Open Thread Wednesday 2/3/10

By on February 3, 2010 12:53 am in Brooklyn Heights

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  • lifer

    I could care less what Melanie chooses to write on OPEN thread. I can say this, you guys are boring me promoting your vets, but hey, I have been passing them by and not saying a word, why doesn’t someone just link to an old vet thread (there are many) and let it go?, but i digress. Maybe you guys dont have children, therefore her books are of no use to you, I’m happy with my vet, so I have no use for the vet talk, I have no problem passing the posts by silently, until you people choose to attack someone..Melanie was voted BHB top 10 in 2008,and not only sells her books, but works with children, and done readings with kids all over including the BHB tent at last years Atlantic Antic. She’s a fixture on the site, get over it people. Its hard for an artist to support themselves , and self promotion is fairly important, especially where you have already been lauded. We are all annoyed by something on this site, its not hard to just pass by it.

  • JO

    @jellen, @Kim G; Your comments reminded me of “grammasites” from Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series:
    http://www.thursdaynext.com/jurisfiction/glossaryg.html
    http://www.thursdaynext.com/jurisfiction/bestiary.html

  • AEB

    north heights, an excellent idea! In the spirit of your post, I’d like to propose a Wacky Pet Doings–I mean, Doin’s–Monday.

    We’d all recount the latest doings of our adorable animals–hairballs regurgitated, furniture destroyed–and, of course, those who are normally allergic to such news could steer clear.

    What say?

  • AAR

    Melanie’s cheerful comments and gentle promotion of her work is not offensive – to me, at least. She often shares information about local events that she participates in and that include other Brooklynites. I would like to learn about more local creative types. Bob’s mention of local Joachim Beck’s movie is very welcome. How would we know otherwise? The feature yesterday on Fran Leadon’s work and performance venues is great. On the whole, these items are a lot more informative than many of the cynical rants that fill so much space in the BHB. I am amazed by the extent to which bloggers feel free to verbally go after each other. If it took place on Montague Street mayhem would reign.

  • Monty

    I find Melanie’s self-promotion to be endearing for some reason. Baby books are probably the last frontier for print since so many of them are interactive (like Pat the Bunny) and most electronic devices are not drool proof. That being said, my 18 month old daughter is infatuated with my iPod Touch and has become shockingly adept at using it too.

  • http://www.melaniehopegreenberg.com melanie hope greenberg

    Until Homer tells me that I am offensive and to knock it off I will continue to try and eat and pay my bills. There’s wonderful events that I am organizing with 6 Bklyn authors and illustrators that are all FREE coming up in March. Including readings at Book Court, Greenlight Books and P.S. Bookshop and an art exhibition at Superfine Everyone is welcome.

  • http://www.melaniehopegreenberg.com melanie hope greenberg

    @ David on Middagh – I am a hands on self taught artist. Right now I do not dabble in electronics except for FB and some blogs and email communication. So I do not have the kind of information you seek to dialogue about. I do not own a Kindle. I do not own a TV nor have much need for a cell phone (except when I travel and have a pre-paid cell phone). As I said in the last post, all access points to reading are important. That is what counts, getting children to love reading, not a analog-digital war. Use both. The editors I know who are always reading love the Kindle while traveling instead of lugging heavy books around. I love a paper book myself. But it’s a big wide world and people having more choices and access to reading is good. All publishing is in limbo, what will happen to the picture book business is not in my hands. In the meanwhile, I try to stay true to my art, all I can do since I tend not to go for trends.

  • Alex

    I also agree with AEB.

  • nabeguy

    Given the viewing size limitations of current devices, I’d say that picture books will be the last remaining vestige of hard-copy books to transition to an electronic format. So hold on to your Abrams books.

  • aliG

    Dave, I heard that raucous on Saturday, too. It lasted awhile and finally ended on the corner of Remsen & Hicks when the cops showed up. Oddly, they were out the weekend before in a brownstone on Remsen. The kids were chased out of the house and the owner came out screaming like a loon – louder than the kids. Cops came then, too.

  • AEB

    nabe, do you really feel that books, as we know them, are doomed?

  • No One of Consequence

    I’ve gotta go with the anti-self-promo crowd here. Regardless of whether it’s open-thread or not, you squeezed the irrelevant plug in between two otherwise on-topic statements.
    Once in a while would be no big deal, but it does seem that you over-do it.
    Do it all you want, but factor in that at some point the over-saturation becomes a turn-off.
    We’ve all got bills to pay, but you don’t see everyone else constantly plugging their products/services.

    Where is The Where to chime in on this?

  • Kim G.

    Thanks Jo, my husband is still laughing AT me. LOL!

  • The Where

    Did someone say my name?

    This Melanie lady can plug away all she wants. It’s like sex on TV, if you don’t like it change the channel or in this case keep scrolling.

    BTW, I’ll be performing my puppet show The Where Meets the Baby Gorilla at Kenny’s Castaways next week.

  • Bartmann

    AEB,

    I had originally scanned right past M.H. Grnbrg’s post because it contained nothing that would ever interest me. However after you suggested that she was using the BHB for self promotion I gave her post another read.

    And I would agree her post is self promotion. But I went a little further, checked out her website and saw that on Amazon many of her books sell for $.01. So I would suggest that her self-promotion is born of financial necessity rather than a desire to be a nuisance.

    But we New Yorkers are used to screening out the world. Considering that we can easily ignore the bum sitting near us on a subway car, MHG’s self-plug seems an insignificant distraction

    Bartmann

  • AEB

    Bartmann, I appreciate your post. I understand the wisdom of taking the long view.

    But life is also everydayness, to coin a word, to which we must attend. There is always an attempt to decide what is fair and what isn’t–which is, in part, a way of finding out who is who and what is what. We can (and should) acknowledge the unfair, as we see it, without sacrificing a larger perspective. In fact, the former leads to the latter.

    Thanks.

  • PS 8 parent

    Katherine Paterson, two time Newbery Medalist, on electronic media and e-books and books:

    http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/02/01/2010-02-01_apples_ipad_is_no_bookkiller.html

  • dot dash

    oops.

  • bornhere

    I am positive that what Homer and the BHB crew want more than anything is another “have-to,” but maybe if there were a really simple bucket devoted to “BH Events” that didn’t require anything more than a listing of a local’s activity/performance/presentation of interest, the debate on self-promotion could come to an end, while satisfying the desire to pitch/share news about one’s own doings. If, however, I were confronted with the choice of stressing Homer or hurting someone’s feelings, I would rather just gloss over the posts that don’t interest me.

  • nabeguy

    Folks, on the subject of self-promotion, many of you seem to be overlooking the very nature of where you’re making your comments…namely, a blog. One which is brilliantly and judiciously overseen by Homer and crew. He created the blog and essentially owns the content, as well as the responsibility of deciding what reaches our eyes. As devoted as some of us are to this site, we don’t own it, so I think it best that we all back off the subject, lest we start Mr. Fink down the road of self-censorship.
    I’ve met and talked with Melanie and found her to be an exuberant writer whose main concern is to educate kids and get books of any kind into their hands. While she may let “I’ and “mine” slip into her posts a little more than some find acceptable, I personally can vouch for her credentials as an author dedicated to her craft and her audience.
    AEB, yes to your question. The economics of the book world are all pointing in that direction. Digital books offer the the solution to many bugaboos in the industry, i.e. warehousing, returns, shipping, production costs. The fact is, digital is being promoted in the industry as a green alternative….think of all the trees that are being saved.

  • alex

    Seems like this is a lesson for Melanie and others that self-promotion, while allowed on BHS, can do you more harm than good.

  • http://www.melaniehopegreenberg.com melanie hope greenberg

    Irony: Got a shout out over the weekend (and an email tonight) from the publicity expert in my field during her keynote address for my industry’s national conference. She said that I am doing it right, the model for my fellow authors and artists. So you win some and you lose some. I’ll go with the industry expert and not the ever squabbling neighbors who power trip and a have the need to control someone else’s blog the highlight of their day. With the control so thick no wonder my posts were disregarded that were inviting readers to FREE events in Brooklyn. Like at the Central Library, Brooklyn Museum, Moxie. I’ve come to the conclusion that certain people just like to fight.

  • AEB

    A blog such as this is, by definition, a place where (often dissenting) opinion is voiced.

    PS, I believe it was Oscar Wilde who said “the only thing worse than being talked about is NOT being talked about.”

    A thought well worth noting by those seeking publicity.

  • north heights res

    Most blogs and discussion forums that I read (and there are a lot of them) actively discourage, if not prohibit, self-promotion–they’re meant for conversation and an exchange of ideas, not free billboard space.

    It’s always surprised me that this site has permitted it.

    Which is not a criticism of Homer or BHB, both of which I find indispensable and for which I have a virtually unreasonable affection.

  • tb

    Thanks nabeguy for summing up the whole thing nicely. well done!

  • harumph

    Melanie – I would think that having not one, but many voice their opinions against your self-promotion (I don’t really care if the events are free or not, they all are about you) would be enough to give you pause. Clearly I am wrong.

  • Hicks-ter

    Good news for south Heights ice cream lovers: new branch of Blue Marble, on Court three blocks so. of Atlantic. Opening 2/14.

    http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/archives/2010/02/blue_marbles_wo.php

  • Ilikebrooklyn

    Agree w/AEB on self-promotion. Should the people placing the ads on the right side bar of the blog save their money and just blog about their products?

  • my2cents

    Melanie, why don’t you just start a twitter feed, and then those who want to follow all your events can choose to do so. You then have an avenue to advertise directly to a voluntary audience directly without ruffling any feathers. I say this with respect as a piece of constructive advice, not as a snipe.

  • So Bored

    S so bored with this topic. If we were to comment upon each annoying or offensive topic listed in the comment, this posting would surely break the all time posting record.

    Besides, who is John Galt?

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