...in my observation, this seems like a place where people can post everything from quick cell phone snap shots to fine art, carefully processed images, but the majority tends to be skewed toward the snapshot end of the spectrum. i've always been under the impression that the vibe of the group is light and fun and not meant for instruction, mentoring, or getting too technical.
i'm in a lot of FB forums where people of all skill levels go to show their work but also to learn and improve. many novices get disappointed when they see the work of others and immediately think they need to upgrade their gear. i tend to connect with those people and try to get them to hold off on spending money right away and i've mentored a lot of these people, showing them how to improve in areas where they are frustrated (the biggest challenge i see is people not able to focus on their target, mainly because they don't realize that the default AF area mode lets the camera choose your focus point...no amount of pro gear will fix this if you're going to still use default AF area mode with the new gear). some of the people i've mentored have started producing fine art images that are better than my work.
i think if you made the contests more focused or more restrictive or had a judging panel or required people to explain why they voted for a certain image (in terms of composition, image quality, processing, etc) it would get me interested in the contests, but would likely drive away most people. i think the way things are right now is good for the group...maybe we can create a more advanced or fine art photography group for advanced photographers where we could also offer critiquing, instruction and mentoring for novices who want to improve.
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