Guy64 said:
Since it's been less than a year since the previous data dump, maybe I'll just wait and see if things remain stable for awhile.
Well you're right, it was less than a year, roughly 11 months. Don't forget that your stuff in the photo gallery is still here.
Now, here's my question for you... Is having your work posted on the web, totally free, for nearly a year worth the effort it takes to upload messages and photos? Especially when you consider how many folks see it on this site? I'd like to think that it is.
I just posted this over on the other forum, but it applies here too:
Speaking of old photos and posts, etc.
Once again, I'll encourage everyone to use the photo gallery for your
best photos, the ones you want to have folks see over a long time. That's the place they don't get lost in the shuffle. The photo gallery design is much "friendlier" to older images, allowing them to be found easily.
Think of the forum as an online slideshow, or "e-zine" or whatever you'd like to call it. The truth is, after about 6 months, aside from the odd hit off a search engine or the occasional new member catching up on back threads, your photos and essays don't get read much. They get lost in the shuffle of new messages.
Granted, there are exceptions, the late and very lamented Milwaukee thread is a good example. That one took on a life of it's own! But for the most part, folks (a lot of 'em) read what you post, loook at your pictures, but after a couple months you're far enough down the list they don't find your post without some digging.
Is that a bad thing? I don't think so. You still get to show your work to thousands of people. (Yes, thousands, we have over 2,000 members, and 3/4 of the folks visiting the site don't bother registering since you're not required to do so.)
So, again, I'd suggest thinking of posting here as writing a column for a magazine, where most of the readers will see it in the first 3 months or so.
