Exactly. And, I promise to never factually correct or try to explain the humor of FB critics again, 'cause they just don't get it.
You're off point. It's not that *Frontburner* sucked -- we all agree it had a useful place in the journalism culture of Dallas. It is the people that run Frontburner that are less than awesome.
Before the removal of comments, Tim, Eric, Wick, et. al. showed flashes of disdain for the blog's followers, even though it was their repeated viewing -- and commenting -- that gave the blog importance in the first place.
The operation of Frontburner was a cliqueish culture. Personally, I was never part of that clique in real life -- I was a stranger. So whenever I commented, I never got any engagement back from them. But I did get a sense of involvement from reading the back-and-forth amongst commenters.
Without comments, Frontburner is no different -- or better -- than any other website. Especially consider that those viewers interested enough in what Frontburner was broadcasting are also savvy enough to get the same information from other sources (Dallas Morning News, etc.). Why ever go back there until they show some care for their audience?
Bethany, I believe you may have it backwards.
Conversations on FrontBurner topics are continuing apace at http://lodowick.wordpress.com. It is the editors who are not joining in the ongoing topical FrontBurner conversations there.
And if you're bummed, why aren't you there as well? Without the je ne se quois you provide, even more will be bummed.
There's a difference between a scar and gangrene, IJS. Is a healed scab, and the other is one you've picked at.
And I agree that punishing the lot of us because a few couldn't behave is too much like grade school. But since I a) don't work there, and b) have never applied to work there, I don't profess to know who's decision it was to turn things off, either.
Spamboy nails it.
I would just add that it's human nature to return to the burned out store the next day and for a few days thereafter to stare at once was and mourn the loss and damn the injustice of it all. Once the morbid curiosity has passed, so will the rants about FrontBurner. And so will FrontBurner, R.I.P.
Oh, Amanda. When the overwhelming majority doesn't get an inside joke, is it still funny?
Ok, seriously. Enough. We're not going to pile on someone on three different blogs, either.
Pick a blog, and disagree on it. But three at a time is a little, well, much.
Please and thank you.
Wick posted something totally wrong and then later flipped on it completely. I blogged about it.
Three blogs enter. One blog leaves.
FrontBurner did not suck. I will say that nobody went there to marvel at the rhetorical panache of its editors. (Although Zac had his moments.) Rather, it was the joyous cacophony of the masses that brought us back. That, and the knowledge that if we stepped over some invisible line, Bethany would call us pookypants.
It's their pad and they're free to do what they will, of course. Yeah, it's not embittering -- but it is sort of like having an argument on the phone and the other party says, Eat it, jackass, and then hangs up and takes their phone off the hook.* That's about how it feels -- not a big deal, but at some very minor level, oddly infuriating.
Also, Tim's a jerk for publishing some goofy sorority girl's name in an attempt to chasten, nay humiliate, her. But this isn't the forum to make such a point.
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* An outdated practice, but you get the point.
Apparently, unbeknownst to moi, who knew: a lot of people feel no one ever listens to them and they have no outlet for their repressed desire to say something that others will see or hear, let alone respond to.
Reading some of the comments all over the blogasphere lo these last 24 hours, it’s clear no few otherwise, somehow, somewhere, sorta disenfranchised and otherwise isolated arrested development souls feel like someone stole their blankey. Waaaaaaaaaa.
Hate to share but. My take is that the days of anonymous cyber bully circle jerks has come and gone. A lot of people who are actually getting laid somewhere in the real world are no longer tolerating the invisible alter-ego porn.
One of my top ten favorite Bethany posts. Thank you.
Only a few have said that Frontburner sucked, and they were saying it long before the latest Wick meltdown.
No, Frontburner was great; that's why we went there. The posts were topical, and at times enjoyable. The problem is that the staff never really understood that the comments section is an important part of the blog. While there were a few people who only went there to bash FB (I'm looking at you, RayRay), most went to give legitimate feedback. Wick never seemed to understand that we didn't go there just to be lectured to. We wanted to participate.
The only people who are saying that FB sucked were saying, and annoying the hell out of everyone, long before this latest Wick meltdown.
FB did not suck. That's why we went there. It had a loyal following, and at times it was really funny.
Without comments it's not a blog, it's a lecture, and I'm not interested in a one-way conversation.
Very thoughtful post Bethany.
Especially like the last sentence. Great visuatl take
I'm sure the editors would prefer to have comments up, RayRay notwithstanding. It's W.A. who is showing he doesn't really understand that media "opinion-makers" are essentially a thing of the past -- mama, we're all opinion-makers now -- and revealing an unbecoming thinness of skin in the process.
Rawlins, I'm a fan of yours but I disagree with you on this one. There's always the same percentage of bullyjerks displaying the same level of bullyjerkery whether you're in cyberpace* or Jericho. If anything, being anonymous, paradoxically, unmasks them; fine by me. And I'm sure many of them get laid, which would only seem unfair if you're not. I mean, you know?
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* An antiquated term, but you get the point.
Apologies for jumping back into the thread after the fact...Bethany, have you seen a big jump in your blog traffic since last "On Tuesday, Everything Changes"?
I was never a reader of your blog before, but thanks to FB for driving me away over to here.
I have, yes - and I'm sure there are a few other former FB regulars that have seen increases in traffic on their blogs as well.
My big beef? I liked being able to find everybody at one spot. I'm lazy like that. Now I have to go to three or four places.
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