Other than the pine cone, the paint chips on the Christmas tree. Can't they come up with some kiddy-made crafts?

{{!gwi}}

I don't get it. Is this a forum started just to critique and make fun of the blog "Young House Love"? From time to time I read the blog. They are a neat young couple who are DIYers. They've had some great projects and their last house was a great re-do. I've not read much in recent months to see what they have done with the new house.

That thread is hilarious! It's like reading Portlandia in thread form. I'm very much mixed on some of the things there... I have read about a few where my first thought is that it looks ok, but either won't last or be a maintenance nightmare. Others I struggle with finding whatever is supposed to be out of place or whatever.

I

This post was edited by schicksal on Mon, Jul 21, 14 at 8:46

Tinam61 - I think that it is a response to how bad their stuff has gotten. I really enjoyed them when they started and they did some super nice stuff in their first house but since then it is just (IMO) been weird crafty junk. It seems like they are reaching and just posting any old thing to fill the space. They make a ton of money off their blog and now all of the assorted product lines with their brand so in my book they are fair game to scrutinize. It seems like a tv show that's gone on last it's prime.

The Pom Pom cradle is my favorite ridiculous project. And I have disliked Young House Love since its inception. There is something really annoying in their seeming belief that no young couple has ever bought and renovated a house before they so cleverly thought to do it.

Oh...I thought these were pictures YHL found that were examples of what NOT to do...not stuff THEY did. Yikes! And they're making a ton of $$? Hmmmmm....now where did I put that picture of a blue duck surrounded by hearts?

They may be making tons of money off their blog and book, but I bet it still hurts to know there is a forum like that out there.

When I first started blogging, and was doing it only for myself to make myself accountable for my exercise and weight loss progress (a total fail by the way), someone on another blog posted that my blog was one of the ten most boring blogs on the internet.

They probably thought it was funny and that I would never see it, but since I could follow the link hits back there, even I could find it. People can be mean on the internet.

They clearly never saw either of my home remodeling blogs. People can be mean online, but it doesn't bother me since I'll never meet any of them in person anyway and whatever they say doesn't really matter.

Ouch, some of those are pretty harsh. But, when you transition from personal blog or forum poster to a commercial website with advertising revenue and "broader influence" (e.g. their book, their collection at Target, etc) you legitimately expose your work to critique and review. I feel like non commercial personal blogs should be off limits -- and I'm sorry that @marti8a had to go through that.

That said, I like some of their work. And there are the other things, like the fauxpiary with horns dipped in paint.

OMG! I'm reading that thread and cracking up.

(Then I'm all, is this what the people here think of me cause I suck at decorating! hahaha)

I would have to agree that once you're a brand and not a family, the rules are different.

While I enjoyed their blog in the early days, it always bothered me then that they kept re-inventing the wheel all the time, and it really bothers me that they still do. So many kludgy workarounds for things that exist and are less expensive and MUCH less trouble than doing it their way, like buying a wall mount range hood and building a box around it instead of just buying a range hood insert.

Clearly, there's a lot of pressure to be creative and crafty on a regular basis, and there are many "misses" out there in blogland.

But what bothers me about YHL and some of the other blogs is how much of their children they're willing to share with the rest of the world. Perhaps I'm too cynical and paranoid, but I'd never post so many photos of my kids for complete strangers to see. One of the only bloggers I look up anymore is Lauren Liess, and she shares way too much of her children on Instagram, IMO.

This post was edited by peony4 on Mon, Jul 21, 14 at 13:45

If people don't like it, they can exercise their right not to read it. There are a lot of blogs that might appeal to them more.

Obviously this couple is doing something right, or they wouldn't have the sponsors, readers, invitations to design an entire home for Habitat for Humanity, the Target line, the book deal, the lighting collection for Shades of Light, appearances in numerous magazines, and TV shows and so on.

So if you don't like it, just unsubscribe and you won't have to see it.

I'm always surprised by the venom in some comments sections. Yes, some of those things are ridiculous but why be so ugly about it? There are a surprising number of crabby people out there.

I'd never heard of YHL, but just took a look. Looks like the typical blog stuff I see everywhere. I have never understood all of the self-promotion I see via the Internet these days, but I guess it's paying off for them.

I suspect there are quite a few projects that they look back on and shake their head at. It is simply impossible to nail it every time.

While some projects were head scratchers, some other things that people disliked were just a matter of differing tastes. I certainly appreciate the YHL general approach to paying attention to the costs of projects and sharing the process they use to arrive at decisions. And many of the things in that show house were delicious! Their blog has its place but I do agree, the level of family sharing is a bit concerning.

That forum was not created specifically to make fun of Young House Love, but of blogs in general. The more popular your blog is, the more discussion you're going to get on GOMI. It's the flip side of making money off your blog. The more you can charge in advertising dollars, the more people are going to be looking for your mistakes.

If you're blogging for your own interest, then nobody needs to be commenting. I have 2 blogs. One is basically a travel journal, and the other is documenting the build of our house. They are both for my own record, and to let friends and family follow along without forcing them to watch the slide show. If someone on another blog thought I was boring or stupid, I'd be surprised they even found my blog, and flattered they read enough to make an opinion and comment at all.

If I made it to GOMI, I'd clearly have enough traffic to help pay for those trips and that house. So I think I'd have to celebrate.

It's just like anything once you make yourself a brand you open yourself up to the good AND the bad. I don't know them as people and I would certainly never comment on their personal lives but I think if you're selling your work then it's completely fair to open that work up to critique.

I'm not going to comment specifically on the merits of the projects but I actually think the "personal lives" aspect is what bothers me most about these blogs. It's narcissistic to think that your personal life is so interesting (maybe peoples' personal lives are so interesting, look at all the reality shows). I like blogs that are about a subject matter, not about "Look how Cute We Are -----------and we can do renovations and crafts, too".

I have become more bugged by this sort of thing because I have a neighbor who is a blogger and author about being green and being a nurturing parent, and the entire blog is an out and out falsehood if you observe her and her family's behavior.

That's exactly what I meant when I said "self-promotion," pal. I just don't get all the "look at me, look at me!" type people hoping to be discovered via their blog (or YouTube channel).

I had never heard of that site. Hope I can forget it soon.

" I have a neighbor who is a blogger and author about being green and being a nurturing parent, and the entire blog is an out and out falsehood if you observe her and her family's behavior."

Amen to that, Pal. I know a diva type blogger who is seriously dishonest about ....well, everything, as far as I can tell.

I read very few blogs -- and am sick of the constant advertorial nature (basically every story and every project is a "paid for" advertising) of each and every posting from many of the décor blogs ..... :(

I see your point. I'm not especially fond of a lot of blogs and how commercial they have become. This phenomenon of the money making blog seems to have happened overnight, or I just never knew of them when I started. I blogged for a year or two before I even told anyone I was doing it, and even then, it was just so my family and long time friends could keep up with our house progress.

I totally agree about too much personal information out there, especially pictures. There was a blogger from Utah, I think, whose personal pictures were lifted, photoshopped, and then posted to a porn type site. Then they wanted hundreds of dollars from her to remove them.

It would be nice to make a living from a blog, but I think I'm glad I have a very small group of readers. I still can't figure out how that other blogger stumbled across my blog, but it doesn't bother me now. I guess my skin has toughened. And I probably do write some posts that are boring.

I think there are some awesome blogs out there and I don't think you have to be completely impersonal, or that the blog can't be flawed and have good posts and weak posts. But...the blog should be about something you know or can do well First, and then about you secondarily. [Unless of course the blog is autobiographical as its mission statement.( Which wouldn't interest me that much unless you were fascinating)].

I'm not much into Facebook because you have really be on top of their revolving privacy changes, but if you ARE on top of that, it seems the perfect place to blog to friends and family without having others look in (and bring in unwelcome criticism).

But if one chooses to blog to the general public one is the same as a writer, subject to review both good and bad. If you can't take that heat, get out of the kitchen and stop blogging, or go to controlled access places like fb.

You don't have to use Facebook to make your blog private. Blogger lets you choose to be fully public and searchable, open only to those who have a link, only open to the author, or open to a specific list of people.

Facebook would be a terrible substitute for a blog. Not only does it not let you format, the privacy is really hard to control.

I am reminded of the old saying: Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. And those who can't teach, teach gym.

I enjoy writing. A few years ago I co-wrote a novel for young adults and we were lucky enough to get published. The publisher encouraged us to reach out to teens who were blogging about books. We did that in a limited way and it was fine.

However, other writers in the genre were a little more ambitious. They openly courted these teenagers. The publishers did too. And things got insane.

These kids started out blogging because of a true love of reading but, somehow, their reviews of the books began to be more important than the stories they wrote about.

For some of them, the attention went to their heads. They started demanding things from authors (free books, swag, personal relationships) and it was rumored that in order to get a good review from Blogger X you had to _____. Woe to the author who refused.

It all came crashing down, of course. (At least I think it all did; I stopped paying attention.)

I think the dynamic at the GOMI site is similar, and maybe I'd modify that old saying: Those who can, do. Those who can't, blog. Those who can't blog, critique bloggers.

Lol. (Not really.)

This post was edited by edeevee on Mon, Jul 21, 14 at 20:36

"Obviously this couple is doing something right, or they wouldn't have the sponsors, readers..."

I can't agree with this:

Jersey Shore
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
ad nauseum

Crap! I guess I'd better take down my framed poncho.

Well, they are able to make a living from their blog, so it is successful in monetary terms. Even a lot of the most popular bloggers out there will tell you the amount of money that your blog generates (if any) is not enough to live off of and you need another source of income.

I'm not saying that they are saving the planet or curing diseases (unless they are and aren't sharing that on the blog), but they are able to do what they love (fix up their home) and have someone pay them to do it. I would consider that successful.

Last I heard they have scaled back their blog in an effort to spend more family time since the birth of their 2nd baby.

And as far as the nauseating Kardashians and Jersey Shore cast, unfortunately they were commercial successes too. ewww.

H4H asked them to design a home, yes maybe a gimmick, but it would generate more interest in the house. And isn't the point to generate more ticket sales for H4H?

If people don't like what they read, then just don't read it. If you get nothing from it, then move on. However, I believe that there are a lot of young people out there who have paid a lot of their money for their house, and blogs like this may give them ideas to use on their own homes, or even just inspire them that they can Do It Too.

I just discovered GOMI a week or two ago because I was finally fed up with YHL. As a new homeowner in the twenty-something category, I looked online for inspiration to ease me into this new decorating hobby of mine.... and found an infestation of blogs!! YHL was one of my favorite, especially their earlier homes. I didn't really draw direct inspiration from them, but became encouraged that I could make some real changes on a budget.

My feelings towards YHL started changing a few months ago as I ventured out of the archives and into their more recent posts. It bothers me that their definition of "budget" has changed. Someone on GOMI added everything up and of the things they've blogged about, they've spent $7000 in the last two months. None of that was spent on DIY and only about 1k of that was spent on the actual (hired out) improvement of the house.

It hurts me to think of all the things I could do in my house with 7k and they blew through it like it was nothing!! They've obviously made a lot of money from their blog and they are alienating their target demographic because of it.

In case you didn't know they have a book and a product line of home goods sold at Target. I think they also have a paint line at SW. They are making a VERY good living I would guess.

I think making fun of YHL is totally fair game, as it is to make fun of any public figure. I thought the comments about some of the projects were really funny. Some are real klunkers, and they should be embarrassed.

I do agree that it is mean spirited and unnecessary to make fun of a blog that is not that of a public figure. (and, hay, Marti, with all the sites out there, to be noticed enough to make any top 10 list is a back handed compliment if you think about it!)

While I appreciate a good DIY project, I could never take them seriously after they posted that bizarre fan video which included the wife interviewing Eminem.

Once upon a time these creative ideas were much appreciated. We all saw the HGTV show Design Cents. Some of us even loved it!!! Today with Pinterest etc. these ideas are abundant and easily accessed. Pom Pom cradle is just not "good enough" to make it. As far as the personal privacy comments..well I am just not seeing the relevance. Twitter/Instamatic/Facebook it is all too popular for anyone to take your cautions seriously. As well meaning as they are (and right on IMHO) they are antiquated and of no interest to today's world. I wonder if the comments are intentionally mean? Perhaps the commenters believe if you are strong enough to post your ideas you are strong enough to take all opinions. It seems the height of arrogance to think you won't find at least one person who doesn't appreciate your creativity. If you are only open to pats on the back--I suggest you stick to Facebook and your "friends".

Dee - stopped scanning after I got to your post. Nailed it. Nuff said.

I did make fun of the framed poncho - perhaps that poncho has some special significance, and I shouldn't have, but it did make me gasp a little bit.

This reminds me of a really great documentary that ran on PBS a few years ago, "The Farmer's Wife". This couple had NO money. She is a remarkable person (I continue to wish PBS would run a follow-up as I'd love to know how their doing; hopefully well). In one of the segments, she threw a birthday party for one of her daughters for $5 using this kind of creativity.

That woman was not a quitter or a cryer (I am both. Ugh) and faced every challenge head on and and WITH her head.

arcy, All you get are pats on the back on Facebook? Want to trade friends lists? It feels like Lord of the Flies on my page 24/7 ;)

They seem like a nice family, but I've never been a fan of their blog. Just the typical trends du jour, and not done very well.

What I learned from the site linked: they photoshop. A lot. I think for design and fashion blogs, it's a dishonest thing to do. I don't mean for enhancement reasons, rather for portraying something very different than it really is. It's false advertising. One example I came across: the woman was painting while pregnant, with no mask or anything, people wrote in about it, the original picture was deleted, and a new one added (a mask was photoshopped onto her face, it was very obviously the same picture). I came across many other examples ... paint colors changed, decor items photoshopped into pictures, etc.

I read somewhere that some of the biggest bloggers earn in the six figures and up, which makes it a very lucrative business. Good for them, but I've read many times that these bloggers don't allow any criticism on their blogs, and get highly offended at anyone questioning them. Sorry, but in the real world, we all get feedback for our performance in the workplace, and don't get to moderate said input. The big bloggers want page-views and attention for more money, yet don't seem to be professional and honest about how they sell themselves, or the products featured.

And I agree that kids should not be featured on these blogs. For safety reasons, and for the sake of their own online privacy. They have no say, and may not like it when they get older.

Tibbrix, I loved The Farmer's Wife! I watched every segment, and got so invested in them. Sad to say, but they did divorce after the show. Like you, I'd love to see a follow-up.

(Sorry to get off-topic.)

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. He was a pipe dreamer, and she had her feet planted firmly on terra firma, so I can't say I'm surprised to hear they ended up divorcing.