etc... i would likely drop in a free study once a month if they were open, hidden gem i would have likely entered too..

basically i hop on the site, look at the open topics, think to myself, "meh" and never bother. repeat each week or so. maybe its not far to project my thought process onto others but i doubt im alone in my experience. there is usually at least one topic each week i'm interested in, but its behind the paywall and i don't think at this time i'd get my moneys worth out of a membership so i never sign back up.

on that note, if DPL ever started up, i'd likely re-up my membership just for that alone.

Message edited by author 2016-11-23 11:34:14.
11/23/2016 10:00:40 PM · #14
Originally posted by NiallOTuama:

but think of the knock-on effect. if there are more free challenges, fewer people will pay for membership, meaning that the site can't sustain itself. it's not so simple as making more open challenges, since other things will have to change as a consequence.


That is one way of looking at it, the flip side is that you want to generate interest in people to enter challenges. If they got into the habit of doing that regularly in the open challenges, they would be more likely to open up their wallets to have access to even more challenges that are behind the paywall, especially the monthly Free Study. Having only one challenge to compete in per week is not a whole lot of options.

In fact, there used to be two choices per week, but you could only enter one of them, at least that presented more choice than you have now (i.e. 2 out of 4 every 2 weeks to the 2 out of 2 now).

DPL would be another big boost, they should run those twice a year.
11/23/2016 10:29:43 PM · #15
Originally posted by NiallOTuama:

but think of the knock-on effect. if there are more free challenges, fewer people will pay for membership, meaning that the site can't sustain itself. it's not so simple as making more open challenges, since other things will have to change as a consequence.


+17

I don't expect anything for free. I appreciate it when I get something for free.

But... As a business person, I realize that there is a balance. I can give a few free photo sessions each year (and I do), but that's not how I make my living... giving things away.

I do it as a gift back to the gifts I get from the world.

I still need people to pay me... so I can give a few sessions away.

The world. In a capsule. Ha!

Message edited by author 2016-11-23 22:30:43.
11/23/2016 10:58:50 PM · #16
Mike - Topics are suggested by members. We're putting up topics from the challenge suggestions cue. So "I don't like the topics" is a moving target, with no guarantee that you'd like any of them, even if they were all free.

How about you list 3-5 topics YOU would find interesting. If we made one of them the open challenge, would you enter it?
11/23/2016 11:30:37 PM · #17
Originally posted by FromDaRock:

In fact, there used to be two choices per week, but you could only enter one of them, at least that presented more choice than you have now (i.e. 2 out of 4 every 2 weeks to the 2 out of 2 now).

That was when we had a HUGE active entrants base and the Open Challenges were getting 600+ entries. So we set up "Exclusive Opens" (you could enter either, but not both) to make the voting more manageable and to make the ribbon possibilities more palatable. Believe it or not, we had a LOT of people complaining the challenges had too many entries and it wasn't any fun anymore :-)
11/24/2016 12:37:25 AM · #18
I'll spot you a year's membership if you'll enter two challenges a month.
11/24/2016 01:47:53 PM · #19
Originally posted by gipper11:

This site needs more open to suggestions, and less snobbish replies. I don't intend to renew my membership because od the attitude towards new members.

I can totally understand this perspective. DPC regulars have been systematically alienating newcomers for years now.

Originally posted by NiallOTuama:

sounds like you're trying to have your cake and eat it. just pay the measly $2.10 a month and become a member

I hate this sort of pathetic argument even more than most bullcrap that's spouted on these forums. I've been paying my membership for 12 years, even when I've been away from the site for years at a time, because I've always wanted to support the site. Supporting the site, to me, doesn't mean just paying for the servers (which, judging by recent performance, are worth about two dollars a month in total); it means supporting the experiences of other users who are new to the site, and help others to get the same benefit from the site and the community that I myself have gained from it previously.

To do that, I see myself as paying my membership fee so that others can enter these challenges. I pay, to enable more people to be included.

The idea that some of you see it instead as paying to exclude non-regulars, frankly, disgusts me.
11/24/2016 09:47:12 PM · #20
Originally posted by riot:

Originally posted by gipper11:

This site needs more open to suggestions, and less snobbish replies. I don't intend to renew my membership because od the attitude towards new members.

I can totally understand this perspective. DPC regulars have been systematically alienating newcomers for years now.

Originally posted by NiallOTuama:

sounds like you're trying to have your cake and eat it. just pay the measly $2.10 a month and become a member

I hate this sort of pathetic argument even more than most bullcrap that's spouted on these forums. I've been paying my membership for 12 years, even when I've been away from the site for years at a time, because I've always wanted to support the site. Supporting the site, to me, doesn't mean just paying for the servers (which, judging by recent performance, are worth about two dollars a month in total); it means supporting the experiences of other users who are new to the site, and help others to get the same benefit from the site and the community that I myself have gained from it previously.

To do that, I see myself as paying my membership fee so that others can enter these challenges. I pay, to enable more people to be included.

The idea that some of you see it instead as paying to exclude non-regulars, frankly, disgusts me.


I became a member in December 2015 and began paying at the same time, I have not been satisfied with the site so I will let my money do the talking by not renewing my membership as anyone else should do if they are unsatisfied with whats going one. There are many places out there that are much better for learning and having fun than this one. There seems to be a pool of old members that are not open to change yet complain about the membership decreasing all the time.
11/24/2016 09:50:05 PM · #21
Originally posted by NiallOTuama:

Originally posted by Mike:

there would likely be more participation if more challenges were open to non-members.

sounds like you're trying to have your cake and eat it. just pay the measly $2.10 a month and become a member


I can afford the measly $2.50 but maybe that is a lot for some people out there.
11/24/2016 11:38:44 PM · #22
Gipper, your average vote cast is 4.7. We will be happy to loose the negativity!
11/24/2016 11:56:51 PM · #23
Originally posted by MeMex2:

Gipper, your average vote cast is 4.7. We will be happy to loose the negativity!


You just made my point, I vote based on actual worth not to make you feel good for entering bad photos. I am not voting to keep my average above 5 but voting on the work, I would say well above 50 percent of the entries deserve far below a 5 and some deserve much higher. So quit crying and get over it.
11/25/2016 12:12:40 AM · #24
Originally posted by MeMex2:

Gipper, your average vote cast is 4.7. We will be happy to loose the negativity!


I also vote on all entries in contests that I vote in, and with a vote average of 5.7 I suppose you don't if you are voting honestly, or you are just fluffing others feathers to make them feel good. I looked at your portfolio and it is nice maybe you should share your knowledge with those who need it and vote accurately.
11/25/2016 06:30:12 AM · #25
Originally posted by MeMex2:

Gipper, your average vote cast is 4.7. We will be happy to loose the negativity!

MeMex2, your average vote received is 5.6. We would be happy to lose your garbage input.
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