Seasons Greetings! With the coming change of season we are reminded that we are a global community. We are happy that here on our website we are able to enjoy, both the cold low winter light and the brightness of hot summer. What a pleasure to share these moments with each other. We are thankful for this community which shows us how varied our world is. Peace be with you.

1) Statement from our Club President about AI images.
We've noticed that some members are now sharing images created using artificial intelligence (AI) on ipernity, reflecting their interest in modern methods. We appreciate and embrace this technological innovation. However, the use of AI in photography raises questions concerning labeling requirements and copyright, which are not yet clearly defined by current legislation and existing standards.

It may be years before such legal rules are in place. In order to ensure harmonious coexistence in our community, we believe it is essential to establish some common guidelines today. Our recommendations are:

a) We suggest labeling images generated entirely with AI as such. This does not apply to photos or other content edited using AI-based tools.
b) Consider classifying AI-generated images as "DigiArt", [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_art].
c) We ask admins not to exclude AI-generated images from groups, especially public groups, unless there are valid factual and objective reasons for doing so.

Always keep in mind that our community was formed mostly by photographers. But it has also always been a home for other creative people. All kinds of creative expressions are welcome: photos, videos, music, essays, podcasts, poems, scanned painting and drawings - and now also Artificial Intelligence (AI) images as a special kind of DigiArt.

We have added an 'AI advice' link with a popup message box to the upload page.
Also, you might be interested in the AI Generated Pictures group.

Website Updates

2) Revision to Albums section.
This update relates to albums with mixed content, that is, those with both photos/videos and documents. When viewing an album, any videos are also displayed with the photos. It is not possible to show both photos and docs together.
For such an album, there will be links to switch between 'Photos' and 'Docs', just as with the links for 'All', or for 'Photos' or 'Videos' only, in the 'Photos' section.
This is clearer to the user than when the options were within the drop-down menu.

3) Further revision to the Upload page.
We appreciate the suggestion from some members to tone down the wording of the warning message, which has now been incorporated. Now with this re-wording, we ask that those who already know these rules understand that the team routinely has to deal with returning members asking about missing content. This is partly because some of our automated emails are not being delivered. Thus the team considers it appropriate to place this message on the upload page.

4) Revision of the group guidelines.
A recent debate within the HFF Group indicated that some parts of our group guidelines are too vague or even incomplete. Both members and administrators do not find enough support in them. This can also lead to further misunderstandings in the future and affect the harmony within our community. For this reason, we have reactivated an old discussion forum Group Guidelines. We are looking for your input and suggestions to improve our group guidelines and to prepare a proposal for amendment to the ima team. Your participation is highly encouraged and welcome! Your inputs may help us maintain a welcoming and respectful atmosphere at ipernity. We are looking forward to your contributions.

Early Notice

5) Ipernity General Assembly 2024.
We give this early notice so that you may avoid conflicting commitments. We note that the typical date of the last Sunday in March is an Easter weekend in 2024. We therefore state that the meeting will be held on Sunday April 7th 2024, 5pm Paris (16:00 UTC).

We also take this opportunity to call for candidates to the ima board. First for the vacant position of Vice President. Secondly, while our current treasurer has agreed to run again, the position is open to members to apply.

Your ima team.

PS If you are a techy nerd, you might care to take a look at this article where you may be able to help.