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It used to be a good site. Now it is home to thieves, liars, and so many fake IDs with fake friends that there is absolutely no reliability as to who is who. There are a few psychopaths and narcissists who absolutely ruin the social scene for everyone in the lounge area. If you are looking for honest opinions or critiques, you won't find it in the contest gallery or even in the critique board, where 3 people rule the roost. Now Admin has taken to deleting or blocking longtime members in favorite of a completely made-up ID who kisses everyone's ### to get what she wants (if it really is a she - no one knows) and who outright steals copyright protected images and posts them as her own. Admin knows this and chooses to have their ### kissed, too, instead of acting responsibly. SAMSUNG should know what is going on here and shut it down.
This website is really frustrating. I have enough points to rank up two levels and yet I know at the end of the month I will only jump one level. Plus, it makes me super upset that people don't take the time to look through the entire month of photos. It is like they vote on the most recent ones only. It is really sad. There are so many great photographers who get no credit. I honestly feel "professionals" should not be allowed to submit because they take the glory from amateurs like myself and many of the others on there. I mean, we are trying to win a camera (as far as I know) and these professionals (most of them) already have all the great equipment and cameras that I don't have. I really don't think anyone even wins anything. And since I don't have a high enough level, I can't post a message or comment. People are very mean on this site and it doesn't seem like admin cares enough. I am not saying I am the most amazing photographer there is, but I take some darn good photos and it really stings me that this site is the way it is. I vote on lots of photos and leave really nice comments, not even caring if the person wins over me. I was actually so very excited when I ranked up to being able to vote! I just wish there were others who feel the same way. I have had the same amount of points for two weeks and actually today was the first I have been on in over a week. It is not worth my time.
Terrible. Not worth messing around with. a lot of my photos have been ignored. absolutely stay away from this site.
As an active member of the critique board and message board on soaphoto.com, I am sorry that this has been he reviewer's experience. This has not been mine. I will not argue that the site is for everyone, but I do not agree with most of the review. Admittedly, there is little ability to verify the user behind the username, but this is common in many online communities and regular forum users are generally careful not to provide personal information too early, if at all. I have been on the site for 6 years. Only two people I have met through the site have my phone number and last name and they were a husband/wife team I had met in person. Soaphoto acts like family - sometimes supportive, sometimes dysfunctional, mostly supportive. Admittedly the contest has been stalled for years and there is some confusion over who earns Top Pics, but I have found no other site online (or even in-person group) that provides the 24/7 feedback that can be obtained through the site. (Most of us have our work in other venues for the purpose of competition.) You may not always agree with the feedback, but it's available for consideration. Additionally, though it is true that at one time few people participated in the critique board and one or two members carried the load, it has become more popular and a wider range of opinions are being discussed. If the reviewer did not like the feedback being given, he/she should have spoken up and share insights of his/her own. That is what art is about, in my opinion: the discussion. Finally, the review referred to the drama between users. To be fair, some users are dramatic, but most are not. If you want to stay away from controversy, you can. In six years I'm sure I've voiced many unpopular opinions, but I have only twice been the target of a petty "personal attack". In both cases I rolled my eyes and it passed without incident. It's the risk you take when you interact with people. It only gets dramatic if you allow it to get dramatic. If it gets offensive, admin does what it feels is necessary to maintain the community atmosphere of the boards. If the reviewer is displeased with this or any online community, I encourage them to find a community that better fits his/her needs; but to recommend that a site be closed at the expense of many innocent people indicates to me that this reviewer has personal issues with the site that are beyond the general experience of the members (most of whom, actually, only use the contest portion to share their work and never venture into the Lounges). I, albeit just one, value soaphoto and what it offers to me. Even thought soaphoto is not currently top priority for Samsung, I hope they allow the site to remain open. The value lies in the community and access to feedback. If there is a better site online for such things, I would like to know. Regarding copyright, many of us in the soaphoto community are protective of copyright and will let new members (or even veterans) know that the 'contest' is for original works only. Sometimes there is some debate over the use of brushes and royalty-free art in photo edits, but generally there is little tolerance for individuals claiming works from other sites, historic masters, and friends of ours to be works of their own. If anything, I'm sure a few individuals who thought soaphoto.com was a place to share favorite online images were surprised by the community feedback they received (reminding them of copyright laws and the purpose of the soaphoto.com site). Several who were expecting to fly under the radar have been surprised by the vigilance of the community. Again, I started digital photography with the help of the soaphoto community and have learned a lot from them in the process. I don't agree with all of the advice/reactions to my work, but that's the beauty of art. I don't have to. We can agree to disagree and still enjoy the discussion.