Dragon Posted 19 February , 2008 Share Posted 19 February , 2008 Martin, you have been the main person on the defensive about this project throughout this thread. whatever the volunteers do and spend... for the Project is done in their full knowledge of what the Project is and does. The phrase 'They are entitled to information about how the charge is justified.' is frankly rubbish. Nonsense. As a volunteer, unless you have the business plan, you do not have 'full knowledge'. As a volunteer, I am entitled to volunteer on any basis I wish. By volunteering, I become a stakeholder, and as a stakeholder I am entitled to know more than simply being told that my images are being sold on and the cost of the website is 'very high'. If my conditions for volunteering include transparency, that is my right. I am quite entitled to say that I will volunteer on the basis that I have more information available to me. you are at complete liberty to wash your hands of it and retire quietly. Which is of course what you want. However, as a potential volunteer (and the holder of a selection of images which the project wants) I am at liberty to ask awkward questions until I am satisfied. I am not the only person asking questions and expressing disquiet at the charges. The project is in the public domain, as is this thread; people are being polite; no-one (apart from you) is making ad hominem attacks; and telling people that we ought to write praise or nothing at all is against the spirit of the forum. Gwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MACRAE Posted 19 February , 2008 Share Posted 19 February , 2008 I am doing Cumbria and North Lancashire for the project. I couldn't care less who has copyright for the photos I send to Steve - I take them in my own time and at my own expense and pass them to him freely becasue I think it is worthwhile. I think a lot of end-users will too. In return, Steve emails me photos when I ask for them. Put something in - get something out. Andy. Like Andy I am covering some parts of Glasgow and could not care less who the copy right goes to . Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BattlefieldPhotographer Posted 20 February , 2008 Share Posted 20 February , 2008 Either you don't get the concept of loading lo-res photos or the math in the USA is different than Imperial math. Try 1.7 million times 50 k. You don't post 1 meg photos, you post 50 k (or less) photos. You use less space on the server and your page loads 100 times quicker for the majority of internet users on dial-up. It's obvious that this discussion is getting side tracked here. I don't have any bones to pick with anyone. I was trying to be helpfull in the beginning by offering advice based on my e xperience. Either I'm not getting my point across properly or there is something else going on here. I support any project that remembers our heroes but not a commercial venture that is only bent on making a dollar at the expense of volunteers. Consider this my last post in this thread. Not mine. I must remark that we are not disagreeing. I am well aware that when I click on an image I do not normally upload a 1 megabyte image. I am referring to storage, and you are referring to access. Nothing like an argument among allies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirkes Lamb Posted 20 February , 2008 Share Posted 20 February , 2008 Well said Martin! I read many of the posting on the forum generally (not just this subject) and it appears that many people like to windge or are self appointed experts. Simple folks - if you dont like it, dont join! You are not after all like some unfortunates over the years conscripted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirkes Lamb Posted 20 February , 2008 Share Posted 20 February , 2008 I have supplied thousands of images to both sites and others too and am more than happy to let them use them for the project and is someone is prepared to pay a fee for the image and this goes towards maintaining the sites-fine by me. To take thes photos, I have travelled well out of my way on many occasions, braves temperatures in excess of 100 degrees, been surrounded by not too friendly faces and on one occasion in Egypt was questioned by the police as to my reasons for doing it! Do I give up-no, do I complain about the fees-no, do I criticise the sit-no, do the complainers get on my nerves-yes, will I continue to support these projects-yes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 20 February , 2008 Share Posted 20 February , 2008 The war graves project website says that help is ‘very much appreciated’. I took some photos for the project in its previous incarnation, but because it fell into disarray, I decided to hold on to my pictures. Now the project has reappeared in another form, I decide to look into sending my photos to the organisers. I found that if someone wants my photos, which I would like them to have for free, they have to make a suggested donation of £3 which it turns out is actually a charge. Even the volunteers and organisers are confused about whether it’s a charge or a donation. It’s a guideline minimum donation on the website but by post 127 here it has become a compulsory charge. Quite reasonably, I ask how the charge has been arrived at. I am not the only one asking questions. Constructive criticism courteously expressed earlier in the thread has been dismissed as ‘unworthy’ or rejected as it’s assumed that the writers don’t volunteer. There has not been one single factual explanation of what the charges comprise. It seems as if £3 might have been picked because the NA charge a similar amount (for far more complex material backed up by a professional staff). People asking questions are dismissed as slagging off the project, whingers, complainers, who apparently are getting on the nerves of the project defenders and making them feel sick. My views are apparently ‘frankly rubbish’ and it’s been suggested that I should wash my hands of it (ie "get lost, Gwyn") and ‘retire quietly’. Whether questioners are getting on individuals’ nerves or not is irrelevant. I would suggest that the antagonistic and defensive attitudes of those people who are apparently heavily involved in the project is more offensive than the questions being asked, because the questions have been asked politely and with some expressions of support for the project [see my posts 56, 68, 70 and 86, for example], yet some of the antagonism verges on breaching forum rules. Certainly in my mind it has damaged the project’s image. If a relative or researcher is being made to purchase my simple photos at £3 each for an emailed image, I would like to know how the charge has been levied. That is not unreasonable and the lack of anything other than obfuscation on this forum or the website is a legitimate concern. I’ve decided that the graves photos will remain in storage until I find a suitable home for them where the relatives can access them free. I have been thoroughly put off by the tone in some parts of this thread. If the project I am 'half of' ever charges anyone for images or information, I will take it off the Internet that day. Gwyn ________________________________________________________________________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denham Posted 20 February , 2008 Share Posted 20 February , 2008 Everyone from both sides of this discussion has had their say now and it is time to move on. This thread is temporarily closed so that tempers can cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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