Most of the hub-bub about the site change has gone completely over my head. I am so ignorant of computer technology, I don't understand what people are complaining about. I never had trouble up or downloading my blog, because I never have any pictures, or videos, or audios in my blog(which is why nobody reads it). I wouldn't even begin to have a clue of how to do any of these things. After reading scores of complaints about endless scrolling, and the add more button, I finally realized, they were talking about what I call the "Start all over again monster" There's also the "Bad grammar gremlin" which does not allow you to write in paragraphs, in certain forums. These things bother me, but not as much as the larger problems they point to.
Apparently, the site change was done to make it more user-friendly to smart phones, and mobile devices. Once more, as a dinosaur, just this side of the rotary dial, I don't know why these devices require a site change, although, I do understand the need for periodic change in organizations. And, as someone who has instituted such change, I know you can tweak a few things, but, once you've started the boulder rolling down the hill, you have to see it through, and hope you come out looking more like Abe Lincoln than George W.
The early fall-out is fairly compelling. I am advised that the reason many S.G.s don't answer my missives is because many have left the site. This could signal a bad problem, since, let's face it, this site is all about the models! The boards, which I didn't get involved with, but were always busy, are gone. The groups are moribund. I am embarrassed to go to a group, and find that the provocative thread I started lies untouched, two months later. The magic of S.G. is the community which none of us expected to find, but really keeps us coming back. Now, some of the organs of community are gone, while others might as well be gone. There is little to do on this site other than look at pictures (while scrolling through them, and having to start all over again).
So, I come on to look at pictures, and get a notification that a hopeful is following me. I figure, the word must be out about what a swell guy I am! I'm genuinely honored by the follow. And I'm fat, dumb, and happy, because I don't know how to find the queue, which says her set comes up for M.R. in a couple of days, and she has no intention of being my new pal; while she doesn't know that I only "LIKE" sets that I really like, no matter whose they are. Now that M.R. is the only game in town, I fear that the strong community existing between and around the models may be in desperate peril.
It really is all about the models. And the models really do love, and support each other in a wonderful way. But, if you are a hopeful, in competition for fewer and further between photo-ops, and no prize is given for Miss Congeniality, how do you maintain your equanimity?
And if you are a member, who really wants to help your favorite hopeful over the top, how does Col. Sanders' secret recipe for turning girls pink really work? The last I checked, @HUNO, whom I mentioned before, had 1070 likes on her current set in M.R., most people consider 1000 to be a magic number, but many models with over 1000 have NOT turned pink, while others with less than 1000 HAVE. It's not one person-one vote. You have to glean a demographic diversity of likes. You could get over 1000 votes from old geezers, like me, who grew up admiring Ann Margret, Raquel Welch, Joey Heatherton, Cheryl Tiegs, and Christie Brinkley. But my vote is not equal to a dude who had his first crush on Britney, and thinks Miley has a bangin' ass. Then, suppose I want to help my favorite by increasing her views and positive comments? Oh, but it's not just number, but diversity of comments. For all I know, I may be hurting some one I was trying to help.
What about hurting the opposition. One of my principles in judging sets is that I will only give you a not for me if you have a tat of Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Adolf Hitler, or Joe Stalin( Vlad The Impaler, John Wilkes Booth, and Rasputin are allowed:Time passes), or denigrates other persons, or groups. I'm about loving people. I have become much more critical about liking sets. I don't even bother to look at most S.G. sets anymore, because they're already "In the Lodge" and voting for them can only hurt the hopefuls' chances. But, one of the secret recipe's criteria is "ratio of likes to dislikes" What if my favorite is slogging it out in the 600s, and I happen to see another girl(who doesn't float my boat) who is already in the 800s?
Given the massive site change, I believe the best way to salvage such community as is left is to do away with the confusing HOPEFUL/M.R. system. I mentioned last time, the arduous path to my former career. But, I always had the consolation that I was being judged by experts, not by somebody who just came from watching "Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo" and disqualified me because he thought my eyes were too far apart. The owners, staff, and photographers of S,G. are eminently qualified to decide which applicants best represent the brand. I believe we would see greater diversity, and many wonderful young women would be spared the heart ache of slowly sliding into being limbo girls.
