ShipSpotting.com Forum

Shipspotters all over the world => Site related news, functions and modules => Topic started by: Robert Smith on March 17, 2013, 04:16:09 PM

Title: Deletions
Post by: Robert Smith on March 17, 2013, 04:16:09 PM

I'm not habitually questioning the admins' judgement, but can anybody tell me why this picture was deleted ?

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: DanEarl on March 17, 2013, 04:33:36 PM

Well Robert, it's within my category for administration but nothing to do with me, maybe you duplicated the photo by mistake or possibly the angle of this photo is similar to an other ? ?

I am sure there is an answer for you from my fellow admins,

Cheers, Dan.

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: Robert Smith on March 20, 2013, 06:18:35 PM

Ken,

Are you sure we're discussing the same vessel? You may have the pictures of the "B Gas Lanrick" in mind. But I never put up a stern shot of the "AS Olivia" in the first place. And frankly, this is not "almost a silhouette"....all the relevant details can easily be seen.

Rgds,
Robert.


http://www.shipspotting.com/photos/removed/big/1/8/0/1764081.jpg

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: Tony des Landes on March 20, 2013, 09:30:58 PM

One option is to reduce the shadow before posting.

I've attached the photo after a very quick enhancement which should meet site standards

Regards

Tony

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: Robert Smith on March 20, 2013, 10:19:47 PM

Thanks Tony - I think this'll solve that part of the problem. But there's more to it. Plse see site related news, functions and modules ....
 

Brgds,
Rob.

 :D

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: Allan RO on March 20, 2013, 10:24:31 PM

Ah...... the benefits of digital, had it been a slide it would have been binned !!

Allan

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: Dave Forbes on March 21, 2013, 08:49:18 AM

I take it that the administrators will delete original images whether the image is good or bad? Maybe an email should be sent to your members automatically saying why a picture was deleted instead of members finding out for themselves. I was disappointed that one of my recent postings was deleted just because it was 'off centre and of poor quality' , I don't have a history of posting 'poor quality' images on shipspotting.

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: Phil English on March 21, 2013, 09:17:21 AM

Dave,

As has been advised in the forums previously, members are no longer informed when photos are deleted. This change occurred last year due to increasing volumes of traffic and workload for the admins.

If anyone is any doubt about why and when photos are deleted, or what the site standards are, please go to the 'support' tab on the home page.

Brgds
Phil

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: davidships on March 21, 2013, 01:57:40 PM

Indeed Phil, and it is fortunately easy to keep track of deletions through the direct tab. But knowing what the standards are doesn't always tell you why it's been deleted - it is often not at all obvious as many judgments are, by necessity, subjective.  For example how sharp is sharp? How dark is dark etc. Some have multiple faults, others just one that can be improved, and we can all learn.  

What is a pity - I have mentioned this before - is that mods seem NEVER to type anything in the "reason" (with the singular exception of time-expiring Mystery ships).  I accept completely that sending individual messages is too time-consuming (though it would be a decidedly helpful and a courtesy to new members), but I don't think adding one or two words in the deletion process is too much to ask - "dark" "light" "level" "too small" "incomplete", "focus" "category" "same angle" etc.  

[by the way, this thread has been started on the wrong forum]

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: Phil English on March 21, 2013, 02:46:39 PM

David,

Admins always add a reason to those photos which are 'considered for deletion'. It is a fundamental part of our job. Anyone who has a photo up for deletion will be able to see the exact reason why it is considered for deletion until such time as that photo is either deleted or returned to it's original category.

Brgds
Phil

 

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: davidships on March 21, 2013, 03:54:13 PM

Thanks.  I must have missed something somewhere.  In "My Photos" I have a link to "Deleted photos" but not for "Considered for deletion".  Nor can I see it in the "Categories" tab, nor in the drop-down menu on the front page (it used to be there, I think).  There is no location given in the FAQ http://www.shipspotting.com/support/faq.php?category=Deletion issues member contact
nor in Ken's clear revision of the rules at http://forum.shipspotting.com/index.php/topic,10140.msg55772.html#msg55772

So perhaps a link could be added to the "My Photos" which would make it easy for members to check regularly whether any are being considered for deletion.  

But in any case, under the new 2012 procedures, many are subject to "summary dismissal", so presumably don't appear in "considered for deletion". For these - many of which are not 'really bad' - the reason should be briefly given, at least when it is not completely obvious.

David  

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: itsfoto on March 21, 2013, 05:09:43 PM

You'll find the category here:

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/search.php?search_category_1=154

(no. 154 is the secret)

cheers

Uwe

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: davidships on March 21, 2013, 05:38:29 PM

Phil kindly sent me PM  - in case anyone else is as thick as me, it's tucked away in the dropdown menu in the "detailed listing" link.  Question: are the categories aggregated or does one have to open eight different folders to see whether anything has been put inside (actually only seven as one is bizarrely called "FAQ How use AirNav site")?
Much much better to have a simple link in the "My Photos" which takes you straight to a combined version - of course it will only have one's own photos in it. Please pass this simple request to the Techies to consider.

Perhaps Ken could add a mention of the location of "Considered for Deletion" to the FAQ and Policy message?

I have some sympathy with the decision to take the category off the open site - it did indeed lead to excessive public slanging of moderators (some deserved, but mostly not).  Sorry Uwe, you should have kept that to yourself, or put in a PM - the category number will be changed now!

David

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: Kelvin Davies on March 21, 2013, 06:18:16 PM

David,
I don't think you are thick. I will be buggered if I can see an easy, obvious pointer to the deletion category.
I started out on what I thought to be the obvious place to start; Photo Categories but found nothing.
Also, is it possible that the criteria for deletion are rather arbitrary?
How about this example: http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1437629
Reason given: Bow shot.
The relevant rule says "Bow and stern shots may be acceptable if they show the vessel from the waterline to the top of the superstructure."
On this particular photo, I can see not only the waterline and the top of the superstructure but up to the VHF aerials and beyond.
Seems a bit odd!

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: Robert Smith on March 21, 2013, 06:51:40 PM

Phil, thanks for your contribution. In my experience when pictures are deleted the admins. neither use the spaces "reason" nor "personal message". Sometimes I can see their reasoning, sometimes not. Their contineous lack of information triggered this thread. Anyway, Ken is now dealing with it. But I trust you'll agree when I say that giving information would certainly avoid a lot of hassle.....

Brgds,
Robert.

 :-\

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: dirk septer on March 22, 2013, 01:56:21 PM

The reason for some deletions are obvious; others certainly are not.
A number of times after again one or more of my pics were deleted
I even considered to delete all my 1600 or so pics posted on Shipspotting.
I certainly would like to be given a reason when any of pics are being
deleted.
Living on the west coast of Canada, a lot of my pics show shipping in
inclement weather: fog, drizzle, rain etc. Unfortunately, the admin people
who deleted many of my "inclement weather" pics, which were clear, not
blurred and totally in focus, did not appreciate the weather conditions these
vessels were sailing in.

Pity....

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: davidships on March 22, 2013, 07:52:05 PM

Quote from: Ken Smith on March 21, 2013, 06:17:28 PM

It is being dealt with.

Thanks, Ken.
David

PS - can you move this thread to the "Site Related", where it will be easier to find in the future?

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: Kelvin Davies on March 23, 2013, 09:04:44 PM

Only a guess here but I would suspect http://www.shipspotting.com/photos/removed/big/3/3/3/1736333.jpg is almost identical to http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1736330.
The same maybe applies to the other photos.
Bloody good photos though. Well done!

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: BCFS on March 24, 2013, 04:53:05 AM

Funny to see this as a recent topic...

As a photographic contributor of BC Ferries vessels to this site since March 2006, I had two photographs of the NORTHERN EXPEDITION deleted without any explanation as to why. After sending an e-mail to staff of this site last Tuesday asking for clarification, it turns out I wasted even more of my time as nobody had the courtesy to even send a response.

Because of that, this afternoon, I took time out of my day to individually delete every single photograph I've contributed to this site over the last seven years.

As a senior moderator of a large website dedicated to North American shipping, I am appalled by this lack of communication displayed by "staff" here, and will not be returning.

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: Kelvin Davies on March 24, 2013, 08:03:55 AM

That's sad, when a member of 7 years feels the need to delete all his contributions, when a simple email acknowledgement may have averted this.
Meanwhile, yesterday's complaint re deletions from Craig Feierabend have apparently been deleted, possibly because the member may have realised that his case was not the admins' fault.
Now, today he is complaining that his photo of Port Pegasus has not had enough views.
Every now and then, I actually feel sorry for the admins and today I think is one of the "now" days!

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: Groovypict on March 24, 2013, 09:00:26 AM

Agree, it is sad when a long standing member feels the need to delete and leave. I have been following the deletions forums with interest and after trying to find photos considered for deletion like others on here I discovered I also had a few deleted without my knowledge and they didn't seem that bad to me, just don't fit the policies of this site. This prompted a look back through some of my postings to see how they compare and I think there are a number there that are not the best and I was thinking to remove them.
Perhaps my comment re Port Pegasus could have been worded better; anyway I was just curious to see what makes a photo interesting or appealing and to do it with as short a comment as possible attached to the photo. As it was a low scorer compared to others, I thought a bit of feedback might be of help in deciding what to post in future, after all the site is about sharing and it is nice if you can share what others would like to see. I take photos from many angles but of course don't post them all.
As for my previous deletions comment being deleted, yes I eventually saw why one of my photos was deleted; I had accidentally uploaded 2 similar photos of the same ship.

Title: Re: Deletions
Post by: hmc111 on March 24, 2013, 03:18:48 PM

Hello
I don`t spend that much time on the site (I have little available time).
But might I suggest an category for deleted pictures with no sorting,
but with a voting box for each photo and if a photo gets a certain
number of votes it gets reinstated.
I`ve seen a few photos that I found interesting that were deleted for
various reasons.
It really doesn`t matter if the photo is perfect or not if you find the
subject interesting and it is of something you can`t see for yourself.
The reason most are here on the site is to experience through others
what we can`t experience personally.