Posted by Jim Erhardt on November 12, 2011 at 9:11 AM
Times are tough and people need to watch their expenditures. On top of this, there are some who never take advantage of all of the NPN membership benefits - they simply post in a regional forum and venture no further.
While we believe there is tremendous value in a full $49 membership, we also recognize that not everyone makes use of it. Because of this, within the next few weeks, we will be offering a new $19 NPN membership that will be valid for the regional forums only.
You will be able to either join or renew using the $19 option. Just bear in mind that you will not have access to any other NPN forum or to any NPN IC gallery, just the UKNP discussion forum (or any NPN regional forum).
Once the new option is ready to go, there will be a "Join UKNP!" link in the header section. You will be able to use this link for joining or renewing.
Our sincere appreciation to all who participate on NPN - we hope this new option makes it easier to be part of the UKNP group!
Posted by Pete Etheridge on November 12, 2011 at 1:16 PM
That's a good (and generous) idea Jim which I imagine will prove popular. I hope it helps encourage folks to hang around.
Posted by Graham Goddard on November 13, 2011 at 7:20 AM
....and some 'old' faces to rejoin perhaps ??
Posted by Vincent Jones on November 13, 2011 at 3:36 PM
Jim, please don't under price UKNP, this is a site that as & is capable of offering so much to those coming into photography, to lower the price will be under selling the NPN brand & the professionals who use the site who are on hand to improve the skills of newcomers.
NPN helps many as long as they are willing to except good honest critique to push them to a more professional level, that is the way it as to be, its worked for so many & will work for many more in the future. Normal photo forums simply act as photo galleries where you simply get the encouragement from viewers who just want to tell the photographer it's a good shot, even though it may not be, that is not learning the skills to improve.
NPN is definately not a normal photo forum, it's professionally run & supported by some of the best wildlife photographers in the world, thats why it's a highly recommended site that is special & well priced.
Thanks for the kind words Vince - they're truly appreciated, and it's great to hear that at least some do find value in the UKNP and in NPN as a whole! Like Jim, I believe there is tremendous value in the full membership. The broader chance to participate in the 'main' forums and have your images critiqued and reviewed by an international audience is a fabulous benefit, and one that isn't really appreciated to the extent it should be. In real terms £30 (give or take a few quid) a year isn't a lot for membership and I'm sure many of you spend more than that on the photography magazines or on buying a cups of coffee.
Having said that, like Jim, I also appreciate that a number of people don't venture out of the regional group at all, preferring the narrower focus of images and local critique from those 'who know how hard it is' in the cramped confines of Britain and Europe rather than the bird photographer's dream that is Florida!
So, Jim's idea for the lower tier of a purely regional membership is a very timely one, and I hope a few of you will take him up on it. After all £1 a month is a total bargain to get personal help and advice on your photos....
Discussion
4 repliesWhile we believe there is tremendous value in a full $49 membership, we also recognize that not everyone makes use of it. Because of this, within the next few weeks, we will be offering a new $19 NPN membership that will be valid for the regional forums only.
You will be able to either join or renew using the $19 option. Just bear in mind that you will not have access to any other NPN forum or to any NPN IC gallery, just the UKNP discussion forum (or any NPN regional forum).
Once the new option is ready to go, there will be a "Join UKNP!" link in the header section. You will be able to use this link for joining or renewing.
Our sincere appreciation to all who participate on NPN - we hope this new option makes it easier to be part of the UKNP group!
NPN helps many as long as they are willing to except good honest critique to push them to a more professional level, that is the way it as to be, its worked for so many & will work for many more in the future. Normal photo forums simply act as photo galleries where you simply get the encouragement from viewers who just want to tell the photographer it's a good shot, even though it may not be, that is not learning the skills to improve.
NPN is definately not a normal photo forum, it's professionally run & supported by some of the best wildlife photographers in the world, thats why it's a highly recommended site that is special & well priced.
That's my personal view
Having said that, like Jim, I also appreciate that a number of people don't venture out of the regional group at all, preferring the narrower focus of images and local critique from those 'who know how hard it is' in the cramped confines of Britain and Europe rather than the bird photographer's dream that is Florida!
So, Jim's idea for the lower tier of a purely regional membership is a very timely one, and I hope a few of you will take him up on it. After all £1 a month is a total bargain to get personal help and advice on your photos....