Recently, I've had to literally police my 471 photos in the database to ensure the accuracy of information and that the proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation were utilized in the various data fields after people "correct" my photo's information. My photo information has always been 100% accurate at the time of upload.

Furthermore, it is absolutely appalling to me that a correction submitted to a photographer's photo data is not made available to the photographer to check/verify prior to the change being made. The person behind the viewfinder who took the photo his/herself, as each photo is their own individual intellectual property, should have the final say in what is and is not accurate, or, at the very least, be notified of the changes.

I understand the point of the Correct information function - to ensure the database is as accurate as it can possibly be - however, if the corrections are not being properly screened, what is the point of having this functionality in the first place? At the very least, photo database editors should be able to recognize spelling and grammatical errors.

Do the editors need more help in ensuring all corrections are properly screened? If so, consider this post an application for the position.

[Edited 2008-11-30 09:11:53]

I did some research.

A number of the database editors listed on staff haven't posted in the forums for quite some time - anywhere ranging from 6 months to 4 years! Are these people still actively contributing to the site? If not, why not bring more folks on board who want to actively contribute to the site?

In addition to three database/article editors, two of the Customer Service & Support crew have not been active on the site in over 6 months.

[Edited 2008-11-30 09:14:17]

Forum activity is no measure of crew activity. In fact, less forum activity can often show when a crew member is doing more work, it just means they have less time for the forums. As regards the editors, I know they have a large workload and also that they are active - I contact them fairly regularly and always have a quick reply.

As regards the Customer Support crew, we try and reply to every email we get, and we do this nearly 100% of the time - unless the case is forwarded to another department. Some of our crew are less active than others due to other commitments, but we are active as a crew.

Quoting Chachu201 (Reply 2):

I don't doubt that, overall, the editors and customer service crew aren't active on the site. The question is, are all the crew members actively contributing to the site? I don't ask this question out of contempt, I'm just concerned.

Quoting Chachu201 (Reply 2): Forum activity is no measure of crew activity.

I do doubt this statement, especially in the extreme cases where someone hasn't contributed a single post to the forum in over 1,450 days. If a regular user had contributed not one post in that amount of time, their membership would have either expired, or in the case of premium member/photographer accounts, might as well be considered no longer active on the site.

My point is, if everyone on staff is pulling their own weight in duties, simple things like grammatical errors would not be missed. They are missing them though, which leads me to voicing this concern today.

[Edited 2008-11-30 09:52:53]

Quoting Chachu201 (Reply 2): Forum activity is no measure of crew activity.

Furthermore, in addition to being realistic, I might be inclined to believe you in every case if some of the editors in question above had uploaded a shot to the database recently.

In one case, the most recent photo one guy has uploaded was from 2006, his last forum post being 1 year ago. In another case, an editor's last forum post was four years ago, his last photo contribution being nearly a year and a half ago.

Do you honestly expect me to believe that these two folks are still active in their duties as crew? I'll make my own conclusions based on the evidence.

[Edited 2008-11-30 10:25:48]

You may have a point, however what you describe is an issue for the editors. We do not keep on inactive crew members, and if they don't do their duties (without a reasonable excuse of course) we do not keep them on. It has been known for crew members to take long breaks from their duties because of other commitments, but their accounts remain active as crew for when they return.

Quoting Chachu201 (Reply 5): We do not keep on inactive crew members

Quoting Chachu201 (Reply 5): It has been known for crew members to take long breaks from their duties because of other commitments

 

And if they don't return, what then?

I appreciate your responses thus far, being that you are the only crew member to respond to my concerns (I also emailed the editors directly only to receive no reply as yet).

I have personally applied for a number of crew positions. From experience, I can recall that one of the main requirements to be on crew was the ability to devote time on a daily basis towards the position's duties. It stands to reason that if someone currently on crew can not fulfill the obligations of their positions, someone else should be brought on board to do so. I would imagine the caliber of folks Airliners.net has on staff are mature enough to realize that when their personal lives conflict with their voluntary crew responsibilities that they should step aside for people who want to contribute more to this organization.

Based on that reasoning and the evidence noted above, I believe the folks in question have given up on this site - more specifically, their duties - albeit unfortunately. I know of folks even more qualified than I who are willing to help out who would appreciate the opportunity to do something above and beyond general membership if given the opportunity.

Interesting, also, that a number of the people who haven't been heard from haven't been heard from in over a year, around the same time as the Demand Media acquisition of Airliners.net (again, not a jab, but an interesting coincidence nonetheless).

[Edited 2008-11-30 11:20:14]

My apologies, my previous post wasn't worded wonderfully. What I meant was that crew members are not allowed to keep their status if they are in a sense "AWOL". If their circumstances are known, then its all good. For example, on the Support crew one of our members is undergoing commercial pilot training (I've forgotten the specifics), but they were a valuable asset before their leave, and will continue to be when they return. If they don't return, then we try and make contact, and if this isn't possible we wait a reasonable length of time and then downgrade the account to First Class.

Your other points about the crew are very valid, and indeed if you (or anyone else) would like to consider applying for any upcoming vacancies, do feel free to throw your hat into the ring. The site relies massively on volunteer crew, and we welcome any offers of help from people. For more information on vacancies, either email [email protected] or watch out for announcements in Site Related.

However, we must bear in mind that you are merely speculating about crew activity. For all we know, the members you are referring to could be uninterested in posting in the forums, or too busy with their other duties to do so.

Dear Chris,

I don't really see what the point of this thread is but rest assured that crew matters (like inactivity) are treated internally.
As Gabriel already stated above, the whole crew is well active and those who aren't have good reasons.

That's about all I've to say about that.

Kind Regards,

Thierry

Quoting Flynavy (Thread starter): [Edited 2008-11-30 09:11:53]

Quoting Flynavy (Thread starter): [Edited 2008-11-30 09:14:17]

Interestingly, you have edited the content of your initial posts since they were made; having seen your originals, it's worth noting that the tone of your posts has changed. If you wish to make a point, it's better to run with it all the way through the debate.

Quoting Flynavy (Reply 4): In one case, the most recent photo one guy has uploaded was from 2006, his last forum post being 1 year ago. In another case, an editor's last forum post was four years ago, his last photo contribution being nearly a year and a half ago. Do you honestly expect me to believe that these two folks are still active in their duties as crew? I'll make my own conclusions based on the evidence.

As I have stated many times in the past, I would love the chance to swap positions with members for a day; that way they would be able to see all the hard work that does go on behind the scenes. All the crew are in constant communication - the dedication that happens behind the scenes is not always seen in the forums. As Chachu201 mentioned, just because somebody is not posting in the forums does not necessarily mean that they are neglecting their crew duties. While the forums are an integral part of the site, there is far more to Airliners.net; many crew dedicate their knowledge and skills to the site behind the scenes.

In the case of the Editors, there is generally little need for the Editors to post in the forum as part of their crew duties; they work to maintain the database behind the scenes. I know many Editors who are hugely active and do a fantastic job keeping the database up to date; I also know that they are not necessarily interested in posting in the forums.

Quoting Flynavy (Reply 6): I have personally applied for a number of crew positions. From experience, I can recall that one of the main requirements to be on crew was the ability to devote time on a daily basis towards the position's duties. It stands to reason that if someone currently on crew can not fulfill the obligations of their positions, someone else should be brought on board to do so. I would imagine the caliber of folks Airliners.net has on staff are mature enough to realize that when their personal lives conflict with their voluntary crew responsibilities that they should step aside for people who want to contribute more to this organization.

You are absolutely correct in what you say; everybody within the crew has to be able to dedicate their time and skills to site. However, tje only evidence that you are using to suggest that this isn't happening is forum activity. As you said yourself, 'one of the main requirements to be on crew was the ability to devote time on a daily basis towards the position's duties...' Posting in the forums is not a requirement of every crew remember. Unless you can provide detailed records of the work that each crew member does, you have very little in the way of evidence to substantiate your point.

Quoting Flynavy (Reply 6): Based on that reasoning and the evidence noted above, I believe the folks in question have given up on this site - more specifically, their duties - albeit unfortunately. I know of folks even more qualified than I who are willing to help out who would appreciate the opportunity to do something above and beyond general membership if given the opportunity.

As I have mentioned above, your evidence is tenuous at best. To say that the crew aforementioned crew have 'given up on this site' is a huge claim to make - especially when you can provide nothing but forum activity to substantiate it. Again, as has already been mentioned, there are circumstances where crew members have to dedicate time in their lives to other things for a period - we are all human, I hasted to add - and this, of course, is acceptable if the crew member wishes to return. We have many great assets on the crew who will sometimes need to take some time out - I'm sure nobody would deny valuable crew members that chance.

There are also, of course, instances where crew members decide that they no longer have the time to dedicate to the site; we have had one of our moderators leave the team recently to pursue his interest in football. If a crew member becomes inactive without a reason, it does not go unnoticed - there have been a number of instances where crew members have been removed from the crew when it is clear that they do not intend to return - this is a very rare occurrence, however.

Quoting Flynavy (Reply 6): Interesting, also, that a number of the people who haven't been heard from haven't been heard from in over a year, around the same time as the Demand Media acquisition of Airliners.net (again, not a jab, but an interesting coincidence nonetheless).

Again, your evidence to substantiate this point is very weak - if it even exists at all. Demand Media are hugely committed to Airliners.net, and the crew get to see this, through their work behind the scenes, more than anybody.

If you wish to offer your services to the Editors, the easiest way would be to express your interest by sending them an email.

Thanks,
-Gofly