Facebyfix.com is a worksafe site that we built a few months ago. We haven't had any time to market it yet, although we did throw a few quid at google adwords, to get the ball rolling. Like many others, we were hoping that the idea might be viral enough to gather it's own moss, but no such luck yet. Here is the url:

http://facebyfix.com (http://facebyfix.com/)

It is basically a 'rate me' site. The user uploads a photo. The general public votes on what (if any) cosmetic surgery/treatment the person should consider having done first. We had a hunch that the vast majority of people would vote responsibly and this has been borne out. By far the most popular choice of voters is 'nothing needed'. All vote counts are genuine and have not been manipulated by us.

We don't really know where to take this site, either pushing it as a bit of fun or something more serious. We do not know if the site even has legs at all. Some people will not like the idea at all. We see it as an inevitable step, as people continue to abandon professional medical advice which they often find insensitive to their needs and out of touch.

Does anyone have any ideas? Anyone wanting to make a point on morality can send answers on a postcard as we have crossed that bridge already. We built another site called...

http://facebynumbers.com (http://facebynumbers.com/)

...where the public just votes on your best facial feature. We move images to this site, if the person looks under 18.

thanks
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That is a funny site... i presume people submit the pictures themselves?

I would get a press release done about it and include a case study of someone who has put a picture up, taken the advice and then had the surgery done.

You will get some of the high brow media giving you a poke but I reckon some of the free sheets and tabloids would love it, i.e. Metro, Sun, Mirror etc.

Why not have a go at doing the release yourself, here is a completetely free guide on how to write a press release (http://www.10yetis.co.uk/newsletters/tips-writing-press-release.html), step by step with no sales propoganda from us at all (honest).

There are also some really good PR's on here who would, I'm sure, love a crack at this story so it could be worth talking to the likes of

Paul from Publicity Heaven (http://www.publicityheaven.com/home/)
Richard from The Buzz Factory (http://www.thebuzzfactory.co.uk/)

Hope this helps and let us know how you get on.
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yes people upload the photos themselves. if we were going doen the fun route then we could easily implement a celebrity section to the site. if anyone has any ideas, please contact us at mail@facebyfix.com
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On the other side of the coin, any respectable publication may well pick up the story and slate it for the damage it could cause to to people who are in a depressed mental state, or who have concerns over their appearance, and have their image put up by others for ridicule.

Not to mention, letting the public offer opinions that may well be going against professional medical advice, and could lead to further distress.

If someone has serious concerns over surgery, professional medical advice is far better than relying on votes from 'anyone' which could be people who care, or could be malicious kids voting for 'fun'.

Its a bit of a time bomb waiting to happen, especially if someone takes what they see on site to heart, and goes for bad surgery, or even commits suicide etc.

Even social networking has came under fire recently due to recent suicides, so a site like this is possibly asking for trouble.
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i imagine that we would be hopeless at writing the press release ourselves. we want someone experienced and well-connected to get involved.
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we are aware of this ken. hotornot.com have a site where you rate someone 1-10 on how attractive they are. the site is very successful. i presume that the people who got a 1 were not too happy.
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See, it is already creating debate... I have blogged about it as I think it is a great idea as a gimmicky site and I am addicted to choosing surgery for people :-)

I still reckon, if you can handle the media having a poke then you should still get a release out. Yeah they may bring up the suicide angle but as long as you are being responsible in the information you put on the site about getting proper medical consultation etc etc, then it all adds to the story and the debate. Plus, make sure the release gets over this is a tongue in cheek fun site.

I always say to people, in a proper cliched PR way, if the story has the Pub Potential (i.e. can you see people talking about this down the pub) then it will work with the media and this does.

A debate of this nature in the press would bring you a bucket load of traffic.
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That is a funny site... i presume people submit the pictures themselves?

I would get a press release done about it and include a case study of someone who has put a picture up, taken the advice and then had the surgery done.

You will get some of the high brow media giving you a poke but I reckon some of the free sheets and tabloids would love it, i.e. Metro, Sun, Mirror etc.

Why not have a go at doing the release yourself, here is a completetely free guide on how to write a press release (http://www.10yetis.co.uk/newsletters/tips-writing-press-release.html), step by step with no sales propoganda from us at all (honest).



There are also some really good PR's on here who would, I'm sure, love a crack at this story so it could be worth talking to the likes of

Paul from Publicity Heaven (http://www.publicityheaven.com/home/)
Richard from The Buzz Factory (http://www.thebuzzfactory.co.uk/)

Hope this helps and let us know how you get on.

Great advice from 10yetis as usual!:D
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thanks for posting it on your blog 10yetis, our own feelings are the same. you cannot fail to have an opinion on the site. how often do we see people, on a typical day, and think they should get x done?

how do you feel about the way people have voted? does it look responsible and accurate? it IS all genuine.
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On the other side of the coin, any respectable publication may well pick up the story and slate it for the damage it could cause to to people who are in a depressed mental state, or who have concerns over their appearance, and have their image put up by others for ridicule.

Not to mention, letting the public offer opinions that may well be going against professional medical advice, and could lead to further distress.

If someone has serious concerns over surgery, professional medical advice is far better than relying on votes from 'anyone' which could be people who care, or could be malicious kids voting for 'fun'.

Its a bit of a time bomb waiting to happen, especially if someone takes what they see on site to heart, and goes for bad surgery, or even commits suicide etc.

Even social networking has came under fire recently due to recent suicides, so a site like this is possibly asking for trouble.

of course, there is the flip-flipside where someone who had no self-confidence (eg they thought their nose was too big) is told by the voters that her nose looks fine.....and therefore gains confidence. it is almost impossible to be objective about our own appearance.
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how often do we see people, on a typical day, and think they should get x done?

Umm, never to be honest. I really don't like the premise of your site on a personal level but I agree with Andy that PR is your best option from a business point of view. It is the sort of thing the tabloids will love.

Where is your revenue going to come from?
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the wrong people are posting their photos on this site. anyone with a real personal issue would not do this for the very nature they lack confidence. They tend to be shy and hide away if its facial issues they suffer with.
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You need to give serious thought to the revenue side of this first. It could really get a bit mad, once PR kicks in. If you don't have everything in place, you could lose out.

Yes, it is controversial - but controversial is what sells advertising space !!

It has been a while since I saw something 'different' and this certainly is. I'll be surprised if there is not some sort of reality show spin-off. It is of that elk, not my cup of tea personally, but bloomin' marketable.
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Not my cup of tea either, but I am not doing the site, nor marketing it, nor saying its a good idea, so its not my conscience on the line if something bad happens.

But then again, PR companies / business and conscience are words you rarely hear together...
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revenue would probably come from google adsense alone, for now. we currently have an itunes affiliate ad on the left of the screen. there isn't really anything else you can do when you are looking for people to sign up. sponsorship would only come on the back of enormous traffic figures.
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This is a concept that has been done to death these days and like everything else the guys and girls that were in at the beginning created very successful sites. The problem is that when you can buy a generic script to create a site then the idea gets flooded and every domainer out there has a hotornot script running in one format or other.

I understand that this is a different and unusual take on the theme however I'm not sure it's the right one. Aside from the ethics, the site does not have enough interaction....you just click on a procedure and it moves on to the next photo. For these type of sites to become successful you need a whole lot more to keep visitors coming back and create a buzz; for a start there needs to be a form of social networking (perhaps the site could aim to be a social network for plastic surgeons). Alternatively you could have some clever programmers that could create a form of image manipulation whereby a photo can be altered based on the procedure.

I'd seriously think about the direction of this project before throwing a lot of time and effort into it. Personally, I'd create a serious informative site about plastic surgery written by a good copywriter and target the industry sector for advertisers.
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This is a concept that has been done to death these days and like everything else the guys and girls that were in at the beginning created very successful sites. The problem is that when you can buy a generic script to create a site then the idea gets flooded and every domainer out there has a hotornot script running in one format or other.

I understand that this is a different and unusual take on the theme however I'm not sure it's the right one. Aside from the ethics, the site does not have enough interaction....you just click on a procedure and it moves on to the next photo. For these type of sites to become successful you need a whole lot more to keep visitors coming back and create a buzz; for a start there needs to be a form of social networking (perhaps the site could aim to be a social network for plastic surgeons). Alternatively you could have some clever programmers that could create a form of image manipulation whereby a photo can be altered based on the procedure.

I'd seriously think about the direction of this project before throwing a lot of time and effort into it. Personally, I'd create a serious informative site about plastic surgery written by a good copywriter and target the industry sector for advertisers.

that's an interesting take on it worlddom, thanks. we certainly don't think the site is innovative - just inevitable. cosmetic surgery is part of the mainstream now - as is diagnosis/prescription by forum (see healthboards for that).

No more money is going to be thrown at this site. It is worth one pr push but that's it. If it is not viral, then it is probably just another lousy idea. What we want is someone commited to making it work, in exchange for some equity. It will be tough and we need someone ready to take the flak and carry it off. Surely that is what good pr is about?

What are you all working on at the moment? How challenging is it, really?
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But then again, PR companies / business and conscience are words you rarely hear together...

Spooky... I was thinking that very same thing as I sat smoking my cigar next to a small baby whilst wearing clothes made in a far eatern sweat shop. :-)
- obviously joking, my clothes are from Gap --- eek!
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that's an interesting take on it worlddom, thanks. we certainly don't think the site is innovative - just inevitable. cosmetic surgery is part of the mainstream now - as is diagnosis/prescription by forum (see healthboards for that).

No more money is going to be thrown at this site. It is worth one pr push but that's it. If it is not viral, then it is probably just another lousy idea. What we want is someone commited to making it work, in exchange for some equity. It will be tough and we need someone ready to take the flak and carry it off. Surely that is what good pr is about?

What are you all working on at the moment? How challenging is it, really?

We have far more interesting projects than facebyfix, currently under development (at programming stage), but we would want to see a firm have a go at facebyfix first. if the equity idea is not for you, then email us with any ideas or proposals. mail@facebyfix.com

thanks
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http://mashable.com/2008/01/27/web-hot-or-not/

Might want to follow it's progress and pinch ideas.
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[quote=Write My Site;419262]... It is the sort of thing the tabloids will love.

quote]

I disagree entirely. I spent 15 years working on national tabloids and this is something which they will pour scorn on. I can imagine the Daily Mail running a picture of the prettiest girl on the site with the headline: Why did 10,000 people tell her to get a new nose?

There is every chance that all the papers will run the story but it will all be negative from you point of view as they will see it as akin to bullying, despite the fact that people are their voluntarily. They will even find some rent a quote MP/agony aunt etc to say the site should be shut down.

And once the tabloids have had a go at you then all the PR in the world will not get that genie back in the bottle. Sorry to be on such a downer this early in the day, but you need to be aware of these things.
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[quote=Write My Site;419262]... It is the sort of thing the tabloids will love.

quote]

I disagree entirely. I spent 15 years working on national tabloids and this is something which they will pour scorn on. I can imagine the Daily Mail running a picture of the prettiest girl on the site with the headline: Why did 10,000 people tell her to get a new nose?

There is every chance that all the papers will run the story but it will all be negative from you point of view as they will see it as akin to bullying, despite the fact that people are their voluntarily. They will even find some rent a quote MP/agony aunt etc to say the site should be shut down.

And once the tabloids have had a go at you then all the PR in the world will not get that genie back in the bottle. Sorry to be on such a downer this early in the day, but you need to be aware of these things.

thanks imp man. do you think that there is anything that can be done to the site to make it less vulnerable to attack from the press? what changes would you make? or would you just shut it down?

thanks
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It's very difficult to see how to deflect attacks from the press because of the site's basic premise, which could be interpreted as: tell me how ugly I am?"

Would it have been possible for me to press every single button regarding that lad on the site? If so, then it could easily be used, in the wrong hands, as a way of being cruel to people who are vulnerable. I assume they are vulnerable because they are considering surgery or at the very least unhappy with their appearance.

Which brings us to the moral question of responsibility. This is where the papers would put the boot in. It might be less dubious if a panel of plastic surgeons were making suggestions, but not your average punter.

I know that newspapers are guilty of hypocrisy. They will run a pic of Sharon Osbourne and say how great she looks and menton the plastic surgery. A few days later they will run a snatch pic of her without make-up and say how she looks awful despite all this plastic surgery.

I really can't advise you to shut it down as that can only be your decision.
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The point is, if Eastmids wants a PR push the tabloids are the way to go. Maybe you're right and they'll hate it but it'll still bring the site to the attention of the public and generate traffic.

[quote=Write My Site;419262]... It is the sort of thing the tabloids will love.

quote]

I disagree entirely. I spent 15 years working on national tabloids and this is something which they will pour scorn on. I can imagine the Daily Mail running a picture of the prettiest girl on the site with the headline: Why did 10,000 people tell her to get a new nose?

There is every chance that all the papers will run the story but it will all be negative from you point of view as they will see it as akin to bullying, despite the fact that people are their voluntarily. They will even find some rent a quote MP/agony aunt etc to say the site should be shut down.

And once the tabloids have had a go at you then all the PR in the world will not get that genie back in the bottle. Sorry to be on such a downer this early in the day, but you need to be aware of these things.
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I was going to submitt my pic ,but the wife reckons we would have to sell the house for what I need.:|

Earl
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[quote=Write My Site;419635]The point is, if Eastmids wants a PR push the tabloids are the way to go. Maybe you're right and they'll hate it but it'll still bring the site to the attention of the public and generate traffic.


Perhaps. I never advised Eastmids not to go ahead. I merely put forward my opinion of the tabloids' reaction based on years of experience. It all depends if you agree with the old saying "There's no such thing as bad publicity."
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LOL good silly stuff not too keen on the Facebyfix but the numbers one was good. I am always amazed by the fact that so many people can see the same thing about an appearance.
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