PhotoDude.com

Mon. May 20, 2002

Obscuring Opportunity

Obscuring Opportunity – Melanie wants to know, "How accessible are you, professionally speaking?" She’s co-writing a book about motion graphic design, and easily came up with 30 designers she wanted to include. She then proceeded to try and contact these supposedly Net-connected people, "but for months were able to contact fewer than 12. Fortunately, and somewhat telling, the 7 strongest candidates were both the easiest to reach and the most responsive. Beyond those, there was dead air. A steady parade of rotten links, old info, cryptic websites and/or closed shops."

Take it from her: "So, for those of you still operating under the assumption that inaccessibility somehow adds to your mystique, or self promotion is for hacks, or someone really wanting to reach you will know where to look, or the sales guy will forward along any e-mails that might further your career, or think it’s fun to use only your first name in press releases, heres a news flash: No one cares if you succeed or fail."

So, Sparky, have you tried to find yourself lately? Me, I’m the #9 return for a Google search on ”Reid”, and the same for a search on ”Stott”. I might be one of the few people able to get away with one name, especially if you count ”photodude.”