I was curating photos today, and for one photo I had quite a few complaints, so I wrote them all down, then clicked the Publish button, while I intended to vote negatively.

Went back to the Curator Portal, to find out I cannot undo this. Searched forums here, and it really seems my vote is going to stick.

 

On the portal I also stumbled on the fact I can click on the photo thumbnail.

This shows me the photo as I think the photographer wanted it to be seen, i.e. about 20-30% larger.

And to my embarrassment, I saw that most if not all my complaints were invalid.

 

So now I think my accidental vote was the right one, but the negative comments will still stick.

Maybe I should write an apology to the photographer.

 

So all this is water under the bridge now, leaves a feature suggestion, requesting that in curation you would get the best (or a better) view of the photo you are curating.

 

Thanks for considering!

 

I also commented on the crop of a photo, only to find that the entire photo was not visible in curation (and you can only check it after hitting publish or reject). Now I'm a little gun shy unless the crop suggestion is substantial.

 

BTW, Peter, I appreciated your comments on a photo I sent to curation. Thank you.

Ooops. That is a big problem.

 

I always suspected that curators make a split decision on viewing a thumbnail and then if the thumbnail attracts their eye, they would open and make a judgement.

 

Now you are saying that even after opening the picture, you are not seeing the full sized image........This means that ALL images have not been curated at full size as the photographers have intended....that is sad and shameful.

 

No wonder that there is a lot of resentment among non published photographers.

 

That is a very BIg Ooops.

 

Someone please say it is not so!

 

Hi Camillo,

 

I will say it is not so. You need to distinguish between user curation and final curation. The user curation is a voting by members that acts as a supporting feature to the "real" curators who make the final decision. They might use the user feedback, but they do not have to. The user curation has the problems descibed in this thread so far, and the size of the images is something that has been discussed quiet a few times in the past. However the real curators who take the decision if a picture is published or not of course do have access to everything. They can see the full size image, the know who the photographer is and of course they have full access to your entire protfolio of pictures. So to make it short: Is the publish decision based on a smaller image than the original: NO, because the real curators do have access to the full size version. Is the user feedback sometimes not valid, because we only see a smaller version of the picture: Unfortunately YES.

 

Greetings

 

Sebastian

 

Hi Sebastian

 

OK. Got it.

Thanks for the supportive and informative comments here.

 

Although I did search the forms, I did not find evidence that "The user curation has the problems described in this thread so far, and the size of the images is something that has been discussed quiet a few times in the past."

 

Since I am a newbie here, and probably I did not search the right way, I will take Sebastian's word for it.

 

Which then also means that this enhancement request has been considered and rejected ?

 

Still sad then....

 

I do put quite some thought into what I write when curating, I try to use words that accurately reflect what I think or feel when seeing a photo. I may not be a professional or even experienced photographer, but I have never lacked in verbal skills, and I am developing my observational skills as I go here. I have recently also set myself the challenge to try and come up with suggestions on how perceived problems might be addressed. Knowing now that I am doing all this on an approximation of the photo is disappointing. I can only hope that ALL photographers submitting photos for curation are actively made aware of this limitation in user curation, and that this does not affect the final curation decision in any way, so they will know to take the user curation comments with the proverbial grain of salt.

 

Friendly greetings,

Peter

The initial post about clicking “Publish” mistakenly after writing curation comments highlights a subtle design problem that could be easy to correct. The psychology is subtle. After thinking very hard about an image, composing thoughts, and entering them into the comment box, the user looks for a way to confirm the entry. In the Critique part of 1X, for example, the user needs to click “Write” to confirm the comment and have it become part of the 1X content. After writing a Curation comment, the “Publish” button looks invitingly like the way to confirm the content. I have made the same mistake myself of clicking “Publish” for an image where I intended to vote the other way and only wanted to publish my comment. The official curators must think it odd to see carefully crafted extensive reasoning about how to improve an image paradoxically attached to a “Publish” vote. The interface problem is that, in Curation, the “Publish” button does not have just one function. It does indeed work to confirm the content of a comment, but it simultaneously works as a vote in favor of publication of the image (its main function). It would be reasonable to make those two functions separate. One way to correct this would be to add a “Write” button that appears when anything is entered in the Curation Comment field. That button would confirm the comment content, and the Publish button would just be a voting button. This would be consistent with other parts of the 1X site design. I suppose a refinement could be to add an extra step for anyone who clicks a vote button while unconfirmed content remains in the comment field. That could pop up a request to confirm, edit, or delete the comment before the vote becomes final.

thanks Robert, well put, and I second the motion!

I'm brand new here so haven't earned much street cred, but I wanted to add my agreement to the easy confusion between publishing my comments and recommending that a photo be published. I also want to say that when I first saw these two choices, "publish" or "reject" I winced. Man, this is a hard-ass community, I thought. Couldn't it simply say "publish" and don't publish" or something that communicates just a bit more courtesy and a little more respect for the person who has put themselves out there. And then, compounding the issue, you call the rating statistics a popularity vote. Say what? A popularity contest is what we did in high school to somehow anoint a few kids as better than the rest of us....and even more literally, how can it be a popularity contest when we are not assessing how many people have viewed the photo, which would be a lot closer to the meaning of "popularity." A far more neutral designation would be "publish/don't publish" ratio and leave it at that. Look, this site is full of brilliant photographers so far beyond me in this art that I am truly humbled by their work....but as a newbie, I gotta tell you, there is an odd harshness in the air here. I still can't believe you use a judging system for comments! I want comments myself, of course, but damned if I am going to leave them if then I have think for a minute about how someone rates my comments with a check mark in one of three slots. If one of us feels there is something amiss in a comment then we should have the integrity to offer a comment on the comment. (Ugh.) I didn't know this rant was coming, and maybe you more worthy and experienced 1x-exers will dismiss me as someone who needs to adjust his medication or switch to decaf, but here it is. And like all ranters, I can't end without, yes, just one mentioning one more thing that in my newness that has to do with what we call what...isn't "post for critique" really post for curation? From what I've seen comments (critiques?) on photos submitted are somewhat scarce so you're not necessarily going to get a critique and the critique forum is a whole different animal so why couldn't there be some consistency in sustaining the word "curate" and "curator" and "curation recommendations" and so on throughout this process? It would sure help a newcomer like me figure out what's going on.

 

(Hope I haven't already overstayed my welcome with this message.)

I’ve been registered here several years but active only in the past few months. It is worthwhile keeping separate the various commenting opportunities. Members can upload photos to their portfolios. Once a photo is up, people can leave a comment by clicking on the thought balloon icon down in the lower right hand corner. Leaving a comment is a nice bit of social interaction. These comments are often short and superficial. Leaving a comment generates an “achievement” point toward participation point totals. These comments are not rated. Of course, finding non-“published” photos can be a trick. Some people find photos by “following” the photographer or by navigating to the photographer’s portfolio after noticing another picture of his/hers elsewhere on the site or after seeing a thoughtful comment in the critique area or during curation.

 

On opening an image from your own portfolio page, you will find a gear icon that gives several options. One is to send the image for critique. People use that when they want better input than the general comments usually produce. From the main community menu, the “critique” option navigates to pages of images ready for thoughtful input. Members can leave critiques, and hovering over a critique opens the option to “reply.” Leaving a critique comment generates a few more participation points.

 

Another option is to send an image to curation, also using the cogwheel icon. People do this when they would like their image considered for “publication” on the main page and category pages. The curation area presents images one by one for decision by members: Publish (green) or Reject (red). It is also possible to make an image a favorite by clicking the heart icon before voting. It is also possible to leave a member curation comment. In the 1X blog and in the FAQ members are encouraged to give constructive input of the kind they would like to receive themselves. Leaving a member curation comment generates more participation points. After the vote, you can see your votes and all the comments you have left during curation by clicking on the “Curator Portal” button. Member curation comments are subject to evaluation by other members (clicking on any one of five stars under the comment when an image comes up for member curation and already has a curation comment from someone else). The average of member evaluations displays in the curator portal but is not visible to other general members. After the image has received a minimum number of member votes (about 60 or so) the official curators get to make the actual decision to publish or not publish. If published, the image displays on the new photo list and in the photo category lists. The official curators also get to evaluate member curation comments. They can leave a green check mark for good/useful comments or a gold star for exceptionally good comments. These both count as “awarded comments” for participation points. Only the gold stars count as awarded comments that can lead to elevation to the level 6 and higher rankings for member curators. (Click “Levels” in the curator portal area for details.) Member curation comments are visible to the photographer (under image/edit in the statistics page for paid members) and to the official curators, but are not visible to the general membership. I personally think the comments with green check mark or gold star awards ought to become part of the visible record for each image so the rest of us can learn from that kind of detailed input.

 

Commenting can be very useful for the commenter as well as for the person who made the image. I find that pausing to leaving thoughtful comments helps me appreciate an image in more detail. I often have to think critically about exactly what it is that makes me like or not like an image, what makes it interesting or challenging, or how it affects my ideas about photography as an art form or documentary method. Sometimes it helps me think more clearly about my own photography and helps me make better images in the future.

 

No need to take the curation comment scores or check marks or gold stars too seriously. Once I realized that non-published images can still generate interest, comments, purchases, and be selected as favorites by others on 1X, I began to relax about how hard it is to get an official “publish” decision. Still would like to get one published, but that is not the only point of the site.

 

It would be better to boycott the curate... Radical and effective!

Joe,

I'm a newcomer here too, and have to agree with many of your comments. Slowly I'm learning how things work, and how to work around the oddities of the site.

 

The judging starts when you upload a photo - you get a percentage rating for how well you filled in the details like exposure information, etc. Fill in enough blanks and you get a nice green !00% - just like a smiley sticker in school. If the description isn't long enough, a bright red 'short' appears to scold me. And then, mysteriously, my photo is rated for quality. I can't believe a staff member is looking at each picture to judge how sharp it is, but many of mine that I know to be sharp have been rated 'low resolution'. I have no idea what that might mean.

 

But even with the quirks, it's a great site. I'm very glad I found it and joined. Now, if I could only get something published before I run out of pictures. :-)

To Robert Wheeler,

 

Thank you for the information in your post. I had been wondering how the 'awarded comments' worked in curation, and now I know. ( I seem to get a lot of red 'one' scores for my efforts) I am slowly learning how the site works. It's a shame that 1x.com doesn't provide more instructions. (yes, I've read through the FAQ section - several times) Seems I have to learn by trying things out or searching the forums. I have emailed 'support' four times with questions, but so far have received only two replies, so some of my questions are still unanswered.

 

Still a great site. The quality of the photos is about as good as it gets in my opinion.

 

How to see full-size images when voting in curation:

 

(maybe it's been covered in the thread, or everyone but me already knew this)

 

Click the heart symbol to save the photo to your favorites. Then click 'photos' and 'favorites', click on the image to see it full size, and then use your back button when you're ready to return to the voting page. You can easily remove the picture from favorites later if you want to.

 

A lot of steps, but you do get to see a larger version of the photo being judged.

 

thanks Steven, tried your trick, and yes, adds a few clicks to the process, but wow, it makes a world of difference. Thank you !

 

And to all who replied: I am impressed with the quality of the replies I get here. Seems we have some really good people in this community, putting effort not only in taking good photos, but also in being helpful. Thanks !

Congrats for this excellent summary Robert !

I think that I understood the main site operations, but I still don't understand the utility to accumulate participation points, nor become a high level member even a crew member...

Jean-Luc, There's some information about the points in 'Community > FAQ'.

 

http://www.1x.com/about

 

Scroll down to 'How does the scoring system work'. It explains there how you can go to 'achievments' in your account and see a list of activities and the points given for them. I hope this helps you. By the way - great gallery! I like your 'minimalist' style, and you've got some wonderful bird shots.

Jean,

Thanks for your kind words. I find the FAQ useful but often incomplete, so I’ve been learning about the site by trial and error. As far as I can tell, the participation points just have a mechanical function as determining to sort order for members when displayed under Community/Membership or when displayed by Country (tab in the Membership page, or click on your country icon on your profile page). Some people may suppose that being positioned higher in these lists might result in more “exposure” to those browsing the site and maybe more communication or image sales. But I doubt it has much influence. Point totals also seem to determine the sort order for “followers” on our profile pages. Participation activity also functions to turn on the little badges on the member’s profile page. You have quite a few badges lit up, indicating a good breadth of participation. Colors of badges change according to amount of activity (click on each badge for details). Having the badges light up gives a visual summary to those visiting your page about level and breadth of activity. You probably know much or all of this, but others might find these morsels useful. Advancing to higher levels of member curation status supposedly gives your participation votes greater weight when the official curators look at voting summaries. But the official curators can ignore votes and decide independently. So the levels are not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Besides helping with advancement through the curation levels, the green check marks and gold stars give a little psychological boost to those who are susceptible to such things. I do admit to really liking the gold stars, which then motivate me to keep trying to write thoughtful commentary during member curation. But most of my activity is actually based on me enjoying looking at images, thinking about them, giving thoughtful feedback, and having input on my own images. The crew members have more influence on how certain things happen around 1X, but I don’t have much insight into that.

 

 

Hi Jean-Luc,

Try this.

Go to your profile picture and click on it..and you will be on your main page. You will see your country flag - and next to that your points..click on that...

 

On the next screen... You awards will come up...

 

Now if you want to know how to accumulate points...just look down at the list of things that enable you to earn points.

 

Published photos equals 500 or each one

Writing a comment on a photo will give you l point..

and so on...

 

One way to accumluate a good number of points is to write tutorials If you are interested in that contact one of the Editorial staff.....Look at the members page for a list of who these people are.

 

When you go to Curation...you will get points of course and when you write comments more points...If it is a very good comment, it will receive a star froa Moderator..and I believe now that is 20points..but it has changed from time to time so I am not 100 percent certain :)

The more points you earn, the higher your rank is on the members ist.

If you want to become a Crew member, you can volunteer your time depending on what your skills are.

 

If your English skills are excellent and you want to volunteer..I suggest contacting Yvette Depaepe Head o the Editorial Team and letting her know you are interested should positions be available.

 

I hope this helps some..

Phyllis

Forum Moderator

Thank you all for your time and your answers. As Robert guessed, I already know HOW to earn points but I meant I don't see WHY ! Robert and Phylis answered me partially and I thank them again. By the way Robert, I like your spirit of synthesis ;-)

After 2 ou 3 monthes among you, I perceived that motivations of members can be various. Some are here to sell ( I see no disdvantage ), some to learn ( my case), some to exchange and socialy communicate, and some just to watch. Visibilty is essential for the first one mainly and partially to learn. I found that in this site, the two ways to have it is FP and weekly them, because images are exposed inthe real showcase. When an external visitor is coming, it is his first and only first step.

Concerning me, I'd be happy to sell some images ( already did once here), and I have a lot to learn. As I don't like policy, this excludes weekly theme, and the only stuff that motivate me are publication and my curation and critics activity, therefore my analysis activity. The system is efficient as I trust the official curators. but unfortunately this is not always the case, and I feel that objectivity is periodic, or not constant and sometimes not coherent (another topic), and I really hope this has nothing to do with politics. As long as I'm a member I accept the rules, but I keep thinking about it.

About points... as said Robert (my reference again ;-)) Despite Phyllis explanations about place in some lists, I'm not sure that the system of points improves visibility. As I can see, it stimulates the activity of some members on the site, which serves mainly the founders.

It's not pejorative, it's just my feeling of new member, and I hope it will be helpful.