Blog Floggers

Worldwalker · 04-02-2011, 11:14 AM

We seem to be getting a problem with people posting links to their blogs (usually with little/nothing else) in the Writer's Corner. We've had three in the past few hours. Their excuse would be, I suspect, that they don't know the forums well enough to understand where to post -- and they probably don't, as they seem "drive-by bombers" who just stop in to post their ads, rather than actual forum participants. Either that, or they're too stupid to understand the difference between "discussions between/about/for writers" and "self-promotion of blogs" and why one is appropriate in a writers' area and one isn't.

I think the subtitle of the Self-Promo section should be updated to mention blogs as well as books, so that there's something more solid to attract the blog advertisers to that area, and to the blog linkage thread within it. Another possibility might be -- depending on how much MR wants to get into sending people to other websites -- to add a Blog Self-Promo section for those posts.

kindlekitten · 04-02-2011, 12:14 PM

are you reporting them as spam?

ATDrake · 04-02-2011, 01:24 PM

This is a much more charitable suggestion than my immediate thought, which was just to delete the individual posts with a cut-and-paste PM "why your post was deleted" explanation.

After all, the MR Self-Promo forum guidelines state outright that blog post announcements are to go in the blog post announcement thread. And if self-promoters don't bother reading the guidelines posted at the very top with a "please read this" title, then I don't need to bother reading whatever it is they have to promote*.

Hopefully altering the forum subtitle to include "bloggers" will help alleviate the problem.

I'd also suggest altering the title of the Self-Promo forum "Welcome authors" guideline post to explicitly include publishers and bloggers, and perhaps also an "updated on UMPTY-UMP-UMP" in case someone read it once a long time ago and things have changed in the meantime. And a link to that post in the regular MR guidelines in the section which addresses when and where product-pushing is in/appropriate might possibly be useful.

* Alternatively, they may just think they're too ~special~ for the guidelines to apply, in which case I definitely don't need to read their words.

poohbear_nc · 04-03-2011, 10:08 AM

We have found that in general "drive by" posters rarely read the Guidelines or Forum Descriptions. This is an on-going issue that the mods are currently dealing with. Please report inappropriate posts to us, and we will relocate them - either to a "Shameless" thread, or to the great beyond. Members' reports really help the mods to clean up the forums and identify & remove spammers.

DixieGal · 04-03-2011, 10:14 AM

What a great name for a band!

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE WELCOME TO THE STAGE THE BLOG FLOGGERS!! (wild cheers, applause, and flying underwear)

Worldwalker · 04-03-2011, 10:15 AM

I've been reporting them, naturally, and the mods eventually deal with them. A small subtitle change, though, might lessen the mods' workload, which would be a good thing.

nohmi2 · 04-04-2011, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DixieGal

What a great name for a band!

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE WELCOME TO THE STAGE THE BLOG FLOGGERS!! (wild cheers, applause, and flying underwear)

And that gave me my giggle of the day.

Cheers

GeoffC · 04-04-2011, 06:52 AM

I thought the thread was about getting out the whip to miscreants who pop in and out of the forum willy-nilly just to drop us a line or two.

Worldwalker · 04-06-2011, 02:29 PM

Part of the problem seems to be an inconsistency in mods' actions. Sometimes a blog-promotion post is moved. Sometimes it's allowed to stay. I think if someone has replied there's more of a chance of the latter, but I'm not even sure.

Why are any threads that say "I just wrote about X in my blog, here's a link, go read it" allowed in the Writer's Corner on MobileRead?

If someone wants to write about X, they should write a post about X. If someone wants to get discussion going on their blog, they should post in the self-promo area where blog promos are appropriate. Spamming up Writer's Corner with blog advertisements is defeating the entire purpose of not only those two sections but MobileRead itself, and allowing it to continue is unfair to the posters who do it the right way.

04-02-2011, 11:14 AM	#1
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	Blog Floggers We seem to be getting a problem with people posting links to their blogs (usually with little/nothing else) in the Writer's Corner. We've had three in the past few hours. Their excuse would be, I suspect, that they don't know the forums well enough to understand where to post -- and they probably don't, as they seem "drive-by bombers" who just stop in to post their ads, rather than actual forum participants. Either that, or they're too stupid to understand the difference between "discussions between/about/for writers" and "self-promotion of blogs" and why one is appropriate in a writers' area and one isn't. I think the subtitle of the Self-Promo section should be updated to mention blogs as well as books, so that there's something more solid to attract the blog advertisers to that area, and to the blog linkage thread within it. Another possibility might be -- depending on how much MR wants to get into sending people to other websites -- to add a Blog Self-Promo section for those posts.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
I need blog help	TXcop907	Amazon Kindle	4	03-21-2011 02:25 PM
new to blog	pemmike	Introduce Yourself	6	01-03-2011 05:39 AM
Blog	AlexRupflin	Deutsches Forum	10	12-24-2008 04:05 AM
My first Blog....ever	AJ Starr	Introduce Yourself	7	05-23-2008 02:55 AM

04-02-2011, 12:14 PM	#2
kindlekitten Professional Adventuress Posts: 13,368 Karma: 50260224 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: The Olympic Peninsula on the OTHER Washington! (the big green clean one on the west coast!) Device: Kindle, the original! Times Two! and gifting an International Kindle	are you reporting them as spam?

04-02-2011, 01:24 PM	#3
ATDrake Wizzard Posts: 11,517 Karma: 33048258 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Roundworld Device: Kindle 2 International, Sony PRS-T1, BlackBerry PlayBook, Acer Iconia	This is a much more charitable suggestion than my immediate thought, which was just to delete the individual posts with a cut-and-paste PM "why your post was deleted" explanation. After all, the MR Self-Promo forum guidelines state outright that blog post announcements are to go in the blog post announcement thread. And if self-promoters don't bother reading the guidelines posted at the very top with a "please read this" title, then I don't need to bother reading whatever it is they have to promote. Hopefully altering the forum subtitle to include "bloggers" will help alleviate the problem. I'd also suggest altering the title of the Self-Promo forum "Welcome authors" guideline post to explicitly include publishers and bloggers, and perhaps also an "updated on UMPTY-UMP-UMP" in case someone read it once a long time ago and things have changed in the meantime. And a link to that post in the regular MR guidelines in the section which addresses when and where product-pushing is in/appropriate might possibly be useful. Alternatively, they may just think they're too ~special~ for the guidelines to apply, in which case I definitely don't need to read their words.

04-03-2011, 10:08 AM	#4
poohbear_nc Bah! Humbug! Posts: 63,398 Karma: 135239851 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	We have found that in general "drive by" posters rarely read the Guidelines or Forum Descriptions. This is an on-going issue that the mods are currently dealing with. Please report inappropriate posts to us, and we will relocate them - either to a "Shameless" thread, or to the great beyond. Members' reports really help the mods to clean up the forums and identify & remove spammers.

04-03-2011, 10:14 AM	#5
DixieGal Hi There! Posts: 7,473 Karma: 2930523 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ft Lauderdale Device: iPad	What a great name for a band! "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE WELCOME TO THE STAGE THE BLOG FLOGGERS!! (wild cheers, applause, and flying underwear)

04-03-2011, 10:15 AM	#6
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	I've been reporting them, naturally, and the mods eventually deal with them. A small subtitle change, though, might lessen the mods' workload, which would be a good thing.

04-04-2011, 06:52 AM	#8
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,599 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	I thought the thread was about getting out the whip to miscreants who pop in and out of the forum willy-nilly just to drop us a line or two.

04-06-2011, 02:29 PM	#9
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	Part of the problem seems to be an inconsistency in mods' actions. Sometimes a blog-promotion post is moved. Sometimes it's allowed to stay. I think if someone has replied there's more of a chance of the latter, but I'm not even sure. Why are any threads that say "I just wrote about X in my blog, here's a link, go read it" allowed in the Writer's Corner on MobileRead? If someone wants to write about X, they should write a post about X. If someone wants to get discussion going on their blog, they should post in the self-promo area where blog promos are appropriate. Spamming up Writer's Corner with blog advertisements is defeating the entire purpose of not only those two sections but MobileRead itself, and allowing it to continue is unfair to the posters who do it the right way.

Advert

Advert