Soapbox

On the front page of OM this article is called the Latest Blogging Highlights.

It does seem quite strange that a blog entry that calls a very thinly disguised OM member an aggressor and a tosser is hardly what I would call a highlight. Especially when the post goes on to say "the blogger community has managed to avoid this conflict and nastiness". This seems to be very contradictory when it appears in consecutive sentences.

I am active in the photoblogging community and have never come across these sorts of insults or negative personal comments about another person in a photoblog. Ever.

The only article I can find is "All Blogged Up" so I'll assume thats the one you mean?

It's a little strange you choose to repeat the comments. But I've yet to track down quite those specific terms despite a quick search across a few blogs.
Or perhaps you meant the comments left on them?

But as to contradiction. No. The second comment does not neccessarily contradict the first. It's just a different fact.

As to photoblogging it would be interesting to see your work, but unfortunately your profile details are private.

However if you've "never come across these sorts of insults or negative personal comments about another person in a photoblog. Ever" I hope you appreciate how tremendously lucky you seem to have been.

Forums & Blogs are very different environments. Thats why Forums have moderator.

Is your criticism of the blogger, blogging, OM or what?

John,

I'm afraid you lost me a little here. I choose to repeat the comments because it's me being attacked. The blog entry is one of the ones directly linked to from the article - in fact, here is the full quote in case you can't find it.

" .... talks about the current air of hostility that seems to be filtering some of the threads on the OM forums. Having been on the receiving end myself of one or two barbed comments (recently and in the past), and I have to say I have also given as good as I got (although this in no way justifies my behavior at the time). One of those aggressors was up until one point some one I knew and considered a friend. Luckily I now have come to my senses and consider that foamy person a complete t**ser."

It seems to me contradictory that someone can make inflammatory comments like this on a publicly read blog and then state openly that "the blogger community has managed to avoid this conflict and nastiness"

Linking to this directly from the OM front page cannot fail to cause conflict.


Is your criticism of the blogger, blogging, OM or what?
In response to this, OM is not responsible for the content of articles linked to remotely. Also as I said, I am an active photoblogger so have absolutely nothing against bloggers. But I do find it very sad that blogging, which is a fantastic resource, is reduced to personal insults.

As to our own photoblogging work, if you wish to see it I'll stick a link up later. Many regular posters here are already familiar with it. We've been running the blog for 18 months, we reply to between 20 and 40 comments daily and in that time have never received a personal insult and have never read a personal insult on any other photoblogs we visit.

I would like to see it, if only to see what a "foamy person" is. I live a very sheltered life.

John

John, it's a reference to someone's former forum nickname.

Ah, thanks Ninja. I'm afraid my imagination was running away with me.....

What's with all the cat photos?

He is our very elderly and much-loved pet.
Many folk have an animal avatar.

like me! :)

although, he's not a pet

can't bob put a more specific link to the comments made? it's all a bit confusing this

Removed. I was on about a different post. :O)

Here's that link you wanted anyway, Oot. The post dated 29th May.

Thanks Bob C/Mad Jim for the response on this. I can see specifically what you're getting at now.

As regular OMers hopefully understand, after last week's shenanigans there's a certain air of hypersensitivity around here at present until the forum settles back to its normal good humour. And it will of course.

But that doesn't mean that certain individuals have forgotten that they felt personally attacked on a public forum and will react in their own way. Some noticeable ones have left specifically because of these events, which is a loss really for the rest of us.

Bob - I would have thought the blog was more the place to respond. But I see the OM links to blogs vary in whether they go the the blog main page, or a specific article(which explains why some of my page hits suddenly rise at the weekend)
In the case in question its the main page.

I'll let the person concerned chop in with their own response, if they so desire;

But from my viewpoint as to the 'blogger community' comment ...... I took it to relate to the good sense of cameradery across the blogs, and between respective bloggers.

There's some caustic humour of course, but that pops up on here as well.

Looking forward to your link when you put it up as I've not really dug into the photoblogging side much and it seems a good place to start.

Looking forward to your link when you put it up as I've not really dug into the photoblogging side much and it seems a good place to start.


You could do a lot worse, John Hee. Bob C's photoblog is well worth a visit.

Anyhoo, I've just started a blog but I can't for the life of me think that anyone would find it remotely interesting!

Sorry, I have no knowledge of the problems referred to above. Hope whoever was affected can rise above it.

Thanks John. I didn't feel a need to respond to the blog as what people write in their blogs is their own business and I don't really think it deserves a response.

But what I do object to quite strongly is that by linking into this blog, OM are directing readers in the direction of personal insults. This is the sort of thing that causes further argument and is really quite unneccessary.

Ahh, I've just read through this properly and followed the links....now I understand.

IMO, anyone affected by OM links to such comments would have justification in making a formal complaint to OM about the person who wrote the article containg the link. At best, it would seem such an article, or link, may not have been researched properly before it was posted on OM.

OK, I've removed that link from the article and just so it's clear, I actually included that link rather than Darren, though to be honest, the soapy reference flew completely over my head and I suspect the same would be true of most readers.

I apologise for any offence caused and I'll do my best to ensure that we don't link to anything similar in future.

Thanks for that Jon.

Lord o'C - you've got mail

Jon - Ooooo you used the D word which we've all so carefully avoided so far.
;-)

If it's any consolation that looked like the worst blog.

John, interesting article. I suffer from depression and I do find that sweet outdoor activity is helpful. But there is often the problem of finding the energy and motivation in the first place if one is feeling particularly low. I'm glad my walk to work takes me along a canal with plenty of birdlife.

Motivation - yep thats always the biggy where depression is concerned. Willpower just doesn't seem to be there.

The best approach is a bit by bit. The first step is always the biggest

The first step is always the biggest

I always find the step after a break to be more difficult.

If I do something, then I do it (e.g. "BG, you're a bearded git, get used to it"). But once I stop, then getting back into something is a bind.

Like after the recent nonsense, I've stopped posting on OM as I can't be bothered with the air of pickiness, etc. I get that elsewhere.

So I write replies, and then I close the page instead of pressing submit.

> So I write replies, and then I close the page instead of pressing submit.

<d'oh!>

;-)