Standing together in solidarity

It has been a rather emotional week for Blippers, with the news that Blipfoto has gone into liquidation and the uncertainty of its future has shaken its community quite strongly. It now seems that a deal is being negotiated with Polaroid to buy the remaining shares in Blipfoto  (see article here) and so Blippers can feel more comfortable that their beloved website will continue into the future.

However, despite the outpouring of support for Joe (the founder of Blipfoto), the facts remain that he and his team caused something to go wrong which has resulted in this current shambolic state of affairs, putting at risk the possible loss of membership fees and more importantly, the loss of journals which represent our treasured memories. In fact it is these journals, our journals, of images and written accounts of our daily thoughts, that make up the intellectual property of the company, and it is these journals that give this business any value. I can understand the loyal support that Blippers have given to Joe but I feel the drastic changes that have occurred over the past few months, and more recently the sudden cut off of any communication from him or his team was not the way to treat his loyal supporters. It has made me realise the value of these journals, an intangible asset that has developed because of us and our strong brand loyalty – and therefore it disappoints me even further when I think of how we have been treated over the past few months. I doubt it was ever done with any malice, but rather as a result of possible inexperience and ineptitude. (Consider how in a similar situation, but on a much, much larger scale, bankers were never forgiven for their ineptitude in the financial crisis and remain today the scourge of our society).

The sale of the company shares to another company does not necessarily mean that this will be the end of all our woes. As an accountant I have seen scenarios like this many times before, which do not necessarily end well. Worryingly, Polaroid do not had a strong business history either.

However, I am an optimist and I would like this website to continue, and therefore have decided to show my support of solidarity. It has been the most unique and wonderful experience, and for that we can be ever grateful to Joe for having the vision to start Blipfoto.