Creators of a calendar featuring travel bloggers in various states of undress have turned on their peers for not supporting the initiative after sales fell short of expectations.
It would be fair to say the Travel Blogging Calendar (two versions, featuring male and female bloggers) polarised opinion both within the blogging community and elsewhere in the media (Tnooz included) and wider industry when it was first launched in November last year.
So, therefore, it was always going to be interesting to see how the charity project panned out after the Christmas period, the usual period - as the organisers hoped - that sees a rush of sales of calendars for the year ahead.
Unfortunately it turns out that the idea didn't resonate so well with the folk its backers were sure would buy the calendar in their droves and raise money for two charities.
Despite a target of 500 units (uPrinting promised the first 500 would be produced for free), Jeremy Foster of TravelFreak and one of the creators of the calendar, says that numbers "are small and our sales have not exceeded 100 calendars".
Foster says he and many of the other participants "have felt great frustration and disappointment with the rest of the travel blogging community".
"They were our target audience. We were hoping that the other travel bloggers throughout the world would be happy to support some other people in their industry who were trying something new, and literally baring their insecurities for the sake of charity."
The reality, which Foster highlights, is "people were more focused on slinging mud" and the charitable aspect of the project was "entirely overlooked by the travel blogging community".
To add to the reports of disappointing sales, Foster admits a couple of "unexpected snags along the way" meant that the $25 calendars did not reach their buyers until after the New Year, with some still yet to arrive due to international shipping.
Foster says:
"We realize that we are not celebrities, but it was nice to feel like it for a short while. We realize that you are not dying to buy this calendar so that you can hang some no-name bloggers on your wall. What we hoped is that you would support your fellow bloggers and friends and donate to two causes which are tirelessly in need of assistance.
"We marketed the living hell out of this thing. Our efforts did not fall short. What fell short, ultimately, was the backing we received."
And in a pointed swipe at his fellow bloggers in the travel industry, Foster adds:
"I now find myself feeling disappointed and I wonder if I can even call this a community any more."
UPDATE: Foster, via email, says the 500 unit sales target was not set prior to the printing arrangements being made.