The blogosphere changes fiercely every day. Forget every year, forget every month- the internet can be a wild and unruly beast meaning that as there are no hard and fast rules those that care to do so can create something quite literally out of nothing.
When I started blogging in early 2007 it was seen as a past time, not a profession and certainly not journalism. Akin to an online diary, when I told people I had a blog a common reaction was, ‘Is that like Myspace?’ My how times have changed.
Not long after I rode the wave of bloggers making money from content and advertising and with it the tide of backlash. Self-publishing is a form of freedom from editorial comment and the push pull between whether what you were blogging about for money could be true independent opinion incited fierce debate across the blogosphere and beyond. But bloggers aren’t journalists, and aren’t bound by a code of ethics right?
Rather they answer to their readers. Sometimes collectives form like Independent Fashion Bloggers in the US, and then there are blogging networks like Now Manifest, Nuff Nang and recently arrived on our shores FELLT. But I’m ahead of myself.
People often and originally turned to blogs to read content that was not published anywhere else. What would never make the pages of print media, fashion magazines or television started to spout on platforms provided for free by WordPress and Blogger. A revolution in dissemination of ideas and debate, blogging has changed the way that people seek information on their chosen topic. Bloggers became king opinion makers, lauded front row at fashion week, flown around the world almost like a novelty sideshow. What would Brian Boy turn up wearing in Milan next?
What I don’t think was really predicted was the way that blogging would enter the mainstream en masse and how it would change the broader landscape of fashion publishing in Australia.
I can recall turning up to media calls years ago being the only blogger invited to sit along side fashion editors and largely ignored, at that. Fast forward to 2012 and I now attend events thrown exclusively for fashion bloggers. We’re everywhere it seems and so another backlash can be felt in over exposure.
Culturally Australians like an underdog and someone who has paid their dues. Not someone who has had visible (read: media attention) success in a short space of time. Who are they? Who do they think they are coming out of nowhere?
Enter FELLT into the Australian blogging and self-publishing landscape. Based on a similar principal to Now Manifesto in the US it is a closed network of only 8 of Australia’s top tier fashion bloggers.
Referring to themselves as ‘high quality fashion journalism’ and ‘Oceania’s most competent, most engaging and most popular writers,’ today on Twitter a storm in a teacup erupted over the use of these terms in reference to the fact that none of the bloggers involved are actually journalists.
But why are we in a spin? Is it because this is a club that no one can join? Is it because if you are deemed good enough, stylish enough nay thin enough you will be chosen to join otherwise you simply look on from the sidelines?
Disregarding the actual writing on these blogs for a moment, the common theme that ties these blogs together is that they are run by young, thin and uber stylish women. Some have been blogging a couple of years, some are much newer to the blogging game. This network is also exclusive and not open to anyone to join.
It’s being referred to as a ‘game changer’ for the Australian fashion blogosphere but I think that’s a bit overblown and we’re still all gawking at the fact that we weren’t invited to the party.
Are we jealous perhaps that these women who self publish amazing content are having a semblance of success? And is that a broader symptom of how we react to success here in Australia?
For my part I can’t see it ‘changing’ the game because the game would change with or without FELLT. That’s the beauty of self-publishing and all it entails- anyone can start a blog and you never know where your readership will take you.
I also think it was remiss to use a description of ‘journalism’ but I also think that it’s nitpicking to tweet over semantics. I’m a trained journalist and work as a freelance writer but it is only in that instance that I refer to myself as such. Otherwise I am a self-publisher and blogger. I understand from my training that there is a world of difference between journalist and blogger, and that it is important to know the difference between the two.
So what makes a blogger? In part two I’ll discuss this along with the difference between journalism, self-publishing and making money from blogging.
Further reading:
Fashion Blogs making Little Miss a Hit on News.com.au
Fashion blogging grows up: Why Advertisers Want A Piece Of The Action on Mashable
You be the Judge: Are Bloggers Journalists? on Forbes.com
Australian bloggers are younger, wealthier and more popular guest post by Jacki James on Stylingyou.com
41 comments
[…] good enough for this new group of bloggers. To overcome the problem of comparison, she wrote a post about it. She also switched off and looked inward. She turned it into a […]
Thank you for writting such a smart and accurate article, one of the best I have read about the issue. Not only were you refering to the FELLT empire, but also the fact that all the girls represented not only have the same style but are pretty much the same person; hair, clothes, sponsors. I say get some real girls on there and show a variety, because pretty much I’m sick of it. Bring on a real game changer ans show some real iniciative FELLT!
Vogue Vandal
[…] READ PART I […]
Phoebe this post was great reading. It nails for me the essence of blogging – in that its writers can cover topics/ideas/themes that are often overlooked, rejected or considered uninteresting to the broader media. That’s why I started my blog (50 shades of unemployment).
I would love to write about fashion, or interior design(job interview attire does get a mention in a couple of my posts). Interestingly, it was fashion and design blogs that initially engaged me to the “blogging” thing and inspired me to write and create something myself.
Cheers, Carmen.
[…] Lady Melbourne and particularly like my blog posts on the new FELLT network. You can read them here and […]
Amazing, i agree completely. I have just recently (two days ago) created a fashion blog. I would really love some tips or advice for a starter into this world of blogging. Thanks!
great and well written post.
I agree, its great for the bloggers,
a few of which I highly respect.
but then there are some who are on there and I can’t help but think how they are so popular and why they are deemed ‘great bloggers and or journalists’
because all they do is repost an editorial that was posted earlier on TFS or fashion gone rogue etc.
they lack and written content and are simply visuals
the rest is then made up of their ‘cute and chic’ outfit posts made entirely of gifted clothing.
It angers me.
I could go on but ill save it for the other like minded people that know where im coming from.
because I know im not alone on that one.
x
Thanks for your insight.
Thanks for your response Daniel.
I’d like to point out (again) that I personally have not debated the word “journalism” at all, but rather the word “writer”. It doesn’t matter if the bloggers don’t call themselves writers – you do and you’re trying to sell this to brands (and new readers) under false pretences.
I greatly appreciate you taking your time to read my blog, although I don’t really know what you mean about me “slowing down my jewellery dreams” – I’ve taken my dreams by the horns by going back to study full time to hone my craft and become officially qualified in the one thing I love most in the world! Perhaps you mean slow down in a commercial sense – that’s true. But I do what I love even more each day than I ever did so I don’t see it that way – no need to scream at your monitor.
Again, I can’t stress enough that I feel that FELLT is ultimately a good thing for the bloggers involved and wish them lots of success.
And Bam, when you correct someone’s typos you should be careful about your own.
Possessive – double s, double s.
As someone who learned correct grammar and spelling, it pains me to see so many errors in published writing. What are schools and tertiary courses doing that so many young people cannot spell and cannot use grammar correctly in the written form?
No need to publish this Lady Melbourne. Just thought I should let you know there is a typo in this piece. 9th para “Australian’s” is plural not possesive, replace with “Australians”. ps I love your work.
Well said girl – I’m fairly new to the blogosphere and although I am a professional writer, working as a freelance copywriter, I easily learn more from other bloggers than from my past experience as a writer – and you are no exception.
I’m glad to see you have your mojo back! 🙂
Gems x
Fashion Well Done
Daniel Kjellsson,
I should have mentioned that said brand PAID the blogger to be the face of their campaign. Where does the free work come into it?
The resulting impact for both brand and blogger were just a bonus.
My current company always pays by invoice or gift card and we have a fabulous working relationship with them.
Not everything is doom and gloom in the world of bloggers vs brand.
The other thing to mention is that brands should go down the road of creating collaborative content over a simple PR release blast. We never do that, it doesn’t work.
I was simply telling the story from a brand side of the fence and my positive experiences. You don’t need to be so defensive.
Great thoughts. I absolutely agree with you that the ‘blogger’ and the ‘journalist’ are two entirely different entities. But the influence of these are quickly becoming progressively similar.
I, however, think that it’s important for the two to make their separate intentions clear. The journalist has unique motivations and responsibilities to the completely independent blogger.
I do hope bloggers continue to be motivated by the passion (which is why anyone with a blog started in the first place, I hope) and not money-via-advertising.
NottingHillGirl,
If you are working with “blogger engagement” you should know that the affiliate model makes the extremely popular blogs an (almost) acceptable amount. But the rest of the hard working writers, about 99.99 % (a non-scientific number) make about a buck a year (non-scientific number). The only ones making money is the business behind the affiliate link.
The last couple of years I’ve met the argument “we will give you exposure” quite a lot. I am sure every blogger out there agrees. In some cases that is very valuable and the foundation of building a readership. But in most cases it’s the same thing as working for free. That kind of exposure rarely pay any bills. PR today is unfortunately too often about “googling and emailing a blogger” rather than creating actual opinion and buzz.
An as interesting discussion as this, and I believe anyone with insight in the world of blogging would agree, would be about the pr agencies making good money out of clients to influence bloggers – that get nothing in return.
/daniel
As someone who works in Digital Marketing and deals with blogger engagement on a regular basis from a SEO/PR point of view, I can honestly say that we refuse to deal with ‘Blogger Agents’ for a couple of reasons.
The main reason is that we don’t agree with paying someone £1000 to attend a 2hr press event (a recent quote from a well known UK blogger) as we can’t really measure the ROI.
Yes, we of course know that some bloggers are extremely influential, but many brands are still trying to work out a way of properly evaluating the value of Social Media and Online PR.
I think the best way for bloggers to make money and for brands to evaluate the ROI is to:
A) Use affiliate links on products they feature (The Man Repeller claims to make $5k per month off these. I believe that Australia does not have an affiliate network however, Aussie bloggers can always use international networks.
B) Produce content for brands as a freelancer. I currently pay two bloggers to write content for our website in a blog-style (personal) format. If I wanted to hire a ‘journalist’ I’d go to another content provider we use to write editorial content.
C) Advertising and advertorial that is in line with the ethos of the blog. I personally prefer affiliate links (especially deep linking as it looks clean) but the right ad can work and will not look out of place.
Attending press events should be all part of the relationship building process – as any journalist would do. Asking for a fee implys that you are ‘celebrity’ and that’s where it gets messy.
There was an interesting article written on the ‘Broken relationships betweens PRs and bloggers’ which talks about this celeb factor here: http://fashionablymarketing.me/2011/08/relationships-fashion-bloggers-brands/
I’m about to start a new job with a luxury British brand who uses a blogger as the face of their ad campaign. The partnership has resulted in significant media exposure for the blogger, as well as huge Social Buzz for the brand. It’s a very rare occurance, but it can work if the fit is right for both parties.
Hi Lady M, I’ve been a long time reader, but this is my first time commenting.
Thank you for contributing such a timely and well thought out piece on FELLT. Personally, I think the concept is great from the bloggers’ point of view and am happy for all of them; I think the site and the individual blogs will have (and will continue to have) a huge impact on how we consume fashion related commentary.
I read two of the girls’ blogs on a daily basis and have seen firsthand how much effort they put into producing original and high quality content – I am glad that this network is giving them a means through which to get compensated for their work – they should rightly be very proud of that. I plan to continue to read their blogs, but I have to admit, the huge banner does take away from the appeal of the sites and is already slowing my browser down. I agree with a lot of what Alicia, above said about the ads that FELLT uses reflecting on the bloggers themselves; it will be interesting to see what form the advertising takes over the coming days, weeks and months, and how they will affect the reader experience for better or worse. I’m not a fan of invasive advertising, so I can see myself abandoning ship if the ads don’t get a serious makeover.
Fantastic post Lady M. As a journalist who has worked in the industry and now in academia, there is an incredible amount of sensitivity on both sides about “what makes a journalist”. Even within the media industry itself there is this fundamental shift towards “content creation” rather than traditional reportage, because the reality is that the mass media IS directly competing with bloggers for clicks in the current environment.
The internet is sort of like the ultimate democracy as people care less and less about the masthead under which content is displayed, and more and more for the quality of that content regardless of who produced it.
As for FELLT, I clicked on the site and quite frankly it looks like a bit of a dog’s breakfast… I couldn’t figure out what the hell it was or what it was trying to achieve from the site itself, not to mention the incredibly large ad assaulting readers when they click on the site.. But I digress.
I firmly believe in the monetisation of blogging and I believe moving in that direction and professionalising the industry is a fantastic thing. Hopefully the journalist v blogger conflict becomes an aside and we can appreciate that the two are different and both are legitimate forms of media.
(PS- how much have things changed since our trip to Singapore in 2009?!)
I’d also like to add that OS – bloggers take themselves very seriously and are well remunerated for their efforts. Hundreds of fashion bloggers in the states and europe are represented by agencies and making serious cash for what they do. Here in Oz our content is comparable but no one seems to recognise the real value of the blogger voice. I believe Fellt can be an example to bloggers in Oz and change the way the industry thinks about these important individual guys and girls creating stellar content for hundreds and thousands of readers.
Hi Alicia!
Thank you for some great opinions. Here’s my thoughts:
I am not “passing” on anything. I love debating and I think it’s an amazing thing that people actually have opinions about FELLT. I am truly thankful. I am also dedicated to being active within all these discussions. I was writing Twitter replies, emails and blog comments all afternoon yesterday, through the entire night and now, after a day in different meetings, I am back. If I have missed out answering you, I am sorry for that. But I have not avoided anything, nor do I want anyone to take the debate for me.
The discussion around what is and what is not journalism is the most interesting. I have called the FELLT content journalism. The contributors of FELLT have never used that term themselves. I believe self publishing to be the future of journalism. The frame work around that will obviously be created from some traditional media parts and some digital media parts. But it will still be self publishing/independent publishing rather than big media companies. But that’s just my personal opinion.
The contributors of FELLT are also taking part in some discussions, not because they in any way have to. But because they know that this is their network and they are as much part of this vision as I am. They know what we are trying to create and they know that some of the things being said about them is just wrong. With that said, I am doing my best to be the one active everywhere, discussing everything.
I have been reading Sea Of Ghosts since september 2011 and I’m by experience as a reader fully aware of the fact that you know great content. I was actually shouting at the screen when you announced that you were “slowing down” the jewelry dreams. Although it was for perfectly sane reasons. I think you have great talent and would love to see some of those pieces in stores.
Regarding content, that is what FELLT is about. We do have advertising. The FELLT contributors are brilliant people. And my ambition is to, through that advertising, give them the opportunity to pursue their content creating dreams full time. FELLT is not about how much money we can make, it is about how far we can take these eight individuals. I always say that the sole target of FELLT, is for them to leave it. Because then we have succeeded. When their personal businesses have reached such a level. I am perfectly aware of the fact that this all sounds like some pretty decent business bullshit. But we’ll prove it over time.
Regarding the current advertiser not shipping to Australia: Totally my blunder. For a long time I’ve been ranting about European brands neglecting – or misjudging – the Australian market (by, for instance, selling winter stuff in a summer season). And then and there I did kind of the same mistake myself. We are an Australian company, with Australian writers only. I did a retail check and when that was all in order I, how ironic it may be, forgot to check the e-commerce side of it. I will fine tune my judgement in that aspect.
In all other aspects, I believe FELLT to be an amazing creation, built on great content with genuine passion, ambitions, and interest.
Again, thanks.
/daniel
Hey Phoebe,
Awesome article – and I agree with you on near every point – particularly the one regarding bloggers as journalists? Its just like a point made by Daniel earlier, when does a photographer truly become a photographer? Could I have called myself a photographer from the inception of my blog? Can i even do so now? I hardly have any degree or professional qualifications. Fellt is jam packed with photo-documentation and fashion commentary, isn’t that a kind of journalism in itself? More to the point, why should we be bothered
caring… FELLT is what is it. If you’re offended by simple or bad journalism take it up with Perez Hilton.
As for the advertising on our site – I agree, its not amazing that the brand doesn’t deliver to Australia but its day two now and all issues are a work in progress. As it happens only 35% of my readers are Australian so what I feel would be worse is a great big ad for an Aussie brand that only shipped within Australia. Damned if we do damned if we don’t.
As to the bloggers crying foul over not being included? Thats unlucky, but hold on, blogger conglomerates like this are not a new idea and its going to catch on. To be honest I’m a little shocked at some of the comments that have popped up!
Our bloggers haven’t simply been selected on solely their physiques or good looks and to say so is incredibly insulting – it’s the content is thats most compelling! Don’t like pretty and stylish bloggers? Thats fine, because thousands and thousands and THOUSANDS of people seem to think thats ok.
I feel passionate about this because the last four years of blogging for me has been more than a hobby, rather a means to an end perhaps to being a commercial photographer… I never considered that I could blog fulltime – and now it looks like thats a dream due to become reality. I can be a photographer but on my own terms as the creative director of http://fellt.com/zanita. This is my space now – and no one gets to dictate what I post there. Yes I will be collaborating with brands and featuring advertising – just like Vogue or Harpers Bazaar or Id or Another magazine does on the first 10 -20 pages of any issue – that advertising will be funding my content and livelihood. Its hardly a new or scandalous idea. Yes the ad is big, but so is its value – which benefits us all the more. If the content is good enough (which it is) our readers will come back again and again.
I am just so grateful for this opportunity, I feel so lucky
to have it. So many big things to come!
Zanita 🙂
“Daniel”,
That’s lovely that your site is able to be carried from phone to tablet to computer – how that changes the fact that you have a gigantic advertisement above the fold overshadowing the content is beyond me.
I’m not saying that advertising doesn’t have its place. Advertising pays the bills. I’m saying the form in which you have engaged it is bolschy and hard selling. If I had never read one of these blogs in my life and stumbled across this site I would be confused as to what it’s about.
However, your condescending reply is always appreciated – glad to see your on board with your readers’ feedback already!
Hey “Non”,
I just simply disagree. To us, being men and women of content – not business, the readability is everything.
Yes, we do have an ad. As you may know blogging can easily be a full time job. And needs to pay such wage. But apart from that ad I believe FELLT to be amazing to read.
The content has always been our focus, that’s why (for example) the site is device independent and works like a charm on any screen, device, with any operating system. The contributors and their content is the only value of FELLT, we know that, we respect that and that has always been our opinion.
Regarding the fact that the ad is currently not linking to a new window – you are absolutely right. That is one of the issues we are currently working on. And it will be fixed shortly.
Thank you for that feedback.
From a blogger who just blogs for the fun of it, I find this all very facinating. My first thought was, ‘good for them’, I’m all for taking the bull by the horns and evolving, if folks are gonna get their knickers in a twist, well that’s just a waste of energy. The future of blogging may be changing but there is still room for all of us!
Sleekit x
It was a very chaotic storm in a teacup to be sure. I felt frustrated because my issues were only ever with the platform, not the bloggers involved – but a lot of reactions seemed to indicate my feedback was received as some kind of personal attack against the bloggers involved. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
To me, the launch of FELLT or something similar was to be expected. The fact these particular bloggers are all represented together under the same platform is obvious; although each has their own style they all share a similar aesthetic – meaning that an avid consumer of Zanita’s blog who (for some unknown reason) may not have heard of Nicole’s blog (again, highly unlikely because Nicole is a superstar) will be able to find comparible content across the talent of FELLT and be happy that they find something new that they will definitely enjoy – which keeps traffic within the site and gives the advertisers better reason to give FELLT money.
As a blogger, I understand that this is an incredible opportunity for them, and am very very happy for them. But I did have negative feedback and I was disappointed with how it was received. In reality twitter was not the right place to discuss it!
Firstly, I took issue with the talent being referred to as “writers”. I don’t believe what any of the FELLT bloggers do could be considered writing in a traditional sense. What they do – and they do it exceptionally well – is provide stunning visual style content with a little supplementary commentary. And that’s totally fine! Even Harper’s Bazaar don’t ask the ones involved in their style network to contribute much in the way of the written word. I’ve not argued the term “journalist” as many have, but the word “writer” specifically. They are spectacular content creators to be sure. But I do feel the word “writer” is unsuitable and misrepresents them.
If I said “FELLT is a platform for fashion writers” (as it is being promoted) to someone who had never heard of these bloggers or knew much about what a fashion blog was, would that person truly understand what FELLT is? No. It’s completely misleading.
I also worry that the advertising will become even more aggressive than that rather large above-the-fold ad that takes up almost my entire browser window. I am FOR the monetisation of blogs. But for bloggers (on the other networks who do employ aggressive advertising) who value their creative content as some kind of artistry I’m surprised they’d let the advertising eclipse their work. I hope it doesn’t happen on FELLT because I truly support what these women do and would hate to see their work lose integrity because of aggressive advertising.
Of course there was also the supplementary issue of that particular advertiser not even shipping to Australia, which was just crass and poorly thought out. Shame on the creator of FELLT to let that happen, and shame on the creator of FELLT to leave the majority of the defence of the platform to his bloggers because he “passed the buck” on my feedback.
At the end of the day, any negative feedback this platform receives will reflect directly against the bloggers involved and that’s not fair. I feel bad for these women who just want to be free to create their content which is why they’ve signed up to FELLT in the first place. But they will be the ones held accountable in place of the platform creator.
I would like to have seen Daniel say “yes, that advertising was an oversight. We are working diligently to fix this so that both the content and the advertising can be enjoyed by our core Australian audience”. Instead that was left to the likes of Nicole, Sara and Margaret who really weren’t responsible to do that. Kudos to them though, for admitting to the problem rather than just getting defensive or denying it.
All I’d like to see is the creators of FELLT actually SUPPORTING these women beyond simply retweeting praise for the platform. They should be accountable, and not leave the talent to defend their mistakes because they will be the ones to suffer abuse from their readers. They should be represented for who they are, really. And promoted for doing what they do, really. Their content should speak first and the advertising second.
After all, that’s what they are there to do, is it not?
Overall, I expect the inception of FELLT will see more platforms open up for other bloggers. It will be a case of the shopping mall vs. the independent lane way boutiques. I am very interested to see how it affects Australia’s blogging climate.
Great points here, Phoebe.
As cryptic and shallow the ‘thin, beautiful and stylish girls’ debate it, it’s true. Fellt chose the eight girls who are very close friends, they have collaborated in the past and have a similar audience. Their audience is girls who are into visually-appealing fashion with very minimal words. Their readers don’t want to read, they want to see pretty images – nothing wrong with that.
However, the organisers of Fellt cannot tag that as journalism. As much as they can argue that the “meaning” of journalism has evolved overtime – pretty images with badly-edited captions is NOT journalism.
And I truly feel that by tagging these girls as “journalists”, they’re spitting on the quality and respect the profession truly deserves. It’s disrespectful to the ones who *really* practice fashion journalism.
Imagine calling Tim Blanks a ‘blogger’. Sheesh!
ps. not a fan of the size of the banner ad though. interferes with my ability to enjoy their blogs. can it please be less intruding! or make it a background wallpaper perhaps.
I admit I was one that par took in the backlash. After logically looking at why I was reacting that way, reading through your post, thinking through everything and trying to remove emotion from the picture. I realised it is because I wished I could have representation, I wish a few years back I had someone fon my side to bat for me. Just like my sister has an agent for illustration jobs.
But these girls have worked hard and deserve representation. They are a tallented bunch that have clearly gotten a strong following.
I know what it feels like to have companies contact you and want to work with you and for you to not know how to respond, or how to take it to the next level of being a job. As one blogger once said free clothes and shoes wont pay the bills.
These girls can follow their dreams now and hopefully educate the industry with how to work with bloggers, and make it better for all of us as a whole.
Hi Phoebe,
We’ve met a couple of times and I read regularly but rarely comment. But this post really hit home.
You’ve put everything I’ve been reflecting on in regard to FELLT in an amazing and eloquent blog post- I completely agree. It is a difficult topic to discuss but I think at the end of the day all of those girls have worked tirelessly to produce content that rivals the big glossies and they deserve to be rewarded. I know some of them personally and they are smart- they wouldn’t be ‘selling themselves out’ and if they do want to be exclusive, I think they have every right to be. There aren’t any rules saying that bloggers can’t combine to make their own platforms- and they’ve certainly created a great group as their content seems to attract the same types of people.
I’ve actually been writing an article on the changing state of fashion blogging for City Journal (third year RMIT Journalism, if I remember correctly you did my course) and now with this FELLT thing erupting all over Twitter I feel like I have to incorporate this in.
Would I be able to get a couple of quotes from you? You really are an authority on these sorts of things and clearly you have a well-formed opinion.
How can I contact you? Twitter? Facebook? Email?
Thanks,
Estelle
(Fashion Journal, RMIT, etc)
Thank you thank you thank you!
I was a bit of a stunned side line spectator on Twitter yesterday, mostly at seemingly bitter backlash of many bloggers that I hold in high regard, sharing their points of views which frankly hadn’t occured to me.
I have been blogging now for 4 years and slowly my site has grown. I LOVE it and yes I do have paying advertisers, receive products to review and sometimes just prezzies in the mail ! I would love Studio Home to be able to support me full time. My opinion of the Fellt crew is that they too wanted that, were given an opportunity and took it. I really honestly don’t understand the big deal. They still create their own content, blog under their own name and no doubt will hold their same followers. It seems to me that many bloggers out there are reacting out of a sense of disappointment that they aren’t part of it, but it’s highly likely that they don’t fit the Fellt mold and again, there is nothing wrong with that.
I really enjoyed your article and every point made.
Cheers,
Julia
Great post phoebe.
I think that the fellt platform should’ve been so much more than what it is. It’s essentially an aggregator with a huge obnoxious ad above the fold rendering the content as a secondary mechanism in the site. When one clicks through the ad, it doesn’t open in a new window it takes you through directly to the advertiser, without keeping the window with the blogger content, which is the reason why you came there!
Sorry Daniel but for someone that touts so many years of experience in both traditional and digital media, it seems like a massive oversight. The functionality and readability of the content is also poor creating a horrible user experience all round.
I feel like these amazing bloggers should’ve thought twice before selling their souls to this network, as this platform is essentially a poor man’s NowManifest, that has gotten off to an awful start. People should be rallying around this network but instead it’s being dissected because it was thrust onto this tight knit community without much warning and the ridiculous notion that these bloggers are better than everyone else.
Great post, Phoebe. I’m very much looking forward to your next one.
I have worked within traditional media for almost ten years and from that front row seat I’ve seen the blogosphere being born and beyond. The writers of FELLT are some of the most talented and brilliant I have ever encountered. That is why they are on FELLT.
I think, and this is my personal opinion, that independent self-publishing is the future of journalism. I love, and believe in, independent voices and I don’t think traditional media companies will look the same for much longer. But let’s save all that for a comment to your upcoming entry instead.
Thanks.
/d
you have made me think and yes, I noticed a few were moving to Fellt but for me, as a reader, it changes nothing. I won’t stop following blogs which haven’t joined Fellt. Of course they have moved there because they were no doubt offered an incentive (monetary no doubt) and congratulations to them, I’d move there too if I was asked I’m sure (although unlikely being that I’m scottish) but it doesn’t make any blogger less or more valid in my eyes.
thanks for such an interesting post.x
Nicely written, Phoebe! I always separate being a blogger and a journalist in a way.
I think Journalist can be bloggers but not all bloggers are journalist.
It does make you wonder if every other blogger calls themselves journalist, then what is the point of one like me or you that actually studied a whole lot to get a degree in journalism….?
One can most definitely write about anything and everything as a blogger due to the beauty of self-publishing these days but they can or should not dub themselves a journalist.
There is quite a far bit of difference between the both. I, myself am a journalist graduate but I don;t use that term that often because I am not professional adequate yet in a way as a journalist. That is why I use a separate term as a blogger/ recent journo grad.
Can’t wait for your next post. It all reminds me of the guests lecturing you did back in RMIT for my Advanced Print Reporting class.
Hi girl.
Really well written.
What strikes me though is that the girls blogging on these plattforms/communities are only as good as the next girl, and if one of these bloggers do crappy work the other bloggers will/can suffer.
In the meantime you might have lost readers/sponsors and general interest….
I was asked once to join a blogging community a bit like this…
I said no…
Why? I like having complete control over my own work/blogging,and if someone should make money of my content it aught to be me…
Just my thoughts on the subject …
Have a great day..
Looove this post Phoebe!
I’ve felt weird and out of place as a plus size fashion blogger at events where I’m the only blogger sitting next to written publication reps, largely ignored but now as soon as they see my camera and hear the word blogger they all want my business card.
I think blogging is what you make it, “reap what you sow” and all that. It’s a shame it’s all so competitive, I guess that stems from all of us using such a personal medium.
Great post Phoebe. I’ve been involved and reading the twitter debate all day but you were able to put to paper everything I had been thinking in a more eloquent way than the 140 characters twitter allows for. I want to say I am actually very happy and excited for the bloggers involved but I am disenheartened by the move away from being an inclusive community to one of exclusive groups, but mostly by the move away from bloggings original celebration of “otherness” and “uniqueness” with different body types, styles and voices celebrated, a welcome departure from mag lands over photoshopped images and press release articles. Like Nikki said I do wonder if other networks/platforms will be rolled out, perhaps a plus size blogging network will appear, although I don’t blog exclusively about plus size fashion so really not sure where I fit into in this ever changing blogging landscape.
*raises hand* that was me taking a whirl in the teacup!
Sure it’s semantics to some but I’m mindful of the claims made by the agency on behalf of their blogging talent. My biggest concern was that it’d offend actual fashion journalists who deliver quality fashion journalism. And I said a thing to @fashionisng about blogging and fash journalism being a venn diagram with some folks blurring the lines.. I’ve said a lot today;)
I’d love to hear what brands think.
ps: great points Nikki and insightful considering your background as a journalist.
Nicely said Phoebe!
Great post, Phoebe. As an *ahhem* older blogger, I’ve watched from the sidelines as young, model-like bloggers become the new celebrities that teenagers and young girls want to be like. Here and overseas. Most don’t actually “write” that much … more that they’re photo content providers. And that seems to be ok as that seems to be what their readers want.
I think a positive about FELLT is that each of these individual bloggers will now have representation in the big wide world of brand collaboration – a business/publisher model that I think will be rolled out in other niches as bloggers are increasingly sought after for their market influence.
The media landscape is a changing. I think in a good way. As a journalist I was trained to put my readers first when writing stories; blogging in my opinion just takes that so much further.
PS. Thanks for linking in the post from my site.
So well said! You’ve summed up all the thoughts I’ve had today reading through all the Tweets flying about. Looking forward to Part II.
A.