Hi --
As I posted earlier, Frank Warren of PostSecret is fine, he is on vacation, I know this because I called the cops .
As I also mentioned earlier, I can't get on PostSecret anymore because everyone sharing their secrets, and wondering where Frank was, and yelling at eachother, has either caused the server to crash, is just so chock full of delicious word that my computer can no longer download the page .
Now I am the biggest Luddite in the world. I am the last adopter. I work in the technology industry, and my cell phone is so old that it is being held together by a twist tie for an outdoor garbage bag. When I am with colleagues and have to make a call, I literally run and hide. I started this blog the week after the NY Times said blogging was over, then rarely posted to it.
Even I know that 4,000 posts to a website with no advertising on it (meaning no cash behind it) is going to crash its servers, or be so chock full of delicious words that it will crash it's users browsers, rendering it unreadable.
So even I know, that unless Frank Warren's intention was to crash his own site, or my web browser, he probably didn't mean to leave the comments on, as so many people -- many of whom talk about him as if he is Jesus -- have said. Soooo many people went on and on about how Frank meant to bring the site to the next level, meant for everybody to share on the comments board, meant to let the great social experiment get even greater.
If that is the case, then Frank didn't know that 4,000 posts to a website with no advertising on it (meaning no cash behind it) is going to crash its servers, or my damn web browser, or both.
I don't know what it is about the blogsphere that makes so many people feel as if they can assume what other people's intentions are. I have a tremendous admiration for Heather at Dooce, who puts her life out there every day and then deals with it when people make comments about her parenting, her appropriateness, and why she does what she does, when it isn't anyone else's business.
But the reality is bloggers aren't people you know, uh, unless you're reading the blog of someone you know. Der. Readers don't have the right to assume they understand what's going on with bloggers, or project their own feelings onto them.
Do you agree, or is this just part of the deal of belonging to a community, that the person putting their opinion out there has to accept the labels, taunts, attacks and misperceptions of others? Because most healthy people, if presented with that in real life, would walk the hell away.
Monday, July 2, 2007
In Case of Emergency, Blog for Help
So I stopped blogging. And I guess the only thing that makes me want to blog is other people's idiocy. I think that's what I'll rename this blog. Other People's Idiocy.
I'm sure you've heard of PostSecret. It's a great art project that has touched many people's lives. People write their secrets on postcards and send them to Frank Warren, who runs the site on his own time for no money. He picks twenty or so cards each week, probably from hundreds or thousands, and puts them up as images. PostSecret is usually ranked in the Top 20 blogs read nationally on Technorati .
It's worth mentioning that Frank's mailing address is his actual house and it is displayed clearly on the site.
Frank posts every Sunday. There were no new cards this week, not Sunday morning, Sunday night, or today. In addition, the comments section, which he usually screens and picks out maybe four or five to post, had gone insane, with over 3,500 comments there last time I looked. Alot of them were people posting their own secrets, supporting eachothers secrets, a few of them were people attacking eachother's secrets, some of them were wondering what the hell had happened to Frank. Additionally, the suicide prevention number that had always been on the site was gone. No explanations. The monkeys had totally taken over the lab
After reading 40 or so comments that asked were Frank was or begging someone to drive to his house to check on him, I did the following. It was incredibly difficult and it took days and days of my time.
1) I Googled Germantown + Marlyand + police
2) I called the police department and said "I know this may sound strange, but. . " and then told them what I just told you.
3) The police said they would drive out to check on him and had me repeat what I had said to a dispatcher
4) I called back when they told me to and I was told Frank went on vacation.
I won't get in to the madness that is PostSecret right now, with so many posts that i can't download the site anymore. A lot of the people there seem to be supporting and helping eachother with their secrets, which is great.
What I will say is this -- clearly I don't blog enough for anyone to get worried when I don't, but what happened with Frank was like someone not showing up to work for 8 days. So to my family and friends:
If I ever disappear and you have no way of reaching me, CALL THE F'ING POLICE.
And I promise that if you ever disappear, I won't sit at my computer and wring my hands and try to figure out what message you're trying to send me with your absence. I will also call the f'ing police.
Bloggers, let your audiences know if you are leaving town and don't plan to to communicate.
Ranter signing off.
I'm sure you've heard of PostSecret. It's a great art project that has touched many people's lives. People write their secrets on postcards and send them to Frank Warren, who runs the site on his own time for no money. He picks twenty or so cards each week, probably from hundreds or thousands, and puts them up as images. PostSecret is usually ranked in the Top 20 blogs read nationally on Technorati .
It's worth mentioning that Frank's mailing address is his actual house and it is displayed clearly on the site.
Frank posts every Sunday. There were no new cards this week, not Sunday morning, Sunday night, or today. In addition, the comments section, which he usually screens and picks out maybe four or five to post, had gone insane, with over 3,500 comments there last time I looked. Alot of them were people posting their own secrets, supporting eachothers secrets, a few of them were people attacking eachother's secrets, some of them were wondering what the hell had happened to Frank. Additionally, the suicide prevention number that had always been on the site was gone. No explanations. The monkeys had totally taken over the lab
After reading 40 or so comments that asked were Frank was or begging someone to drive to his house to check on him, I did the following. It was incredibly difficult and it took days and days of my time.
1) I Googled Germantown + Marlyand + police
2) I called the police department and said "I know this may sound strange, but. . " and then told them what I just told you.
3) The police said they would drive out to check on him and had me repeat what I had said to a dispatcher
4) I called back when they told me to and I was told Frank went on vacation.
I won't get in to the madness that is PostSecret right now, with so many posts that i can't download the site anymore. A lot of the people there seem to be supporting and helping eachother with their secrets, which is great.
What I will say is this -- clearly I don't blog enough for anyone to get worried when I don't, but what happened with Frank was like someone not showing up to work for 8 days. So to my family and friends:
If I ever disappear and you have no way of reaching me, CALL THE F'ING POLICE.
And I promise that if you ever disappear, I won't sit at my computer and wring my hands and try to figure out what message you're trying to send me with your absence. I will also call the f'ing police.
Bloggers, let your audiences know if you are leaving town and don't plan to to communicate.
Ranter signing off.
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