Last few newsletters I've sent have been met with some very kind words which absolutely makes my day. I've also had quite a good response to my Elixir businesses doing well blog post which was fun. I also checked the poll results on the Asking a tech recruiter post, it seems like if I can track down more engaged and passionate recruiters my readers would be interested in being connected with them.

This is a very early days thinking about how I could achieve some artisanal tech recruitment and I know that this is a field to tread carefully in. Because lots of tech recruitment is absolute crap. But I've had valuable exchanges with specific recruiters and if I could find enough of those relationships I could potentially help a lot of developers find better work, their first junior positions and so on. This connects to my mentoring in a significant way. Sometimes it is really about finding work.

Client life has been good. I'm already solid for work and I've seen an upswing in the last month or so with significant interest and have had to sit down and crank through a few proposals. Next year looks like it should be fun. I'm also setting aside some time (wednesdays most likely) to spend more time with my family as my very tiny daughter is a sweet little handful and my wife deserves more breaks. And I deserve more time with the little one.

A pretty picture is not enough

I see a lot of blogs and sites out there that use stock photos of some description to decorate their blog posts, press releases, news and communication. I get wanting to be visually interesting but I think it doesn't achieve that. Any sighted person who spends significant time online would be able to spot a stock photo. The people have no personalities or imperfections, the light bulbs are too perfect, the offices are too tidy, the smiles are just too much and the graphics are too generic.

Just no. Let's start in the corporate realm. Apple, big corporation. Their newsroom has specifically selected graphics for what they are communicating, photos from actual Apple contexts. Even Google's Press Corner has that attention to detail. I've seen corporate enterprise training material just shock full of stock footage. So generic representations of the content as to approach parody. Lets check a giant I've never seen associated with design. Oracle. News room has specific design and imagery. Pictures of city-scapes seem likely to be the actual cities mentioned though they brush up on stock footage for sure. IBM? Hmm, hard to say in some cases. More relevant pictures than not, headshots, product shots. Very corporate but varies between generic stock and what I think is custom generic marketing photos.

To my sense, get graphics or take photos that relate directly to what you are presenting to your audience. I usually don't have photos. I want to sometimes but I'd have to make them because I can't just add a hooded hacker or a Matrix-looking terminal on every post and feel good about it. So you guys have to make do with text. Which doesn't seem like you mind.

If you are a small operation, be a small operation with character. Don't aspire to be corporate and don't pretend that you are a weirdly clean team smiling in front of whiteboards. If your site design requires filling out the header, find a good art generation tool and shove your colors into it or something. Think it through, do something that's yours. I refuse to believe that you are represented by genericness.

Stock photos make me think of shitty news site coverage of tech in the blandest way possible. It makes me think of enterprise corporate creativity-free spaces. It makes me think "that's filler" and it detracts from whatever writing it is connected to. Much like I wouldn't publish on Medium because the site is actively hostile to people reading the writing. If the writing it the main piece, don't put a piece of non-essential fluff next to it that contributes an off flavor.

And don't feel bad if you've done this. I definitely have, both for professional projects and my own writing at some point. But I think it is a mistake. You have an opportunity to reach your reader and a stock image is just noise to what you actually want to communicate.

I transitioned from a lot of "we" language on my site for similar reasons. I had good intentions because I was working with another person but the site and business is something I, personally, do. Underjord is my umbrella for several efforts but I try to be clear that yep, you're dealing with Lars throughout. Let people know who you are, what you are and don't ever aspire to be a flavorless small corporate enterprise. The same goes for beaches and pretty nature shots from stock, that's just off-brand influencer instead of off-brand enterprise. Now if you are a small team, "we" away. If you have incredibly white teeth and hang out around white boards, go forth. Live your truth :)

I gotta work on my photography..

Bit of a rant this. Am I full of it? I don't think so but I'm happy to hear other perspectives. Just reply or email lars@underjord.io, always great to hear from you.

Thank you for your attention, I appreciate it.

- Lars Wikman