<|-- removed generator --> The Online Photographer: Comment Guidelines (and Typical Problems)

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Tuesday, 04 March 2025

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Maybe use the internet's Wayback machine to anchor your site for posterity ? Just an idea.

... and if TypePad goes kablooie I'd be up the creek without a paddle...

If you aren't already doing so you might want to consider an app that can download all your blog posts. I use MarsEdit on a Mac to compose my entries but also because it downloads a copy of everything I have ever posted.

https://redsweater.com/marsedit/

Mike—Re. "Editor's pet peeves", I was amused by your example that referenced dentists because, when I created and managed Really Right Stuff (1990-2002), I found that dentists were generally very efficient customers. They always seemed to read the catalog and comprehend the aspects of our products without the need for lengthy telephone consultation. Conversely, lawyers always needed spoon feeding. They'd bypass the catalog detail—often citing time constrains—then opt for an hour of Q + A on the telephone. WOW! I quickly came to appreciate the discipline implicit in becoming a successful dentist!

Enough is enough Mike. You can deny Ctein the ability to state why he has chosen to leave his country because after all, this is “just a photography site.” Everyone has there excuse for denying decency and allowing endless lies and destruction of American values. Our Congress stays silent in the face of this destruction. We can all be complicit and silent until we don’t have a democratic country anymore. This isn’t a close question. Decent people like Ctein must not be silenced. The lack of courage is disgraceful.

[Who's silencing him? He's written three comments so far. He can write a whole column here any time he wants to--he has an open invitation. And he okay'd the post I wrote, both before and after publication. He has his newsletter as well, which many TOP readers get. He wouldn't allow himself to be silenced, and I wouldn't try. --Mike]

Despite Guideline No. 2, I'm compelled to follow up on Bryan Geyer's comment. It's interesting that Dick Phillips, prior to manufacturing view cameras of innovative design, was a successful dentist.

😀

On the topic of possible new locations for the blog, you may want to check out Substack. It seems to be the new, hip place to be and content can be designated "subscriber-only", meaning only your paid followers will be able to read the full post (i.e., replacement for Patreon as well, perhaps). I recently joined Substack to follow content from a watch journalist (I'm a watch collector as well), and there does seem to be a photography community there.

As someone you once granted the generosity of a next-morning “Are you sure you want me to post this?”, when frustration (possibly partially refracted through the mood of unrelated, external events, if not through a glass of anything), had me express myself in stronger words than I’d otherwise desire and certainly stronger than your words necessitated (not abusive, not disparaging, but certainly “frustrated”)…

…as that someone, I thank you as I did then and do beyond, Mike. A place of considered, respectful safety for all is like going to a city gallery - a general quiet in the midst of chaos. A great place to keep sane, or at least salve the insanity [insert, I don’t know, probably a lopsided grin emoji]

I cannot fathom the aversion to the mythical "rich dentist" - after all, a trillion dollar market (US$13 Trillion outstanding at the end of 2024) for Eurodollar securities (US$ denominated securities issued in Europe) was formed with the equally mythical "Belgian Dentist" as its target market - referring to those Europeans who were typical holder of these securities - who could drive into Luxembourg and collect their interest in cash, far away from the eyes of their home country's taxman....

I rarely comment, although I really feel I should more often. I am hamstrung by the thought that it is better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. You are one of my first reads every day along with KT and my local news; long before I dip into the molasses of BBC news and the (Manchester) Guardian. As a brit long retired and now living in Europe I appreciate the calm and safety of thoughtfully considered opinion and I'm interested in how ordinary (sorry that sounds pejorative) people live elsewhere in the world. I've been immersed in photography since the 1950s to a greater or lesser degree and strongly believe that the most important part of the camera is that 4in behind the focal plane. Keep up the good work and look after yourself and your dog; animals are almost always easier to live with than humans, they don't judge and they don't talk back :-)

Re: All in various states of crude incompletion, because I'm not actually good at this.

We're not good at everything.

So, pay for a backup / blog archive service.

A few dollars each month would be cheap peaceful sleep :)

Great reminders, Mike. Maybe put a “five things to ask yourself before posting” near the comments box…

Thanks for this, it's good to be reminded.

Your woke guidelines SUCK!!! You know what you and your deep state, dentist fanboys can do...

PS- That "onceover" suggestion really works!

One of my favorite photographers from back in the day was a... dentist!

https://tobyold.com/

Over the years the amount of uncorrected typos, double words and general poor structure I have offered for post just maybe be record setting. Mike has been kind enough to fix a few but too often I have hung my head in shame after seeing yet another poorly edited comment was sent in. I know I can do better! ;)

Hmmmm, I seem to have been lightly edited on my last comment. Point taken, Mike! :)

Funny, I just had a photo of (dentist & photographer) Toby Old open for a project I am working on

Toby Old

I found the paragraph on Hijacking under Typical Problems to be absolutely charming. It's a wonderful example of prose that I read, smile, reread, and then share with others. Each time I do we share smiles all around. The ability to make others smile is a wonderful gift. Thank you.
John

[Thank you John! That's a nice compliment. --Mike]

"On the topic of possible new locations for the blog, you may want to check out Substack."

It's such a shame Substack have gained such mindshare over other providers of mailing lists. They're increasingly focused on making it harder for people to leave for other platforms, and the owners have repeatedly shown that they're very happy to provide services for extreme right-wing voices. See, for example, this for more info https://www.anildash.com/2024/11/19/dont-call-it-a-substack/

If it was the only mailing list provider maybe you'd have to suck it up and use that. But there are lots of very good alternatives run by nice, competent companies. One of them, Buttondown (who I happily use) provides this handy tool to compare the costs of different "creator economy" platforms https://buttondown.com/comparison-guides/take-rates

FWIW, I increasingly see people happy with moving to Ghost these days, as a good alternative to, say, WordPress (whose owner has become increasingly... erratic).

Substack. Really - it is by far the best platform for new, ongoing publication. Whether it’s appropriate for migrating a massive archive I don’t know. But they can answer that.

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