OPEN LB
As of today, LOOKBOOK.nu is now an open community. An invite code is no longer necessary to register for a membership account on LOOKBOOK.nu.
This is an important change for us, and we know that this may catch many of you by surprise. Opening the site wasn't an easy decision to make, but after much consideration and discussion with members and moderators, we believe that an open LB is in the best interest of our community and everyone in it.
We would like to take a moment to address some of the concerns we've encountered while talking with our members, and also explain our reasons for transitioning to an open site for all.
"I liked this community because it was exclusive!"
If you have this feeling--we understand. When we launched, the invite-only system ensured that (most) people who joined understood our rules and purpose. However, as we've observed the site's growth over the past 2 years, we've found that as our community grew more popular, our invite-only system started to lose meaning as more and more new members gave away invites to anyone who asked, rather than being selective.
Meanwhile, many interesting and talented people who wanted to become members simply couldn't, so naturally their only way in was to apply. But the list was getting so long that it started taking forever and a day just for deserving people to get invited.
"Won't quality go down if anyone can join and post looks?"
We completely share this concern, and we're constantly doing everything we can to make sure that the quality of looks shown on the site is always high. LB will never be overtaken by low quality rules for two reasons:
1. Our Karma Filter ensures that looks from proven and more experienced members are protected from being too quickly buried by looks from unproven members who tend to break the rules and/or post lower quality photos. Only members who are active in the community, follow all the rules, and post inspiring looks with quality photos will gain reputation and become more visible. Those who break the rules will have their reputations lowered (and thus their visibility lowered as well).
2. Our community is filled with awesome volunteers who regularly flag looks that do not follow the rules. We also have moderators who are monitoring the gallery throughout the day. Your help goes a long way in making sure that our quality stays high.
So why are we opening the site up? Here are some of the reasons:
Fashion for everyone
Opening the site is consistent with our firm belief that everyone, fashion industry or not, deserves the opportunity to inspire and be inspired by others.
More exposure for talented members
LOOKBOOK.nu is home to the most diverse set of talented young people in the world. Letting more people to join the site means our members will be able to amass ever larger "fan" audiences and benefit from more traffic to their blogs. Our community has long been a launch pad for some of the hottest fashion bloggers, we want to continue to help give up-and-coming talent more exposure.
Simplicity
Before, we had 2 types of users: regular members who had been invited to join, and non-members who logged in with Facebook/Twitter/Tumblr. This was unnecessarily complicated--the former could post looks, while the latter could only hype and comment. We found that many of the non-members were actually just as active and dedicated to the community, but had no way to follow ("fan") the people they liked or create profiles to keep track of their hypes. Allowing anyone to create a profile and follow who they like simplifies the nature of our site, and we are about keeping things simple.
Conclusion
We know that the idea of invite-only membership may be missed by many of you. But we believe that despite opening up, LOOKBOOK.nu will continue to be the most vibrant street style community as well as the world's greatest collection of DIY fashion photography.
As always, your feedback is welcome. While we might not have time to respond to every email, we do reach each and every message and take your concerns to heart. Thank you for reading all that!
Jason P.
There's going to a be so many looks posted per day. I'm going to spend so much more time browsing lb everyday.
Maya O.
There´s already very large amount of looks posted everyday if you turn the karma filter off and there will be more and more new looks and users ingnored/not being hyped and more complains about it in forum...ugh.
But then again - i dont know, maybe something good will come out of it, time will tell. Maybe there will be more variate in the hot page, you never know. Though I REALLY hope this will not increase the risk of lb having more and more operating problems (as there was just a week or two ago!) in the future cause of the amount of users growing higher...
But as I said, I guess time will tell..
Yuri L.
We have enlisted more forum mods actually and we've also just given them the ability to make topics sticky (so that they are always visible) and lock topics (so that people cannot post to them anymore). We definitely will make sure that our Forum topics stay interesting and relevant and will do our best to get rid of topics that aren't.
Jack A.
look book is stuck up and i dont care..
Blair W. @maddychait
i love how this happens right after i finally get my invite hahaha! but i think its a great idea. There will be so much more variety on the site now!
Alecander S.
Im down with more variety as maya said. there are only a few people on the lead. now there is the great equalizer that is overpopulation. it will be hard to stand out.
Keith C. @keithcheefoobi
member overload? i hope it wont happen. i dont wanna LB.nu ending up like some low quality online society.
The good thing is more people will understand fashion and learn.
Hopefully the fashion quality of the society increases after that.
Marge W.
i totally agree! i'm not exactly fashion literate and i use lookbook as a platform for ideas and i appreciate the creativity i see :). some looks i love and some not so much.. either way i learn what i like and get new ideas which helps me look at least decent when i go out :).
Kayla H. @kaylahadlington
I think this is both a good and bad idea... However I think it will mean the hype of the people on the hot page will go through the roof, seeing as a lot of people who don't have lookbook know of them because of blogspot, tumblr, lots of other blogs and also I've seen tons of pictures of people from the hot page on weheartit. Literally everyone with around 200+ karma, more than 20 looks and good photos are practically famous in the eyes of young girls on the internet. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing really haha!
I like the fact that now everyone has the chance to get recognized for having a good fashion sense though :D
Elinor O. @_Elinor_
The karma filter might make it more difficult for those who have maybe recently gotten Lookbook and are trying to build a reputation by making their looks overshadowed by lots of new looks and the older, more experienced Lookbook users becoming more hyped than ever. This could un-level the playing field. :P
Christy E. @christyexclusiv
IT WAS SO DIFFICULT TO FIND AN INVITATION CODE AND NOW IS OPEN?
SO UNFAIR :(
THIS IS LOOKBOOK NOT FACEBOOK!
JEEZ!
I WAS SO HAPPY THAT I MANAGED TO GET INTO THIS FASHION COMMUNITY AND NOW IS OPEN?
SO SAD.
Amber Z.
I feel quite shit. I waited so long before I became a member, kept sending pictures on different email adresses.
So I totally agree with @Christy E.
▲ M.
i more than agree with you...now its going to be like some other cheap social site..
i liked it before but maybe it may open a door for some new talent..
i just dont know how i feel about it yet :/
;DD x
Yannick K.
we'll see how this gonna be...
Marge W.
this is such a great idea! new people will join which will lead to fresher looks! i'm sure the karma filter and people who review the site for looks that don't meet the guidelines will step it up and keep up the good work :)- they might need a little help so we can help flag looks that aren't meeting the guidelines :).
users with good looks will get more fans which will get them more visibility :). i'm excited to see the fresh users!!!
Sarah Z. @Itsaboutsarah
does this mean you wouldnt be able to moderate either? since there will be too many member with too many dodgy, bad quality looks? if there is too many shitty looks everyone will end up turning their filter onto 'strict' that means new decent members will never get a chance...
Lydia L.
Does this mean that people any age can join as well? So there could be 6 year olds on here...?
Yuri L.
Nope! You still need to technically be 13 to have an account.
Erika B. @who_heather_is
well, there is lookbook.nu/user/255482-Sophie-S who is 10 yrs old. -.-"
Maria P.
i waited for 1 year to get my invite code, lucky for those people who wants to be in because LB is now an open community.. for those who got in because of the invite code and through application lets be proud on our self :) ...more and more awesome looks will be posted everyday , im excited!!!!!! :)
Sideara 9.
whateva, im down with this
Stavrina S.
I don't like the idea at all !!!! At first you deserve to take the code and now what ??? Fashion , of course , is for all but that was a site for people who really love fashion and care for it. Now anybody will post looks no matter if he/she has an inspiration for it or no.I think it's a little bit unfair. Like christy said here is lookbook not facebook. It would be better if you consider again tne new open site :)
Jason S.
if you joined LB before today, your profile says "OG since.." i like that at least ;)
Jessica R.
I like it too (:
Yuri L.
Hey guys, just want you all to know that we are reading your reactions and we appreciate your feedback. I know there are alot of concerns and I just want you all to know that we are taking your honesty to heart. I just want to reiterate that with our karma system, the help of vigilant moderators and volunteers flagging 24/7, we believe that our community will definitely be safe from trolls/spammers/rule-breakers while accommodating more talented members and more fans for everyone.
Célèste B.
Even though the community will be protected from trolls and rule-breakers, I'm still concerned that the new page will be filling up with a lot of BORING looks. I know that the karma filter is designed to weed those out, but if I turn the filter on then I miss looks from members who might not have built their karma up yet, but whom I'd still like to see and support. I'm afraid those people will be lost in muck.
Maya O.
Yeah, I feel the same way as Célèste, they will get lost there, karma filter off doesnt mean there are just bad quality, uninspiring looks there, there are many gorgeous looks out there that will be more and more lost, I´m afraid..... :/
Maenah B. @maenah31
let's first observe if everything goes well or bad...
But I don't concur to this kind of idea(making LB an open community).
Sangiev S. @sangiev
At first I was a bit skeptical, but I do think this will interesting and we'll see how things go :)
Barbro A. @barbroandersen
It was kind of nice feeling somewhat exclusive among thousands of bloggers and stylish people as a member of Lookbook - and that does not make me egoistic. Neither does it mean that I think I dress better than anyone else.
Like a lot of people - I didn't get an invite; but I took matters into my own hands and wrote an application - which got me accepted. It felt great! There are so many communities out there which one could be a member without having to do anything; why shouldn't there be some exclusive ones? That is in fact what led me to Lookbook to begin with!
I don't particularly agree with this decision right now, but I am however capable of using the filter-functions when browsing new looks.
It's not very complicated:
strict / moderate / off
Christie L. @christieashley
I liked how the community was smaller, even if the invite system wasn't as 100% effective as before. It won't effect the already popular and well seen LB members as much as the ones going unseen, as the unseen ones are going to be even less noticed now!
Whether I/we like it or not, its a fair change in order for LB to grow.
Jerome C. @Themadtoter
Go LB, more people style to discover and to know. =)
Zanna V.
I aint keen on this change for LB but oh well, if they have pondered over this as they say then it must be the right thing. However, as others have expressed, I am concerned about so many looks being posted so its more to scroll through and there may be more low quality looks posted? I guess I just liked the exclusive nature of LB :/ xxx
Ebony ..
I'm more concerned about the forum and people I know personally finding me. I've already deleted my name and changed my location so I'm virtually un findable.
Zanna V.
Oh goddd yeah I didnt think about the forum! You make a fair point!
Ebony ..
I understand. I always knew that it was completely open for public view, but what i did was just take away my name. I know there's a good chance I could be found. I know a few people who will certainly find lookbook and knowing them I don't think they will contribute to the site responsibly. One of the things I like about lookbook personally is the fact that no one I know uses lookbook or has a membership so I don't have to bump in to anyone. I know I'm more open to judgement by those people if they have lookbook, and I feel like it will become like a social networking type site for those people as well. They will talk about lookbook like they would facebook - I suppose I have been here for so long and I don't want the quality of lookbook to become degraded because of the flood of new users. The change will just take some getting used to I suppose.
Maria T. @mariareddevil
i got and invite code 4 days ago and now it's open?
i don't feel that all this is a good idea...
Pauline Cassandra P.
i'm surprised like everyone else. it's just disappointing that i did wait for so long a time yet it's now open to all. might as well get used to this cause i somehow agree with what you said: "everyone, fashion industry or not, deserves the opportunity to inspire and be inspired by others". goodluck and hope this will turn out well
Lydia L.
With all the new connections to facebook, etc, are you going to make it possible to find friends through these sites?
Because at the moment you can just find friends through your e-mail and just searching for their name
Célèste B.
Yes. I'm curious about that too. I would love it if I could find friends through facebook.
Lydia L.
Yeh, I know friends that have it but don't use there real name so I can't find them, and I don't have everyone I have on facebook on my e-mail.
Kar-Yan C.
To be honest I'm pretty upset aswell. I didn't think this day would come so soon, but then again lookbook is growing so fast now. I guess only time will tell? Although from the looks of it I'm already seeing low 'quality' photos. :/
I'm also concerned about people I know IRL finding me. I don't want people I know at school stalking me or anything.
But on the bright side, there will be more looks to look at when I'm bored. Lets just see what happens...
Milda S.
ugh there's going to be sooooo many new looks each day
Toni S.
I put up my application a few days ago.. then I find out it's open now. I can really see how allowing the masses in takes away from everything we thought lookbook.nu to be. But I also realize that they have serious potential to make a lot more money. I can sympathize with both sides personally... but at the end of the day, I think they are going to do whatever makes business sense to them.
Marla A.
im realllyyy sad cuz i just joined two days ago
and now its open to everyone :((
but they do have a point: everyone should have the right to inspire and be inspired....
Jana S. @setenarski
Master decision, I've stuggled to win a lookbook, and now it'll be easier for everyone! We could receive more hypes e etc. My preocupation was about the quality, but I don't worry about it anymore.
Sara B. @saramb42
Horrible idea. Everyone will now have a lookbook, the importance for the site is gone. It's just like any other fashion site. ugh.
Benoit D.
People that are like "Invite only was better" are just hipsters that can't stand the fact that : no they aren't original or whatever. You're just like everybody else now go cry somewhere else.
Georgia M. @georgiameramo
It took me so long to pluck up the courage and confidence to apply for LookBook, in fear of getting rejected.. and when I finally do, a month later you make it open! I don't like this, it was something I felt pride over..
Randi N.
ahh :/
i like the new changes to the forum.
however the invite only thing is going to make it that much easier for spammers, fakers, = ect. to com on here. along with many other people's reasons.
Alex G.
More new people, more new looks, more new trolls.
Célèste B.
Did something else change with the site's ability to recognize accents? Because at the same time LB opened to the public my name, Célèste, changed at the top of my profile to Célèste, which is what computers that can't read accents think it is. I'm kinda frustrated.
Melissa P.
Don't like it. Nuff said.
Georgina D. @cupcakesloveme
I don't know if anyone else is having this problem, but since the change I can't tag more than 1 item of clothing in my looks. It's pretty annoying, I've tried refreshing my browser, restarting the computer, but it still won't let me add a second tag. Well it lets me add the tag, just not add the details.
Georgina D. @cupcakesloveme
Okay so it works in firefox, but not IE?
On the subject of the rule change, I am a bit disappointed, but only because it means even more people to "compete" with. It's hard to get seen anyway.
Yazalde S.
oh, what a shit
Jacob B. @2DOSESADAY
ugh....this is kind of bull. im not satisfied with this change, oh well :(
Alice C.
I still don't know which side i should stand up for. I don't think it's a bad idea, but it isn't a good idea either. There have been a lot of people out there waiting for an invitation code or the day when LB becomes an open community site. And I believe that many of them have good taste in fashion. And you also have to consider the fact that you could buy or find a code easily on the internet (everyone can google). Or you could just ask somebody to invite you ('I'd love to be on LB' 'OK, give me your e-mail.'). I've seen it coutless times. I don't think that more new members and more new looks is such a big deal. 'Low quality' looks won't get hyped, so they won't waste your time. On the other hand whole that 'no need of invitation code anymore' allowes people to create more than one profile, so they could hype their own looks. That's what I'm afraid of... That's what is on my mind right now.
I guess that we have to be less judgmental and wait for consequences of this decision
Daniel D.
I think lookbook is great & what you have created is genius. You guys said it yourself that you like to keep things simple. So please delete the "Facebook Likes" under the user pictures & the "Views" section above the pictures as well. What's the point of all that? All that stuff is unnecessary. You guys said it yourself that you like to keep things simple. Just stick to the "HYPE"! ;)
Ebony ..
I'd like to see the facebook likes removed too. If people can become members through lookbook, being a facebook non-member is unnecessary.
Oliverio P.
noooooooooooooooo
Lini T. @LiniTrinh
it doesn't make me fun anymore ...
Billie J.
Ah, well, it had to happen someday.
I trust your word, Yuri, that it will all work out for the best.
Charlotte F.
I think its a good idea. I've only joined today but I've wanted to join for ages. A lot of the looks I've seen so far are fairly similar and few are to my tastes. It might be interesting to have some new styles on here.
Chris F. @heychrisfox
Sigh. That's all I say.
VintageVirgin J. @msvintagevirgin
is lookbook down due to the new changes? cause no one's posting pics anymore. maybe every few hours or so! WEIRD!
Stacy D. @teeandfame
this is new, but I'm sure lookbook has made the decision based on everyone's best interests :)
Joja G.
more original, talented members will LEAVE. bad idea and most agree
Maylene T. @tmpmaylene
yeahhhh. so unfair! such a bad idea
Catherine M.
I dont know if this is going to be good but im finally member BECAUSE they made that choice... I wanted to join for months so im happy & I wish that the site keeps his originality and all these talented members.
Denny B. @dennywenny623
Personally, I love it. I’ve always thought that it should’ve been this way in the first place. Fashion is universal and shouldn’t be kept “exclusive”…I love seeing everyone’s fashion sense and now that it’s open for everyone, the more the merrier, right? Plus, hopefully it skyrockets lookbook to new heights because they deserve it. It’s a great move for both business stand point and fashionista/o’s all over the world. Whoever disagrees, I can sympathize but I think it’s all about equality. People think it’s going to downgrade lb, it’s not…people have different taste and the site is supposed to focus on fashion and not beauty. If you don’t like it, look away…no negativity whatsover.
Renee L.
I bet somebody will now make a website to post looks that is invite only and everybody will flock there :'(
Keith C. @keithcheefoobi
i might join if there is.=D
Kaycee L.
I'm not really a fan, but I guess that if it's what you've decided is for the best of the site, we'll just have to see what happens then :)
Avrille N.
The feeling of being an exclusive member of LB is gone :(
But I'm happy for more fashionistas that can now join the community :D
Baka N.
As is with all the rest of my fellow Lookbook's Older 'Invite'-d members, I share the rush of mixed and miffed feelings over this decision... I also hounded so many veterans and previous members to be able to become a member and then when I finally got the invite, I was soooo happy to be able to track my favourites systematically and be able to have a fashion-voice... I have met really interesting people who wouldn't reply even when I used to comment on their looks from Facebook since they also felt who is this random stranger Hype-ing the looks... But since I joined I am in constant touch with some and its great to have this whole experience...
But NOW its all changed... Anyone and EVERYONE above 13 can freely click and join and start flooding (or polluting, whichever way you wanna take it) the site... Change is necessary... Yet for it to sink in for us who suffered to get in in the first place it will be a hard transition...
Best of Luck to newbies... And let's see which was the cookie crumbles...
Cheers!!
Adrienne S.
I loved the feeling of being an exculsive member. However, I would love to see normal, everyday people posting more wearable looks. So... all in all I guess that this desicion for LB could go both ways. Still loved being exclusive tho ;(
Maya O.
I think there were A LOT of "normal, everyday" looks already in the new page with karma filter off (and on as well of course), so I dont know about that.... Though the definition of normal is not very black and white, but I think I know what you meant.. What I do kinda need more here, is variety of different kinds of styles and people not repeating the same trends all over again and same faces showing up in the hot page all the time... And really, not just the same faces, but the same trends/styles... That´s so blaa for me :/
Tiffany K.
Awh, Yuri I already showed that I didn't exactly love the idea on Facebook and on the forums. But this was a big decision for you to make, and all the negative feedback you're receiving must feel terrible.
The fact you made this decision and knew that it'd get such negative feedback must have meant you really believed it. Now, like I said I'm not crazy about it, but I'm willing to see how it turns out. (:
Yuri L.
Thanks Tiff! Your support means a lot, I actually just read your thoughts on forum and agree with a lot of the things you wrote. We're working on a change which we're going to announce in a follow up post. It might also be sort of controversial but I think it will go a long way in addressing your concerns. Thx again! :)
Andrea K.
... this isnt good at all
Liisa, ..
This sucks. Why couldn't people just being happy over hyping from facebook or twitter? This ruins the site for everyone.
Madeleine D.
I think the best part about lookbook is that is was exclusive - that's what made it so popular in the first place. Only the most extraordinary ordinary people could get on - and now any old sod can. I understand that this was somewhat inevitable, but what is a lookbook account now? Just another blogspot, just another tumblr, where anyone can pretend to be what they're not. I see where you're coming from Yuri, but I think we've now lost what once made LB so special.
Joja G.
completely agree
Dana L. @DanaSLee
I was part of the Tumblr/Facebook/Twitter people and I think it's cool to be in Lookbook, but I think it's unfair to the other members who have more fashion ideas than a ordinary person like me. It's a nice idea, but unfair to others who had to try the hard way.
Kayla H. @kaylahadlington
Lookbook has never felt very exclusive to me... there were so many members anyway and anyone with at least two braincells would just go onto the facebook page and get a invite from the discussion.
J G. @juanseromero
mmm not so sure about this, im sorry but not everyone has a sense of fashion, lets see what are the consecuences
Véronica P. @ImVeronika
Well, this isn’t sooo dramatic. I just think in the last few months LookBook enormously diminished in quality due to the fact that the user can send invitations to anyone wanting to have one. So the fact of making the site accessible to everyone is not really "new".
But the moderators should make a huge household about people who have, i mean, 30 looks, Karma 10 and an average of 3.
I just think that instead of having an invitation code, LookBook should put a minimum of avarage to stay on the site ..
OR they should do something to improve their quality ..
Well, I'm still a bit septic about a non-exclusive community
Well, we'll see how this gonna be...
xxx
Isabel S.
I don't like this much at all.
Valerie S.
this sucks.
Monica W.
crap
Hollie ..
i don't think lookbook.nu should have gone public, as much as people would like to think making it open for all is a good idea fashion is EXCLUSIVE as anyone wanting to get into any type of medium within the industry will tell you. I personally liked lookbook.nu when it was private, it felt exclusive (even if codes were leaked). This has been done in my view for money lets face it advertisers will only pay top wack if there product is being shown to a larger audience hence lookbook.nu going public and a larger audience.
Lookbook will find soon that people will leave for other sites offering the exclusivity and the same idea.
Finally i will stop my rant soon :P: Go to the new wall and you can already see the volume of new members not only that the volume of hypes for each posting, unless you are established on this sight who can honestly say they have had 40+ hypes in 10 minutes of there look being posted.
Oh well it would seem that in the case of lookbook.nu it has been driven by money and not fashion creativity or individuality, which were once the fundamental's they prided themselves on.
Peace x
Hedi Y.
Do not let me down,Please! LOOKBOOK.nu :*
Frenchie F.
i'm not massively bothered about this, i think after a while, the people who really enjoy it and are good at it will shine through.
Lula S.
i'm a bit upset about this, to be honest.
i applied over a year ago and was just recently accepted, and i took pride in that. even though it took a year, i was accepted, someone looked at my look and thought 'this is nice.' that always feels good, you know.
Diamond D. @goreplz
This sucks. I am upset.
Maddie A.
:/
Mary H.
Wonderful idea.
Gwen C. @PolyvoreMajesty
I'm glad you did this even though i feel bad about the people who have been here and had to work hard to get in.
Could you make a form telling those people not to be mean to the newcomers. They shouldnt ignore them and not help them grow because they dont want them too.
Us newcomers NEED the oldcomers attention to grow!
Alyssa C.
): it used to be so hard to get in. =/
Jade D.
I understand how older members must feel about the change
But I am still thinking about my first look, because i am treating it like the application i always meant to fill in :)
Vicky D. @SmokingPoetry
Thanks so much for selling out, lookbook.
Danny R.
Please change it back to invite only.
Kailee B.
i predict preteens posting looks of them in hollister t-shirts and ripped jeans, "gangsters" in nothing but jeans and nikes, and then the few kids who will make accounts for miley cyrus and start "roleplaying" with eachother. lookbook, please. go back to invite only before you become another cliche social network </3
Jake F.
What the. What a slap in the face. I feel offended and disheartened knowing that there will be so many trolls on here. LookBook was about quality, now it's just about quantity. Sad to see the demise of this website.
Jake F.
I'm thinking that it would be best for lookbook to go back to invite only BUT have something like "Open LookBook.nu Week" or something similar.
Martin K. @T3BY
:( awh wh not nice dislike goobak pls
Preying M.
lookbook sold out.
Marie M.
This is pretty swell!