Replies

Shibumi, you wrote this: “Oh, wait ..... You ~NEVER~ comment on any threads other than you own, do you? You only show up to pimp you blog and then skeedaddle.”

Click here, at item 23, for a fairly recent example of something else I’ve commented on Free Republic: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2723058/posts

That’s factual proof that the word “NEVER” is wrong.

On the other hand, it is true that I read much more than I comment, and it is true that I don’t post often on other people’s articles. However, when I think I have something to say that I don’t see being said by somebody else, I post a comment. That’s not just Free Republic — I think it would be a fair statement that I rarely post comments on articles on most news sites I read, with the exception of two local message boards in Pulaski County, though I read a large number of news sites.

You also wrote this: “Nobody asked you to stop posting. We asked you to stop Pimping. How does asking you for you to post more of your content constitute a negative response?”

Shibumi, as I’m sure you know, posting the lead paragraphs for articles with a link to the full article is the standard practice in the news media. That’s what most people want. Why post a thousand-word article when it’s easier to put up the key paragraphs for readers to decide whether to click to read the full text? I’m listening to what you and others are saying, and I’m willing to consider doing something different, but what you’re requesting isn’t something most “news aggregators” would even allow, let alone request.

However, I take an accusation of “pimping” as an accusation of bad motives. Certainly it’s not a positive statement. As I’ve said already, if people don’t want me here, I don’t want to be where I am not wanted, and that’s true even if a significant minority object. I have zero desire to create a controversy on Free Republic, and my primary concern is local readers, not traffic from Free Republic. It’s a minor source of readers, and if it became a major source of readers, I would have a problem. I run a local business, and I need to be able to honestly tell my local advertisers that most of my readers are from the local area around Fort Leonard Wood.

Your words -

"However, we have to deal with economic realities of a capitalist economy, and if we are going to document readership to advertisers, we need to back up readership claims with real statistics. I don't think it's too much to ask that people who are interested in the first few paragraphs of an article click a link to read the full article so we can report the number of readers to our advertisers."

That was you, earlier in this thread. This is you, now -

"I have zero desire to create a controversy on Free Republic, and my primary concern is local readers, not traffic from Free Republic. It’s a minor source of readers, and if it became a major source of readers, I would have a problem. I run a local business, and I need to be able to honestly tell my local advertisers that most of my readers are from the local area around Fort Leonard Wood."

So - which is it Sparky? Are you inflating you figures for your advertisers, or are you desirous of ~not~ attracting excess hits from FR so as to give your advertisers a "local" picture of your traffic?

Oh, by the way, about your not commenting on other threads - Congratulations! You managed to pick a comment out of that forest of "1 of X" posting history of yours. Anybody looking at you history can see the truth of the matter.

It’s a minor source of readers, and if it became a major source of readers, I would have a problem.

Then quit pimping your site by excerpting on FR and it won't be a problem for any of us.

Damn, could it be more simple?

PS: Trust me. A majority of the people in the world don't give a damn about Pulaski County so a path will not be beaten to your door because of your actions unless you set the entire thing on fire.