On online reviews of artisans

[uppercase]

What's the mechanism for selling an article of fake news and making money off of it. ?
How do you make money off of that?

I've got a lot of news but don't know how to sell it exactly.

TIA.

[Leonard Logsdail]

I find there's a lot of sour grapes when it comes to Simon Crompton. Another site had pages of negative comments that came across to me as either pure jealousy, or jumping on the band wagon so as to be seen as part of the "in-crowd". Now it looks like it's starting on this site.

What many seem not to have understood is the attention he has single-handedly brought to artisans across europe. These artisans are falling away due to high rents and no ability to advertise and need this exposure. So what that Simon might get a free suit here or there? So what you don't like his style? And so what he makes money from it? Seems to me he doing a good job for himself and the tradespeople he writes about. He should be thanked, not ridiculed.

To set the record straight, I've only met Simon once and have never made a suit for him.

Leonard

[uppercase]

^^^
Well said.

[bond_and_beyond]

I find there's a lot of sour grapes when it comes to Simon Crompton. Another site had pages of negative comments that came across to me as either pure jealousy, or jumping on the band wagon so as to be seen as part of the "in-crowd". Now it looks like it's starting on this site.

What many seem not to have understood is the attention he has single-handedly brought to artisans across europe. These artisans are falling away due to high rents and no ability to advertise and need this exposure. So what that Simon might get a free suit here or there? So what you don't like his style? And so what he makes money from it? Seems to me he doing a good job for himself and the tradespeople he writes about. He should be thanked, not ridiculed.

To set the record straight, I've only met Simon once and have never made a suit for him.

Leonard

Hear hear. I find a lot of the criticism against Crompton laughable in its own right. The site is a good resource about a surprising amount of artisans. What's more it's backed up with photos of the various suits, shoes etc to give you more of an idea of house styles etc.

I don't particularly agree with all of his "style" choices, but please point me to another site showing such a range of artisans' work? Given it's the same guy wearing suits from different makers it gives interesting insight into how various house / tailoring styles change the way you appear.

To me alot of the criticism comes of as biased and bitter.. Sorry! Just my 2 cents..

BB

[Concordia]

I find there's a lot of sour grapes when it comes to Simon Crompton. Another site had pages of negative comments that came across to me as either pure jealousy, or jumping on the band wagon so as to be seen as part of the "in-crowd". Now it looks like it's starting on this site.

What many seem not to have understood is the attention he has single-handedly brought to artisans across europe. These artisans are falling away due to high rents and no ability to advertise and need this exposure. So what that Simon might get a free suit here or there? So what you don't like his style? And so what he makes money from it? Seems to me he doing a good job for himself and the tradespeople he writes about. He should be thanked, not ridiculed.

To set the record straight, I've only met Simon once and have never made a suit for him.

Leonard

+1

[couch]

What's the mechanism for selling an article of fake news and making money off of it. ?
How do you make money off of that?

I've got a lot of news but don't know how to sell it exactly.

TIA.

Not sure if you're asking a serious question here, but I'll respond as if you are.

As the article suggests, you buy a catchy domain name, set up a blog or web site to post your fabricated articles, sign up with Google ad words or other online ad brokers to place ads on your site (for which you are paid per viewer click-through and/or on the basis of your traffic statistics), start posting links to that site and its content on Facebook and Twitter, and test out the headlines for that content and those links to see what bait lures the most hits, and keep tweaking the headlines/content until you find the prejudices and hot buttons that yield the highest volume of hits and re-tweets, likes, and links on other sites. The formula does not require that the content be true, factual, or documented, so the cynic simply makes things up to pander to the most rabid reflexes of people who have itchy emotional online trigger fingers. It's just tech-supercharged Pavlov.

I want to be clear that my response to Michael (and the above) does not reflect an opinion of Simon Crompton's activities or ethics. I have only viewed his site a couple of times, and really can't get exercised either way.

The business models of monetizing online content, of which the one described above is fairly crude and no doubt behind the state of the art, can be used in a perfectly ethical way and have allowed many small businesses and experts in niche areas to flourish and provide valuable services. What has seemingly changed is the number of people who no longer seem to care about, or deliberately debase, the quality and honesty of the content in the interest of either maximizing revenue or advancing some (ideological, partisan, etc.) agenda.

[andreyb]

What many seem not to have understood is the attention he has single-handedly brought to artisans across europe. These artisans are falling away due to high rents and no ability to advertise and need this exposure.

Leonard, sorry to be a nasty boy here, but are you sure that Simon really "single-handedly" brought attention to said artisans? Do you have hard facts confirming this? If yes, I will eat my hat.

Personally, I find his motto "the world leader on bespoke, craft and luxury" to be distasteful at best -- if not purely misleading. He is sidelining real experts on the subject and thus, one of the biggest contributors to the sad (still! after all these years!) state of journalism in the subject area.

Now he is heavily involved with opening another RTW shop on the Row... I wonder if this will make SR rents any more affordable for London tailors?

Andrey

[Sartorius_2]

The Permanent Style site is excellent. You may or may not agree with Simon Crompton's style choices but the site itself is a great resource - as others have said, backed up with photos and a wealth of other info which you don't find elsewhere.

By all means criticise the content. Criticism of SC himself frankly just comes across as sour grapes and seems to me rather beneath those doing so on here.

[alden]

really "single-handedly" brought attention to said artisans? Do you have hard facts confirming this? If yes, I will eat my hat.

There are no nasty boys here, Andrey.

Yes most of the European artisans have been greatly commented on for nearly a decade now on at least five or six major forums in a variety of countries and languages across Europe, Asia and America including your own. There is certainly less traffic out there about them from the LL because I decided years ago to take the LL private. But the other forums, from what I have read, cover the subject and report on it to this day.

That being said, the added exposure from style bloggers that Len mentions is potentially helpful and probably can't hurt them. And it could be that a honest and independent style commentator, someone who knows the subject, of which there are few, might be of more value at times than the anonymous and sometimes very spotty judgements on forums that are not well monitored.

The point is that most of the European artisans now have blogs of their own or they should have! Over a decade ago or at least since Tom Mahon and his business partner explained to me what a blog was and how they worked, I have always advised artisans to set up their own blogs. And that is still my message today. Rather than spend thousands in advertising on someone else’s blog, artisans should invest that same amount to communicate their essential value directly to prospective clients.

My advice:“Know what your clients want and communicate to them. Because trust gained through real human interaction is priceless. Artisans, just talk to your clients and tell them who you are and what you do.” It is as simple as Henry Irving’s four word acting lesson: “Speak clearly. Be human.” Its a winning formula every time.

To accomplish this simple and genuine human act, the blog works magic, when it is a direct communication between interested parties. In this regards, English Cut is the prime reference because it made such deep and sincere contact with potential clients. No one can do that for you. You have to do it yourself. In my opinion, this is especially true when it comes to craft.

Look, in this very thread, I gave the same advice to Frank Shattuck and his blog has a growing audience now. That’s great news.

Cheers

[HristoStefanov]

I regularly check out - Permanent Style, Voxsartoria, and Sartorial Notes. These are my favourite online resources.
Forums like StyleForum are often full with bull shit.
Some great resources like the Cutter and Tailor Forum are pretty much inactive (Sator had some great content there, but stopped posting several years ago).
When you take the active blogs, Permanent Style is by far the highest quality of content.
Recently Gentleman's Gazette published payed publication named "The best way to maintain your wardrobe" which was a publication about putting off weight. Disgusting!

[aston]

I think Simon has hit on a great business model.

In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is King.

How gets loads of hits from folk who have little clue, but this drives advertising income, which he uses to fund his new commissions......brilliant.

Up to you though to decide if he has any real taste. My view is that a lot of his stuff doesn't fit very well and I wouldn't be seem dead wearing many of his things, but some of his posts are enlightening.

Long live the entrepreneur

[uppercase]

Thanks for reminding me of Mahon's blog.
I used to read it but he slowed posting and it slipped my mind.
Check out his 50 page PDF magazine - the cork. Who knew that it was out there. ??
I did not even know that he has opened two retail stores. !!

Indeed, there are lots of direct posts from true tailors in the business. And they would always be your best source.
But it's time consuming for them and takes away from their tailoring business at hand.
Posting is marketing and many of the good tailors are already too busy, and may not want to expand their already comfortable business and client base.
And the Italians don't have the English , so that is an additional burden for them.
So, third party blogs can help them get their product and message out there to us.

It's all good.

Now, what do you think about the bespoke tailors going into retail??
I think that it's a great move - many have already done so : A&S, Huntsman, …I don't know who else.

RTW & MTM have a lot going for them when designed and commissioned by a classically trained bespoke tailor.

[hectorm]

So what that Simon might get a free suit here or there? So what you don't like his style? And so what he makes money from it?

Had the above comments been made with sarcasm, they would have been devastating remarks. But I think that they were made in total honesty. And for me that's a problem.
See, I firmly believe that a reviewer's credibility is undermined when he receives money or free gifts from those who are being reviewed. Getting paid by a magazine for writing comments on style or clothes (like Bruce Boyer or any other professional on the subjects) is alright. Getting free suits is not. I don't know if this is Mr. Crompton's case, so I won't jump on the wagon. But if it is, then I don't think that the criticism would be based on envy or sour grapes.
At the same time that I recognize some valuable contributions by Mr. Crompton (mainly useful information) I believe that the reviewer´s shortcomings in personal magnetism and style, is what makes these blogging guys unconvincing proponents of the gentleman´s dress.

[davidhuh]

Gentlemen,

very much support Leonard Logsdail's comment.

Simon Crompton does a serious job with his site, and I don't expect him to do this for free. Wether his style choices are driven by his taste or some other suspected interest - I don't care. His audience is old enough to make up their own mind. At times, I find some of his articles a bit naïve and missing the experience and understanding of people like Bruce Boyer or Nicholas Storey. But after all, my impression might come across as old farted and opinionated to a younger generation

Cheers, David

[culverwood]

I have no particular love of Simon Crompton but his blog together with Shoe Snob and Parisian Gentleman are ones I scan everyday as there is usually something to read. I used to look at English Cut and Cutter and Tailor but there was never anything there so I stopped looking.

Blogs are no more or less useful than magazines and forums as sources of entertainment when things are quiet.