Goodbye Social Media, Hello ARS: The Revolutionary New Photography Feedback Platform

Dear friend,

If you are sick of social media– say hello to ARS; the first productive online learning community for photographers and visual artists.

No more popularity contests

One of my biggest critiques of social media for photographers is this:

Whenever you upload a photograph to Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, etc– most people (to not hurt your feelings) will just say something generic like, ‘Nice shot!’

ARS changes everything. ARS is built with you in mind. No more having to ‘game’ the system to collect more likes, followers, and gain ‘social media traction’.

The upside of anonymity

Fair Algorithm: When you upload a photograph to ARSBETA.COM, your photograph is distributed equally and randomly to all ARS photographers, who will give you honest feedback and critique on your photos.
No ego: When you get constructive critique and feedback from others; it is a ‘double blind’ experiment. They don’t know who you are, and you don’t know who they are. Thus, the feedback is truly honest.
Not Driven by Advertising: ARSBETA.COM is our passion project. We plan on monetizing ARS in the future via paid and commissioned critiques. We vow NOT to have your user-experience polluted with annoying advertising. And our focus will always be on you, the user.

“What do you really think?”

I was also curious to see what people really thought about my pictures. I was always curious:

Are people saying that they like my picture, because they hope I ‘follow them back’, or because they genuinely like it?

Also,

If someone saw my picture (and didn’t know who I was), would they still like the picture?

The Solution: The Fair, Random, and Decentralized Algorithm of ARS

About a year ago while living in Vietnam, I came up with the basic idea of ARS:

A photography feedback platform, in which users would randomly get images (from other anonymous photographers), and they could also give anonymous feedback to other anonymous photographers.
We would keep the UI/UX (user interface/user experience) as clean, streamlined, and simple as possible. No distracting titles. When you’re shown the photo, you don’t know who shot it. And once you click ‘keep’ or ‘ditch’ for a photograph, you automatically advance to the next image.
Photographers would use ARSBETA.COM as a ‘beta testing ground’ for their images. If a photographer had a picture in which they weren’t sure whether the picture was good or not, they could upload it to ARS in order to get honest feedback and critique.

ARS BETA VERSION II

What is new and revolutionary with ARS BETA VERSION II?

ARS BETA VERSION I was a ‘MVP’ (minimum viable product). It was simple, clean, yet was quite bare-bones. Now with ARS BETA VERSION II, we now have the coveted and desired function — constructive critiques.

Furthermore my friend Kevin McKenzie (backend engineer who built the algorithm and codebase for ARS) sped up ARS– making it around 300% faster, while also integrating the front-end redesign made by Annette Kim. My friend Jun just joined the team as a backend/frontend/app developer for ARS— so also expect to see really cool advances in ARS BETA VERSION III (we are working towards a mobile app).

Why not just use Instagram?

If you don’t give a damn, best to use Instagram.

Instagram is a good platform to easily share your pictures, but the problem is this:

Instagram becomes a popularity contest, rather than a constructive critique/feedback platform for photography and visual art.

I really liked the early days of Instagram, when it was focused on photographers. Now it is infested with ‘lifestyle influencers’ — who essentially try to present a false and highly shiny version of their “happy” lives.

I also believe that Instagram is bad for photography and creativity– because photography turns into a quest to get more likes and followers, instead of you making authentic artwork which really expresses your soul.

Join the revolution: Art Revolution Society (ARS)

I truly believe that photography is one of the most beautiful forms of art. Let us make art (ARS) ours again.

Why is it called ‘ARS Beta‘?

ARS means ‘art’ in Latin. Beta means a non-final version.

This means this:

Your artwork is always in beta testing.

This means, your artwork and photography is constantly in a state of becoming. You are constantly changing and evolving as a visual artist and poet. Thus, treat ARSBETA.COM as your personal testing ground for your new visual imagery. We believe that ARS BETA can make you bolder– it can encourage you to experiment more with your photography, and to also disconnect your ego from your own artwork.

We cannot shift the culture of photography alone. We must do this together!

How do I use ARS?

To get started, it is simple:

Go to ARSBETA.COM and signup with your Google Account.
Upload a photograph you would like constructive critique on.
Start rating and giving constructive critiques to other photographers!

And another big ask:

If you find ARSBETA.COM innovative, interesting, or revolutionary for photography — please share it with your friends! Email, text, or tell your friends to join and share their pictures!

ARS is just another option

ARSBETA.COM will not overthrow Facebook-Instagram. However, we wanted to create another option. If you needed a new place to share your pictures (while getting constructive critique), ARS is for you.

Don’t get left behind– join ARSBETA.COM today!

Love, the ARS TEAM:
ERIC, KEVIN, CINDY, ANNETTE, JUN

ARS BETA VERSION II Press Release

ARS is looking for investors and brand collaborators. E-mail arsbetahelp@gmail.com.

Share ARS with friends, family, and photographers! Let’s build a productive learning community together.

Download ARS Press Kit >

A Revolution in Photography Sharing, Learning, and Feedback

Official Press Release [September 28, 2018]
Silicon Valley, California

Be the first to join the revolution in photography — ARS. ARS is the first productive and authentic online learning community for photographers and visual artists.

ARS is an online photography feedback platform driven by giving and receiving honest and constructive critiques. Through the clean and minimalist interface, photographers can develop their visual acuity through uploading their own photos, viewing photographs and contributing constructive critiques to others.

ARS is a revolution in photo sharing. Photos and critiques are distributed to the user base anonymously and randomly. ARS disrupts the current monopoly in photography held by advertisement driven social media platforms (Instagram-Facebook) with a fair, decentralized, and anonymous algorithm. No more popularity contests and superficial ‘likes’ that homogenize art production and feedback.

You

ARS relies on YOU to change the future of photography. Upload your photos to ARS and start critiquing photos. ARS encourages artistic experimentation. Use ARS as a visual testing ground in order to share new visual imagery and develop your portfolio.

Share ARS with friends, family, and photographers! Let’s build a productive learning community together.

ARS is looking for investors, brand collaborators, and reviews. Be a part of our moonshot dreams for ARS. Read our Press Kit and e-mail arsbetahelp@gmail.com.

Let’s change the culture of photography together!

ARS Team [Eric Kim, Kevin Mckenzie, Cindy Nguyen, Annette Kim, Jun Kim]

To invest or collaborate with ARS, shoot us an email at arsbetahelp@gmail.com