Mar. 30, 2007
Trouble in Blogland
Posted in HomesteadBlogger News
When our blogging community started a year and a half ago, the idea was to give people a forum for sharing their journeys and helpful ideas. A place where people could encourage each other. We knew that people could blog in other places - blogger, wordpress, typepad, or Myspace, but we wanted to set up a different type of community. One that would be a friendly and informative place especially for homesteaders or people interested in homesteading. One which wouldn't be full of profanity or obscenity.
If you've been troubled by the recent disagreements on our site, you should just see what goes on at other sites. People are attacked for their viewpoints, people call each other names, and people disagree. That happens everywhere. We do try to provide a safer blogging experience by prohibiting profanity and obscenity but we cannot guarantee that you won't find things here that you don't enjoy, people that you don't like, or things that you personally find offensive. You won't find a website or blogging community that can.
What happens when you go to a larger blogging provider is that you're just a smaller fish in a bigger ocean. There will be even more blogs that will offend you and you'll just have to avoid them if you don't like them. And that is the same thing that you need to do here.
Trust me, I've heard from lots of you about how troubling this situation is to you all and it bothers me too. I wish the people who were involved would see the discord that they are bringing to our site and put the well being of the site above their own personal agendas. However, legally I can't just "kick them off". That's just not the way blogging sites operate. While the entries may be offensive to different people, they must actually break our terms of use according to legal guidelines before we can terminate their service. If you see a particular entry that breaks our terms of use, please email me the url to that specific entry.
This is not a situation that can compare to me being the teacher and having a naughty child in my classroom. These are grown adults who are responsible for their own behavior. If you think they are being irresponsible, then you need to stay away from their blogs and refrain from discussing them with others. Some people enjoy a good debate and like to keep people talking. In fact it seems as though some of the trouble has actually moved from the blogs to private messages and emails.
I'm not trying to sound like Rodney King and say, "Can't we all just get along?", but I am asking for everyone to take responsibility for their own actions. We aren't in jr high and we don't need to see who has the most friends or vocal supporters. We don't need to holler every time someone offends us or our friends. What we need to do is to treat others the way we would like to be treated rather than how we think they "deserve" to be treated. We need to think of others, including the well-being of HomesteadBlogger. If you are posting things that are upsetting other folks, you could just as easily post those elsewhere. Your friends will follow you wherever you go, but at least then you wouldn't be disrupting what was intended to be a friendly and informative community.
Spring is a time for new beginnings. A lot of people use the time to do a little spring cleaning. Make the most of your days. Don't allow yourself to get wrapped up in negativity, there are better things to do.
Nancy Carter
HomesteadBlogger Senior Editor
www.HomesteadBlogger.com
Comments
Mar. 30, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by crewchief
Amen and Amen! Well said Nancy.
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Mar. 30, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by morningsunshine
thank you for weighing in on this issue. We know - and apreciate, believe me!!! - that you are not a teacher in a classroom (not that teachers have any authority to discipline unruly students anyway!), but it is nice to here from you on this matter. I look to you, and I am sure I am not the only one, for guidance on this site, and arbitration, if needed.
I am very very very grateful for this site. it has given me the courage and knowledge to do what I have always wanted to do and yearned to do, but never had the knowledge or the mentors to learn it.
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Mar. 30, 2007 - Well said, Nancy
Posted by JoyceFamily
and much more gracious than I could ever be! There's a big ugly world out there in Blogland at large, and we have so much to be grateful for at Homestead, and Homeschool Blogger. You are doing a wonderful job as Editor, and hopefully people have the maturity to let this tempest in a teacup go and get on with their homesteading lives.
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Mar. 30, 2007 - IP banning??
Posted by Hisirishgem
Question:
I'd like to ban certain IP addresses from my blog. I've added them in Settings under IP Addresses Band, then I asked someone to do the same with me so I could test if I could log onto her account and I could. Can you give instruction on how to ban certain IP addresses from my blog please? Just adding their numbers does not seem to be doing the trick.
Thanks so much!!
Rebekah
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Mar. 30, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by chimicole
Although I have never been attacked personally, I had read some things that have disturbed me. Not enough to make me leave, but enough to make me wonder, nonetheless....
I do agree with all you have said Nancy, and I pray we can all become as a family again. Disagreements, yes.... but to the extent that some things have gotten to.....no.
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Mar. 30, 2007 - Amen
Posted by Kitty
Thank you Thank you Thank you. well said. I wish we could all just get along, there are no better words to use.
I bet you feel the preasure more than any of us do. I choose to ignore it and keep my comments to myself and just hoped it would end, either way, I'm not going anywhere because I know the good out weighs the bad on this blog site.
Thanks.
Kitty
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Mar. 31, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by homesteadinthemaking
Thank you Nancy for your thoughts on this situation. It has gotten out of hand and I know for myself I am going to try harder than ever to stick to the things of home.
Blessings,
Trixi
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Mar. 31, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by gokings13
Hopefully the pot-stirrers and bashers will take their conversations to one of the above sites mentioned. Sounds like those places are a better fit for them.
Thank you for addressing the masses. It is unfortunate that you would have to do this. This is such a great community of information. You are right, we are adults, but there are a lot of 'children' (minors under 18) that blog here too. I think most of us forget that..........
Laura
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Apr. 1, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by GrandmaRosie
Well said Nancy. This bickering is very uncalled for. This is a cross post from scripture I posted on my site a while back.
God bless you. I do love this site and all the people on it. We may be all different, but I believe we can agree to disagree and go on in God's name.
Living with others in mind
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:1-6 ESV
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Apr. 2, 2007 - Amen Sister…
Posted by quiverfull
I really enjoy this blogger and have no desire to go elsewhere.. this is a wonderful and supportive community that should not be tainted by a few. It is a refreshing spot away from the many worldly places on the web.. I thank everyone (Nancy, The Old School House Magazine, and all those who are behind the scenes) who work to provide so much for all of us here at Homestead Blogger, it is a real blessing to me.... As I always say on my own message board (where things flare up occasionally).. “everyone really just needs to play nice” :)
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