I think that’s my cue to offer clarification, again :
You will notice we have about TWO advertisers. We’ve eliminated all conflict of interest advertising (as per my father’s original MO). We may add more, but we don’t answer to advertisers nor mutate the site’s quality or culture for them.
The numbers which reflect the strength of the site reside elsewhere.
Our subscriptions are actually growing (including statistically to last year etc). This keeps the lights on and glowing. This growth is largely due to the age of the site and it’s subsequent score on google which is 1.5 million. It ranks incredibly high when people search for almost anything photography related. Those searchers then begin their journey into Lula.
View counts on older articles are more robust than in the last few years (again, reasons for attraction are age/google strength/cool new articles) and most importantly new articles being published are seeing 10 to 20x the shares and views ever (!!) IE the latest:
https://luminous-landscape.com/I appreciate the sentiment shared and share the concern for not seeing exhausting and nasty discourse. I do.
It was not my decision to remove or reinstate political threads. I stay mostly clear of meddling with the forum as it is a common space.
I’m personally (hesitantly) for political threads. Why ? Because otherwise there is a bubbling pressure in other threads, this space alleviates this build up and allows people to express.
The moderation is important, as are people’s temperance and civility. Even better would be some things like levity and compassion, especially by people with long standing relationships. Life is short.
I think people can make cases without humiliating or hurling ad hominem frantic pride shots at each-other.
I mean, you’re going to see each other at the park the next day! Learn to play with your adversary.
I hope people hear the concern though, and once again reflect on it.
The site can afford to have political threads if people use this space as an example of how discourse and disagreement (even high stakes and heated) can be done among a community bound by a common passion.
Thanks
Josh