This is the last time we will speak in 2007, and I’d like to thank everyone for their help on BME this year. In perfect timing, the new BME stickers arrived this morning (they match the year-end shirts), so those of you placing orders with BMEshop may find these as gifts. Those of you getting the free top contributors shirts and are on the list should already have an email from me about it, but if you don’t, please write me. Oh, and I’d be happy to send stickers out to people hosting BME-related events as well (as soon as I am permitted to moderate events you’ll see lots more there I hope).
Thank you again to everyone who supported BME in 2007 (especially Sacred — seriously, wow!), and click the picture to continue on to the year end awards. ModBlog updates will resume in a few days.
See you in 2008,
BME/News and Modblog highlight only a small fraction of what
Funny, my daughter has her own black and white guitar decorated with BME stickers. That would be a cool album in and of itself; BME stickers.
Thanks and congratulations to the top experience authors, whose submissions I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing in 2007. Look forward to even more in 2008!
Happy new year lads and ladies.
Happy New year Everyone!
Thanx for everything and Happy New Year, it’s already 1st of january, 1:05 am here in Russia :).
Sorry for missing Shawn Porter on this on the first draft — he deserves a lot of credit for his continued work with the SCARWARS conventions.
Happpy new year everybody!!
Happy new bme year peoples!
Here’s new year resolution is to update my fucking portfolio pics (so they aren’t like 4 years old). 🙂
Congrats to all gettin the sweet ass shirts and much hugs to Shannon and the bme kr3w.
Congrats to all the contributers and thank you. I wish I had more to contribute, maybe someday bme will need my expertise for something then I can get me one of those sweet shirts (since I already bought almost every other bme shirt lol)
TY BME and Friends of BME
Happy New Year and congratulations.
=].
I would like to see, not so much a year end “awards”, but perhaps a mention of all the people who put their time, effort, energy, and money into fostering community spirit for BME and IAM. Not blowing my own trumpet but I spent a lot of time and money networking and getting together IAMers in New Zealand, running lil contests on my page for BME gear, and generally trying to create a feeling of a stronger online and offline BME community here in New Zealand. The crap that happened with BME has caused several NZ members to delete, or discontinue use of, their IAM pages and ruined a lot of the work I did to foster community spirit.
Okay, sorry about the rant, but honestly, mention of all the individuals who put their energy into keeping the spirit of BME alive would be great.
Congrats to the two NZ IAMers who made top experience contributors in the year end awards. Nga mihi ki a korua, e hoa ma!
original_sly, that’d be a massive list.
and…? because there’s so many people doing great work for BME (even though its been defunct for a while now), there’s too many and they shouldn’t be recognised?
I know Confucius says, “To remain unsoured even though one’s merits are unrecognized by others, is that not after all what is expected of a gentleman?”
But it’s still nice to hear a “thanks” every now and then. Especially since the site went unupdated, it was the stuff happening unrelated to the site which had more of an impact in the last few months.
Whatever though, unless something happens soon I’ll be concentrating on other things like most people I know personally anyways. Damn shame that, really.
thank you to everybody who wasn’t mentioned 🙂
I’m really glad ModBlog is starting to make a comeback 🙂
Original_Sly – I agree completely, and you definitely deserve thanks. If I wasn’t unable to access IAM I would have loved to include this, but because the decision has been made that it would be best for BME if I not have that access, I couldn’t even download people’s pictures for this article — Roo had to do it for me. Perhaps this deserved recognition is something that we could move to BMEfest.
Big thanks to Shannon for BME. The only thing that truly matters is having the site working/living again!
and big thanks to the BME Experience Review Team – we stand behind the numbers in the experience updates and we know best what we get to tackle now and then;) The job is hard but def. satisfying!
Congrats Stephen!!
imma get you next year
okay….there was supposed to be a Happy New Year and a heart after that, but it didn’t show up…
anyways…
Happy New Years!!
“but because the decision has been made that it would be best for BME if I not have that access”
who the hell gets to make the decision of picking and choosing who gets to be on iam? and whats best for bme?
its all a big bunch of sh*t, this whole rotten steaming mess. i can’t wait til bme’s updated and it’s all left behind. 🙂
I would like to say I don’t always look so horrible.
just out of curiosity what was the criteria put in place for the Top Contributor Awards?
Because looking at the 2007 Submissions Leaderboards and comparing it with the BME 2007 Top Contributors Awards page, there are some VASTLY different numbers being stated.
and I’m talkin a number swing of: 1917 pics not accounted for, via Sacred’s submissions. Yet others like jOELTRON have only 9 images not accounted for.
Warren – The leaderboards on BME are total-sitewide numbers, whereas the top number on the awards split the submissions into two types, as explained in the article. It looks like Sacred submitted about 200 images since the leaderboards were calculated… not sure where you`re getting the 1917 number but I`d guess the confusion arises from the split. Anyway, the criteria are explained in the text above the lists themselves.
original_sly, it’s an entire community effort. We’re all helping make bme what it is, but I think the awards are mostly based on numbers
I would hope we’re all thankful every time we access the websites. It may not be explicit, but I’m sure all your work is appreciated.
I might as well say it now, Thanke, sai.
ooooh I get it now! body modification than body ritual,etc if you add the two numbers together…gotcha! 😉
buckets of bunnies: exactly…there are many of us who help out daily for BME and the community at large,etc. If Shannon had to list us all, it’d be a very long list…and Shannon,etc would probably not have the funds to produce the shirts,etc to send out to everyone…And it’d kinda be redundant sending everyone in the community a free shirt.
also if you compare all the previous year end awards there’s always been a slight alteration change,etc…Last year it was done via regional locations,etc,etc,etc.
I think switching it up every year criteria wise helps in regards to making sure EVERYONE in the community gets recognition for their efforts…and that its not just always the same people over and over again…Sure some people will ALWAYS be on top due to specific things,etc but that’s just the nature of the beast.
one variance I’d personally like to see is in regards to people who take a lot of photos of one specific piercing,etc and submit all of them. Personally I’d like to see that grouped as just one photo submission.
Many of us are all guilty of it but I think it’ll drastically make the future leader boards more challenging for us all and really make it seem like a race.
Instead of people getting by for taking a hundred photos of one piercing, position,etc,etc,etc
That might just make it into a competition of quantity rather than quality. I am content with how Shannon is arranging it.
I look forward to the year end awards, and that just seems like it would complicate everything and make it a bit too technical.
bucket of bunnies: it already is a competition of quantity rather than quality.
There’s already basic quality requirements, photo wise (resolution at 300 and 640 x 480 size,etc).
But to sit there and actually focus more on quality photos will be impossible, because what defines a quality photo? backdrops? lighting? angles?
I don’t think its too complicated/technical to view the submissions and say: “Ok this person submitted 10 photos of this ONE SINGLE tragus piercing they did, so instead of giving credit for all 10 photos, I’m going to lump them together as just one photo.”
Because right now and for quite awhile now people just took picture after picture, angle after angle and prest-o change-o they got thousands of submissions. Where as if we lump all these photos together I think the numbers would be a lot closer then the landslide differences.
This would also allow a chance for others in the community to obtain recognition for their efforts…Not just the constant grouping of same individuals year after year.
I stand by what I said
someone with a large amount of modifications could submit one picture into each category, while someone who takes the time to properly document a single modification (healing stretching, etc) may receive equal or.. this is silly. nevermind
bucket of bunnies: you’re missing the point. IF they take many photos to a piercing, say a photo of a labret piercing, every two days throughout the duration of its healing, it should still only count as one because all you’re getting if a photo of a slightly red, less red, less crusty, and then healed piercing. There’s nothing content wise that would warrant it being included as four or five pics.
But if someone for some reason only chose to submit ten photos of their labret, one once it’d been pierced, one healed photo, then a photo each at 12g, 10g, 8g, etc etc etc, that then would count as an individual photo count per photo. Strictly because it’s documenting a different piercing each time. A 14g labret, even on the same person, is different to an 8g labret. It doesn’t seem very likely a person would hold off on submitting photos of their labret for so long though.
If someone posts ten photos of a single nipples piercing, but from different angles, and in different lighting, that SHOULD still constitute a single photo count. Because right now it is a little ridiculous the way someone can submit 1,000 photos covering, say, four piercings and be given credit for all 1,000 photos.
This point isn’t a silly one, and arguing it is important for the continuing quality of our community. Shit, we don’t even have a Review Board. BME should have one of those, a group of people looking at the quality of the site and seeing where improvements and advances could take place. That way if this bullsh*t of a single person being kicked off BME were to every happen again, we wouldn’t be losing the sole presence responsible for the upkeep of the main site. There;d still be others whose responsibility it is to maintain the site’s integrity and quality.
I don’t think that’s too ambitious an idea at all.
bucket of bunnies: that isn’t what I said.
If one person is actively getting modifications and submits them of course they are going to have more submissions geared towards the one person who simply took a picture of their stretched piercing that they are healing.
original_sly definitely worded it well.
I know BME Staff (Shannon, Phil, others who are on the photo end) really try their hardest to make sure things meet the criteria,etc. But I am not sure how that process is done, mass produced or what. I do know they check all photo’s that are submitted. But the concept of grouping 10 of the same exact piercing (ie: 10 photos of their 14ga labret that they just had done) in various photos to count as one specific submission, might require some altering of how the code is done,etc. It’d also require a much more serious look at the images, and not just quick checking them to ensure the basic quality is met.
And agreed that only by these discussions will Shannon and the BME staff be able to better troubleshoot any issues that may occur.
Hence why Shannon said he was going to look towards setting up monthly(give or take) get togethers, to discuss BME related matters and think tank of ways to enhance/tweak BME to better suit its community.
To sum it up simply:
1 person gets their labret, eyebrow, nape, nipple pierced and takes ONE photo of each. Thus giving them 4 photo submissions to count towards the leaderboard status.
then:
1 person stretches their lobe and takes 4 pictures of it after various angles and submits them. Currently they will have accumulated 4 photo submissions to count towards their leaderboard status as well.
Which to me isn’t fair or right for the person who got four different mods and took one pic of each.
I say this because even I’m guilty of taking various pictures of one mod and submitting them all. Because as a piercer I want to show various angles so that people can view the placement properly.
So I feel that although I take like 3 or 4 photos of a single nostril piercing, just at different angles, and submit them to BME. Those 3 or 4 photos should only count as one photo submission and not count as 3 or 4 submissions.
you should probably thank the chick on the front BME page too if she has a IAM page that is
I meant that it is silly for me to try to argue the point.
I do not know enough of how the site works or should work to make a valid argument.
The improvement of the website is obviously a serious matter.
Addressing what Warren and BoB are discussing, that’s why I added the “breadth” and “consistency” categories to try and hit that a bit.
I think a regular or semi-regular committee coming together to discuss BME related stuff sounds like a wicked idea!
I’d endorse the idea of a BME Committee: BME is very much a community effort, and I think it would be good to reflect that in the way it’s run and developed. I wonder if there’s any way of involving interested members who are unable to attend in person, though?
Shannon mentioned the people who helped BME in the last years/years at the end of the article in the special thanks and recognition awards. He also says : “Thank you again to EVERYONE who supported BME in 2007 “. I think that is exactly what BME is: its a community and not a sholder petting for who is the best or who is not. Every single person who does things for the tattoo, piercing and scarification community is a important part of BME. As Warren said you can’t mention everyone who organisez BBQs and meetings, moderates forums,… the list would be endless.
We should take the end of year award as what it is: a recognition for people who put their time and effort into sending pictures of their work, their passion, their contribution to BME. I find it a bit sad that instead of recognising their work people just complain about why they aren’t mentioned. I thought now with Shannon back on board people would have found back to the “old” BME. I don’t think it ever was ment to be about jealousy.
A simple Happy new Year and well done would have done the trick. 🙂
Warren, Im totally taking 900 pictures of you in different “positions” at either APP or Down Under and submitting ALL OF THEM 🙂
The thing is… Shannon’s not really back on board, is he? Apparently he doesn’t have access to IAM, and his material is being posted on modblog by Roo. BME still sits unupdated. Everything will be completely square when BME gets its first update. Oh, what an occasion THAT will be!
I’ve always thought that someone should write a book about BME, because these last few months would make a very interesting chapter indeed!
original_sly – that would be interesting! The original BME scrapbook: http://www.bmezine.com/scrapbook/ (from 2002) is in fact labelled as ‘Volume one’. Unfortunately, though, I fear that the lawyers will get their secretive way and I doubt that anyone will ever get a full 100% accurate picture of what really happened over these last three months.
My gf and I have our first child on the way, so my higher academic education in anthropology will have to wait for now (I’ve got a bachelors degree, but plan on pursuing a masters in social anthropology), but I plan on being one of, if not entirely, the first university lecturers in New Zealand to offer a paper or two on contemporary bod mod culture (or even cross-cultural comparisons of past and contemporary bod mod). So BME is an interesting phenomenon for someone as young as me (24 years old) having been a part of this community for a few years now.
I digress though, it’s hard to remain faithful to BME (even with it inked under my skin) when so much of this seems like fashion moreso than culture. I still plan on being around this culture for years to come, and will most likely raise my children up around it too.
That’s why I think there definitely needs to be a committee with a good handful of people making sure shit doesn’t go sour again. And for those of us with an intense love of this community who’d like to participate, online discussion forums are definitely a good place to have our opinions heard.
Stephen: I’ll practice gumby yoga just so we can give more of a variance 😉
Original_Sly – I’m 100% on board with you on both the committee idea (Don — if this takes off, we could definitely figure out some kind of conference call type thing maybe) and the issue of fashion vs. culture, as are most of the people who’ve been around BME longterm I think… Certainly that’s one of the debates that we have internally as to “where BME should go”.
I think in order for BME to prosper and never again to lay stagnant, power needs to be taken from the hands of ONE and vested in the hands of MANY.
As long as a single person “owns” BME, there is always a chance of this situation repeating, or worse… whoever “owns” BME could choose to shut it down and delete its content without ever needing anyone else’s consent.
This to me seems abhorrent, completely despicable, and disgusting.
From what we’ve seen over the past few months (and I have no doubt this saga will be ongoing and won’t suddenly be resolved tomorrow), it is imperative and of dire important that BME is put under control of a committee/body that will oversee its well-being and continued growth.
This will no doubt slow BME’s growth as consent will need to be sought from all members of the committee in order for something to be passed. Although it seems more like a rigid government than what we have now, BME should be DEMOCRATIC because of its importance, NOT a dictatorship of ANY kind (which is arguably is now)! A slow, steady growth is preferable to growth spurts with MONTHS of inactivity between.
BME is an international treasure trove of knowledge and documentation which has inspired thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people (myself included) to continue on a personal and (because of IAM) SOCIAL journey of body modification.
In te ao Maori, the Maori world, we would consider BME a ‘taonga’, a cultural treasure of great importance to be protected and cherish, not fought over by a petty few with hurt pride and egos.
A committee with ever-changing members would solve the problem of a dictatorial mismanagment ever happening again. It may not be the perfect solution, but its infinitely preferable to the filthy f*ckin sh*t of a mess that is just barely coming to a close as I type this.
Not dictatorship, more like failed coup d’etat. 🙂
original_sly, you raise some excellent points. But BME is a business, and not a government. Neither of which is ever accountable.
Congrats to Russ and hellspawn!
Happy 2008!
Because it’s seen fundamentally as a business, I think it’ll never achieve anything more than it has. There’ll be innumerable new business ventures to undertake for BME, but community wise, if its money oriented instead of fundamentally people oriented, this thing will happen again and again.
original_sly – I’ve pushed the idea in the past of converting BME into a non-profit corp which I think would achieve many of these ideas… perhaps that should be explored if and when it’s an option to do so.
When can we get some new posts!! i have an addiction to modblog and i need new posts!!! PLEASEEEEE! i dont have any other reason to get online except for porn.
shiza – Don’t worry, I’m working on some right now that I’ll send to Roo for posting later tonight or in the morning, and we’ll start for real again at the beginning of the week.
🙂