ModelMayhem Review

Modelmayhem is considered by some to be the central hub of fashion and glamor networking for photographers, models, hair stylists, makeup artists, and clothing designers. It has been around on the scene since cerca 2005. As one of the elder statesmen of online fashion and glamour networking sites, it has an established group of talent from across the world who participate by creating profiles and discussing matters to the industry on the message boards.

The website claims there are more than 400,000 thousand users signed up, so there are lots of chances to meet and network with others.

But they just don’t give everyone admission to the site. One must submit sample photos to see if his or her work is good enough in their chosen field. Then the ‘gatekeepers’ decide if your submission is up to snuff in order to gain entry.

During the summer of 2009 the owners of the site created a tiered pricing plan. For those who created accounts before that time were given legacy accounts that equates to a membership level between basic and premium. The basic option offers a scant chance to show your work with only 10 photos allowed in a portfolio. Then the premium (or the middle option) allows for more pictures and private messages. While the VIP option allows 100 photos, 100 private messages a day and other perks. The higher the level of package, the higher the cost to the user. A premium package costs $60 a year, while the VIP costs $100.
The dashboard to Modelmayhem looks like this.  And to my taste it is one of the more straight forward and intuitive layouts of any of the major fashion/glamour networking sites out there.  All of the controls are located in the dashboard once one is signed in.  This is the place where one can edit a profile, check friends, or write or receive a private message. Modelmayhem doesn’t have the some of the bells and whistles of other sites, but it has the basics presented in an easy to use manner.

Overall it is clear that Modelmayhem provides a lot of benefits to its users.  With a large and knowledgeable user base it is a fertile ground for networking and taking one’s skills to the next level.  However, the ownership has shown over the last couple of years that it has little interest in putting any more money into the site.  The search function is notoriously poor, and when searching for things or people on the site users tend to use a site search on Google, rather than using its own internal search tool.  Also, the server that Modelmayhem uses goes down from time to time, which can be especially frustrating if you are paying for the service. It is a good service in general, but it does come with its shortfalls.

Next, I will review another one of the fashion/glamour networking services.

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