I've noticed a disturbing trend in the last two weeks and was wondering if anyone else was going through the same.
I have lost 72 followers in the last two weeks and gained no new followers.
In the first two weeks I had 79 unique people comment on my photos, compared to just 34 in the last two weeks.
In the first two weeks my photos were viewed 1,925 times compared to just 444 in the last two weeks.
I have 148 followers (ironically, yet another person dropped me in the time it has taken me write this so far) but only about 25 of them post any comments.
I've seen a lot of threads where people talk about how they are too shy or don't think they are good enough to comment. But what can explain the loss of followers and lack of views? It's kinda discouraging since I joined the 365 Project to get feedback on my photos.
Is anyone else dealing with these issues, or am I unique?
I lose handfuls of followers DAILY - and while some are probably just not into my stuff, I'm sure my interraction or lack thereof with them has something to do with it.
Could be the same for you. I know I can't keep up with almost 1,300 people every single day, so I'm not surprised that some grow bored of me. I still get roughly 800 views a day on average, with maybe 100 comments but when I have the time to properly browse around, my own stats are at 2,000 or more views with hundreds of comments.
I wish I had an answer, but I don't. Just wanted to comment that I find it strange that the more followers I gain, the less views/feedback I get on my photos? I find that so weird!!
Yeah you tend to see a drop off in comments over time, or I did anyway, due to people at first finding you fresh and new but then it becoming the same old (to varying degrees) most likely.
When you say you've lost 72 followers though, you mean they've actually physically stopped following, and your count's gone down? I've not seen that before. Maybe Ross is having a clear out of dead accounts, but for one guy to notice 72 disappear that'd be a lot of dead accounts... so I doubt it.
@indiannie_jones If you look at percentages, it tells a vastly different story between us. I lost 30% of my followers in two weeks. If you were to lose 30% of your 1300 followers, you would lose 400. While you may lose handfuls at a time, have you ever lost 400 in two weeks?
@laceyjogautreau I think what I'm frustrated about is the fact I've lost 72 followers and gained none. At first, it was just like you said: I'd gain 5, lose 2, Seems pretty standard. Just not lately.
@eyebrows See...that's what I thought! When I first started shooting the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War, I took note of how many followers I had. I was hoping to see that number climb in the past two weeks as I began posting photos. That's how I've noticed such a huge drop.
It's just like at the gym - most of the resolutioners are long gone by now!
I've noticed my very small number of views going down from where it was a month ago. I think it's just that people are dropping out as the year goes on. There were a record number of joiners in January, right?
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you have as many followers as Marinda has followees - people aren't going to give you the feedback you want just because they follow you. I know I seldom comment those I follow... dunno why; probably why I keep the list short :/
I've noticed this too! was gonna start a thread but thought it might just be i get low views because people don't like my photos :s. But then the best people I follow have been getting lower views too! I think lots of people that started on the 1st of the year are starting to give up around now or have at least lost the 365 addiction, which is a shame.
I was getting maybe 40 views on a photo which isn't major but i don't expect more now its down to like 20. Sometimes i'll feel i've seen enough of a photo in the thumbnail but give it a full view to try and combat the depleting views trend! Random ramblings over.... but I AGREE!
@sharkeyshark yeah but most of those will just stop coming back to the site; not actively delete their accounts or stop following people, so that doesn't account for it.
On a sidenote, the number of resolutioners gone is around 4,000
Take a look at the items posted per day (browse > by day) and you will see that the number posted is starting to drop. First of the year I remember posts being in the 4000's, now getting down to the 2800's. When I first started it was in the 900 range (last year). People come and go.
@byrdlip When I'm doing this I always look back two weeks in time, just because quite a few people aren't that religious about uploading that frequently, so it gives a picture including those people too.
@eyebrows Yeah, I saw that. I was born in Southern Mississippi and went to Ole Miss...they actually dig those reenactments in the South. I went to many a bar where people were drinking out of tin cups and wearing burlap sack shirts, having just done a reenactment "party." The South is weird.
Well, someone being a fantastic photographer is not the only reason to follow them. Are you giving anything back to the people that follow you? Are you following a number of people that comes close to the number that are following you? That said, I don't actually pay that much attention to the numbers because I'm doing this mostly for me.
I had only few followers and yes I am experiencing this every other 3 days I"m losing 1, 2 or 3 followers sometimes. don't know why either and I'm worried I'll be losing them all. if that happen then i think I have no reason to continue my account.
Maybe I fail them either posting good photos or commenting back or just simply commenting regularly to them. sudden drop of losing followers when one time I lose 5 of them. I was worried but think of the other side that someone go , someone will come. I just hope it would be like that.
I haven't lost followers (at least not in mass that I've noticed), but I have had a considerable drop in views and comments.... but I thought it was due to the fact that I suck........
@lisjam1 when I see someone following as many as follow them, I see that (as long as it's above a certain threshold, obvs) as a *potential* negative. It's *potentially* saying "I have no requirement for who I want to follow other than that they follow me in the first place". It implies *potentially* that they aren't really going to be paying that much attention to their followers.
Same principle as assessing people on twitter, only there it's way more exaggerated.
i had to stop worrying about number of views and followers. i supposedly have almost 150 followers but most of my pictures only average about 15-20 views. the numbers go up over time but initially, they just aren't clicked on. I don't know if it's that my pictures are uninteresting, or not good, or people are just following so many others that mine just get lost in the feed and are therefore not seen at all. Maybe a combination of all three. If a picture catches my eye, I'm careful to always click through so the creator can get a view count!
I'm with @eyebrows about following people back. Seems insincere. Most of my followers are really amazing but I feel awkward following back straight away.
@4stories Thanks, Liz! I find that I have more fun when it's funny, although pretty pictures have their place. Gotta get a laugh every once in awhile :D
@jasonbarnette
Jason, I follow you, and I do comment on your pictures, from time-to-time... But you say that you joined this site in order to get feedback on your pictures - that's not something I feel I can give! You're a much, much better photographer than I am, so I don't feel "qualified" to comment on your pictures, other than to say that I think they're brilliant...!
I do feel a bit awkward, sometimes, commenting on people's photos... I'm nowhere near good enough at photography myself to give any kind of critique or feedback, so I only ever comment on photos I love, saying how much I like them - but I don't feel I can do that too often, or it just starts to seem insincere, and possibly a bit stalkerish... Y'know? If the same guy leaves gushing compliments on every one of your shots, it starts to get a bit creepy, doesn't it? So I don't...
I've been unfollowed a few times - not often, though... But due to the remarkably small number of followers I'm dealing with, I always notice it, and I always know who it is... I've toyed with the idea of asking them what I did wrong, on occasion, but I've never had the guts!
If it's just that my pictures aren't good enough, though, then I don't blame them; I wouldn't follow me, either!!
@sdpace@eyebrows Hey, let go of my thread! Although, I tired to visit your FB page Serena, and it won't load for some reason. What did you do?
I don't follow people who follow me. I read all of the posted threads, respond to many of them, started quite a few myself so i always follow people who want feedback, are seeking to improve themselves, or have really great photos.
@jasonbarnette I know that for some people, they will only follow and comment if you do the same. I notice that you have many followers but don't follow many. Perhaps that's why? It's kind of a give and take. I know it's not the only reason why you should follow someone (because they're following you) but it does help a bit. Know what I mean? I too have noticed a decrease lately, but it's not like we all can do much about it, but to support one another as best we can. =) Hope you don't lose anyone else, but if you do...be encouraged by those who do follow you and give you great feedback. Have a blessed day.
@manek43509 When a person is flipping through a magazine, some photos will strike them with an "Ah-ha" moment, and others they just flip the page without a moment's notice.
I joined the 365 Project to get feedback on which photos make people stop, and which don't. Up until a few weeks ago, it was working very well.
For example: I have learned just how very, very little interest there is in photojournalism. Almost no one on this site cares about photo stories, but they jump with joy at beautiful landscapes.
It doesn't take a professional photographer to give a professional photographer tips and advice. Sometimes, I get too caught up in the Rules of Thirds and color balancing to take a step back and notice the aesthetic appeal of the photo. It is possible to be too technical and fail at my job.
So, don't feel intimidated to comment on anyone's photos. You don't have to know everything about photography to have an opinion. Give more than just "Nice" or "wow" cause those responses just irritate me. But letting me know if you like it or don't, what you like about it, what you noticed first about the photo, something that strikes you as wrong or really profound, your favorite color in the photo, there are so many things you could say!
@eyebrows Lol, well I'm not one of the stellar photographers I mentioned and don't have hundreds of followers so I see your point. I don't think someone following you is a reason to follow them back, and I completely understand it would be virtually impossible for someone with a massive amount of followers to reciprocate.
I know it's silly, but I do sometimes feel not "worthy" of commenting! :/ I'll try to comment more, though, and just give a frank opinion, as you say, even if I do come across as an amateur! haha
Interesting point about the photojournalism stuff, I think... I've had something of a different experience, though, I have to say!
I suck at taking pictures of "things" - people, animals, still-life subjects, whatever - so I tend just to take mainly landscape photos (mostly sunsets, 'cause they're easy, and I know for sure there will be one every day!) but I've never got the impression that they're all that popular...
My sister (@katiegc24) has hundreds more followers than I have, and gets an awful lot more comments, mainly because (I think) she writes very creative, and sometimes extremely amusing, captions to the pictures she takes... From my point of view, people here love reading the stories, and getting involved in the whole thing, while they would just look at my project and go "oh great, another sunset/sunrise/landscape/river picture... Boring!"
@emhoff See! That makes no sense whatsoever. Are we in the Twilight Zone now? If I pretend like I have no followers whatsoever, will people start leaving some feedback?
@jasonbarnette i haven't read all the previous posts, so i apologize if someone else has already said this. but could it be that you aren't commenting on other peoples' photos? for me, life just gets in the way sometimes, and i don't have time to comment on as many photos as i used to. however, i make it a point to comment on photos of folks who comment on mine (even if it's just once every few days).
additionally, there are some really incredible photogs on this site (and you are definitely in that category). i used to comment on their photos often, but i have frankly run out of adjectives. and i've read in some discussion threads that "great shot" isn't really all that helpful or interesting, especially for photogs who are looking for meaningful feedback.
Jason, I started following you a few weeks ago. I didn't have time to view or comment on your photos over the last week because I was busy sewing Easter dresses for my little girls. I try to first view and comment on people who comment on my photos then I view and comment on people I follow (neither are large numbers so most of the time I can keep up). I was very behind on both over the last week. I would bet with how busy spring/holiday is for everyone many people prob. had to cut back. I imagine in another week many people will get back on track. I've read that a lot of people are having a hard time just taking a photo a day right now (I'm in that group). I bet if you look to see who use to comment but isn't anymore you'll notice they are behind on uploading 365 photos.
Now that the year is progressing, I find myself spending less time on the site because other things in life get priority again and I have noticed that more 365'ers are going through a similar process. Maybe the same thing applies to some of the people that used to comment on your shots.
Besides that you might be expecting too much. You only follow 22 people yourself but as I read it you want many more people giving you feedback on your shots. Most people have a limited amount of time to comment on pictures and many of us will, when pressed for time, only comment on photos of those people that they have formed some sort of relationship with during their project.
@jasonbarnette I disagree with your comments on photojournalism. I think most of my followers follow me simply for the stories - and not much else! I rarely get more than a "great shot" comment on my photos. (I wish I had more feedback than that, but meh. Can't have everything I guess.) Although it depends on what you mean by 'photojournalism'. A stunning photo with a clever, interesting and witty caption/story is the ultimate, I guess. A beautiful photo with little or no caption is the next best thing (because of this being a photography website, I suppose :P ) and then a mediocre photo with a fantastic story behind it.. down to rubbish photos with no caption - nobody is interested in them.
That was rambly (I should think everyone on here has learnt to ignore my ramble by now :( sorry) but my point is that a photo that tells a story on its own as 'photojournalism' that maybe isn't quite as eyecatching isn't going to be as well received as a sunset photo that really makes you stop and look. But put the first one with a well put-together story and you have a winner. In my opinion, anyways.
Also, I have been losing followers a bit too. Not loads, just a couple now and then. It always makes me a bit sad, but I can't really do anything about it so I just keep doing my thing and people can follow me or not, leave comments or not, send hate mail or not.. whatever. It's up to them.
@emhoff I think that that is because of people stopping doing the project. If 100 people followed you in the first few days, but 70 of them gave up after a month, you only have 30 people checking your photos regularly. After the initial surge of 'resolutioners' followers come less frequently, but also people quit too. So even though you may be getting 2 a day for a month, sometime during that month another 20 or so of your followers may have quit. 2 a day for a month is about 60 .. so you may have 160 followers after 2 months. *But* 90 of them have quit. So really you only have 70 people looking/commenting, as opposed to the initial 100 in the first few days.
Again I just rambled there and I pulled those numbers out of my rather magnificent lilac velvet top hat but the general gist is that after a couple of months lots of people will have given up. Sorry again.
@eyebrows Oh Mr G. Massive disagreement there. I follow more people than are following me. Every single one of them does photos I like. I never follow someone before checking out their photos. A considerable amount of the people I follow aren't following me - and I don't care. I am not following all of my followers - why? Because they don't all take photos that I want on my homepage. Everyone I am following does take photos I want on my homepage. I don't follow someone just because they follow me.. and I find your comments on having no requirements incredibly bigoted and rude and derogatory and prejudiced and unhelpful and annoying and racist and homophobic and unacceptable and unrelated and illegal and.. I ran out of negative words already.
Ok so actually I don't. And you did only say *potentially*. But I really wanted to join in there, so here is a photo of Derek to cheer you up, just in case.
:)
Sorry.. (again.) I just wrote so much it is practically spam.
EDIT: Derek is the face in my car. He makes me happy :) I am considering marrying him.
I know i'm nowhere near as clever and artistic as most photographers on here. I only have 2 followers, maybe because i'm mostly a point n press photographer and it's not often that i recieve comments! But this is MY year in pictures (altho there are missing days). I absolutely love looking at everyones photos and think that maybe, just maybe one day i'll have one or two pics that look close to "professional". But I enjoy what I do n if someone looks at it then lovely if not...oh well !
I have noticed a massive drop off in comments in the past month - maybe its weather related? or that i'm crap at taking photos? lol
I am one of your followers and must admit i haven't commented lately i think i must miss your uploading on my newsfeed i'll make more of an effort to look!
Jason, I am one of your followers. If you read my profile you'll see how busy my life is and what an amateur I am. I don't always see your photos due to my own busy life and don't always comment on them if they don't appeal to me but you're a professional photographer so your photos are always going to be of a much better quality than mine even if they aren't to my taste. Incidentally, you follow me but never comment on my photos. Don't get me wrong, this really doesn't bother me but as others have said this site is a lot to do with reciprocity. You get what you give. I hope to continue looking at and occasionally commenting on your amazing photos but try not to take any of it too personally. We're all here by choice and for enjoyment :o) xx
I've noticed it's been a bit quite and lacking of comments and followers etc.... but I am aware it has been school holidays and a lot of people on here are parents.... having kids at home myself, I know how draining it can be having them home 24/7, and I haven;t had the energy to take decent shots, and I definately haven't had the energy to comment on others.... Also... the lovely weather we've been having in the UK has contributed to this... I'd much rather spend time in the garden than inside at the computer....
In the UK school holidays are finished now, so we'll see if it picks up again!
>I find your comments on having no requirements incredibly bigoted and rude and derogatory and prejudiced and unhelpful and annoying and racist and homophobic and unacceptable and unrelated and illegal and...
I dont get many comments on My Photos and I dont comment on many and if I do its usual "Great capture" "Lovely shot" not because I cant be bothered but Im a super busy Mum of 4 and by the time I get on its usually Midnight and Im tired so I will Upload and comment on Photos in my feed, Lately I have been that busy its just been 1 Photo, Sometimes an Edit and an Edit to Me is a Vignette or Enhancing Detail for example HDR, Im not that good with Editing and dont have the time I'd like to spend. I do feel bad for following so many but not always commenting, its nothing personally just that Im super busy.
@katiegc24 I think you should write speaches for government leaders. I want to see the leader of a country get up and repeat what you just wrote......Sheri dies laughing. You do realize that you and @eyebrows just hijacked another discussion, right?? ;)
@petersonsheri Yes, it appears we did. I totally blame him and will not be giving him an easter egg when I see him next. Yes, Mr @eyebrows you read that right.
Which part of what I just wrote are you referring to?
quoting @jasonbarnette:
It doesn't take a professional photographer to give a professional photographer tips and advice. Sometimes, I get too caught up in the Rules of Thirds and color balancing to take a step back and notice the aesthetic appeal of the photo. It is possible to be too technical and fail at my job.
So, don't feel intimidated to comment on anyone's photos. You don't have to know everything about photography to have an opinion. Give more than just "Nice" or "wow" cause those responses just irritate me. But letting me know if you like it or don't, what you like about it, what you noticed first about the photo, something that strikes you as wrong or really profound, your favorite color in the photo, there are so many things you could say!
Me: Thank you-- this gives me a lot to think about when I am trying to figure out what to write.
Does it really matter how many people look at our photos or follow us? I don't mind what people write on my photos, if they write WOW then at least they have enjoyed the pic. I think we can get too obsessed with what other people think and write?? Just enjoy the moment and do your best and stop counting how many photos are looked at, this whole thing will drive you nuts of that's what you want from it
I have had the same thing happen. I don't have a lot of time to comment, and I honestly don't look for critique. I enjoy the comraderie.
I don't shoot the "water drop" shot. I don't have a child to shoot. I don't have a garden of tropical flowers. And, I don't have sexy legs or a body that would make a supermodel jealous. And I am not the King of HDR. So, with that said, I am never on the Popular page.
I'll speak frank here just out of complete respect for your issue with you loosing followers. I used to follow you, but I stopped about a month or even more ago. Not because your photos aren't amazing, not at all. It's just that for me, I joined this site as a personal challenge to actually take a photo everyday- good or bad... At first I just added anyone who took awesome photos! After awhile, though, I began gaining a lot of my own followers and I always try to follow them back- because anyone interested in my little project is worth following in my mind. Anyways, my favorite thing about this site is getting feedback from my little 365 family AND giving it. So, my point is I would see you post your stuff and I never formed any sort of "relationship" with you... As I began following and being followed by almost 100 people, I went through my list and deleted people that I felt didn't really have anything to do with this personal challenge of mine, didn't offer feedback or have a presence in my experience on that site, SO I wouldn't loose track of people who I really did relate to and communicate with here on this site.
It was nothing personal, just the way I want to use this site... Hope this helps you and for the record I think your photography is fantastic!
@katiegc24 All of it Kate. You are just too funny, and I love how you get to things "eventually". I was absolutely teasing you, sort of "tongue in cheek" as they say in America, because politicians here go on and on and never seem to get to the point, and by the time they do they have usually lost everyone's attention. At least I know you well enough to know that it's worth reading all the way to the end. :)
What I find odd is I still get 4 or 5 views per day... I have not posted in 2 weeks as I have a couple of rolls of film I need to dev and I cannot figure out how to scan 14x17 negs so I have nothing to post... well I have digital pics... but those are no fun...
@emhoff I suspect there is something subtle in the maths of it. If someone new joins and follows you, they are likely to see your picture every day and thus likely to comment. If they follow another few people every day too though, soon they are following so many that your photos are fighting for attention amongst a huge stream. Maybe to have a high number of comments you need to constantly engage with new followers.
Lately I have noticed that some people who I follow have uploaded a few pictures after a quiet spell and I haven't noticed them in the stream at all. I see them when I comment on a later picture and realise they have posted three or four that I have missed - which is strange as I normally keep viewing older pictures until I see one I recognise - so I expect to see all of everyone who I follow's pictures (if that makes sense). Maybe that's a bug or just me getting confused with so many pictures!
I've lost followers and gained followers, but never at the number Jason mentions. I've lost some followers that I have noticed have still commented on a picture of mine here or there. I've also noticed there are people who's pictures I miss on my feed because of time of day they post vs. when I look. I do scroll back some, but don't always have time to. I haven't had nearly the views recently vs. when I first started. Oh well. I'm still doing this for me and learning as I go.
I have dropped a few I followed, but mostly because they just disappeared and hadn't posted in months.
From someone that only has minimal followers.....I have noticed a few have dropped off my count. But I can't blame them. I have a hard enough time to take pictures and download them....I am very hard pressed to comment on other's pictures. I try to comment when I can....or if a picture really catches my eye. But I do appreciate the people that are following me. They are very faithful with their comments....even when I am very lacking in my comments.
@jasonbarnette I have been guilty of this. :( Today is the first day I have logged back in after a week and a half......oh, I don't know..........maybe it's been two weeks. Tee..hee... I just got way to busy and then I got sick. Part of my road to recovery is going to bed as soon as I got home to work. So I sacrificed my 365 time and still kept on thinking (dreaming even! :p) on how I can make it up to this project.
Also, as a Catholic......I know a lot of people stayed away from Facebook and other social networking sites to observe the Holy Week. Maybe that's why you didn't get a lot of comments lately. Give it a few days.........they will probably be back in action by then. :)
@jasonbarnette - it was just my Easter Sunday 365 photo that got FB "friends'" panties all in a wad. I posted a link on my FB to it as I sometimes do. Something about infidel- sacrilegious humor gets under peoples skin :)
@indiannie_jones@eyebrows . . . I just want to toss out a brief defense to those of us here who do follow the majority of folks who follow us . . . I do follow a lot of people who don't follow me back, and that's fine, because most of them are very, very talented and would stand little to gain from my photos! There are some who are still listed as my followers because they still have active accounts, but I've deleted them because they haven't posted in months and are likely outta here. For the most part, though, I do follow the majority of my regular followers . . . not so much because I have no standards. LOL :( Mostly, I'm here to learn and share and motivate myself, and I find it nice to follow folks in different parts of my country and/or in the world, and to have some "interaction" of sorts. There is some familiarity that comes with receiving a few comments from the same group of people and seeing their photos as well . . . I rather like "knowing" some of the folks I follow and knowing they know me a little bit through what I choose to share in my shots . . . but not in a creepy stalker sort of way!!!!!! The worth of many of the photos here isn't only in the quality of the images. I follow a lot of really talented and creative people, but I always follow some folks whose photos may not be technically great, but they have a lot of humor, or tell a lot about their lives and what they are up to, or show a lot of love for their families and friends. Anyway, I know it might seem lame, but sometimes there really is more to it than just reciprocity . . . just wanted to toss that out there!
I have quite a few followers who are no longer active - that is, they haven't posted a photo for months but their account is still there so it looks like I have a lot of followers when I actually don't have that many.
I think these people lose the motivation to continue with the project because let's face it - it takes a big chunk of your day to snap photos, upload & do a small write -up on it & then browse other people's photos & comment on them - so as the pressure builds up they just abandon it. I have been frustrated & felt stressed myself many times when other things in life are pressing for my attention.
In the first 3 months of my project, I had a lot of views, comments & was on the PPat least twice a week. Nowadays, a faithful few view my photos & leave their comments & I am lucky to be in the PP once or twice a month. Even new followers don't really view & comment - I think they are hoping that you would follow them too but I cannot really build up the list of people I follow when I don't really have the time for this.
I am now satisfied with the status quo because in the end I am doing this project for myself like a journal of my life in pictures of the last 365 days or more. If people want to come on the journey that's fine & lovely with me & I really appreciate it but I no longer agonize about those people who don't.
call me shallow, but I think you get what you give. This site is different things to different people. I enjoy making connections with people and commenting, maybe even having some witty banter. I LOVE when people comment on my photos - that's just how shallow I am, I guess. I've never had hundreds and hundreds of either followers or commenters. I comment on the people that take their time to look at and comment on my photos. To me, that is a working system. If your system isn't working for you, maybe you need to examine it a little deeper. Just sayin. . . @keithdavid you don't suck, you're just on injured reserve dude. sending you good thoughts for tomorrow.
I've been very bad at commenting on others' work - just not enough time to browse - but I too have noticed that activity seems to have gone down... Maybe more people are busy this time of year, when the summer is drawing closer and the weather is nicer? Idk. I know I spend a lot less time by the computer now than I did during the winter, anyway.
@schoolnsuch Halfway true. I checked a few of the people who were no longer commenting and, yeah, they hadn't uploaded any in awhile. Though some had been uploading on a regular basis. But yeah I'm just hoping people will start coming back. Life is busy, it always is.
@katiegc24 Stop. Hijacking. My threads! It's ok...I think I forgive you ;)
@sdpace Was it the Buddy Jesus photo? Cause I'm a Christian, and I thought it was hilarious. There are some jokes people make about Jesus that I don't laugh at...but that one was pretty good. And...it was a good photo haha
In the end, it seems a lot of people had the "If you don't follow me, I don't give a shit" mentality. I may only follow 22 people, but I look through all the discussion threads, popular page, and recently posted page and comment on a lot of photos from people I don't follow. Why do I not follow more people? Because if I followed 500 people, I would probably miss 490 photos a day.
I was more concerned with the sudden drop in followers rather than the lack of comments. I appreciate everyone's feedback because it has given me a few ideas and has made me determined to just trudge along. Thanks for reading/replying/commenting/hijacking the thread!
i have not intentionally dropped any one but sometimes i all of a sudden notice when i am looking at a photo that it says i am not following them... so i click to follow again.
no idea why it keeps on changing.
i try to go on a couple of times a day and comment as much as i can.
thanks for all the people that comment on my photos and fav them and all
it is fun when it keeps on with the communication.
@jasonbarnette hmmmm I have never noticed but now am curious and am going to pay attention to the actually number of followers. Definitely notice less comments though in the past few months, but that is ok by me
@jasonbarnette I apologise most sincerely and humbly. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? Would you like me to send you a pineapple as a peace offering?
@moncooga I am glad to hear that - I feel like I am about 2 posts off writing SHOW ME THOSE SEXY LEGS but that would be weird. (Don't worry I won't write that, as long as you actually *do* show me those sexy legs. Gottit?)
@lynnmwatson entirely agree, that's why I made sure I got my *potentially* in there so many times :P
@stepheesue shallow! ;) No, you're right though, and I even have a case study to demonstrate this, if I can only remember who it is I'm thinking of... OK: @jasonbarnette this is for you too: http://365project.org/gerard74/365/2011-04-26 matey boy here has 472 followers, takes amazing photos, but look at the views on all his recent shots. Down to 10% of his follower count. Now maybe I've just been in the wrong place at the wrong time for the last 14 months but I've hardly ever seen him engage in banter on his photos. Given that (and I know, we do have a lot of amazing people here, but mostly...) this isn't a professional place, most people like a bit of chit-chat, and if that isn't forthcoming they'll get bored, and stop commenting. For me, I love that guy's shots, but I kinda know them without seeing them now, which is why he doesn't get too many clicks from me. They're all consistently amazing but in the same manner.
Anyway that was just something I wanted to throw in there.
P.S. I should add that this was merely an observation with regards to the guy I linked, not a criticism; not having a go at how he rolls, just observing it.
Maybe the crack team of magic monkeys is doing some underhanded population culling...
Okay that sounded really evil. xD But seriously, I've noticed a similar thing. I noticed a HUGE influx of followers at the beginning of the year... I think I got close to 100 in a week! And now I'm noticing my number of followers drop off. I lose maybe 1 or 2 a day (but have also been gaining as well).
It could be a combination of people losing interest in me (because sadly I don't have enough time to follow back and comment on every single person who follows me) and accounts expiring/autodeleting after a set time period (of perhaps a few months of inactivity?). So yeah, that's how I reason it...
@eyebrows I have dropped about 70 recently! It may just be clearing dead accounts but it is definitely odd to see people dropping so quickly like that. I know I don't get to comment and interact even a fraction as much as I used to so that is probably part of it but it is still a significant drop out of nowhere.
@jasonbarnette : That's a real bummer! I have definitely noticed that my view and comment count went way down over the last few weeks but it is, as some people have said, probably due to people dropping out (and the easter weekend seemed to have been the perfect opportunity for that because it was so busy), the excitement of something new (i.e. my pictures or this site in general) having gone and the busy time over the holidays. Hope you hang in there and get more followers again! @katiegc24 : You're cracking me up ;).
I haven't paid too much attention to my number of followers, but your thread has piqued my interest. I'm going to keep my eye on it for a while. What I HAVE noticed, however, is that my number of views and comments has dropped considerably. I refuse to even look at my statistics anymore because it is far too depressing to do so. We can all say that is doesn't matter, but let's be honest here, we all have egos that need stroked and we WANT people to follow and comment. (If it didn't matter, most of us wouldn't have joined this project in the first place.) So, when those strokes dwindle, it has a definite effect on confidence levels. I used to feel like so many others...when no one comments, my brain tells me it's because my photos suck. But I'm beginning to think it has more to do with people just plain being busy. Hmmmm, the fact that I just said that makes me wonder if my confidence level is starting to rise along with the faith I have in my ability - I'm not one of the 22 people you follow, but that may be YOUR loss (wink & grin).
I have to admit, I'm guilty of being a "comment slacker" lately. I am being pulled in so many different directions as the weather gets nicer and as the school year winds down, and I'm finding it difficult to give as much time to 365 comments as I'd like. But I am religious about looking at the photos of those I follow. I find myself inspired (and at times somewhat intimidated) by so many great photographers. But this project has been one of the greatest things I've done this year. I have learned so much already and my photos definitely show a dramatic improvement. But, alas, I still have a long way to go.
Thanks for starting this thread, Jason. You said what a lot of us have been thinking. And I'm still a fan of yours!
@jannaellen *blushface* still no egg puns from here though, sorry! (yours was better than anything I can think of at the moment. I will blame it on sleep deprivation.)
This a quick thought I had as I was browsing this thread, I think my views have gone down with the fall of the Facebook app. I think a lot of us had many views from nonmembers and now that it's gone, we might forget to link to FB. Anyway, just a thought. My follower numbers change, but I can't ever remember the number so I just ignore it.
@eyebrows really, you're just such a sensible fellow. that's what I like about you. . .(breaks into song)
oh, and now should we talk about the Popular Page, too?
Thanks for the "sensible" comment, it's most graciously received, although I do now feel the need to do something terribly crazy to compensate for it a touch... also keep singing!
@katiegc24 Eww. I don't like pineapples. What is wrong with you? First, you hijack my thread. Then, you try to make a peace offering with something I really hate? Why don't you just shove splinters under my fingernails instead? Or scrape your fingernails down a chalkboard? Great...now I have chills!
@jasonbarnette Oh no. What's wrong with pineapples? I never said you had to eat it.. you could wear it instead? How about a pet squirrel? Would that make a better peace offering?
I get a lot less comments these days but I'm sure it is because I have a lot less time to comment on other people's photos. I can barely find the time to take and upload my photos! Still plugging away though.
@katiegc24 I love peanut butter. I love peanut butter with apples. I love peanut butter and banana sandwiches. And not those stupid peanut butter and banana sandwiches where people just slice the bananas and lay them on top cause that's not how you do it. You gotta mash a banana and the peanut butter together in a bowl and then spread it across the bread.
And you want to give me a PET SQUIRREL that would probably eat all my peanut butter? Splinters. Under my fingernails. Hot metal splinters under my fingernails.
@jasonbarnette GODDOMOT FRONK is there no pleasing you? Fine. Peanut butter and fruit sandwiches it is (a combination I have honestly never ever heard of before) and I will keep my squirrel. His name is Robert and he is very cute - you'll be gutted you passed up this unique opportunity of owning a trained squirrel (he makes me breakfast in bed every morning) for some peanut butter.
@moncooga@katiegc24 Dude...I've had a beer in my hand this whole time. And the pizza just arrived. Life is good, even if Kate has NEVER heard of a peanut butter and banana sandwich.
@jasonbarnette No, I haven't. I have been sitting here all this without a beer in my hand, working. In fact, I haven't even been sitting here. Just working. Sad, innit?
Peanut butter and banana sandwiches make my face look like this:
@katiegc24 wow, do you live under a rock? That is an awesome combo...honey makes it awesome, messy but awesome.
@jasonbarnette I personally like photojournalism quite a bit and enjoy your photos, even if I can't/don't leave a comment. I haven't seen your posts in my thread lately but I have had very limited time to get on here most days. I have bookmarked your blog site and check there from time to time also. I plan on following some of your tutorials when I get the time/setup space/etc. You have some amazing photos but I think a majority of people on here are amateurs and attracted to photos that lean towards "artsy" vs. "photojournalism" so you see less views and follows. As has been said before the time of year (resolutioners and weather) probably have an effect on said stats. I am not saying that amateurs don't know quality when they see it, not at all. I am just saying that art sells for a reason and most people are attracted to photos leaning the art direction over others. I have read other posts and comments of yours and it is evident that you are very passionate about photojournalism and story telling and you are trying to make it more accessible to the general public. I always look forward to you and the other professionals on here commenting on threads asking for critique or help with techinal questions. It is a big help to me personally and to those of us trying to improve. That is a big reason why I follow you. You are willing to help us "little guys" out when we need it. A lot of professionals aren't for reasons addressed in other threads.
I will make it a point to comment/view more as I can learn a lot from you and a fresh eye always helps evaluating. You can have my 2 cents and put it in the leave a penny, take penny pot if that is where it belongs!
@katiegc24 well when you get a chance, try it out, I'm not sure dust adds to it though so maybe you should go over to Greg's house and make some there!
@katiegc24 If you tried one of my peanut butter and banana sandwiches, you're face wold look like this
:O
You've been at work this whole time? Yeah...that is sad. See...so have I. One of the benefits of being a freelance photog: I basically work for myself, and I always allow myself a couple beers while editing photos.
@shadesofgrey Now, that is an interesting theory. People on the 365 Project lean more toward "artsy" photos rather than "photojournalism". I guess we'll see over the next few months cause I'm splitting my time between the two.
@jasonbarnette I didn't say 'at work' I said working.. I work at home. I also work for myself, but I can't have beers while doing it. :( and now it's half past midnight here and I'm doing college work! Yay..
If you could guarantee my face looking like that then I could try one..
Today I had two very important exams which meant I didn't have any lessons at college which meant I had a lot of free time. I spent *nearly* all of it revising.. honest! :P
I would love to have that theory proven... right or wrong! But I suppose the site user dymanic is always changing so the results will never be absolute whatever happens.
@katiegc24 Yeah...nearly, huh? You do realize nearly means something like 80% or more...so I think you *nearly* spent all your time slacking today. And it must be nice getting time off for exams...I never did. What would you have done THEN?
@jasonbarnette Haha I am used to exams.. no problem not having time off, it's just useful. Actually I did do a lot of revision, although they aren't exactly exams you can just revise for.. Hrm well at the end of August there is likely to be a crazily happy Greg-photo.. or a very depressed one, when I get my results. Not sure which it'll be yet..
@katiegc24 I think there is a sad story in there somewhere...but I'm having a hard time finding it. Do the exams have anything to do with photography? Cause, if not, that equals slacking.
@jasonbarnette No, I am not taking photography. I had a music recital this morning and a French oral exam this afternoon. I don't take photography at college :( wish I did though, might get better at it!
@katiegc24 I've only ever taken one course in photography at university. And it was just a basic Intro to Photography course. You become a better photographer by doing exactly what you are already doing: practice, ask questions, get feedback, try and try again.
@jasonbarnette Agreed there. Sorry, I suffer from an appalling lack of self-esteem. How did you end up being a photographer if it isn't what you took at uni?
I had a look at your pics to see why people would stop following you (as per your post) most pics are very 'holiday snap' for me, i personally prefer wildlife pics and pics that are different or have that wow factor. THE RAWR is a definite wow .... love the bird on the left who looks like a kitten pouncing. i am only an amateur but am very pleased with some of mine, but am always amazed and surprised when people react to shots i thought were ho-hum and don't react at all to shot i thought were amazing. at the end of the day you have to be happy with yourself i guess. As an author and artist I know a lot about copyright and personally find the disclaimer at the end of each pic rather off-putting. If you are concerned about your copyright you may consider a watermark instead.
That's odd. I haven't gotten any new comments or views because I kinda haven't been online in quite a while, but I haven't lost any followers that I'm aware of; I've actually gained some. So either I gained more than I lost or I just didn't lose any... which is, again, odd. I expected some of them to leave because I hadn't been updating. :/
You're right Jason. I'm guilty of it myself. For me, things just got a little crazy with work/school. Three jobs, another master's degree and a 7th month old baby is starting to catch up to me. In another few weeks it should calm down and hopefully i'll be at least "1" of your missing people commenting on your photos.
@mattyb i think you may have a bit too much on our plate.... :) WOWZA thats alot for anyone to keep up with a hobby. Keep the fabulous photos coming, and dont feel guily. this is all about pleasure.
@jasonbarnette My thoughts would be about keeping up with a photo a day, I managed to miss nearly an entire month despite photography, PR and web junk being my livelihood...
There's an onus to come up with something for 365 each day for some, I felt it like hell at first, to do a photo for 365 only and still do a bit...
I have two suggestions, but please understand they are only guesses . . .
1, Could it be, I wonder, that as you are only following 23 people, the 174 who follow you might feel that you are very selective and perhaps enjoy your exclusivity?
2. Could it be that they are intimidated by the fact that you make no secret of your success and expertise as a busy professional who probably does not need their comments or encouragement?
I have only been a member of this project for 3 months, have never claimed to be an active professional, but find new followers appearing almost every day, all offering useful comments. I learn from them, and some have been kind enough to return the compliment. Perhaps they feel that I am closer to their level and more likely to appreciate what they have to say?
I do not mean to be unkind, but I am reminded of a line from Mark Antony's speech in 'Julius Caesar' which starts with the words "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves ..." and aniother in Roberts Burns' little poem about "the power ... to see ourselves as others see us".
As I said, these are only suggestions, but they work for me, and I am extremely grateful for the comments I receive every day from people of all levels of experience, working in all genres, without asking. I wish you luck!
I am following 97 people but they do not all show up in my feed, I am noticing lately. DO you notice this too? I sometimes think to myself.... I haven't seen a photo by "so-in-so lately. Then, I search them and find that they have been uploading. I check my news feed regularly and don't miss them on there! What is up with that? @jasonbarnette
1. I ran The Steve's (@eyebrows) Dead Followers thing last week and found 30% of my followers hadn't been active for more than a month. This compared to 15% when I first ran it last November. I can only surmise that a lot of "resolutioners" have joined up, started following people then quit but not deleted their accounts.
2. When I first started the project I didn't have that many followers for quite a while and was always excited to get someone new following me. I would go and have a look at their shots and if I liked them would comment and then maybe start following them too. My point is that I kind made a "relationship" of some sort with these people, however tenuous (and possibly only in my head!). But once my followers got past about 100 I found it impossible to keep up and I ended up kind of concentrating on the earlier "friends" I'd made at the expense of new followers. Which in a convoluted way might explain why you can get more followers and less views and comments sort of...
My list of followers seem to keep growing, but I have to say, I feel guilty not commenting as much as I would like to. I appreciate all the comments, and it has really helped me grow. I think it's so important to comment on other images (and I only give honest comments). Being active is important, but I am finding the time commitment to be hard. Are you active in other areas of this site?
@eringoodman - I've also noticed that, but I think it's probably to do with time of day and that sort of thing, as in you;re checking at a different time to when people upload theirs.
I only have what? Less than 20 followers? They don't "leave" me but they hardly make any comment. And I don't have any problems with that. Followers or no followers, I will complete the project. Isn't that what's really important?
I only follow people that I think do good work or like me and trying very hard to learn. BUT,,,,if they won't take the time to follow and help me,,,,I won't take the time for them. It is a give and take. Not sure if that pertains to you,,,I'm just saying, that's how I do it.
I don't post here for feedback per se, but as a way to connect with people who have a shared interest in photography. I think it's a bonus that people share back and am grateful for that. This is almost like my diary! ;)
@georgiegirl ... well said; I like your philosophy and although you clearly were not begging for compliments I decided to have a quick look at your albums, and found myself lingering longer than intended because I was so enthralled by the quality and content of your work, and you now have another follower!!
I follow people because I like their work and/or because they help me to think differently. But because I just can't keep up with everyone, I noticed that I look more at pictures and comment on them when they come from people who also comment on mine. It's the way it is even if I would like it to be different. It's a vicious circle, if you don't appear enough in others' projects, they won't "see" you. This is also one aspect of the site I don't like, but what can I do?
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Could be the same for you. I know I can't keep up with almost 1,300 people every single day, so I'm not surprised that some grow bored of me. I still get roughly 800 views a day on average, with maybe 100 comments but when I have the time to properly browse around, my own stats are at 2,000 or more views with hundreds of comments.
Just how it goes sometimes :)
When you say you've lost 72 followers though, you mean they've actually physically stopped following, and your count's gone down? I've not seen that before. Maybe Ross is having a clear out of dead accounts, but for one guy to notice 72 disappear that'd be a lot of dead accounts... so I doubt it.
Hrm.
@laceyjogautreau I think what I'm frustrated about is the fact I've lost 72 followers and gained none. At first, it was just like you said: I'd gain 5, lose 2, Seems pretty standard. Just not lately.
I've noticed my very small number of views going down from where it was a month ago. I think it's just that people are dropping out as the year goes on. There were a record number of joiners in January, right?
Seven overnight once. @eyebrows
I was getting maybe 40 views on a photo which isn't major but i don't expect more now its down to like 20. Sometimes i'll feel i've seen enough of a photo in the thumbnail but give it a full view to try and combat the depleting views trend! Random ramblings over.... but I AGREE!
On a sidenote, the number of resolutioners gone is around 4,000
Also sorry for the thread hi-jack!
Maybe I fail them either posting good photos or commenting back or just simply commenting regularly to them. sudden drop of losing followers when one time I lose 5 of them. I was worried but think of the other side that someone go , someone will come. I just hope it would be like that.
Same principle as assessing people on twitter, only there it's way more exaggerated.
Jason, I follow you, and I do comment on your pictures, from time-to-time... But you say that you joined this site in order to get feedback on your pictures - that's not something I feel I can give! You're a much, much better photographer than I am, so I don't feel "qualified" to comment on your pictures, other than to say that I think they're brilliant...!
I do feel a bit awkward, sometimes, commenting on people's photos... I'm nowhere near good enough at photography myself to give any kind of critique or feedback, so I only ever comment on photos I love, saying how much I like them - but I don't feel I can do that too often, or it just starts to seem insincere, and possibly a bit stalkerish... Y'know? If the same guy leaves gushing compliments on every one of your shots, it starts to get a bit creepy, doesn't it? So I don't...
I've been unfollowed a few times - not often, though... But due to the remarkably small number of followers I'm dealing with, I always notice it, and I always know who it is... I've toyed with the idea of asking them what I did wrong, on occasion, but I've never had the guts!
If it's just that my pictures aren't good enough, though, then I don't blame them; I wouldn't follow me, either!!
I don't follow people who follow me. I read all of the posted threads, respond to many of them, started quite a few myself so i always follow people who want feedback, are seeking to improve themselves, or have really great photos.
I joined the 365 Project to get feedback on which photos make people stop, and which don't. Up until a few weeks ago, it was working very well.
For example: I have learned just how very, very little interest there is in photojournalism. Almost no one on this site cares about photo stories, but they jump with joy at beautiful landscapes.
It doesn't take a professional photographer to give a professional photographer tips and advice. Sometimes, I get too caught up in the Rules of Thirds and color balancing to take a step back and notice the aesthetic appeal of the photo. It is possible to be too technical and fail at my job.
So, don't feel intimidated to comment on anyone's photos. You don't have to know everything about photography to have an opinion. Give more than just "Nice" or "wow" cause those responses just irritate me. But letting me know if you like it or don't, what you like about it, what you noticed first about the photo, something that strikes you as wrong or really profound, your favorite color in the photo, there are so many things you could say!
Thanks Jason :)
I know it's silly, but I do sometimes feel not "worthy" of commenting! :/ I'll try to comment more, though, and just give a frank opinion, as you say, even if I do come across as an amateur! haha
Interesting point about the photojournalism stuff, I think... I've had something of a different experience, though, I have to say!
I suck at taking pictures of "things" - people, animals, still-life subjects, whatever - so I tend just to take mainly landscape photos (mostly sunsets, 'cause they're easy, and I know for sure there will be one every day!) but I've never got the impression that they're all that popular...
My sister (@katiegc24) has hundreds more followers than I have, and gets an awful lot more comments, mainly because (I think) she writes very creative, and sometimes extremely amusing, captions to the pictures she takes... From my point of view, people here love reading the stories, and getting involved in the whole thing, while they would just look at my project and go "oh great, another sunset/sunrise/landscape/river picture... Boring!"
additionally, there are some really incredible photogs on this site (and you are definitely in that category). i used to comment on their photos often, but i have frankly run out of adjectives. and i've read in some discussion threads that "great shot" isn't really all that helpful or interesting, especially for photogs who are looking for meaningful feedback.
just my $0.02... =)
Besides that you might be expecting too much. You only follow 22 people yourself but as I read it you want many more people giving you feedback on your shots. Most people have a limited amount of time to comment on pictures and many of us will, when pressed for time, only comment on photos of those people that they have formed some sort of relationship with during their project.
That was rambly (I should think everyone on here has learnt to ignore my ramble by now :( sorry) but my point is that a photo that tells a story on its own as 'photojournalism' that maybe isn't quite as eyecatching isn't going to be as well received as a sunset photo that really makes you stop and look. But put the first one with a well put-together story and you have a winner. In my opinion, anyways.
Also, I have been losing followers a bit too. Not loads, just a couple now and then. It always makes me a bit sad, but I can't really do anything about it so I just keep doing my thing and people can follow me or not, leave comments or not, send hate mail or not.. whatever. It's up to them.
@emhoff I think that that is because of people stopping doing the project. If 100 people followed you in the first few days, but 70 of them gave up after a month, you only have 30 people checking your photos regularly. After the initial surge of 'resolutioners' followers come less frequently, but also people quit too. So even though you may be getting 2 a day for a month, sometime during that month another 20 or so of your followers may have quit. 2 a day for a month is about 60 .. so you may have 160 followers after 2 months. *But* 90 of them have quit. So really you only have 70 people looking/commenting, as opposed to the initial 100 in the first few days.
Again I just rambled there and I pulled those numbers out of my rather magnificent lilac velvet top hat but the general gist is that after a couple of months lots of people will have given up. Sorry again.
@eyebrows Oh Mr G. Massive disagreement there. I follow more people than are following me. Every single one of them does photos I like. I never follow someone before checking out their photos. A considerable amount of the people I follow aren't following me - and I don't care. I am not following all of my followers - why? Because they don't all take photos that I want on my homepage. Everyone I am following does take photos I want on my homepage. I don't follow someone just because they follow me.. and I find your comments on having no requirements incredibly bigoted and rude and derogatory and prejudiced and unhelpful and annoying and racist and homophobic and unacceptable and unrelated and illegal and.. I ran out of negative words already.
Ok so actually I don't. And you did only say *potentially*. But I really wanted to join in there, so here is a photo of Derek to cheer you up, just in case.
:)
Sorry.. (again.) I just wrote so much it is practically spam.
EDIT: Derek is the face in my car. He makes me happy :) I am considering marrying him.
I am one of your followers and must admit i haven't commented lately i think i must miss your uploading on my newsfeed i'll make more of an effort to look!
In the UK school holidays are finished now, so we'll see if it picks up again!
>I find your comments on having no requirements incredibly bigoted and rude and derogatory and prejudiced and unhelpful and annoying and racist and homophobic and unacceptable and unrelated and illegal and...
Which part of what I just wrote are you referring to?
It doesn't take a professional photographer to give a professional photographer tips and advice. Sometimes, I get too caught up in the Rules of Thirds and color balancing to take a step back and notice the aesthetic appeal of the photo. It is possible to be too technical and fail at my job.
So, don't feel intimidated to comment on anyone's photos. You don't have to know everything about photography to have an opinion. Give more than just "Nice" or "wow" cause those responses just irritate me. But letting me know if you like it or don't, what you like about it, what you noticed first about the photo, something that strikes you as wrong or really profound, your favorite color in the photo, there are so many things you could say!
Me: Thank you-- this gives me a lot to think about when I am trying to figure out what to write.
Thanks again,
Elyse
Give the man* a medal.
*woman
I don't shoot the "water drop" shot. I don't have a child to shoot. I don't have a garden of tropical flowers. And, I don't have sexy legs or a body that would make a supermodel jealous. And I am not the King of HDR. So, with that said, I am never on the Popular page.
It was nothing personal, just the way I want to use this site... Hope this helps you and for the record I think your photography is fantastic!
Cheers,
Sarah
I am glad someone reads what I write :) and thank you. :D
Lately I have noticed that some people who I follow have uploaded a few pictures after a quiet spell and I haven't noticed them in the stream at all. I see them when I comment on a later picture and realise they have posted three or four that I have missed - which is strange as I normally keep viewing older pictures until I see one I recognise - so I expect to see all of everyone who I follow's pictures (if that makes sense). Maybe that's a bug or just me getting confused with so many pictures!
I have dropped a few I followed, but mostly because they just disappeared and hadn't posted in months.
Also, as a Catholic......I know a lot of people stayed away from Facebook and other social networking sites to observe the Holy Week. Maybe that's why you didn't get a lot of comments lately. Give it a few days.........they will probably be back in action by then. :)
@jasonbarnette - it was just my Easter Sunday 365 photo that got FB "friends'" panties all in a wad. I posted a link on my FB to it as I sometimes do. Something about infidel- sacrilegious humor gets under peoples skin :)
I think these people lose the motivation to continue with the project because let's face it - it takes a big chunk of your day to snap photos, upload & do a small write -up on it & then browse other people's photos & comment on them - so as the pressure builds up they just abandon it. I have been frustrated & felt stressed myself many times when other things in life are pressing for my attention.
In the first 3 months of my project, I had a lot of views, comments & was on the PPat least twice a week. Nowadays, a faithful few view my photos & leave their comments & I am lucky to be in the PP once or twice a month. Even new followers don't really view & comment - I think they are hoping that you would follow them too but I cannot really build up the list of people I follow when I don't really have the time for this.
I am now satisfied with the status quo because in the end I am doing this project for myself like a journal of my life in pictures of the last 365 days or more. If people want to come on the journey that's fine & lovely with me & I really appreciate it but I no longer agonize about those people who don't.
@katiegc24 Stop. Hijacking. My threads! It's ok...I think I forgive you ;)
@sdpace Was it the Buddy Jesus photo? Cause I'm a Christian, and I thought it was hilarious. There are some jokes people make about Jesus that I don't laugh at...but that one was pretty good. And...it was a good photo haha
In the end, it seems a lot of people had the "If you don't follow me, I don't give a shit" mentality. I may only follow 22 people, but I look through all the discussion threads, popular page, and recently posted page and comment on a lot of photos from people I don't follow. Why do I not follow more people? Because if I followed 500 people, I would probably miss 490 photos a day.
I was more concerned with the sudden drop in followers rather than the lack of comments. I appreciate everyone's feedback because it has given me a few ideas and has made me determined to just trudge along. Thanks for reading/replying/commenting/hijacking the thread!
no idea why it keeps on changing.
i try to go on a couple of times a day and comment as much as i can.
thanks for all the people that comment on my photos and fav them and all
it is fun when it keeps on with the communication.
:P
@lynnmwatson entirely agree, that's why I made sure I got my *potentially* in there so many times :P
@stepheesue shallow! ;) No, you're right though, and I even have a case study to demonstrate this, if I can only remember who it is I'm thinking of... OK: @jasonbarnette this is for you too: http://365project.org/gerard74/365/2011-04-26 matey boy here has 472 followers, takes amazing photos, but look at the views on all his recent shots. Down to 10% of his follower count. Now maybe I've just been in the wrong place at the wrong time for the last 14 months but I've hardly ever seen him engage in banter on his photos. Given that (and I know, we do have a lot of amazing people here, but mostly...) this isn't a professional place, most people like a bit of chit-chat, and if that isn't forthcoming they'll get bored, and stop commenting. For me, I love that guy's shots, but I kinda know them without seeing them now, which is why he doesn't get too many clicks from me. They're all consistently amazing but in the same manner.
Anyway that was just something I wanted to throw in there.
Okay that sounded really evil. xD But seriously, I've noticed a similar thing. I noticed a HUGE influx of followers at the beginning of the year... I think I got close to 100 in a week! And now I'm noticing my number of followers drop off. I lose maybe 1 or 2 a day (but have also been gaining as well).
It could be a combination of people losing interest in me (because sadly I don't have enough time to follow back and comment on every single person who follows me) and accounts expiring/autodeleting after a set time period (of perhaps a few months of inactivity?). So yeah, that's how I reason it...
[insert bad egg/cracking pun here]
@katiegc24 : You're cracking me up ;).
I have to admit, I'm guilty of being a "comment slacker" lately. I am being pulled in so many different directions as the weather gets nicer and as the school year winds down, and I'm finding it difficult to give as much time to 365 comments as I'd like. But I am religious about looking at the photos of those I follow. I find myself inspired (and at times somewhat intimidated) by so many great photographers. But this project has been one of the greatest things I've done this year. I have learned so much already and my photos definitely show a dramatic improvement. But, alas, I still have a long way to go.
Thanks for starting this thread, Jason. You said what a lot of us have been thinking. And I'm still a fan of yours!
oh, and now should we talk about the Popular Page, too?
@stepheesue Yes, let's! :P
Thanks for the "sensible" comment, it's most graciously received, although I do now feel the need to do something terribly crazy to compensate for it a touch... also keep singing!
And you want to give me a PET SQUIRREL that would probably eat all my peanut butter? Splinters. Under my fingernails. Hot metal splinters under my fingernails.
I don't even like peanut butter!!
Peanut butter and banana sandwiches make my face look like this:
O_o
@moncooga :O but I have never heard of them! :O
@jasonbarnette I personally like photojournalism quite a bit and enjoy your photos, even if I can't/don't leave a comment. I haven't seen your posts in my thread lately but I have had very limited time to get on here most days. I have bookmarked your blog site and check there from time to time also. I plan on following some of your tutorials when I get the time/setup space/etc. You have some amazing photos but I think a majority of people on here are amateurs and attracted to photos that lean towards "artsy" vs. "photojournalism" so you see less views and follows. As has been said before the time of year (resolutioners and weather) probably have an effect on said stats. I am not saying that amateurs don't know quality when they see it, not at all. I am just saying that art sells for a reason and most people are attracted to photos leaning the art direction over others. I have read other posts and comments of yours and it is evident that you are very passionate about photojournalism and story telling and you are trying to make it more accessible to the general public. I always look forward to you and the other professionals on here commenting on threads asking for critique or help with techinal questions. It is a big help to me personally and to those of us trying to improve. That is a big reason why I follow you. You are willing to help us "little guys" out when we need it. A lot of professionals aren't for reasons addressed in other threads.
I will make it a point to comment/view more as I can learn a lot from you and a fresh eye always helps evaluating. You can have my 2 cents and put it in the leave a penny, take penny pot if that is where it belongs!
:O
You've been at work this whole time? Yeah...that is sad. See...so have I. One of the benefits of being a freelance photog: I basically work for myself, and I always allow myself a couple beers while editing photos.
@shadesofgrey Now, that is an interesting theory. People on the 365 Project lean more toward "artsy" photos rather than "photojournalism". I guess we'll see over the next few months cause I'm splitting my time between the two.
If you could guarantee my face looking like that then I could try one..
And yes, I can guarantee your face will look like that.
Today I had two very important exams which meant I didn't have any lessons at college which meant I had a lot of free time. I spent *nearly* all of it revising.. honest! :P
There's an onus to come up with something for 365 each day for some, I felt it like hell at first, to do a photo for 365 only and still do a bit...
I have two suggestions, but please understand they are only guesses . . .
1, Could it be, I wonder, that as you are only following 23 people, the 174 who follow you might feel that you are very selective and perhaps enjoy your exclusivity?
2. Could it be that they are intimidated by the fact that you make no secret of your success and expertise as a busy professional who probably does not need their comments or encouragement?
I have only been a member of this project for 3 months, have never claimed to be an active professional, but find new followers appearing almost every day, all offering useful comments. I learn from them, and some have been kind enough to return the compliment. Perhaps they feel that I am closer to their level and more likely to appreciate what they have to say?
I do not mean to be unkind, but I am reminded of a line from Mark Antony's speech in 'Julius Caesar' which starts with the words "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves ..." and aniother in Roberts Burns' little poem about "the power ... to see ourselves as others see us".
As I said, these are only suggestions, but they work for me, and I am extremely grateful for the comments I receive every day from people of all levels of experience, working in all genres, without asking. I wish you luck!
1. I ran The Steve's (@eyebrows) Dead Followers thing last week and found 30% of my followers hadn't been active for more than a month. This compared to 15% when I first ran it last November. I can only surmise that a lot of "resolutioners" have joined up, started following people then quit but not deleted their accounts.
2. When I first started the project I didn't have that many followers for quite a while and was always excited to get someone new following me. I would go and have a look at their shots and if I liked them would comment and then maybe start following them too. My point is that I kind made a "relationship" of some sort with these people, however tenuous (and possibly only in my head!). But once my followers got past about 100 I found it impossible to keep up and I ended up kind of concentrating on the earlier "friends" I'd made at the expense of new followers. Which in a convoluted way might explain why you can get more followers and less views and comments sort of...