(chris) NiXoNbyname.com   the way i see it

While I think the photography of Thomas Hawk is great, I think this is his secondary skill. He is a man with vision.

Thomas first hit my radar when I bought a Tivo back in 2001(?). I went online looking for more information about the more unofficial things that could be done with my shiny new box. I did a search on Google, and his blog popped up. Later on when I bought a Media Center, he was already there with valuable advice on how to make the most of it.

I have always loved photography. My dad and his dad were amateur photographers, so I knew a fair bit about the art. I was never hugely inspired to get my own camera and do it myself though. That said, I was the first person I know who bought a digital camera. It was horrible. The resolution was bad, and the sensor was so poor. But I was smitten.

When I found Flickr in January 2006, guess who was there before me showing the way. You guessed it…Mr. Thomas Hawk.

Over the years, his blog has changed from a predominantly technology based blog to one that is about sharing ideas. I put the emphasis on sharing. While many want to keep their ideas to themselves, in order to make the most of their page views, faves or likes, Thomas spreads his around, using them as starting points for discussion and providing inspiration to others.

I’ve lost count of the amount of ideas I’ve taken from Thomas. Not once has it felt like stealing. I always feel like they have been given to me to do with what I want, and to take forward in any direction that pleases me.

Last week he came up with the idea of keeping $2 in his wallet so that when he’s asked for money in the street, he can give them the money in exchange for a photograph. The idea was innundated with positive comments on FriendFeed. Almost universally people wanted to use the idea for themselves. This happens regularly on his FriendFeed, Flickr and his blog. His ideas flow, and this has become more obvious since he joined FriendFeed.

Mr Hawk, please consider this a hearty hand shake and a thank-you.

Yours Aye.

I have changed the comment system of NixonByName.com over to Disqus in a bid to further “socialise” your comments. The Wordpress comment system is very good, but it’s very blog-centric rather than user-centric. The downside for me is I lose a little  “control” over your comments. The upside is that it will be much easier for you to track your comments, your replies, and your contacts comments. Hopefully this will provoke a little more discussion.

Comment spam is handled very well by Wordpress and Akismet, so I was concerned about how Disqus handled this problem, but by all accounts it works well and very little gets through.

I think this is definitely the way forward. If all goes well here, the same system will be put in place when Photografr.com is re-launched in the near future.

I hope this goes down well with you. I’m very kean to know what you think about this new blog system. I’ve heard very few negative points about Disqus, and my personal experience of the system has been very positive. I look forward to reading your comments on my ill though-out opinions in the future.

Yours Aye.