A lot of people on here have contributed to this getting started guide. I can’t mention them all here but they know who they are!
This is a long guide. If it is too much to all at once, bookmark it and come back to it. It will still be here!
I want to stress two things:
1. This is just a guide, it is not a rule book, keep that in mind
2. This is not my work alone, as the saying goes "It takes a village....." The community here has contributed the majority of these suggestions and tips, to help those of you that are new to the site. More than one person expressed the wish that they had something like this when they started
NAVIGATING THE 365 SITE ITSELF
Across the top of your screen you will see several words that are highlighted blue. Those, when moused over (put your mouse pointer over the word, without clicking) will show drop down menus. Without going into great detail here, let me say: Explore those links, they make navigating the site extremely easy.
On the right of your home screen, you will see Discuss, Latest Topics, Blogged and Weekly Theme.
Latest Discussions are the 8 most recent discussions started. By clicking the word latest below the discussion titles you will be taken to an index of the latest discussions.
Hot Topics Look at this as trending discussions or popular discussions
Blogged shows the official weekly themes and the latest Top 20. Each week the top 20 photos from the site are featured here.
Weekly Theme is pretty self explanatory but you can view all the entries (under Browse entries) without searching for the tag.
THE SEARCH BAR IS YOUR FRIEND! If you have a question, discussion idea or want to know about something, type it into the search field and hit enter. Chances are it has been brought up in the past. Look here before you start a new discussion thread….you’ll be amazed at what you find!
That being said, don’t be hesitant to start a discussion if you feel the need. This is a community and we are here to be supportive of one another and provide constructive criticism. If you want to start a discussion, click on the Discuss link in the 365 navigation bar at the top of your screen. Choose the relevant category and click it. The latest discussions will pop up. At the top is a New Topic box, in black. Click that and fill in the the Subject line and the Your Post box. You can go back and edit the Your Post box at any time, but you cannot edit the Subject line as that is the title to your discussion, so don't forget to spellcheck! *Search the discussion boards before you start a new discussion, your question may have already been answered!*
When you open a photo from another user or even your own, you will see a menu bar above the photo. The buttons previous and next are self explanatory. The button with the squares is a calendar view. By clicking it, you will see a month at a time of a 365’ers photos. If it is your own, you will see an edit button. Pressing that brings you back to a screen that looks just like the one you uploaded the original photo into. This allows you to change the title, description, tags, or album if you are an ACE member. The magnifying glass allows you to view a larger version of the photo. By pressing F11 (windows) after clicking the magnifying glass, you will view the photo full screen. Press F11 again and you will see the normal view. The +Fav button allows you to favorite a photo so you can find it later. Most people use this to bookmark amazing photos or as examples of something they want to remember to try.
On the right hand side of the screen when you are in your, or any other, album you will see the 8 most recent photos, by calendar date, that have been uploaded. Below that, you will see details regarding the photo. Anything highlighted in blue is a hyperlink, click on it and see what happens! Once you or another photog reaches 30 photos, a flashback option appears here. By clicking on that, you will be transported to a random photo sometime in the past, of that album.
Below that are the tags. By tagging a photo the user opens that photo up to more searches and it includes them in a group of photos with the same tag. You can click on any of the tags and you will see a calendar view of all the other photos with that tag.
The elusive share box resides below the tags in a photo. If you want to post a photo to a discussion copy the code in this box, paste it in the reply box of discussion and viola!
Below that are social media and sharing options.
To reply to a specific person, you will see an @ sign followed by their user name in their comment. Clicking that will place their user name in the reply box at the bottom of the comments, and will turn on the notification bubbles in their user pages. You can mention one or more people in a reply, just make sure that there is a space and/or no punctuation on either side of the @name or they won’t get the notification. By clicking their username you “tag” them, much like other social media sites. So, an example: "WOW! @autumnseden , how did you get the light to shine so well in the photo?" You can type the @ followed by the user name or just hit the blue reply and get @(username) directly. In the body of a discussion, title or photo description the @name does not activate the bubble, so tag them in your first reply to your own photo or discussion, so they get a notification. Whichever way you go about it, don't forget to leave a space on either side of the @name so that the system reads it. No space=no notification
Viewing multiple photos, discussions or other links w/o leaving a page: Press the ctrl button and click the link or photo. For mac users press command and click on the link or photo. That way you don't have to lose your place on your dashboard or in the discussion to view it. Or, just middle click the links with the mouse wheel. Most mice have wheels now, and clicking links with it opens them in a new window/tab.
Need to locate one of your friends or followers? Once you have been here a while you will probably have collected quite a few friends and/or followers. Sometimes you will want to locate someone in particular. Click on You, located next to Upload, to bring up the list..
The scanner allows you to scan the users you follow and that follow you. It will show you any “zombies” that you may be following or that are following you. Zombies are classified as users who have not uploaded/shown activity in 28 days or more. Some site users utilize this to cull their following list every so often. You can un-follow only those on your Friends list. There is no way to block anyone from following you. Do keep this in mind when posting anything here. This is a public site. Your pictures can be googled. If you don't want them ever made public, do not post them online.
The undiscovered tool highlights users that haven’t seen much activity as far as views or comments but that are worth taking a look at! You might just find some diamonds in the rough and paradoxically the more that people use it the faster it gets, so use it often!
Both of these tools are currently not enabled because of the bandwith they use. Keep checking back to see if they come back online! (Jan 2013)
Another user, Alexis Birkill ( @abirkill ) has created an "un-offical" Random Page, and you can find it by clicking here.. It is an alternative to the latest and popular page, allowing users to find photos they might not otherwise see! (May 2013)
If you ever feel there is an issue between you and someone else that you cannot
deal with directly, contact Ross, @Scrivna . Scroll to the bottom of the home page and click on support/feedback/contact.
"If you've tried everything else, or the question you have is of a more sensitive nature, you can email me at ross@365project.org, please clearly state what the issue is and provide your username and any other relevant information / links. This is so I can help you as efficiently as possible."
WIDELY USED ABBREVIATIONS AND PHRASES ON 365
SOOC- Straight Out Of Camera
SELFIE: Self portrait
DIRTY (or FLIRTY) THIRTY: 30mm prime lens
NIFTY FIFTY: 50mm prime lens
PP: Popular Page, can also refer to post processing
Fav, Fav'd, Faves (plural): Favorite, as in "I totally had to fav this photo"
B&W: Black and White
DOF: Depth of field
POV: Point of View
Comp: Composition
HDR: High Dynamic Range
ETSOOI: edit the shit out of it (created by a user, @espyetta )
PS: Photoshop
LR: Lightroom
P&S: Point and shoot camera
DSLR: Digital Single Lens Reflex camera
EXIF: Exchangeable image file format is a standard that specifies the formats for images, sound, and ancillary tags used by digital cameras (including smartphones), scanners and other systems handling image and sound files recorded by digital cameras.
When you start a discussion there are several categories to choose from. The General category is always a good start but make sure it wouldn’t fit in another category before you start your discussion. This doesn’t affect it as a Latest or trending discussion, it merely organizes it for future reference.
What are themes? Do you have to do them?
Themes are posted weekly and are typically chosen by the winner of the prior week’s theme. They are not required but can be fun to participate in and can be a great source of inspiration when you are running low. To include your photos in the theme, just enter Theme- and the current theme name or the tag designated by the OP (orignial poster) in the tag field when uploading your photos.
Here are some of the more popular and long running themes on this site:
WWYD-What Would You Do. A semi-weekly theme, typically. The winner of the previous theme as voted by the community provides one photo for others to edit. After the designated amount of time (noted in the discussion) the host picks the best photos and offers them up for a vote. The winner then hosts the next challenge by starting a new discussion and providing a photo.
Get-Pushed - Each week you are randomly paired (by the discussion poster so one person is keeping track of the pairings) with someone who will look through your photos and give you your very own personal challenge to complete that week. In return you give them a challenge as well.
Camera Settings Challenge - Some of the challenges are very basic, others are a bit harder. If you don't understand how to do the challenge, just ask. It was started for those interested in learning how to use the DSLR camera and is usually facilitated by someone who has more experience with either the specific setting or just in general.
Tag challenge - you randomly (blindly--so close those eyes!) select 2 separate tag words and you take a photo during the challenge period that incorporates those 2 tag words.
Artist Challenge - a specific artist or photographer is selected and you copy his/her style or photo. You can copy it directly or let it influence your work.
Street Photography Challenge - Based on a past challenge from another site, each week a phrase or idea is posted. The photograph needs to be based on that phrase and a winner is voted on from the finalists.
Monthly Word Challenge - A word list with a word for each day is posted and you take a photo using that word. Some challenges require you to go in order, while others are simply a list and you are challenged to use all the words over the course of the month.
Rainbow Calendar Challenge- Each day you have to take a photo of a specific color of the rainbow and when your calendar is viewed for the whole month, it will mirror the colors of the rainbow. Sometimes called ROYGBIV challenge. This is different from the ROYGBIV threads where posters put up a picture of their own that is the next color in the rainbow from the post above.
When you comment on discussion you have several options, whether you realize it or not! If you open the “How I can format my post” link it will show you various options. Don’t worry if you don’t understand right away. It is HTML coding so your text appears as a link or in bold or so you can add a photo to a discussion that isn’t in an album on 365. Play around, ask questions. If you want to see what happens but don’t want to spam a current discussion, find an old discussion and try it out there. Just be warned the user that started the older discussion might reply to you and ask what the heck is going on!
GENERAL TIPS
ACE ACCOUNTS: It is fabulous that this is a free site to all who post and view and is not loaded with pop ups and advertisements. The benefit of getting an ACE account is to be able to have multiple albums, see your stats, show different styles, and see who is making your photo a favorite, all within an advert free zone. The price of the account is $20 USD and that is less than a fancy Starbucks coffee each day for a week. That money is used to help run the site, keep the speed up, allow you to store huge photos and see stats for each photo.
If you are uploading photos and they appear muddy or darker on this site than they do on your computer follow the instructions in this discussion
What should you post?
Whatever you want! This is your project so do what you want with it. Maybe you are not sure what you want it to be yet. That is okay. Just start posting each day and you will find what you like to post and what makes you happy. Wanna do landscapes? Go for it! Wanna make a calendar of the meals you cook? Fine! Wanna learn how to take self portraits? Lots of people do that and you can too!
There are no real "rules" to what you can and can’t post other than this:
POST YOUR OWN WORK! Don’t steal from the web and try to pass it off as your own. I know there are some here that have posted things from the web or emails they have received and that is okay because they have stated that it is not their work and typically give a reason why they are sharing it here. Really, this project should be about your pictures. People have been caught posting stolen material and it does not go over well so just skip that and stick with what you do.
How do you get people to follow you?
Follow other people! Comment on their photos; follow them, FAV shots that you love. Comment on discussions and participate in themes. The more active you are here in the community, the more people will reciprocate. Not sure where to find people to follow? Click Browse up at the top right of your screen and check out the Popular page or Latest. Most users though dislike seeing discussions posted regarding not having enough followers or begging others to follow. If your work appeals to others, they will follow you. You definitely get out of this site what you put in. Want to get loads of comments? Find out by clicking here.
Participate in the discussions. In particular the Browse and Pick threads and Your Favorite of (dates). In the Browse and Pick; you go to the end of the thread, click on the last person's name (open in another tab will make this easier) and look through their pictures. Pick one you like and right click/copy the SHARE code for the picture. Then go back to the Browse and Pick and right click/paste into the next reply. Be sure to click on "reply @..." so the person knows you are referring to their picture. Then comment on why you chose this particular picture. When you click on Post Reply the picture will show up. Then the next person in line will do the same with a picture of yours. It helps to click refresh before you post your reply. The Browse and Pick thread is very popular, and you may have picked a photo at the same time as another user. If that happens, click the new last person and repeat the process!
Your Favorite of (date) is all about picking one of your own that you feel is your favorite for the week. Copy/Paste the Share code into the reply. Follow the steps above for copy/pasting the Share code.
Both of these will give others a chance to see your pictures and also for you to see what others think about yours.
DEFINITION OF ORIGINAL PHOTO: Original is your own work. Can you take a picture of a painting, edit it, and use it as part of a bigger photo or as "your own"? Probably… Can you put your name on any picture you didn't take and call it yours? Never. It seems at the beginning of the year and once and a while you will see a photo that is incredible but so unlike anything the photographer has ever come near to. There are people here who can spot them quickly. Please do not do that, most everyone on here gets rightfully outraged and you will be discovered. Being popular is not worth that. Tineye is a great website to see if someone copied a photo from somewhere else and posted it here. Google images is also helpful.
Click on photos you like, don't just view the thumbnail: People including yourself feel better when their photos get views and comments. You can comment on a photo w/o registering a view. If you have the time click the thumbnail and comment on the photo, you might see something you didn't before. If you don't want to leave the dashboard or thread, please see the viewing multiple photos comment in this discussion.
WHY IS 365 SLOW?: Well sometimes with high traffic the internet slows down. Do not worry, Ross will get to it quickly, but remember it is a free site that has lots of large files uploaded almost constantly, which can also slow things down. Here is a link to an official blog post by Ross.
Get familiar with the search box in the upper right of the screen. Type something you may be looking for, it could be a name or a tag or a word like inspiration, and then press ENTER. You will then see tabs on the left to see what was found in Photos, Users, or Discussions. It's pretty simple but most people don't or won't use it and we see countless discussions covering the same topics over and over.
As for recommending people to follow; I suggest clicking on Browse, located in the same area as the search box, and look through pictures. There will be a Follow button. Click on this to follow someone or to unfollow someone
I say this because art is subjective and very personal to each of us. You may see thousands of recommendations from the browse selection and that alone will be overwhelming. Do not feel pressured to follow anyone until you are ready. Also, do not hesitate to unfollow anyone. People sometimes do not click and you will feel no connection to them. It's ok to leave feedback on their pictures without following or viewing their pictures every day.
Suggestions from other users to make your 365 life a bit more enjoyable:
"I don't think it's "supposed" to be anything except what you want to make it. Many people take on the challenge of one photo per day, no matter what; but most prefer to wait until they get good quality shots before posting. I personally think that if you resign yourself to posting one photo every day on the day it's shot, one of two things will happen; your quality will suffer, or you'll burn yourself out.
Bottom line; it's your project and you are absolutely free to do whatever you choose to do. :) "
“Carry your camera with you at ALL times, no matter how cumbersome. I bought a new purse to accommodate mine.”
“If you're interested enough, take a class. There are people here who are professionals and students, all of whom are willing to help, but respect the fact that they have spent time and money to get where they are and be willing to do the
same for yourself.
This project is yours to do with as you like as long as you are representing your own work. If you post something someone else has taken be sure to mention that because if you don't you may see a discussion about it. Nope, don't want that, do we? ;-)
“Don't knock the mobile phone photo, and don't apologize for it. If the only photo you took "that day" is of your trash can with your iPhone, post it.
“Find a personal meme (action figure, doll, person, vase, pen, whatever) and use it in times that you are stuck for a photo.”
“Explore macro shots.. Don’t worry that people may get tired of them.”
“Participate in the theme every week if you can.”
“Do other "contests" like WWYD that were started by users of the site
“LOVE YOUR CAMERA! NO MATTER WHAT IT IS! :D”
“It's not necessary to post daily because editing, uploading, writing captions and adding tags take time. But at the very least, keep shooting daily. “
“Feel free to post any type of photo you wish except anything pornographic. Abstract photos, light paintings, HDR, drawings, even nude photos are fine if you feel that is the best way to express yourself. “
”The equipment doesn't matter. Some people have a Nikon D700 with professional lenses and strobes. Others have Fujifilm FinePix P&S cameras. Some even use their cell phones. But if you can't paint, it doesn't matter how nice your brush is. It's all about the photographer. “
"Join in discussions frequently. Share your opinion. Tell us a useful story."
“Don't be afraid to offer critiques. You don't have to be a professional to have an opinion. You don't need to know fancy photography terms. It's crooked, blurry, too dark, etc.... that's all you need. “Be sure to explain why you think so, at least as much as you can.
“Follow people. It is not necessary to follow every person who follows you. Look at the past month of a person. See if they have photos that match your style. Something you can offer advice about. Photos you are interested in seeing each day. “
“Don't be afraid to be a little personal. Keeping your project strictly business will keep people at a distance. Don't just show us your photos; tell us the story of how you got it! “
There is nothing wrong with being polite but try not to respond with a "Thank you" for every comment a person leaves. When you are following 200 people getting a notification for each "thank you" you get leaves you with dozens each morning! “ If a person comments on multiple photos of yours (and others) and then receives a generic Thank you for every one it can get overwhelming. One or two thank you's lets them know you saw their comments. Of course if you have more to say, they will probably be happy to hear it!
“Never, ever be afraid to ask a question. Start a new discussion. Ask away. Sometimes a questions will cause a debate, but that just gives you a good basis for a decision. “
“If you don't want people asking personal questions or carrying on casual conversations on your photo page, just tell them. Or better yet, put that information in your profile so everyone can read it.”
“When leaving comments don't just say "it sucks" or "that's awesome" be more precise. What sucks about the photo? What do you think is awesome? Just because you don't feel "qualified" to give critque doesn't mean what you have to say won't be useful"
“Have fun! Whatever happens, whoever you meet, wherever your project takes you just remember this is a place to share your amazing photos, learn how to be better, and just have fun! “
“Talk! Share! I love it when people leave long or more personal messages on my photos as well as the usual "this is nice" :) I often write quite a bit to go with my photos and it’s just fun getting to know people, having a conversation, building a relationship. Many people prefer to keep their projects at a bit of a distance and that is absolutely fine, but don't be afraid to be yourself and say what you want to say when commenting :) “
“NEVER FAV A PHOTO BECAUSE EVERYBODY ELSE DOES. Of course, there are photos on this website which are almost 'universally' moving or impressive and so it’s not surprising that some get loads and loads of favs and end up on the pop page or Top Twenty, all well and good :) but if something makes you laugh, cry, be hopeful, be humbled - fav it for that reason alone, and don't be fooled into it because you've been tricked into thinking some types of photos are more worthwhile than others. Our viewpoints are all unique - keep your own stance on what types of photography you like and dislike, and don't always define the "best" photos by what you find on the pop page.”
“Tag your photos - I left off doing that months ago and now am stuck with going back and filling in because after months and months, it's easy to forget what I've taken, when, etc. - and it's nice to be able to find some of them more quickly than looking month by month 'til I find it. “
“This is a little peevish but, please don't apologize for anything - your cam, how the shot turned out, that it's a "filler," etc. When I see that kind of stuff, I skip over the shot and don't even enlarge it to look at it most of the time.”
“Don’t let one person's opinion on how things should work on this site get you down. DO YOUR PROJECT LIKE YOU SEE FIT. Like when people say they hate it when someone uploads a week's worth of pics over the weekend because it 'clogs up' their home page. It's about YOUR schedule.”
“If you're really into photography and on a budget, offer to assist a local photographer for free. You'll learn heaps!! Also, your local library will have loads of books you can teach yourself with!”
“From personal preference, I suggest not to follow too many people in the beginning. It could get a bit overwhelming if you do. Also, look at who your friends follow for people you might want to add.”
“If you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong. There is no other way to do this project wrong! “
MOTIVATIONAL TIPS
“Keep going regardless of the quality of your daily shot. Got to make a lot of crap before you make anything worthwhile.”
“Don't compare yourself and your work to other people - to paraphrase the Desiderata, there will always be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Your project is your own. Do what you can, when you can, with what you can.”
“Check the popular page, latest uploads and suggested photos pages for inspiration.
“Don't be discouraged by other peoples' photos; instead, use them as motivation to do better! “
“You might feel like mean person if you don’t like a photo. However, by offering constructive criticism you will help the photographer improve. On the flip side, if people tell you how they might have done it differently, it will help you improve. Be receptive to this. Be constructive about how you offer criticism, not destructive.”
“Don’t stress trying to make it onto the Popular Page. I've seen photos with 400 views and 30 faves make the Popular Page right next to a photo with 10 views and 4 faves. Seriously. I wrote those numbers down one night. Don't be discouraged if your photo "doesn't make" it. (There is some sort of algorithm that is used to determine which photos get on and which don’t AKA the magic monkeys)"
When you get stuck, it is paramount you keep shooting and posting. Search past challenges like the ABC challenge, Abstract challenge, Object challenge, Year Two weekly ideas, just to name a few. Come up with your own challenge. Shoot only B&W, macro, one lens, one object, one time of day, etc. Try a new technique or method. Step out of your comfort zone. Do it for a week, a month, a fortnight, whatever you need to get out of your funk! It will happen but you will get to past it too!
If something is mentioned more than once on this list, it is because it is important and bears repeating.
I hope this helps you out on your journey. Welcome and stick with it. The rewards are worth it!
Great tips. Having completed a year and a bit, then had several months off, I'm just starting again, so it was really good to be reminded of some of these things. :-D
@shadesofgrey ~ awesome explainations ! .... wish this had been here last year as it took me a month to work half of it out lol , mind i am a bit thick ....... lol !
Thank you for this! Great article! Last year my project failed because I felt like I had to be awesome and outdo myself every single day. There are always going to be times when it's hard to get inspired, and when I had a weak spell I'd get really discouraged. This year I vow to just keep going, even if it is a photo of my trash can taken with my phone :D
Starting year two and this gaveme several ideas. Thanks. It also pointed outsome things I do that are probably annoying to people. I hadn't thought about the thank you'd filling up people's time... I just thought i was being polite. But I'll try not to thank every comment. I also hadn't thought about apologizing for filler or for my crummy point-and-shoot and how that might be annoying. Thanks for all the tips and of course for this wonderfully site!
@lisahans Well you can thank the community for the suggestions and Ross for the site. I am just a member here and put this together from everyone's input! There is nothing wrong with being polite...I might just edit that part to add that. If someone comments on 3 or 4 or more of your photos and you click reply and thank you for every comment, that can get a little overwhelming for them is all we were trying to say! Thanks and like I said, I'll change the wording around a bit.
Thanks for the guide! This will come in handy ... I've already spent most of my time on here looking at others images, commenting, getting into discussions, favoring images, and following others... I'm really enjoying this community! Everyone is nice and so helpful .... thank you again for this guide
@Scrivna Wow, thank you. I revised the comment about the PP under the motivational section....didn't think the phrasing was very fair to you or the site, as it was a personal opinion.
I would also like to publicly apologize for the text enhance post. I didn't think you would do something like that but I have no idea how hard it is to run this site and wasn't sure if it was something you had to do....Anyway, my apologies, this is a great site and I definitely want it to be around for a long time!
Love the information. What I didnt see was can we load other pictures with the free account or only one per day? I was trying to figure out how to still do my 365 project and add other pics to theme threads? thanks!
@sheg You can use back dates to add photos for themes. Your dates of the photo's are in your EXIF info on the right hand side. You will see that it says Taken and the date and below that, View EXIF Info where the date is also in. So you won't have to worry about the dates matching up on the calendar, just on the photo if the competition is date specific. The calendar in the upload screen goes all the way back to 2008 I believe, so you have lots of photo space. I would start with last year sometime and work your way backwards from there.
@shadesofgrey It was fantastic! Oregon was beautiful and gave me lots of much needed filler shots for this month! Busy season is here and I am sick on top of it. =P
I've not finished exploring this site but have been uploading since Jan 1st. I learned a number of things and have saved it as a favourite in my bookmarks bar so I can easily refer to it when necessary. Muchly appreciated!
This is so thorough and so helpful. I, like others, have learned a thing or two to do or not to do! I've bookmarked it so I won't have to search for it when I need to refresh my mind. Thank you very much for compiling this information.
A brilliant guide for us newbies! Thanks so much. Really looking forward to progressing with my 365 and getting to know some of you folks on the boards whilst I'm at it.
@cavemonster That has been mentioned before and I'm not sure if Ross has had time to consider it but I'm sure it can be brought up again!
@scrivna I know you linked this to the new users sign up page but is there a way to make this or incorporate this into a sticky that stays at the top of any discussion categories? Might help keep the discussion repeat rate down some?
Fabulous, much needed post for all of us! I've bookmarked it as well but would love to be able to find it quickly from within the site as so many others have already suggested. One other thing that could be integrated if you feel up to it... Guidelines for the technical preparation of photos (i.e. maximum size, color space, sharpening) prior to upload! It took me ages to find and read through multiple threads to get that info in the beginning!
When you first join 365 they send you an email with some blog links to help get your started with the blog. It would be great if they included a link to this guide to the forum. Just a thought.
Thanks for this awesome introduction - I am a 3rd day newbie who was introduced into the project by my daughter. I promised I would put a new photo up every day. Your inspiring greeting and information package has motivated me to take the project and my photography more serious. Thanks Shades of Grey - I am glad to be here.
@regiehiguit Thanks for asking. I found that I forgot to put that info in, so now I have! I appreciate you letting me know I missed it.
Click on the Discuss link in the 365 navigation bar at the top of your screen. Choose the relevant category and click it. The latest discussions will pop up. At the top is a New Topic box, in black. Click that and fill in the the Subject line and the Your Post box. You can go back and edit the Your Post box at any time, but you cannot edit the Subject line as that is the title to your discussion, so don't forget to spellcheck! *Search the discussion boards before you start a new discussion, your question may have already been answered!*
@shadesofgrey I really appreciate this thread, i started at the beginning of the year, but missed this, and although I have worked out most of what is mentioned I've learned a cuople of things !
Thank you!! this was what i was looking for last month when i first joined and didn't have a clue what i was suppose to be doing but i wasn't sure where to look to find the "how to" of the 365 project. That is a lot of information to digest.
@buttercup On the right hand side of each photo in your album is a box with the word share and some code in it. The box is rectangular and about halfway down the right hand side...select that code in the box with your mouse, copy it and then open up the discussion. Paste that code into the reply box. For multiple photos, be sure to hit enter between codes so your photos have separation. Hope this helps, let me know if you need me to clarify anything.
p.s. Ross has a spam blocker, you will probably only be able to post two photos at once and then the third photo by itself.
Fantastic Help & Guidance given here, I am really looking forward to posting one photo everyday. It will help develop my phto taking skills which are just as newbie as me being a newbie to 365. As well as posting a `'New Shot ` each day I have some old personal favourites, where can I air these or do I need to set up an Ace Account which looks great value at only $19. Many Thanks `thisisthe fox`
@thisisthefox You're welcome. If you don't/can't get the ACE feature right now, you can always post in the calendars for the past year(s). I believe I mentioned it above and the caveats for it.....anyway, ACE is up to you. It's inexpensive and you get some fun features with it, along with the 3 albums. If it's a financial issue, try saving $5 a week until you have enough to buy it....I'm sure you can find $5 here and there to save for a bit ;)
LOVE this article, thanks so much for sharing it... I'm on day 2 and I can see it will be invaluable. I just tried to post a photo to a discussion following the information here, (copied and pasted code from under share button to reply box) but all I get is an 'invalid data' response. Any idea why? (Apologies if this is the wrong forum for this question!)
@spankyjane was it the code from inside the box? There have been some additions since this was written, of buttons btwn the word share and the box with the code in it (to include a share button, but that's not for "sharing" in discussions on here)
It was the code in the box, I've been given a trick to try by someone who had a similar problem, I haven't tried it yet but I'm crossing my fingers it will work. Thanks for the reply - hope you don't regret writing your great and useful article, you must get flooded with questions from silly newbs like me!
@spankyjane
I'm glad...there is a discussion about this on the board right now and Ross found a typo in the code for warding off spam...it's fixed so you should be alright with the normal route.
No I don't regret it, mostly the "silly questions" end up pointing out something I missed or wasn't clear on, so I apprecitate it. I'm not really active on here, except to check in once in a while and answer the occasional reply to this thread. I figured with the new year there would be a few responses!
@shadesofgrey Thanks again, I just saw the discussion, felt a bit glad it wasn't just me not knowing what I was doing! Everyone here is very helpful, including yourself, what an inspirational, supportive place.
Wonderful thread. I have one question I've not seen an answer to:
I see that the site auto-inputs the photo number (x/365) to the bottom right of every photo. I uploaded a test photo dated in December and have since deleted the photo. Yet, my auto-numbers are one off. My first photo for Jan 1 reads "2/365." Not a big deal, but any way to change that? Jan 1 is my first photo.
@shadesofgrey What an awesome job you did here - whether or not it's all yours, you managed the collection and put it together in well-written prose! Like so many before me have said, I would have given anything to have had something like this when I started last year!
Now I have a question: does this post mean you're back as an active 365er? ;->
@jmrittle Well I'm not a site mod so I can't change it.
I do have two suggestions.
1. Try deleting it and re-posting: The caveats are that you will lose all comments on it, so unless you want to do that, don't delete and re-post. You can try to copy and past all the comments along with their @ names so they get a new notification and can reply or at least know what is going on. (you might have to write some stuff down and re-type it in the comments)
2. email Ross directly and ask if he can change it.....best way if you don't want to go through all of the above.
@lyno Ha! Not really. I am very on the fence about leaving. One person really wants me to stay but I feel like its time to move on. I don't mind helping out the new users for a bit first though....we'll see. I might maintain my account just for this posting...seems a few things come up that aren't addressed above and I like helping....I've been modifying this post a bit in the past couple of days to make it better too.
@shadesofgrey I have just discovered this thread after searching for information on abbreviations and I wanted to say thank you! What a great resource to have :)
This is great, I'd read parts of this on day 1 and came back to read it again- I love the commonsense approach as it's easy to get bogged down with thoughts and worries about whether you're doing it "right". Thanks for this guide, I'm sure I'll come back to browse it again
I noticed that on most accounts it says what camera people use. I was wondering if it comes by its self or if I have to set it? If so, how do I do it? Thanks for this thread, it's a lot of help to newbies!
@rileyrox8 Typically it is set automatically when you upload the file. There is EXIF (see the definition above) imbedded in the file and this site is set up to read that information and translate it to the way you see it on the screen. Some people use editing software or processes that strip the EXIF so it won't display on those photos.
Excellent advice here, just a quick question . When using Write a Reply Box - how can I add a photo to what I am writing. eg an article on panning great help there but how do I show one of my panned photos in this discussion .
@shadesofgrey Thank you for the article. I was in the process of starting a discussion, and ran across your article. My heart was lighten greatly. Thanks again.
dar
Just started yesterday and this has ben a very useful post. I've bookmarked it as suggested as no doubt I will come back to it over the coming, days, weeks and months. The weekly theme and monthly word challenge sound a great way to keep me going. I am very much a novice photographer, I tend to just point and press but every now and then a fabulous photo comes out.
@shadesofgrey This was helpful, but I wondered what "Browse > Latest" meant in terms of photos? It's not the latest ones uploaded since I see ones from today and yesterday. It's not ones with the latest comments since I see ones without comments. It's driving me crazy not knowing. Help! This is what happens when you allow Product Managers like me to join the site. ;)
@mackbeth The date on the calendar they are uploaded to or the date they are taken is not neccesarily "today", however they were just uploaded to the site and to someones album.
@shadesofgrey Hello! This is great and a really helpful guide. Thanks for compiling it!
This seems a ridiculous question, and particularly as I managed it a couple of years ago on my first project but how do you post a new discussion? I can't find the link or form anywhere! :/ x
@shadesofgrey Thank you so much for this post! I just began my project as of January 1st to challenge myself and my abilities as an amateur photographer. I will definitely be referring to your list throughout my project. Thanks again!
this is a great article, and makes me more comfortable with starting my own project, will definitely be re-visiting this article to have another read now and again:)
Why doesn't the date appear in my pictures? I get the Upload date but not the day when it was taken and it's the most important thing in this project. It only appears on my first picture, Jan 1st.
I use my phone camera and it has the correct date. I edit with VSCO cam and Aillis. I did it with my first pic and with the others too. Please, HELP!
@shadesofgrey Thanks for putting together this great resource! I haven't read through all of it yet so apologies if my question is already answered there.
Is it possible to change the title of an album? I have recently made one called Themes & Challenges but the '&' didn't translate well, I probably should have used the word 'and' or just a hyphen '-' but didn't know that at the time. I guess I could just delete it and start again but I already have 8 photos in it and some of those have been commented on (or is it possible to move photos from one album to another without losing the comments etc). Help would be appreciated!
@mave Hi Mave, I have just found this comment. I googled 365project and then signed in and bookmarked it so I can have it on my laptop as well as my phone. Apologies if you are sorted but as I just found this and there was no reply I thought I would :)))
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excellent guidelines.... !
POV (Point of View)
and
Comp (Composition) as well?
I'm not even going to touch the bokeh discussion...
I would also like to publicly apologize for the text enhance post. I didn't think you would do something like that but I have no idea how hard it is to run this site and wasn't sure if it was something you had to do....Anyway, my apologies, this is a great site and I definitely want it to be around for a long time!
Jen
@scrivna I know you linked this to the new users sign up page but is there a way to make this or incorporate this into a sticky that stays at the top of any discussion categories? Might help keep the discussion repeat rate down some?
Click on the Discuss link in the 365 navigation bar at the top of your screen. Choose the relevant category and click it. The latest discussions will pop up. At the top is a New Topic box, in black. Click that and fill in the the Subject line and the Your Post box. You can go back and edit the Your Post box at any time, but you cannot edit the Subject line as that is the title to your discussion, so don't forget to spellcheck! *Search the discussion boards before you start a new discussion, your question may have already been answered!*
p.s. Ross has a spam blocker, you will probably only be able to post two photos at once and then the third photo by itself.
I'll make an edit to the article, thanks!
I'm glad...there is a discussion about this on the board right now and Ross found a typo in the code for warding off spam...it's fixed so you should be alright with the normal route.
No I don't regret it, mostly the "silly questions" end up pointing out something I missed or wasn't clear on, so I apprecitate it. I'm not really active on here, except to check in once in a while and answer the occasional reply to this thread. I figured with the new year there would be a few responses!
And we were all silly newbs once too.
I see that the site auto-inputs the photo number (x/365) to the bottom right of every photo. I uploaded a test photo dated in December and have since deleted the photo. Yet, my auto-numbers are one off. My first photo for Jan 1 reads "2/365." Not a big deal, but any way to change that? Jan 1 is my first photo.
Looking forward to a fun photo-filled year!
Now I have a question: does this post mean you're back as an active 365er? ;->
I do have two suggestions.
1. Try deleting it and re-posting: The caveats are that you will lose all comments on it, so unless you want to do that, don't delete and re-post. You can try to copy and past all the comments along with their @ names so they get a new notification and can reply or at least know what is going on. (you might have to write some stuff down and re-type it in the comments)
2. email Ross directly and ask if he can change it.....best way if you don't want to go through all of the above.
Many Thanks
If you want to post a photo to a discussion copy the code in this box, paste it in the reply box of discussion and viola!
dar
This seems a ridiculous question, and particularly as I managed it a couple of years ago on my first project but how do you post a new discussion? I can't find the link or form anywhere! :/ x
p.s. sorry for the late reply!
I'm glad it can help! If you've found anything I've missed or would have been helpful to know, please let me know!
I use my phone camera and it has the correct date. I edit with VSCO cam and Aillis. I did it with my first pic and with the others too. Please, HELP!
Is it possible to change the title of an album? I have recently made one called Themes & Challenges but the '&' didn't translate well, I probably should have used the word 'and' or just a hyphen '-' but didn't know that at the time. I guess I could just delete it and start again but I already have 8 photos in it and some of those have been commented on (or is it possible to move photos from one album to another without losing the comments etc). Help would be appreciated!