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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Rob Galbraith - closed the forums
Cameron Davidson, Photographer
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Arlington | VA | USA | Posted: 5:23 PM on 04.15.06 |
->> Rob Galbraith has stopped accepting posts to the forums on his site and it looks like the forums have been removed from the site.
Here is a link to an explanation:
http://forums.robgalbraith.com/showrules.php?Cat=
The Rob Galbraith site is still active. |
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Franz Ellers, Assistant, Photographer
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Santa Monica | CA | USA | Posted: 6:18 PM on 04.15.06 |
| ->> My MF digital forum gone, forever... maybe, oh the humanity. |
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Neal Vaughan, Photographer
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St. Joseph | MI | usa | Posted: 8:40 PM on 04.15.06 |
->> Well, that sucks. I don't understand why they did not utilize volunteer moderators for many of the mundane tasks that they attribute to having to spend so much time on.
It's nice that for now (contrary to what Cameron posted) it appears they have kept the forums up so that they can at least be read. |
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Marie Hughes, Photographer
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Fremont | CA | USA | Posted: 9:13 PM on 04.15.06 |
| ->> I don't understand why they didn't use volunteer moderators either. I'd write and ask them but I suspect they are swamped with "Oh no" email right now. It will be interesting to see if, and who, buys them though given that they say the forums cost more money than they brought in in advertising revenue. |
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David Seelig, Photographer
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Hailey | ID | USA | Posted: 9:25 PM on 04.15.06 |
| ->> Go look ath the luminous-landscape forums many have gone there including some that were banned from galbraith for questionable good reasons. |
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Cameron Davidson, Photographer
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Arlington | VA | USA | Posted: 10:09 PM on 04.15.06 |
->> "It's nice that for now (contrary to what Cameron posted) it appears they have kept the forums up so that they can at least be read."
I said, "it looks like the forums have been removed from the site." I did not say the forums were removed, I said, "it looks like..."
The old link to the forums page is no longer on the Robgalbraith.com site. It used to sit next to the RSS feed button. The forums button has been removed.
If you read the note that Rob posted, it said, that they were no longer accepting posts to the forum.
If you see a link for the forums, please pass it on. |
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Jon Blacker, Photographer
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Neal Vaughan, Photographer
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St. Joseph | MI | usa | Posted: 10:47 PM on 04.15.06 |
| ->> Cameron, I just clicked on the "main index" button contained in the link that you posted. |
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Mike Brice, Photographer
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Toledo | OH | USA | Posted: 12:01 AM on 04.16.06 |
->> Wow, where will we go to get Photo Mechanic tips, information and help. I viewed the Rob G forum as the main line to Camera Bits guru Kirk.
I think we should make him an honorary member here. |
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Matt Barton, Photographer
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Primoz Jeroncic, Photographer
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Kranj | SI | Slovenia | Posted: 3:43 AM on 04.16.06 |
| ->> I agree with Mike. I somehow didn't really like rest of forums, but Photo Mechanic part was great, so it's shame it will be gone. |
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Ron Scheffler, Photographer
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Hamilton (Toronto area) | Ontario | Canada | Posted: 5:19 AM on 04.16.06 |
->> Yes, it would be nice if Photo Mechanic's Kirk Baker is made a member here, but compared to the RG forums, SS is a much more specialized site. I doubt a significant number of the posters in the PM forum at RG are members here. While it would benefit us to have him here since many of us are power PM users, it wouldn't have the user breadth of RG... maybe he'll move to another forum.
Hopefully someone will pick up where RG left off and take over his forums. It would be a shame to lose such a valuable resource. |
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Robert Irvin, Photographer
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Neptune | NJ | USA | Posted: 7:47 AM on 04.16.06 |
->> Besides Kirk of PM it was also a good place to talk to Chuck Westfall of Canon. There is a Nikon D1scussion list as well as a fledgling Canon 1dDiscussion list for camera users. (It is email based) Both are free and very helpful and good behavior is mandatory.
http://www.juergenspecht.com/lists/d1scussion/
http://1dscussion.photing.com/ |
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Caleb Simpson, Photographer, Assistant
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Dallas | TX | USA | Posted: 2:47 PM on 04.16.06 |
| ->> I have never liked these forums. I feel they are to hard to muddle through. There are way to many catagories to post under. I can see why it is so hard to manage. I think the forums would be much better if the catagories where less specific and more broad. I never posted much there because It was a chore just to find what catagory to put my post under and the chances of somebody seeing it to help was far less than if I posted it on a forum like SS. The board was just way to big. |
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Marie Hughes, Photographer
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Fremont | CA | USA | Posted: 4:00 PM on 04.16.06 |
| ->> Caleb, I know what you mean about the equipment-oriented and software-oriented forums, but the Events forum has been invaluable to me as I started up my events business. Most of the talk here is oriented towards sports photographers who do pj even though I know there are event photographers who are members. Maybe they'll get more active now that the RG forum is gone. |
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Mark Perlstein, Photographer
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Plano | TX | USA | Posted: 4:23 PM on 04.16.06 |
| ->> I loved the forums and found them full of great information. Any idiot(like me) could find answers that many of us have, just by browsing daily. The forums were much easier to read than dpreview.com. I hope they continue with a new owner. Thanks Rob for all your hard work and your contribution to the photo profeesion. I will miss you. |
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Paul W Gillespie, Photographer
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Annapolis | MD | USA | Posted: 6:57 PM on 04.16.06 |
| ->> To tell the truth I used to be a on The RG forums several times a day, but since sportsshooter came a long I visit them way less maybe a couple times a week. Now I visit SS at least 10 times a day. I did get a lot of info from RG back in the day but I probably won't miss it that much. I find it hard to believe that they get that much traffic on the news side of the site and with out the forum I bet the traffic drops a lot. Anyway good luck to RG and Mike Sturk. |
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Darren Whitley, Photographer
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Maryville | MO | USA | Posted: 11:38 PM on 04.17.06 |
->> I pretty much dropped RG once Sportsshooter came along.
However, I still hit the news page. The news page is not as well maintained now as it once was. |
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Michael Hickey, Photographer
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Kokomo | IN | United States | Posted: 12:34 AM on 04.18.06 |
->> The news side of his site is nothing more than re-hashing of press releases whereas when the site first started he would do in-depth reviews and he would actually make critical conclusions unlike now he just spews out the manufacturers main talking points. It all changed when he started taking ads, which there's nothing wrong with, but it seemed like his objectivity dissappeared over night.
Now with the forums gone, his site is one of hundreds if not thousands on the web offering the same info, which means it's pretty worthless. |
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Michael Hickey, Photographer
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Kokomo | IN | United States | Posted: 12:37 AM on 04.18.06 |
| ->> ....and God forbid someone mention a product that has not been "officially announced." I don't condone spreading baseless rumors but he took that thing way too far! |
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Pablo Galvez, Photographer
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Calgary | AB | CANADA | Posted: 3:16 AM on 04.18.06 |
->> Rob and Mike are both great guys and excellent photographers. Let's give them the respect they deserve and a bit of thanks as I'm sure we have all used the rg.com forums to learn a thing or two in the past.
I have a bit of an idea what they are up to but I'll keep it to myself. Whatever it is, I'm sure they will be very successfull at it and I for one wish them the best of luck.
RIP - RG forums (as we knew them).
-Pablo |
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Neil Turner, Photographer
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London | UK | United Kingdom | Posted: 3:19 AM on 04.18.06 |
->> I think that all of this criticism of Rob Galbraith is at best un-charitable and at worst downright misguided. Rob started out on the digital path before 99% of us and generously showed many the way. His books became required reading and he has provided our profession with an enormous amount of help and advice just when and where it was needed. Never forget that Rob Galbraith is "one of us" - he is a news and sports photographer.
Everyone has times in their career where they need to make changes and that time has come for both Rob Galbraith and Mike Sturk. They have put an unbelievable amount of effort into the forums on the site and neither of them would have taken the decision to "kill their baby" if there were any pratcical way around it.
Like most of us, I have used and contributed to the forums over the years. My skills and knowledge as a digital photographer have been developed with the confidence given to me by Rob and his team.
I hope that the forums appear somewhere else but if they don't, then the legacy of Rob's forums is that they disappear at a time when the profession needs them less than it ever has done simply because they were there when they were needed.
Might I suggest that when the digital photography "hall of fame" is built that Rob Galbraith is the number one inductee, closely followed by Mike Sturk and all of those other incredibly generous individuals who have got us where we are now.
Neil. |
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Mike O'Bryon, Photographer
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Ft. Lauderdale | FL | USA | Posted: 10:19 AM on 04.18.06 |
->> I could not agree more with Neil... ( who would also be in the digital hall of fame I might ad ).
it's really discouraging to read that Rob's site is considered "pretty worthless" by some members here. Of course everyone has an opinion...but one would be hard pressed to find anyone who has done more to further the education of digital photography than Rob Galbraith...and to disparage his site seems terribly inappropriate.
My guess is Michael Hickey would not walk up to Rob Galbraith... look him square in the eye and tell him his site is worthless...but the internet allow people to hide behind their keyboards...so such comments flourish.
Thank you Rob and Mike for the contributions you have made.
-- Mike O'Bryon |
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Michael Hickey, Photographer
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Kokomo | IN | United States | Posted: 10:35 AM on 04.18.06 |
->> Mike, let me say this one more time. When the site first started it was great! The best thing out there, I swore by it and visited every day.
Because of his schedule (and we all have our priorities so I don't blame him for that) the site is NOT what it once was now. Rob is a brilliant guy, no one disputes that, but all the site is now is product announcements re-written from press releases that you can find just about anywhere on the web. For one reason or the other he doesn't write the books anymore or do the in-depth reviewing of the cameras and products. |
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Alan Carroll, Photographer
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Sheridan | WY | USA | Posted: 11:55 AM on 04.18.06 |
->> I'm sorry to see it go, but wish them the best. Rob is a pioneer and his site was an awesome resource.
Thanks Rob and Mike for all the work you did. Good luck with your new venture.
Alan |
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Carl Auer, Photographer
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Eagle River | AK | USA | Posted: 2:20 AM on 04.20.06 |
| ->> Forums should be back up tomorrow...RG sold them and will anounce who the buyer is at 2pm on the 20th. I think I might know who bought them...or at least I hope I do.... |
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Anthony Phelps, Photographer
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Wellington | Wellington | New Zealand | Posted: 4:39 PM on 04.20.06 |
->> Up and running again with the new owners:
April 20: The RG DPI forums are reopen to new posts and operating under new management! Taking the helm here are Drew and Melissa Strickland, both working photographers as well as the operators of the Digital Wedding Review web site.
Their intention is to run the forums here as a separate entity, one that retains its existing focus as a place for serious and professional photographers of various stripes to gather and discuss the art and technology of photography today. There will be changes, including ones that will allow the forums to sustain themselves financially going forward. What these changes are, and the implementation timeline, will be announced by Drew and Melissa as soon as possible, and likely by the end of business on April 21. |
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Kevin Udahl, Photographer
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Calgary | AB | Canada | Posted: 10:05 PM on 04.20.06 |
->> I know there are others here in Calgary, and around the world for that matter, who know Rob better than I... however, as someone who has known him for a number of years, I have to say this...
The decision to allow advertising on his site was not arrived at lightly. He was well aware that his objectivity would be questioned, and that there would be direct, and indirect pressures from the advertisers. I'm not sure of the exact timeline, but I do know that it took Rob a VERY, VERY long time to finally reach the decision to allow advertising on RobGalbraith.com. Rob is one of the most honest, and ethical guys I know, and he took great pains to keep his site as unbiased and objective as possible.
That said... criticism is never a bad thing. Rob offered his expertise, advice, and opinions up for the world to see (and ultimately to evaluate and perhaps criticize). I know Rob would be the first to welcome such criticism in an open forum such as this.
Cheers,
Kevin U |
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Bob Croslin, Photographer
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St. Petersburg | FL | USA | Posted: 10:19 AM on 04.22.06 |
| ->> So, are they the same old forums or has something changed? Rob and Mike chased away a handful of amazing photographers with a recent crack down just weeks before they closed the forums down. If money indeed changed hands for the forum I would guess the folks running them will be looking to recoup the cost. Any early indication of how that's going to happen? |
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Bob Croslin, Photographer
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St. Petersburg | FL | USA | Posted: 10:25 AM on 04.22.06 |
->> Here's the answer:
"A 1 year subscription payment link will become available early next week. Until May 29th memberships will be $25 for 1 a year subscription."
The forums will be private and there will not be a way to access the forums unless you pay the $25 (soon to be $35) to participate. |
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Chris Odom, Photographer
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Pensacola | FL | USA | Posted: 10:43 AM on 04.22.06 |
->> whaddaya gonna do?
snakes on plane...
RIP RG forums as we knew them |
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Paul W Gillespie, Photographer
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Annapolis | MD | USA | Posted: 11:45 AM on 04.22.06 |
->> I used to post all the time to the RG forums but when SS started I found myself going to the RG site less and less. That being said I would not mind paying $25 to join the RG fourm site but I am turned off by the private nature of the forums. I think they are making a mistake not letting visitors read the content for free. They should make it pay to post or ask questions. Just like our beloved Sportsshooter forums.
I will not be participating in the new venture if that is not changed. I think the whole reason many people post answers to questions is wanting to give something back to the community and letting it be shared freely to those who need the help. Not letting lurkers read the forums is not in the spirit in which I share my knowledge. |
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William Cannon, Photographer
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Lancaster | OH | USA | Posted: 5:08 PM on 04.22.06 |
| ->> Well said Paul. |
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Lucas Jackson, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | USA | Posted: 6:06 PM on 04.22.06 |
->> I loved being able to talk to Kirk of Photo Mechanic. Maybe he can start a forum linked from the PM page..... I don't have an easy answer but that was great getting questions answered by him.
Lucas |
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Mike Dembeck, Photographer
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Halifax | NS | Canada | Posted: 10:41 PM on 04.22.06 |
->> If the Forums are not kept public, they will die, as whoever took them over will soon find out. This is fact.
95% of the people who look at those posts (and including this board too) are lurkers who just read...read...and read...If the forums are not kept in the public domain, there will not be enough participation, and it will not float.
If the photog couple who took it over are smart, they will, like Rob did, get ads for the boards and make money that way.
In time, they will see the light or they will lose their investment.
Mike. |
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Ron Scheffler, Photographer
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Hamilton (Toronto area) | Ontario | Canada | Posted: 1:08 AM on 04.23.06 |
->> Regarding the question about the Photo Mechanic forum... It appears it will be the only section of the former RG forums (other than announcements) that will remain publicly readable. If I understand this correctly though, you'll have to be a paid member to post.
This news was posted on the Transition FAQ forum by the new owner. |
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Bob Croslin, Photographer
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St. Petersburg | FL | USA | Posted: 12:57 PM on 04.23.06 |
->> Seems like a huge mistake to put previously free forum content behind a paid membership wall. Seems like Rob and Mike should have stipulated when they sold the forums that the content prior to April 06 remain public. Interesting that the content that used to be free to the public could be sold for a profit by Rob and Mike. I'm just glad that the little bit of useless knowledge I happily contributed can no longer be searched by my name as I asked Mike to close my account before they sold the forums. I'm sure with the beating the new owners are currently taking that they can't take the forums private fast enough.
(I've also benefited from Kirk's help in the PM forum and I'd like to say thanks, again.) |
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Kevin M. Cox, Photographer, Assistant
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Round Rock (Austin) | TX | US | Posted: 3:06 PM on 04.24.06 |
->> It appears that there has been a change of plans to restrict the formerly free archives:
"Part of the migration plan includes a free read-only archive of past posts that will cover up to the transition announcement. We've come up with a solution for this that will enable public viewing of the historical content here without hurting the financial viability of the forums going forward. Thank you all for your input. More details as they become available. Thanks, Drew"
I'm glad to see that all the past content which was given freely won't be restricted to only paying members in the future, as was originally planned. The forums were especially helpful back when I was in college and joined in 2001. I'm sorry to see them go, but at least it appears for the moment that the archives will remain free to read, as they should. |
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William Jurasz, Photographer, Assistant
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Cedar Park | TX | USA | Posted: 3:59 PM on 04.24.06 |
->> > If the photog couple who took it over are smart, they will,
> like Rob did, get ads for the boards and make money that
> way.
But RG specifically stated that the ad revenue from the forum-side of the site was a money-loser, so this will not work. The new forum will need some way to pay for itself and ad click-throughs apparantly is not going to cut it. While I like free, I don't mind paying for something that has value to me. |
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