Author Topic: I don't want to join SS social media. Please stop pestering me.  (Read 2079 times)

Offline csaba

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In the last few days a window pops up in the middle of my screen saying "while you are visiting SS join our social media blah blah.." First of all, I am not "visiting", I am logged in as a member of 10 years. Second, if I close the window, it means that I don't care to join. With today's technology, it should be traceable, especially now that that annoying "turn of the tracker" or whatever message keeps also popping up and I have to turn the tracker off to view the website.
So please stop pestering me to join! I don't want to! Please remove that message.

Offline Anthony Legg

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Re: I don't want to join SS social media. Please stop pestering me.
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2022, 04:31:25 AM »
Likewise, I, too, am sick of the site pester to join the social groups and I close the message, only to have it pop up again a few photos on ! ...Also the banner telling me that I'm seeing it because I choose to use an ad blocker, well it has been there so long now that I'm used to it and ignore the bottom of the page....I'd  rather that than the garbage ads that the admins employ. I'd rather pay an annual fee and have a clear screen, the site is only a shadow of the original, the only real improvement is the use of https. No wonder the daily image numbers are lower than they used to be.
Anthony Legg

Offline volker1948

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Re: I don't want to join SS social media. Please stop pestering me.
« Reply #2 on: June 11, 2022, 08:24:37 AM »
I agree fully with csaba and Anthony Legg

Offline victor radio74

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Re: I don't want to join SS social media. Please stop pestering me.
« Reply #3 on: June 11, 2022, 10:43:50 AM »
Also me

Offline Patrick Hill

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Re: I don't want to join SS social media. Please stop pestering me.
« Reply #4 on: June 11, 2022, 01:57:40 PM »
Add me to the list.

Offline andrecas

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Re: I don't want to join SS social media. Please stop pestering me.
« Reply #5 on: June 11, 2022, 03:09:45 PM »
Any member uploading photos would  have noticed that "social media" pop up screen, constantly "popping up"..!  Whomever is driving the "new" site seems determined to have members join the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok, etc.  I'm not the oldest member on board (only 73) and have zero interest in the social media sites that Shipspotting is promoting! While I am a relative newbie to site (Joined in 2012), given the mixed reaction site garnering, post re-design launch, arguably, the format of the former site was more functional and easier to navigate. The implementation of https in the former site (as mentioned by Anthony Legg) would have sufficed.
It is my understanding from reading previous exchanges/posts from the SS Development Team, the new site still in continuous development. Likely more changes in the pipeline. i.e. bug fixes, overall improvements**, new features, as well as bring back old features previously available in old site..?

** Removing social media pop up screen would be one improvement

Offline tvtech

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Re: I don't want to join SS social media. Please stop pestering me.
« Reply #6 on: June 11, 2022, 07:29:29 PM »
The site owners are not passionate about ship spotting. They just trying to gouge more money hence the constant irritating ads and new website. The old website was 100% ok. I hate this new one.

Offline pieter melissen

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Re: I don't want to join SS social media. Please stop pestering me.
« Reply #7 on: June 12, 2022, 07:07:48 AM »
Devils Advocate

To all above: Just imagine that you would find this site for the fist time today. How would you rate it then? Wouldn't you be focusing on the positive aspects such as a great collection of ship photos, while taking other aspects that you may like less for granted?

Offline victor radio74

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Re: I don't want to join SS social media. Please stop pestering me.
« Reply #8 on: June 12, 2022, 11:01:38 AM »
Hi Pieter ,that other aspects are the main reason for choosen this site,in my case at least,and that is been spoiled at the moment

Note: excuse my possibly incorrect English

Offline pieter melissen

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Re: I don't want to join SS social media. Please stop pestering me.
« Reply #9 on: June 12, 2022, 07:04:16 PM »
Hi Victor,

That is not the essence of my question. Just imagine that today you see Shipspotting for the first time, without knowing how it was before.

Offline Clive

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Re: I don't want to join SS social media. Please stop pestering me.
« Reply #10 on: June 12, 2022, 10:25:29 PM »
Pieter, I realise your question was not addressed to me but I will respond anyway.
If I were to come across this site, as it is now, for the very first time, I would be interested. Intrigued, so many ship pictures and such a diversity. But what a weird, awkward, clunky and unattractive site. It is very likely that as a newcomer, I would not even find all the stuff on here as it is far from logically laid out. It is only as a former user that you know that the stuff 'must be here somewhere.'
So, as someone that has been using the site for a lot of years, and who has posted a fair number of pictures on here, I say I look here once each day, a quick glance to see if there is a new picture heading the categories I am interested in. If not, I look no further, even if there is a new picture if it does not interest me then I look no further.
Certainly, there are good pictures being posted on here but far fewer than in the past. The site appears to have lost its allure. I have not had the opportunity to travel since February 2020, so I have not had any pictures to post. I will be travelling again in September and with luck also in December. It is unlikely that I will post my pictures on this site. Shipspotting really has lost the plot.

Offline Daniel B

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Re: I don't want to join SS social media. Please stop pestering me.
« Reply #11 on: June 12, 2022, 11:45:55 PM »
I was happily able to block all adds proposed on here. En fran

Offline csaba

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Re: I don't want to join SS social media. Please stop pestering me.
« Reply #12 on: June 13, 2022, 04:44:02 AM »
Hi Victor,

That is not the essence of my question. Just imagine that today you see Shipspotting for the first time, without knowing how it was before.

If it would be my first visit...Well, depends why are you here. I am a photographic enthusiast and a former mariner with limited time at sea. I like to look at photos as a whole, foreground, background, lighting and of course the main object.
I would notice a big, excellent collection of, lets call it, marine photography with ships as the main object. The pop up sign telling me to turn off the add blocker would be an annoyance. The another pop up window urging me to join SS social media would be another annoyance.
I am not looking for many technical details of ships, so that wouldn't bother me. I like nice, good quality photos.
Then, I would notice the low number of views, which would suggest low interest from members and low number of visitors. Or maybe the low number of views is a result of relatively big photos on the main page so no need to click as often.
I would, of course, visit the forum and see the comments about the new site. It wouldn't make me leave but it would probably make me go and see other ship photography sites. I would then come back to SS because the others don't come anywhere close to this one. Having said this last thing, it shouldn't go to the owners head. They set up the SS but it exist because we put photos her. So don't piss off people who keep your business going. I can think of 2 websites that folded because their owners though that they are irreplaceable.
Just my 2 Canadian cents  :)

Offline Anthony Legg

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Re: I don't want to join SS social media. Please stop pestering me.
« Reply #13 on: June 13, 2022, 06:26:41 AM »
Advocating on behalf of the devil does not change the fact that, to some original members of SS, the site is in worse condition than before the whole sale changes were put in place, whilst this is ( or was ? ) the best shipping photo site prior to the changes I now find it no longer has that allure. I will continue to view it and occasionally post images, but the passion has ended up on the rocks along with all the casualty posts.   
Anthony Legg
« Last Edit: June 13, 2022, 06:43:17 AM by Anthony Legg »

Offline Richard Paton

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Re: I don't want to join SS social media. Please stop pestering me.
« Reply #14 on: June 13, 2022, 07:34:28 PM »
I'll throw my two pennies worth in here to...i fully agree with all of the above.

The founding ethos of this site was to share with each other the passion we have for ships, of all types, large & small. When i joined many years ago, i was welcomed by countless messages at an early stage, made to feel like it was a extended family, and i looked forward to visiting the site after a long day at work and post any photos i might have taken to share with the community, and that's what it was, a community.

The old site was basic but that's all that was required, no need for flash re-branding, or features that many would not be interested in. It was popular and more so than now i think that's clear to see.

I have a few spotting pals that no longer post on here for various reasons and i can understand why...this site HAS lost it's way, HAS become detached from it's membership, and HAS in my opinion tried to move away from a community and operate more like a business.

But as we all know we do this hobby for it's pleasure, and getting rich off ship photography it's simply never going to happen, whether it be by individual photographer or site owner. And of course a site like this dies if the members melt away.

SO my message to the owners is get back to basics, ditch the pop ups, glitz, twitter, Instagram et all and give us our community back. If these few members on this thread speak for the majority then this site is in trouble as more will simply give it up.
« Last Edit: June 14, 2022, 07:05:37 PM by Richard Paton »

 

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