i think its the similar thing like the voting problem…
if you have alot of friends, your voting score will be always good, even if the images are going to get even more bad…
same with the network feature, if you´ve alot of friends outthere, you´ve a huge network also…
but in fact, i think the network feature is a good thing.
if there is the possibility to show just the first 5, and having a number and maybe a link to view the entire network, if desired.
greets,
fant
i think what dimitris is saying is a very nice option. By showing the favorites u get rid of the possibility of going to the procedure of “why u didnt put me in your network” " why u have this guy before me in your network" and the list of possibilities and mishaps is endless that can result in the blacklist option of the portfolio and this is going to be a shame.
i agree, a favorite -system does make alot of sense…
and much more if it is besides used as a ranking system, like deviantart.com for exmple
where you can browse artwork with the option “top favourites”
i also liked that feature from the earlier DA-system, that everytime you put a favourite on your list, a javascript popped up and shows thumbnails with similar images, statistical input from other visitors who have chosen them as favorite artwork aswell…
best,
fant
I’m personally against ratig and faovourites in that way, its makes cgportfolio to elitist with those elite artists trying to be elitist. I’d hate to msit out on a great artist simply because they never got the fan base to being with just because of awesome artists like Linda and Roberto, I mean that fact that in this thread there are a few common names already shows what the list will end up being like.
The other thign is that I don’t want stangers liking to mine without my knowledge. As soon as you go to someones page it builds a connection between the two, and thus people think we know each other and support each other even though I m ay think that person is a total twit. Promotions of others should be an agreed thing between the two parties involved, the unfortunate thing with that is the spamming involved for highly respected artists.
but why does the Networking/Favorites feature imply that you “know” the person. I actually don’t know anybody on CGTalk. But there are many people whom I think do good work and would like to keep up to date with what they’re doing. My opinion is that the Favorites and the Network are redundant features. Maybe only the Favorites list is necessary. I don’t think it then says that just cause I choose to link to someone else’s portfolio that I know them… it might mean that I think people who visit my portfolio will also like this persons work.
Personally I see the portfolios as a way of getting to know one another, of spreading the word about artists work we may never have otherwise seen. The favorites feature could serve this purpose quite well.
I don’t think the “Nework” concept of only connections to people you know is a good idea.
the ffavourites system as is is a personal list others won’t see, so yes its great for allowing me to keep track of artists I like on cgtalk, but people are suggesting that be made public and hte portfolio network be removed, but that means that the favourites now reflects sponsorship and connection rather then people I’d personally like to keep track of.
I have the same feeling, there’s something wrong with it, looking at some artist’s network list, seeing about 150 links… really makes it worthless… my choice would be to pick a top 5 or so, of people you want to be associated with and have the rest in a kinda page system or something… so people see 5 links, and can browse with little arrows to see the others or so… I dunno.
i guess i don’t get the point of the network feature. none of the nice people who allowed me in their network know me at all. there is no connection other than i asked if it was okay with them. i don’t think anyone will only use this for some real “networking” purpose but to show some sort of friendly respect for each others work. worthless? perhaps.
That pretty much covers a lot of what I feel is wrong with it. If it really was a question of networking, i.e. strictly related to people I somehow work with, then it would perhaps make sense, but as it’s implemented now, it turns into something entirely different and “unprofessional” (not comfortable with that word, but it’s the best one I could come up with in this context).
no you are not alone with that, made a similar comment to someone else the other day.
it all just feels really…wrong
yes but come on… it IS a nice way of surfing through the portfolio space. i have discovered so many peoples works via this feature. i don’t think the concept is wrong, just maybe the intention that it be people you “know” and this idea of it being about a personal connection rather than pointing out interesting work.
I think, once we have more users, it’ll die down somewhat, and you’ll start to see people networking responsibly 
I wonder
blending mine out in the meantime though, no offence ment to any that may be on there
I like the idea of having only a ‘Top 5’.
Another thing I’d like to suggest is that the artist names are listed by surname, not by date of joining up like they are now- it makes it much more difficult searching for a specific artist.
It would be interesting if people were allowed to select the type of art they work in best- (such as humorous or ‘epic’) and that could be another search field.
Anton,
Is there any way that the owner of the Portfolio can see all of their network connections as one go? I use them as shortcuts to check on others’ Portfolios, and it would be nice not to have to refresh 10 times to see everyone on the list.
Just a suggestion.
BTW I am CGP giddy. It rocks! 
Cheers,
~Rebecca
I like the networking idea. But I’m not one that will be in danger of getting spammed with requests to be added to other people’s network…
It allows me to look at the portfolio of an artist I respect, and then explore the work of others’ that artist respects. It’s a great way to easily see lots of great work without sifting through a lot of the clutter (like my own stuff), and find things I love that I might not otherwise have found.
From the perspective of the more prominent members… I can certainly see where it could be bothersome to get spammed with invites.
Possible Solutions :
Perhaps there could be an option to auto-decline any invitation requests. Just a simple flag in the account management that doesn’t accept any invites at all. This would prevent a more known artist being harrassed consistently.
Go a bit further, and allow a portfolio owner to create a list of the users who would be auto-approved should they send a networking request. Hell, you could link that to a portfolio owner’s favorites. If you put someone on your favorites, and they send you a networking request, they are auto-approved.
Those two things combined put the level of public participation on the portfolio owner, and still allows a level of contribution and interaction.
Is there a fear of elitism? Well… yes. But frankly I don’t see a problem with there being an inner circle of highly talented artists. Being associated with those that are the creme of the crop (the elite, as it were) should be a privilege, not an expectation. It should be an earned recognition. That’s exactly what the CG Choice award is. This is just something that is not defined by a small commitee of CG Society staff, but rather by the artists themselves. In that regard, the fears of elitism and/or favoritism should counteract those same concerns I’ve seen voiced here about the CG Choice awards. It’s alternative, community-run recognition system that can augment the staff-run recognition system.
Looks like the Top 5 thing has been implemented. You can view your whole network from the ‘Manage Portfolio’ page atm.
Oh, ok, cool. Thanks Brian. Didn’t realize you could view the full list there. 
Cheers,
~Rebeccak
I can understand some of the concerns, but it is important to see the Network feature as a tool, not a popularity contest. As the Portfolio section goes “online” and gains more users, the network can be a very handy tool for finding artists similar to one you like.
One of the horrors of somewhere like DeviantArt is the huge number of uploads going on – you either have to sift through everything, or let someone else decide what is good and what is not (hoping they might have tastes somewhat like yours).
But a networking, favorites, or whatever component allows you to quickly find other artwork of interest by letting artists whose work you like act as a “filter.”
Having had a death threat in the past, as well as strange “fans” show up on the front stoop, I am not keen on the Google maps – so I just don’t use that feature. And the Network selections can be turned off here, and senders blacklisted… in short, I feel this system is designed so those who want the features can use them to advantage, and those we don’t want can be turned off.
That said, I’d hate to see featues cut just because I or someone else feels uncomfortable with them. Networking is a tool, and it is one that has the potential to make exploring CGSociety a lot easier and worthwhile.
Cover artist for HarperCollins’ Digital Artwork for the 21st Century.
See more of my work at: http://DuncanLong.com/art.html