Garden Railway Gallery - a POLL, please read.

[FWLR]

No offence taken Admin Team, bit strange though that in the post it states "I" quite a few times.

The reason for that is that "I" wrote that particular post from me but then put it up as from the Admin Team. This a a new account which any of the Admin Team have access to and they can make "Announcements" or comments which the team agree with rather than it coming from just one person.

Hope that makes some sense

Brilliant

Thank you Steve

[FWLR]

Keep on running a brilliant and enjoyable forum, I think it's the best on the interweb.......

Thanks Rod, much appreciated, let's hope we can all manage to keep it that way for the foreseeable future

So do I Steve.

[KjellAn]

I like the quarterly vote for the best garden railway picture. I have contributed with some pictures and also received good feedback.
I hope we can continue, and it inspires me to make nice scenes of my garden railway. If we do not always manage to make a miniature of the 12 inches to the foot, then it is worth a try.
To get more members to vote, administrators should perhaps send more reminders.

[ge_rik]

Interesting the way the discussion is developing. Before Philip posted this poll I had sent him a message saying that my choice of title for the next competition was going to be "My favourite ....... " My thinking was that this could cover a multitude of themes and even allow members to post a photo which they had taken a while ago but which they haven't been able to use because it doesn't fit any categories.

I'm sorry if it has come across that those who post photos and vote appear to be part of a clique. It certainly doesn't feel that way to me. The competition is open to everyone on the forum and anyone is free to vote. I'm not a competitive person by nature and am not particularly interested in winning. I didn't even know England was in the Euro football competition until the story appeared on the front page of my newspaper last week - I never read the sports section! I usually enter the photo competition because I want to keep the forum active. I think there were only two or three photos when I posted my last one a few days before the deadline. The scene took me about ten minutes to set up and snap, then I got on with other jobs.

Maybe admin team members should be barred from entering? That wouldn't bother me. It would save me having to find or take something suitable. Alternatively or additionally, I suppose it would be possible for photos to be entered anonymously, so there could be no accusations of bias in the voting. Though, I suspect most of the regular contributors would quickly recognise stock and features on other regular posters' railways.

I have no particular preferences for how the discussion evolves and what is the eventual outcome. I think the aim of the competition was to help create a sense of community, but if it is having a divisive impact then maybe we should ditch it.

Rik

[philipy]

I do like the idea of a rolling stock "type" (age/power/build/etc) category, as an alternative to railway scenes i.e. set piece dioramas, and for those of us that do not buildings or many people because we like to just "run" trains.

Just a quick comment on this. Whilst i do understand your point, the theme each quarter is set by the previous quarters winner and there are no set categories as such. Personally I would have no objection whatsover if a theme were to be set as "Brake vans in action" for example ( picking a random thought), I do fear that it could be even more restrictive?

[philipy]

Following Jimmy's thoughts on categories and subjects, I thought it might be useful to look at the 'stats' for previous Galleries. So these are all of the subjects, number of entries and total number of votes cast:

"My Railway" 11 entries 41 votes

"Railway scenery" 12 entries 41 votes

"On track" 10 entries 24 votes

"Freight train, Freight train..." 7 entries 27 votes

"Winter on the garden railway" 9 entries 27 votes

"Lineside industries " 8 entries 27 votes

"Railway idyll " 6 entries 15 votes

"Autumn garden railway" 12 entries 25 votes

"Funny people and situations on the Garden Railway" 4 entries 26 votes

"Working on the Railway" 8 entries 18 votes

Make what you will of those figures, but actually only a couple of the themes are specificaly aimed towards 'scenery' in its broadest sense, other than that it is down to individual interpretation - if your idea of a Railway Idyll is a powerful loco working hard with a long train, that is equally as valid as a bucolic scene with dappled sunlight at the end of the day.

[philipy]

I'm sorry if it has come across that those who post photos and vote appear to be part of a clique. It certainly doesn't feel that way to me. The competition is open to everyone on the forum and anyone is free to vote. I'm not a competitive person by nature and am not particularly interested in winning.

The only way to avoid this perception is for more people to enter and more to vote.

I didn't even know England was in the Euro football competition until the story appeared on the front page of my newspaper last week - I never read the sports section!

Phew... I thought I was the only one in the entire country!

I usually enter the photo competition because I want to keep the forum active.
Maybe admin team members should be barred from entering? That wouldn't bother me. It would save me having to find or take something suitable.

Me too, although that would reduce the quarterley tally by 2 or three each time and I really would have to question the point of it all.

Alternatively or additionally, I suppose it would be possible for photos to be entered anonymously, so there could be no accusations of bias in the voting. Though, I suspect most of the regular contributors would quickly recognise stock and features on other regular posters' railways.

I think you are right that entries woudl be recognised one way or another, plus the only way to create a semblance of anonymity would be for entries to be sent to me and I then post them on behalf of each individual member. That would make for more hassle all round and since simplicity seems to be required, I suspect it woud be a retrograde step.

I have no particular preferences for how the discussion evolves and what is the eventual outcome. I think the aim of the competition was to help create a sense of community, but if it is having a divisive impact then maybe we should ditch it.

I must say that so far I don't see it as divisive, the poll still has about a week to run, but so far there seems to be a call for a revision to the format which is fine. My intention has always been that we should start a discussion in a new thread in week or 10 days time by asking for simple 'one liner' suggestions for debate -
I said " IN A WEEK OR 10 DAYS", so please would nobody jump the gun??!!

[FWLR]

Interesting the way the discussion is developing.

Glad to see you think there is a discussion already Rik. What's the point of a forum if you can't discuss anything on a forum...

Rik wrote
Maybe admin team members should be barred from entering? That wouldn't bother me. It would save me having to find or take something suitable.

I agree with that, not that it would make any difference to whether I post a photo or not, it may encourage more members, who knows.

Rik wrote
Though, I suspect most of the regular contributors would quickly recognise stock and features on other regular posters' railways.

I think any member would recognise stock and features on any members line, those that go onto the forum daily would anyway.

[ge_rik]

Rik wrote
Maybe admin team members should be barred from entering? That wouldn't bother me. It would save me having to find or take something suitable.

I agree with that,.....

More than happy to comply, Rod

Rik

[Peter Butler]

Rik wrote
Maybe admin team members should be barred from entering? That wouldn't bother me. It would save me having to find or take something suitable.

I agree with that,.....

More than happy to comply, Rod

Rik

I disagree entirely with anyone being barred from entering an open competition. We must all be treated equally with no favouritism, no one knows how individuals vote so there is nothing to be gained. Also, there is no need to feel obliged to enter 'something suitable', just give it a miss.

[Jimmyb]

I disagree entirely with anyone being barred from entering an open competition. We must all be treated equally with no favouritism, no one knows how individuals vote so there is nothing to be gained. Also, there is no need to feel obliged to enter 'something suitable', just give it a miss.

Peter I am with you, though I do think if the photos could be made anonymous, it would not matter if the entry was from the admin team, as we wouldn't know.

[ge_rik]

.......... Also, there is no need to feel obliged to enter 'something suitable', just give it a miss.

I quite often do give the competition a miss if I feel there are already plenty of entries. However, if it looks like there are only a few entries, I feel the urge to post a photo to make it a bit more interesting for those who vote. As mentioned earlier, I'm not that interested in winning, just wanting to keep the forum ticking along.

Rik

[Andrew]

I'm not that interested in winning, just wanting to keep the forum ticking along.

What? With the massive cash prize??!

Oh. Hang on...

[Lonsdaler]

I'm not that interested in winning, just wanting to keep the forum ticking along.

What? With the massive cash prize??!

Oh. Hang on...

Dang! What did I miss? More effort required

[FWLR]

I feel has though members think I don't want the competition to carry on. You couldn't be more wrong. I love looking at members photos no matter what they do. Just to see how members achieve their love of our hobby is something I look forward too and also to see if I can do something equally as brilliant.


I also seem to have missed that pot of money.....

[musket the dog]

Hi everyone,

Might I shake all the dust off of my account and post a reply as one of those people guilty of regularly viewing the forum but not contributing? The only reason I have not voted for the poll previously is because until the general message went up in the Announcements section I was completely unaware of it.

I do really enjoy seeing pictures of people's lines but I tend to head to the 'Railways & Layouts' part of the forum for that so generally speaking the 'Photographs' section has been something of a stranger to me. Maybe more people would find their way along to vote if the thread was easier to find? Even logging in this morning it took me a couple of goes to remember where to find the sub-section for the competition so I could see how this thread was getting on.

Whatever form it takes now I will make sure I vote from now on. I don't have my own line at the moment but I don't feel that precludes me from entering, it just has to be my picture after all, no one said it had to be my line, or stock, or even a new photo (I think?). I don't feel particularly intimidated by the moderators entering, if it means we get some more great pictures then go for it. Depending on the particular theme I also feel that posed photos are entirely reasonable also. We're taking photos of model railways, not bird or the sunset, none of it is there by chance.

All the best,
Ricky

[-steves-]

Hi everyone,

Might I shake all the dust off of my account and post a reply as one of those people guilty of regularly viewing the forum but not contributing? The only reason I have not voted for the poll previously is because until the general message went up in the Announcements section I was completely unaware of it.

All the best,
Ricky

Hi Ricky

At the top of the page there are 3 lines with "Quick Links" against it. If you click on that, there is an option to view various posts. I always use the "New Posts" option as it instantly tells me what topics have been updated since I last looked and it does them in newest order as well. Really handy to know, also the other options can be useful too

Glad to see you have dusted off the account and logged back in, great to see you back

[philipy]

I don't have my own line at the moment but I don't feel that precludes me from entering, it just has to be my picture after all, no one said it had to be my line, or stock, or even a new photo (I think?). I don't feel particularly intimidated by the moderators entering, if it means we get some more great pictures then go for it. Depending on the particular theme I also feel that posed photos are entirely reasonable also. We're taking photos of model railways, not bird or the sunset, none of it is there by chance.

Hi Ricky, thanks for the input.
FYI, and anyone else who hasn't seen them, these are the rules as posted at the beginning of the Gallery:

"taking into account the various comments and thoughts, these are the rules:

1) To reduce the chances of focusing (!) on the photoshop arguments, it will be called "The Quarterly Garden Railway Gallery" ( QGRG) i.e. not a 'competition' although there will be voting for the best entry each quarter- best being defined however the individual voter chooses.

2) Only one picture may be submitted by each entrant, but that picture may be replaced up until the closing date. Each picture must have a Title.

3) A picture does not have to be taken specifically, it can be one you took years previously, if you think it fits the theme.

4) The photographs submitted must be taken by the entrant themselves, and preferably either of their own models, or of visitors to their railway, or their own stock when visiting another line.

5) The same photograph may not be entered into the QGRG more than once, but that does not exclude a picture which has been seen, for instance, in a thread on the forum, a blog, magazine article, etc.

6) Basic editing will be allowed. i.e straightening, cropping, resizing, but advanced techniques such as adding smoke or steam effects, adding background pictures, etc, will not be permitted. This does not exclude for instance, using temporary physical screens to hide unsightly backgrounds before taking a photo.

7) The winning entry allows the submitter to choose next the quarters theme, but he/she is barred from entering the theme they have chosen, to make things fair. The theme chosen should bear in mind that the membership stretches from the Antipodes to northern Canada and Russia, so climatic conditions vary hugeley at any given time!

8] There will be 4 Quarterly Galleries per year, December, March, June, September ( not Winter, Spring, etc, to avoid 'seasonalising', given the international membership).

9) Entries will be permitted up to 15th of the Quarter month and voting will take place between 15th and 25th. All members may vote irrespective of whether they have entered. The winner will be confirmed by 30th/31st of the quarter month. The winner will be expected to propose the next theme by 7th of the following month."

Regarding your point about the visibility of it, we have a bit of a quandry. It is only open to registered members, so making it visible to the whole world could allow any passing Tom, Dick and Harry to stick their two penn'orth in, and enter and vote for all sorts of irrelevant rubbish.

[Jimmyb]

Regarding your point about the visibility of it, we have a bit of a quandry. It is only open to registered members, so making it visible to the whole world could allow any passing Tom, Dick and Harry to stick their two penn'orth in, and enter and vote for all sorts of irrelevant rubbish.

In my opinion, this (registered members only) is important, and whatever (if any) changes made this must remain

[musket the dog]

Thank you for the extra info chaps, I wasn't aware of the useful stuff in the quick links list either, I will make sure to make use of it

Thank you as well for pointing out the rules too, I hadn't made it that far through. I can't say that anything in there looks intimidating, or would put me off having a go.

I think I'm a little confused regarding the non-registered members thing though. If I log out and view the forum as an unregistered visitor I can still find my way to the correct part of the forum and see the entry and voting topics (and this poll) but obviously I can't vote or post. Should I not be able to see it at all?

Now that I'm familiar with the location of the sub-forum it's no problem at all, it was just a case of breaking old habits to see that it was there in the first place