First of all the news that started this affair about “hot teachers”. Myngle.com got a backing from Radobank about 1.000.000 Euros. I first heard about it via Twitter and yesterday Myngle got a post on techcrunch.com. Well, just another post you might think. But no, one sentence in this very post started the fire:
Unfortunately, we were unable to confirm if all the female teachers are as hot as Milagros.
It’s all about the word “hot” of course.
You can read the post in the Myngle forum that started the “outrage” over here.
First of all I think the sentence is taken out of context. The whole quote in the techcrunch blog is:
Below is a screenshot and a cheesy introduction video about Myngle.
Unfortunately, we were unable to confirm if all the female teachers are as hot as Milagros.
Cheesy introduction video + hot Milagros. That is neither sexist nor offensive. It’s infact a good summary of this introduction video.
But as discussions or riots always start for a good reason behind the obvious it got me thinking:
Do you have to be “hot” to be successful? And if yes, is there a proof for this theory.
It brought me back to my “Turning Teachers into Rockstars” presentation. As a part of it I explained that you have to turn yourself into a brand to be successful.
Let’s face it. The internet is a medium that works to a huge percentage over pictures or in other words first impressions. People always tend to click on something “hot”. In my presentation I gave my profile picture as an example. I could have used the “original” version. A nice girl, standing in her garden. But is this the impression I want to give to my clients? Am I a gardener? Or famous for standing around in gardens?
If I look at the avatars of the most successful teachers on Myngle for example, I can determine some important facts:
- They are clearly recognizable
- Foto is of a good quality
- Avatar has not been changed for a longer period or sometimes even never
All these are rules which are followed when companies build a brand, too. You need a good, recognizable logo or face that attract people to buy. I will write an extra article about this.
The discussion is now turning towards “Does Myngle represent their teachers in the right way? If not, how can teachers ensure to be represented correctly?” Very interesting indeed! Especially when you follow the discussion about “Is Myngle turning into a school?”
If we take Myngle as a language market place (even techcrunch mentions this in their post) teachers are responsible for their reputation on their own. According to the “bad neighborhood” factor they had to decide if they want to offer their services on the platform or not.
If we take Myngle as a language school, teachers are more concerned about the image of the company they work for.
What is the case?
Another point that made me think is the following. Techcrunch is a blog made for people who are already interested in the internet and innovation. So basically the kind of people you would imagine to take lessons online. But why are there only two or three comments on this article that show interest in learning online? Does this mean the “giant market” is not there (yet)? Again, worth another blog post.
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