DPR

[BobDavid]

Phil Askey founded DPR well over a decade ago. Many years ago, he sold the site to Amazon. Since then, DPR has lost credibility among much of the audience Phil cultivated.

DPR's camera reviews have slipped--they lack Phil's rigor. In general, DPR's editorial direction is stumbling. While LL has, as of late, been publishing outstanding articles on the homepage, not true for the other.

I've been banned from the site by Barnaby "Barney" Bnritton, senior editor. Many longtime DPR readers have noted the editorial staff is intolerant of critical feedback.

The open forums have not changed much. Fanboys, trolls, gossipers, and educated contributors still find much to chat about. However, the editorial staff monitors these forums to ensure critical comments about DPR do not go unnoticed.
 
I think one of the reasons DPR has lost it's umph is because its staff becomes emotionally entangled with readers who are critical of original content. If I were in their shoes, I'd expend my energy by publishing super high quality content and by working hard to raise the bar.

I shudder to think how many readers make purchasing decisions based on DPR's recommendations.

[amolitor]

Endless reams of lightweight click-bait is the order of the day.

Petapixel is, by some wide margin, the most visited and prominent photography web site out there, and it's mostly listicles, recycled content from other web sites, with a thin larding of original content about not very much. But they have new content constantly. You can visit petapixel a couple times a day and find something new every time you click. Novelty is the only thing that matters, it needn't be any good, it need only be new.

The same is true for a class of photographer, interestingly. If you want to be internet-famous as a photographer you've got to be churning out pictures at a rate of >1 a day, on average. You can post a handful every two or three days, but drop below that rate and people stop dropping by. There's nothing to see on your feed/blog/web-site, I hit refresh like 6 times and it was the same so I'm outta here.

[BobDavid]

I sent this to the DPR senior editor.

I acknowledge being blocked from DPR. I am sure your parent company does not appreciate it when readers challenge and dismiss content or criticize editorial staff.  Your security depends on paid advertising and the volume of sales Amazon realizes through DPR.

Why do you get defensive when someone singles you out for being lucky to have a cushy job? After all, most people would love to earn a living doing what they are passionate about--in your case photography, writing, and socializing.

I hope you and your staff are able to improve DPR. One way to do that is by paying attention to your readers, especially those who are critical. Rather than getting riled up and reacting to every taunt, take things in stride, pause, consider, and then move on.

No doubt you and your staff have good intentions. But intentions are often derailed by engaging in petty tit-for-tats.

I am a gadfly. I've challenged editors, politicians, and academics throughout my adult life. In return, I've been targeted. The weak throw stones while the strong either ignore or take note. The ratio of former to the latter is 10:1. That's okay. 10% is a satisfying return on investment.

Sincerely,

Bob

[TomFrerichs]

I, too, have noticed a certain defensiveness on the part of DPR's editorial staff, but then I scan that web site mostly for the entertainment value. 

[BobDavid]

I think it has become more of an entertainment and infomercial site than a news and information site. I guess Amazon is happy with that.

[Telecaster]

IMO the DPR forums (well, the three I look at) are useful so long as you apply a strong filter to 'em. The fanboy/troll quotient is just par for the course with the Interwebs. I've rarely looked at anything else on the site since "the old days." Frankly, sites where commerce isn't the driving motivation are a small subset of the whole in any area of interest or pursuit where commerce is at all a factor.

-Dave-

[AlterEgo]

a certain defensiveness on the part of DPR's editorial staff

the same is here... with editorial staff.

[AlterEgo]

I shudder to think how many readers make purchasing decisions based on DPR's recommendations.

you can read DPR forums instead, the sections and topics with relevant discussions and there are plenty... one of the way to find an interesting topic is simply to track where people (nicknames) whom you are considering as a good read for yourself are posting there, that's it - very simple...

[Otto Phocus]

I got banned from Petapixel for pointing out, evidently one too many times, that the editors make no attempt at proof-reading what they post. 

DPR is the Jerry Springer show of photography.  It is fun to watch the chair throwing.  One of my favourite threads was the one on civility.... it got uncivil pretty fast. 

[Colorado David]

I bought a book with tips on researching locations for landscape photography in national parks.  In the appendix, there was an entry suggesting that Ken Rockwell's site was a good place to look for equipment reviews.  I've begun to look at the rest of the book with some skepticism.

[NancyP]

Actually, Ken Rockwell's site is an adequate guide to old film-era Nikon F mount lenses (pre-AI, AI, AIS). Very helpful in learning the history of some inherited lenses. Manual Nikkor go-to sites:  Rockwell for the quick guide to manufacturing history, mir.com for the collector's comprehensive manufacturing history, Bjorn Roslett for the comments on lens strengths and weaknesses (and IR, if anyone cares) in actual use. I use some of the old lenses I inherited. There's something fun about those long-throw manual focus lenses.

DPR is good for the fora, if you ask a specific question, very often you will get some good answers from people who have the equipment of interest or recognize the species of interest - of course one has to evaluate the answers, but that's true anywhere.

[TomFrerichs]

David,

Just hope that the reference to Mr. Rockwell in the back was added by that intern that seems to be making mistakes everywhere.  Or at least gets the blame for the mistakes.

Tom (also hiding in Colorado)

[Telecaster]

Like many such sites KR's started off quite well, then degraded along with the desire/need to monetize. Given that current economic reality is what it is…we get what we get.

-Dave-