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Confession
05-17-11 | stolinsky

Posted on 05/17/2011 1:30:40 PM PDT by stolinsky

Forgive me, Freepers, for I have sinned. My sins are many:

1. I linked to my own website, which is a sign of the arrogant belief that people might want to read what I write. Of course, if I didn't think that, I wouldn't write in the first place, so it's hard to see much difference.

2. I "stole bandwidth," though it's hard to see how posting a short exerpt with a link was worse than posting a long article--or how repeated insulting comments don't also "steal bandwidth."

3. I wanted people to "pay" me to be "showered with my wisdom," though my website has no advertising and costs me $299 a year to run, plus untold hours of time.

4. I used too many bullet points--or is it too few semicolons, I forget?

5. I claimed to have a graduate degree, though this couldn't be true, since I expressed myself plainly, in short paragraphs, and never used a $5 word when a two-bit word would do as well.

6. I claimed to have scars from a line-of-duty injury in the Army Reserve, though this couldn't be true either, since "people like me" usually avoid service.

7. Unlike my critics, I use my own name instead of a screen name, because I'm willing to stand up and be counted for what I say, and believe.

8. I assumed falsely that I was among friends, so any differences could be resolved amicably. Instead, I got more anger and vitriol than I ever got from liberals in the years I posted on NewsMax and on my own website. Yes, they occasionally called me "Nazi," but even the most fanatical never threatened violence or called me mentally ill--both of which are ways communists used to silence those who disagreed.

9. I assumed falsely that most conservatives are interested in saving our nation from leftists undermining it from within, and extremist Muslims attacking it from without. But instead, some are too busy squabbling among themselves about who doesn't really "fit in" with their small group--a sure recipe for defeat.

For all these sins, forgive me. My pennance will be to forgo blogging for a month. Perhaps that will be enough time for the anger to subside. Or not.


TOPICS: Politics
KEYWORDS: butthurt; dramaqueen; givemehitsdammit; ibtz; opus; opustempus; selfdestructiveness; smallestviolin; whineypimp
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To: humblegunner

“I’d ask them to name any blog that gets more page views than Free Republic.”

That’s whole theory behind “piggybacking”.

You find a high page view site and affix yourself to it.


161 posted on 05/17/2011 6:00:31 PM PDT by Salamander (I'm your pain.)
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To: stolinsky
Hey, thanks for your service.

10. You live in Kalifornia.

162 posted on 05/17/2011 6:01:36 PM PDT by mad_as_he$$ (Ladies and Gentlemen the _resident of the untied States!!)
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To: stolinsky

Sing 19 Kumbayas, and 6 Internationmals, and all is forgiven.


163 posted on 05/17/2011 6:03:17 PM PDT by Revolting cat! (Let us prey!)
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To: stolinsky

If you pay my bar tab, I’ll forgive you.


164 posted on 05/17/2011 6:07:12 PM PDT by Grizzled Bear ("Does not play well with others.")
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To: stolinsky; it_ürür; Bockscar; Mary Kochan; Bed_Zeppelin; YellowRoseofTx; Rashputin; ...

Hey Doc,

First, I am not a priest. Not a Deacon, not even an altar boy. But I do go to confession, perhaps not as often as I should, but I do go.

Second, since I have some small experience in this area, let me share my imperfect knowledge of the process with you. You need to have done something wrong, known before you were doing it that it was wrong. Done it anyway. And then, out of true contrition, you go to the Holy Tribunal and confess.

Third, in my opinion, from a distance, it doesn’t look like you did anything wrong. It doesn’t look like any of the folks who accused you of wrongdoing have any standing, nor do I sense any reason for you to confess.

Finally, I like your post. I shared it with others and will do so again. For whatever my insignificant opinion is worth, kudos and thanks.

Were it in my power I would absolve you and send you away with my blessings. Pax Vobiscum.


165 posted on 05/17/2011 6:16:07 PM PDT by narses ("Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions." Chesterton)
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To: stolinsky

Now I’ll have to do even more penance for having misspelled the word penance. Perhaps my penance will be worrying that the internal squabbling of Republicans—about who is conservative enough, or who is a RINO, or who is too libertarian, or who isn’t a proper blogger, or who isn’t really “one of us”—will go on through the 2012 election, resulting in a second term for President Obama. That would be a real penance for all of us, which we would deserve—but our country wouldn’t.


166 posted on 05/17/2011 6:58:27 PM PDT by stolinsky
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To: stolinsky

Why don’t you just quit with the whining and complaining and post your complete articles on FR? After all, you say you make no money off your extremely overpriced website. Heck, you could close down your website and save $299 per year.


167 posted on 05/17/2011 7:12:22 PM PDT by 50mm ( I don't use drugs, my dreams are frightening enough.)
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To: fightinJAG

“This is all crazy and lame.”

Yup.

JimRob must’ve been out of his mind when he stated his official position on blog pimping.

And again, what does he know?

He just owns the joint.


168 posted on 05/17/2011 7:22:40 PM PDT by Salamander (I'm your pain.)
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To: stolinsky
OR.....perhaps you could just actually post your entire articles here.
I mean, if you really want to get your stuff out, then post it here.
More people read FR every day than go to your blog.
The only reason to excerpt would be to rack up your hit count and earn some bucks by using FR like a hit farm.
169 posted on 05/17/2011 7:22:52 PM PDT by DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis (Want to make $$$? It's easy! Use FR as a platform to pimp your blog for hits!!!)
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To: paulycy

“Are you here simply to argue or are you slow on the uptake? “

Possibly too entrenched in defending what he considers his ‘valid viewpoint’ to think rationally, see the big picture and admit he’s possibly in error.

Stubborn pride is a wicked thing.


170 posted on 05/17/2011 7:26:02 PM PDT by Salamander (I'm your pain.)
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To: humblegunner

“They view Free Republic as a marketing tool.”

-The- money quote.
[pun may or not be intended]


171 posted on 05/17/2011 7:28:01 PM PDT by Salamander (I'm your pain.)
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To: 50mm
Busted!
172 posted on 05/17/2011 7:30:50 PM PDT by Salamander (I'm your pain.)
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To: Salamander; SquarePants; nysuperdoodle

I’ve got a theory about these blogpimp defenders. I think many of them have second FReeper names where they pimp their own blogs.


173 posted on 05/17/2011 7:31:42 PM PDT by 50mm ( I don't use drugs, my dreams are frightening enough.)
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To: 50mm

Posting from a static IP as I do, it would be impossible.

The Admins would be all over ‘another account’ in a heartbeat.

*However*, if I used a service provider with dynamic IPs, posted from any number of available coffee shops or other omnipresent Wi-Fi hotspots, I could theoretically have as many accounts as I had time to move around to various places.

I have no doubt that sometimes, I am arguing with “a mob of one”.


174 posted on 05/17/2011 7:40:17 PM PDT by Salamander (I'm your pain.)
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To: Tijeras_Slim

I have a dumb question: where do you see how many articles or posts someone has made? Surely you didn’t count them?


175 posted on 05/17/2011 7:43:19 PM PDT by Pan_Yan
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To: Salamander
Well, we've been accused of being multiples on several occasions.


176 posted on 05/17/2011 7:44:42 PM PDT by 50mm ( I don't use drugs, my dreams are frightening enough.)
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To: stolinsky
4. I used too many bullet points

Actually, I posted your entire essay here for all to read, and then I read it and critiqued it.

That apparently offends you.

My critique stands. Your "article" consisted of 20 or 30 fairly obvious bulleted observations, followed by a one-line vacuous "conclusion" (we have to improve education). You may be a doctor, which is fine, but your article was grade school level. No wonder you were ashamed to post it in its entirety.

You do want critiques, don't you? Or are you looking for hits and plaudits?

177 posted on 05/17/2011 7:52:32 PM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: Salamander

My provider changes my IP every month or so. I think they do that to foil those who try to host a website at home.

I have a widget that alerts me when my IP has changed.


178 posted on 05/17/2011 7:55:43 PM PDT by 50mm ( I don't use drugs, my dreams are frightening enough.)
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To: JustaDumbBlonde; jobim; stolinsky; humblegunner; Eaker; Allegra; Salamander; TheOldLady; ...
I find myself late to the party once again. Obligations beyond my home keep me from FReeping all day but I see that most of the points I would have made in response to stolinsky's post have been made. I did, however, notice a post by JustaDumbBlonde that caught my eye.

"Really? I tend to give standing to folks according to the content of their posts, not their length of membership."

An excellent point and one that leads to one underlying notion that bears investigation.

As someone (whatajoke) asked early on in this thread (paraphrased) what's the "Bloggers" section for? Although the point has been answered quite well by JimRob, and quoted on this thread at least twice, there is more.

It is presumed that in addition to posting OpEd type material, the section, like any other on FreeRepublic is there for discussion of that material. The threads posted by stolinsky have a good number of comments following them, showing that he touches on some topics of interest. FReepers of varying backgrounds comment on what he has written and expand, criticize or amplify the thoughts expressed in the original post.

Although human nature dictates that we will all have our own areas of special interest, we run into each other on the forum and get to know one another from many different angles.

The point is that FreeRepublic is an online community. One of the main objections to blog pimping, besides those already stated, is that it detracts from the community discussion on FreeRepublic. As JimRob said, the Bloggers section was established for people to have discussions here, not on their blogs.

But beyond that, the very act of pimping on FR bespeaks a mentality that goes past self promotion and enters into egocentric self importance. With this in mind I have a direct question addressed to Dr. Stolinsky:

When was the last time you actually participated in the community of FreeRepublic by commenting on a thread that was not your own?

Has it happened even once?


Not that the absence of such comments is an egregious sin. It simply betrays the mentality of one who is here to use the community, without really becoming a part of it.

As Joe 6-pack pointed out, if you really wanted to get exposure for your ideas, you could use this forum as your blog, posting your essays in full and save yourself the time and expense of your own website. You could then put that time into getting to know your audience, responding to some of their posts on other threads and all of us would benefit from the synergy.

One final thing. You mentioned "anger and vitriol." Back when this whole thing started it was a simple question - "Why not post it here?" Please explain how asking you to post ~MORE~ of your work on this forum is angry, vitriolic or hostile in any way.

(By the way, in post #166 I noticed that you're starting to talk to yourself on this thread. That's a very, very bad sign.)
179 posted on 05/17/2011 7:57:38 PM PDT by shibumi (Ego Nunquam Ubi Sub Ubi!)
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To: SquarePants

You “used to LIKE” the way Free Republic was way, way back at the end of December 2010? Whoa, dude, way back then, eh? How the time flies. If you want anyone here to believe that you’ve noticed a difference in the quality of Free Republic, you better have some hard data to back-up your argument. A noob claiming that things have changed so much that Freepers are spending less time here is laughable.

There is absolutely NO trade when a blogger posts excerpts on Free Republic. No-name, run-of-the-mill bloggers don’t pull people to Free Republic. It’s already a premier site without the drivel that often passes for someone’s blog.


180 posted on 05/17/2011 8:03:44 PM PDT by FourPeas ("Maladjusted and wigging out is no way to go through life, son." -hg)
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