Day Two of OSM, and it looks like they are getting a little bit better at getting content out. Probably will take a while to get things rolling and working seamlessly enough for me to state anything super positive, but it looks like they are getting things going. Good for them.
Some of the criticisms still seem to confound me, though. This one by Ann in the comments to her own snippy post confuses me:
I stayed out of the club and preserved my free speech. Kind of a blogger thing, you know.
It confuses me, because I don’t understand how someone with a law degree could misunderstand something so fundamental as ‘free speech.’ I haven’t lost my right to free speech. Contrary to what Ann thinks, I have retained my right to free speech. All I have done is allowed OSM to take what they want, and should they choose to edit it before putting it up on their site, more power to them.
It kind of pisses me off that the implication is that I have ‘sold out’ somehow, and no longer can say what I want. It isn’t true. I can say whatever the hell I want, and will continue to. Let’s try it out:
Roger Simon looks silly in a fedora.
Charles Johnson’s comments are a cesspool, and that is saying something coming from me.
I think LaShawn Barber is probably a nice person, but I think her political views are nuttier and fruitier than a Waldorf salad.
I think Glenn Reynolds frequently overstates media bias.
I read the first two chapters of Tammi Bruce’s book, and I am not impressed so far.
I wish there were more liberals and Democrats in OSM.
Yep. My ‘free speech’ still works, and I don’t know what the hell Ann is talking about. I didn’t get a fax or an email this morning telling me what to write about. Karl Rove’s mind rays were not funneled through the OSM portal to command me to write anything. I retain EDITORIAL CONTROL OF EVERYTHING on this site.
If this is anything more than Ann just being bitchy because of a personality conflict, I am not seeing it. And I still demand that people infected with this ‘blogger ethic’ crap steer clear of me. I don’t want any of it rubbing off on me.
*** Update ***
And please, no long discussions about the ‘business model.’ That is of no concern to me other than I hope they figure something out or have something in place that will work. As for me, the business model is as follows:
I write my blog.
I run ads chosen by someone else rather than the hit or miss of blogads.
Someone sends me a check.
I spend the money on booze, gambling, loose women, electronics and video games, and I guess maybe just piss the rest of it away .
Now that is a business model I understand.
Bill from INDC
“Charles Johnson’s comments are a cesspool, and that is saying something coming from me.”
Yeah it is.
Cue “Lines” for some hyper moonbat frosting.
Krista
(in wounded tone) Hey, now!
Lines
Who? Me?
I don’t seem to be the crap-flinging name caller today, Bill. I appreciate you taking over for me, though.
John Cole
Krista- That was a joke. :)
But since you ask, if I gamble, it is Texas Hold ‘Em.
neil
Charles Johnson’s comments are a cesspool, and that is saying something coming from me.
Uh-oh. Battle stations, everyone… invading troops spotted on the horizon…
Davebo
Actually Charles Johnson’s posts are a cesspool which explains why he attracts the commenters he does.
And I have to wonder whether Johnson would have been invited to the new big show if LGF didn’t exist and he was just another desktop support dude.
Lines
Lets see, one of the most recent examples of my hyper-moonbatism must be this post
where my hatred of the troops and my automatic assumption of their guilt in a torture conspiracy seeps through my poorly disguised “hope they arn’t involved” kind of talk.
Or maybe its from my post the other day about how I prefer a balance in government, with neither party holding dominance and able to push forward poorly thought out agenda items without any checks or balances?
Damn, Bill, you really got me fired up with your inciteful post.
Davebo
That said, John has every right to join up with whomever he chooses and I certainly hope he sees a revenue increase from this.
God I’d hate to have to put up with us!
Mark
I like the fedora, actually.
But someone does need to call out Reynolds on his puppy-blending escapades. Dog-killer!
John Cole
Actually, Mark, I do too. I was just showing that my ‘free speech’ still works.
And I knew that commenters line would get you all riled up!
StupidityRules
Since LGF is rather fast in banning users and removing comments they disprove of, the comments left are a mirror to Charles’ soul.
Lines
Wow, I didn’t know I had so much power around here. Have I turned to the Dark Side of Snark, bringing balance of Snark to BJ?
And Krista, was it the ass comment? I’m hoping it was the ass comment.
Usually I’m just going for h. snarky, I’m amazed I’ve ever reached the point of being v. snarky. I thought that was DougJ land only.
Steve S
Don’t worry John. You’ll be tossed out of the club soon enough, because your opinions aren’t wingnutty enough.
Mike S
One of the funniest things I’ve ever seen you write here. You should go to Vegas. It’s one shop stopping for all of your needs.
Lines
Krista: can you please point me in the direction of my post? Give me some idea? Our political ideas and directions seem to agree a vast majority of the time, so I’m kind of curious how my level of snarkiness ever proved to be too high for your tolerance. If so, I humbly beg your forgivness.
Nikki
John, John, John, Ann doesn’t want to date you anymore! Leave her alone!
Seriously, what is it with you and Ann? Ok, she doesn’t like OSM, but I’ve found several other RW bloggers (besides Dennis) who apparently don’t like it either. You seem to have fixated on her. Why?
Krista
Lines, no, it wasn’t the ass comment. :) I actually kind of liked the ass comments.
It was that fake Harriet Miers blog, and I had a stupid moment and actually believed it was real for a second, then corrected myself, and you sarcastically said something along the lines of “Wow, you’re so smart and insightful.You definitely contribute so much to this blog. We could never get along without you.” or some such thing. No biggie, in retrospect. But at the time, it did sting – probably because I wasn’t expecting it from you.
Mr Furious
John, if I can get me some of that $3.5 mil, sign me up!
Mr Furious
Phew [wipes brow]. I was in on the ass comments and had been worried it went too far. All in good fun!
kl
Other great Krista quotes:
Etc.
Krista
Mr Furious – exactly…all in good fun.
kl – Bite me. :)
Krista
I think I’ve overdeveloped a reputation for being earnest. It seems that when I write something with the intent of being facetious, people think that I’m serious. That then gets translated into thinking that I’m thickheaded.
Lovely.
kl
:)
Brad R.
John- if you want, I can tell the Charles’ Lizard brigade that you think they’re a “cesspool” so they can come over here and call you a “homo moonbat” or something. We have great fun doing it at Sadly, No!- I’d really consider trying it yourself.
Stormy70
No kidding. However, us “torture”-loving Buffy/Batman/Star Wars nerds need to hang out somewhere. Or am I the only one of those here?!
Crap.
No biting. That is torture, unless…
Krista
ssshhhhhh…
Gary Farber
Here’s an observation from me, John: “free speech” was a poor choice of words on Althouse’s part, I think.
But on the issue of whether being part of OSM (setting aside the rights question, what a completely boring name, as well as being inappropriate and making everyone who cares about open source both to make mock and be irritated; “Pajamas Media” had zest; dropping it seems to be a very bad sign of possibly losing what good idea there might have been at the heart, other than make.money.fast, but I digress) has affected what you would write, I ask you simply if you would have written as many posts as this, using precisely the same language, caring with precisely the same emotion, being irritated to precisely the degree you’ve been with Ann Althouse, if you weren’t caring particularly because you are, in fact, part of the enterprise, and thus have an interest in whether it fails or succeeds spectacularly?
I’m not asking if you would otherwise post about Althouse, or OSM, or be irritated with her, or puzzled. I’m asking precisely what I asked above: would you be reacting precisely the same way, emotionally, time-focus-wise, and in exactly what you write?
If the answer is in any way “no,” then, yes, your writing and thinking is being affected by your ties to OSM, and Ann has a point. Maybe a small one, but a valid one.
If, on the other hand, you’d be feeling precisely the same way, paying precisely the same amount of attention to OSM, and writing precisely these same posts, save for mentioning your plans for spending the moolah, then she has no point about how OSM will affect the blogosphere.
But I’d have to say that I might, perhaps, be just a wee bit skeptical of your answer, if so. Pray forgive.
Lines
Krista:
Wow, that was over the top. I would doubt that was me, as I don’t remember writing it, but it could have been. I can’t think of what in the world would have caused me to react in such a poor manner. If I did drugs, that might explain it. Maybe some desperate woman like Stormy drugged my bottled Perrier and tortured me in a restroom. I’ll bet thats where I keep getting these new marks on my back.
Again, my humble apologies, I would never attack you for something so lame as not realizing the Harriet Miers blog was a spoof.
The Disenfranchised Voter
Hahahaha, nice.
Squiggler
I don’t know anything about Ann or her motives, but from what you tell us, I’m with her on the free speech bit. But, I can understand how it is that you don’t understand. There are those of us who look at blogs and blogging as a libertarian venue of the highest order. The perfect place for the frustrated or hamstrung free spirit. The only editors are the readers and commenters and trading that off for a chance to be in an inner circle clique is anethema to some. I thought their first mistake was changing the name from Pajamas Media, which was such a perfect name to compliment print media and broadcast media. OSM seems they want to be nothing more than a glorified electronic news magazine with a bigger than normal letters to the editor section. This is a worthy venture, but it is no longer a blog, in my opinion.
John Cole
Gary- I don’t know if my involvement is shading my opinions, but it would be foolish to say it isn’t having any effect.
I will point out, though, that when everyone was savaging the HuffPo when it launched, I was giving it a chance.
neil
Zest! Zang! Spark! Poof!
John Cole
Squiggler- Could you explain how I lost my ‘free speech?’
jobiuspublius
About the buisiness model, what about some kick back to the eyeballs that keep the ad money flowing?
Krista
Lines – worry pas, as we say up here. :) Besides, I need to develop a thicker skin anyway, and what better place to do it than here?
alcibiades
John’s fixated on Althouse, because she seems to have personalized the issue of OSM to a bizarre extent, like it’s all about her somehow. She delighting in being bitchy about it. Which begs for explanation. Dennis the Peasant, OTOH, has an easily understandable reason to be pissed.
Matt
I must admit to taking a certain amount of pleasure in reading about Dennis The Peasant’s angst with the whole OSM thing. A year or so ago, I made a few pointed criticisms of Roger Simon’s posts, and was immediately vilified by DtP and others in the comments section who labelled me a “troll” and an “asshat” (Dennis’ preferred epithet). Dennis also wrote that my input was (to say the least) not valued at Roger’s blog since there was already a community of hardcore commenters enjoying their echo chamber.