Hey Readers,
Here is a post with the Writer of The Collabo Blog, as she
shares some of her experiences of what inspired her to write as well as some of
the highlights and challenges to blogging and social media.
Photo credit: http://scienceofblogging.com/why-scientists-should-blog-a-case-study/
One of the driving forces behind starting The Collabo blog
three years ago, was due to the array of questions I would receive from friends
and family regarding carnival. Ranging from questions on the date of the next upcoming
band launch, or my thoughts on themes and costumes; it was no secret to my
family and friends how much I loved playing, reading and talking about mas. Although participating in Toronto Carnival may
be viewed as simply buying a costume and heading down the lakeshore, I viewed
participation in the parade a culmination
of various events-
such as the launches, interactions-
such as the experience while in the mas camp, as well as activities and services-
such as the act of adding personal touches to items such as footwear or makeup
to complete one’s look on the big day. It was my hope to create a blog that
would be a source of information that was helpful, and hopefully minimize the
time one had to take to navigate how to play mas in Toronto. The inspiration
behind calling the blog The Collabo was rooted in the viewpoint that although
an individual may generate an idea, it is often through the help, support and
collaboration with others that is the driving force behind turning an idea, into
something that is tangible and a reality. Additionally, I wanted also the
Collabo to be a space where individuals and initiatives could be highlighted,
and readers could share their unique experiences and perspectives.
Throughout my blogging trajectory, the journey has been
marked with many highlights and of course a few setbacks along the way. One of
my very first highlights I can remember was being featured on Trinidad Carnival
Diary within the new Blog on the Block post. Given that I am an avid reader of TCD
and admire the hard work and dedication that has been put into it the blog over
the years, this was a moment I was extremely appreciative of. Another
experience that has been a highlight was writing articles for the
CarnivalChaser magazine in 2012. Overall, as someone who is somewhat of an
introvert, the opportunity to blog, has been one of personal growth that has enabled
me to connect, share and learn from others. It is an experience that has been
enriching and one that I am grateful for.
Now that I have touched briefly on the highlights/positives
of blogging, to be fair I think it is also important to discuss a few of the
negatives. Anyone who read my caribana newbie series, knows about my trusty
disclaimer (lol), which I have decided to resurrect for the tail end of this post:
(Disclaimer: The below comments are some of my reflections
and observations while blogging. If you were to ask someone else you may
get a different response and that is ok. The intention of the post is to
provide information in addition to encourage discussion of ideas, views
and opinions.)
Thoughts on Media Passes
When it comes to launches, I think it is important to try to
have an inclusive coverage of launches ranging from bands that are big, small,
new or established. Although this is easier said than done, I think the social
media sites and bloggers in Toronto do their best to provide information and
pictures that is timely and positive. Along the way of covering launches, one
thing that is extremely helpful is to obtain a media pass. Not only does it
help facilitate a way for photographers and bloggers to get up close pictures
and glimpse of costumes, it also helps to minimize the monetary expense to
attend all of the launches. IMO it is also a nice way to show media sources
that their contribution to help promote the band and costumes is recognized. Although
some may feel that bloggers are not the traditional form of media and as such
do not warrant a media pass, it is important to keep in mind most blogs share
both pictures and written information. As a source of information which people
access, often times this may lead to inquires such as “which band is this”,
“what is the website” to more complex questions such as “can you tell me about
the vibe of the different bands.” As
such, often times bloggers and media sites are answering various questions
whether on Facebook, through email or verbally about launches, bands, and
playing mas in general in Toronto. Although this year has gone relatively
smoothly, we did encounter one discrepancy with obtaining a media pass for a
launch despite already having received and shown the email notification that
granted permission. Although this was disappointing, as an optimist I try to
look at the positive side of situations and viewed it as an oversight or the
result of miscommunication that was provided at the door. In believing the best
approach to resolve and receive clarification about the situation was to send
an email, I was surprised to note the email was unanswered. In general, although
the team and I were still enjoyed the launch, experiences like this make the
blogging experience not as pleasant.
Thoughts on Launch Start Times
Launch start time, which may come as a bit of a surprise, is
a large factor that can impact the experience of attending a launch both
positively or negatively. This is particularly true for those who attend with
the sole purpose to provide coverage of the launch. The reason being is because
although the launch may start anywhere between 12:30am to 2am, the time that is
often overlooked is the time prior to the official start time. Often media representatives,
photographers and bloggers will arrive at the venue 1-2 hours prior to the
launch start time to secure a good/prime spot to see and capture the launch.
Also keeping in mind, that since the official band launch time is a guestimate by the audience as well as media, that could mean being at the launch as early
as 10pm, and thereafter staying up hours after the launch to edit photos because
they know their readers as well as those who are unable to attend on the launch
depend on them to see their first look at the costumes. Although
I can’t speak for everyone, I think early band launch start times are
appreciated, because it gives the option for people who want to stay and fete
afterwards the costume presentation that opportunity, as well as the
photographers, bloggers, and media representative the opportunity to leave
early and get a head start on the editing and writing process.
Watermarking
Last but not least, watermarking is an important topic that
I would like to discuss briefly from the perspective of a blogger. Although I
can’t speak for all media sites or blogs, often the pictures that are displayed
on sites went through an editing process, such as cropping, color correction or
fine tuning. (Imagine doing that for 300+ photos) What is disheartening to see,
is the hours spent after the launch to edit photos and place a watermark to
ensure the photo credit is visible as well as to direct views as to where they
could go to see more, is later cropped out or removed. If the roles were
reversed and you were a photographer that attended a launch that started at
1:30, and stayed up until 3am or 4am to edit, and later see your photo shared
without the watermark, how would you feel? Or an alternative situation, you are
a designer that spent hours designing a costume, provided the name of the band
for viewers to see who to register with, and then later saw that that
information was removed. Although it is like comparing apples to oranges, the
concept remains the same in that a designer would take their time to craft
something they are proud of to share with an audience, which is similar to how
some photographers and bloggers may feel about their work and inclusion of the
watermark.
Overall, I hope this post has been an interesting read and
provided some insight regarding the writer of The Collabo as well as some
things to keep in mind regarding media and content sharing.
Nice post. Bands are pretty casual about media access, its the nature of the business I think. We found business cards are helpful when your contact forgets to leave your name at the door. I think bands like the free publicity and do appreciate our efforts, but they also realize that they don't control the message. I can also relate to the introvert thing.
ReplyDelete