Bookmarked images as a statistic in the astrophotographers list AstroBin Platform open discussions community forum · Brian Boyle · ... · 10 · 276 · 0

I find the astrophotographer list very useful on AB in knowing who to follow and seeing up and coming new imagers.

The default setting (listing by AB index) I don't find terribly meaningful, so I usually sort by NFTP or TPs.  

But I find myself wondering what it might look like if I could sort by number of  bookmarks, which I don't see listed as a statistic.

Personally, I know that I am generous with my likes but bookmarks are harder won as I don't want to fill up my bookmarked section with images I won't refer to later.  NTPs and TPs are also good, but are less of a "wisdom of crowds" indicator. 

It may be that such a facility already exists [if it does no doubt someone will tell me below], but if not it might be nice to see it up front in the astrophotographer lists

I doubt that bookmarks are a quality indicators. At least not the way I use them.  Like Tim I use bookmarks as suggestions for me for objects to image. Moreover, I do not use book marks in Astrobin but instead book mark images in my browser where I can sort them in categories according to which rig I could use. Actually I am more likely to book mark an image where I think I can do this better, than an outstanding image taken with equipment, sky darkness and integration times out of reach for me, and I would never bookmark images of objects below my horizon.

@Göran Nilsson ​@Timothy Martin@Bill McLaughlin good points.  

But if you are using other's images as inspiration or ideas for your own images (which I also do), surely that is worthy of a little broader recognition?   While quality and technical excellence are important, to me bookmarks are a little different, arguably signaling novelty or innovation.  For me that is at least as important as I plough my way through another technically excellent image of [insert well-known target here].   

Bookmarks are perhaps the closest thing we have to referencing others work, mandatory in science but largely absent here.

Bill McLaughlin:

Brian Boyle:
But if you are using other's images as inspiration or ideas for your own images (which I also do), surely that is worthy of a little broader recognition?

Only in the sense that the object might be worth noting as a target but not necessarily because it was well done. The object I linked is a good example. From it's size and brightness it is not an easy target but better images of similar objects are not uncommon so it might make a good target for someone with the right equipment and conditions since it should be possible to do much better.

Even a great image of that object would not win you any awards, it is not spectacular enough (as mentioned before, this sort of object seldom wins awards) but personally I enjoy the prospect of maybe producing the best image of a lesser imaged object on Astrobin, regardless of whether it wins anything.

Wellspoken and I could not agree more!
To me a bookmark is a tool and in no way a quality stamp, but maybe a curiosity stamp.

Timothy Martin:
I agree with all that, but as I posited above, if someone has a comparatively outsized number of bookmarks, it could well be an indicator that they are doing something worth looking at. Maybe that person doesn't produce a lot of great images, but perhaps they have a knack for framing or for finding interesting obscure targets. I just don't don't think it's possible that someone would have an unusually large number of bookmarks unless there's something unique going on there. So from that standpoint, reporting this number in the astrophotographer's list would very likely have value.

Well put, Tim.  Moreover, I don't see any bookmark statistic has having any intrinsically less value as some of those that are already reported in the list.  Indeed many of the same criticisms could be levelled against Likes.   And while I could argue that I never use Total integration time (for example), I respect those who find it useful.   I am not trying to argue this is a "quality indicator" (neither is likes really) but for me it would be a "potential interest" indicator.  


CS Brian

Timothy Martin:

Bill McLaughlin:
I agree. That is the way I use bookmarks too. It is true that when I find an interesting object, I will search for the better examples of those to bookmark, but that does not mean that the better example is really all that great, especially for less commonly imaged objects. In fact, I just ran across exactly that with a tiny galaxy group called ARP 240. There were only seven images of that on AB and none that great but it does look interesting if one has the scope and conditions for it.

Yes, I bookmark images primarily because of the subject matter, not necessarily the quality of the image. But I do leave the author a like because that author has at least provided some value to me. It's the very least I can do.

But yeah, I've noticed that you've bookmarked at least a dozen of my images without bothering to give me a thumbs up. Nice move, dude. I wish I could completely block you, but I can't. I'm not at all thrilled about my time and my money going into this to help you in any way when it seems you're only interested in taking. All I can do is shadow-ban you. Consider it done.

I really just don't understand why you are so offended.

First, the implication of this thread is that bookmarking is probably more of a compliment than a like is. Bookmarking also promotes images on the wall just the same as a like.

Second, by general agreement likes are about popularity,  not quality, so failing to "like" an image is in no way either harmful to the imager or insulting. Of course neither bookmarks or likes have any effect on awards if that is a concern.

I am sorry that you are somehow insulted but I just don't do likes that much (since I feel they have little value) and also don't really care much if people do "likes" for my images (for the same reason). Likes are nice but definitely not very significant or important, being a "social only" thing.  The worst I am guilty of is maybe not being into "social media culture" that much.

Along the same lines I make it a policy to only follow people with whom  I have some personal "real-world" connection to such as real-life friends, other "local" imagers, participants at the same observatory, or other real-life connections.

But since bookmarks w/o likes bother you, I have now removed all bookmarks to your images from my set of bookmarked images and will be sure not to bookmark any of your images in the future. I hope that helps.

As far as your "....seems you're only interested in taking" comment, I am not really sure how bookmarking an image w/o liking it as well is "taking". We will just have to disagree on that.

IMHO,  real "giving back value" comes from the imaging details one provides and the willingness to answer questions and I think I do pretty well in that regard. I will let others decide if that is true.

Thank You