Firehorse Rearwin: How did you come up with the idea for Fashion Consolidated?Honey Fairweather: It's called FashCon! Actually weirdly enough, the name "FashCon" flashed through my mind the moment I thought "I need a consolidated set of notices". I'm not sure why but it sounded *terribly* secret service pistol-in-my-garter at the time.
I came up with the idea as a way to scratch an itch in December 2006 - the usual "waa I'm in too many designer groups" - both because of the 25 group limit but also because, well surely someone had provided a consolidated way to see all these? I hunted around but it didn't seem to exist so I thought I could make one and see if maybe a few dozen people might like it too. I had no clue 6500 would join and it's still increasing by over 100 members a week! My poor SL postman is run off his feet.
When I started it, I was cheeky and asked a few big designers what they'd think. I probably looked like crazywoman, in fact you can see from the FashCon posters on kiosks around SL that I did. Eep I need to replace that logo soon! (/me scribbles another to-do). Anyway they were lovely and kind to Ms Noob and seemed to think it was a good idea and generally patted me on the head and fed me doggy biscuits, so I gulped, wagged my tail and started it.
Firehorse Rearwin: How difficult was it to get designers (and the public) to see your vision?
Honey Fairweather: Not difficult at all - in a way the group demonstrates itself the moment you join it. You'll either feel suddenly joined up to a community and love the sudden large daily influx of fashion news and releases (the 6500 of you), or you'll feel drowned and leave (the other few millions). I had to work quite hard at startup time for a few months, just simply asking people what they thought, ideas on how to make it useful and effective, spending a lot of time explaining the concept to people, until the concept itself took over and regenerates itself as the group continues by watching group usage (when it doesn't go astray). But the guidelines and expected IM behaviour, notice content etc. were pretty much formed within a few weeks and have hardly changed. The one thing I'm insistent on is keeping the group to its original ethos: a courteous, fun, intelligent community based around specifically newly-released fashion and av-related creations from talented people. Most of my real work I see as spreading that ethos and making sure it continues: I don't tolerate fights (hugging works) and try to encourage a measured approach on everything: whether responding to stray group IMs, responding to piracy (tough but no witchhunts), dealing with the seemingly constant misdirection of notice content. In the end you have to deal with how humans *are* (e.g. 10% won't read your notices and 50% won't read your blog) and working from there, rather than thinking "everyone should do X" and throwing your hamster at the fridge door.
Firehorse Rearwin: What made you keep going with the idea through the early days when you didn't charge for the service?
Honey Fairweather: Same thing as now! I introduced charging after 12 months for two reasons: (1) because I was totally exhausted, mowed over by all the work and needed staff, and (2) because I hoped it would put a gentle brake on designers joining, meaning that it would filter out those who were joining casually with no real determination to perfect their skills. (2) was a very serious consideration at the time - I'd been through a lot of other options as ways to improve the average quality of designers' submissions to keep it engaging for members (which we all want), and every other way than this was unworkable, subject to cliques of subjectivitiy, subject to huge administation overhead etc. I still consider the entry cost a useful tool to promote serious committed designers over the odd tshirt maker, and will continue to use price to try to influence this uptake as time goes on. But what keeps me going now, as I'm still very busy and barely get time to partay, is the same as in the first year: the wonderful surprise at what a lovely community has grown up around my little idea, how kind and supportive almost everyone is, and the hugs. If you want to see the community join the Fashion Consolidated Cafe group! Did I mention I like hugs?
Firehorse Rearwin: What has given you the most fun with the FashCon project?
Honey Fairweather: FUN? I'm not here to have FUN! Ok.. well FashCon FreeDay to celebrate the group's rezday WAS huge fun! Again it was a little idea of mine at 2am the night before (kind of like an "omg it's little Susie's birthday tomorrow and I didn't order CAKE" panic) and I was truly amazed when a few hundred designers joined in the next day, all offering quality freebies to the world. Everywhere was grey. Fantastic! It was quite a sight to fly from sim to sim as the freebie notices flooded in and to watch each shop go grey and globby within 10 seconds of the notice with 50 visitors. It really brought home to me what a big thing FashCon had become for many and made me stop criticising myself for 2 seconds, which is unusual. I think that day I filled 100 sims - I'm wondering if that makes me the most successful griefer on SL... Happily the shops seemed to love it. On average most had about 200 visitors within an hour, and many told me they had made good sales later as a knock-on effect. Yay!
Firehorse Rearwin: What causes you the most hassles with Fash Con?
Honey Fairweather: Well I just finished my latest 3 hours staff meeting with my two new staff members (PK Emmons and Ivy Norsk, who are *great*) and I can send you the log of the problems we discuss :) I'd say if I had to sum up, the biggest problem of all is trying to communicate with 800 designers. Many have no time to read news on the website (http://fashcon.com) and don't read, or catch up with my admin notices. They contain really important changes that affect people, but I have to explain them over and over. I'm hoping to fix this soon by moving all designers over to the new kiosk system then setting up a new channel to talk to them. But in the end, only a percentage of people will *ever* read instructions, stick to guidelines on posting content, read that you don't get added as a designer until the following weekend even if it's in the setup notecard, send you IMs instead of notecards as per profile and website, not use group IM except in the Cafe group. Did I mention them all yet?
Oh and also, being nagged to do things like interviews and feeling guilt rather than "it can wait!" when I'm very slow. As a random, entirely theoretical example, imagine being in the middle of responding to an interview and receiving veiled threats to finish it in the form of "Possible articles for April 1st: "Desperately seeking a good master - the heartbreak of successful SL business woman Honey Fairweather".
Oh and I really hate how it's hard to open cellophane wrapping on DVDs.
Firehorse Rearwin: Roughly how many hours a week do you dedicate to Fash Con a week?
Honey Fairweather: I've never worked it out, but today I'd guess 5 hours and it's.. 1:30pm SLT. But then I did have a meeting. I'd guess at an average of 2-3 hours per day 7 days a week, and then about 8 hours on a Sunday (the day we process kiosk data and add people). It'd be a lot more without amazing help from friends and neighbours! Like my wonderful kiosk developer and friend, Sasun Steinbeck, my great friend Galea Yates, others who have helped and supported me.
Firehorse Rearwin: If you weren't doing Fashion Con what would you like to do on SecondLife?
Honey Fairweather: Be Japanese. REALLY! Cept I can't do that can I, because I can't speak Japanese, and I don't know what those odd little kiosks outside all the shops in wonderful Kabuki are. I really would though. My opinion that Japanese designers hold the future of SL in their hands is widespread and fanatical by now, in that a lot of my webpages have been translated into Japanese by kind helpers and I have a Japanese masterplan on hold until I have done things like this interview.
Also, I'd play with my penguins more in the peace and comfort of my little home in Amicitia, while listening to moody sexy 60s french chansons, swaying gently in front of the mirror, and sipping white russians.
Firehorse Rearwin: Whats your happiest moment on Secondlife so far?
Playing with my penguins in the peace and comfort of my little home in Amicitia, while listening to moody sexy 60s french chansons, swaying gently in front of the mirror, and sipping white russians.
Firehorse Rearwin:Whats your most embarrassing moment on Secondlife so far?
Playing with my penguins in the... OK. Hmmm. Well leaving aside all the "omgzzz then all my clothes fell off!" and "oops wrong window!" moments, I'm embarrassed almost all the time and try to hide it! Being a feisty but defeated Gaulish princess slave in shackles at the 2008 Roman-themed Concierge party comes close...
Firehorse Rearwin: If you could sum up your SL in one sentence what would it be ? Or if there is a oneliner you want to share with our readers what would it be ?
As anyone who's read my notices knows, I don't do pithy one sentences well. OK, answer for both from Bertrand Russell: "The secret of happiness is this: let your interests be as wide as possible, and let your reactions to the things and persons that interest you be as far as possible friendly rather than hostile".
