Ugh, I have to work sick today! That has rarely ever happened to me because usually I could move things around easily in my old job.
I was looking at the reddit thread about the rash of gnarly crimes around my house (right about the late time I was getting dropped off by a friend at my house a woman was being raped in the bushes one block away) and I also saw a thread about my block butcher bar post on foodways. I was stoked to see it linked and discussed but the only comments are super negative. I guess if you don't know me or my writing or the tone we are going for with foodways that would be your first reaction. also if you are a dork that is into reddit.
but, fair enough. if you have ever written jokes you know that it is very difficult to tell if a joke is funny when you write it. and I know that some of mine are definitely groaners, which maybe I should take out. And I never get edited as far as jokes. But I'm not gonna change and I guess it's better to be talked about than not talked about. Ryan and Rodney want me involved and we started the website together so I gotta stay true to myself and our vision.
But the thing that bugs me is that the three discussions I've seen lately about my writing(2 on fb and one on reddit) I've been accused of not knowing what I'm talking about. I can say that after ten years of writing about food that a lot of the time (not all! I cop to my flaws!) that I fucking know what I'm talking about! I don't know how you prove that to people. and one of course was about writing about rap, which I also know a lot about (at least the rap from late 90s/early 2000s).
I am wrestling with the urge to answer back right now but I will sit on the comment a few hours and maybe not post it. You can't get the last word and as long as I stay off local media I probably won't even hear it, although NM did text a screenshot of it to me last night. A comment where someone said I was probably a tattooed douche from Roseville.
I am not fishing for any praise, cereal. I get a lot of positive reinforcement, too. I am just voicing my struggle to not feed the trolls and attempt to get an even thicker skin. And also avoiding the piece I need to write for news and review right fucking now.
Also I should keep in mind that people also trolled the thread started by the guy who trying to warn people that his friend had been beaten up in my neighborhood so grain of salt.
here's one of the non-troll comments, which makes me sad. there is also another one about how a guy who lives in oak park and works near barwest has seen exponentially more violence in midtown
"Yeah, I moved up here from Oakland and everyone I meet here is all "don't you feel safer here?"; hell no, I've seen stupider shit in Midtown than I ever did in Oakland (with the exception of the ass who shot at me while trying to run me over because he didn't think cyclists should be on the road)."
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7 comments:
Don't reply! That is my recommendation. I read a lot of blogger snark. Some snark is well founded in truth. Some is crafted by haters and trolls. Whenever I see an author get involved in their own snark thread, it almost never, ever, ever goes well. The only times I have ever seen the haters respond well to an author's response is if the author accepts the constructive criticism (if there is any) and if the moon is right, the haters might be appeased. Trying to control reader opinions is like swimming against the tide, exhausting.
Also, that is a sweet tattoo you have and now that Midtown is so unsafe, when are you moving back to Roseville?
NL
Depending on the forum, I think there's less troll activity when authors participate in the threads. That was recently pointed out about SacPress. And if you read pretty much anything on Sac Bee or almost anything that's read by a broad base of readers, it goes right off a cliff into the most dreadful sniping culture-war that makes you wanna go Unabomber on everybody.
i walked away from my comment and then later i didn't care enough to post it which is probably for the best. it's just stupid reddit which i have never read before anyway.
but rick presents an alternative viewpoint.
oh man, i guess my enthusiasm made me spaz out too hard and now we are getting hateful comments on the website, too. this is exactly what i was afraid of when we enabled comments and i wanted to have a moderation plan. i was the only one who was concerned but i really think that i'm the only one who is going to get shit like this. i can't have that on my own website, so somethings gotta give. i just think things should have to be pre-approved or something. i'll talk to the guys about it.
ok, well i couldnt' resist a response on the website. that's my own turf.
I am from Lincoln get it straight! Go Zebras!
what do you do if someone defrauds you on paypal? I ordered the Houston rap photo book from the author's website and he didn't deliver it. paypal went through in mid jan
When I have the power, I'd delete any comments I don't like. It cracks me up too! You can also get clever and only delete ones that make your adversary seem like a fool. I guess it's not "fair", but really most internet conflicts are not fair to begin with and very stupid. Pointless, I guess? But seriously try deleting comments you don't like. Not this one thou.
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