As the photo database grows, and we attract more and more great photographers who upload more shots all the time, the days where a photo would stay in the "Latest Uploads" box for a day or more are well behind us. Unless you're trawling through the latest shots regularly, it's easy to miss some great stuff. I know I've often been playing AvB, had an absolutely stunning shot come up, and wondered how on earth I managed to miss it, especially when I thought I was checking the photographer's profile for new stuff fairly often.
So,
now the photo database can tell you about new uploads that you might like. You can watch your favourite photographers, and you'll get a PM (at most one PM per day) with their latest uploads. If you have First Class membership, you can also watch airlines or airports - never miss another SXM shot!
Hopefully you'll all like this new feature, and will come up with some interesting uses for it beyond the obvious. I'm going to watch my home airport even though I'm the only one uploading from there, because I want to know if someone else starts (and if their AvB score's better than mine, invite them for a walk in the woods behind the localizer
).
Everything should now be live and working, and the first set of PMs should go out tomorrow morning, roughly European breakfast time. If you set up a watch and don't get a PM, check whether there were any matching uploads - if not, shout here. Note that you won't be notified about any of your own uploads, even if you're watching the airport or airline.
Post your thoughts, bug reports, drunken rants, etc., below.
The inevitable FAQ:
How do I watch a photographer?In their profile, you'll find a link labelled "Watch [username]". Just click it. From now on, you'll be notified of new uploads from this photographer.
You'll find the same link under all their photos.
Can I watch myself?No, that would be silly. Hopefully you know when you upload!
How do I watch an airport or airline?First of all, you'll need a First Class membership. If you set up an airport or airline watch, but your First Class membership expires, you won't be notified of any shots uploaded while you don't have First Class membership.
Assuming you're First Class, you'll find a "Watch [airport]" and a "Watch [airline]" link under each photo.
How do I stop watching a photographer/airport/airline?Simply go to the photographer's profile, or to a matching photo, where you'd find the "watch" link. If you're watching Finnair and you view a Finnair shot, the link will say "Unwatch Finnair". Just click it.
How do I see what I'm watching at the moment?Go to your
"My photo watches" page. You'll see a list of all the photographers, airlines and airports you're watching. You can also unwatch any of them on this page.
Later, we'd like to make this page give you suggestions based on what photos people seem to like, but that won't happen for a while.
I saw a shot from SXM and there was no "Watch SXM" link! Why?If these links are missing, and you're a First Class member, it probably means the photo is waiting for attention by the database editors.
I'm a photographer; why would someone watch me?It probably means that they like your shots and want to know when you upload more! You'll likely find that having people watch you results in more views, loves, and comments on your photos.
How do I know when someone's watching me?At most once per day, we'll send you a PM telling you when someone starts watching you.
You can check who's watching you at any time, from the "Photographer Stats" box in your profile. That box shows you the number of photographers watching you, and how many you're watching. Click either of those numbers, and a list will appear at the bottom of the "Photographer Stats" box.
What if I don't want a PM when someone starts watching me?No problem. Go to your
Photo Options page and scroll down to the "Notification options" box. Uncheck the box and click Submit.
My friend and I applied for airline jobs in Australia, but they didn't Qantas.
