merge with http://www.hellophoto.co.nz

[keriboi]

really think you guys should do a merger with
http://www.hellophoto.co.nz
most of us are on both forums lol

Dane

[David]

interesting suggestion... I think some of hellophoto's users are on here but not all. I would appreciate feedback on what people think they get out of each site. We have both taken different strategies to attract members to the site.

Inherently it is the same idea yes, a vbulletin community for photographers in NZ but there are some obvious differences. No ads here, different colours, different functionality with vbulletin plugins etc...

Let me know what you think :)

[BaNaNaMaN]

I don't believe it is worth merging. There are HUNDREDS of photography sites, forums etc on the net. It doesnt mean you must join together. It is not about having a large user number I find this forum is a little more personal since most of the users know each other on some level.

my 10c worth

[smurff]

i agree with BaNaNaMaN
ive had a look at there site, probly wont head back there unless some one linked me there

-smurff

[David]

yea, i think people will go to hellophoto or here because it is their personal preference. If they want to go to just one or both then that is their choice, plus you will discuss with different personalities on both sites. Do you want two different types of chocolate cake to choose from, or just one?

It is purely coincidence that both sites were started around the same time and unaware made something quite similar. I believe hellophoto may or may not have started a little earlier than us?

[PureKiwi]

Don't merge i like this community how it is , i get feedback from all users and get to know most of the members more and its good seeing the admins takin part as well :P

I'm with Hello ( don't think iv even posted ) , i know D-Photo merged with them because lack of forum activity on d photo forums

[talan]

I'll post my 2c tommorow. Bit tired from the meet zzzZZZZ.com

[weka2000]

I belong to 3 photography forums I dont see the point in a merge.
They become to fragmented and busy. Then you get to many bosses trying to run the show and they split again.

Remember birds of a feather flock togather :)

[Airflore]

I don't see why it would be good to merge. This forum is good, I agree with BaNaNaMaN

[PureKiwi]

I'll post my 2c tommorow. Bit tired from the meet zzzZZZZ.com
Long Sleep Talan?

[talan]

Hi everyone,

First of all thanks for all the positive feedback and encouragement to keep our awesome forum separate from Hellophoto.

I will post my 2 cents in bullet points to keep it concise and so I don't bore everyone with a long essay. Also, if you are an active member of Hellophoto please do not get offended by my comments. They are purely my honest points of view.

First of all, no are not planning to merge with Hellophoto.
Why not?

I don't believe in merging with a forum which is backed by a commercial entity (D-Photo / Parkside Media).
I want to keep the forum ad-free until the ads actually benefit our members in some way. (Feel free to check both forums and compare the amount of advertising on theirs compared to ours).
We have more members here and we haven't had the help of any magazine publication or email out to a database.
I feel we have a much more relaxed / casual mood here. We all love photography and we are serious about our love for it, but we aren't too serious. There are some great discussions on our forum without the need to be so formal or serious.
On our forums, it feels like everyone talks with everyone, rather than a small handful of people talking in their own little group.
We have a diverse range of members here, all ages, all skill levels, both genders, different walks of life.
David and myself built this forum up with our own resources and with the key objective of getting photographers in NZ interacting with each other over the internet and translating that offline. I think we have done a good job so far and we're not going to just give it away like that.
I've meet a lot of new people and seen a lot of new friendships formed by this forum being the catalyst.
That's all I can think of :). Thanks for listening and a mega thanks to all the members who have put some of their time and effort to making Photographers Online NZ a huge success (Y).

Long live Photographers Online NZ - New Zealand's Photography Community :cool:

---------- Post added at 09:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:34 PM ----------

I belong to 3 photography forums I dont see the point in a merge.
They become to fragmented and busy. Then you get to many bosses trying to run the show and they split again.

Remember birds of a feather flock togather :)

Exactly. Too many chefs spoil the broth.

It's a bit like going clubbing, if you don't like the bar or the people in it you move on to the next until you find one where you feel comforable and enjoy :D.

OK enough metaphors, I could go on and on and on...