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YouTubeI noticed that the website http://www.indiecolumbus.com has not been updated since July? Is this correct? Did this site essentially shut down? I'm curious why so few websites in Columbus actually make it, I guess cause its hard to make decent money on them?
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RIP Indie Columbus?
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spookygoddess78
Northland-ish
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JackWells wrote >>
I noticed that the website http://www.indiecolumbus.com has not been updated since July? Is this correct? Did this site essentially shut down? I'm curious why so few websites in Columbus actually make it, I guess cause its hard to make decent money on them?I can't say why this particular site was not successful. All I can say is that I never looked at it twice due to this blurb on the front page.
'IndieColumbus dot com is Bustown’s only
essential online phenomenon. Cutting-edge,
controversial, fast, and funny, it’s where the
Central City’s radical urbanists riff on
culture, politics, outrage, activism, and their
most inspired ambitions.'Posted 2 years ago # -
blammo
in the shadow of the wonder of bread
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spookygoddess78 wrote >>
JackWells wrote >>
I noticed that the website http://www.indiecolumbus.com has not been updated since July? Is this correct? Did this site essentially shut down? I'm curious why so few websites in Columbus actually make it, I guess cause its hard to make decent money on them?I can't say why this particular site was not successful. All I can say is that I never looked at it twice due to this blurb on the front page.
'IndieColumbus dot com is Bustown’s only
essential online phenomenon. Cutting-edge,
controversial, fast, and funny, it’s where the
Central City’s radical urbanists riff on
culture, politics, outrage, activism, and their
most inspired ambitions.'Yeah, perhaps too much emphasis on talking about what they were going to be, and not enough on actually doing it.
Posted 2 years ago # -
groundrules
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JackWells
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groundrules wrote >>
JackWells wrote >>
I guess cause its hard to make decent money on them?my guess is that it's more because it's hard to generate a lot of content all the time. And especially so when you are asking people to do it for free.
Doesn't everyone on CU do it for free, other than obviously Walker?
Posted 2 years ago # -
groundrules
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JackWells wrote >>
groundrules wrote >>
JackWells wrote >>
I guess cause its hard to make decent money on them?my guess is that it's more because it's hard to generate a lot of content all the time. And especially so when you are asking people to do it for free.
Doesn't everyone on CU do it for free, other than obviously Walker?
I have no idea how money works with CU, but there's a big difference between a lot of people throwing up the occasional post in an area of interest versus a small group of people committing to regularly write stories on a variety of things.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Slay
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You got it, "groundrules". No one was trying to make money from Indie Columbus.
The truth is that the people who were doing the most work on the project are also involved in a billion other things that make our city great. It takes a lot of steam and time to keep something like that going, even for more than a few months.
But ... a couple of us are still working on addressing the same issues that Indie Columbus wanted to. Cross your fingers and it might yet come together. And those of you who hated Indie Columbus will probably hate what's next even more. Heh heh.
I must say, I'm always pleased to see that chatter around here about that project. It hard sometimes to know who's out there and who's paying attention. Many thanks.
Posted 2 years ago # -
blammo
in the shadow of the wonder of bread
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groundrules wrote >>
JackWells wrote >>
groundrules wrote >>
JackWells wrote >>
I guess cause its hard to make decent money on them?my guess is that it's more because it's hard to generate a lot of content all the time. And especially so when you are asking people to do it for free.
Doesn't everyone on CU do it for free, other than obviously Walker?
I have no idea how money works with CU, but there's a big difference between a lot of people throwing up the occasional post in an area of interest versus a small group of people committing to regularly write stories on a variety of things.
yeah, i might post a link or type up an opinion on something, but that's nothing compared to the commitment of consistently writing real stories on a real deadline. I hope they can pull it back together, maybe with some revisions.
Posted 2 years ago # -
JackWells
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I would have to think that considering the time commitment required for putting out decent content, if you are not paying anyone to produce it then everyone's other priorities (that have to do with making a real living) would take precedent over doing stuff for free. It's easy to see why these types of ventures rarely succeed
Posted 2 years ago # -
MikeReed
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There were a couple of issues.
The people issue is a little more complicated than what was said, but that about sums it up. It is great to have a pool of dedicated writers and IC had a few really, really awesome people. The problem was- as in many endeavors- that about 20% of people actually "show up" and until you get that magic threshold where things take on a life of their own you have to keep striking the match and striking the match- trying to get a fire to start.
IC lacked one very, very critical component- it lacked a self regulating mechanism that (alongside qucker, simple content) would enable folks to self-serve higher quality content that didn't also require a great deal of coddling (because no one who was a dricing force had time to do that). Lesson learned. I think this can be done while staying committed to the idea that vision and control should be decentralized... not consolidated.
I think people will create for the love of it- money or no money. I see it in the artist community as a rule. Artists just want to show work and have things happening and they will do that at little to no personal gain (and sometimes at a loss) to have the experience/exposure/audience. That isn't to say that once such a venture turns a profit that all the sweat equity shouldn't have real dividends. Just saying that for many people the spirit to create is stronger than the drive to make a buck.
Re: I can't say why this particular site was not successful. All I can say is that I never looked at it twice due to this blurb on the front page. - I wonder sometimes why people who had trouble with some of the particular language never just showed up and made their first contribution changing those problem areas. That was the spirit of the thing- and any copy that made it's way onto the site was incidental space filler and probably made us laugh when we wrote it. Anyway, just sayin' - it was always open and we would have welcomed that kind of change. Seriously.
All of that and if anyone ever recommends Expression Engine to you- run like hell. What a vile piece of software. One of the few systems I have encountered in over a decade of software dev. that I can honestly say I truly loathe.
Posted 2 years ago # -
daniel
Old Town East
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MikeReed wrote >>
Re: I can't say why this particular site was not successful. All I can say is that I never looked at it twice due to this blurb on the front page. - I wonder sometimes why people who had trouble with some of the particular language never just showed up and made their first contribution changing those problem areas. That was the spirit of the thing- and any copy that made it's way onto the site was incidental space filler and probably made us laugh when we wrote it.---
disclosure- i was at interest meetings and wrote 2 articles for Indie Columbus, but due to timing issues, my articles did not make it onto the site.
---
I think that such a small thing that was not indicative of the intention of us who were behind Indie Columbus evidently had a much greater impact of the reader that we gave credit for.Many of us have mocked in copy at some point in our creative endeavors, it's unfortunate that a lack of critical eye toward that particular detail was such a turn off, but the resistance to perceived bravado was absolutely understandable.
Posted 2 years ago # -
jeff_r
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daniel wrote >>
MikeReed wrote >>
Re: I can't say why this particular site was not successful. All I can say is that I never looked at it twice due to this blurb on the front page. - I wonder sometimes why people who had trouble with some of the particular language never just showed up and made their first contribution changing those problem areas. That was the spirit of the thing- and any copy that made it's way onto the site was incidental space filler and probably made us laugh when we wrote it.---
disclosure- i was at interest meetings and wrote 2 articles for Indie Columbus, but due to timing issues, my articles did not make it onto the site.
---
I think that such a small thing that was not indicative of the intention of us who were behind Indie Columbus evidently had a much greater impact of the reader that we gave credit for.
Many of us have mocked in copy at some point in our creative endeavors, it's unfortunate that a lack of critical eye toward that particular detail was such a turn off, but the resistance to perceived bravado was absolutely understandable.Thanks for the insights and clarifications daniel. I can't speak for other readers, but I was also one of the people who was put off by the passage spookygoddess cited (It seemed exclusionary and urban-centric to me). I tried to make that point in this thread:
http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/indie-columbus-thoughts
and in the comments here on the Indie Columbus site:
http://indiecolumbus.com/site/post/why_bother/
As you've pointed out, the passage appears to have created something of a disconnect between the intention of the people behind Indie Columbus and the perception of the readers.
Posted 2 years ago # -
MikeReed
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(I swear, I just followed jeff_r's link and had a look at the footer- I had never even read that copy in the footer before)
One can get really, really heads down in projects (and specifically coding) to the tune of 18 hour days and some details can slip by you (or at that point you don't have the energy to notice them).
I think this is a legitimate criticism and I appreciate having heard it. The project was something I learned a great deal from- a great deal I hope to apply to a different, more successful project one of these days.
Thanks for the insight.
Posted 2 years ago # -
lisathewaitress
SoHud
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I was also turned off by the copy on the site, and by this:
FAST, NASTY, and FLASHY.
Three words that tell you all you need to know about the Indie Columbus forums.I am sure Walker will tell you how many readers it takes to have a successful forum. It seems as though .01% of readers actually post on a regular basis.
It is really hard to define your site before it's been read and vetted and interpreted by your readers. That being said, I am not a fan of self-definition in any form, because you don't define yourself; others do. You might try to, but if you don't live up to your own self-definition then it's really pretty pointless.
A lot of people think blogging is easy; while sometimes it is, it really does take a lot of time. In the past 5 years, I have written for RW more days than I have worked (by about 500). and, since I am only willing to write for free for my site, I can't really expect anyone else to write for free.
For a long time, I have wanted to do a collaborative Columbus lifestyle website; perhaps for a slightly older demographic than CU attracts: for people who are just buying their first house, turning it into a home, etc.
I thought of this because I am constantly frustrated by how to decorate my 100 year old home which was designed for a completely different lifestyle than the one I have now. When I got to thinking that most of my friends live in very similar houses, I wondered why there wasn't a website dedicated to how to decorate them. And I don't mean the kind with 10,000 sofas. I mean with things the average household, making under 100K, can afford.
Columbus seems rather fascinated by the super rich, when other cities have tons of websites dedicated to the average urbanite - someone who might be more of a DIYer, collects local art, and shops in thrift stores.
At any rate, it's hard to convince someone they should write a decorating blog just because I want them to, especially since, after 5 years of blogging myself, 99.9% of the rewards have been intangible, and don't contribute to my mortgage payment.
Well. I've gotten off topic a little bit. The topic just brought up a lot of things I've been thinking about lately.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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lisathewaitress wrote >>
I thought of this because I am constantly frustrated by how to decorate my 100 year old home which was designed for a completely different lifestyle than the one I have now. When I got to thinking that most of my friends live in very similar houses, I wondered why there wasn't a website dedicated to how to decorate them. And I don't mean the kind with 10,000 sofas. I mean with things the average household, making under 100K, can afford.That was part of the thought process behind Anne's "At Home" series:
http://www.columbusunderground.com/tag/at-home
Reading articles in Columbus Monthly about 400k+ kitchen remodels by Empty Nesters in New Albany got her thinking about how much cooler it would be to read about younger folks on smaller budgets buying/renovating/decorating homes in historic/urban neighborhoods.
Granted, it's only a monthly article rather than a more regularly updated blog, but I agree with you that it's a topic that's lacking locally. Her articles have been pretty well received so far, and pretty well read too. Perhaps we should all crack the whip on Anne and have her make it a daily feature. ;) Ha!
Posted 2 years ago # -
daniel
Old Town East
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Walker wrote >>
lisathewaitress wrote >>
I thought of this because I am constantly frustrated by how to decorate my 100 year old home which was designed for a completely different lifestyle than the one I have now. When I got to thinking that most of my friends live in very similar houses, I wondered why there wasn't a website dedicated to how to decorate them. And I don't mean the kind with 10,000 sofas. I mean with things the average household, making under 100K, can afford.That was part of the thought process behind Anne's "At Home" series:
http://www.columbusunderground.com/tag/at-home
Reading articles in Columbus Monthly about 400k+ kitchen remodels by Empty Nesters in New Albany got her thinking about how much cooler it would be to read about younger folks on smaller budgets buying/renovating/decorating homes in historic/urban neighborhoods.
Granted, it's only a monthly article rather than a more regularly updated blog, but I agree with you that it's a topic that's lacking locally. Her articles have been pretty well received so far, and pretty well read too. Perhaps we should all crack the whip on Anne and have her make it a daily feature. ;) Ha!Anne's contribution in those articles is huge. What she's been creating with her series goes far deeper than decor. It legitimizes all of us who by circumstance or choice live at a level of opulence that flies under the radar of the local glossies.
You are creating culture, Anne. nothing less.
Posted 2 years ago # -
JackWells
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To me, the At home series is hit & miss. I think having homes in the more attainable price point definitely makes for good reading. Unfortunately I think the photography thus far has been really bad. But I guess it all comes back to the indiecolumbus thing. if you wanted it done professionally, then you'd have to pay someone pretty decent money to do it, or otherwise be at their mercy to do it for free
Posted 2 years ago # -
Bear
The woods
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Mike, Matt,
I wonder if this wasn't a case of insufficient social capital? My sense was that you guys had a great knack for finding people doing interesting things in the city, but that -- let me see, I think I sat in on one or two of these initial meetings -- although many of them knew one another in a loosely-connected sort of way, there may not have been enough binding them together, or binding each of them to the project, to tear them away from other obligations (or just valuable free time)?
I'm not being critical (at all) -- I liked the project and still do. But I'm wondering what we can learn from it in a city in which lots of young people have lots of obligations, lots of connections, lots of energy, a real desire to improve the city, and lots of decisions about how to allocate their marginal time. One possibility might be that the social-capital-building part has to happen before the project can really get off the ground.
Could be dead wrong, of course. This is all very speculative, based on impressions rather than hard evidence. But I'm interested in your thoughts.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Anne
King Lincoln
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JackWells wrote >>
To me, the At home series is hit & miss. I think having homes in the more attainable price point definitely makes for good reading. Unfortunately I think the photography thus far has been really bad. But I guess it all comes back to the indiecolumbus thing. if you wanted it done professionally, then you'd have to pay someone pretty decent money to do it, or otherwise be at their mercy to do it for freeSorry you don't care for the photography. I'm not a professional photographer and don't claim to be one.
However, I'm glad people like it though. It is a fun series to do.
Posted 2 years ago # -
CDS sherman
East Franklinton
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Anne wrote >>
JackWells wrote >>
To me, the At home series is hit & miss. I think having homes in the more attainable price point definitely makes for good reading. Unfortunately I think the photography thus far has been really bad. But I guess it all comes back to the indiecolumbus thing. if you wanted it done professionally, then you'd have to pay someone pretty decent money to do it, or otherwise be at their mercy to do it for freeSorry you don't care for the photography. I'm not a professional photographer and don't claim to be one.
However, I'm glad people like it though. It is a fun series to do.Anne the pictures are just fine and you keep up the good work. i cant wait to so whats up next!
Posted 2 years ago #
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