Soapbox

Why Pinterest is damaging the Internet

by Veronica on February 6, 2012

Pinterest seems to be the new OMG HAVE YOU SEEN IT thing lately, which, okay, fine.

It took me a while to get into it and then only a few moments to forget about it again. This probably says more about how my brain works than any particular thing wrong with the premise of Pinterest. I’m not a designer home kind of girl and pretty things usually just make me grumpy that my house is falling down and my finances are limited at best.

Every few weeks though, I would click through to Pinterest to see what was happening in the gardening and food sections. Gardens and food are something I can do and there were some nice ideas.

Ignoring the fact that I seemed to see the same pictures pinned over and over and over and fucking over again, I was able to peruse photos of walkways and overgrown vegetation and delicious foody things.

Until, one day, I found something that looked interesting. So I clicked on it, to find it’s source, so that I could read more about it.

Source: Google.com

Huh. Just one image, snagged by a Pinterester, using Google image search. There was no accreditation for the original photographer, and nothing available to tell me what on earth it actually was, or how to cook it.

Slowly as I found myself clicking on more and more things, I was finding more and more images grabbed from Google, with nothing about the original author.

And okay, I get that kittens or fuzzy bunnies or whatever maybe don’t technically NEED a source, recipes.

Artwork, crafts and awesome ideas however, definitely DO.

It’s like a giant game of Chinese Whispers, once things have been pinned half a dozen times, no one knows what it was originally about.

I am a big believer in not watermarking images, instead choosing to resize to “Internet friendly, but you can’t print it out”. I think watermarks distract from a photo and make things look messy.

But Pinterest makes me want to start watermarking things. It also makes me want to put a giant padlock on my site and disallow third party search engines from collecting images that Pinteresters could then pin, with no thoughts of accreditation.

Also, I think Pinterest enables people to use images in blog posts and then only give source credit to Pinterest. I’m sorry, but “found on Pinterest” is not source credit.

NO, NO IT ISN’T.

I’m calling you out Pinterest. I think you’re damaging for artists, for craftspeople, for food bloggers, for photographers and for people with interesting ideas that they kindly share with the Internet.

{ 21 comments }

My blog is not about you, or what you want.

by Veronica on January 28, 2012

in Headfuck,Soapbox

In the last couple of months, I’ve seen a few posts about the tracks that haven’t sat terribly well with me. Bloggers trying to justify why they’re not reading a certain other blog, or why they’re not commenting, or not driven to subscribe.

And I’m here to say:

My blog is not about you, or what you want.

No, it really really isn’t. It REALLY isn’t.

I write my blog because it makes me happy. I’ve slowly developed a like-minded community here, who enjoy what I write and have followed me along in this journey. Frankly, this is awesome and this is what I want.

But if you think I am weeping at night, wondering why you are not reading my blog, then, I’m sorry, but you’re sorely mistaken.

If my blog doesn’t do it for you, then move on. Don’t whinge about what I need to change (or what any blogger needs to change) in order to get you as a reader. Find someone else who is more your cup of tea instead.

I know that a lot of topics turn a lot of people off. For the record, no one is holding a gun to your head and making you read.

People blog for a lot of different reasons. I blog for connection. I want to connect with those people who read my words and get something out of it. If I write a post about the hell of PCOS periods, or the miserableness of watching a pregnancy slide down my legs in the shower, then I am writing those words for myself.

However, I am also writing them for the people out there who have felt those same emotions, or who find the post later and are so grateful that someone else knows how it feels.

I’m not writing for the candy-floss readers, who want my blog to be funny and lighthearted all the time. My blog reflects my real life, not the life I wish I was living.

There are topics out there that turn a lot of people off. Poo seems to be the latest DON’T YOU DARE WRITE ABOUT IT.

I’m here to tell you that if shit is a big part of your kids life, then shit will make it onto the blog.

And I’ll admit – I am sensitive in this case. Isaac’s bowel issues have gone from moderately annoying, to severe and impacting on our lives and I am at the end of my tether.

You can’t decide what I can and can’t write about, just to fit it in with your pretty sensibilities.

You can make the decision to only read what you want to read and not be an arse about it though.

I love my readers and my community here, but I will never be writing about pop culture and the pretty shiny things in life. I have one kid who scales the cupboards and steals my chocolate while screaming like a banshee, and another kid who can’t chew properly, can’t poo and won’t eat most food, while I spend a lot of the day downing anti-nausea drugs and trying not to puke, dislocate or miscarry.

THAT is my real life. THAT is what is happening here on a daily basis.

And if you don’t want to see that reflected in my writing, then I’m not sure this blog is for you.

{ 47 comments }

Raising a girl is hard work

by Veronica on January 16, 2012

in Amy,Soapbox

So, here’s the thing:

Amy,

I don’t care that the other girls in your class have heeled shoes. I am not buying you a pair. You are five years old and there will be no heels until you’re as tall as I am.

I really don’t know why your friends apparently wear lipstick, but I will not be letting you use mine. Here’s a lip balm that has a little glitter in it. You can use that instead. I know that it’s not coloured. That is the point.

No, you may not listen to Lady Gaga on Youtube. Yes I know that Mandy* does, but that is no reason for you to as well. I don’t care that you hate me, because I know you don’t. No, I’m still not letting you watch.

Yes, I probably am ruining your life. I really don’t care though, because you’re five and it’s my job to destroy your dreams of high heels and red lip gloss.

You cannot speak to me like that – I am your mother, not your school friend and you can go to time out until you’re ready to speak properly.

Dresses are pretty, but mini skirts are not. Put some leggings on underneath. Right now. Or you can go to bed instead.

Fat is not a bad thing. Everybody is different and everybody’s body looks different. Eliza* is not fat, she is a lovely, smart, friendly little girl and if you hear the boys calling her fat, you tell the teacher immediately. She doesn’t need to hear that at her age.

No, Matthew* has no idea what he is talking about, don’t listen to him.

Susie* said that pigtails are ugly and won’t let you wear them? Fuck Susie. She doesn’t get to say how you can wear your hair to school. If you like pigtails, you can wear them. Wait, you don’t like them anymore? Shit.

You tell the teacher if the boys are calling you and your friends ugly.

You tell ME if someone makes you feel bad.

Dammit, tell SOMEONE.

There are so many things wrong here and I can only muddle through as best I can.

***

When did these become the conversations we are having with our daughters? When did we stop fielding requests for ponies and start fielding requests for high heels?

When did this become the norm, and how on earth are we meant to raise intelligent, smart, beautiful, happy daughters when society in general insists on telling women that they’re not enough?

It’s ridiculous and it’s making me sad that I even need to have these conversations with Amy – even as I know that in this day and age, these discussions are not something I can escape.

***

* Not real names, obviously.

{ 23 comments }

It’s really quite a vicious circle

by Veronica on January 9, 2012

in Blogging,Soapbox

So, picture this:

You start a blog. You write stories, you read stories, you comment on stories. Slowly, people drift towards you and read your stories. Three, six, twelve months in, you’ve got a popular platform, full of stories and the traffic, while not spectacular, is decent enough.

First, one PR company notices you. Then another and another and another.

And you’re flattered, you really are. You write stories on the INTERNET and suddenly, these real companies want to send you real things, to write about. You accept something here, a little thing there. You amaze yourself with what you can do, with what people want to give you.

The stuff accumulates in a box under your desk, or maybe it’s under your bed. There is stuff everywhere and a feeling, hanging over your head, like you’re forgetting something.

You’re trying so hard to keep up with the stuff, that you don’t realise you haven’t written any stories lately.

The emails flood in, but not the comments. Traffic doesn’t drop – much – but it doesn’t grow either.

Companies love you, but new readers don’t stay long. Giveaways coax in the traffic, but it drifts away again.

You notice that you aren’t telling stories when you find yourself clenching your teeth at night, trying to work out when to write about the stuff sitting under your desk, gathering dust. When nothing fits into your schedule anymore, when you’re trying to keep everyone happy and failing.

So maybe you say no to the stuff. Or maybe you add a disclaimer that you’ll accept the stuff, but not always write about it. Maybe you quit, because it’s all too much pressure and like hard work.

Or maybe, you’ll just start telling stories again. They’ll bubble over and out and you’ll try and find your balance – that knife edge where you’re only writing about the things you want to write about, without being guilt tripped into anything else.

But you’ll backslide, because guilt trips are everywhere. Children are starving to death and look at this great cause and omg someone should raise awareness.

Maybe you’ll notice. Maybe you won’t.

It won’t matter terribly much, but here’s the thing:

People love stories.

PR companies love people.

People do not love PR stories.

It’s a messy cycle and it’s easy to get caught up and spit out. The sludge of stats and subscribers and traffic and stuff and money and events and needtowriteaboutthis and pitch this and promote that and help the cause and and and…

It’s all just a bit much.

I want the stories back.

{ 23 comments }

You don’t get to police the Internet

by Veronica on December 21, 2011

in Soapbox

Say that something gets written. Something you don’t agree with. In fact, it’s something that your moral standards find so terribly offensive that you’re moved to write something grumpy and grumble to your peers.

And say, that in your grumbling, more offensive things are said. The torches get lit and the pitchforks come out. The mob moves in, only to find itself met by another, equally angry mob.

People demand that everyone mark everyone else as spam on twitter so that the offensive content cannot continue. It doesn’t matter what side of the argument you’re on, the other side is WRONG and you must shut down the discussion, in case someone hears it.

Offensive remarks are made on all sides and suddenly, there’s a flame war happening, with torches and BURN THE WITCH and shouting. Everyone is a bit hot under the collar.

While I can see that Mob A has some valid points, Mob B has some valid points too.

It all just feels like mud slinging, until someone shouts “LET’S TELL ON THEM! SHUT DOWN THE OFFENSIVENESS! STOP IT SPREADING!!”

Because I have been here before. I have seen this happen before and no doubt I will see this happen again. Chickenliver vs Boobs, Injuries and Dr Pepper anyone?

Cries of “BREACH OF TOS” “HORRIBLE HUMAN BEING” “I WOULD NEVER DO THAT!!!!!” get thrown around and people get angry. Blogs get reported (here there and everywhere, because everyone has a pitchfork by this point) and everyone feels vindicated.

BECAUSE I’M RIGHT.

Only, what if you’re not right? What if the other side is right? What if neither of you is right? What if this is not a black and white issue, but the whole thing is various shades of grey?

Do you have the right to police the Internet, just because you’re standing on the (slippery) moral high ground and think that you’re right?

Do you have the right to incite a mob to flag and mark as spam, just because something doesn’t fit with your sense of moral standards?

The Internet is a huge place and there is something to offend everybody. There is also a red X in the corner of your screen that you can click to make the offensiveness go away.

You can choose to stay silent, or speak out, as you choose. But whatever you do, you have to own that choice and wear the consequences. You have to own your words and stand by them.

There is always someone who is going to disagree with you and there is a whole other conversation that needs to be had about transparency and business practices, but right now, I’m watching the mobs try to police each other and wondering why no one has realised that this whole thing isn’t really all that important.

{ 32 comments }

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