First I would like to apologize for my recent flame. In retrospect I
don't think I should have been so harsh here. My original comments
were, in part, directed at an individual when I should have addressed
the entire group. I made a mistake, I should not have impugned a
member of the list. For those of you who have criticized my manner,
I am sorry. For those of you who think that there is no room for
criticism here - CHILL; my intention, was/is not to harm the
group.
Maybe it would help if I explain where I am coming from. Three years
ago when I first logged onto the Internet I jumped in with zeal. I
headed for Usenet and rec.photo where I lurked for a bit, trying to
get a feel for the group. After a spell I tried to be a good
"citizen" by responding to requests for help and information. Often
I offered personal experience and backed it up with citations to
other sources of information. To my surprise, after spending a
considerable amount of time preparing a post I often received no
thanks. My own requests for help often went unanswered. Questions
regarding chemistry, optics, light sources or anything beyond "basic
photography" that did not simply call for an opinion got no replies.
I found myself participating in a photography group that generated
several hundred msgs a day yet when, for example, I requested a
reference on how to fold a bellows I got only one reply. I started
to get paranoid, hell maybe I had bad breath. I eventually decided I
was wasting my time and after about a year of reading rec.photo I
stopped (BTW my experience was just the opposite in groups like
sci.optics). As it turned out, after speaking with several
colleagues I discovered it wasn't me, they told me that they had
similar experiences and that many "experts" had left the group
because they had found it thankless, time consuming, and often
pedestrian.
To me alt-photo-proc is a valuable resource providing a forum to
discuss matters related to my art and craft with people who have a
broad and deep range of knowledge. I have 25 years of experience
under my belt, a reasonable grasp of photo chemistry and, more often
than not I can make a negative that falls within the tolerance range
I have chosen (and on different stocks to boot) - I'm good at what I
do and I make my living doing it. But hey, some of the names I have
seen on the header lines for this group are those of people who know
more than I could ever hope to learn. I fear that as the group grows
(I am told that the number of the people on the net, doubles
approximately every four months) these experts might drop away,
perhaps dismayed by juvenile questions and heavy traffic; then I
would be left with an incessant chatter of the "how do I" and "IMO"
variety. Simple paranoia? Perhaps, but it has happened in other
groups - I'd hate to see it happen here.
This group does not exist in a vacuum. Please, be considerate of
others, the only remuneration any of us receive comes from the
contributions of the other members of the group. If this is the only
group you read, I am envious. I read msgs from 5 lists, only one of
which (ebikes) does not have some relationship to photography. All of
these lists, like alt-photo, might be called informal yet I still get
250+ msgs in my mail box in the course of an average week.
Here are some of my thoughts about how we can all "help each other"
(in no special order):
* Use subject lines that are meaningful.
* If you don't have access to information because of where you live
or for some other reason, say so.
* If you have access information, do your homework - don't post here
before you go to the library, check the archives or go to the
bookstore hoping to get a "hit" while your away.
* If you have a question of the "how do I" or "what is the best way"
variety, try to demonstrate that you have some sense of what you are
looking for.
* Express your gratitude when somebody has helped you.
* If you ask a question that is relevant to the group and receive
replies "at home" post a synopsis (preferably "value added") of what
you have discovered.
* Read the FAQ.
* If you have citations to references, include them in your post.
* Learn how to use the listprocessor. (leaving the subject
line blank, send a msg to listproc@vast.unsw.edu.au with the word
HELP in the body of the message should get you started).
* Use the archives (retrievable from listproc@vast.unsw.edu.au).
They contain lots of info.
* If you have time to read this group, but never post (you
are a "lurker"), consider posting.
* Thank your lucky stars that Steve Avery
(stevea@conch.vast.unsw.edu.au) takes the time, I assume without
compensation, to keep the listprocessor for this group running and
maintains the archives too.
* If you try a new process consider posting your experience. (I
remember the first time I developed a cyanotype in water, after 20
years of doing silver, I felt the same exhilaration as when I made my
first print - it was awesome.)
* Tell other photographers about the group.
* Practice your skills: take and make pictures. If you spend too much
time looking at words bubbling out of this little box I can't learn
from your experiences :*)
I hope my words have made my point without offending; I am not a
writer. See you all tomorrow.
flame off :*)
---greg schmitz
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