This Forum

[LePetomane]

To all of the moderators and participants who make this a good forum, thank you. There is a wealth of information here. As a rank amateur I feel comfortable seeking advice. Replies are always very courteous and informational. Thanks again.

Paul

[purplehaze]

I will add my thanks to yours, Paul. I too appreciate the breadth and depth of the knowledge shared and the general civility of the tone of this forum.

[Donald]

Thank you, Paul. This forum is its members.

I think we are of a size where the input of members becomes the very heart of what the forum is about. Members are not so anonymous as perhaps they might be on some the larger forums. Thankfully, I think that also explains the absence of the sort of aggressive and, indeed, rude bevhavio0ur that takes place on some other forums. When, regrettably it happens here from time-to-time, it is quickly addressed and the guilty parties made aware of the inappropriateness of their contributions.

[mknittle]

And I too must add my thanks also.

[Rita]

And I add mine too. Sometimes when I am out shooting I have a little giggle to myself because I hear the words in
my head that appear here as advice: focus on the eye closest to the camera, watch your backgrounds. use more dog
etc. I have learned so much from this site and continue to do so. If it wasn't for this group I would not be as far in my photography as I am (and I still have a long way to go).

[IzzieK]

I have not reached the level of Rita, but one day I might -- would be nice. I kept praying for it... but I share the same thoughts as hers so far so that is good. I've learned so much from this group that I used to not want to learn somewhere else but lately supplement my learning with video courses and workshops too. Unfortunately, I have to send my main camera to Nikon because the mirror locked up. Six to 8 weeks wait. I haven't had any of my cameras gone to a repair shop ever since I touched one. This is the first time. If I had asked this forum I would have got different responses on how to unlock it too, who knows? Many here are so knowledgeable that I seek more and more knowledge as I go along my photographic life...Thank you all for the support you have given me...so grateful.

[Mike Buckley]

I left a forum a few years ago out of utter disgust for the owner's methods, not the least of which was outright lying to the members. I came upon CiC, reviewed the site in considerable detail, contacted Donald privately about a particular question I had regarding management of the site, got a satisfactory answer, and decided to begin participating. I've been posting here ever since and have never looked back.

While I agree with Donald that the success of the site has to do primarily with its members, the quality and style of attention provided by the moderators is also important. As an example, the owner and moderators of the site I left were a huge source of many of the problems.

[LePetomane]

I found this wonderful site through a search that led me to the tutorial section. I've been posting sporadically because my work schedule is absolutely hectic. Was off last week but not a lot of down time in the near future.

[Shanghai Steve]

I am a bit of an obsessive and I have found that whenever I want to find out about something, the best way to do it is to join a forum. The first forum I joined was...(wait for it) a shaving forum. This might sound a bit daft, but I was out and about one day and I came across a wonderful shop selling 'real' razors, shaving brushes and straight razors. So I bought a straight razor and the next morning I put this fearsome object to my cheek....and froze. Cut to a worried-looking man bent over his laptop with shaving foam on his face!
However, it is becoming increasingly a truism that where there is a forum, there is a disagreement. Almost every one I have joined or consulted has its cliques and battlegrounds, its incendiary statements and longstanding arguments. It has become extremely difficult to find a forum these days which is not a typographical warzone. I vividly remember checking out one American Political Forum. I was surprised my computer screen didn't burst into flames! I don't know about anyone else, but I came to CiC after rejecting other photographic fora and it is a haven of civilised debate. Smaller or brand-specific fora tend to be that way. Humans seem to find tribalism no matter what they are talking about. In the shaving forum, there was a "Vintage vs Modern" divide which often reared its head like this...
I'm looking for a mildish DE that works well with 7 O'Clock greeens. Suggestions?
Get yourself a Bostonian
As I stated, I want a new razor as I suffer from very sensitive skin and react badly to Barbosol
No way man. Barbasol is brilliant. How can you be allergic?
I don't know how, but I am, so can you please recommend a brand new DE?
Please find below a link on the Barbasol website which clearly states it is hypo-allergenic


But to me the most important aspect of 'finding your forum' is the sense of community in can bring. As photographers, we can spend hours and hours to get a few good shots. We often spend thousands of pounds on gear, take holidays purely to capture images, brave early alarm-calls, terrible heat, walk for hours after arguing with taxi-drivers in languages we don't really understand, buy maps to places our friends have never heard of.....all to get that shot. And what do our friends do? Look at it for 4 seconds and say "Oh, yeah. That's nice. Did you buy milk?"
So, yeah. It is important to be able to feel validated and to communicate with like-minded individuals.

On a personal note, I would like to say that I absolutely accept the right of forum members to disagree with me on some topics and to express that disagreement. I do not set-out to cause disagreement, however, I have found that no good can come of responding to that disagreement. So, if you posted a rejection of my opinion on any subject whatsoever and are annoyed that I didn't come back on it, please be aware that this is the reason. You have your opinion. I have mine. As long as those opinions are stated clearly and without malice an relate to the thread in question, that is all that needs to happen. No further self-justification is required.

Thanks to all who administer this forum and all members.

[Mike Buckley]

I do not set-out to cause disagreement, however, I have found that no good can come of responding to that disagreement.

For me, that depends on the person I am disagreeing with. By discussing the disagreement, some people can help me understand their position with greater clarity and vice versa. I have even found occasionally that further discussion brings out understandings of so-called facts that are actually proven not to be true. All of that is very helpful and in keeping with the forum's tag line explaining that we are a "learning community." I'm happy to regularly communicate with the people in the forum that regularly help create an environment that is conducive to learning, whether the learning is the result of agreement or disagreement.