Bloggernacle as Middle Ground

J. posted about the angst of Mormon dissenters over at BCC and a mild kerfuffle ensued when DAMU visitors took exception. JDC may have revved it up a bit with "My enemies list" (an odd title for a post that supposedly tried to explain why there was really nothing to argue about). Since DMI came up in the first post, I thought I would reply and announce a couple of related blogroll changes here.

First, I eliminated the controversial "Borderlands" typelist from my sidebar. Several entries were defunct anyway. Of the three survivors, Sunstone Blog is now a full-fledged link in Group Blogs, and the other two are now in my newly rechristened "Solo Blogs" (see well down the right sidebar). Solo Blogs has B'nacle blogs, non-B' nacle LDS blogs, DAMU blogs, secular blogs, Christian blogs, even an anti-Christian blog. Like ebony and ivory, living together in perfect harmony, right there on my sidebar. It's not intended to be a comprehensive list of solo blogs, of course. Try MA for the B'nacle and Equality Time for DAMU if you want longer lists.

Comments

[Equality]

Dave,

Thanks for the plug--you've boosted my traffic somewhat. BTW, just a follow up to the Angst thread at BCC. It appears that BCC has queued or banned me altogether. Not sure why. Haven't been able to post there since yesterday morning. Which is weird, since I thought the discussion ended on a positive note.

[HP/JDC]

In the post, I was trying to figure out how I decide who is on my enemies list and how the bloggernacle does the same. I think that the nature of the forum means that we will always have "enemies" because not enough information can be communicated over the internet. Missing information would soften hard words and help people discern the intent behind questions. Also, I just don't like some people.

[Equality]

HP/JDC:

Am I one of the people you "just don't like"? Is that why I have apparently been banned from BCC?

[HP]

Equality, to my knowledge you haven't been banned from BCC. I will investigate and get back to you.

[HP]

Equality, you have not been banned, although you are in the mod queue. If you wish to discuss your status, please contact the admins at BCC (of which I am not one) directly. As to whether or not I like you personally, it doesn't matter as I do not have banning power and don't normally ask for people to be banned. Also, it is hard to say because internet discussion is the forum in which I know you. I have no idea what you are like in real life; it is entirely possible that in another forum we would get along swimmingly. That said, if you really want to know, I will tell you directly.

[HP]

Also, apparently, your comments were caught by our spam filter. We're looking into it.

[Equality]

HP,

Interesting. I wonder, is the "mod queue" the Bloggernacle's version of purgatory? Can my friend Mayan Elephant buy an indulgence that will secure my release?

[Equality]

HP,

The spam filter probably caught a comment that I tried to post a second time (as it didn't show up the first time). Then later I tried a third time and tried a separate comment this morning. What I find funny about your advice to me to contact an admin at BCC is that the site does not appear to identify who the admins are. Nor does it give out any email addresses for them. So, I suppose I could leave a comment asking why I am not able to comment, but you see the difficulty I would have in accomplishing that feat. It's all rather amusing to me.

[HP]

try info [at] bycommonconsent [dot] com

[Equality]

Thanks, HP. I sent an email to said address. Received an autoreply indicating that my email has also been queued. Heh.

[Equality]

Looks like my comment did finally make it through at BCC--it just didn't show up in the comments listed on the sidebar for some reason.

[Steve EM]

BCC is a sham that promotes itself as welcoming to free thinkers when it is among the most orthodox of blogs regarding comment restrictions. Ironically, M* is the runaway best big blog for free thinkers.

I was banned from BCC for a time for using profanity at my own blog against Prudence Brown after he called my Ma a ho. Ok, he's Steve Evans buddy, so I got that. But this year I was put on BCC moderation for the high crime of comparing our GAs to W as all asleep at the switch. I was told it would be for a short time and to lay off the GAs. After several months, I again petitioned to get off moderation after they kicked a compliment I gave BKP for his conference talk (they just saw my name and BKP and assummed it was derogatory). There was an indication moderation would be lifted in a week. I again petitioned after two weeks and was informed moderation would continue indefinitely. There were also a hint that I was part of the DAMU and my nacle handle didn't help things. So, in a nut shell, BCC has some nice posts, but given their intolerance to straight shooting commenters, and since it's been made clear I'm not welcome there, I'm done with them.

[danithew]

Hmmm ... I'm sort of in blog heaven ... or below it. All by mah seff.

[Dave]

danithew, for now you're in blog limbo. If I ever get around to putting a "Blog Hell" list below the present "Blog Heaven" list, then you'll be in blog purgatory.

[Matt Thurston]

Cool. I feel like our small country (SSB) has just been recognized by the United Nations or something. Do we get a plaque? Or at least a Bloggernacle Certificate?

[Dave]

In fairness to BCC, I'll note that when I was a permablogger there (through early 2006) they had a wide-open, anything goes comment policy. If the policy has changed, it's only because they got tired of dealing with rude comments or because they started losing the kinder and gentler commenters. At least that's my guess. I'll let BCC speak for itself.

[HP]

BCC still doesn't have a written policy. So mostly its whether/how you tick us off.

[annegb]

yes, well, (and think who says that a lot on two blogs, I know this person's secret because I'm extraordinarily intuitive, also psychic), I don't see my blog anywhere. But that's okay, you're still on my friends list, Dave.

One thing I think is funny about all this is that Steve Evans has been banned from Times and Seasons. I have no idea why, I just heard it somewhere. I didn't get in the fight, whatever it was. We are such a bickering lot, are we not?

[danithew]

Blog Limbo ... maybe that should be an official title. Blog Hell sounds funny too. Makes me laugh.

[DV]

Wow. Looks like it took two whole posts to get me queued at BCC. What a loose cannon I must be. I had a nice response ready for the mod team over there, but when I tried to post, it told me the comments had been closed. Then I saw two more people post after me. Nice to know I'm still loved. Hey maybe I'll just stick to the DAMU where there is some love.

[Equality]

Yeah, DV, they are not banning people from the DAMU at BCC; they are just not letting us post comments. :-)

[Dave]

HP (#17), BCC having no written policy when its not banning/deleting/queueing comments is different from BCC having no written policy and banning/deleting/queueing people who tick you off. That just sounds like confusion to me.

[HP]

DV, that is my fault. I closed the thread, because I didn't feel like we were making progress and I didn't imagine much good would come from continuing. Then I was contacted by arJ, who asked me to open it up again, because he was midway through his comment when I closed the thread and because he was accusing me of plagiarism. So, I reopened it for him and that dastardly Matt Thurston snuck in a comment before I could close it again. Feel free to email me your comment (assuming it was directed at me). My email is hpsoandsos at gmail dot com.

Dave,
It isn't confusion. It's being fickle. There isn't a standard because the amount of leeway you are given is dependent on how well you present yourself and how far the admins feel they can trust you.

[annegb]

Steve Evans was not banned at Times and Seasons. Steve EM was banned at Times and Seasons.

My mistake. Sorry to Steve Evans and Steve EM.

[J. Stapley]

BCC reserves the right to moderate or ban commenters as it sees fit. BCC has no official comment policy, but moderation is frequently the result of perceived trollishness or pejorative and antagonistic comments. The email address for the admins has always been displayed on the info and contact page of the website.

[HP]

Okay, I have received further light and knowledge regarding the obscurities of comment policy at BCC.
First and foremost, I am not an admin, nor am I on the admin committee, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I am sharing my opinions based on observation and, in hindsight, fickle was too strong a word to use. I believe "whimsical" is more accurate.
Second, if you would like to address your concerns regarding the queue, banning, the color scheme, and other issues there are two perfectly good email addresses that you can use to approach the admins:
info at bycommonconsent dot com
admin at bycommonconsent dot com
All non-spam emails receive responses.

[J. Stapley]

Actually, I just killed the info address. Just admin now.

[HP]

Yeesh, J. Stealing my thunder!

[Steve EM]

annegb,
No problem and no need to apologize. For the record, T&S banned a Steve, who then became Steve FSF to rebut their inaccurate name calling, who was later born again as Steve EM when DMI Dave unbanned me here. But T&S has no plan of salvation and doesn't recognize my baptism. Being a bunch of orthodox self salvationers, they probably teach that baptism is some opiate for the masses.

[Equality]

Dave,

Just a word of caution to you. I appreciate you sending people to my blog for my list of DAMU/Outer Blogness blogs. But linking to my site might cause you to become delisted from certain bloggernacle blog aggregators. Remember what happened to John Dehlin for even mentioning a kerfuffle at a DAMU board a couple months ago? I don't want to cause any trouble for you among your fellow nacclers.

Peace.

[Dave]

Equality, nothing I can do about anyone else's blogroll or aggregator choices. But ET has been on my blogroll for a year, so it's not a new development.