No, not really the most humble sounding of group names, but I inherited it from my predecessor, whoever that was, and I hesitate to change group names. Members will get confused, and find that they're having trouble finding their way back to the group, so the name will remain, accompanied as it will be with a little reassurance. Don't let it put you off from posting photos to the group. I'm not the harshest of moderators, and won't be screening the pool very actively. That having been said, there are some standards, as there need to be if the group is to have an identity, at all, instead of just becoming a dumping ground for photos.

The images submitted to this group should barely show people, or anything that people have made, at all. Yes, there is a photo of a boat to be found among the earliest images in the pool, the boat appearing quite prominently, but as far as I'm concerned, it had been grandfathered in. Any image that comes earlier than this one predates my moderation of this group, and will be left alone, unless I find I have a truly compelling reason to remove it from the pool, and I can't imagine what that would be. Really, this seems only fair - moderators come and go, and who can guess what the next one will be like? But images submitted after today (October 5, 2011) will be held to the new standards, which most of the images I inherited would seem to meet.

Let's consider this image by Jacob Rasmussen, of a mountain valley in Slovenia. Obviously, the wooden fence is manmade, as are the power lines overhead, but overwhelmingly, this is a photo of a field and the mountains around it, in which that fence and those power lines are set, not an image of a fence and power lines. The picture is about natural things, the manmade things being mere details in the photo. Perhaps this is why this invitation was given, and it is why I would not have hesitated to give that invitation, myself. If we look at this picture from a camping trip, posted by "Clean-air" (the issuer of the invitation I just mentioned), we see this even more clearly. The car and tent are almost lost in the wilderness that surround them. This is what I am looking for in an image you put into the pool, and expect to see.

As I'm writing this, I see that nobody seems to have posted to the discussion section, yet, but I hope that this will change. What could you write about, in a group like this? Posts about these wild places that you've been and your experiences while there would be welcome, as long as you keep them clean - this has been a G rated group, and I see no reason why it should become anything else. Looking at the mountain shot, a discussion of the geology of those mountains would be on topic. If you took a photograph of a spot in a forest somewhere, writing about the ecosystem we're seeing and the species we're seeing in it would be more than fine, it would be welcome. But do keep in mind that I'm neither a geologist or a biologist, and have far more interest in these subjects than knowledge, and so won't be able to screen the posts for inaccurate information. If you are posting such material, you might do well to remember the saying "on the Internet, nobody knows that you're a dog" and be sure to document your claims with links to recognized and reputable sources, so that those reading what you're writing will know that you're telling them the truth. I won't go so far as to issue a "no original research" policy, a la Wikipedia, or really even to intervene much unless I absolutely must, but I will suggest that you keep the limitations of the reader's point of view in mind as you post, as you share your original thoughts on whatever it is that you are thinking of, at the time. Those who are reading this are reminded that this is not a professionally refereed group, and that they might want to approach what they see posted with a modest degree of cautious skepticism, given the circumstances, lest they contribute to their own miseducation.

Not much more to be said about that, other than that I expect you to behave like responsible people, in a civil and mature manner, and that I hope you won't hesitate to get in touch with me if somebody is failing to do so. Please be patient, as I don't log in every day, and please document any report of misbehavior with screenshots of that misbehavior, as Flickr's system does let our trolls edit their posts indefinitely. This isn't always such a bad feature, but it can lead to difficulties in moderation, as the moderator doesn't always know who to trust, and ethically challenged people aren't rare, online. I don't log in, every day, so please do be patient while a complaint is pending, but if you're in the right, make it in reasonable confidence that you will see my support given, without concern for the political fallout. I'd rather have a small group that makes me proud, than a large one that I have to be ashamed of, so alliances and popularity won't influence my decisions, at all.

OK, now I'm done. Let's go to the group, where you should have no trouble finding ring code and a clear path back to the homepage and ring memberships for the group, so let's continue and see what the members have posted.