By Timzilla
“Hello. My name is Timzilla, and I’m a blogaholic.”
“Hi, Timzilla!”
Well, okay, that’s probably a slight overstatement, but I’m solidly on record stating social media is one of the great advents of the 21st century, just behind the keep-cold beer jacket, and ahead of the Ronco bald-spot scalp spray.
In the greater global context, social media is big, real big … and blogs are the precursor to many of today’s cool Web 2.0 tools.
I first began posting on Internet bulletin boards as far back as 1995, the caveman days of social media, before graduating to modern-day sports blogs sometime around 2003, or so. On the social media calendar, I’m a relic.
No doubt sports blogs can be wonderful creative outlets for some, and gratifying venting channels for others. Some utilize blogs as news sources, others for pure entertainment. As a blogger grey beard, I’m pretty familiar with Bengals blogs, and most of the better NFL and general sports blogs, too. Through the years I’ve read and posted on most; some more than others.
As a result, I’ve seen a disturbing trend the past few years. The emergence of the Total Blogger Jerk.
Hey, I make no bones about my views on Bengals WR Chad What’s His Name, and his power selfish behavior which I believe has severely hurt the team. But that’s just my perspective … and mine alone. And blogs are great places to voice and share such opinions. However, what I began seeing a couple of years ago was more and more personal attacks levied on bloggers for simply voicing an opinion. While challenging one’s opinion is fine, even encouraged … personal insults aren’t.
Oddbounces is a Bully-Free Bengals Blog! Unless you're Nuff Johnson, who's always deserving of personal insults regarding his genetically defective family tree.
Basically, attacking any blog poster for expressing a point of few is, well, a cowardly act.
For example, a regular visitor to a popular Bengals blog once responded to one of my critical Chad posts with a derogatory comment about my wife. Ouch. So rather than challenge the merits of my post, i.e., responding with well-articulated reasons I’m wrong about Chad, he chose to insult me, and my wife.
And after reading some very insulting comments a number of Bengals blog posters were making about another poster’s comment, I asked one of the Total Blogger Jerks why make such attacks on someone. He informed me, “hey, you got to have thick skin on blogs.”
Should that be the case? Is thick skin a prerequisite for visiting a sports blog?
In some ways, this troubling trend toward blog bullying is why we created Oddbounces, a place where Bengals fans can visit, have some fun, post a comment if they like, without the risk of personal or family insults (unless of course it’s Nuff Johnson, and we’re making fun of his five webbed-feet kids).
So, I have a dream … a dream that someday we’ll live in a world where all Chad detractors and Chad fans can live in harmony on Bengals blogs. I have a dream someday we’ll be judged by the content of our blog post, and not the color of our team’s uniforms. I may not get there with you … but I have a dream.
Tagged as:
Bengals,
Blog Jerks,
Cincinnati Bengals,
I Have A Dream,
Oddbounces,
Timzilla
Bengals Newswire
I Have A Dream Someday Chad Detractors And Chad Fans Can Live In Bengals Blog Harmony.
by Timzilla on 04/15/2010 · 0 comments
By Timzilla
“Hi, Timzilla!”
Well, okay, that’s probably a slight overstatement, but I’m solidly on record stating social media is one of the great advents of the 21st century, just behind the keep-cold beer jacket, and ahead of the Ronco bald-spot scalp spray.
In the greater global context, social media is big, real big … and blogs are the precursor to many of today’s cool Web 2.0 tools.
I first began posting on Internet bulletin boards as far back as 1995, the caveman days of social media, before graduating to modern-day sports blogs sometime around 2003, or so. On the social media calendar, I’m a relic.
No doubt sports blogs can be wonderful creative outlets for some, and gratifying venting channels for others. Some utilize blogs as news sources, others for pure entertainment. As a blogger grey beard, I’m pretty familiar with Bengals blogs, and most of the better NFL and general sports blogs, too. Through the years I’ve read and posted on most; some more than others.
As a result, I’ve seen a disturbing trend the past few years. The emergence of the Total Blogger Jerk.
Hey, I make no bones about my views on Bengals WR Chad What’s His Name, and his power selfish behavior which I believe has severely hurt the team. But that’s just my perspective … and mine alone. And blogs are great places to voice and share such opinions. However, what I began seeing a couple of years ago was more and more personal attacks levied on bloggers for simply voicing an opinion. While challenging one’s opinion is fine, even encouraged … personal insults aren’t.
Oddbounces is a Bully-Free Bengals Blog! Unless you're Nuff Johnson, who's always deserving of personal insults regarding his genetically defective family tree.
Basically, attacking any blog poster for expressing a point of few is, well, a cowardly act.
For example, a regular visitor to a popular Bengals blog once responded to one of my critical Chad posts with a derogatory comment about my wife. Ouch. So rather than challenge the merits of my post, i.e., responding with well-articulated reasons I’m wrong about Chad, he chose to insult me, and my wife.
And after reading some very insulting comments a number of Bengals blog posters were making about another poster’s comment, I asked one of the Total Blogger Jerks why make such attacks on someone. He informed me, “hey, you got to have thick skin on blogs.”
Should that be the case? Is thick skin a prerequisite for visiting a sports blog?
In some ways, this troubling trend toward blog bullying is why we created Oddbounces, a place where Bengals fans can visit, have some fun, post a comment if they like, without the risk of personal or family insults (unless of course it’s Nuff Johnson, and we’re making fun of his five webbed-feet kids).
So, I have a dream … a dream that someday we’ll live in a world where all Chad detractors and Chad fans can live in harmony on Bengals blogs. I have a dream someday we’ll be judged by the content of our blog post, and not the color of our team’s uniforms. I may not get there with you … but I have a dream.
Tagged as: Bengals, Blog Jerks, Cincinnati Bengals, I Have A Dream, Oddbounces, Timzilla