Ethics regarding Instamums and huns

[BurberryIsSo2000]

Homeisthecalm here, I think it's suitable to start a new ethics thread.

Since clearly, the one from yesterday isn't really about ethics but Clemmie.

Thanks all,

Keep it as nice or as stingy as you like

I'll start off by saying things should be clearly marked 'ad' or 'gifted'

Although the term gifted gives me the rage

I love Esther Coren but this dry cleaning takeover she's doing is a bit cringe

Pah Esther Corey doesn’t get my Likes.She is married to him.She made that choice. He is not a friend to diversity.[anger]

I think it was her who said there are 17 of them on this trip and the first two came down with it on the plane. So they've potentially infected A LOT of holidaymakers. Why the hell are they still leaving their room and mixing with others though? It sounds like noro and it's soooooo contagious! Surely Neilson do room service or something?!

Gah. Wouldn't wish that on anyone though. It's bloody awful.

I did laugh at the "we took it with us, it wasn't the resort's fault" comment. Protecting their gravy train there.

My last comment about the M family. Not Craig David et al.

Starting norovirus on a plane is my worst nightmare, wouldn’t wish that on anybody!
In and out of the plane toilets for 4 hours, wonder how many people it could have infected

I can't believe the meldrums are still hawking neilson holidays using their children when their sick.

Feel so sorry for who ever has been unknowingly sharing the swimming pool with them

Maybe their kids were run down from all they -work- adventuring!

Laminlodge I missed the memo about him. What did he do?

I like EC's chippy swearing persona but agree today's takeover is awks.

My oh my I've just read some Giles Coren articles. I only knew him as a restaurant critic. I'm afraid by association, EC must go. And no more meldrum watching. They make the ODs look like flipping A listers. The bar is low in sharenting.

Has anybody got an IG interiors recommendations please?

Interiors wise I do like simplythenest who has written some balanced yet critical and well thought out posts on the issues discussed here, and does DIY to a very high standard and is both good for inspiration and actual practical know how. I also like theoldpiggery who just has done the most gorgeous renovation and just has very good taste and some really clever attentions to detail.

Dynevoran thank you so much, they are both lovely feeds.

@wearelocal my mama taught me to shut one’s mouth if one couldn’t sing a sweet song about another,so you’ll forgive me for saying no more about Mr Coren.But I see Google is your friend

I must confess I have allowed myself three exceptione though to mama’s rule. I chose Idi Amin,my children’s deadbeat dad and Mr Trump. 👍🏾

Laminlodge - we cannot overcome what we ignore sometimes we must speak out.

Poor Mario/Craig David. He just put a (frankly ridiculous) outfit post on with caption ‘who loves this twinset’ Cue numerous folk saying ‘nope’ and a few commented that he looked a twat and one (mumsnetter?) saying that the #ad ought to be paying him well for that outfit
All non complimentary comments then mysteriously disappeared.

@Wearelocal also lexden_home has a lovely house and feed. 2lgstudio also I like...they are interior designers.. It's not all my style but there are some bits which are just so spot on and unusual and they do a good run down of the various design weeks. Officesandm are architects with some gorgeous unique projects and ournewhouse is a great self build in a small site in London which was on grand designs or similar I think.

I followed a lot when I did my renovation and did set up an account myself, have hardly any followers - maybe 500 max. It wasn't with the aim to monetise but it was so helpful to get recommendations from other renovators. For stockists and particular items or to ask for fitters or get ideas for a million other tedious decisions I had to make. I don't really post now as we are finished but occasionally do.

I obviously never monetised but can see that some of the other interiors pages who started their renovations around the same time as me (but were obviously much more interesting and had better taste ) are now monetising their feeds. I had been thinking from reading these threads if I had found it was something I was good at and gained a following would I have wanted to make money from it? - definitely! I can't think I would have turned that down. But I hope I wouldn't have gone too far.

So far on the monetised interiors feeds u follow it's very transparent, no kids involved and seems very authentic in terms of how they were before so I think it's just not even an issue. Where there are ads they are identified as such.... Just thinking about it now I rarely see interiors affiliate links - maybe it's just less prevalent in that industry?

Bawbles Seems like there's a whole new crew to remind about #ad.

Anyone else think that instamums have gone awfully quiet?

interiors I like thegirlwiththegreensofa, revamprestylereveal, goldisa_neutral, comedowntothewoods, blissfullyeclectic and stacey Dooley's insta for pics of her lovely flat

Thanks Lotsof 👍🏻 I don't like the daaaark houses. I'm looking to the Americans for crisp white walls at the moment

I do also know some people who do make money/discounts and gifts from Instagram. Both also have a separate Instagram business which is focused on that and is reasonably successful. They're a friend and a family member. Neither are transparent and the one with children does use the children on pictures. And yet I look at that after reading these threads and I can't really in any way feel the same things I feel in principle about using children etc. I know that those kids are wonderful and their parents give them a fulfilling interesting life. I think what they're doing is great and can see how happy they are in real life and that does make me wonder whether or not it's so black and white, despite how I fundamentally feel in principle.
The one who has no children lives in a different country with different regulations and because I know how she has genuinely has struggled and deserves a break I'm delighted for her that she is making a living despite how untransparent the ads really are. I've never brought it up before so I might do and see how she feels about it all. I do think the fact she isn't a privileged white woman does make a difference.

Dynevoran thank you. I will check them out. I have done a massive refurb and 3 smaller ones. It never crossed my mind to IG it. I wouldn't want to bore my friends to tears and I've never considered having a public account, yet I find other people's really interesting. I don't find the interiors accounts as annoying as the fashion/parent accounts re #ad, but I also don't want to know about their holidays or views on MN etc. I guess I don't want to follow a person/influencer. And I want inspiration, not qvc naff hipster accessories.

Oh and Laura Fantacci has a lovely home but is über shady regarding ad/spon/gifted.

She’s never declared what is and what isn’t so I tend to ignore all of her fashion posts. Still enjoy seeing her house renovation though

I used to follow an interiors account called Hygge for home, but had to unfollow as I couldn't bear the overuse of the filter on all her images. Everything has this weird tint, it was just a bit too much editing for my liking, prefer more honest images.

Hygge also pops up on my recommendations but I have the same issue with the filters and have never followed. Love lexden Home, the little vic, oxfordone, comedowntothewoods. Most of the reno accounts follow each other so you can find some good new ones by looking at the comments sections. There are more ads creeping in to interiors accounts and they can get a bit samey (desenio prints, homesense and bloody qvc seem to be flooding the market), but I find more of the interiors accounts are closer to the old IG ethos and seem a bit better at disclosure than fashion and instamums tbh. Would much rather follow an interiors account that sticks to interiors than a fashion blog that has branched out to interiors, which seems to be a bit of a trend at the moment (Erica Davies excepted).

Oh I love Hygge. That's a Scandinavian filter isn't it, it suits the mood

I like RVK loves - her dh is very talented at diy and she does great how to guides to recreate things he’s made.