Internet Community
I decided to join a fashion internet community called MudPie. This is an exclusive site that you have to get approval by an agent to join. I was able to join it while I studied at a fashion school in London. This site is a place for people in the industry and subscribers to get the latest trend forecasting information from street wear to colors that will be fashionable in the next 2 years. It also serves as a place to blog about opinions and research done in the field.
Firstly I hate blogging because I just think it is a waste of time and for some reason I just feel so weird doing it on public sites. But in order to incorporate myself into the site I first started by introducing myself and stating what my interest in fashion was and how I contribute to it. Then I commented on some of the upcoming trends that were posted. I then received comments back welcoming me to the site and asking me questions about why I was living in London etc.
I felt as though I was accepted because people responded to my posts and enquired about me as a person further. And I guess I compare getting accepted and unaccepted by the positive comments I received. I think if I were to get negative comments or even no comments at all I would feel unaccepted. As people we need reassurance with almost everything we do. This is especially true when we are putting ourselves out there by posting comments read by thousands of people around the world.
Well considering fashion is totally subjective, there were of course disagreements about what will be fashionable and what will not be. And if you have ever met anyone from the industry you will know that there are many feisty people who think there viewpoint on everything is the only right one. People would bluntly tell others that they were full of s*** thinking certain trends were amazing. And of course there would be a rebuttal, but the arguments could never be solved, someone would just end up having nothing more to say about the topic and then it would end. The reason being is because you can debate about fashion all day but when everything is based on opinion it is unlikely you will change someone’s mind about what they think is aesthetically appealing. In most other subjects people would agree to disagree or they would come to some sort of compromise, but on this site anything goes and it can be quite entertaining to read.
Greg Harper Said:
on February 19, 2009 at 6:38 pm
This site seems alot like the scouting I belong to. It is controled so that members are screened before they are allowed to participate and really need a reason to be there. I have found that is keeps the information relevant and accurate. There is not a lot of time spent explainng items to the uniformed. It is really a positive move to have the site regualted and secure.
Greg
Daniel Leach Said:
on February 20, 2009 at 7:51 am
Yeah I found that people are far more likely to offer hastier or more blunt “full of s***” on these types of online communities then they would in real life. They are behind the security of a computer, and often times, as we spoke in previous weeks, people online have aliases that do not identify their real names. I feel that the anonymity allows people express their opinions with more passion. The biggest thing I can’t stand about people on these types of forums / communities is the people that profess that their opinion is the only one that is right, yet they fail to provide info as to who they in real life…
Alex Casey Said:
on February 20, 2009 at 2:06 pm
I agree with you Traci in that we need generally need reassurance if we’re to feel accepted and continue to contribute. Some people could care less about the comments they receive and they’ll just continue on like nothing happened, but most others reflect upon what people say to them or about what they said. If we receive negative comments we’re less likely to comment anymore, possibly even finding a different community if it’s really bad. But if people politely respond to what you said, then it gives us the OK to post more. It makes it feel like they’re interested in what we have to say and that in some way they care about us. And like you said, not getting any comments can almost be as bad as getting bad comments, since it’s almost like nobody cares enough about what you said to even bother replying. It’s kind of similar to somebody in real life just flat out ignoring you, even though you know they can see you and heard what you said.