Whatever happened to the "bedlam" weekends?

[David Davies]

Whatever happened to the bedlam which used to breakout at weekends on the old forum, much akin to a teacher leaving a class unatended for a few minutes?

[John Morrison]

The online 'folio of the poster, being available at the click of a button, 'outed' a few contributors as having the 'gift of the gab' rather than any photographic prowess...

[Richard Baker]

This forum is a veritable Garden of Eden compared to the urban jungle of old. Where are the old lags?

 

Richard. 

[David Kilpatrick]

Old lags? Still serving their sentences. Not been released yet.

[Peter Jordan]

Call me an old fuddy duddy if you will, but I like the new tranquility

[Zigzagmtart]

Certainly a 'kinder and gentler' forum.  I do miss some of the 'opinionated' discussions though.  Good entertainment as long as you stayed on the sidelines.

 

The real loss is the years of accumulated knowledge or at least discussion in the old forum.  But all in all I'll take this one.  I rarely dared post in the old forum.

[dustydingo]

The loss of some past contributors has made this forum quieter . . . blander in the opinion of many I've chatted with. . . but it certainly is demonstrably less valuable as a place where many, many hundreds of years of accumulated learning could be tapped in to.

 

It used to be a place where opinions were diverse and often robustly exchanged, now it's a place where anonymous (well, their identities are obvious if you watch carefully :-) ) bullies throw negative votes toward, amongst others, anyone who holds an opinion contrary to theirs . . . and even against those who toil hard and long to post in the Found Images threads for goodness sake!!  As a result it's become a place where rarely does anyone seem willing to publicly disagree with others . . . instead they just chuck red votes your way.

 

It's a shame really, we did use to have some highly knowledgable, helpful, stimulating posters whose overall contribution was positive in the extreme, and it really was easy to avoid the rabid few in the meantime.

 

It appears many see that as progress . . . perhaps it's just me who doesn't.

 

dd

[John Morrison]

The loss of some past contributors has made this forum quieter . . . blander in the opinion of many I've chatted with. . . but it certainly is demonstrably less valuable as a place where many, many hundreds of years of accumulated learning could be tapped in to.

 

Ah, the trouble is that those “many, many hundreds of years of accumulated learning” included such gems as how to handle a frisky horse, and how to get Brylcream stains off antimacassars. I always appreciated the advice about how much to pay nannies and governesses, and those lengthy strolls down Memory Lane, to reminisce about the good old days, when stock photographers drove Aston Martins and unicorns roamed the earth.

 

A lot of that ‘accumulated learning” was little more than a yearning to go back to the good old days, when a small cartel of agencies and photographers held sway, and the digital revolution was just a pipedream. The world of uncommissioned photography is changing with dizzying speed. The photographers I’ll listen to are those who are nimble, understand the rate of change and are willing to adapt accordingly. The photographers I don’t miss are those who had little to say except ‘fings ain’t what they used to be’...

[dustydingo]

 

The loss of some past contributors has made this forum quieter . . . blander in the opinion of many I've chatted with. . . but it certainly is demonstrably less valuable as a place where many, many hundreds of years of accumulated learning could be tapped in to.

 

Ah, the trouble is that those “many, many hundreds of years of accumulated learning” included such gems as how to handle a frisky horse, and how to get Brylcream stains off antimacassars. I always appreciated the advice about how much to pay nannies and governesses, and those lengthy strolls down Memory Lane, to reminisce about the good old days, when stock photographers drove Aston Martins and unicorns roamed the earth.

 

A lot of that ‘accumulated learning” was little more than a yearning to go back to the good old days, when a small cartel of agencies and photographers held sway, and the digital revolution was just a pipedream. The world of uncommissioned photography is changing with dizzying speed. The photographers I’ll listen to are those who are nimble, understand the rate of change and are willing to adapt accordingly. The photographers I don’t miss are those who had little to say except ‘fings ain’t what they used to be’...

Fully agree that "some" included your examples . . . doesn't change my point one iota methinks, I ignored most of them and looked at the others. I'm looking, as I was then, and by choice, at the half-full glass . . .

 

Many I recall (your good self included John) displayed both extensive experience AND the nimble-footedness to adapt accordingly, and were willing to share and encourage and cajole others down those same exciting, dangerous, stimulating paths. I don't miss the elitist "fings ain't  what they used to be either" . . . and clearly those are not the ones I refer to in my post.

 

dd

[Richard Baker]

I'm still waiting for my Father's Day card (it's 11.24am, for God's sake) but,

 

.. the good old days, when stock photographers drove Aston Martins and unicorns roamed the earth.

 

.. cheered me up!

 

Richard.

[Ed Endicott]

Some contributors (like myself) were having issues logging in to the new forum.  Alamy resolved the issue today for my account so there are probably a few contributors that would like to participate but haven't been able to.

 

Second, I think it has to do with the season.  I've always noticed on forums that in the winter, people have more time inside and tend to get cabin fever.  In the summer, people are more active and outside.

[colin paterson]

We are watching from a distance !