Categories for POTW

[autumnsky]

I made this suggestion several months ago. I thought I would bring it up again, now that POTW at Byte has grown.

Each week between 70-80 images get posted and a larger portion of the images are landscape. Wouldn't it be better for images to be grouped by category and the top three images in each category rise to the top for voting? Here are suggested categories:

’‚’‚…‚’‚‚ Landscape/Travel
’‚’‚…‚’‚‚ Close-up/Macro
’‚’‚…‚’‚‚ Flower/Plants
’‚’‚…‚’‚‚ Animal/Wildlife
’‚’‚…‚’‚‚ Portraits/People

This would mean that 5 images per week would receive a POTW. Just a thought.

[JCW3]

Sounds like a great idea, I have to been pondering on such a issue, but did not want to step on anyones feet...

5 POTW winners may get crazy though. Would it be better if the top two of each catagory went into the finals and then out of the 10 or so, we vote on 1 POTW as we are now.

Just seems as 5 POTW would be alot more work for the HARD WORKING bytephoto crew...

Good post Autumn, maybe we will get some interest...

[Bytephoto]

This is surely the logical future for the POTW contest... and I personally like the idea, too.
Using this suggestion, and looking through the POTW archives, how many photos would have been under each category.
Is there enough.... ??

Another category needs to be added to the suggested list, "Miscellaneous", as some photos might/do not belong in any category.

[autumnsky]

Originally posted by RVB Pix
This is surely the logical future for the POTW contest... and I personally like the idea, too.
Using this suggestion, and looking through the POTW archives, how many photos would have been under each category.
Is there enough.... ??

It would be difficult for me to guage how many in each category, but I do know that each week a higher number of shots are of the landscape variety. (currently in this weeks POTW, 5 of the 6 most popular shots are landscapes). As is true at most Photo sites, landscape images tend to attract more attention. I think having different categories would encourage more of a variety in submissions and create a better guage to evalute images when compaired against similar type images. (Currently, you need to have a very outstanding macro image to compete with the Grand Canyon )

Another category needs to be added to the suggested list, "Miscellaneous", as some photos might/do not belong in any category.

Yes, other sites call such a category "General". It should be a last resort category which could also include Achitecture.

[Matt_C]

I agree categories would be better and would make a lot more sense but I just cannot see there being enough entries at the moment as RVB said.

For now it may be better to make more of the assignment section and maybe turn it into more of a challenge section, similar to the challenge on the OTF (Olympus Talk Forum) where the winner of each challenge decides what the next challenge should be. I'm not sure if a week would be long enough to get enough entries but if it was you would end up with a POTW winner and a challenge winner each week. You could even set the first challenge as something as simple as Macro and then the next could be landscape and as time passes the subjects would become muchy more interesting.

Sorry I'm a little off subject but it's something thats crossed my mind. I certainly would like to see category sections in the future I'm just not sure if it would work yet. Would be interesting to see some more views on this.

[autumnsky]

Originally posted by Matt_C
I agree categories would be better and would make a lot more sense but I just cannot see there being enough entries at the moment as RVB said.

With 70 - 80 images posted to POTW each week, there should be enough to cover all categories and this will surely grow in time. I am much more inclined to adopt the Field of Dreams strategy..." if you build it they will come". I know of no other POTD site on the net that works as this site does; every POTD site has categories. I'm certain that some categories attract more images than others, but surely these POTD sites don't attract 70-80 images each day.

I think by waiting, you limit the participation of photographers in other genres of photography. There are photographers currently on the Byte site who specialize in photography other than landscape, once participating in POTW, for some reason these photographers are no longer posting in POTW and I wonder why. I would be much more inclined to post portrait images to a category that included and judged my work against other portrait images, JMO.

[Matt_C]

Well I would be all for giving it a go and I agree with everything you say, my only doubt is the timing. Perhaps a poll vote could be set up for a couple of weeks and posted on the main Byte pages so that everyone could perhaps vote on to change or not to change a bit like the camera survey but with a little more detail. Perhaps the administrators could send a one off pm to all members encouraging their vote. That way you would know the views of the majority of the membership and if the change would be supported.

Although I have my doubts about timing, I know I would vote yes for the change if there was a vote.

Well I think it would be a massive headache, especialy for Mr P Larson. It also dosn't cover enough catagories so many photos would be "left out" anyway.

I for one know that when I post a photo to POTW there is no chance of it going anywhere, I only post there to get comments on the that particular shot as it is the only place here to really get comments and that dosn't always work.

[setiprime]

Autumnsky and anyone else who cares.

Consider a "Photo-of-the-DAY" (Monday through Friday, or any five days running). Yesterdays photo winner published on the Home page.

The next Two days, let you vote for the "Photo of the Week) No daily photos for those two days.

Results published as "POTW for the week of ....."

Fewer daily entries - more quality comments from those who care.

As I understand it, the current photos for the week do not have to be necessarily shot that specific week. Some of us can't get up here every day as we are "Weekend Shooters".

Just a comment - Jon F.

[LindaCC]

I am late on this subject....But still thot to comment to this.

Originally posted by JSphoto
Well I think it would be a massive headache, especialy for Mr P Larson. It also dosn't cover enough catagories so many photos would be "left out" anyway.

I for one know that when I post a photo to POTW there is no chance of it going anywhere, I only post there to get comments on the that particular shot as it is the only place here to really get comments and that dosn't always work.

T


In this case JSphoto.... I believe it would be exactly the opposite result. Your type of photos are definately subject/interest related and if you had a category to enter that was not competing with "that beautiful landscape or that macro flower we all love", you could generate more interest in your photos as they would be in a perhaps much more narrowed down "General/Misc" category. I believe, for that very reason, you would get more feedback on them. It's not that you do not have some very good shots. It's just that you are in the tumble with too large of a category selection.