Today we had an disturbingly obnoxious encounter with people 'behind' a fake artblog. They seem to think their grade school humor is funny.
Fake names, paranoia, threats, delusions of grandeur. Seems like everything they throw at you is a reflection of them.
Here's the e-mail exchange.
1. The initial approach
From the form at heavybubble.com came an inquiry -- signed with a false name -- asking that the 'publisher' of the website be identified.
We attempted to reply but the email was rejected by gmail as a bad address.
2. The second approach, an escalation and bit of paranoia
On Feb 18, 2010, at 9:55 AM, likesomebodycares@gmail.com wrote:
Harrietta Falloff sent a message using the contact form at http://www.heavybubble.com/contact.
We wrote before asking who are the people behind heavybubble. Do you expect artists to join or recommend you or take your tweets etc. serious if you won't answer the question. If you are anonymous we would like to hear your reason.
If you don't answer we will publish this email and a story about you including the fact that you won't answer emails or reveal who you are.
lovvvveeeeeeeee ya hon!!!!!!!
Harrietta Falloff
3. Margaret replies, supplying the requested information and signing the email with her real name and full contact information
We did reply previously but the email was bounced immediately with a message that it was not a valid email address.
The website, heavybubble.com, is published by Heavy Bubble Ltd, which is incorporated in the Commonwealth of PA. The business is described at the site:
Heavybubble is a web service designed for career artists. Publish a do-it-yourself website and market your work. Choose from a number of professional designs, upload your artwork, and make changes whenever you want.
We are also involved in the art community, as for example, a sponsor of exhibitions.
best,
msa
Margaret Anderson
margaret@heavybubble.com
Heavy Bubble
1622 South Street First Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19146
215 545 7531
http://www.heavybubble.com
websites for artists
heavy bubble makes me happy
4. They go off the deep end . . .
Oh, so because you are incorporated then they are no real people involved!!?? We will just have to report that. Artists luvvvvvvv corpocrassy, especially these daze!!!! You are web 0.1 in our book just like insolvent.com. Didn't you hear of Saatchi or the other FREE sites where the company of artists is better and did we say it was free. If you want to make frenz and do well in bizzness you should be nicer sweetie.
Your answer sounds like you think you're talking to dotards. Trust us you are the dotards.
Are they your "wallhangings" we saw online? We thought they were called paintings unless they were decorations and not art. ppppllllleeeeeezzz!!!!!!!
Look for our story on you smellybrownbubbles.
Thanks for you frankness.
luuuuvvvvvvvvvvv ya!!!!!!!!!
Our thoughts:
Hmmm. I guess they are on a first name basis with the warm, fuzzy, real people behind Saatchi.
We left the conversation there since clearly we are going to be trashed, which is such a productive exercise, no?
For the record, yes our sites are simple. Heavy Bubble is intended to be an easy entryway for artists to have a website, and to keep the focus on the work. Flashy 'advanced' web solutions tend to interfere with viewing art and with being found on the web.
There are many free options but these always involve tradeoffs. Our service is not for everyone, but if anyone wants to evaluate it they should talk to our artists or try it themselves.