fyi- New Gallery Changes

Hi All,

I've decided to take a more closed approach to the Gallery until i get the 'mature content' option enabled. ETA for this is before or slightly after the holidays. I am paying the coder at photopost software (they make our gallery) to custom create this for me so it should be very well done. Basically until this is in place the gallery will remain a subscriber only area but now 100% subscriber only. This will include all site wide thumbnails. Once the content control is in place thumbnails will be back for all non-subscribers. Sorry for the inconvenience but I can understand how some thumbnails inadvertently cause problems so we need to change this. I am also investigating legal implications of the gallery, for example do we restrict it to 18+, 16+,13+ what is actually the best scenario to protect us here. The APUG framework continuously evolves and recent activity has raised some valid reasons to make adjustments. To those who took offense to the past several days all I can say is we are working to improve the delivery of the gallery content in a new way. This will either be acceptable or not, but I think as a whole we are on the right track..

Thanks,
Sean

Thanks for your ever continuing efforts Sean.

Good luck on herding them cats

Murray

MurrayMinchin said:

Thanks for your ever continuing efforts Sean.

Good luck on herding them cats

Murray

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWymXNPaU7g

That was good. I hope they go back to film during branding and castration season!

Murray

JBrunner said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWymXNPaU7g

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I believe that was a Super Bowl commercial, back in the good-ole Dot-Bomb days, when money was no object.

Personally, I like the outpost.com commercials myself - check them out on youtube.

Thank Sean. I hope now we get more photographs and more peace.

(I put this post under a different thread, and then saw this one which is more relevant to what I was saying, so I've moved it. Apologies).

Freedom of expression is important. Though I'm not entirely convinced an internet forum is the best place for it for me - I have to say I'm coming round to this idea for all pics, whether "controversial" or not, so that's just a personal thing, and for various reasons and as I say, not to do with content. I do realise that for people here the galleries are very important, especially if you don't have an alternative support network.

The freedom to choose what you see, without general censorship being imposed, is also important.

Thanks Sean for trying to organise this possibility. Recent threads have brought me around to the idea that for the sake of a smooth-running community, this is a good idea. I haven't been offended myself by anything I've seen, but that is neither here nor there.

Hopefully soon we can get back to other issues.

Cate

Thanks Sean to adress the issue so fast!
The last days of discussion have been tiresome, but again, APUG is constantly evolving and the ideas debated will surelly contribute for a better site in the future.

Cheers

André

Again, Sean quietly works away to solve a problem that should never arise. If only everyone who accesses APUG would stop to think of the other person or persons before posting we would have a much better and calmer atmosphere around the place. I've read most of the controversial threads in the past few days and noticed that there was little or no mention of the possible effect on Sean's business. He has told us in this thread that he is having custom software written to deal with the gallery problems, surely this would not be required if we all took time to act responsibly and with thought for others and Sean would perhaps be quite a few dollars better off.

I was in the chatroom yesterday when Flying Camera came in and we talked quite openly and frankly about his post. I thought it was done to provoke and said so quite strongly, Scott answered frankly and I think honestly and convinced me that his motives were not quite as I first thought. The conversation ended with an agreement to meet in a pub local to Scott and have a Guiness or two when I next visit America. What potentially could have been a chat room flame war was a very interesting exchange of totally different views that I personally enjoyed a lot, thank you Scott. From what I have read about Jim Galli I would probably of had a similar exchange with him for I also disagreed with his post.

Thankfully, we have a wonderful spirit and community here spoiled only by a few selfish, self opinionated hot heads who I would be pleased to see that back of. Come on all you passionate people, temper the passion with a little though for the other people involved in this great international community.

Thanks, Sean. A voice of reason and professionalism, as usual.

Thank you Sean and Les that was well stated.

gene

good move Sean

Thank you Sean and Les for your statement!

I have "survived" similar nonsense in a German photo group by just leaving it!
I hate narrow minded ideas and thought they would not happen in a wide international group...

Let`s keep on making photographs for the galleries!!

Well said, Les.

Sean many thanks (again!) for your continued efforts. Hopefully the increased thickness of the rubber wallpaper will be sufficient!

Thank you Sean for addressing this promply. I am encouraged by your appreciation of the different points of view...no pun intended. Thanks Les, for bringing to light the intentions of the post which I have known from the beginning since I visit the chatroom also. It was distasteful to me that it was only meant to provoke people.

mono said:

I hate narrow minded ideas and thought they would not happen in a wide international group...

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Is it narrow minded to stand up for you own individual moral standards or to have different moral standards than others?

roteague said:

Is it narrow minded to stand up for you own individual moral standards or to have different moral standards than others?

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To have different moral standards from others is not narrow-minded.

To stand up for your moral standards is not narrow-minded.

But to assume that everyone else would be better off if they had the same moral standards as you do, is narrow-minded.

Ole said:

But to assume that everyone else would be better off if they had the same moral standards as you do, is narrow-minded.

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That doesn't excuse lack of consideration or common courtesy towards others.

"Common courtesy" is entirely independent from morality, ethics, religion or whatever. As long as it's not confused with "common sense", which in the majority of cases is neither.

It might be connected to that mythical quantity called "taste", however.

Ole said:

To have different moral standards from others is not narrow-minded.

To stand up for your moral standards is not narrow-minded.

But to assume that everyone else would be better off if they had the same moral standards as you do, is narrow-minded.

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And, that cuts both ways.

Telling someone with a "closed" mindset that he would be better off "open" is narrow-minded.

Ole's post leaves does leave that open, so I am being redundant.

Personally, I think everyone would be better off with a nice old camera, a lot of film and a lot of time to shoot. When I was young, the first two were harder to come by...now it is the last part that I need.

Matt

It is great to see that Sean has come up with a good solution.

I think this whole thing is the result of such growth in the site - and growth is always a bit painful.

Les McLean said:

The conversation ended with an agreement to meet in a pub local to Scott and have a Guiness or two when I next visit America.

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Be sure to have him bring along his portfolio of male nudes for you to look at while you're hoisting those pints. There are some really impressive photographs in it. I sincerely hope that all this brouhaha doesn't overshadow that fact to the point where the community doesn't take his photography seriously. As far as I'm concerned that would be the real loss in all of this.

I think this is a very sad day for APUG. A vocal minority has now dictated how the site should be run. They have also cost Sean money.

Those who do not like what they see should take responsibility for their own lives and not expect the rest of us to have to fit in with the way they want things. You might lose your job if you view nudity at work? Then don't browse the bloody internet when you should be working! Your child might see nudity? Then make sure your child isn't in the same room when you view the site!
It isn't rocket science!

Les McLean said:

......and have a Guiness or two

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My tastebuds are burning. Did someone say Guinness?

Andy K said:

Those who do not like what they see should take responsibility for their own lives and not expect the rest of us to have to fit in with the way they want things. You might lose your job if you view nudity at work? Then don't browse the bloody internet when you should be working! Your child might see nudity? Then make sure your child isn't in the same room when you view the site!

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My grandfather told me that common sense isn't so common. Especially today, where everyone is to blame and take responsibility but oneself.

Regards, Art.