February 2013 - Umbrellas - 92 participants, 962 visitsWith the first-of-the-month Theme Day, we are struggling to get over 100 members participate. Even members who participate daily on FaceBook, do not necessarily get involved with Theme Days.
April 2012 - Cobblestones - 86 participants, 632 visits
December 2012 - My Street - 81 participants, 607 visits
October 2012 - Silhouette - 67 participants. 566 visits
November 2012 - The Water's Edge - 106 participants, 509 visits
September 2012 - People Watching - 66 participants, 451 visits
August 2012 - Numbers - 55 participants, 388 visits
January 2013 - Festival of the Belly Button - 27 participants, 383 visits
January 2013 - National Day (Australia) - 22 participants, 258 visits
Monday, February 11, 2013
Participation in Theme Days (Cont.)
During 2012 a number of Theme Days were hosted on a Blogspot platform which enables me to compare the popularity of each theme. Here are the number of visits to each theme so hosted:
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You might not have wanted it to come across as such, but what you're basically saying is that the themes that members propose and choose are boring/dull/uninspired and that we need something to shake us up.
ReplyDeleteI see it like this: having Facebook as a complementary platform appears to have diluted the user base and some members might not even have found their way back to the forum after its enforced absence. There is certainly some overlap, but the convenience of FB and its reach might be more attractive to some members. Not to me - I don't "detest" it, I have no use for it (apart from CDP) and it continues to prove itself to be untrustworthy.
I'm not alone in this interpretation, btw
I take part in Theme Days when I find them interesting, or/and fun. Some are of course more interesting than others. Making it into a challenge and force people to think outside the box could be one way to go.
ReplyDelete*grin*, thank you JB; your opinion is always blunt and to the point, which I value.
ReplyDeleteI would replace the expression 'boring/dull/uninspired' with 'easy'. What appeals to those who vote are the themes that are 'concrete' and readily found in their immediate landscape. Although, the voting for April at the moment is between 'long and winding road' which is abstract, and 'pedestrians crossing' which is concrete.
I do not think members need a shake up, but some members may value an alternative.
Steffe, I am all in favour of lateral thinking, outside all forms of boxes.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment, I am trying to devise another strand for mid-month for 2014 that will do just this. A strand where the content is abstract, and where photographic techniques are integral.
I am trying to avoid the situation where a member's post could qualify for a myriad of memes across the internet.
I've frequently been on concrete long and winding roads. Most have been tar-sealed, though....
ReplyDeleteAs were some pedestrian crossings...
ReplyDeleteI've frequently been on concrete long and winding roads. Most have been tar-sealed, though....
ReplyDeleteHow about simply using a random word generator? http://watchout4snakes.com/creativitytools/randomword/RandomWord.aspx
ReplyDeletemmm ... a gave a variety of these a trial ... and ... perhaps NO!
ReplyDeleteEmpty. Writer. Sphere. Coast. Design. Exponential.
ReplyDeleteI could do something with any of these.
You could ... yes ... but what hey other members?
ReplyDeleteIn keeping with my 'four seasons' themes (equinox etc), I will change 'writer' to 'water' and keep in the back of my head (for June and September) this string: 'Empty. Water. Sphere. Coast. Design. Exponential'.
For mine, the text requirement is also important: 100 words IN ADDITION to an image. You already do this, because you are that sort of little black duck. However, for many members 'image + text' is yet a further challenge.
I will plough on: a Theme (General), and a Theme (Extension).
Little black duck. I didn't come to this forum to be insulted.
ReplyDeleteumm ... are you serious?
ReplyDeleteI think the point that the forum has been diluted by Facebook is a valid one. Also some people may only be posting to instagram. I also take part in those that interest me and that I think I have or can find something that fits, although with the size of my archive that is most of them. I like the national days, they are a bit of a challenge. As you know, I'm not much of a text person.
ReplyDeleteHi Ann, I think we just have to accept that every method of delivery of pics is a valid one, and that the tech/photo world is rapidly changing. Every major manufacturer of cameras has reported a significant loss this year, partly due to the impact of telephones and social media.
ReplyDeleteI think it's quite interesting watching this group develop, although it would be more interesting if I'd get the forum up and running!
Cheers,
Peter
I love the monthly theme Julie, I don't do facebook or instagram (way too tricky for a technophobe like moi) it's the only theme that I do, so I'm looking forward to the half monthly extra put forward by the CDP whatever it may be, I do love a challenge, and you know how much I love the 'chat'!
ReplyDeleteI take part in the Theme Days as much as possible, because I enjoy them immensely, but there are times when I can't manage to meet the requirements. C'est la vie. I do like the challenge!
ReplyDeleteI've stopped going to the group on Facebook because I feel that it's become a "post-and-dump" which is the opposite of what I would like to see in the community.
By the way, Julie, I have never heard the expression "little black duck" and had to take to Google to figure out what it meant!
*grin* ... it is a beaut expression used widely in my circle. Its genesis is quizzical given that it is based on Daffy Duck, yet unheard of in the USA. JB hails from NZ originally, but has spent (IMHO) way to long away from those shores.
DeleteMeant to comment upon the FB issue you raised, Ali.
DeleteI too fear that the FB group is a 'dump and run' situation. There is very little interaction, and that but superficial. However, that is how that group of members choose to interact. There are about 40 active members at that level, so the group will continue.
It is very difficult to get a conversation going with the members, many of whom are oblivious of the portal, and do not choose to participate in Theme Days. My guess is that there are about 100 members of CDP and the rest are not in the least interested. I wonder, to myself, why they joined.
I still haven't figured it out. I reserve judgement (not without prejudice...)
ReplyDeleteAs conceded above, you have spent too long away from the land of the long-white-cloud, JB.
DeleteThe expression is more a compliment than anything else. I think the site 'World Wide Words' summarises relatively well: Daffy, like the Greek hero Sisyphus, is a victim of injustice who continuously protests. And it’s his refusal to surrender his will to the whims of the conspiring universe that makes him heroic”.
Hence, to me, a LBD is one who is not only prepared to march to the beat of a different drum, but one who revels in the opportunity.
"but has spent (IMHO) way to long away from those shores."
ReplyDeleteHere we go again...... How exactly has my (supposed) long absence from those shores (which could be construed as ageist, btw and I'll take it as such...) negatively impact my persona?
And take that *grin* off your dial...
*chuckle* ... that is sounding better ... argument for the sake of it.
ReplyDeleteMore 'timeist' than 'ageist' don't you think? A twenty-year-old can be too long from the shores, if they willingly allow their birth-culture to be supplanted by their lived-experience.
I think it was Eric who said the main thing about CDPB was linking and promoting blogs so it isn't surprising that the FB group is mainly a "post & dump" place - what is SO wrong with that - some conversation does sometime come about on there. Is it wrong because it excludes those not o-fay with FB or because it encourages a clique that doesn't bother to visit the portal? There isn't a forum on the new portal and it looks as though the plans to create a forum for the group haven't materaialised so these comments here are the nearest we have and I wouldn't expect many folk would find their way without some direction. This topic has already drifted into a debate over whether a remark has been interpreted as a slur - not a situation that is likely to encourage others to contribute to the discussion.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your contribution, Gerald.
ReplyDeleteIs there a difference, do you think, between 'link and promote' and 'post and dump'? It seems to me that both expressions lack the 'visit' element that I am trying (so unsuccessfully) to promote. I am not able to get statistics on the number of visits to member blogs from the FB group page, or from the portal. I can only go on the number of comments that I find on member blogs, and these are very sparse - from either source. On FB members occasionally leave a 'like' or a comment on the FB link, but rarely click through to the member's post itself. Or so it seems to me. The FB posters have limited comments on their posts.
Let me restate my comment to Ali Crehan above: "that is how that group of members choose to interact. There are about 40 active members at that level, so the group will continue". The FB group is not 'wrong' in any way, shape, or form. I am just at a loss as to how to harness it. Indeed, the FB group is the strongest group that the CDP family has.
The contemplated forum for the portal is beyond our skill-set at this stage, so will not materialise. The nearest I could come to a substitute is to use the NEWS page of the portal to promote interaction and discussion. I will see how I could go about this in preparation for the 1st March Theme Day.
The discussion between John Burland and myself started because of my lax use of language in the portal. I am a very informal person, and inject that into my comments. I think it helps to inject a low-key 'familiar' tone into my writing. Having upset JB, I shall edit what I say and how I say it, into the future.
Please note that the forum is NOT beyond our skill-set! It's just a matter of time vs bandwidth and prioritising other things.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I do have a habit of biting off more than I can chew.... (sigh!)
Until I have it together (and it's surely just around the corner), at least the FB group is keeping everyone together in one spot.
Having upset JB
ReplyDeleteNo, I merely pointed out that your formulation could lead to a misinterpretation of your post as elitist. Which it was in some quarters.
End of subject for me.
I would love to take part in this month's theme day (cafe chairs), but can't find where to post my link.
ReplyDeleteMust be a case of not seeing the forest for the trees. I tried, but failed.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Merisi