Blogging advice
Linking helps. In fact, I hear you can have a moderately successful blog by linking to lots of stuff. And this:
The truth is I see you doing the same thing that many anti-rights cultists do; assuming the pro-rights community is a monolithic block marching in lock step.
August 19th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
Now you’re just being mean.
August 19th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Not at all. I think it’s a valid point. Perception and all. A link is how bloggers say “hey there” to one another. A courtesy.
And the tone of your post did imply the blogs were marching lock step. You may not have meant it that way but it’s how it’s perceived. I certainly took it that way and I have no knowledge of any sort of blacklist.
August 19th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
As a mere commenter on blogs, without one of mine own, I have emailed Mr. Farago and asked for his evidence of blacklisting and his list of those bloggers involved.
I plan to email or comment at every site he tells me is involved in the blacklist, detail the evidence he provides and ask them if they are blacklisting his website. Then I will comment on the responses as seems appropriate.
Taking weblogs to an entirely new metastate of indirect communication with others.
August 19th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
Blacklist trolling? I am a bit of drive-by commenter, but that’s mainly because, 1.) there’s just too many gun blogs I prefer to read and comment where I do follow as best I can, 2.) I’m not in the same commercial-class as TTAG and I don’t read them or the commercial-class “blogs” anyhow and, 3.) I don’t get much of the MikeB3000-or whoever he is today sock-puppet anti-gun comment-traffic since I’m #2.) and, 4.) I’ts my own personal non-commercial blog that happens to be a part of the greater Gunblogger community but it’s not an exclusive part of my blog-identity, and 5.) I’m not really interested in the “change their mind” ACTIVISM PART OF THIS – I grew up among the Left AS A ANTI-GUN LEFTY and know their hardened attitudes intimately – and I can just do well enough without them in my life anymore.
I link to my friends not my enemies, and not to business-class commercial enterprise-sized entities.
August 19th, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Mr. Farago replied to my email, and I to his, as follows:
——————————————————————————–
From: ROBERT FARAGO
To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Fri, August 19, 2011 11:32:11 AM
Subject: Re: Blacklist
Uh, no. I’ll only discuss the situation in detail off the record with people willing to do so after having fully identified themselves.
My unimpeachable source IDed the sites under the condition that I agreed not to name the sites in question. I agreed so as not to frag fellow gun bloggers. Out of respect (read the original post).
I appreciate the contradiction. I understand your skepticism. But that’s how I’m rolling on this one.
RF
And my response:
A big, bold post like yours about a blacklist requires big, bold proof, or nobody will believe it.
Personally, to post such an accusation knowing full well you would not or could not demonstrate its veracity is foolish in the extreme, as well as insulting to your readers.
Thanks anyway.
Mike
August 19th, 2011 at 1:36 pm
Mr. Farago replied to my email, and I to his, as follows:
From: ROBERT FARAGO
To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Fri, August 19, 2011 11:32:11 AM
Subject: Re: Blacklist
Uh, no. I’ll only discuss the situation in detail off the record with people willing to do so after having fully identified themselves.
My unimpeachable source IDed the sites under the condition that I agreed not to name the sites in question. I agreed so as not to frag fellow gun bloggers. Out of respect (read the original post).
I appreciate the contradiction. I understand your skepticism. But that’s how I’m rolling on this one.
RF
And my response:
A big, bold post like yours about a blacklist requires big, bold proof, or nobody will believe it.
Personally, to post such an accusation knowing full well you would not or could not demonstrate its veracity is foolish in the extreme, as well as insulting to your readers.
Thanks anyway.
Mike
August 19th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
Linking is a two-way street. Jeff Jarvis, one of the few old school journalists who “gets” new media came up with the phrase “the link economy” to describe what matters online.
I’m an active commenter over at TTAG, and I’ve benefited from links from Say Uncle. One of the truisms about all things internet related is “show me the proof”. Anyone can say they have information about a secret list of x and so, but until said list is made public, it’s just one person posting pixels.
Was/is there a group of blogs blacklisting TTAG? Probably. Who are they? Dunno. Does writing a post about a blacklist without producing evidence of said blacklist harm a blog’s standing on the web? Probably.
I understand that being “blacklisted” ain’t a good thing, but posting about it without calling out the specific people involved doesn’t help remove the underlying causes and comes off, if I may say so, (banning in 3..2..1.. 🙂 ) as a little self-righteous and indignant. Sorry, RF, but I calls ’em as I sees ’em, and I love your blog, but nobody bats 1.000, and the blacklist post was a swing and a miss.
RF and his crew have done yeoman duty on Fast and Furious and run a good ship. Different than this blog, different than my blog, and different is good. let’s dave our powder for the antis, shall we?
August 19th, 2011 at 1:38 pm
And by “dave” I mean “save”, of course.
Durn rented fingers…
August 19th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
What do you mean you don’t know about the big blacklist maintained by the NRA…..?????
August 19th, 2011 at 3:27 pm
I just joined the blacklist-list, because I found and proved that RF’s comment “For the record, we do not lift entire posts” was patently false, over on the other thread here at Say Uncle.
August 19th, 2011 at 5:27 pm
Where’s Righthaven when you really need them? 😉
August 19th, 2011 at 8:52 pm
I was going to comment to Uncle when he said no-one links to him because he’s the reigning Link-King and I don’t mean sausage. People come here first. Also, I’d link to you (and have), but the extra 20 posts you’d get probably wouldn’t be noticed much.
August 20th, 2011 at 12:47 am
Blacklist? The concept doesn’t make sense when applied to blogs. After all, on the int3rtubz, you can easily … just go somewhere else.
August 20th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
Tam’s got the right idea.
August 20th, 2011 at 2:07 pm
I meant Roberta X.
August 21st, 2011 at 9:39 pm
As I’ve posted elsewhere, the post lifted from Tam was a mistake. I’ve apologized, instructed the author to avoid making the same mistake again and made a mental note to be more vigilant. More that that I cannot do. Unless you can think of something. Non-obscene, preferably.
August 22nd, 2011 at 12:04 am
Thanks for the advise.
August 22nd, 2011 at 12:06 am
Wrong website…http://powsharesintoswords.blogspot.com/
August 22nd, 2011 at 6:36 pm
How bout you not be condescending to original authors when you’re caught thieving?
Can we at least get that?