The follow function is a practical way for you to remember interesting photographers within fotocommunity and to subscribe to their pictures.

The photographers you have subscribed to will be displayed in your contact lists under “following” and the published photos of these photographers can be viewed collectively via the photo list “Photos from friends”. You can find this list in your personal menu by clicking on your small profile picture in the upper right corner.

In this help article we will examine the following questions:

• How can I follow photographers?
• Why don’t I see all users who follow me under “follow me”?
• What are anonymous followers?
• Why do I suddenly have so many new followers?

 

 

How can I follow photographers?

You can follow a photographer and subscribe to his photos by accessing his profile and clicking the “Follow” button. Another “Follow” button can also be found on every display page – the full view of a photo. The photographer will then appear in your “Following” contact list, and the photographer’s public photos will appear in the “Photos from friends” list. Furthermore, the bell will inform you that the user you are following has uploaded new photos.

If you have subscribed to a photographer – i.e. follow him – then he will be notified via the “bell” and by mail and will see your account in his “follow me“ contact list.

 

Why do I not see all users who follow me under “follow me”?

It is possible that users do not want to show whom they are following. To hide this, there is a respective setting in privacy settings:

For example, if your list shows “24 follow me” but the list itself only shows 21 results, it means that 3 of your “followers” do not want to make it public that they are following you.

 

What are anonymous followers?

In the fotocommunity there is the possibility to hide who I follow. This function is important, because there are countless scenarios where it makes sense or is necessary for the individual to hide whom he or she is following. Every member of fotocommunity can, may and should use this function in the way they personally feel is right.

For example:

1. I’m in fotocommunity, interested in nude photography. But I am in a professional position, in which I do not want to make public that I follow nude photographers.
2. I am a model and would like to look around and follow different photographers, without immediately getting a lot of different offers.
3. I was a close friend of a photographer and am still interested in his or her photos. But I don’t want him/her to notice that I have subscribed to the photos in order to avoid the accusation of “stalking” and not to burden the “relationship” again.
4. I am interested in photos of photographers, but they have a bad reputation in my circle of friends. I don’t want my friends to see that I follow these photographers in order not to get trouble.
5. I have little time and do not want to make a commitment to comment if it is publicly visible that I am following the photographer.
6. I would like to look around without obligation, without having to enter into closer ties or friendships at once.
7. I do not want to be controlled by what I look at in the fotocommunity. This is my privacy and by following it publicly I feel it is violated.

and so on.

At the moment in fotocommunity, all content that is posted in fotocommunity is also visible to all other users!

There is no “visibility control” like on facebook (only friends, friends of friends, public etc.). The fotocommunity is a public platform. If you show your photos here, you have to expect that they will be seen. It doesn’t matter whether I as a user “subscribe” to photos of other users (follow them), bookmark them in my browser or find users via search.

We will therefore retain this function and give every member of fotocommunity the opportunity to move around in fotocommunity as he or she sees fit.

 

Here are the answers to questions that reach us in support:

What can I do with the photos of a photographer if I follow anonymously?

• View
• Comment
• Appreciate
• Favourite
• Suggest for voting
• link under other images as cross-reference

Can I do something with it that others cannot? 

• NO

Can I denounce or make fun of the user?

• Not more or less than any other user, who follows publicly. Violations of good morals or the GTC will be punished accordingly.

As an anonymous follower, can I abuse or save images of other users?

• Not more or less than any other user, who follows publicly. Any abuse of photos can have serious consequences. This is regulated by copyright law.

Do anonymous followers have a different status or other opportunities than public followers?

• NO

 

Why do I suddenly have so many new followers?

The answer to this question lies in the registration process of fotocommunity. When a new account is registered, new users are offered a selection of 20 users who are active in areas of photography, based on their interests. The new user can then immediately follow these suggested users.

This way, new users are introduced to the community more quickly, immediately find interesting photographers and are actively informed about their work, and active fotocommunity users are rewarded with greater reach.