the Blackthorn Orphans
  • B L O G
  • The Blackthorn Orphans: read it onsite
  • The Blackthorn Orphans TRANSLATIONS PAGE
  • Lovely R BLOG
  • PHOTOESSAYS
  • SELECTED RAVINGS: essays & opinion
  • RUBYHUE Lipstick Review
  • blackthorn ROSE REVIEW
  • KITCHEN BITCH: Recipes etc.
  • verse
  • Hostile Witness FILM REVIEW
  • ALOES & SUCCULENTS
  • Blackthorn Perfume Review
  • B I O
  • C O N T A C T

On Appreciation: Following & Liking & why we will have none/not much of that here.

22/8/2013

 
Picture
I was talking to someone the other day about this site and how I thought it was A- going well and B- far busier than I ever imagined it would be, especially at such an early stage.  "That's great..." replied the Person.  "So how many followers do you have now?"  Again, I was surprised; that A- they cared, and then B- that anyone would care.  Do you?  With the notion still rolling around my head I had a quick look over a few other blogs and found that at least half had a wall of faces depicting their loyal legions.  Because I have an IBF (intrinsic bullshit filter) they had never really registered before, though it did also strike me that the like button, once so universal, seems to be dropping off into deserv'd oblivion, presumably as a result of the many schemes and abuses it has attracted.  (The like was the first thing I personally tried to efface from this site; I say try, because as you might have discovered for yourself, it's a tenacious little fucker.)

The whole idea of liking and following is deeply vexed, and yes, I know it's increasingly fashionable to be remote and mysterious and unsociallymediated but this isn't about that.  Openly dissing the whole thing will probably piss some of you off, but then I don't know... if you made it through the first paragraph you're more than likely feeling some sympathy with this bat-winged sentiment.  Don't get me wrong- I appreciate anyone who has taken the time to read my work and decided they were interested enough to come back- don't think I'm bitching about that.  I love you for it.  It's just that the prevailing terminology really should be reviled by any critical, self-respecting adult.

It's patronizing to both sides of the equation, as though writers compose for clicks and eyeballs, and as if the audience sweats in the pit, blinded by their radiant celebrity.  To the vast majority of the actively creative, this budget majesty is especially galling, given the generally low esteem in which which we are held, no matter how many people claim to respect the occupation.  Respect is a demonstrable thing, and the fact remains that we're generally not respected to the extent that our efforts can support a reasonable or even any standard of living, no matter how hard we work.  There aren't many starving plumbers and most people probably wouldn't just like and follow the person who paints their house or walks their dog.  Many consider artistic expression frivolous and treat its practitioners accordingly.  What could be more fitting a tribute to that trifling esteem than a grid of selfies and shitty icons clagging up a sidebar?

I'll never ask my readers (and I even feel bad using the possessive here, lol) to follow or like me here.  I'd much prefer you to consider or enjoy or revile or discuss.  Privately, even, because I'm so hardcore like that.  'Like' is just such a piss-weak word anyway... if they gave us an adore or a detest button, I might consider it.  If you enjoy my work and would like to see more and want to give feedback that matters, practical support is the most meaningful way you can express that.  Read the book, buy the book, tell other people.

So I'm sticking to the good old RSS feed for the peeps who like to browse and check back regularly, and I encourage you to use it yourself.  For those who aren't sure what it is (and there's no reason you should know, for all the love it gets), the RSS feed is the little white badge at the top right of the page.  You click, sign up very briefly and painlessly, an app monitors your chosen websites and one glance tells you when each one is updated.  It's discreet and grown-up and won't bother you with alerts or nag you to read anything- I hate that shit too.  But it's a great way to collate material from a number of sites that you would otherwise lose track of and/or don't want cluttering your bookmarks bar.  It's a sort of  'perhaps have a look at this when you have time'  button.
Give it a try if you haven't already.

For antiRSS-ites (and I am told you're a powerful tribe) who want to keep tabs on what's going on here, there is always Tumblr.  I really fucking dislike Tumblr but I find it's the least intrusive/tentacular way of standing on the side of the internet with a cardboard 'will blow you for attention' sign.  If I post something cool here, it usually ends up there, so if you're looking for a regular tipoff you could do worse.  If you'd like to (sigh) follow me on Tumblr, there is now a button under the RSS badge.  Usually.  It comes and goes.  I'm the Blackthorn Orphans there too so just look that up if all else fails.

Picture


Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Picture

    Independent Creativity
    Hi-Fi Introversion

    ORIGINAL CONTENT
    HONEST REVIEWS
    VELVETEEN VERBIAGE
    VISUAL LUXURY
    MORBID IDLING
    THE NATURAL WORLD
     
    ​photography  
    film
    flora  fauna  culinary
    ethnography  objet
    ​

    modest living
    ​vintage shit

    A U T H O R
    Picture
    K ✂︎ l l y
    congenital delinquent
    Human Durian
    celebrating
    glorious deviation in the land of
     the long white cloud

    -  New Zealand  -


    - T h e   B o o k -

    Picture
    T H E  
    B L A C K T H O R N
    O R P H A N S


    What is freedom, when it is
    all that remains to you?
    In exile two brothers pursue an anarchist's trajectory,  from an old world into the new, from East to West, subject always to the pleasures & horrors of an enduring flesh, to the ironies of karma & impunity. Love bears thorns, the lost return & the dead are haunted by the living. 
    ​

    E P I C   D A R K   F I C T I O N
    *   R E A D   *
    T H E
    B L A C K T H O R N 
    O R P H A N S
     O N S I T E  

    H e r e



    Picture

    Selected
    ​Ravings

    opinion essays observation private regret public 
    exaltation semicoherent speculation 

    Picture

    Photoessay​

    epic undertakings
    documented

    ​
    Picture

    Hostile Witness FilmReview

    Cruel but fair

    Picture

    RubyHue 
    ​
    Lipstick Review

    Lipstick: love it
    ​

    Picture

    Our Photography​

    we've seen worse
    ​

    Picture

    Port Chalmers​

    Dunedin, New Zealand
    ​

    Picture

    Blackthorn ​
    ​Rose Review

    Garden Hoe Wisdom
    Picture

    Verse​

    Loss, love, truth, beauty everything, everything
    ​
    Picture

    The  Lovely R's Blog​

    Likes photography  Knows a bit about it

    Picture

    We Liked This​

    Amazing things from other people
    ​

    Picture

    Cacti, Aloes
    ​&
     
    Flora​

    Our garden & general vegetal splendours
    ​

    Picture

    KitchenBitch

    Home cooking
    & raw ingredients
    ​
    Picture

    Ethnographic​

    Strange wonderful things from elsewhere
    ​

    Picture

    Jewellery
    ​

    Picture

    Tiny Little 
    Dinosaurs
    - a book for children -


    All images & text property of the authors 
    ​
    unless stated

    © us
    & original sources
    All Rights Reserved



    Picture

    Privacy Policy
    ​This is a noncommercial site.
    No ads. No shady data jacks. 
    No interest in your bizniz.

    ​We don't personally view, utilise or sell your data, apart from occasionally checking totally anonymous + super basic site view stats. We don't even know how to monetise that stuff, so don't worry.  Everyone's privacy is important to us.

    Our platform is probably harvesting your data, though, via their cookies. Look at their privacy page so you can see what they're up to.

    Please use Adblock or something similar.
    ​
    Google et al superimpose ads that we never see a penny from so fuck them.

    Picture

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013


    Picture

    Categories

    All
    A Thing Of Beauty
    Blackthorn Orphans
    Blackthorn Rose Review
    Cacti & Aloes
    Ethnographica
    Flora
    Hostile Witness Film Reviews
    Jewellery
    Kitchen Bitch
    Make Up Review
    Maximum Respect
    Perfume Reviews
    Photo Du Jour
    Photo Essay
    Places & Things: A Blackthorn Review
    Port Chalmers
    Remembering Dreams
    Roses
    Selected Ravings
    Softcore Rendition
    Sweetmeat
    Textiles
    The Lovely R
    Verse
    We Liked This

    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.