The Aims and Purpose Statement for OPF

We started OPF n 2006 with the idea of an open place to share photography. We wanted the best in our work. We recognized that we all have our own personal journey to make with photography, being one of our passions, needs, sustenance or entertainment.

I have likened OPF to bering in a practical simple yellow tour bus, (the basic kind that schools use, not pretentious), each of us having our own reason for traveling together for a while. Just be nice to the others in the tour bus and we help each other on the way.

Right now, we happen to be upgrading to a major new version of Vbulletin that has lots of goodies people have requested, like video and ability to zoom in on images. So I thought this was a good time to also look at the chain of consequence from "what we want of OPF" and down the road ask what do we need to achieve that.

In industry, there's talk of a "Mission Statement". This directs the formation of Goals and then in turn tools to implement them. In a living room setup, such as OPF seeks to be, however, there's more of a need to have an emphasis on personal feelings and social aspects. Still we want to achieve a high standard of photography exchange, that is a serious overriding desire here. So, in OPF, then, we have a blending of personal interaction for leisure and friendship together with a high level support for each other in our passion for photography. If asked what out aim here is, I might start off with the following:

We aim to provide a nurturing alive place where we can promote and enable celebration of, enjoyment in and improvement of our photography by exchange of views, so that we make pictures that have greater value to us.

How might you improve on this statement that I have offered? We're not lookIng to change the character of OPF, but to express what's great about what we do and might aim to do in the future. I'm asking if we need or can get more clarity. So the topic is based on the assumption that you do indeed like coming to OPF and might help us focus better on our aims. So this is an exercise in looking to what you do value and want to promote here. That's the narrow question and then stating that succinctly.

Thanks for your contributions,

Asher

This might be edited to keep on topic. What you don't like is not for this particular discussion.

Sorry, Asher, I seriously don't see how that statement can be improved. It's perfect as it is. A statement about the value of the community here and friendships formed might follow, but that statement is the core of OPF.

Asher Kelman said:

WIIFM measure of relevance, "What's in it for me":

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Hi Asher, and fellow OPF-ers,

It might be interesting to get some feedback about the reasons why people decided to subscribe to OPF in the first place, and e.g. if they would recommend others doing so today, and why. I don't want to steer the reactions, so I won't give examples but it would be helpful to understand what people like about being part of the OPF community, or what they are getting from it.

Cheers,
Bart

Ah, well, in that case: I'm here to learn (which I have ... remember "my river?") and to connect with a community of people I respect and have grown fond of.

Having been here less than a week I must say I like it here.Critisism is delivered as would a good teacher.Gentle and without animus.Praise without fawning.Thanks for the forum and as stated above that would be difficult to improve upon.

Bart_van_der_Wolf said:

Hi Asher, and fellow OPF-ers,

It might be interesting to get some feedback about the reasons why people decided to subscribe to OPF in the first place, and e.g. if they would recommend others doing so today, and why. I don't want to steer the reactions, so I won't give examples but it would be helpful to understand what people like about being part of the OPF community, or what they are getting from it.

Cheers,
Bart

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I agree, asking "What was it that brought you to OPF?" might help us polish what our mission. We need to know where these motivations were fulfilled and also where we fall short. (But the latter is for the next stage, measuring our functioning and I'd like to address things in good order If we do get such responses, we'll transfer them to a new thread for that topic as needed).

Asher

Minor rewrite:

Mission: To provide a living, nurturing place where we promote, enjoy, and celebrate improvement of our photography by exchange of views, ideas, and techniques so that our images might have greater value to us and our loved ones.

This place really grows on me. I don't yet feel like I belong here; but, that's my problem.

Hi Winston is great to have your approval and creative modification! Question, why did you register and what is the experience compared to your expectations?

Would you, or anyone else have any substantive modifications to the tentative mission statement, IOW, any changes in in direction or focus. The idea, here is to go from the beginning and check how we view ourselves and our mission. This is important since from that we can derive how to serve you better.

This is a unique opportunity for us to ask what do we want about OPF that's makes it worth the effort. Does the tentative statement I have offered express this or should it be something different. If we get this right, them the subsequent re-examination of goals serves exactly what we believe we want and need for OPF.

Since we thought a lot about the philosophy of OPF, it's likely that my ideas are on track, but that's my view and that's likely very biased! This is not the ten commandments, written in stone. So go ahead, comment and add your ideas, even if it's a statement of what you want in OPF or why you came or why you tolerate what you don't like for that which you love.

The job is is to examine the objectives of OPF and how we best express that as our "aim". IOW, what are we trying to give to this community we have come to be part of.

Asher

See below...

Asher Kelman said:

Hi Winston is great to have your approval and creative modification! Question, why did you register and what is the experience compared to your expectations?
I had no expectations when I got here. In fact, I don't rememger how I got here...it was probably a Google search looking for God-knows-what. I remebering discovering a couple of people that I had met on the old Pixmantec forum...Stuart Rae and Michael Tapes. So I hung around and got hooked. I was looking for something better than the mind-numbing DPReview-type sites.

Would you, or anyone else have any substantive modifications to the tentative mission statement, IOW, any changes in in direction or focus. The idea, here is to go from the beginning and check how we view ourselves and our mission. This is important since from that we can derive how to serve you better.
I think it's fine.

This is a unique opportunity for us to ask what do we want about OPF that's makes it worth the effort. Does the tentative statement I have offered express this or should it be something different. If we get this right, them the subsequent re-examination of goals serves exactly what we believe we want and need for OPF.
From this point on, it's hard to repond without some ide of who "we & us" are.

Since we thought a lot about the philosophy of OPF, it's likely that my ideas are on track, but that's my view and that's likely very biased! This is not the ten commandments, written in stone. So go ahead, comment and add your ideas, even if it's a statement of what you want in OPF or why you came or why you tolerate what you don't like for that which you love.

The job is is to examine the objectives of OPF and how we best express that as our "aim". IOW, what are we trying to give to this community we have come to be part of.

Asher

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I've haunted the more common nature photography websites for many years, in several cases almost from the day of their births. They offer basic, and consistently sound, critiques of photos submitted by members. Their large memberships covers a huge range of photographic expertise, and for very good reasons, advice cannot venture too far from the basics: exposure, composition, processing, and etc.

Unfortunately, anyone stuck in this "basic, consistently sound" mode will, with any luck, be able to create predictable photos, just like everyone else following along.

So, to address the questions regarding my reason for registering and my expectations: OPF owns, and probably should own more of, the beyond-predictable realm of photo critique and advice. Not to say that OPF has the last word, but the folks at OPF often offer insights rarely found elsewhere. This might play some part in a mission statement.

Just my thoughts, and probably not particularly helpful.

Tom Robbins said:

So, to address the questions regarding my reason for registering and my expectations: OPF owns, and probably should own more of, the beyond-predictable realm of photo critique and advice. Not to say that OPF has the last word, but the folks at OPF often offer insights rarely found elsewhere. This might play some part in a mission statement.

Just my thoughts, and probably not particularly helpful.

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Hi Tom,

On the contrary, most helpful. We seek to improve OPF, and therefore need to understand what really motivates people, instead of assuming it (which is unavoidably colored by our own view).

Thanks,
Bart

Asher Kelman said:

Ruben,

Does your concept require the entire plate. Don't be led astray by my question, but if you do not actually need everything then look at your work again.

Asher

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I´m here for questions like this one.

There is a huge variety of talent here and then there is the new photographer. Respect here seems to be the top priorty of the members.

Kathy Rappaport said:

There is a huge variety of talent here and then there is the new photographer. Respect here seems to be the top priorty of the members.

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We are looking for the words, wherever they might originate, that would serve, on their own, as the "Aim and Purpose" of OPFs service [to our community]. This is akin to the "Mission Statement" in a business venture/charity.

We, however, are a virtual living room, not a business venture, at least not of now. I never have liked the term "Mission Statement" anyway. However, it does serve a greart purpose as the starting point for one's plan of action.

So, discarding of Mission Statement, I chose the words Aim and Purpose instead. The function of OPF is far more selfish than a charity and much less so than less so than a corporation! We are also definitely not missionaries! We certainly do not want to make abstract artists out of wedding photographers! We do not have a conviction that B&W is better than color or film superior to digital imaging. Still, we're not agnostic. On the contrary. But we do not have a mission to imprint a set of ideas. Rather we wish to expand a sense of facilitation and openness to expression. It's of novel concepts we enjoy. We foster explorations of the human experience of entertainment by images and the interest they generate in us. However, the last thing we wish to do is inject any values other than the that of openness and the way photographic images might be more effective in having value to us and our culture.

This is not an inconsequential exercise. We hope to use it to improve what we do.

Asher

Hello Everyone,

What brought me here first was the quality and variety of the photographs. Then later the quality of the feedback instead of just "good shot." And then the respect shown each other by the members making us feel a part of the community even if we're just beginning. I know it's helped me feel welcome and I do appreciate the thoughtful feedback.

Asher, might you consider the possibility that no improvement is needed?

Rachel Foster said:

Asher, might you consider the possibility that no improvement is needed?

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Rachel,

Hard to evaluate right now. We'll study what's written here and what's by some other rout

Unfortunately, we develop some affinity for whatever idea we contrive in a moment of inspiration. With accolades here, it's even harder to re-sculpt the core ideas even if the are not as well formed, as they should be.

The more we know why folk came and why they stay the nearer we'll be to refining out aims and Purposes.

Asher

Down the road, we'll look at where we fall short in these aspirations.

Ok, no accolades, no praise, just fact: I think it's working wonderfully as it is. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." That's my $.02 which is worth.....maybe $.01!

Rachel,

This effort is done in order to progress logically to goals and methods of implementation so that we serve our community as best we can.

So we're still open for feedback.

Asher

And you always have been! That's why it works so well. Now, I realize other folks have different opinions and that is only MY opinion. Certainly, everyone needs to be heard. (And when did you ever know me to hesitate to speak my mind? Ha!)