Discussions
Some Grievances with the Community
Posted by voodooKobra • 6/25/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: grievance, ranting
Let me state first and foremost that this is not in any way a complaint towards the BlogCatalog administrators, the BlogCatalog website, or anything of such nature. Breathe easy, guys, you're doing a fine job running this place.
My purpose in making this topic is to shed some light on some of the more frustrating antics and memes that the community as a whole cannot seem to move past, and to encourage you all to re-examine your behavior so as to be less annoying to new and old members alike.
Please use the Search feature.
- I know this is asking a lot from some of you, but we don't need 10 threads announcing the death of Michael Jackson. Just one or two will suffice, thanks. If a quick glance at the discussion board does not reveal how many threads currently exist, BC does have a search feature. Make use of it.
Please take note of the start dates of topics.
- While topic necromancy is not against the rules, it can sometimes be disruptive by opening old wounds, reviving old arguments or controversies, or simply resurrecting a thread that outlived its usefulness two years ago. Please, let them die.
Link dropping is a waste of time.
- Link drop threads used to be all the rage back in 2008. Eventually, the administrators and most of the members got sick of them so they fell out of favor with the community. If you want people to read your blog, give us a compelling reason. "I want to be noticed" is not a compelling reason. "I just discovered a cool and useful math trick" is a compelling reason.
That's all for now. Don't be surprised if I come back in a week and add like 10 more things to this list. That is, of course, assuming the other community members don't feel like injecting their own commentary (which I both welcome and encourage).
User Comments
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OK hands up i was guilty of the second one so don't kill me LOL-
Ya, but some of the old discussion threads, that aren't "hurting" anyone, fall into Category 1. So, it's more of a judegement call, wouldn't you say? -
I have no idea why my opinion was removed. IMHO it did not violate the community guidelines or the TOS so I'm posting it again.
No threads ever go "out of date" at BC. When it comes to resurrecting old threads I believe that the decision is one that ought to be based on examining one's motive for doing so.
(1) If any member has breaking news on a topic in an older thread, or has a point to share that has not previously been raised in the discussion in an older thread, then I think that resurrecting the thread and posting that information into it as a comment is a legitimate thing to do.
(2) But if one's motivation is to resurrect an older thread simply link drop into it then that's nor a legitimate thing to do. The community guidelines for forum posting provide no support for link dropping, and TonyB has already spoken with clarity on this issue.
No link dropping in Discussion Posts
TonyB on 2009-02-22 22:17:52
Your post will be removed if you drop your link in these discussions and it is clear that the only reason you are doing it is to get click throughs. So please do not ask why your post was removed… www.blogcatalog.com/discuss/entry/no-link-dropping-at-the-end-of-posts-in-d...
(3) A third scenario that appears to arise more frequently on weekends than it does during week days goes like this. A member arrives on the board and chooses to reactivate several of their older threads by posting inane comments totally lacking in substance into them. In this case the motive appears to be to restart the discussions in multiple threads simultaneously.
I observe that when any member chooses to restart several of their older threads within moments of each other, floods the board, and posts comments that lack breaking news and/or new points not previously raised in the discussion, they are more likely to provoke an negative exchange in the resurrected threads with other members than a positive one.
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Adsense and monetizing threads are a bit annoying also-
I find those threads the most annoying.
They are the equivalent of late night get rich quick infomercials. -
OMG. I know. What's worse? I fall for infomercials :X -
Agreed.
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Remind me to bump this thread in 2010.-
Hahaha. Nice one.
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Can I drop my link here?-
No!
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(compelling reason? hmmm!)
There's no other blog like mine at BlogCatalog. Absolutely unique. Come see for yourself. -
- Why link dropping is not in your best interest at BC
We can click any username here and arrive on a BC profile page (that counts for a BC view stat for the applicable member). We can then find the blog url on that BC profile page and click it (that counts for a BC hit stat for the applicable member). Those stats are considered and included in our BC blog rank. And our blogs are positioned in both the Directory and on the BC tag pages in accord with our BC blog rank.
See: What do the Blog Stats mean?
www.blogcatalog.com/help/
So every time you drop your blog link into a comment on this forum you are losing potential "BC blog rank juice", and you are breaking the guidelines for posting to this forum. The link dropping you do can and will be reported and Admin will remove the links you dropped. -
- Relevant links only
We are allowed to include a link to a post located on our site or on another site in a comment we post into a forum discussion thread, if and only if, the link is to information that directly relates to the subject matter in the thread, and is being posted for reference purposes.
We are NOT allowed to drop a signature link to our own blog into each comment we make in a discussion thread. We are NOT allowed to resurrect old forum threads solely for the purpose of dropping our own blog link(s) AKA "signature links" into them.
If it is clear that the only reason you are doing it is to get click throughs your link will be deleted. -
- Shameless Blog Promotion Category
The Shameless Blog Promotion Category is for posting a thread aimed at promoting your own blog, and ought to contain enough information in the OP to "hook" members reading it into wanting to:
* visit your blog and read your posts;
* leave comments on your posts;
* subscribe to your blog;
* and mark it as a BC favorite.
The Shameless Blog Promotion Category is NOT for posting a thread inviting other members to link drop into it - link drop threads are not allowed on this forum!
Using The Shameless Blog Promotion Category is for posting a thread aimed at has the added advantage of your blog promotion not getting lost in a long thread about other blogs, or in a long thread of general discussion about anything under the sun, except your blog.
Mastering the use of The Shameless Blog Promotion Category is for posting a thread aimed at for blog promotion is probably one of the two most effective things a member can do to promote their own blog on the BC forum.
Always include information that answers these questions:
(1) What do you blog about?
Include a blog description of about 25 words or so. This is important because all bloggers benefit from linking their blogs to related blogs.
(2) What is your brand?
What makes your blog unique from all the other blogs in your blogging niche?
(3) WIIFM? (What's in it for me?)
Why should another BC member visit your blog, read your posts, leave comments, subscribe to it, and mark it as a BC favorite?
Lastly, please keep in mind that the guidelines for posting to the BC forum found the sticky post at the head of the forum and titled: Read Before Posting apply to all threads posted to the forum. Therefore, that means that in order to escape being reported and deleted every thread posted to this forum must contain an attempt to initiate discussion www.blogcatalog.com/discuss/entry/read-before-posting-1 -
- I'll follow you - you follow me and I'll comment you - you comment me threads
Threads of this nature violate forum posting guidelines and are subject to reporting and deletion. Every thread posted to this discussion forum must motivated by the intent to initiate a discussion. Consequently, link only and drop your link threads are not allowed. -
This discussion should be a sticky.
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But then I won't be able to wait until 2010 to bump it!
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- Link exchanges
The Read Before Posting guidelines clearly state the link exchanges can only take place in groups. The link for locating groups is located on every BC Page. www.blogcatalog.com/groups
- New Blog Catalog Users Group
This group has been created for the purpose of posting resource threads to the group noticeboard aimed at introducing bloggers, who are new members of BC, to the basics of effective networking and blog promotion within the BC community.
Here is the link for the group www.blogcatalog.com/group/new-blog-catalog-users
Here is the link to the noticeboard posts www.blogcatalog.com/group/new-blog-catalog-users/discuss
Here's the link to the Help Required thread www.blogcatalog.com/group/new-blog-catalog-users/discuss/entry/help-require...
Please let me know what more I can do to help BC New Users. I promise that your feedback will be valued. -
My posts to this thread aren't grievances as much as they are attempts to provide some useful information and clarity for New BC Users. If there are other topics that arise in this thread that BC New Users ought to know about then I will be glad to write up posts on them for the group.
Below is the link to all to topics I have covered there so far. I would appreciate it if members who have been here for awhile checked them out and gave me feedback on them www.blogcatalog.com/group/new-blog-catalog-users/discuss -
Grievance:
Write your own content!
We have scrapers who steal content from other sites on the web and then have the temerity to post links in Shameless Blog Promotion to direct BC members to their stolen content so they can reap financial rewards from their ad programs.
There is nothing wrong with quoting material from another site as long as it is clearly identified as a quote, properly attributed, and only a part of the blog content. But to copy someone else's work and pass it off as your own is lazy, unethical, misleading to the BC community, and downright dishonest...not to mention a copyright violation and therefore illegal. Oh...and it violates BC's TOS as well!
If you can't be bothered to write your own content, please don't bother to post links to your stolen material.-
I second that.
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Copyright basics for bloggers
www.blogcatalog.com/group/new-blog-catalog-users/discuss/entry/copyright-ba...
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I do agree...however the search feature doesn't seem to be very good. Perhaps I don't know how to use it, but you can't seem to sort results by date or relevance so it's pretty hard to make use of it.
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@SiuilARuin
I think an additional search filter for date would be a good idea. Why not suggest that to Admin? -
because I'm scared of the admin...
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as you should be! JK, we don't bite. -
tonyB may lick you to death, tho'
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Also--everyone, please refrain from starting stupid discussions. Although now that college warrior isn't around, the general IQ of the board has gone up considerably.
But there are still a few! You know who you are !-
erm...I just started a discussion on fairies...do you mean me?
Also..what happened to CollegeWarrior? did he catch something from one of his conquests? -
Faeries is a fine topic. I approve of that.
The horizontal head has started a few of the type I am referring to! The one you told to piss off (which I seconded). -
I hope I helped raise, rather than lowered the IQ level!!! Then again, I'm not sure where it started at!!
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Collegwarrier is in a 12 step program to address his compulsion to blog about his sexual conquests-
Good let's hope he is successful.
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As someone new to BC, I really appreciate that users (for the most part) are interested and thinking participants. Timethief, you are a veritable encyclopedia of helpful information - I don't know how you do it, but it is great stuff. These discussions provide so much good info.-
I just noticed the 500+ seconds to edit a discussion post. What a cool feature that is! Now that should give the overly impulsive or flamethrowing poster a window of opportunity to reconsider. Or just spellcheck. Nice!
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Yes, we have a 10 minute editing window.
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Thank you for the kind words. I appreciate them. If there are other topics that need to be covered in the BC New Users group posts please let me know. I supplied the link above so everyone can check out what's there and let me know what's missing.
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Very good post! As someone new here I enjoy reading advice from others. Thanks again! -
I am shameless!!! but as a newbie I must bow to you and heed your advice -
good luck with your utopia-
What utopia? I don't see anything that voodookobra said that leads me to think he believes a utopia is possible or even desirable. I think he's focused on improvement and I do think that's possible. Don't you?
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your response is as ridiculous as my statement.
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excellent work voodoo, really nice presentation friend me and i'll freind you
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*Shudder* Oh man, I forgot about those.
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Well, I don't know if this is the spot to bring this up but what the hell...
I'm personally hate all these people who just decide add me as a friend just so they can boost their friends list.
Anything we can do about that?-
click the spam button...that is what I do
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Making Friends at BC
Instructions for adding friends and for adding blogs as favorites are found by clicking the Help link found on every BC page
www.blogcatalog.com/help/
(1) Prior approval of friend requests is not in place at Blog Catalog. If another member adds you as a friend you have the choice of reciprocating or not, as you so choose.
(2) You can delete any member that you previously added as a friend, but you cannot delete yourself when someone has added you as a friend and you prefer not to be added.
(3) On the BC profile page of those members who have added you as a friend you will see your avatar. If you reciprocate then your avatar will appear on their BC profile page under Friends.
(4) If you do not reciprocate then avatar of the member who added you as a friend will appear on their BC profile page under Is also a friend of.
From: www.blogcatalog.com/group/new-blog-catalog-users/discuss/entry/making-frien...
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You mean Michael Jackson is dead?-
what? when?!?
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And guys there is nothing wrong with being a little bit friendly. Come on we are a community of bloggers not wrestlers.
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yeah you guys!
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Sorry, I don't agree!!
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Makes sense to me guys! -
VoodooKobra,
I completely agree with your list of issues you cite. I can only hope that this thread will help educate some of the members here who continue to ask the same questions over and over, post to old dead threads, link dropping, and otherwise annoying actions that adds nothing to the BC community. -
It's crazy that there are so many violations of the terms. Pfft. -
- Click my ads - click fraud requests
Please do not post anywhere on the BC site requesting that other bloggers click your ads on your blogs. Doing so will prompt other members to report you to BC Admin as a spammer, and report you to Google Adsense for breaching their policies, which you agreed to, in order to get an account.
Requesting that other bloggers click your ads is called click fraud and it's a breach of Google Adsense policies and the Terms of Service. It can get you banned and blacklisted. www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=48182 -
Right, so if i kiss your ads? you will do it back?-
It's funny when people ask me that because I don't have any ads to kiss.
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Neither do I. I click "spam" on every one of these shouts and that way Admin is aware of which members are doing this.
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Kiss my ads!
That's right, pucker your lips and kiss my attention deficit syndrome, right...
Oh, look cookies. -
When someone tells me that they kissed my ads, I reply and ask them which ones they kissed (I don't have ads). They usually apologize after that.
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- twitter follower requests
The guidelines for forum posting at BC (See: sticky post at the head of the forum titled Read Before Posting) do not allow any link exchange requests in forum threads. Link exchange requests can only be made in groups.
BC has a large twitter group currently boasting 1732 members, wherein you can exchange links and
Ask to be followed,
Tell people why you Twitter,
Discuss alternatives to Twitter,
Discuss what to expect from Twitter,
Anything "Twitter" goes in the group.
Here's the link www.blogcatalog.com/group/twitter -
I necroposted something... am I gonna go to hell?
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My grievance is Agit8r
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that reminds me of a discussion topic....
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Agit8r.....why'd you change your avatar? The other one was better, even though I can't remember what it was.-
it was a gnome
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Theme: Have you ever found yourself posting to pot stirring griever threads to demonstrate your thoughtfulness? I have and that's why I am posting the following *note to self* into a thread I can have quick access to when I feel the urge to "engage".
- The power in failing to engage
By commenting at all consider that the result is bumping the thread to the top of the forum. In contrast a thread that receives no comments falls of the front page of the forum in an approximately one hour.
Consider also that increasing the comment count on such a thread may make that thread a candidate for dispaly on the BC front page.
Thirdly, consider that engaging over and over again, no matter how thoughtfully, may be assisting the member who posted the original thread a boost in forum participation that increases his/her blog's BC Page Rank.
If you want to see a thread die - don't feed it. Why risk stating a POV and being reported for being rude, even if you weren't? Why engage and risk inadvertently creating ill will, when failure to engage will result in a thread falling off the front page of the forum in an hour? As an individuals and collectively remember that members of the BC community have all the power required to telegraph their displeasure and that power amounts to failure to engage.-
But, tt, by giving thoughtful replies, you turn it into a thoughtful thread. Things have the meaning we give them.
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I think you are alone on this one
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Wouldn't be the first time.
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@nothingprofound
I don't have the inclination to be a caretaker or a savior of these threads. Perhaps others do and in that case they are free to continue what they have been doing.
It's my POV that members who post griever threads don't appear to learn anything when other thoughtful members and/or mockers and/or threadjackers comment in them. When members rush in what I observe happening is arguments.
When all arguing is said and done what I witness is that those who argued, including the originator of the thread, click out still holding their own unchanged POV but even more strongly due to the emotional investment they made in the argument.
It's my POV that shunning is very effective when it comes to teaching lessons; it speaks louder than words do.
That's why I made my personal decision and why I made a note to myself above in this handy thread I can readily access, if and when I feel the the urge to post comments. -
I think the community should function freely without having to take orders.
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Can I have fries with that order?
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Hey, the monkey's back!
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@tt: I feel the threads are what I make them. I get out of them what I put into them, and that's the only part that concerns me. I'm not responsible how others behave, I can only express my own opinion. I find something good comes out of every discussion, at least from my point of view. I walk away with a new thought, a new insight into myself, a new slant on things.
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- @nothingprofound
Thanks for your response to my public posting of my *note to self*. I appreciate your feedback.
We BC members are adults who all make our own individual decisions regarding which threads to comment in and what to say when we do. Since I became a member last year I have frequently faced an internal "what to do?" struggle.
Looking back I feel there were often occasions when I made the wrong decision by wading in and sharing my POV on the kind of threads I refer to above. Today, I felt the time had come for me to make a personal decision and to share it.
I believe I fully understand your position and your reasoning for it too, and I most certainly respect it, just as I will respect every other member's personal decision. Maybe one day I will share the same POV with you, maybe not. The wonderful thing about decisions is that we can always make adjustments to them, if and when we have more knowledge and wisdom, and feel the need to make changes.
I have thought deeply about this for a long time. Today, I feel that failure to engage is the way for me to go. As it's a new course of action for me I will be referring to this thread when I feel the need to read my *note to self*.
Thanks again for being a friend and sharing with me. -
Wrong place.
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No problem
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tt, you have a great sideview in that new avatar. Just thought I'd say that.
Hey, that could have been a tweet. -
- Your BC Blog Rank
Locating your BC blog rank
Go to your BC Profile page and click "Manage Blogs". When the page opens you will see your BC blog rank.
* Blog Rank: ___ of 100
* Recent Views: ___
* Recent Hits: ___
* Total Views: ___
* Total Hits: ___
What do the BC Blog Stats mean?
Blog Rank - a special formula that analyzes your hits, views, comments, neighborhood members and other special secret ingredients to create a numeric score based on a 100 point scale.
Your Blog Rank is primarily used to determine the order blogs appear in our Directory and Search Results. The higher your score the better your placement.
Views - The number of unique visitors that have looked at your BlogCatalog listing
Hits - The number of unique visitors that have clicked through to your blog from BlogCatalog.
From: www.blogcatalog.com/help/
Factors
The BC Blog Ranks are updated every Sunday at midnight when they start from ZERO (0) again. In any given week the following factors appear to be factors in the BC Blog Rank calculation:
* the number of friends you have marked, and the numbers of members who have marked you as a friend;
* the number of neighborhoods you have joined by adding blogs as favorites, and the number of members who have added your blog as a favorite and joined your neighborhood;
* the number of blogs you have rated and reviewed;
the number of members who have have rated and reviewed your blog and the values given;
* your forum presence and what you offer there to the community.
Not all of the factors that go into the BC blog rank calculation algorithm are made known to members, as if they were, then members would "game the system". The BC blog rank is internal only. It does not affect your blog's Google page rank, Alexa rankings, etc.
Boosting your BC Blog Rank
tigerbeat.blogcatalog.com/post/35037361/boosting-your-blogrank -
Currently the unfair banning of doll and lisa reminds me of the unfair banning of bennygreeenberg and kellybax...
Other than that I do not have any grievances...-
Off with their heads!
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That kind of grievance will get you dubbed a dreaming llama.
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Michael Jackson died? 0_0
JK
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