A few months ago some members of Heyday rallied together to make a montage. They sent me the clips, I edited them together, and this is the result. The footage deadline for Heyday Collective Two is May 9th, 2008, and you’re invited to participate! More details here.
So apparently people enjoy drama more than skateboarding clips. The number of RSS feed subscribers has risen over the past few days. Well, this is the end of the drama for now. Heyday is not for sale. In my previous post I asked “What personal values have I compromised?”. The rest of the post seemed to sway most readers to accept the sale as my right (which it is). There was only one good answer to my question:
“youre a sellout because youre handing it over to skateboard noob city.”
It’s true. That would be compromising my integrity. I would never sell to Skateboard City. It’s a horrible site. I won’t go as far as to say I’ll never sell the site, but currently I have no plans to do so. I’ll get back to posting clips soon enough.
After my previous post I was called a sellout by various commenters. Does this actually have any meaning? What am I selling out? What personal values have I compromised?
I do not understand what is wrong with profiting from my work. I’ve spent countless hours building and maintaining this site. If I no longer wish to maintain it, is it not my right to sell it? Should I be expected to let it sit and grow stagnant? Should I be expected to give it away to the visitors? Worst of all, should I be expected to continue working on it even though I no longer enjoy the work? Suppose we were talking, not of a website, but of a house. Heyday is a house I’ve planned out and constructed. I’ve thrown a lot of parties in this house. I no longer wish to keep the house. Do I owe you something for having given you the privilege of partying here?
I’m still the same person. If you view me differently, perhaps you were only using me for my house.
I received a ton of offers from the joke post I made on April Fools Day. At first it was funny, but as I got more, it turned out the joke was on me. There were some really solid offers in there. As I read through them I started actually considering selling the site. Then I received an offer I couldn’t refuse.
I’ve worked out a great deal with the owner of Skateboard City. Once my advertising contract expires they’ll be taking control of the site. I’m not 100% sure what they plan to do with it, but it will likely be merged into their current site. Thank to everyone who has supported the site through the years. It’s been great!
After nearly 5 years of running Heyday, I’ve decided it’s time to let it go. I still love skateboarding and have no plans of giving it up, but running websites has grown less and less interesting to me over the years. Since my advertising contract ends in the middle of this month I figure right now is the best time to move on. Heyday is a well established site with 20,000 visitors per month and 150,000 pageviews. Please email offers to hdskate [at] gmail [dot] com. Offers under $3500 will not be considered. Serious buyers only.
I finally added pictures and a video clip to the backside 180 trick tip. I originally planned to do this about three months ago, so it feels great to finally have it over with!
Rad new slowtage.
The Level Of Online Negativity Towards The Creative Efforts Of Skateboarders Is Saddening
Over the years I’ve lost touch with many parts of skateboarding. I stopped reading magazines. I stopped caring about the industry, sponsors, and team riders. I stopped worrying about whether skateboarding is a sport. Most importantly, I stopped thinking of skateboarding as something that needed to be preserved and protected from the rest of the world. It dawned on me that as long as I could get on a skateboard and go ride, it didn’t matter what other people were saying or doing, or whether I was “good”. I love skateboarding, and that’s all that matters.
I’d love to see more carefree skateboarding on the internet. So often people get wrapped up in what’s good, and become critical of other people’s work online. Does everything new have to be superior to what we’ve already seen to be enjoyable? Is it so painful that watch a new skateboarder do a trick they just learned that we have to insult their style and belittle their accomplishments? I don’t think so. If you’ve got more skills and produce better work, then why not be helpful instead of arrogant? It’ll result in a more enjoyable environment for everyone.
If you’re a regular reader of the blog, you might be thinking “Cameron, you’re a hypocrite. You were just making fun of kids a few weeks ago”. Yes, I was, but the comedy was that those kids are trying to get sponsored with skills they don’t have. I wouldn’t make fun of someone for trying, but I would make fun of someone for lying. Huge difference. Anyway, this post isn’t about that, so back to the cause.
Introducing Heyday Projects
The Heyday Projects forum started up in late June as a place for us to share ideas and creations. The projects are themed ideas based around filming, photography, editing, graphic design, writing, and other art forms that give us a chance to explore our creativity and hopefully learn some cool tricks/techniques from others. It’s wide open to all skill levels. There’s no need to be “good”. The point is to do the best with what you’ve got! If you’re interested you can read more in the projects forum and see the projects that are currently underway such as the spot check project.
If you have any existing footage or photos that don’t fit in with the projects, you’re invited to post them in the gallery section of the forums. Need a place to upload your video? I highly recommend using Vimeo. It’s a really positive community for video sharing (unlike Youtube, etc. where you’re likely to get shit on, even if you’re “good”).
Sacto put together an article that will help you get started in Vegas Video 7 if you’re totally lost.
The frontside 180 trick tip has been supped up to include a video and some pictures.
Once in a while I ask the forum members how I can improve the site, and they give me some feedback. Today I’d like feedback from anyone who visits, even if it’s your first time here. Here are a few ideas of things you could give feedback on:
Please leave a comment with your feedback! Thanks!
Luke Johnson put together a nice little guide on replacing skateboard bushings for Heyday.
Over the past year I’ve been working hard to make Heyday into a better site. I can happily say that there have been big improvements, and I feel that this site is one that is really worth visiting frequently! Here are some ways to stay connected with Heyday other than typing hdskate.com in your browser, or using a search engine to find the site.
Bookmark On Your Computer
By adding Heyday to your favorites or bookmarks, you can access the the site with a few simple clicks.
Bookmark On Del.Ici.Ous
Del.icio.us is a social bookmarking website that allows you to store all of your bookmarks online. It’s nice to have bookmarks online so you can visit your favorite sites even when you’re not at your own computer.
Stumble Upon
Stumbple Upon is a great way for finding new sites related to sites you already like. You can also use it to keep track of your favorite sites.
RSS Feed
Don’t know what RSS is? Check out this video explanation. Basically, RSS is a way for you to get updates from websites you like without even having to visit the site. Subscride to our RSS feed.
Share On Facebook
If you have a Facebook account you can click the link below to share Heyday with your friends. The link will then be saved under “My Posted Items” in your profile.
Have any other ways you get to the site or keep track of updates? Leave a comment to let me know!
That latest update on the skateboarding trick tips page is the addition of a video and pictures to the dropping in trick tip. Check it out for help on getting started with riding transitions and ramps.
Tired of film burns, but want something better than a dissolve? Check out this custom transitions tutorial. Big thanks to Eric Ryan for contributing the footage!