The Other Place wrote:
See this recent thread.

I have no problem with retouchers (or anyone else) DMing or posting MM availability notices.  However, I strongly object to the solicitation of work with "tags" that appear on the front page of one's profile.

It's soo easy to delete "tags".

Mark Salo wrote:
It's soo easy to delete "tags".

Still, it's an annoying abrogation of my page-space and time. There are virtually never any other ads placed there by anyone besides retouchers, though models will get more regarding castings, etc. They are all a bit ugly and unnecessary.

Mark Salo wrote:
It's soo easy to delete "tags".

Modelphilia wrote:
Still, it's an annoying abrogation of my page-space and time. There are virtually never any other ads placed there by anyone besides retouchers, though models will get more regarding castings, etc. They are all a bit ugly and unnecessary.

I feel your pain.

Mark Salo wrote:
It's soo easy to delete "tags".

It is indeed easy to delete the annoying little buggers. I warn them specifically on my profile page but, they either don't bother reading or ignore.

I would offer another layer of road block for the retouchers: Block them!

I was being bombarded by one retoucher, who wouldn't take the hint, who obviously knew that I was deleting his tags. I deleted his last tag, wrote him that he was 86ed from my page and then blocked him.

Message sent, problem solved.

At least for the moment.

Rick

Mark Salo wrote:
It's soo easy to delete "tags".

Not exactly.  Sometimes they linger for weeks after you "delete" them.  See this thread.

Furthermore, one might not catch tags right away, so anyone going to the profile page will see the "advertisement" before the tag is caught and finally deleted.

Tags the front page of someone else's profile should not be used to solicit work.

The Other Place wrote:
See this recent thread.

I have no problem with retouchers (or anyone else) DMing or posting MM availability notices.  However, I strongly object to the solicitation of work with "tags" that appear on the front page of one's profile.

AMEN!

Those tags tick me off. I admit, I remove them then I block the person.

Concierge Photo wrote:
I'm certain there are many Retouchers who don't conduct themselves properly just as I'm certain there are Photographers, Models, MUAs, and others who do as well. I'm not condoning disrespectful approaches, but they are still humans who are trying to gain experience and earn some income. And in agreement with Studio NSFW, it is NOT a path to riches!

It would be nice if more respect and true human empathy were expressed by more, but it seems that the darker natures of humanity come out especially when directed at people you despise.

The Next Cliche and anyone else is free to preemptively block me, but it won't matter since I don't operate as a telemarketer. I respond to castings and don't complain when I don't receive a reply.

Very well stated. Retouchers have to grind just as hard as everyone else in this industry. Unsolicited advertising is a part of the norm nowadays.

Bluestill Photography wrote:
Compared to the amount of junk mail and ads stuffed in both my home mailbox and my email accounts, the amount of TAGs I get from retouchers is nothing.

Okay, but don't assume that your experience is the same as others.

Furthermore, as we have discussed, tags appear on the front page of one's profile, and many of us do not want ads nor solicitations from others on our profile page.

Additionally, one must constantly monitor one's profile to catch unwanted tags -- there is no notification that one has a new tag(s), as there is with a DM.

Also, unwanted tags are sometimes difficult to delete, often taking days (sometimes weeks) to finally clear.

Bluestill Photography wrote:
Retouchers have to grind just as hard as everyone else in this industry. Unsolicited advertising is a part of the norm nowadays.

Fine... as long as they don't post their ads as tags on the front page of my profile.

Folks who seek work on MM should use the features on this site expressly designed for such unsolicited queries, such as casting calls, availability notices and DM's -- DON'T ADVERTISE WITH TAGS!

The Other Place wrote:

Okay, but don't assume that your experience is the same as others

I am not making any assumptions, and merely stating facts. Regardless to how much I don't want junk mail in my inbox, mailbox or any site I am affiliated with, it happens. I am just saying that I don't get frustrated about the things I cannot control. I browse through MM to keep in touch with a few old friends I have made here since joining back in 2008. This site has seen better days for sure. We all have different experiences. I still like to browse the topics to read what other photographers are thinking or doing these days, not to rain on anyone's parade. Not even retouchers. It sounds like the amount of time it takes to get rid of an unsolicited TAG may just be easier to respond with a "thank you",  "no thanks", Enjoy or response at all, rather than trying to get rid of it. I don't know, I have never tried it  :-)

Bluestill Photography wrote:
I am not making any assumptions, and merely stating facts.

You may be stating facts about your own personal experience, but not about the experience of others.

Bluestill Photography wrote:
Regardless to how much I don't want junk mail in my inbox, mailbox or any site I am affiliated with, it happens.

Suffering solicitations in profile tags doesn't have to "happen."  There are simple solutions to the problem.

Progress does not come from just accepting a problem while urging others to also just accept the problem.  Sometimes progress happens when one points out the problem so that action can be taken to correct it.

Bluestill Photography wrote:
I am just saying that I don't get frustrated about the things I cannot control.

Who says we can't control whether or not selfish, thoughtless MM users post their ads on the front page of our profiles?

Also, we are not frustrated -- we are annoyed.

Bluestill Photography wrote:
I browse through MM to keep in touch with a few old friends I have made here since joining back in 2008. This site has seen better days for sure. We all have different experiences. I still like to browse the topics to read what other photographers are thinking or doing these days, not to rain on anyone's parade.

I'm not really interested in hearing someone's life story.

However, those who post ads as tags on the front page of others profiles are "raining on the parade" of those other users.

Bluestill Photography wrote:
Not even retouchers.

Whether one is a retoucher, photographer, model, MUA or an inside straight, DON'T POST ADS AS TAGS ON OTHERS' PROFILES!

Instead, use the functions on MM that are expressly designed for such solicitations and ads.

Tags are for compliments and acknowledgements.

Bluestill Photography wrote:
It sounds like the amount of time it takes to get rid of an unsolicited TAG may just be easier to respond with a "thank you",  "no thanks", Enjoy or response at all, rather than trying to get rid of it. I don't know, I have never tried it  :-)

It seems that you are commenting on something of which you have zero knowledge.

The Other Place wrote:
I strongly object to the solicitation of work with "tags" that appear on the front page of one's profile.

Recently I've been getting tags on the back page of my profile.

The Other Place wrote:
Also, unwanted tags are sometimes difficult to delete, often taking days (sometimes weeks) to finally clear.

I wonder if I can tag my own page. Will that knock off the other tags that I have deleted?

Mark Salo wrote:
Recently I've been getting tags on the back page of my profile.

Ha, ha!

I emphasize "front page" because those in this thread who are ignorant of the problem seem to equate tags on one's front page with DMs that nobody sees except for the recipient.

Mark Salo wrote:
I wonder if I can tag my own page. Will that knock off the other tags that I have deleted?

If so, that would certainly be great!