Monday, June 3, 2013

Maybe I'm Just Grumpy

Maybe it's just me but there are a couple of things bothering me today. Number one is spammers. Not the canned meat product kind but the other one. ( If you grill the heck out of it, I can eat the canned version)  I have been getting several Spam comments a day on this blog. Usually, Blogger catches them and sends them to a spam folder where I deal with them. Last week, I went to my blogger tools section and found a way to report an offending site. It worked for a couple of days then they started getting in through other urls instead. The short of it is, at least for a while I am restricting comments to registered users, you will get a pop up box or the like the first time you comment. I love all my readers ( except that asshole in the Balkans who keeps spamming me) and I really enjoy every comment so this bothers me .If I find a better solution besides the dreaded word verification, I'll happily try it.

Bother number two. I just received a "Call for Artists" from a local gallery for their summer exhibition. All I need to do to be considered to be included is send them up to 3 images  in their designated format and a check for $30. I should also include materials, process, price and an Artist's Statement. That was about the entire content. It covered pretty well what I could do for them but it said not a damned thing about what they would do for me! Since they asked for pricing I assume the work will be for sale. They don't say. Will there be a commission charged above the $30 I gave them to look at three pictures? They didn't say. Will there be judging for cash awards? Didn't say.  Will there be national press coverage? Didn't say. Will there be a gala opening? They didn't say. How will the show be promoted? You guessed it. They didn't say. All I can say is Vanity, Vanity, all the world is Vanity. If I just want to tell my friends I'm an artist and I'm in a show maybe it's worth it for that. Would it ever put any Ducats in my pocket? I really doubt it. There are a lot of people out there who need to realize that this is a business.

That about does it for now. I'll try to do better next time.

9 comments:

  1. I don't seem to get many spammers I set my blog posts to accept all comments up to four days all the old ones have to be approved and that seems to have stopped them.

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  2. Thanks Linda I'll check that out.

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  3. Spam! Spam! Spam!Spam! I block all anonymous comments, but I Linda's approval system too.

    You would think that a show that charges an entry fee.....and most do these days.....would at least have a web site giving all the details of what they will do for publicity. As for not stating a commission fee, that's just plain sloppy work.

    You're not grumpy, just realistic.

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  4. My favorite is the requests explaining their event as an opportunity "to get my work out there" as if everything I make just sits in my garage after I make it until someone invites me to show it to them. Not sure why it gets under my skin, but it seems so presumptuous.

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  5. Sue, that's it exactly! Nice to hear from you again.Smartcat, yup it's all about them they offered no reason for me to participate.Not even a bogus one.

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  6. Back before I became disabled, I was a singer/songwriter/musician in Nashville, TN. It was a common thing then for me to get offers to pay so and so productions and send them one of my finished tracks to "be considered" for a woman's compilation album. I never did it because it was, like, $100. But how it actually worked was, EVERYONE who sent a track in was on the CD and the money everyone paid in paid for the manufacturing of it. This made it seem worth the $100 until I actually heard one of these compilations. When I say everyone, I mean EVERYONE was put on it --the good, the bad, and the ugly. And I quickly realized I DID NOT want to have my name publicly associated with some very bad work on a project like that.

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  7. I get the sneaky spammers - you know - the ones who send a generic compliment, that in no way relates to your post or your work, and then have a link to a web site where they're selling something.

    Since I have to approve posts, those right in the trash.

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  8. I have had spammers in the past, but lately, knock on wood, I have been spared.

    My opinion on shows with entry fees (that sometimes also involve shipping the work to and from if it doesn't sell)... I won't enter unless I know that it's a high profile show that could lead to some recognition or sales if I am accepted. I also feel, as you do, that all the details need to be spelled out in the application.

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  9. Thanks to everyone who chimed in . It's good to know I'm not crazy. The spam seems to have stopped and I hope it is not too difficult for you to comment.

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