30 August, 2009
Dead Blogs
what is happening to blogging? Oman Community Blog and the UAE Community Blog are dead or breathing their last breath, is it out of fashion to blog now? is everyone twittering only? or have all the blogging expats left the Gulf?
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66 comments:
Umm.. summer + Ramadan?
+ recession
+ someone always down your throat with an offensive comment.
Apathy. Blogs don't matter. Bloggers don't matter. Newspapers don't matter. Nothing matters.
It's a nihilist's manifesto - and the public don't give a shit, so they've signed up to it.
We don't care. Official.
Sumer, innit. Peeps is on holiday.
i agree
i think blogs represent people's drive to have a say and people are too lazy to generate an elaborate "Say" when they - as u rightly point out - can twitter life away or facespew their status..
they've all gone.. recession
the real nick is on vacation and a blessing in tragedy is banned from the blog.
there's no voice of dissent.
herds are boring.
When you get down to it, there's really just two reasons:
- a major paradigm shift has occurred -- both facebook and twitter are disruptive innovations in that they cause a form of creative destruction to older forms of internet discourse. It's easier and faster to throw something up on facebook than it is to post in article/journal entry on a blog (the idea that some of you consider yourselves actual journalists is still a fairly laughable one, BTW).
- the recession? Summer? Ramadan? I don't know, folks. The fact of the matter is that this blog has been pretty boring for quite some time (about 2007 or so). Posts are few and far between and people who were previously active got fed up with censorship issues.
In other words, I'll take hemlock FTW, Alex. There really is no dissent allowed in this forum anymore, particularly since the SS Code of Conduct kicked in. SD walked away from the day to day and shortly thereafter Sammy went all control freak with the etiquette. "It's my blog, I can make whatever rules I want..." Okay, fine. You can also make it as boring as you want.
Seems to me that these days your average bloggers are pretty much the internet equivalent of CB radio enthusiasts. I mean, sure, there are still great blogs out there that I regularly go to but those folks actually have compelling content. You want to read something compelling and pertinent to the UAE? Read John Chilton's blog. He didn't hold back or wuss out because he "might get in trouble" when he lived here and he doesn't hold back now.
I'm serious, half the people who post here might as well work for WAM.
But Id rather work for Khaleej Times.
It also depends on the individual's reasons for creating the blog in the first place.
I sometimes suspect that blogs are fantasy vehicles that are supposed to somehow delivery the owner - through sketchy content in closed circle interaction with other blogs - to the door of a large publishing house. Inside the door is cash and fame.
That ship has absolutely sailed.
Even look at the super successful sites like tfln.com - they are simply user generated sites. (funny - sure) but that seems to be the way of it now.
Maybe summer/ramadan has some impact, I guess we'll see.
I don't think this bloggers should be waving the white flag though... good and engaging content is still key.
If quietness means fewer people are rushing to be first to be second with the news, I'm all for it. The form of blogging that consists in finding 'interesting' articles in the local press, summarising them and linking to 'full article here' is actually better suited to Twitter, and greater losses. If you're not producing original material, why write at all?
Contrary to elements labeling the Hitler(ite) state of affairs at this blog, I fully support the SS Code of Conduct because it keeps vermin at bay.
Contrary to elements labeling the Hitler(ite) state of affairs at this blog, I fully support the SS Code of Conduct because it keeps vermin at bay.
unfortunately, not the anonymous kind.
i, bobo: As usual you are just complaining for the sake of complaining about that post I disabled comments on however long ago. You are so full of shit, you don't even write anything on your own blog so I can only assume you have some sort of fascination about posting about dissent and being oppressed or something. Ok, congratulations i, bobo I officially declare you as being oppressed and censored.
Want to know the last post I deleted?
"HEALTHY EATING IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT,BUT ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE PREGNANT"
I'm glad you think you're going to be pregnant sometime soon i, Bobo.
There are rules and they do change; I most recently changed them a few days ago and you can read them here. The rules (if you care to read them) basically state that a posts are your responsibility. They also state that an admin can delete whatever comment or post for any reason.
The rules are mostly to stop abusive comments and to keep postings relevant. I may have deleted comments much more in the past but I don't do that anywhere nearly as much. The general policy that I work with at the moment is that if you aren't telling someone you want to rape their children then I honestly don't really care.
If you really have a die-hard fascination with comments threatening to kill/maim/rape you then I may suggest 4chan.
There are other rules to ensure the privacy and safety of users.
I can only recall one instance where I removed a post because it was risky (the one about 7days as I am sure you have not forgotten, I explained it to you in the comments here, but I fully expect you to not reply to any of that and keep on complaining about it)
The reduction of posts is a general trend, you can see some fancy graphs here. The top graph is the number of posts, and the bottom graph is the traffic levels of this site.
Although I am not bothered to plot the comments of this site; there are quite a few high-comment posts in 2008.
paraglider: I kind of agree about the lack of original writing on this blog, however the comments section always proves to be interesting when people don't tell me that they want to slice my face open or some crap like that.
My personal opinion is that twitter and facebook don't really match up to blogging; I would have liked to see some more video-blogging in the UAE but no one seems to do it.
unfortunately, not the anonymous kind.
Hemlock, that vermin reference was not pointed at you. But if you want to voluntarily embrace the offenderati meter, then by all means, enjoy it!
Having a bad day Alex?
The whole town's quiet not just the blogs. Roads, shops, malls, business areas - it's August and it's Ramadan.
Maybe nothing of interest is happening in the UAE nowadays that is worthy enough to write about?
When this blog was started, there was a core membership whose mission was to provide worthy content, encourage discussion and share information about the UAE and what was happening around the place.
Most of those contributors who provided value, interesting info and intelligent dialogue (both as posts to the blog and in the comments sections) have now moved away from the UAE, or have other priorities now.
No one has stepped up to take over. No one has shown the energy, responsibility, maturity or required dedication that it takes to keep this blog active and interesting. It's far easier to complain and whinge than to do something to help.
Sam keeps the blog going in the face of increasing idiot commenters who only want to incite negative reaction and do nothing to add value.
For those commenting about the blog being dead or any other negative connotation, how about thinking positive and contributing proactively to the blog? Or just stay away.
And to all the knockers of the UAE Community Blog - start your own online community blog (or whatever the next best social media thing is which galvanises people into providing value) where you can do it so much better than Sam - because you said so.
I was proud to have been a member of this blog in its "heyday". What Secret Dubai and Sam set up was a common ground online area for all the UAE bloggers (and others around the world) to use and to communicate through. By attending the blogger meetings that we had, I met so many wonderful people in the UAE who became good friends and who I otherwise would not have met if it hadn't been for blogging and the UAE Community Blog.
Once again, two questions:
- was amateur (for lack of a better term) blogging a passing fad?
- have restrictions placed on speech in this forum had an effect on it's popularity or relevance?
That's all. No need to get your panties all up in a bunch there, Sammy.
I think that one reason for the low number of comments (not posts) is that many posts recently are not interesting to be commented. Sometimes, it’s good to read it, but in the end, have nothing much to say about it.
Another reason might be the comments moderation...
Well I am alive and kicking ..with blogging :)
http://iwep.blogspot.com
K
blogging is alive and kicking..maybe u have not visited http://globalmadarasi.blogspot.com
cheers friend
Seabee - LOLs. I never, ever have bad days!
The state of blogging? Who cares? Really?
If there's good stuff online that interests you, find it and enjoy it. Don't go curling yourself up in knots worrying about the 'state' of it!
hetam:
"Sometimes, it’s good to read it, but in the end, have nothing much to say about it."
That is true; many people actually just read this blog through RSS readers (and in turn probably don't care about the comments section). The average blog post on here might get 500 or so reads through RSS.
"Another reason might be the comments moderation..."
Unfortunately comment moderation is a necessity at the moment.
I was considering removing it recently but an idiot had to come along as usual, so too bad for everyone. Instead that idiot has taken to personally harassing individual blogs/bloggers.
There are of course other blogs; the design changes I implemented a while back help lesser known bloggers stand out and get more page views and I have received positive feedback from the change and you could use it to your benefit but most people don't, in fact most people just don't seem to be blogging much at the moment.
I agree with NZM that many bloggers have left the country or become disinterested in continuing their blogs. There are many great blogs that have few readers/comments and so the bloggers probably just don't find any more point in blogging.
There are also a great number of new blogs by journalists nowadays that cover quite interesting topics.
It's easy to think that this blog is 'dead' because there aren't as many post/comments as usual but I think there are many achievements of this blog that haven't been noticed. A lot of companies in the UAE read this blog, in fact I doubt there is any other blog about the UAE that has so many viewers that allows people to post directly to the front page.
Well, how the UAE community blog is doing isn't necessarily indicative of the state of blogging in the UAE in general. There are still active and interesting UAE blogs out there.
As for why the UAE community blog isn't as active as it used to be, I'd agree with an earlier comment that there is a scarcity of original material. We need to focus more on that.
i, Bobo, you're full of sh1t now. As a long time follower & reader of this blog, I used to enjoy reading your posts & comments until you chose to exit this community claiming that social networking sites such as Facebook were the new in-thing.
What happened to you? Age catching up with you fast, lethargic, intellectual decay, etc.
You can bark and holler at the top of your voice, as much as you want but the rules have changed here (thanks in part to some masqueraders & sickos). So get this through your thick skull, no matter how much you cry foul about the state of affairs at this blog, they won't be changed because you want so.
Have a good one, life, that is if you have one!
alexander said...
Apathy. Blogs don't matter. Bloggers don't matter. Newspapers don't matter. Nothing matters.
..
exactly my point,
The state of blogging? Who cares?
..
the ones who have nothing better to do... obvious
I disagree.. the community blogs might be quiet but individual blogs are alive and well.
i, bobo:
Just so you know I have now rewritten many of the rules to make them a bit less wishy-washy, I'd appreciate hearing your feedback.
Listen, obviously you have the right to do whatever you want.
And there's some good stuff in there about commercial posts and spamming and such.
I'm just not a huge fan of limitations on speech. I think what's considered foolish or dangerous contemporaneously might one day be considered in a different light. And if a person is genuinely an idiot it seems to me that the content of their character will reveal itself through their posts -- and if they're a idiot, so what? How does it directly effect our lives? I mean there's no use getting all stressed and shredding cardiac muscle just because some schmuck in his pajamas called Hosni Mubarak a dictator.
Also -- and I say this not in an attempt to inflame the situation -- but the rules do appear to be selectively enforced to a certain degree. There's quite a bit in them about about decorum and the prohibition of profanity -- but a guy expresses an opinion and he's told he's full of [EXPLETIVE DELETED] and subjected to a whole lot of vitriol.
I get that you want to control the content -- wait, that's not actually fair, let's say you want to FOCUS the content and keep it to what you feel is relevant. Okay, cool. My point is that what you might find off topic is often as compelling as what you think is on point.
Finally, I think there's just way too much hysteria with regard to what the TRA might or might not do. So what if you get banned? Start another blog. Nobody's going to throw you out of the country and nobody's going to throw you in jail.
Once again, I use John Chilton as an example of someone who writes with conviction, calls a spade a spade, and as far as I know has never had a problem.
One other thing -- I never said that facebook or Twitter were "better" than blogging. I said they acted as a disruptive technology with regard to blogging, that some people found the GUI more user friendly and was wondering if that had an impact on the status of blogging.
"I'm just not a huge fan of limitations on speech."
bobo, I hear you. I think speech without limitations (aka free speech) come with a sense of responsibility, understanding, thought & maturity -- e.g. 'rape' isn't something sane, decent, cultured people fancy or talk casually about. A threat to your loved one's well being may well be 'free speech' - however remain, a threat and vile. Using someone else's true to life picture as your blogger profile picture and post your comments (dissent / inflammatory or otherwise) across blogworld may be part of 'free' speech -- nevertheless, pretty unhealthy / uncouth thing to do. I guess similar to most things and we as people, free speech has its share of shortcomings / negatives. Hence limitations on speech exist, may well be subjective often, especially in a culturally sensitive multi-cultural society.
I hope people can appreciate Sam & SD's input over the years. They have set aside personal time / effort to manage this blog. The blogger 'community' perhaps help maintain that fine sensitive line on 'free' speech / dissent and cultural sensitivities. It is easy (and rather unfair) to criticize and/or ask of Sam for every short coming of this blog, when you, I and just about everyone else have contributed to it.
"I think what's considered foolish or dangerous contemporaneously might one day be considered in a different light"
True bobo, and right back at ya! perhaps debate the topic in context and period, as possible..
Now the blog is ALIVE :)
i, Bobo, this current splat between you and Samuraisam reminds me of a similar recent tit-for-tat between Dev & Geohot about plugging (security) holes for unlocking (locked by Apple) iPhones. Sorry, I can't post links but feel free to Google; Geohot & Dev Team.
You being Geo (don't give a rat's @$$ type) & Samuraisam (Dev) who looks to serve one & all in the best interests of this blog.
Instead of digging into each other, how about you guys start working together to re-establish this blog with original postings that would encourage healthy debate. Or is that too much to ask from you?
Of course, I support moderation continuity. It's a must taking into consideration the freaky nature of don't-have-a-life-trolls that operate out of their Mama's basement because they've got nothing better to do with their lives.
By the way, your original blog had some worthwhile content. Why did you delete it?
I am not even in the UAE, and I don't blog ever. But I still follow this blog. Sam, as an administrator is usually in the background, just as a good admin should be. And of course, if he ever does go over the top, there are tons of you here going on and on like good champions for freedom :)
Dissent is interesting. Bullies are not.
And Hemlock, you post under an assumed name. Some of us do not want to create a web personality. And I am not okay with my name coming up on internet searches in blog conversations. I would rather be anonymous.
You also seem to be one of the few who can engage bullies in a conversation and still retain reason.
Isn't the metro starting in a week or so? I'm sure that will bring in some life here.
And now that the papers have stopped trashing Dubai, is it really a nicer place to live in... the rents are more realistic, for one and surely, there is less traffic on the roads. Is this place more a place now than a newspaper article?
@ anon 10:40: Some of us do not want to create a web personality... I would rather be anonymous.
i can understand that.
what bothers me, are the obnoxious anons (not talking about you here) who want to be heard, want to have a voice, want to express an opinion... but they dont want to own it.
when i post under an assumed identity, if you dont like anything i say, you can come right back to me.
i dont know about bullies. common sense tells me that someone who genuinely wants to shred your face or have you killed is not going to leave a comment to that effect, on a blog, under his blogger identity.
some people just take the innerweb (and their avtars on it) too seriously. it's outright weird when people complain of being 'threatened' on their blogs. anyone heard of the delete button?
[Delete threat? press Yes or No].
anyone heard of the delete button?
[Delete threat? press Yes or No].
In addition to deletion, I also support blacklisting.
@rosh: I think speech without limitations (aka free speech) come with a sense of responsibility, understanding, thought & maturity -- e.g. 'rape' isn't something sane, decent, cultured people fancy or talk casually about. A threat to your loved one's well being may well be 'free speech' - however remain, a threat and vile.
dude. how long does it take to ignore a comment SCREAMING stupidity?
and if someone's comments are not in line with what are Generally Acceptable Commenting Principles should we all charge at them with batons until they think just like "us"?
from one extreme (irrational comments) to another (complete ban on users), this whole thing reminds me of Equilibrium.
@ anon, 1040
"there is less traffic on the roads"
Yes, and a far higher proportion of it is empty taxis. It's brilliant :)
Hmmmm. Maybe I should go to KSA and make another video, that seemed to generate a lot of debate.
Regarding ABIT, I wish you would let him back. With nothing else to do, he came over to my site and commented that it would be amusing to see me raped...
BTW, for all it's worth, I think Sam has done a good job. Being in charge of anything is a thankless job. It's much easier to criticise than it is to DO something. Good for you Sam, for not giving in or giving up.
i, bobo"I'm just not a huge fan of limitations on speech."
These rules are really normal for any online forum--even 4chan has pretty similar rules (though nothing about racism etc).
"Also -- and I say this not in an attempt to inflame the situation -- but the rules do appear to be selectively enforced to a certain degree. There's quite a bit in them about about decorum and the prohibition of profanity -- but a guy expresses an opinion and he's told he's full of [EXPLETIVE DELETED] and subjected to a whole lot of vitriol."
There is no more specific reference to swearing or profane language; only obscenely-hateful (i.e. quite a bit more profane than telling someone they are full of shit) and obscenely-racist (this basically covers racist terms etc).
As we live in a very diverse country it is sometimes hard to draw the line as to what is racist when there is quite a lot of talk about nationalities.
My interest has never been to cut down on posts or comments that are worth reading (whatever their opinion) but to stop idiots who drop in and leave a 3 word comment about debbie menon; I have no qualm about deleting anon comments when all they say is "fuck you bitch".
Unfortunately it is really really hard to fairly moderate us vs them debates because many of the comments are quite obscene, which just leads to more obscene comments.
"So what if you get banned? Start another blog. Nobody's going to throw you out of the country and nobody's going to throw you in jail."
There have been cases in the UAE where website administrators have been sentenced to jail and/or fined.
I don't really care about the site getting blocked, everyone still has access to post even if it does get blocked even if they can't access the comments. If it got blocked because of a great blog post about whatever then that would be great, because there was actually a reason. If it got blocked because some guy was running around telling people he wants to rape them in the face or because some idiot was spamming links on how to bypass the proxy then that would suck.
"Once again, I use John Chilton as an example of someone who writes with conviction, calls a spade a spade, and as far as I know has never had a problem."
John Chilton posts quite a lot on here and I can't recall having ever removed a post of his.
Put it this way: the rules are the rules; if you have something decent to say I probably won't bother removing it, the number of times I pull out the rule book is relatively low. There are limitations to maintain the privacy and security of users in extreme circumstances.
There have also been cases recently where companies have contacted me regarding posts on the blog that they call 'libel', I don't really have many options in these cases... but if people were smart about it they'd link to their own blogs and I wouldn't have to delete anything because its just a link.
If I receive information that someone wants to uncover the identities of a page of users then I will do what I can--I will remove the page so that no one can do anything.
Hemlock:
"some people just take the innerweb (and their avtars on it) too seriously. it's outright weird when people complain of being 'threatened' on their blogs."
I think we're all talking about the same person here and having seen quite a few of their comments forwarded to my inbox I can say that they border on personal threats in some instances. The number of bloggers who have had these threats/comments put on their site numbers at around 10. I think this is fair to call harassment and I don't think anyone should have to put up with it and that is why I have banned that person.
If you have an opinion: fine. I don't honestly care. If you want to tell people that you want to rape them or someone they know then that is a threat; as I have already said, if people want to comment properly and let their IQ show through their comments then go ahead.
Hemlock: It's nice way of looking at it - just ignoring threats on the net as stupidity. It got me thinking...but I have some points.
Having been a target of some vicious (real) name calling on a blog, I do support moderation. People forget that internet is forever.
That someone called you names and threatened to rape/kill you etc is not a pleasant thing to own up to each time someone googles you as a potential employer or boy/girlfriend.
I'd not be comfortable with anything online that I cannot handle offline, anywhere in the world.
Second, I don't know if you can dismiss online bullying as if it's not happening. To me it seems the same as someone getting red in the face and screaming when you're talking to them. Constantly talking about slit wrists and slashes does not make a community conversation, nor does represent variety of life.
Third, in the UAE, where power equations are skewed, if I am a lone blogger whose identity is not much of a secret if anyone bothered to find out, I'd be (not just virtually) scared of a man who threatens me all the time.
It's like trying to trust a madman in your neighbourhood.
"i, Bobo, this current splat between you and Samuraisam..."
A spat? Between me and Sammy?
Just a difference of opinion is all.
i, Bobo said;
Just a difference of opinion is all.
Hey Dude, sure, whatever floats your boat!
Ramadna
can anyone blog about this?
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1112445.html
Can someone please blog about this?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/13/israeli-soldiers-gaza-deaths-allegations
Buj
I didnt ask for someone to post about it as a stab against anyone..
i think its highly relevant to the UAE at many levels and in a general sense..
im not sure why your response was necessary although i can imagine that anything from an israeli is highly sensitive..
sorry to have ruffled your feathers.. i hope a respectful and meaningful discussion ensues..
hi Lirun,
You know, I really respect you especially because you're an Israeli. I wish we had more Israelis who are willing to do what you do.
However the issue you highlighted is very sensitive and the truth is that we don't know what's going on with the Pals in UAE (I speak for myself). No newspaper is saying anything in UAE and the only outlet I heard of is Al Quds al Arabi in London. I always doubt things when only heard from one source. But the problem really is that we don't know the facts and thus cannot jump to conclusions.
To say I'm worried is an understatement. However, to be very honest and respectful to you I believe it's a bit insensitive to post what you posted given that you're Israeli. This is because (let's be very honest) Israel has done worse things than the UAE in that respect.
I am sure once we have a bit more information, the blogs will be full of activity covering this sad news. In the meantime, sadly we're in the dark.
PS: have just read via today's AL QUDS AL ARABI paper in London that the Pal Authority has denied these reports and no one is being deported from the UAE. They are pointing the finger to Iran.
Honestly. I am getting a bit confused.
To me Lirun is a wolf in a lamb skin
lmao@PE
Buj - i am surprised that the fact that i am israeli needs to matter after 3 years of commenting here.. its not like this is part of a campaign of cyberwarring during an active conflict..
im no stranger to this blog and i dont think anyone should be alarmed by me raising a question..
the issue of the deportation seems to have been difused through reuters..
as far as news agencies go - papers around the world will probably release very similar stories +/- about this topic..
i still dont see why you need to through in sarcastic comments about your views on israel in the context.. but i dont care.. do as you please..
i think the avoidance of meaningful discussion and the "persecution" of the messenger can definitely contribute to a blog becoming boring..
if you want a blog to stay alive i would suggest:
a - reduce the personal attacks - they inspire nothing but yawns
b - keep the interaction somewhere between relevant and respectful
c - dont fear meaningful discussion - everyone can gain from it - even the lack of information is a piece of information
ramadan kareem
btw im sure more of us would seek to open discussions with you if you could relax the name calling
ps
PE did you say lamb skin because im an aries ? :)
anon 12:00: i generally pretty much agree with everything you've said, so i have nothing to counter your comment with. =)
It's like trying to trust a madman in your neighbourhood.
your use of 'madman' made me smile.
Dryden, a 17th century poet said:
there's a pleasure sure,
in being mad
that no one but madmen know.
Constantly talking about slit wrists and slashes does not make a community conversation, nor does represent variety of life.
concurred.
i dont think i have ever agreed with what the blogger in question writes.
my contention is with taking away his right to express himself. this is the start. if banning of a blogger is acceptable today, it's saying we will accept the gradual banning of anyone and everyone else who might have an opposing point of view. (and "opposing" only as the admin sees fit - they welcome bigotry).
this (online) community has lacked tolerance for quite a while now. in 2006 (when i joined) there was serious islam bashing going on. when it wasnt that, it became racist. when that settled, we've come down to picking on individual bloggers.
it's as if all the bottled up frustration - of a failed off-line life - comes out here, where you can pretend to be 'in control', and no one can argue otherwise.
all hail online Nazis.
---------
btw, a perspective who googles you? CREEEEEPY! stay. away. =D
Hemlock,
my contention is with taking away his right to express himself. this is the start.
Are you advocating rape, slit writs, slashes, profanity, threats, as a right for this person to express themself? What I see in this person is that he or she has a problem against the whole world and unfortunately, we're in it. So, the best way to deal with this situation is a blanket ban PERIOD.
if banning of a blogger is acceptable today, it's saying we will accept the gradual banning of anyone and everyone else who might have an opposing point of view. (and "opposing" only as the admin sees fit - they welcome bigotry).
Anything is possible in this day & age and no one knows what the future holds. Maybe better technology where you key in certain words and the machine does the rest i.e. ban. Moreover, if you feel banning someone that is into provocation and hate-mongering as bigotry, then so be it because honestly the community here has had enough of this person that claims to be Western-educated with a high-flyer (banking) job but with the devil's mindset.
all hail online Nazis.
To each their own!
"my contention is with taking away his right to express himself."
What the fuck do you think this is? Arts and crafts class? Am I the class counselor or some shit? You really actually think I'm supposed to deal with some guy telling me he wants to rape children and that he likes child-porn because its a way for him to 'express himself'?
"this is the start. if banning of a blogger is acceptable today"
I banned ABIT 2 years ago. He deserved it then and he still deserves it now.
"the gradual banning of anyone and everyone else who might have an opposing point of view."
An opposing view? On the intricacies of child rape? What planet do you live on?
Anyone and everyone? There is one person banned at the moment. There is comment moderation because of that one person.
I think there are plenty of people who leave comments that oppose what my view is and I don't delete them. As I have said previously I do not delete that many comments nowadays, as long as people are somewhat civil I honestly don't care.
"it's as if all the bottled up frustration - of a failed off-line life - comes out here, where you can pretend to be 'in control'"
Ok Dr. Phil, you go play with your friend who tells people he wants to rape them in the face then. Have fun.
"and no one can argue otherwise."
Look at this entire page, there are multiple arguments for and against me as an admin. I've rewritten quite a few rules in reaction to complaints about how restrictive they are.
"this (online) community has lacked tolerance for quite a while now. in 2006 (when i joined) there was serious islam bashing going on. when it wasnt that, it became racist."
As I have already said there are multiple admins, I am not in control of every little comment. It is also quite hard to moderate those 'us vs them' discussions.
You know what the funny thing is? I never receive any complaints. Everyone just argues and argues and argues and then 6 months later goes OMG SAMRUAISAM UR A FOLOLWER OF THE JEWS AND YOU ARE SO UNFAIR!
"when that settled, we've come down to picking on individual bloggers."
We're picking on ABIT now?
There are at least 7-10 bloggers that have been harassed by ABIT.
If you think i'm 'picking' on him by banning him then good for you. Unless you think talking about child rape is a part of what should be discussed on this blog then there is no argument to ABIT being banned. Unless you think posting hardcore porn on the front page should be included, then there is no argument. And unless you think ABIT telling someone he wants to bring harm upon them or their family should be discussed then there is no argument.
Hemlock, I suggest that if you really want to read about child rape then go sign up for a blog about it and don't call me when To Catch A Predator comes knocking.
"all hail online Nazis."
FFS. I've been called all this shit before; I've been called "follower of the jews", "the SS", "nazi". It doesn't really change anything. It's just a convenient title to put me under because I'm the one pushing the delete button. Well done for calling me a Nazi you really deserve a prize.
I believe there have been times when I have stepped out of line as an admin; banning someone because they told me they want to rape me and other people is not one of those cases. I have received multiple complaints regarding ABIT as well as threats from him myself. If you think he doesn't deserve to banned then here it is for you: tough shit. Yes, as an admin I am banning ABIT because he tells people he wants to rape them. How unheard of.
Hemy, woke up at the wrong end this morning? :)
"it's saying we will accept the gradual banning of anyone and everyone else who might have an opposing point of view."
L-A-M-E :) and WOW?
I enjoy reading ABIT's blogs, and you, Hemy, have got the intelligence to see the difference in thought / comments in the two blogs.
As for the rest of it, you can twist &, rationalize till the cows come home, but the fact remains - if you post porn, threats against people or use someone's true to life picture on this blog -- you. shall.be.banned. Period.
Now get yourself some Harees and send me some. I'm craving some bad this Saturday morning :)
what a well-written, well thought-out response sam. now go get a drink of water.
since you insist on replying to comments not directed at you, here's what i have to say. to you.
i continue to be amazed by your double standards about what is and is not acceptable on the blog.
you will delete a comment that has the words 'r*p*' and 'f*ck you b*tch'...
yet an ANONYMOUS comment dissing a registered blogger is accepted through moderation?
seriously, THAT's a WTF moment.
i, Bobo, you're full of sh1t now... You can bark and holler at the top of your voice, as much as you want but the rules have changed here... So get this through your thick skull, no matter how much you cry foul about the state of affairs at this blog, they won't be changed because you want so... Have a good one, life, that is if you have one!
as far as i'm concerned, that's a personal attack and disrespectful, ESPECIALLY coming from someone cloaked in anonymity. that's the sort of crap that should also be deleted.
but because it's directed at someone you are already having a 'spat' with, it's acceptable...?
the irony of all this is, ive found it easier to 'reason' with a 'madman' than with you. one of you can see when they've gone overboard. guess which.
rosh: lol! you cant bring harees into an argument! that's not fair.
ive chked with fedex btw, they dont do food delivery. needed to send some bateel to oman.
"as far as i'm concerned, that's a personal attack and disrespectful, ESPECIALLY coming from someone cloaked in anonymity."
Jeez! wouldn't you HOWL 'free speech'? But seriously, there have been tons of Anon and non-Anon hateful comments toward bloggers, including you, ABIT and others, that have been deleted through moderation. Tons! But none posted porn, threatened or used let's say YOUR true to life pretty picture as his blogger profile to post his comments. That is why he was banned.
So, perhaps not accurate when you have little idea what goes behind the scene. This blog may not be 'perfect', BECAUSE (as you can see) there are a lot of colourful folks in a multi-cultural, culturally sensitive society contributing.
rosh: This blog may not be 'perfect', BECAUSE there are a lot of colourful folks in a multi-cultural, culturally sensitive society contributing.
now reread that. that's exactly my point. i believe in an 'inclusive' society - banning 'excludes'.
as for anons and free speech? like i said before, take ownership of what you say, and say what you want.
you have to give the devil his due. abit has the most outlandish crap to say, he says it under his ID.
hope you have a great saturday, yo.
Hemy, I believe you and I and just about everyone here can comprehend whatever is being said and why certain things had to be done. So, I'm done here and heading to watch some tennis at the US Open. I have an extra ticket, if you'd prefer to join us :)
Hemlock:
"you will delete a comment that has the words 'r*p*' and 'f*ck you b*tch'...
yet an ANONYMOUS comment dissing a registered blogger is accepted through moderation? "
Read:
"I have no qualm about deleting anon comments when all they say is "fuck you bitch"."
That is me saying I delete people who drop by from random and just write "fuck you bitch" and nothing else, because that has been a problem in the past with anon users who just come and write a 1-3 word obscenity and don't even say anything else.
And perhaps if you were unaware, I don't really subscribe to all this anonymous vs registered blogger crap very much; you can obviously see that anonymous comments are allowed on this website. If I had anonymous commenting enabled and was just going to sit around deleting anon comments because they're anon comments I'd save myself the trouble and disable them.
"as far as i'm concerned, that's a personal attack and disrespectful, ESPECIALLY coming from someone cloaked in anonymity. that's the sort of crap that should also be deleted.
but because it's directed at someone you are already having a 'spat' with, it's acceptable...? "
So? Everyone here is cloaked in anonymity. If someone made that exact comment against me I'd still publish it. You're obviously thinking about all of this from an anonymous vs registered users view which doesn't really work. Would I be more inclined to delete an anon comment? Yes.
I believe someone here is afflicted with DID, medical kind or just for kicks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociative_identity_disorder
Hemlock,
Hey, you don't know jack (this word okay with you?) about i, Bobo. i, Bobo used to be one of the most prolific & dynamic writers and commentators here --- in the same league as the Original Gang consisting of but not limited to SD, Samuraisam, Bandicoot, NZM, BD, Brn, John Chilton, TRN, et al --- back when you were still drinking out of the bottle.
Some of the topics that he raised, discussed and debate, which would be totally beyond your realm of comprehension were laborers rights, religion, speaking foolishly, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, racism, amongst others. And then one fine day; he chose to retire, fall-off-the earth, become a hermit and/or slide into hibernation until now!
All of the above, when this blog was in its heydays when people really enjoyed posting here and took a dig at each other, agreed to disagree, and vice-versa. All these were done in a civilized and classy manner. Things were doing swell, well at least they were until your client (ABIT) --- by-the-by, you'd make a terrible defense attorney with your client-choices & defense-line arguments --- stopped by and then all hell started breaking loose. Including but not limited to were his provoking people, telling them to leave if they didn't like this place, rape, slashing, rusty razor, and pedophilia - only revelation missing were his bestial fantasies.
Whatever!
Back to your new client (i, Bobo). Do me a favor. Spare me your smash-n-grab, spur-of-the-moment, appearances-laced, run-of-the-mill defense of i, Bobo. He can speak for himself, which I believe, he already did and gave up!
So?
Unless you have anything worthwhile to present here, based on the above, I really hate to bring this to your ignorant attention, but 9 out of 10 want ABIT banned from this community. In my book, this translates to a majority-win situation unless you use a different calculator to measure success.
Have a nice day!
Hemlock:
If I must continue to talk to you, I must now say I am anon@12.00 :) I see why it is good to have an online personality, even if no one knows who you are, so in reality you are still anonymous.
Now, about banning a blogger leading to banning bloggers gradually... You know, we somehow feel that rules are absolute. But no, they do need constant watching, which is what a good admin does. And which is what you seem to be doing, very well too :P Each time you apply that rule to a human being or a situation you have to weigh fairness or unfairness. You can't write a rule and then expect that somehow it will work without your putting human inputs in it. Rules make sense of our discomfort and unacceptables but they need to be used on a case to case basis, which is what is happening.
That is why the spirit of the law and letter of the law are not the same.
And if a UAE blog does talks about Muslims, racists, expats or nationals are you really surprised?
In real UAE life all these groups get talked (and bashed) about by others when they are not there.
Another reason to like this blog is that it seems to represent all these groups and their points of view - sometimes extreme points of view.
And didn't I hear someone say that the same blogger was banned two years ago.. Obviously it was not a life long thing so maybe one will see him back, till he decides to get rapped on the knuckles again (then again, what is that to someone who has done worse things to himself :P) Satire alert!
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