RE: Pitch Me Your Project

THE PHOTO GAMES

We are in the second week of running the PHOTO GAMES
"A little bit of sport and a whole lot of community" - @photogames

First week (without an official account) we had over 500 comments and played a new game every day together with photographers: @derekkind @caseygrimley @aweber and myself @jarvie

Check out the posts on #photogames

The whole community participates but there's an element where we invite people for a sub game and they help run the games that week.

WHY I PERSONALLY BELIEVE IN IT

As someone who's been influential in organizing communities on other social media outlets (and outside of social media with an in person photography event business) I can say the photographers are going to be coming soon. None of my friends were on here just a month ago but I know they'll be coming in soon and i've been gradually helping lots of them get rolling.

There are photographers with followings of millions (many are my friends) and I know they'll be jumping in soon. Having great community building games like this are just the right thing for them so they view the platform as a place to grow together. Curated feeds are important (which are really needed, specially ones that give back economically like @photofeed) but we also need some other attractions that involve the community in other ways... to be able to play while they show off is just the right ticket for both the aspiring and the inspiring.

It's great to have an initiative that appeals to and bridges the gap between the non-photographer and the photographer. Many of our games will be easily playable by people who just like good photography and not just amazing photographers.

I believe that photographers need to show what's possible to those who appreciate or are learning... but also make those who are joining feel welcome and know what they can do to perhaps one day follow suit.

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I'm really excited to be involved in this! @jarvie, I liked what you said about bridging the gap between photographer and non-photographer, or between pros and beginners. We love the contests and challenges we've seen on Steemit already but I feel there's a need to involve photographers on all levels and go beyond just awarding the best photographs. There's an opportunity for growth here, on both the community and individual levels. Games are a proven way of bringing people of all types and skill levels together in a community environment.

I say it's proven because I've seen it happen in an incredible way and was lucky enough to be a part of it: in the early days of Google Plus, Chrysta Rae created a photo contest called the Scavenger Hunt (the idea is that you have a list of 10 things to photograph, and the photos are judged and awarded at the end). It started small but grew fast with the help of a few people who had established followers. Within a year there were hundreds of photographers of all skill levels participating, and many of them had joined G+ just for the contest. The Hunt drew in big name judges in the photography community (including @jarvie). The community built up around the Scavenger Hunt was so tight it was like a family, and when we had a Scavenger Hunt meetup in Las Vegas it was like a giant family reunion. I've never seen anything like it. I was lucky enough to get in early - I went from total amateur photographer to pro, largely thanks to the creative impetus provided by the challenge of the Hunt, and I would credit it for most of my later success, because as silly as it sounds, that game was a catalyst for all my subsequent learning. There are more than a handful of other Scavengers who can tell the same story and have gone on to become successful photographers.

The Scavenger Hunt became one of the biggest and most vibrant communities on G+, and is still going, even when that network has fallen into decline.

We aren't trying to replicate the format of the Scavenger Hunt, but we hope that offering an organized series of games and challenges will bring the Steemit photography community together in the way that it was brought together on G+.

I've only been on Steemit a couple of weeks, but I've been so impressed by the quality of the interaction that I've seen - it's refreshing, and more than that, it's inspiring: I haven't written or participated so much on a social network since the glory days of G+. I can't wait to help get @photogames up off the ground - I think it has great potential for this curious infant network - I've seen it happen before and have been lucky enough to be a part of it.