Thoughts on Whiskerino
posted September 10, 2012 # 0 Comments
Though I don't speak much about it, I am proud of the fact that I started Whiskerino; an online facial hair "competition" that brought together creative types for online shenanigans every other year. However, after the 2009 iteration of the event I was done with it. Facial Hair culture is tiring and most people seemed to miss the point - I never really cared about beards or moustaches, I just enjoyed the social and creative aspect of the event. See crap like this is a bummer, not a triumph. The Whiskerino Manifesto was meant to inspire but never be taken that seriously.
Since then I have been regularly reminded how much the whole thing meant to people. It really changed some peoples lives. That sounds nuts but people are married with children now because of an online community semi-centered around facial hair. Maybe it's not so absurd in 2012 but it was practically unheard of in 2003. My lack of interest in being associated with the facial hair world at large (again, I realize that sounds absurd) or curating the site almost seems selfish. So, I posted this tweet regarding this regret and to test the waters of response.
Geoff Morris took it upon himself to respond in a big way - even offering up a solution to the problem of Whiskerino growing beyond Dunbar's Number and, thus, being somewhat unpleasant to try to traverse.
Right now, this is all just mind rumblings. Thoughts to roll around. I'm not looking to move ahead on respawning Whiskerino because I'm still convinced that what makes it so special is partially contained in the fact that it's over. I keep going back to the TV Series metaphor - it's not always easy but it's often better to wrap things up before they spiral into mediocrity.
Apologies on the incredibly long post but, hey, it's my blog.. I can spout off if I want to! What do you think? Does Whiskerino exist outside the world of dumb facial hair meme's and grossly immersive obsessions? Or is there a Venn Diagram overlap and that's okay - it takes all kinds? Does bringing it back make it less special? Could someone else run the thing or do I have to be steering the ship to keep things from spilling out of control?
Since then I have been regularly reminded how much the whole thing meant to people. It really changed some peoples lives. That sounds nuts but people are married with children now because of an online community semi-centered around facial hair. Maybe it's not so absurd in 2012 but it was practically unheard of in 2003. My lack of interest in being associated with the facial hair world at large (again, I realize that sounds absurd) or curating the site almost seems selfish. So, I posted this tweet regarding this regret and to test the waters of response.
Geoff Morris took it upon himself to respond in a big way - even offering up a solution to the problem of Whiskerino growing beyond Dunbar's Number and, thus, being somewhat unpleasant to try to traverse.
Right now, this is all just mind rumblings. Thoughts to roll around. I'm not looking to move ahead on respawning Whiskerino because I'm still convinced that what makes it so special is partially contained in the fact that it's over. I keep going back to the TV Series metaphor - it's not always easy but it's often better to wrap things up before they spiral into mediocrity.
Apologies on the incredibly long post but, hey, it's my blog.. I can spout off if I want to! What do you think? Does Whiskerino exist outside the world of dumb facial hair meme's and grossly immersive obsessions? Or is there a Venn Diagram overlap and that's okay - it takes all kinds? Does bringing it back make it less special? Could someone else run the thing or do I have to be steering the ship to keep things from spilling out of control?