@jrista It's a real bloodbath in there this week. One of the dynamics that seems to be going on is that a positive comment from someone can gather it upvotes, and a negative one (even a 'dumb' negative comment) can send a picture down the toilet. I think it's kinda funny, actually... I haven't even bothered voting on anything yet this week. What's the point when the 'competition' has so obviously been taken over by morons? :-)

@JayLancePhotography i noticed that in regards to comments as well

Which negates any possibility for me wanting to provide any constructive feedback at all. Why make comments when you know the comment is going to sway the vote?

Sigh. That's the way the site is set up, isn't it?

The main site has a cost to downvote, and meta doesn't. Presumably, that's why there are more downvotes on meta, right?

If the problem is the relationship of downvotes to upvotes, that would seem to be the source.

If, on the other hand, the problem is the voting prowess of the P-SE participants at large, then it would seem there's another problem altogether, because these are the same people who are voting on the questions on the main site.

It is. But in past weeks there didn't appear to be such a 'pile on' approach to downvoting. Don't get me wrong, I'm OK with a picture going negative, and I think for the most part the 'right' pictures are being downvoted into oblivion, but when a 'dumb' negative comment can hold back an otherwise decent photo... Well... That's a bummer.

For the record, I'm not talking about my photo. :-)

But voting on the main site is subject to exactly that same sort of piling on. Doesn't anybody see that?

Answers that are voted up early are more likely to collect more upvotes because they're on the top of the list.

@DLambert sure, there's a snowball effect

Ultimately I guess it's probably not the end of the world, or anything... People should already know to have a thick skin if they're going to enter a competition...

At the end of the day I don't mind not winning, so long as a decent photo does win.

Not some shot of a frog ffs

;)

lol

You know, the frog's really growing on me. ;-)

You might want to get a doctor to look at that

The real problem is that we need more good submissions --- then we wouldn't mind nearly as much watching sleeping dog pictures disappear off the bottom of the screen.

@ElendilTheTall Noted. Seems prudent.

Another possible option would be to have the top 3 pictures put into an animated GIF or JS slideshow and rotate them on the banner

then there's more opportunity for the good shots to be represented

and less chance of people getting their panties in a bunch

Do we have as many as three "top" pictures??

We seem to be bemoaning the existence of even one, all due respect to the frog.

Perhaps we should just put this on permanently:

along with a non-stop monotone bleep

Wrong aspect ratio, I believe.

booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooop

sorry, can't hear you for the boop

Or...

we could have one final battle royale of photos and just keep the winner for eternity

just take the one with the highest votes to date :)

Sure. And while we're at it, we can put up a big message declaring that we've already answered all worthwhile questions and taken every worthwhile photo, so our work here is through.

@rfusca Heck, I got about 25 the week before last I think

(i'm suggesting this because I currently hold the record ;))

29-0

plainly a fix

but that was before all the massive downvoting of late

;)

@JayLancePhotography yup. my thoughts exactly.

I think the PotW is failing with its current forum

we really need a normal polling system

well, bbl

if its failing, have we had a week where one of the better photos didn't win?

@rfusca Well, the February 14th winner was clearly a fluke...

@JayLancePhotography ya, I just ignoring that POS ;) lol

Well, I guess partly its failing because the average quality of work has definitely dropped to the floor recently.

There may be one or two good photos, but lately there have not really been any great photos...and most are just....unvotables.

Its becoming more of a critique fest with bad critiques or just funky comments about the photos....

rather than a CONTEST between good and great photos....as it should be

@jrista i know I was one of the first to give negative feedback on a photo several contests back, but I certainly wouldn't have done it if I knew it was heading this way

me either

I gave some negative feedback before that even, I think

its just the wrong tool to have a contest with is all, I think

I really don't feel that it is, because we had it successful for so long. AND because overall the better images have been winning. I think the comments have gotten out of hand.

For heaven's sake, there's a pic at -9 ! :(

yeah

but the quality of work has also dropped

it was successful before when the average quality of work was higher

as there was more reason to just vote and not bother commenting about random point-and-shoot photos that don't really belong

now, the point-and-shoot photos are becoming the norm

ok, that first one, definitely just a snap. The ladybug just needs to be blown up bigger but it was definitely not a 'snapshot'. The daisy is a fine flower photo and is fine for what it is, displays good depth of field, framing, etc - we just tend to not like single flower pics like that. The 'simple family pic' was a response to Matt's comment on the big napper question and wouldn't have been put up otherwise.

I like the Titantic shot actually and appreciate the setup and everything for it. I like Jay's shot - I like the geometry of it combined with the subtly of the building in the background.

The motorcycle one just got overprocessed I think.

Like I said, I like Jay's, I like the composition alot.

I've got upvotes on Jay's, Elendil's, the red light, and the titanic

he likes the shot a lot, he printed it large and hung it in his office

@jrista shrug I guess

@jrista Right on! Yeah, clearly my entry was just a stupid snapshot POS... Not at all a shot that I took literally hours to scout and set up, including getting written permission from both the City of Seattle, and the Seattle Public Library to photograph from a restricted area. I'm so glad you've opened our eyes to the fact that obviously it was a shot that wasn't worth taking, and it's now clearly evident that I didn't bother to put even a modicum of effort into post-processing at all...

The Seattle Public Library must have been idiots to purchase rights to the shot for use in their 2012 promotional materials and to put in their permanent archives. Gee, I'm sure glad we have you to protect photo-SE from all us crappy photographers who clearly aren't putting forth any effort at all. whew

ya, i was waiting for that lol

Like my photo, or don't like my photo, I don't give a shit. But your rant has ensured that I'll never put another picture in the PotW competition...

and that

@JayLancePhotography and you removed it, eh?

He doesn't like my picture, that's cool. Not everyone's gonna like everything... I've got a thick skin. But to question the effort it took to create the picture or my sincerity in submitting it to the competition, like I'm some wet-behind-the-ears @sshole submitting crap who hasn't invested heavily in this community and doesn't have a vested interest in seeing it shine? @jrista can go frak himself...

I'm sorry its gone down like that :(

Me too, man. Me too...