Just Quit A Group

Interesting, I'm not part of that group, however, I thought those groups which required mandatory participation were closed by the admins? No?

We probably do not want to be naming names here out of respect for other artists.

And, the posting of private emails onto the discussion boards is against the rules.

Rule #9

Abuse of the private messaging system, including pasting private conversations into a forum thread, will result in a revocation of private messaging.

To add: I have removed your letter.

Uhhh . . . thanks for letting us know. I didn't bother reading the memo you received but from your OP, It's definitely one I'd avoid in the future.

About your avatar - I find that demand highly unreasonable since your avatar on FAA is for your overall portfolio and not just their behind the scenes group.

Sounds like something FAA admin needs to look at and possibly address.


--Donna Proctor

Edit @ Jeffrey - I was typing while you were posting ;)

I stopped posting and participating in groups after a few of the admins periodically purge all images and then expect you to start uploading all over again @ 1 per day.

ideally any group that tells you that you have to:

change your avatar
change your keywords
change your description or add something related to that specific group - erase them.

they might think they are doing a good by telling people might work better, and a face can help sometimes, but its not a steadfast rule, it should be eye catching and easy to remember. like a solid black square might not be easy to remember, but yours is fine. but that's getting off topic. but yeah, a group is just a pile, many get a power trip running one.

in general, i don't look at the rules other than what they want in the title. and if they change it midway, too bad. if they send me a mail, i erase most of them anyway.

---Mike Savad

I was about to remove the letter Jeff as I did not realize that rule, but did not consider it a private letter as it was addressed
To everyone in the group and not specially to me. I never considered it private and I apolize for not realizing that, however, I did think
We were not required to promote others and it is irritating to be told you must change your picture and you must participate. I realize it is their group,but I
Am not allowed to make promoting mandatory in my group, and I never would do that.

Dave,
I just ran into that in a group that they cleaned out inventory or images by rejecting all images, even ones already accepted and in some case
Featured. Doesn't make you feel too wonderful to have dozens of images suddenly rejected.

Mike, its impossible to keep up with all the emails. Sometimes I have multiple from the same group.

that's why i don't bother reading them. if they send way too much mail, i drop the group, even if i'm featured. some feel they have to tell us everything - i just trimmed my toe nails.... who cares... out you go. i have over a 1000 groups, and i only get about 6 pieces of mail a day all of which are tossed before i even see them. no time to read that stuff. if they complain about what i enter, i drop them... who needs that? some are way to picky. and some are shocked that i would leave the group all because i didn't want to be annoyed by their pedantic rules. a few people actually wanted me to come back in after.

---Mike Savad

Rules rules rules and more rules, I hate rules. I would have quit also Denyse, sounds like someones on a power trip when they start spewing so many idiotic rules.

eh, plenty of other groups to choose from.

I do notice that when some people (not all people) start a group they get a "power trip" (for lack of a better term). I see FAA as a place to have fun so if I see any group administrator get too picky or too snooty I drop them.

It's not like it's going to be the end of the world for me just because I'm not part of some FAA group. They need people in order to even have a group. So they need us more than we need them.

--Roz Barron Abellera

Yeah, Meow.

I read that too, & found it quite unsettling.

I realize the groups are voluntarily run & joined - and they do great promoting your work.

I just can not fathom that someone would choose to make a demand on your choice of personal public appearance.

start your own group..you get to make your own rules then...

you can only join my group if you can lick your own eyebrows...etc.!

with my paws I can.

I tend to stay away from little dictators. I also don't like when the host of a contest tells you how you should vote! I don't mind suggestions, but when it's demanded that you can't vote for yourself, I assume they don't realize that it's primarily a way to assure your image gets on the leaderboard page because many will not go through the images any other way, especially if there is a large amount of entries.

I saw another one of those contest descriptions yesterday that started by warning and reprimanding people ahead of time, who "don't read the rules" and ended up with most of the page being a long description that you got so bored with, it made you not want to read all the time consuming unnecessary details.

Please, just keep it simple folks... short, concise, and to the point.

I got the same email Denyse and half way through reading it I deleted the email and my name from the group, also. There's plenty of other groups to join that don't threaten to delete you from the group for not following their new rules.

Eventually these same people will be begging someone to take over the group for them because no one follows the rules and its a time draining hassle to deal with. They become disenchanted with the reality that no one really cares.

There are plenty of groups, just move on till you find a fit. It is their playground in a group, and you're free to leave if you don't like the rules. So won't be worth complaining.
--mary ellen anderson

Groups do nothing to get your image sold. So it's just a vanity thing. I led a group on Abstractions and gave up on it when most of the images did not meet my idea of an abstraction. I mean if you submit a portrait and say it's an abstraction because it's just a face......ugh.

@ Brian - or anyone - how would they know if you voted for your own work - or someone else's work.

Roy, there is a check on who votes that can only be seen by the admin...........big brother IS watching !!!!!

it's ok, don't waste further time in such groups. if someone thinks they need to run a group that way they will lose members fast. recently i walked out of a handful of groups that began to become annoying, either new rules or elitism or the purging mania or simply because the group admin features purely by personal taste. admins generally mean well but they need to relax and ease off and face the fact that they won't be changing the art world - or even buyer behaviour - by standing an faa group on its head.

I got the same email and quit the group - I alone will decide what my avatar will be not a group admin and I chose not to follow the new rules!

Denyse, I quit one or two myself (and maybe more) because the admins became too demanding. In at least one case, I would say it was to the point of being abusive. Who needs that? There's no place for mistreatment on a fine-art website.

I'm proud of you, and pleased that you felt you could share it in a discussion group (though I never saw what was deleted). Doing so helps us all get over our own not-so-pleasant experiences and know that we're not alone.

@Brian - Regarding your comment, "I don't mind suggestions, but when it's demanded that you can't vote for yourself, I assume they don't realize that it's primarily a way to assure your image gets on the leaderboard page because many will not go through the images any other way, especially if there is a large amount of entries." EXACTLY! And if I didn't feel my entry was worthy of a vote, why would I have entered it in the contest in the first place?

post

Joining or quitting groups is a constant debate I have with myself. How can a group be designated as having "Very High" activity when the last posted images were 28 days ago?

And what are we supposed to do with a group that has been inactive for almost a year, and whose admin is no longer even a member of FAA? I removed all my images, but one of them is still being seen as the group's logo and I would prefer that it wasn't.

@valerie: ask abbie to close the group.

I have noticed over about 10 different groups now with way too many restrictions, specifications etc...it's a little bit much...nobody wants to receive an email every other day from each group.

Thankyou everyone l felt the same, l was bit anxious of saying anything at all, but now its out in open.
teresa

I am fine with the fact that I left this group and I think my reasons were valid. I did it for my own self. I was happy to read that others felt this way too demanding and Dave saying he has cancer and he has his own reasons did not really change my mind. I am sorry that he is ill and I can see that he has his own reasons, but I still thought it was against the Fine Arts America rules to demand that we promote in order to belong to a group. I wish Dave well, and hope that his desire to make this the best group on Fine Arts America be achieved, just my opinion that the rules go against Fine Arts America policy, but regardless I
Am fine with my opting out -- I would not be an asset under the new rules and would have be thrown out anyway.

but I still thought it was against the Fine Arts America rules to demand that we promote in order to belong to a group. I wish Dave well, and hope that his desire to make...>> I did not demand anybody to promote anybody whatsoever and never would even attempt to do such a thing
Thanks

@Dave - I am very sorry to hear about your illness and it would be lovely to take the group to a new level but your demands are a bit too much especially with the avatar - take care

thank you very much Debbie
Take care
~Dave