Walt and I had some dude go off on us about how we suck and our Web site sucks and what not. This included the usual bits about how our sites will die off and no one cares. This has in fact been something to expect after 12 years (that's like 80 in Internet time), and I'm sure it's not the last time.
But there are things that I still don't understand. I don't get why people stick around with something they clearly hate. When I don't like something, I avoid it. This is the reason, for example, that I don't stand out in the rain when it's cold. But for whatever reason, if it's an Internet community, that logic goes away.
I also don't understand why people obsess over personalities they encounter on the Web. I have to admit, ten years ago, if someone called me out, I would respond emotionally. That's normal when someone tries to bad mouth something that you spend a lot of time on, I suppose, but it doesn't take long before you realize that any individual giving you grief in the context of thousands of daily visitors isn't really someone worth spending a lot of time on.
You try to set the expectation over time that the community polices itself, and you're just another person who participates. This works pretty well, and I think the number of people we've had to can over the years is pretty small. If you let grown ups be grown ups, the community takes care of itself. Some people still decide to challenge your rules, and you have to bounce them, but it's pretty rare. The bizarre thing is that some will take it personally, exhibiting an emotional investment far greater than your own. I remember running into a guy at an event that we bounced years before, and he was still pissed about it. I couldn't even tell you what he did, but he thought it was personal.
But it's that very phenomenon that runs rampant in countless online communities of countless interests. Some people are drawn to the "man behind the curtain" as if they're some kind of micro-celebrity. The online community is just the gateway to follow these people, and it's weird. As you might expect, it draws all kinds of drama and stupidity, and of course no shortage of pageviews either. There's some desire to challenge authority, or worship it, in an effort to assert that you're part of the crowd, or proudly not a part of it. I'm no stranger to these desires... in high school. I think a lot of people never outgrow that.
I certainly try to cultivate an image and a "brand," if you will, but mostly in the context of my personal life experiences for my friends, and my professional experiences for, uh, my profession. I have no interest in doing so in the communities I participate in. I did that a bit a decade ago, and it was a waste of time. Whether it's roller coasters or photography or video gear communities, there's just no value in it.
Hopefully we've had our one "you're all bastards!" guy for the year. We've got stuff to do!
Great post... very insightful. You probably don't remember, but you actually banned me from CB once after I made a (admittedly insensitive, almost racist) comment about Asians. Good times being an idiotic teenager.
Luckily I was able to re-register after one of your major overhauls and I've been behaving myself ever since. :-P
"But there are things that I still don't understand. I don't get why people stick around with something they clearly hate. When I don't like something, I avoid it. This is the reason, for example, that I don't stand out in the rain when it's cold. But for whatever reason, if it's an Internet community, that logic goes away."
1. You wrote a whole blog post about me. I'm flattered.
2. I reached out to you twice about your members. twice you rejected it. So going off on a blog and using metaphors to try and sound whimsical about how you shouldn't stick around when you don't like something does not apply here.
3. "I also don't understand why people obsess over personalities they encounter on the Web." Do a case study on yourself. You just wrote a whole blog post about me which you can file under "obsessing over a personality"
4. You did not bounce me under your own doing. I told Walt and I quote (I saved the screen shots, so stop lying) "You have a keyboard and most likely admin rights, now get me out of here."
Thanks though, I'm flattered and the service you offer through Coasterbuzz is not worth it. I'll be letting everyone know.
Also, I should include that I never said your site would "die off and no one cares" It appears you have the same reading (see: Lying) problem your members have.
I would very much. Any opportunity to point out your lying problem will make me very happy.
However, by saying it is not about me shows that I'm not the only one who told you and Walt yesterday how badly you fail at running a reputable site with an educated member base.
So you're either lying, or trying to save face.
Just wondering if you're going to man up and tell the truth. Telling people you bounced me, telling them I said the site "would die and no one cares", pretending to give some sage advice while being an offending party isn't correct at all. I just don't appreciate people lying or making things up to suit their outlandish stories.
I won't tell you this isn't about you, because it is. Your constant bashing (read: feeling threatened) of screamscape and your blog illustrates my point perfectly. Not well, just perfect.
So you take screen shots, stalk me on my blog, and accuse me of lying (I'm not even sure what about)... and that's totally normal. OK.
I said it before, and I'll say it again. People have been predicting the end for years, and our sites have never stopped growing in terms of revenue and visitors. Sure, there have been seasonal ups and downs, and economic variances, but the long term trend has been positive, and I see no reason why that won't continue.
For the record, we don't "feel threatened" by anyone. I don't care, and don't view as competition, anything that anyone else is doing. Ten years ago I would've described that differently, but not today. Besides, this is a hobby... how much time do you think we spend thinking about this? Or you?
I think you need to lookup the definition of stalking. That word doesn't mean you think it means. the screenshots are posts that were deleted when I asked you to delete my account. That way I have proof of things you mentioned in this blog that were never said. I noticed you twist words around to suit your argument. I'm not going to let that happen.
You keep going on and on about your user base and membership statistics. I don't understand why because I never mentioned anything about that. obviously you do you feel threatened to keep mentioning something that I never brought up.
if it's just a hobby and not that important why the long winded blog post? You are a proving to me that you're spending more time on it then you lead on.
I think we're looking at #6 here:
http://www.cracked.com/funny-3809-internet-argument-techniques/
Funny because I thought the same thing when I saw the post by Pancakes.
I think Pancakes and Jeff are #5
For someone who claims not to care, you sure are putting a lot of effort into it. Call me crazy, but it's a lot of effort to make shit up, come up with ludicrous stalking claims and make up a profile to post responses than it is to tell the truth.
"how much time do you think we spend thinking about this? Or you?"
At least an hour so far.
Hey look! another poorly thought out lame dick joke. I thought I was at Jeffputz.com not pointbuzz.com
Make that an hour and five minutes. There is no way you came up with that witty one line zinger in less time than that.