Posts like this
It’s posts like this that keep metroblogging Vancouver as the joke that it is.
Posted by: Stephane at July 23, 2007 09:55 PM
There are a lot off different ways I can respond to this, and I’ve gone back and forth on it for awhile. I did feel like I should say something, because other authors have mentioned to me that the sometimes hostile comments they get makes posting less enjoyable for them, so I figured I’d use the quip aimed at me to illustrate a point.
To see the post that keeps Metroblogging Vancouver a joke please click here [mbv]. Is it the greatest post in the world? Nah, probably not. Will it be up for any awards at the end of the year? I doubt it. Did it waste five minutes of Stephane’s day? Maybe if it was read really slowly. Did it have a cool video of Matthew Good playing a new song? Yes, and it was a nice excuse to post that video wasn’t it?
Currently we have nine active authors on Metroblogging Vancouver. None of us are paid, we are all doing this because we hope that some people read it and enjoy it. None of us are forcing anyone to read this, that I know of, and so if you don’t enjoy it you’re free never to type in our URL again. Hopefully if you think I’m a shithead you can still enjoy Rebecca’s or Maktaaq’s or one of the other authors posts. If not I’m sorry, that’s the way things work out sometimes.
That’s not to say we don’t like getting some negative feedback. I love getting into debates with readers, and if you don’t agree with something one of us has blogged then the comments are open for you to rebut and voice your opinion. We’re not just looking for sycophantic love. But at least have a point other than, to paraphrase Stephane, “You suck”.
We’re all just people who make no money from this trying to do something that maybe entertains a few people for a few minutes of the day. We’re volunteers, and while I sure hope Stephane doesn’t run into the Red Cross and shout at their volunteers, I can understand that we’re not exactly saving the world here. We have regular open calls for new authors and we welcome anyone who thinks have something to offer. Stephane if you feel strongly enough about the lack of quality around here, why don’t you email me and we’ll make sure you’re invited to blog during our next round?
I know I’ve probably made a mistake by feeding the trolls, but I wanted to address it. I could have been snarky and sarcastic, I could have deleted it and acted like it never happened but I thought I’d talk about it. I’m also not doing this so everyone can have a free-for-all and play wack-a-mole with the very fine people who work hard to make this site for you.
I’m just saying that if you want to say something to us then try to have some tact, and try to remember that there’s actual people on the other end of these 1s and 0s. Hit and run negative criticism accomplishes nothing other than making you feel good about yourself and making someone who has never a) physically assaulted you b) slept with your mother c) kidnapped your dog or d) said anything bad about you, feel like they’re doing a lot of work for nothing.
It’s not a joke that you turned MBV into your own personal Craigslist? Riiight…
Although the commenter could have been more articulate and polite, I actually think he has a point.
I subscribed to this blog because I thought it would have interesting insights about Vancouver. Sometimes it does; other times (like the post you reference) it feels like just one person’s personal Craigslist (as Ari noted).
I’d love to see a focus on the stories like the recent one about the civic strike.
Moreover, you’re not paying any of your authors, but Metroblogging is certainly open to making money — see http://metroblogging.com/advertise.phtml for the ad page.
There’s nothing wrong with making money, but SOMEONE is making money here and if it isn’t the authors…
Agree with above. Quite frankly man, posting a request for tickets a la Craigslist is poor form. Good blogging is writing about your audience, not about yourself. Now here’s two posts exclusively about the author. Write for your audience and no one will call you a joke.
Generally, I like this blog. But lately, I have noticed the quality and creativity of posts go down hill. The Burbs series was really well done. The posts on the SkyTrain, jPod, and U-20 World Cup were all excellent. But the numerous posts about the Kwik-E-Mart, the iPhone, and Harry Potter were all a bit lame.
See that’s fine and good criticism, not drive by trolling. Though the point isn’t to turn this into a referendum on whether or not MBV is the hip place to hang, it would do to point out that within the last two days or so (excluding this post) there have been six posts none of which “about the author”.
It’s a mixed bag. We’re glad people read, and we like when people comment, as with this post, but keep it helpful as you’re doing now.
Well then, what sort of stuff would readers like to see covered here? Nobody’s going to say, “give me three topics and I’ll cover them all for you”. I personally don’t have details about the percentage of the readership that is local as opposed to those from outside the Lower Mainland, or BC, or even Canada, so it’s hard to know what the readers want to see.
If every post was “inside” stuff that only a local would get, no one from outside of Vancouver would read it. And the opposite is also true - if it’s just a fluff piece for the city, it might as well be known as Tourism Vancouver.
So, really, it comes down to - what sort of stuff do you want to see us cover?
Just my two cents.
As someone who knows some of the inside and watches a lot of the outside of MBV, there are some points here worth paying attention to.
I’ve often thought about joining MBV to help with content because, as a recent Vancouverite(late 2005), I have a lot of outside perspective that could help provide exposure to topics I find interesting. That’s what I think MBV should be doing, but it lacks as of late.
I think it’s for a couple of reasons. One is the trolling. Posting about certain topics doesn’t breed discussion. It provokes attacks and criticism to the author, and then the conversation strays from the original topic.
The second reason is that I would have a hard time posting content, for free, while the Metroblogging providers/creators garner income from it. It’s not about being greedy, but if you want to withstand the criticism from readers, I feel like I need something more than “hoping someone will read it”. Where’s the incentive to post better content in that? What do you earn other than a name in the sidebar?
Kudos to those of you who do make the posts like you do. In fact, the last post has *some* merit in promoting the sold out Matthew Good show, but it does suddenly turn into a matter of using the exposure of this site for personal gain. However, the MB umbrella does that to all posts for financial benefit, so turning the tables ain’t so bad once and awhile.
Rod:
Good point. I don’t have statistics by city but nationality. The USA is the largest source of incoming page views, followed by Canada close behind and then IP Unknown (one of the former Soviet Republics I guess, since I haven’t heard of it) and the EU following up.
John:
Also good points. I singled my post out because I figured something like this would happen and I’d rather be the one taking flak than another author. I’ve been doing things like Metroblogging Vancouver for awhile, and so my ego’s hard to bruise.
The way the world works is that people are happy to say what they don’t like, but not as quick to point out what they did like. Readers leaving positive comments on posts that they like is a more effective way of increasing those sorts of posts than leaving negative comments on the ones they didn’t like. Again though that’s not the way the world works, it’s far easier to be critical than supportive.
Wow, with a few succinct words I was able to provoke an intelligent debate about the lack of quality of metblogging posts, the irrationality of the “write content for us for free while we make money off of you” approach that metblogs employs, and so on.
cf. Beyond Robson for what it’s like to have a well-rounded group of writers who seem to enjoy their craft, rather than utilizing discarded craigslist posts as blog material.
Morning Brew Rules!
I agree Beyond Robson is a good blog. However blogs like this and BR are only as good as their authors and the readers who comment. We’d love to have you as a blogger if you’re interested in making MBV better Stephane, or you could write for BR for free instead.
But being what you call “succinct” or maybe more generally a bit of a prat, is not helpful.
Jeffery, you’re a good guy, but in this particular case, I have to side with Stephane. And you calling Stephane a prat is the pot calling the kettle black. Your entry fishing for tickets was content-free and self-interested and (somehow both the least and greatest of its sins) tacky.
There’s more than one bottle of frustation that seems to have been opened here–Metroblogging’s business methods, post contents, responsibility of authors, etc.–and I don’t think the comment section that’s the appendage to a blog entry is the best place to have discussions about them. The comment feature’s neither designed for nor conducive to a debate. (But then, where? It seems to me to be a discussion both desired and well worth having.)
(Full disclosure. I am a past Metroblogging Vancouver author. I left the authors’ roll over a disagreement with the Metroblogging founder about the use of the internal “authors” mailing list to promote t-shirts. I’m feeling a sense of deja vu with this current controversy.)
Keith:
“And you calling Stephane a prat is the pot calling the kettle black.”
Not really. I think that anyone who uses a fake name, or half a name, to bash other people’s work is acting like a prat whether their criticism is valid or not. If I don’t like something I nut up and put my own name to it, as opposed to keeping myself hidden.
The other point is as offensive as the post might have been, and at most it was lame and fluffy, there were six other posts within that twenty-four hour period on the site. Not every post is to everyone’s taste, and nobody is being forced to read every post, or even the site at all. It’s a free world, and it’s not like we’re being paid for by your taxes.
How is it drive by trolling? He criticized you, by saying what many were obviously thinking. Instead of replying in the original post, you wrote a second post. He then replied to that.
Just because someone, rightly or wrongly, thinks you’re acting like an idiot doesn’t make them a troll. There really are trolls (who you’re allowed to ban, if it makes you feel better,) but sometimes the whole ‘don’t feed the trolls’ thing reads like an obvious defence mechanism.