Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Rules of the Blogosphere

1. Remember that this is wide open territory. It is uncharted. Simply by doing, you become a player.
2. If hits are down, controversy helps greatly.
3. Grab what you can.
4. Seniority means nothing.
5. Keep self promotion to a minimum.
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First, there was Conscientious. Then, we had Alec Soth's Blog. They are great in a going-to-grad-school kind of way. Then, Whats The Jackanory came on the scene, kind of like a Village Voice for the working editorial photography community. A Photo Editor anonymously sprang up, and hit the jackpot. Then Bitter Photographer came on the scene, quickly achieving air superiority with a few targeted posts and ruining it for everyone...or making every one's day.
Now, PhotoShelter has tried to drop the bomb hiring Rachel Hulin to blog full time with Shoot The Blog. Lot's of talk last week with her very first post. Two photographers told me she was "hot", 3 told me she seemed "really smart". Everyone has their priorities.

Now the blog is rolling and Hulin reports she is having a blast...and it shows. RH's voice amidst the thing is right on. She brings you in the club, welcomes you as a member, and makes you feel like we are all in this together. And, of course, she has nothing to promote, no real agenda, unlike blogs such as mine. Bookmark this thing HERE.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

TA hearts Hulin

Anonymous said...

Timothy
I think you have gone all googly eyed on us.I cannot believe for a second that you do not think Hulin is promoting herself, her friends and photoshelter.

Ok the photoshelter push has been subtle but come on.Some of the featured photogs arent on photoshelter dont you think they are dangling the come join the party carrott.

Of course she is having a "blast" as the resident party girl between drinking martinis having friends around for tea and writing a few posts a day.I bet they are looking at her stats and analyzing them closely, they may promote community but arent they running a business.Shes on the clock already.

BTW anyone made a sale on photoshelter yet?

The 2 photogs who thought she was "hot" and the 3 who think she is "smart" are all male I presume.

Pathetic !

Timothy Archibald said...

Um, Anonymous, please chill.
If you must know, the photogs who commented on RH were mixed company, men and women.
Would you like their home phone numbers as well?
After getting everyone to gang swarm Burtynsky, I thought it would be cool to write something nice about someone. Come on...it is spring. Birds are singing. The sun is shining...

Anonymous said...

um, spring or not, all this blog talk makes my brain hurt:

i think its an all out attack to get traffic away from sites that talk about photography in an overall way. the events, the generalness, all to be done by a place like PS that isn't really a good thing. they may offer a service, but at the end of the day, it's another place that wants 30% of everything you do. redux may as well of hired her. this bothers me.

why go to jack or archi if you already read it on PS or APE? industry insiders will always have stunning traffic by nature, its the insiderness and generalities that are the draw. who cares if you post about the new mamiya, but if she or rob does, look out !

its the whole fear issue in this business, you may miss a tip, be left out, or not get attention someone else did.

now they are coming after all the photo blogs as they see the value in discussion in site traffic.

my issues are more random and nonsensical in that these blogs started so whoever can say what they want and be ruled by no one. now there are posting circles going on and everyone wanting theirs to be the key or the fav opinion offered on whatever fact they are posting.

so i think archis little rule thing is silly and i guess written as his own set of rules, but the point of blogs is to F the rules i as i see it.

as far as her actual blog, it's a must read because of the weight it has by nature, a sponsor, a paycheck, the connections she has and place she now sits. by default it ups her status by like a million. but before she did it, had you heard of her? i read nerve, she wasn't on my radar or remembered, but she will be now and even if she leaves in 6 months, it did nothing but help her.

i almost wish she did post more about herself, the story she wrote on her vagina was a good read, google her and see yourself. her pictures are surprisingly interesting.

there isnt much discussion on there, someone posted and pointed out the BS in the book contest she mentioned, yet she didn't even respond. conversations only happen when someone gets their feelings hurt or its a post they did on a friend they now have to defend, but that's just it too, there is no real discussions happening on any of these sites and when there is, its all fluff BS because if you say what you really feel or point out the hypocrisy, you're the BP or just some asshole, maybe robs has some, but i am finding it impossible to read or respect anymore, the hypocrisy is fucking unreal and points out the stupidity of so much of this business. i will always read it or at least glance at it, but it's another place or thing designed to make photogs feel bad about themselves, this is all suppose to be joyful or otherwise feel good.

Timothy Archibald said...

Thanks for clarifying, Anon.
Yer kinda bumming about the corporate-ization of this photo blogging thing, I take it?
I hear ya, I hear ya...

Anonymous said...

well you got more then one anon on here.

kinda bumming on the the hypocrisy, unneeded corp blog chime ins of me to ism and circles of it all, blogs blurring together.

yet still reading, just need more unique voices that are enjoyably off the radar, out of their minds or otherwise out of whack.

Ian Aleksander Adams said...

She worked at ICP? I wonder if she knows coley.

At least seeing that craigslist ad was good fun, in a hopeless downward spiral for assistants and students sort of way.