Lisa Belkin of the New York Times
In “The Social Network,” it is intimated that Facebook started out as a Harvard version of HotorNot.com. At least, the filmmakers imply that Mark Zuckerberg had a glimmer of the idea when he created his “rate a Harvard co-ed” site in a fit of geek pique after getting dumped by his girlfriend.
Oh, the powers of a jilted lover who has access to internet tools.
Thanks to a tip sent to us by a loyal reader, She Posts has discovered the existence of the mom blogger version of Hot or Not. It’s set up as a very basic site called Blueberry Moms. “A place to rate the relative hotness of mommy bloggers. And there are some HOT mommy bloggers.”
A lot of the mom bloggers you know, and maybe some you don’t, are on it. She Posts doesn’t yet know who runs the site, because there are no names or about page and the domain is of course, registered to BlueHost.com. Also, the person connected to the “contact” email address hasn’t come forward. If you have the info, you are welcome to send it to us!
It’s all right. Go ahead. Click it. But I hope you give everyone a “10.” (You can see more than the home page without “voting” by hitting refresh.)
**UPDATE: Well, what do you know? The site creator responded to my email inquiry. “Nick” is a father of three young girls and something of a tech guy, he tells me. He created the rating engine a while ago as a tool to rate sheds – yes, I said sheds – because he was building a garden shed. That idea never came to fruition, so about a week ago, he put up Blueberry Moms.
Nick says he’s been reading mom blogs for years – his oldest daughter is 9 – and he chose to feature mom bloggers on his site as a way to drive traffic to it. During this first week, the average person who visits the site gives it 100 clicks, he says.
The bloggers who show up on the site are found from the blogs he reads and their blogrolls. The whole thing was conceived of semi-humorously, and was never “meant to be disrespectful, but I can see how some people would take it that way.” Even if they do, he says, he’s not planning to change the site at all.**
What do you think about this site? Are you outraged? Disgusted? Honored? Or do you think it’s funny, boring, or just a complete waste of time? There’s no comment section over there, so you might as well leave your comment over here.
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I have a 6.6. But Nate gives me a 22. So I win.
It doesn’t really worry me either way. However if I was up there being voted for, then I’d probably be outraged, unless I won in which case I’d be ecstatic, and all for it.
I gave everyone I looked at a 10…prayed to God I didn’t show up because I didn’t want to see my score…was happy when I didn’t show up…and yet wondered why I didn’t…:)
Haha. Me too, Gigi
Me three. On both counts.
I was just wondering if it was crazy to be hurt that I didn’t even make to the score sheet?
Me 4!
Totally, shamefully, clicked through (gave everyone their deserved 10!) to see if I was listed. And was both relieved and bummed. wow. What a very awful reaction to have. Going to go see if I can find some self esteem in my wednesday now… sheesh
Makes you wonder where they got their list from, that’s for sure.
When I was younger and men used to catcall me on the street, my reaction was, “Who cares what you think?” Still the way I feel today. Would you like to know what I think of you, dude?
All I want to know is AM I ON IT and what is my rating.
You’re a ten.
Hey! I’m the one up there with the shot glass rated as a 7! I AM A TEN, LADIES! A FREAKING TEN!
What a dumb site. I gave everyone a 10 cause you all rock with me. If we all do the same multiple times, the results will get skewed and everyone listed will be a winner.
Its nothing worth fretting over ladies, as I’m sure all of you get a “10″ from those people in your lives who actually mean anything to you.
Were these photos stolen from the websites or actually used with permission?
I’m guessing stolen…
Cat, I truly doubt Heather (Dooce), Crissy (Dear Crissy), Ree (Pioneer Woman) or any other women gave permission. In addition, many of these images are copyrighted by the photographer, not the person in the photo.
Further, some may be protected bu the right of publicity (a state right), which in some states is a property right and therefore there must be something in writing authorizing it.
This guy could be facing HUGE monetary problems if any of the copyright holders has a registration on their photos.
~Sara
I’d be all about me being on there just for a jump in stats!
Personally, I don’t see the point. I don’t quite get how you go from sheds to Mom bloggers, but oh well!
He’s making money from all of these clicks, yes? Not a mommyblogger, not a mommy, but I will not be patronizing his virtual establishment. I’d rather go to the sites and Twitter feeds and Facebook pages of my mom blogger friends and show them some love.
I’m told he has not monetized the site yet, but still – your intentions are lovely to read.
Stuff like this makes me appreciate being a small time blogger, it doesn’t sound like any of the “participants” actually gave permission to use their photos. THAT would bother me most {and secondly the rating issue}, but I realize how unavoidable it is.
That said, sheer curiosity will make me view the site, but you’re all getting tens.
I won’t look but I won’t be on there, because I’m a shed. This sort of thing is so far beyond pathetic and completely inappropriate. Taking someone’s image without their permission is inexcusable plus what a great example he is setting to his daughters.
Gotta say, I find this a bit disturbing. I wish I could just airily say, “waste of time” and move on, but if I saw my picture on there… I dunno. I only refreshed a couple times and then left, refusing to give the guy more clicks.
Pathetic…. and more than a little disturbing. but, it got us all talking and commenting which is what the small ….. man wanted. I’m sure it gives him a freakish sense of power and what he believes is popularity. It find it frightening the man has daughters.
Wow. This site is so 1990s (ok, maybe early 2000s) …I still remember when the first hot or not came out and was all gimmicky.
There’s got to be some sort of copyright issues for using everyone’s photos without permission.
I’d like to think that people visit my blog not because of what I look like but because of my content.
I’m not feeling original, so I’m just going to copy and paste the comment I left on Kelly’s blog about the same topic:
I came across that site a few weeks ago, and it was so poorly designed with such shitty programming that I just assumed it was done by the BlogHer designers.
Oh, snap. And who’s Kelly?
Mocha Momma.
Seriously? I don’t buy the story. I mean, wouldn’t the domain name have something to do with SHEDS and not MOMS? WTF?
Does he even have permission to use these photos????
I just discovered the site when I got a trackback on my blog (which has been gathering dust for nearly 9 months) to site. Annnd, I’m up there and I certainly did NOT give my permission for him to grab my picture.
If any of the featured bloggers wish to complain, the registrar and provider information is in this record – http://www.whois.net/whois/blueberrymoms.com. Funny that the same contact name danger4242 is a gmail addy in this record and attached to a Matthew Horn, not ‘Nick’
First there is no way he reads all these blogs since some of the names say “Anonymous” . He reads no name blogs? Secondly, why does he have some photos of moms with their children in the photo? I am pretty sure thats a lawsuit waiting to happen. If he did read a lot of blogs, he would have read about Extraordinary Mommy ( http://www.extraordinarymommy.com/are-you-kidding-me/stolen-picture/ ) and her adventure on that issue. Not saying that we don’t put photos out there, but to have some guy use one with children in it is craziness.
Thank goodness i am not on there, i couldn’t stand watching a 1.1 come across the screen
I clicked through them all and was not only relieved to find that I wasn’t on there/secretly disappointed I didn’t make the cut, but was also relieved to see that almost everybody had around the same number— somewhere between 7-8. So if we continue to give them all tens, this should be totally irrelevant in no time.
This guy has daughters? And we wonder why our girls have such low self-esteem? It’s losers like this. Blech.
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