This is really the opening post for this blog, aside from the test post. Those readers familiar with my website, Cosmoetica, and my all film subsite, Cinemension, may be wondering why I started this blog, slightly apart and separate from those two entities. The reason is money. Cosmoetica is a non-commercial site, and I lose money on it. Not alot, but I make bupkus. The reason I do not lose alot of money is because almost all my pages are text only- a few kilobytes worth of information. Compare that to your average blog page, or page of any popular website which is loaded with high tech stuff, video links, images, etc. The average Cosmoetica page is anywhere from 1/200th to 1/10,000 the size. Thus, unlike many sites that have audiences as large, or larger, than Cosmoetica, I am not hampered by a need to have ads to pay for the information that rides online.
However, in a sense, I've felt that this has shortchanged my readers- especially those who love my film reviews. They should be able to get a sense of what the films I write of are like. So, why not let a big corporation like Google, who owns Blogspot, chip in a bit for your entertainment and enlightenment??
The folk involved in this venture are me, my wife Jessica, and three people who are also interested in cinema- albeit with differing perspectives: Art Durkee, G.M. Hendricks, and Anthony Zanetti. The former is an old friend who has collaborated on a number of other ventures with me, while the latter two are men who were fans of Cosmoetica, and had an interest in film.
Within a month or two, here are some things to be expected: first, unlike Cosmoetica, this venture won't be 90-95% me, for good or ill. Second, this is a starting template for the blog. I plan on redesigning some of Cosmoetica, as well as this blog, but that will evolve, under no time nor aesthetic constraints. I did, however, want to get the blog going before Cosmoetica's 8th anniversary, in two days.
Here are some ideas agreed to by the contributors, but we'll see how much time erodes these:
-diversity of writers, opinions, and links are good. There will be no ghettoization
-old ideas, posts, essays, reworks, etc. are fine. Quality trumps 'newness.'
-NO ADS. I do not see money in this venture. If proven wrong, and monetization could yield rewards, perhaps.
-trying to spread the word about the blog, Cosmoetica, and the sites/blogs of other members, as well as using networking tools available
-cinema is visual, so videos are encouraged- from films, interviews, etc. Praise YouTube!
-NO COMMENTS ALLOWED. Readers can contact me, or the others via the email posted. Period. The fact is there are 999 trolls, idiots, psychotics, and liars, for every sane, intelligent person online. Anonymity grants a masque for those who are unstable.
-After a while, if there are any readers or writers I feel interesting enough to join the stabble, I may expand the list of Cinebloggers. There will be no guidelines save good writing on cinema, and a sanity that stands above the aforementioned online psychoses.
-Lastly, I'd prefer to avoid the trite need for a list of the best this or that. It's just silly, and plays to the Lowest Common Denominator. I have my own list of great films, but it's that- a list, not a ranking.
Enjoy the blog. My first 'real' post will follow.
DAN SCHNEIDER
