Note for context:
This was an answer to Richard from the other Pigments group who posted here, but later removed his post.
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Richard,
for me it's less about the numbers and more about the fun, easiness, sincerity and respect.. and you took a lot of that away from your group with your latest actions and set of rules.
I thought a bit about whether I should speak up about this publicly here or not since you brought it to my thread, and I decided to do so as I see you continuing to promote a certain disrespectful and devaluing attitude towards content creators.
You not only portrayed us negatively in a frustrated group post where you expressed disappointment that only few regular members engage in topics, you also - as group admin and example - publicly stated that content creators wouldn't add enough value on their own and should be required to offer your group exclusive discounts or gifts in exchange for being allowed to share their products, which were created for the community.
But that's the point you don't understand:
Content creators play a vital role in keeping the synth and its community thriving, and the community shows its appreciation by purchasing and enjoying their products. This creates a natural balance of give and take, so there's no need to require anything extra. We're already doing a lot for the community by providing brand new soundsets, guides, resources and educational content, and we don't need to "justify" to share it with the community it's done for.
I don't even understand how you came up with the idea in the first place, that you're empowered with the right to have a say in other people's businesses and decide about the value and pricing of their work, just because you run a facebook group. That was inappropriate especially during christmas, when you insisted that we should go even lower and asked for discounts on top of already huge discounts. You also didn't care that this would be unfair towards our other customers who would purchase the same product on other platforms at a higher price for no reason - consequences not you but others would have to deal with.
The whole thing becomes even more absurd considering the fact that you don't invest any time or efforts in your group by yourself. You don't pay for it, you don't plan events, you don't launch giveaways - you don't create. You are rather trying to make others do the work that you are not willing to do, at their own expense. The reason there's so few engagement in your group is that you don't maintain it and try to be as little involved in it as possible. We both know that it has 4500 members on paper, but only a tiny fraction of that is active - most of them are old and inactive accounts.
All that is why I have left and am building up a better place for the Pigments community now, because that's what it needs and deserves.
The new group is a place that's properly taken care of, where everyone is appreciated and the focus is on fun and ease. Creators can share their content while feeling welcome and without facing unwarranted demands that undermine their authority over their own brand. There are many other professional and respectful ways to handle product placements if members feel that it's getting out of hand.
For the group I have assembled some talented composers and sound designers, including some of my students, who are passionate about Pigments, synthesis, creating patches and the magic and tech behind it.
It's a fresh, growing and active community, and I am confident it will be a valuable and happy place for everyone with exciting topics and fun events.
If you wish to continue this conversation please just drop me a PM about it on Facebook or here, so this thread stays on topic and clean, would appreciate that much.
Cheers
- Voider
