Maybe that’s all I need to say. The $4 to $1 campaign failed. Big time.
Thanks to the 18 folks who supported it. (I thanked each one by email when the pledge came in. I may do another email round later.)
I might do a post mortem later on. I might not. It’s a Monday sort of Monday.
On a completely different topic:
What the *B(#^ is it about infographics that causes people to take “facts” seriously even when there are no sources given and the “facts” are wildly improbable? There’s an “awful facts about reading” infographic making the rounds that has no sources, includes wildly improbable “facts” that are refuted by, well, every other survey that’s been done–and turn out to be based on a ten-year-old statement from some group I’ve never heard of that, itself, doesn’t really provide sources. But hey, it’s an infographic: It Must Be Taken Seriously. Arggh…
Or does this mean that I should scrap $4 to $1 and turn it into a series of, what, 400 infographics, so that it’s taken seriously?
I also find myself irritated when the graphics used are deceptive and when they’re a confusing, hard-to-read mess. The point is to communicate solid info — a point which is lost on many.
Infographics are pure evil. Following the zeitgeist to try to get the crowd’s attention may seem like the route of least resistance but it is the road to minimization of your efforts.
I tend to agree. The chances of my actually becoming an infographics producer are considerably less than the chances of my shutting down Cites & Insights altogether, giving up writing and becoming an active Friends of the Library volunteer. (The last isn’t unlikely; the first two–especially the second–are.)