However, it does have it's draw backs.
I am a huge contributor to many groups on Flickr. Groups are a great way to get your work showcased and in front of people and there are hundreds and thousands of them to choose from. Some give you great hits and others do not. It's all a game of trial and error finding the right ones.
I do have one, very big frustration with some groups. Many of them have a Post 1/Comment (insert number here) rule to them. Now, there are some which ask you to comment on only 1 photo per entry photograph but there are some that ask for 5 or more awards/comments to be given. Which may seem fine and reasonable, but when they tell you that if you do not comment/award other peoples photographs you will be banned and blocked from the group, it becomes unreasonable.
I am a member of a couple of groups like this because I get great hits on my work but sometimes, when I post and then look through the said group to comment/award other people on their photography, there is just nothing that captures my interest. And this is where the problem lays....you find yourself commenting on any old photograph, whether you like it or not, just so you don't get booted from the group.
To me, this is unfair on those people that you are commenting on. You are not giving genuine feedback but merely saving your own arse. I would hate to think that people are commenting on my photography just because they have to.
Comments and awards should be optional with a 'recommended' participation level not a demanded one.
(my latest flickr entry - blinding)
