It seems that the Photographytalk<dot>com Forum has been deleted.
The forum link redirects to the homepage and no link can be found on the homepage to a forum. Link in DDG to specific pages also redirect to their homepage.
Glad this place is still going!
Thanks - we'll try and keep it going as long as we can.
Alan
If DPRevived's days are numbered for whatever reason, another option could be Proboards free forums.
Most of the types of content you have here can be set up with a Proboards forum.
DPR is not what it was too. I think most of us got involved with photography forums when we were changing systems, of buying new gear. I believe interest in photo forums is slowly declining for a number of reasons. I had four forums that I visited, I am down to two, with only one I follow seriously (this one).
The huge progress in cell phone cameras has caused a lot of people to lose interest in dedicated cameras. I have seen countless posts on DPR, where people are switching to a cell phone camera. Personally my iPhone has replaced the little LX100 I used for casual photography. A cell phone camera just works, there is nothing much to discuss. Photography ceases to be a hobby.
Our camera gear is staying current longer. My ages old D850 and Z7i still have a sensor that is not obsolete. I have reached the point where I will buy a new camera when these two war horses break down. The little upgrades we are getting do not interest me. I have lost interest in reading or hearing about new camera gear. Personally I have bought all the lenses I need. Only something very special like the Z28-400, that I bought recently will get me to get my credit card out.
Forums are great for discussing stuff you have recently bought, and still do not totally understand. I have been on a HiFi upgrade spree lately, I subscribed to a couple of relevant forums, to ask some questions and get ideas. User forums are usually more attenable when it comes down to the evaluation of gear. I have already dropped one of the HiFi forums, because it has served its purpose. The other is still on my reading list as thre are some interesting discussions about music. Photography forums that I follow have always had a similar churn.
So you get to a point with a forum, where it becomes a social thing, where you have made some good online acquaintances. You stick with it for that reason. to discuss the actual photographs you make, with like minded people. On any forum, you get to converse with some interesting people, but on every forum I have used there are always the assholes who are deeply unpleasent. There is always the blowhard who knows everything, and will put you down at the slightest excuse. Trolling is more common than we think. We do not really know who we are talking to. On big forums like DPR, you can get into a conversation with a group of sock puppets, without knowing it. You also learn that there are a lot of weirdos out there, in the WWW. I have read some crazy things on forums.
With every forum I have used, I have to consider the pleasure of conversing with interesting and good people, against the frustration of having to deal with the unpleasantness of the blowhards and Trolls. This is where good moderation comes in. On another forum where I post, the limits are pretty clear, and being a small forum, it is always pretty pleasant, as everybody is aware of how far you can go in a heated exchange. DPR is probably the best example of bad moderation. It always seems pretty absurd, you can get a ban for criticising a camera, that the moderator likes, or more weirdly, posting something sensible, that causes an argument amongst the people who do not own the same gear, or are just ignorant about what you are talking about.
I have seen a few forums lose that critical mass that is needed to carry them forward. Another forum set up at the same time as this one, I believe suffered this fate. No new threads or comments, makes visiting a Forum pointless. When I was looking for DPR alternatives, I found plenty of these ghostly forums, that were slowly dying.
Alan,
This is an unnecessarily pessimistic statement, and uncharacteristic of you! I hope that the aim is not only to survive, but to grow, and increase the active membership. There are already some very good and interesting members here: we know who they are, and identifying the destructive ones is not hard. I notice that the interface has been silently improved over the months, and find it the best around. I understand those who would like threaded view, though I am not one of them: in my opinion it tends to narrow one’s view on the discourse.
DPRevived has a lot going for it: it is totally non-commercial, has no adverts, is free of unfair moderation, and has already a lot of achievements to be proud of in its brief life, thanks to those who have stuck with it and refused to be repelled by the minority working for its destruction. A big THANK YOU also to Alan and his colleagues who work behind the scenes!
I personally welcome all suggestions for the acquisition of more active members with a positive, friendly and collegial attitude. Trolls and the disruptive are not required! The more photographic sites close, the more necessary and vital this one is!
If you build it, they will come!
David
I second everything you wrote.
Who is paying for the running costs of dprevived?
Bob and Alan and whoever else is stumping up for the running expenses can't be expected to so indefinitely, especially when there are good free forum platform options.
Bob flagged a few months ago that if traffic grows to a level advertisers would be interested in then adverts on this site could become reality to raise income for the site's running costs.
That will make an interesting screenshot juxtaposition to the screenshots elsewhere showing the name calling and falsehoods a few members post here about other members.
Your comment suggests those types of posts are condoned at dprevived.
Despite the missing “threaded view” feature” , DPRevived is a good site for posting photos and getting feedback from other photographers.
The weekly photo sharing threads are where I mostly reside and enjoy the experience of receiving and giving feedback.
The creators of the site have done a good job, thanks!
It is a good policy to just ignore the negative contributors, that for whatever reason continuously try and make the experience unpleasant for others.
The board is not an issue. I can host one for free if we ever lost this one (not that we are, as far as I know).
Alan
I think the forums where sharing and commenting on photographs is dominant, seem to have found a niche. This and Nikon Café, where I post, seem to carry on with a small but active user base. I think it is because a sort of community forms, as we see with the weekly threads. I have been posting on Wormsmeat's thread for about ten years now! Gear based forums seem to have a higher churn, because people get fed up with gear quite quickly.
DPR has become very boring, the interesting "names" on the sub forums I followed have mostly disappeared. The "picture" based forums, were always slow and little used. I did enter a few challenges, until it became apparent that a lot of cheating was going on. Yes, people cheat on DPR Challenges!
Ok, it's good you have a Plan B.
I suppose while the bills to run this site can be paid then there is little reason to shut it down.
