Is MyBlogLog Getting Too Spicy?
I’ve noticed more and more MyBlogLog profile pictures getting more racy. In fact, I wish there were a way to block those photos from showing up on my own widget.
What’s your opinion?
- Do you ignore those more racy photos?
- Do you click them out of curiosity?
- Do you wish there were a feature to block them?
- If the photos continue to get racier, would you consider abandoning the use of the service altogether?
Chris Garrett mentioned being disappointed with some popups associated with MyBlogLog on his most recent Blog Critique so I presented him with the question about MyBlogLog widgets on various websites.
The response he gave has me seriously considering my own position with MyBlogLog. Though I find that I click through and visit those who visit me more then I ever would before, I can say I don’t like those photos being on a blog that I am trying to maintain a certain level of professionalism with.
Thoughts?
Update: I felt much the same about BlogCatalog and have currently removed them from my sidebar until I have time to figure out how to block those photos from appearing.
Tags: MyBlogLog, blogging, weblog, discussion, racy photos
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I was just thinking the exact same thing except mine is on Blog Catalog. I know you can hide a user from showing up with Bloglog.
I agree with you. Some of the pictures are too racy. I don’t know what to do about it, though.
For every one racy picture there’s five that are okay. I’d hate to throw the baby out with the bath water.
1/2. Yeh I do typically ignore them now. When I first joined MyBlogLog I was pretty much clicking any icons I’d see showing up on my site just to see who was visiting me, but I found that nine times out of ten the people using those “racy” icons had some pretty uninteresting blogs.
3. I think that would be nice. Perhaps something as simple as right clicking them and choosing an option to block them. They could be replaced with a default MyBlogLog icon. That or you could have a rating system when users upload their icons, which you could then use as a control to decide what types of icons you want displayed in your widget. However I don’t know that I would trust all users to properly designate the appropriate rating for their own icons, especially if they’re using them as a way to get people to visit their site.
4. Probably not. At least not in the short term. My site is relatively young and MyBlogLog does send me a lot of new visitors.
Yeah, it’s a little on the odd side. Personally, I think it’s slightly disingenuous as the implication is the pretty face is the author of the blog, which more and more likely isn’t the case. However, it seems more and more marketers are finding mybloglog, and they surely know what impulsive clickers will click on. I don’t really know how MyBlogLog could say, no sexy avatars! I wonder if people might start reporting them as “adult content”.
Maybe using the smaller widget as you are doing, is a halfway solution.
I am on mybloglog and I have not noticed anything too racy just yet. Maybe because I have not been a member long enough.
I really like your blog. I fueled it and I am going to join your community.
I keep my images below the fold, but do check it quite often and click-through to profiles to thanks them for visiting.
To be honest I don’t notice many racy looking images. Maybe that’s because I’m male and all the fake models out there are males too, looking for racy women profiles to visit.
If all the blokes with fake model pictures want to visit other blokes with fake model pictures, pretending they’re talking to gorgeous women, by all means let them.
I reckon the fact that you look like a gorgeous woman in your avatar doesn’t help when trying not to attract said blokes.
Allison ~ I’ve noticed it more on BlogCatalog then on BlogLog thus my having removed BlogCatalog from my sidebar.
Laura ~ I’ve got a feeling my personal definition of ‘racy’ is very similar to yours. And I have to admit, Out of the 28 profiles I choose to display on MyBlogLog - I do generally get two to three racy pics a week or so. Not a bad ratio, but I am concerned over what will become of those photos as the service grows in popularity.
Webomatica ~ I have found using the much smaller images has taken a bit of attention away from the more racy pics.
Kahea ~ It could be that you’ve not been a member long enough hang in there, you’ll be broken in soon enough
David ~ I think you have a great answer. Keep the log below the fold. Furthermore, your comment over the fake models - for those of us who have been on the net since the ice age are growing more desensitized to this kind of thing, don’t you agree?
I think a members choice in their MyBlogLog Avatar has a lot to do with the kind of traffic they receive.
I sampled a few actually and found that my real photo attracts more real people then the cartoonish one. I’m still on the best lure or avatar I can find - perhaps it’s the logo I’ve been thinking about having created.
I haven’t installed My Blog Log yet,so have found this discussion interesting and useful.
The suggestions here to use the small icon version below the fold sounds like a good place to start. Thanks.
I don’t like the racy pictures either. When you see one in your widget and it’s on your site, you can put your mouse in the left top hand corner of the picture and click on the “x” that appears. Then you have the option to block that user profile from showing up in your widget.
I think Mybloglog needs to do a better job with handling this problem.
Ooops, I just double checked my directions and it’s actually the upper right hand side that the “x” appears.
If using “racy” pictures didn’t work so well, they wouldn’t do it. I really wish there was a way to establish credibility or reputation on mybloglog.
Maybe more niche-based sites will pop up that have a more defined community is the answer.
I’m with you. I hate racy avatars. I use my ‘block’ ability all the time. I feel the same way about spam comments, I delete them as soon as I see them. But I wouldn’t throw out all comments because of a few bad ones. That’s how I see the racy avatars.
In the early days of blogging, there was no ‘comment spam’ algorithm, so we all just had to monitor them. Now, we have much better systems in place on our blogs that lessens our work there.
In the same way, MyBlogLog is young and right now we as site owners have to monitor those images, and click the red x to remove them when we see them. However, ratings systems and such ARE being discussed here in the office, so hopefully you won’t have to police those avatars for much longer.
Of course, if you have any suggestions, I’m all ears. This is a time when we are really entertaining all ideas as we are working on the next iteration of the Recent Readers widget and making the site even better. Thanks for your truthful comments here. Very helpful!
I have had the same thoughts. I am not happy with some of the icons. I do like knowing who visits my blog so I can go visit them too, but I wonder how long that widget and photos take to download on dial up.
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